Digital Public Library Of America

The Digital Public Library of America (http://dp.la),is one year old this week. In celebration, DPLA is proud to announce the addition of six major new partners and other significant milestones as it enters its second year.

The New York Public Library (NYPL) this week expanded access to the full breadth of its digital collections through its partnership with DPLA, a major increase over its initial contribution of 14,000 records at DPLA’s launch. Over 1 million digitized items from throughout the Library’s research holdings are available, significantly increasing DPLA’s offerings by nearly 20%.

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http://dp.la/

Beautiful Libraries That Still House Books

1. Trinity College Library, Ireland

 

 Balme Library, Ghana

 EPM Library, Colombia

Images courtesy of Guia de Viajes Oficial de Medellin’s and Biblioteca EPM’s Flickr streams.

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26. Villanueva Public Library, Colombia

Images courtesy of Nicolas Cabrera via Dezeen.

 

27. Central Library of Vancouver, Canada

Images courtesy of Evan Leeson’s and David J. Laporte’s Flickr stream.

Many modern building designs are based on historical icons, but few of these designs focus on the ruins rather than the original. The Central Library of Vancouver is an exception. Based on the Roman Coliseum, this massive building takes up one full city block and features not only a library with 1.3 million reference materials, but also retail shops, restaurants, a parking structure, office buildings and a rooftop garden.

28. Library of Parliament, Canada

images courtesy of Wikipedia users Wladyslaw and Alejandro Erickson

Hearst Castle Gothic Study, USA

Skywalker Ranch Library, USA

Image courtesy of Michael Heilemann’s 

he Tianyi Pavilion Library, China

Images courtesy of What’s On Ningbo.

Victorian State Library, Australia

 

 

Images courtesy of Wikipedia users Bjenks and Diliff

 

56. The State Library of New South Wales, Australia

Image courtesy of Flickr user Christophe

57. The State Library of South Australia

Images courtesy of Flickr users OZinOH and gracias!

 

58. Victorian Parliamentary Library, Australia

Images courtesy of Flickr user Sally Cummings

Beitou Library, Taiwan

 

 

 

Why Are People So Mean?

The Psychological Point of View

There is  popular belief that people are mean to others in order to feel better about themselves. Humans have a need to feel unique from others in positive ways. As they naturally form groups, this need for positive distinction extends to the groups we belong to. Meaning, we tend to view our in-groups more favorably than out-groups (groups we do not belong to). And as a consequence, we tend to see people who are not part of our group less positively than people who are. This is especially likely to occur when there is competition between the groups or when people feel like the identity of their group has been challenged. Research  often reveals that people display in-group favoritism, and further, that degrading out-group members can have a positive impact on self-esteem and feelings of positivity towards one’s groups.

When self-esteem is threatened, humans are more likely to compare themselves to people they think are worse off than them to see other people as having more negative traits, to degrade people who aren’t members of our groups, and to become more directly aggressive towards people in general. Insulting or criticizing someone else, may say more about how you are feeling about yourself than the other person. Insecurity over ourselves drives much of the cruelty in the world.

Another Point Of View

They’re hurt. Here’s the long answer: They’re really hurt. At some point, somebody did them dirty. They were crushed. And they’re still afraid the pain will never stop, or that it will happen again. “I am a victim; people want to hurt me; I must hurt them first to be safe.” This is why mean people may turn ugly when you say something like “Please pass the salt” or “Hey, it’s raining.” They immediately rewrite whatever they hear to support their story line (“She’s saying I’m a bad cook” or “He’s bringing up the weather to avoid talking about us”). The story, not other people’s behavior, both motivates and excuses their hostility.

 

 

New Technology & The Mystery Of The Mummy

The Mummy of Tamut, a temple singer around 900 BC, was displayed during a press conference at the British Museum in London, Wednesday April 9, 2014. Scientists at the British Museum have used CT scans and volume graphics software to go beneath the bandages, revealing the skin, bones, internal organs, and in one case a brain-scooping rod left inside a skull by embalmers. The results are going on display in an exhibition which sets eight of the museum’s mummies alongside detailed 3-D images of their insides. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

 

Puff Daddy Combs To Deliver The Address At Howard University Commencement Ceremony

Combs, a former Howard student, will also receive an honorary doctorate in humanities at the ceremony.

May 10.2014

Library Of Congress Announced 25 New Entries Chosen For Preservation

 

Recordings by, Isaac Hayes, the Everly Brothers,U2, Linda Ronstadt, Jeff Buckley, Lyndon B. Johnson and the original Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are among those newly selected for induction into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

Librarian of the Library of Congress says “As technology continually changes and formats become obsolete, we must ensure that our nation’s aural legacy is protected”. This years selections include everything from classic singles such as Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (recorded in 1932 by both Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee, separately) to later pop hits such as the Everlys’ Cathy’s Clown (1960), Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son (1969), and the late Buckley’s 1994 cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Among the albums chosen are Hayes’ Shaft (1971), Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel (1974) and U2’s blockbuster The Joshua Tree (1987), presidential recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson (nearly 850 hours, recorded from 1963-1969), Lawrence Ritter’s interviews with baseball pioneers (1962-1966) and The First Family, a collection of comedy skits from 1962. New recordings also include  Art Blakey’s 1954 albums A Night at Birdland (Vols. 1 and 2) and Aaron Copland’s Copland Conducts Copland: Appalachian Spring (1974).

