"...[W]e also know why we’ve been attacked: because – like the others in the hackers’ sights – we believe in human rights, democracy and open societies, and we’re willing to act on our principles. Today’s political hackers remind me of the Watergate burglars, only now they’re breaking into servers instead of offices. Now, as then, the political bosses behind these break-ins hope to use the stolen material to embarrass or discredit their enemies. But the lesson of Watergate is that this tactic can easily boomerang, bolstering the democratic credentials of those attacked, and bringing the real discredit back on the dirty tricksters. Think of the organizations whose work has been stolen by DC Leaks as a new “Enemies List” – reminiscent of the roster President Nixon maintained of 20 journalists, lawyers, politicians and other public figures whom he reviled. It was certainly dangerous to be among the president’s 20 enemies, but as Nixon’s power waned, being on the list became a badge of honor. At least a couple of those included later described it as among their greatest achievements. Yes, you had been under surveillance and perhaps worse: maybe your office was burglarized, your phone calls tapped or your career derailed. But inclusion was also a mark of effectiveness: you had been speaking up enough to disturb a president who himself proved to be the true enemy of American democracy. These recent intrusions, and I expect there will be more, are a symptom of an aggressive assault on democratic principles that is taking place globally. As a private philanthropy, we have the independence to persist. We will learn from DC Leaks and will continue to support open society no matter whose enemies’ lists we land on."
Monday, September 12, 2016
We won't let politically motivated hacks silence us; Guardian, 9/9/16
Chris Stone, Guardian; We won't let politically motivated hacks silence us:
Facebook had no right to edit history; Guardian, 9/9/16
Erna Solberg, Guardian; Facebook had no right to edit history:
"By deleting such iconic pictures that have played a crucial role in transforming world views on the pain and cruelty of war, Facebook is contributing to changing history. I want my children, and other children around the world, to grow up in a society where history is told as it was. In a society where they can grow into mature adults by learning from experiences of past generations, to be better informed citizens of the world. They need to understand what happened both in our darkest moments and our brightest. Today, images are the most powerful and important means of communication, and they must depict reality. It would be tragic for history, for the truth, to be told in the version that comes from any one corporation’s mouthpiece. This is why I believe it is imperative that such outlets take their responsibility seriously, while exercising such great influence over their users’ access to information. We have today shown that through the power of social media, we can influence social media. Let’s continue to do that. It is after all a platform for and made by the people, where you can’t let machines run your morality."
The Strange Case of Off-Patent Drug Price Gougers; Bloomberg, 9/9/16
Justin Fox, Bloomberg; The Strange Case of Off-Patent Drug Price Gougers:
"There’s a conflict at the heart of pharmaceutical pricing in the U.S.: On the one hand, it’s in the public’s interest for pharma companies to get a good return on the huge investments they often make in developing new drugs. On the other, it’s in the public’s interest to be able to afford those drugs. We try to resolve this by granting companies temporary monopolies (aka patents) on the drugs they develop -- letting them effectively set the price unilaterally -- but then allowing competition from generic substitutes once the patents expire... What’s going on, basically, is that a new breed of pharmaceutical company has emerged (Valeant is, or at least was, the archetype) that doesn’t develop drugs but identifies business opportunities in existing drugs --many of them with expired patents -- that the previous owners were too lazy or timid or decent to fully exploit. So they acquire them, and jack up the prices."
Saturday, September 10, 2016
It Gets Better: U.S. Patent and Trademark employees share their stories; U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 6/25/15
[Video] U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; It Gets Better: U.S. Patent and Trademark employees share their stories:
[Kip Currier: While prepping for a patent lecture for my Intellectual Property and "Open" Movements course next week, I serendipitously found this inspiring "It Gets Better" video from 2015, featuring USPTO Director Michelle K. Lee and openly LGBT employees in the USPTO.] "“Do not let the bullies of the world distract you from the commitment to achieve your fullest potential,’ says USPTO Director Michelle K. Lee in this video featuring stories from our employees, “It does get better.”"
The US Copyright Office is the poster child for regulatory capture; Boing Boing, 9/8/16
Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing; The US Copyright Office is the poster child for regulatory capture:
"Public Knowledge's new report, Captured: Systemic Bias at the US Copyright Office makes a beautifully argued, perfectly enraging case that the US Copyright Office does not serve the public interest, but rather, hands out regulatory favors to the entertainment industry. Starting from the undeniable evidence that the easiest way to get a senior job at the Copyright Office is to hold a senior job in a giant entertainment company first (and that holding a senior Copyright Office job qualifies you to walk out of the Copyright Office and into a fat private sector gig as an entertainment exec), the report documents the numerous instances in which the Copyright Office has said and done outrageous things, and grossly misinterpreted the law, leading in many cases to being slapped down by the courts."