April 13-19 is National library Week

ER Doctors,Clinicians, Google Glass, QR Codes , & BYOD

A tech-savvy hospital in Boston developed a custom information-retrieval system for Google Glass, allowing ER Doctors to scan a QR code on the wall of each room to call up information about patients. When a clinician walks into an emergency department room, he or she looks at a bar code (a QR or Quick Response code) placed on the wall. Google Glass quickly recognizes the room and then the ED Dashboard sends information about the patient in that room to the glasses, appearing in the clinician’s field of vision. The clinician can speak with the patient, examine the patient, and perform procedures while seeing problems, vital signs, lab results and other data.

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BYOD medicine

Physicians aren’t waiting for their central IT departments, they’re finding their own ways to get access to the information they need, when they need it.  One of the most visible signs of change is the adoption of the iPad and other mobile devices by physicians. The iPad has become an essential tool for clinicians. Last October, the Department of Veterans Affairs moved to open up its network so that doctors could use their own mobile devices. While other health systems have been slow to officially adopt the iPad and other devices, John Kornak, Director of Telehealth at the University of Maryland Medical Center says, “A BYOD (bring your own device) mentality is starting to take shape among physicians, and more mobile apps are starting to find their way into use.”

There is a strong push from doctors to find mobile apps that make it easier and more seamless for them to connect to health data such as charts and radiology images.

One of the most obvious applications for the high-resolution screen of the latest iPad is displaying medical imagery. By pulling up images from CT scans and MRI scans on their iPads, Hopkins’ Dr. Fishman says surgeons now use the iPad to explain procedures to patients more effectively. “Doctors can look at their cases in real-time. Now clinicians can look at the information generated as it’s created. They can pull down CT slices in 2 seconds. It’s very fast and interactive. They can bring the image to the bedside or in the office.

An Infograph

 

 Barland’s Project

Infographic- NYS Common Core Standard

A Barland Project

Researchers Say SmartPhones helps Disadvantage To Read

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Public Schools Teach Evolution & Parochial Schools Teach Creation ?

Oklahoma’s House Bill 1674 if passed, would require state and local educational authorities to “assist teachers in finding more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies” and permit teachers to “help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught, and prohibiting administrators from interfering. The HB 1674 is set for the Senate Education Committee.The Senate would have to approve the bill by April 24, 2014, for it to become law.

ARDA

 

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Connecticut School Districts Prepare For Computerized Standarized Tests

 

School districts across the state of Connecticut are scrambling to get ready for new standardized tests and in just a couple weeks, students will use computers instead of pencil and paper. Schools now have to follow a new higher educational standard in the Common Core curriculum, and districts are making major upgrades to follow the guidelines.  New computers and software were purchased so students can take the tests.

 

Making A Water Filter Instantly

When running out of drinking water during a lakeside camping trip, there’s a simple solution: Break off a branch from the nearest pine tree, peel away the bark, and slowly pour lake water through the stick. The improvised filter should trap any bacteria, producing fresh, uncontaminated water.  MIT team has discovered that this low-tech filtration system can produce up to four liters of drinking water a day — .In a paper published this week in the journal PLoS ONE (“Water Filtration Using Plant Xylem “), the researchers demonstrate that a small piece of sapwood can filter out more than 99 percent of the bacteria E. coli from water. They say the size of the pores in sapwood — which contains xylem tissue evolved to transport sap up the length of a tree — also allows water through while blocking most types of bacteria.

Top College & University Majors

American colleges are still the number one choice for international students and have the highest number of world ranked universities. Studying in the USA gives you the chance to expand your career options, explore a huge and diverse nation, and learn from internationally-renowned teachers and researchers at US colleges and Graduate schools.

The choice of universities in the USA is the largest in the world. An American college is usually smaller and offers only undergraduate degrees, while a university also offers graduate degrees.

Top Majors

1. Business Administration and Management/Commerce

2. Psychology

3. Nursing

4. Biology/Biological Sciences

5. English Language and Literature

6. Education

7. Economics

8. Communications Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

9. Political Science and Government

10. Computer and Information Sciences

Hot Degrees

Bachelor’s in Finance

Bachelor’s in Computer Science

Bachelor’s in Marketing

Bachelor’s in Health Care Administration

Bachelor’s in Business Administration

The STEM Crisis & Recruiting From Overseas

 

STEM -Science Technology Engineering Math

The rest of the world is  soaring ahead while United States lag behind.  Our knowledge capital, which fuels innovation and economic growth, is at risk. 

The National Math + Science Initiative list hard facts on why STEM education matters and why our country’s student performance must improve in order for America to remain globally competitive. 

Decline in Education in America’s Elementary and Secondary Schools

• 44 percent of 2013 U.S. high school graduates are ready for college-level math.
• 36 percent of 2013 U.S. high school students are ready for college-level science.
• 26 percent of 2009 U.S. students took Algebra I before high school. (Up from 20 percent in 2005.)
• Only 12 percent of black students and 17 percent of Hispanic students took Algebra I before high school in 2009. But, 48 percent of Asian students took Algebra I before high school in 2009.
• In 2013, 42 percent of American fourth grade students and 35 percent of eighth grade students, performed at or above the proficient level in mathematics.
• In 2011, 32 percent of eighth grade students performed at or above the proficient level in science.
• In 2009, 34 percent of American fourth grade students and 21 percent of twelfth grade students performed at or above the proficient level in science.
• 9 percent of Hispanic and 10 percent of black U.S. students took advanced Algebra or calculus in 2008, compared to 22 percent of white students and 43 percent of Asian students.
• 19.5 percent of AP test takers in the class of 2012 earned a qualifying score on an AP exam.
• 27 percent of 2011 test takers took an AP science exam and 26 percent took an AP math exam.
• 

• Decline in Higher Education in America

  • Students who progress through at least Algebra II in high school are twice as likely as those who do not to complete a four-year degree.
  • 38 percent of students who start with a STEM major do not graduate with one.
  • In 2009, men age 25 and older held 87 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering fields.
  • In 2009, of the 56 million people age 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree, nearly 20 million of them held a degree in a science and engineering field

  • Teachers

    • In 2007, about a third of public middle school science teachers either did not major in the subject in college and/or are not certified to teach it.
    • 36 percent of public middle school math teachers in 2007 either did not major in the subject in college and/or are not certified to teach it.
    • Teacher turnover is costing America $7.3 billion annually.
    • In 2007, the average cost of teacher turnover was over $17,000.
    • Replacing a poor teacher with an average one would raise a single classroom’s lifetime earnings by about $266,000.

    • International Comparisons 

      • 29 nations: The number of industrialized nations whose high school students performed better than U.S. students in math in 2012.
      • 22 nations: The number of industrialized nations whose high school students performed better than U.S. students in science in 2012.
      • In 2008, 4 percent of U.S. bachelor’s degrees were awarded in engineering.Compared to 31 percent in China.
      • In 2008, 31 percent of U.S. bachelor’s degrees were awarded in science and engineering fields. Compared to 61 percent in Japan and 51 percent in China.

      • Workforce

        • As of February 2012, more than half of the 30 fastest growing occupations require some level of post-secondary education.
        • “All of the increase in employment over the past two decades has been among workers who have taken at least some college classes or who have associate or bachelor’s degrees – and mostly among workers with bachelor’s degrees.”
        • The number of science and engineering (S&E)  bachelor’s degree completions has grown by 19% from 2009 to 2013, compared to9% growth for non-S&E disciplines.
        • Of the 15 Major categories, Engineering has the highest median earnings, yet less than 20% of students choose a STEM path.
        • In 2008, 59 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy required post-secondary education. (Up from 28 percent in 1973.)
        • By 2018, it is projected that 63 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy will require post-secondary education.
        • By 2018, 92 percent of traditional STEM jobs will be for those with at least some post-secondary education and training.
        • 23 percent of STEM workers are women, however women make up 48 percent of workers in all occupations.
        • In 2009, 12 percent of STEM workers were non-Hispanic black and Hispanic. But,non-Hispanic black and Hispanic individuals accounted for 25 percent of overall employment.
        • Women received 29.6 percent of computer science B.A.’s in 1991, compared to 18.2 percent in 2010.
        • 23 percent of STEM workers are women, however women make up 48 percent of workers in all occupations.
        • Jobs in computer systems design and related services, a field dependent on high-level math and problem-solving skills, are projected to grow 45 percent between 2008 and 2018.
        • The U.S. may be short as many as three million high-skills workers by 2018.

New Mobile App Can Tell If You’re Lying

A new mobile app developed at Stevens tells you, in an instant, who’s telling the truth. 

Jaasuz, an app invented by two faculty members and perfected with the assistance of their graduate students, appeared on Apple’s iTunes “app store” after three years of development. It may be the first-ever iOS application detect the truth or a lie.

The app reads text and quickly sifts through it for dozens of different clues about truth (or intent to deceive), as well as gender, drawing on historical patterns extracted from hundreds of confirmed online hoaxes and half a million known-gender emails. Potential applications for the fraud-detecting technology might include uses in the insurance, law enforcement, cybersecurity and legal professions, among others.

Other lie detector apps can be found on Google play

Technology Trends For 2014

 

Major companies are working on data encryption to detour NSA from snooping

Smartphones will be able to connect with our homes

No-Touch interfaces

3D printing

Wearable technology

Cloud services

 

Microsoft’s New Chief- Satya Nadella

 

Mr Nadella, who has been at Microsoft for 22 years, is now the new chief.  Bill Gates, Microsoft’s founder, has stepped aside as chairman. However, he will be doing more rather than less. At Mr Nadella’s request Mr Gates will become “technology adviser”. Mr Gates plans to  spend a third of his time at the firm. Recently he has devoted almost all his energy to the philanthropic foundation that bears the names of himself and his wife, Melinda. Like Mr Gates, Mr Ballmer will stay on the board.

Microsoft is still a reigning company with revenues of  $43 billion, 15% more than the year before. Its net income was $11.8 billion, up by 8.8%. It has a cash pile of $84 billion and a market capitalisation of $300 billion. However it has struggled to find its way in a world where the personal computer no longer reigns supreme. Mr Nadella’s job is to set a course through what he calls a “cloud-first, mobile-first world”. When it comes to mobile, Microsofts places third. Its operating system, Windows Phone, is far behind Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. 

Microsoft is expected to start selling its widely used Office suite of programs (which includes Word, a word-processor, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint slide shows) on iPads and Android tablets.

When you consider the tough challenges Bill & Melinda Gates takes on with their philanthropic foundation its quite amazing.

When You Just Cant Mind Your own Business

The biggest fool is one who minds the business of others rather than minding his very own

Technology Trends & Changes In Higher Education

 

1. Social media is helping to shape the way technology is adopted on American campuses. Social media ubiquity is identified as “Fast trends,” or trends that will drive change in the next year or two. Facebook and Twitter are used for formal and informal discussion forums. While Vanderbilt University’s YouTube channel give students, faculty, and the general public a glimpse into important work happening on campus

2.There is a shift in higher education to online, blended and hybrid learning

3.  Data-driven learning and assessment will be a key concern for academic institutions, particularly as it concerns policymaking.

4. The adoption of agile business models in higher education to promote “a culture of innovation in a more widespread, cost-effective manner. Pilots and other experimental programs are being developed for teaching and improving organizational structure to more effectively nurture entrepreneurship among both students and faculty.”

5. Online learning  is seen as a viable alternative to some forms of face-to-face learning

6. Recent developments in business models are increasing the stakes of innovation in these digital environments, which are now widely considered to be ripe for new ideas, services, and products

 

 

Libraries & NYCHA Among Sites For New York City’s Pre-K

Mayor de Blasio -New York City, released a detailed blueprint Monday showing that the city will need to come up with more than 30,000 seats by this fall for Pre-K

According to de Blasio’s plan, the city will guarantee close to 54,000 full-time universal pre-K seats for city students by September 2014. That’s a huge jump from the 16,119 full-time seats currently available inside public schools, as well as the more than 3,000 full-time seats available in community-based organizations.

 Another 20,000 full-day seats will be added by the fall of next year, aiming to have enough spots for every one of the estimated 73,250 4-year-olds, the mayor’s office said.

The city may make room for some of these seats by using space in other city-owned properties, such as “space in branches of the New York Public Library,” according to the report. The mayor’s office added that the city would also look to use space inside public housing complexes. 

The new pre-K seats come with a price tag, and de Blasio hammered home his plan before Albany lawmakers on Monday to pay for the seats through a tax increase on city residents making $500,000 a year or more.

In addition to potentially using library and NYCHA space, the mayor’s office plans to generate the needed seats through a combination of converting the more than 27,000 existing half-day pre-K seats in public schools and community-based programs, as well as getting non-Universal Pre-K-compliant programs into the fold. That includes converting 877 half-day seats currently devoted to students with disabilities into full-time programs, the report says.

The mayor’s office said that the new UPK system will implement the state’s harder Common Core pre-K standards to ensure a consistent high standard for each child enrolled, 

The new system, according to the report, is expected to  provide salaries “sufficient to attract and retain the best certified teachers to lead early childhood classrooms.”

Critics say de Blasio will have an uphill battle to make his case in Albany.

Young Ones March For Their Own Library

“Books, access fairness, we’re marching to raise awareness,” the more than 50 second-graders declared as they marched from the Chinatown gate to City Hall Friday afternoon.

“We want justice. We want it now!” they chanted. 

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Martin Luther King PhD

Popular Social Network Sites By Stats

CES 2014

Check This One Out

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A First Of Its Kind: Library To Offer High School Diplomas

The Los Angeles Public Library has announced  that it is teaming up with a private online learning company to debut a program for high school dropouts, it is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is the latest step in the transformation of public libraries in the digital age as they move to establish themselves beyond just being a repository of books to a full educational institution, said the library’s director, John Szabo. The library ‘s goal is to grant high school diplomas to 150 adults in the first year at a cost of $150,000.  Many public libraries offer programs to prepare students and in some cases administer the General Educational Development test, which for decades was the brand name for the high school equivalency exam.  However,this is not a GED or high School Equivalency program.  Students will be required to take courses to earn high school credits.

The program is slated to begin this month. Applicants must pass an initial evaluation to become eligible for a library-sponsored scholarship to attend Career Online High School, a kind of private online school district through the Smart Horizons corporation, based in Pensacola, Fla. Career Online High School has been accredited through AdvancED Accreditation Commission, a private nonprofit agency, said spokeswoman Jennifer Oliver.

The program is expected to grow from there, and may be introduced to other public library systems in the country, said Nader Qaimari of Gale-Cengage Learning, a leading provider of content and software to libraries, which introduced the program to the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Howard A. Liebman, who is the superintendent of the corporation’s online schools, said public libraries offer the perfect place for serving dropouts, who often left high school because of a traumatic experience, be it a teen pregnancy, a discipline problem or other issues.

Unlike traditional high school students, the online adult learners must choose a career path so their education can be geared toward their future job. Library staff will be trained to help the adult learners and the library system is looking at making available spaces for the students so they can meet their fellow pupils.  The library plans to  target about a dozen areas with high percentages of high school dropouts to offer the program at those neighborhood branches initially. The Los Angeles public library system has 72 branch libraries and 22 literacy centers.

The Growth of STEM Jobs

 

 Science,Technology, Engineering,  Math 
The map also reveals pockets of the U.S. where key industries are clustered among the largest cities:
• Motor vehicles parts manufacturing traditionally focused in Rust Belt cities, but Southern metros such as Birmingham, Louisville and Nashville are emerging in this sector.
• Oil and gas extraction is a major driver of high-wage job growth in Texas, Oklahoma and the surrounding region. It’s also becoming a driver of job growth in Denver.
• General freight trucking is concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast (Nashville, Memphis, Jacksonville, etc.), where transportation routes are plentiful and huge population centers are in close range.
• Software publishing has a big presence in Silicon Valley, but is also growing in major markets such as Seattle, Boston, Atlanta and Denver.
• General medical and surgical hospitals are driving jobs in Columbus, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Rochester and St. Louis, among others.
• Highway, street and bridge construction has seen an uptick in jobs in Baton Rouge, Oklahoma City and San Antonio as cities rebuild after natural disasters and address other public concerns.

In a separate study of the same 100 metros, CareerBuilder and EMSI discovered which metros have added the most jobs per capita post-recession:

1. Salt Lake City, UT – added over 62,000 jobs since 2010, up 9 percent (534 new jobs per 10,000 people)
Originally a farming community, Salt Lake City has grown into an industrial center for the state. Industries that have experienced strong job growth in this metro include electronic shopping and mail order houses (up 43 percent), software publishing (up 28 percent), specialized freight trucking (up 23 percent) and credit intermediation (up 22 percent).

2. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI – added over 39,000 jobs since 2010, up 10 percent (513 new jobs per 10,000 people)
This manufacturing heavyweight has benefitted from the rebound of production jobs after the recession. The metro saw job increases in various manufacturing segments such as plastics product (up 35 percent), motor vehicle parts (up 33 percent), metalworking machinery (up 30 percent) and office furniture (up 12 percent). Hospitals also accounted for an upswing in jobs (up 16 percent).

3. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA – added over 91,000 jobs since 2010, up 10 percent (498 new jobs per 10,000 people)
It’s no surprise that software publishing (up 30 percent), computer systems design (up 19 percent), data processing and hosting (up 16 percent), computer manufacturing (up 12 percent) and scientific research (up 9 percent) are big contributors to employment for this Silicon Valley metro.

4. Austin–Round Rock– San Marcos, TX – added over 90,000 jobs since 2010, up 11 percent (488 new jobs per 10,000 people)
Austin has made a name for itself as a technology and business hub, fueling job growth in management, scientific and consulting services (up 35 percent), computer systems design (up 35 percent), data processing and hosting (up 35 percent) and semiconductor manufacturing (up 17 percent).

5. Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, TX – added over 281,000 jobs since 2010, up 10 percent (451 new jobs per 10,000 people)
Energy-rich Houston continues to see job growth in utility system construction (specifically, oil and gas pipeline, up 45 percent), mining support (up 38 percent), metal and mineral (except petroleum) wholesalers (up 31 percent), oil and gas extraction (up 25 percent), and architectural and engineering services (up 21 percent).

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A Presidential Library In Hawaii

 

 

There are two sites that supporters say could be the future home for the presidential library of Barack Obama. In Kakaako, just behind the parking lot for the Point Panic bodysurfing spot, the land is made up of two vacant lots, and offers a tantalizing view of Diamond Head and the ocean.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D), who has been a proponent of having a presidential center in Hawaii said “We think it’s a great opportunity for the president to launch his post-presidential career and he’s going to be a young ex-president.”

“We know he’s going to be in public service, and Honolulu would be a great headquarters for a presidential center.” 

While President Obama was born and raised in Hawaii, he made his political mark and his current home in Chicago, which is also in the running. “We’re prepared to compete with Chicago, but we’re also prepared to collaborate with Chicago,” said Schatz. 

“There are a lot of different parts of a presidential center: a foundation, a policy school, the museum. And any one of those, or all of those, could be located here,” said University of Hawaii Professor Robert Perkinson, who has been coordinating the effort to have a presidential center here.

The White House isn’t ready to speak on it just yet. President Obama’s term still has three more years to go. That’s still time for him to decide where to house his museum, or any foundation that he wishes to establish.

George W. Bush’s Presidential Library and Museum opened just last year in his home state of Texas. While President Obama was born and raised in Hawaii, he made his political mark and his current home in Chicago, which is also in the running.

“We’re prepared to compete with Chicago, but we’re also prepared to collaborate with Chicago,” said Schatz.

At least one former president, Bill Clinton, has a presidential library in his home state of Arkansas, but his non-profit foundation is headquartered in New York. That has raised the hopes that Honolulu will get at least one part of a proposed center.

“There are a lot of different parts of a presidential center: a foundation, a policy school, the museum. And any one of those, or all of those, could be located here,” said University of Hawaii Professor Robert Perkinson, who has been coordinating the effort to have a presidential center here.

Local Obama supporters say that he — much like Clinton — will remain active as a former president. They also say that his annual holidays in Hawaii show that he likes being here.

But not so fast — the White House isn’t ready to talk just yet. After all, Obama’s term still has three more years to go. That’s still time for him to decide where to house his museum, or any foundation that he wishes to establish.

“When he’s ready to seriously engage with those proposals, then we’re ready to meet with him and partner with him,” said Perkinson.

 

Higher Education Trends 2014

The Obama administration, state governments, and foundation funders are all pressuring colleges to shrink the time it takes for students to graduate. Two strategies that has gained attention: advancing students based on mastery, and giving students credit for work experience. 

Competency-based learning–  works best online. Students move through course material at their own pace, their test scores—not time in class—determining how quickly they move through the material. At Western Governors’ University, an online institution that pioneered this structure almost 20 years ago, students earn bachelor’s degrees two years faster than the national average. This year, the University of Wisconsin system started offering a competency-based option.

Prior learning assessment– whereby students get college credit for on-the job and military training, volunteer experience, and hobbies. Credit is usually granted through placement tests, assessments of student portfolios, or according to the American Council on Education’s recommendations. Some employers and colleges—like Starbucks and City University of Seattle—have struck up partnerships that allow employees to earn college credit for workplace training

Teacher Effectiveness

As policymakers move toward rewarding teachers for the quality of their teaching, not for factors like whether an educator holds an advanced degree, districts have to get better at assessing teacher performance. The big debate now is how closely teacher evaluations should be tied to student test performance and how closely they’re tied to teachers’ job security.

Data Privacy Concerns

This year saw the beginnings of a backlash over the collection and storage of student data, including grades, contact information, and disciplinary records.  A recent Fordham University study found that most contracts between school districts and Web-based services lack privacy protections.

Schools and colleges have data-driven software to help them track student progress. Proponents of data collection and analysis point out that federal and some state laws limit how children’s educational records can be shared. But a whole lot of parents don’t trust the government to keep data secure, or don’t trust corporations not to abuse access to information about how individual minds work.

The American Federation of Teachers believes that a recent union contract in New Haven, Conn., could show a move forward . Teachers, not algorithms, set learning targets. Teachers are assessed based on classroom observation, principal reviews, and student test scores, and are given a full year’s worth of support to improve their practice if they aren’t performing well.

Teacher recruitment matter. In 2014, expect to hear more calls for teachers who reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of students and debate over alternative teacher-training programs, particularly those aligned with charter networks.

Big Data & Education

 

 The SXSWedu conference in Austin, Texas, in early March, unveiled the most influential new ed-tech product: a $100 million database built to chart the academic paths of public school students from kindergarten through high school. The database already holds files on millions of children identified by name, address, and sometimes Social Security number, Reuters reported. It includes information about learning disabilities, test scores, and attendance. In some cases, it even tracks student hobbies, career goals, attitudes toward school, and homework completion.

The database is a joint project of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided most of the funding, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and school officials from several states. A nonprofit organization called inBloom was created to run it.

Local education officials retain control over their students’ information. However, federal law allows them to share files in their portion of the database with private companies selling educational products and services.

The database had ed-tech entrepreneurs clamering over the possibilities for using data to enhance instruction. But parents from New York and Louisiana have written to state officials in protest. So have the Massachusetts chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and Parent-Teacher Association.

If student records leak, are hacked, or are abused, “what are the remedies for parents?” asked Norman Siegel, a civil liberties attorney in New York who has been working with the protesters says “It’s very troubling.”

Supporters of the inBloom project argue that the information is safer in the database than scattered throughout school districts. Plus, the project’s upside is enormous, they say, with the power to transform classrooms nationwide.

 

Some Say IT Should Ban Google Glass

Google Glass is about to surface publicly in 2014 and presumably at a cheaper price. However some say Google Glass should be banned at work. Wiretapping laws vary from state to state. An employee using Google Glass at work probably is at reasonably low risk unless he uses the technology to capture a manager or fellow employee behaving badly enough to get fired. The company may still be able to use the material and whether the firm or individual is liable for damage will likely depend on the laws that are enforced in the state.

Places That Have Banned Google Glass

Banks/ATMs

 Sports Arenas/Concert Venues

 Locker Rooms/Dressing Rooms

 Movie Theaters

 Cars

Legislators in states like West Virginia and Arizona are concerned about their citizens safety while driving, which is why these states are attempting to ban people from “using a wearable computer with head mounted display.” This measure will most likely be followed by the 39 other states and Washington D.C. who have already prohibited texting while driving. Glassing & Driving is already set to be banned in the UK.

 Hospitals

Hospitals, like many other places of business, are worried about patients privacy. Since hospitals also contain some of our most vital data, an open folder or stray piece of paper could end up as a photo in Glass. Which, in case you weren’t aware, could be very bad news for a person’s identity.

 Classrooms

Whether it’s an elementary classroom or a college lecture hall, many schools are already banning Google Glass. Locations where children attend is understandable

 Casinos

 With the  fear of cheating-, it’s not surprising that casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City have already banned Google Glass from entering their locations.

 Bars

The owner of the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle was almost ahead of everyone when he banned Google Glass back in March. Of course, this made international headlines and sparked controversy.  David Meinert and his Seattle bar were just looking to protect customers from the so-called “glassholes” out there.

 Strip Clubs

Harlem NY To Receive Nation’s Largest WiFi

 

 

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the launch of a free new outdoor public WiFi network in Harlem accessible to all users. The Harlem WiFi network will extend 95 city blocks, from 110th to 138th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue making it the largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation. The network, which will be rolled out in three phases in coordination with the city’s Technology Development Corporation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, will increase digital access for approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, including 13,000 public housing residents, as well as businesses and visitors in the area. The free public network will serve the community for an initial five-year term and is funded through a generous donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The first phase, extending from 110th to 120th Streets between Madison Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is underway and the remaining phases will be complete by May 2014. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City President Megan Sheekey, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea and Harlem Children’s Zone President and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Canada.

 

The New Computerized High School Equivilency Test (TASC) 2014

High School Equivalency (HSE) Test called TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) will replace the GED® Test in the beginning of 2014. The Test is expected to Roll out in January 2014 costing 120.00 in some states. The computerized test will replace pencil & paper. The test will be longer and some say more difficult. Paper and pencils are also gone, replaced by computers. Officials said vouchers are available to help people who can’t afford to pay for the test

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Irina’s Children

Gallery Books executive editor Karen Kosztolnyik won North American rights after a three-day auction, to Tilar Mazzeo’s nonfiction proposal, Irena’s Children. The nonfiction book is about a woman who has been dubbed the “female Oskar Schindler.” The proposal unwinds the life story of Irena Sendler, who, along with the force of fellow Polish citizens, went to extremes during World War II to save over 2,000 children from the Warsaw Ghetto. (Sendler kept the names of all the rescued kids in a jar, so that they might one day be reunited with their families.) The book, Gallery noted, also weaves together two “intertwined wartime love stories.” The proposal has been acquired in Italy and Norway, and, at press time, auctions were underway in the U.K. and the Netherlands. Mazzeo (The Widow Clicquot) was represented by agent Stacey Glick at Dystel & Goderich

 

The Internet Hall Of Fame 2014

The Internet Society has established an annual global rotational schedule for The Internet Hall Of Fame . The Internet Society announced Asia Pacific as the region for the 2014 Internet Hall of Fame event. Latin America has been selected for 2015, followed by Africa in 2016, and North America in 2017. The Internet Hall of Fame is an annual awards program that has been established by the Internet Society to publicly recognize a distinguished and select group of leaders and luminaries who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global open Internet.

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Worldwide Stats

Data & Visualizations created by Barland’s Ongoing Information

Source Internet World Stats

Video

Phablets are  mobile devices incorporating both a smartphone and a tablet computer in a single compact package (phone + tablet = phablet).

As smartphones take on more and more computer-like capabilities (viewing news, sports, photos, movies, taking photos and videos, and the like), there’s an increasing desire for screens with a larger display size and higher resolution. Combine this with the increasing number of users who want to “go mobile” with tablet computers, and you have the need for a more compact tablet computer. Since display sizes for smartphones are typically three to five inches and for tablet computers seven to ten inches, there’s a “gap” in the five- to seven-inch size. Enter a combined device a you get a Phablet

Up Coming New Books

 

This Is A Library

On Being Color Struck & The Doll Study

View Another Unrecognized Problem Worldwide

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NSA Dragnet Can Capture The Cloud

 

New Leak by Snowden reveals a program, called MUSCULAR, secretly sends “millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency’s Fort Meade headquarters.”

In this slide from a National Security Agency presentation on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” a sketch shows where the “Public Internet” meets the internal “Google Cloud” where user data resides. Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing.

By Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani, Published: October 30

The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.

By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot.

The new disclosure is stunning because the National Security Agency already possesses court-approved authority to collect vast amounts of online communication records, thanks to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Legislation introduced this week by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would limit the government’s authority for such data-sweeping under the section.

 

 

Dell’s New PC’s Come With A Stinky Odor ?

Dell has admitted that some of its new Latitude laptops have a strange odor.

Hundreds of complaints began popping up in social media and tech forums since early summer, when Dell released its latest Latitude E643ou laptop PC. They were asked  if used kitty litter was used as packing around it.

No Way To Get the Smell Out

Whatever the cause, owners complained they could not get the smell out, even wiping down the laptop repeatedly with Lysol wipes.

Dell initially told customers to leave the laptop open so it would get fresh air, and wipe it down periodically, but that didn’t help.

Dell Admits Issue, Will Fix

Now, Dell finally admits that an issue with the “manufacturing process” caused some of the plastic parts inside to have a smell similar to cat urine, according to the tech website Engadget.

The Guardian, which says owners “have their cat claws out,” claims the problem may be the palm rest.

It says it is not a health hazard, and that no cats were involved in making the devices. The company will now offer a replacement laptop, or at least the plastic parts involved, to customers who absolutely cannot live with the odor,

What they’re Working On Now

 

Look Here

I wonder if humans will be able to think for themselves when this springs up

Apple Wants Patent For Digital Book-Signing Technology

One of the advantages of print books is that they can be hand autographed. Well, Apple is currently seeking a patent to that would allow authors to digitally autograph ebooks. Some users still prefer paper media products for the physical attributes of paper media products, which include the ability to have a copy of a book personalized. According to a recent patent application, allows for “embedding an autograph in an electronic book.” You can appear at an author signing with your iPad, have it signed and walk away with an authentic keepsake.

 

Maker Faire 2013 New York/Bay Area

This year 3D printers were the talk of the town in New York’s Makerfaire. Held over the held only,  at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, Queens. The show highlighted the creations of hobbyists, hackers, and craftspeople in everything from electronics to rocketry to beadwork.  3D printers and related technologies—from established companies and newcomers were the  featured attraction. Intel futurist Brian David Johnson introduced Jimmie, an open-source 3D-printed robot, in a special presentation, and 3D printers occupied a large area within the show.

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LinkedIn Sued

LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, is being sued  by users who claim the company hacked into their email address books. Users who are a part of the lawsuit say the company emailed their contacts on their behalf and invited recipients to join the network.

They want the federal judge in San Jose, California, to force LinkedIn to put an end to this behavior as well as to return any revenue they may have earned from advertisers by promoting the service to non users. The complaint even points to LinkedIn’s website as evidence, noting multiple users have criticized the network after several of their contacts received unsolicited invitation emails.

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In a   blog post, LinkedIn denounces the arguments and says they never email contacts without a user’s permission.The complaint also points to a former LinkedIn employee who used his profile to brag about his job which allowed him to devise “hack schemes to make lots of $$$ with Java, Groovy and cunning.” According to a LinkedIn spokesperson, the engineer in question left in May 2012.

A Visit To The Literary South

 

 

DuBose Heyward’s enthralling story of “Porgy set in Charleston S.C.

 

 

Savannah,Georgia’s Robert Louis Stevenson and the Pirates House that played a part in his book “Treasure Island.” The childhood homes of Flannery O’Connor and Conrad Aiken are also in Savannah, as well as sites associated with John Berendt’s bestselling book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.”

 

Atlanta and  Margaret Mitchell’s tiny Peachtree Street apartment where she wrote”Gone with the Wind.” 

 

 

Thomas Wolfe, North Carolina’s most celebrated author, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who for two summers lived at the Grove Park Inn, a short driving distance from the Wolfe Memorial and the Biltmore Estate, the latter of which is North Carolina’smost visited tourist attraction

 

Ernest Hemingway’s Key West Spanish Colonial home on Whitehead Street and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ home in Cross Creek near Gainesville. Hemingway’s Key West home is where he completed the bulk of his most renowned works including; “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” and “A Farewell to Arms.” Most of the contents in the house belonged to him,making a visit all the more meaningful. Pages from Rawlings’ Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Yearling,” spring to life on a visit to her Cross Creek home. Nearby her former homestead is the Ocala National Forest, which provides a vivid snapshot of the landscape that so inspired her writing “The Yearling.”

 

New Orleans, Louisiana is the South’s most magical and mysterious city, with several literary luminaries among its roster, including: Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Walker Percy and Lillian Hellman. 

 

Japan To Launch Internet Fasting Camps for Addicted Students

Answer the following Questions

Do you spend way too much time online? Do you logon first thing when you wake up? Take your smartphone to the bathroom to check your messages? Surf the Web while you’re driving? Go online when you should be working? Check Twitter and Facebook last thing at night? Sweat when you get separated from your smartphone? Go balistic when your Internet connection drops?

According to the Japanese government, more than half a million of the nation’s children aged between 12 and 18 are addicted to the Internet and in need of help.

To deal with the issue, the Education Ministry said from next year it’ll offer addicted students the chance to attend so-called Internet ‘fasting camps’, a disconnected world free from computers, smartphones, tablets, and any other Net-connecting devices. 

The ministry said there was evidence that the addiction was having a negative impact on not only their performance at school but also their health, with sleep and nutritional disorders, as well as depression, reported. Even deep vein thrombosis gets a mention.

While centers for Internet addiction already exist in many countries, Japan, one of the most connected nations on the planet, currently has few places specializing in treatment for those considered to be Web addicts. 

The Treatment

The government will use existing facilities such as youth outdoor learning centers for its Internet fasting camps, a place where, over a number of days, students will be gradually and gently encouraged to reconnect with the real world.

Therapy sessions will be offered by trained psychologists, and lectures about outdoor activities without a smartphone will be given by experts.

Last month, DT’s Jam Kotenko investigated the subject of Net addiction in a piece which included a look at Digital Detox, a personal wellness retreat organization in Ukiah, California, where participants have to hand over their gadgets and gizmos in exchange for a week in the wilderness.

Birmingham’s Bling Library

Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Europe

The rise of single-person households  in some European capitals now approaching 50% of households. Many libraries increasingly act as a meeting place or home from home, as they do for migrants, refugees and even tourists. The idea of the library as “the living room in the city” was first promulgated in 1970s Scandinavian library design, as architects responded to users’ wishes to stay longer, have a coffee, and enjoy storytelling sessions, lunchtime concerts or attend book-reading groups.  In some British towns, nearly half the population own a library card, even if it is only used infrequently. Libraries are seen as belonging to the public by right, compared with publicly funded theatres, art galleries, museums or concert halls.

The library’s changing demands is reflected in contemporary design. The library counter has largely gone. Self-service machines free up staff to spend more time with library users, organising storytelling sessions, book-signings and reading circles (there were more than 100,000 members of library reading groups in England and Wales at the last count.

Internet’s World Stats

INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS The Internet Big Picture World Internet Users and Population Stats

WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS June 30, 2012 World Regions Population ( 2012 Est.) Internet Users Dec. 31, 2000 Internet Users Latest Data Penetration (% Population) Growth 2000-2012 Users % of Table Africa 1,073,380,925 4,514,400 167,335,676 15.6 % 3,606.7 % 7.0 % Asia 3,922,066,987 114,304,000 1,076,681,059 27.5 % 841.9 % 44.8 % Europe 820,918,446 105,096,093 518,512,109 63.2 % 393.4 % 21.5 % Middle East 223,608,203 3,284,800 90,000,455 40.2 % 2,639.9 % 3.7 % North America 348,280,154 108,096,800 273,785,413 78.6 % 153.3 % 11.4 % Latin America / Caribbean 593,688,638 18,068,919 254,915,745 42.9 % 1,310.8 % 10.6 % Oceania / Australia 35,903,569 7,620,480 24,287,919 67.6 % 218.7 % 1.0 % WORLD TOTAL 7,017,846,922 360,985,492 2,405,518,376 34.3 % 566.4 % 100.0 % NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for June 30, 2012. (2) CLICK on each world region name for detailed regional usage information. (3) Demographic (Population) numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau and local census agencies. (4) Internet usage information comes from data published by Nielsen Online, by the International Telecommunications Union, by GfK, local ICT Regulators and other reliable sources. (5) For definitions, disclaimers, navigation help and methodology, please refer to the Site Surfing Guide. (6) Information in this site may be cited, giving the due credit towww.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2001 – 2013, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.