Friday, September 9, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
The case against big data: “It’s like you’re being put into a cult, but you don’t actually believe in it”; Salon, 9/8/16
Scott Timberg, Salon; The case against big data: “It’s like you’re being put into a cult, but you don’t actually believe in it” :
"If you’ve ever suspected there was something baleful about our deep trust in data, but lacked the mathematical skills to figure out exactly what it was, this is the book for you: Cathy O’Neil’s “Weapons of Math Destruction” examines college admissions, criminal justice, hiring, getting credit, and other major categories. The book demonstrates how the biases written into algorithms distort society and people’s lives... Your book looks at how unjust this all is at the level of education, of voting, of finance, of housing. You conclude by saying that the data isn’t going away, and computers are not going to disappear either. There are not many examples of societies that unplugged or dialed back technologically. So what are you hoping can happen? What do we need to do as a society to, to make this more just, and less unfair and invisible? Great point, because we now have algorithms that can retroactively infer people’s sexual identity based on their Facebook likes from, you know, 2005. We didn’t have it in 2005. So imagine the kind of data exhaust that we’re generating now could likely display weird health risks. The technology might not be here now but it might be here in five years. The very first answer is that people need to stop trusting mathematics and they need to stop trusting black box algorithms. They need to start thinking to themselves. You know: Who owns this algorithm? What is their goal and is it aligned with mine? If they’re trying to profit off of me, probably the answer is no. And then they should be able to demand some kind of consumer, or whatever, Bill of Rights for algorithms. And that would be: Let me see my score, let me look at the data going into that score, let me contest incorrect data. Let me contest unfair data. You shouldn’t be able to use this data against me just because — going back to the criminal justice system — just because I was born in a high crime neighborhood doesn’t mean I should go to jail longer. We have examples of rules like this . . . anti-discrimination laws, to various kinds of data privacy laws. They were written, typically, in the ’70s. They need to be updated. And expanded for the age of big data. And then, so finally I want data scientists themselves to stop hiding behind this facade of objectivity. It’s just … it’s over. The game, the game is up."
Mark Zuckerberg accused of abusing power after row over 'napalm girl' photo; Guardian, 9/8/16
Julia Carrie Wong, Guardian; Mark Zuckerberg accused of abusing power after row over 'napalm girl' photo:
"Norway’s largest newspaper has published a front-page open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, lambasting the company’s decision to censor a historic photograph of the Vietnam war and calling on Zuckerberg to recognize and live up to his role as “the world’s most powerful editor”. Espen Egil Hansen, the editor-in-chief and CEO of Aftenposten, accused Zuckerberg of thoughtlessly “abusing your power” over the social media site that has become a lynchpin of the distribution of news and information around the world, writing, “I am upset, disappointed – well, in fact even afraid – of what you are about to do to a mainstay of our democratic society.”... “While we recognize that this photo is iconic, it’s difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others,” a spokesman for Facebook said in response to queries from the Guardian. “We try to find the right balance between enabling people to express themselves while maintaining a safe and respectful experience for our global community. Our solutions won’t always be perfect, but we will continue to try to improve our policies and the ways in which we apply them.”"
This employee ID badge monitors and listens to you at work — except in the bathroom; Washington Post, 9/7/16
Thomas Heath, Washington Post; This employee ID badge monitors and listens to you at work — except in the bathroom:
"Those concerned about their privacy might be alarmed by the arrival of such badges. But Humanyze says it doesn’t record the content of what people say, just how they say it. And the boss doesn’t get to look at individuals’ personal data. It is also up to the employee to decide whether they want to participate. “Those are things we hammer home,” Waber said. “If you don’t give people choice, if you don’t aggregate instead of showing individual data, any benefit would be dwarfed by the negative reaction people will have of you coming in with this very sophisticated sensor.” He and three fellow scientists, two of whom are MIT graduates and one from Finland, call their technology “people analytics.”"
Why ‘Star Trek’ was so important to Martin Luther King Jr.; Washington Post, 9/8/16
Elahe Izadi, Washington Post; Why ‘Star Trek’ was so important to Martin Luther King Jr. :
"Then, she broke the news to him that she was quitting the show. His smile faded, Nichols recalled later, as he firmly told the actress that she couldn’t leave “Star Trek.” “He said, ‘Don’t you understand what this man [Roddenberry] has achieved? For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing and dance, yes, but who can go into space, who can be lawyers and teachers, who can be professors — who are in this day, yet you don’t see it on television until now,'” Nichols recalled in a later interview. He went on: “Gene Roddenberry has opened a door for the world to see us. If you leave, that door can be closed. Because, you see, your role is not a black role, it’s not a female role. He can fill it with anything, including an alien.”... Nichols stayed on the show, and said she never regretted that life-altering decision. She went on to help NASA recruit new astronaut candidates, many of whom were women and people of color."
Trade Secret Protection Blocks Sick Samsung Workers From Data; Claims Journal, 8/12/16
Youkyung Lee, Claims Journal; Trade Secret Protection Blocks Sick Samsung Workers From Data:
"An Associated Press investigation has found South Korean authorities have, at Samsung’s request, repeatedly withheld from workers and their bereaved families crucial information about chemicals they were exposed to at its computer chip and liquid crystal display factories. Sick workers are supposed to have access to such data through the government or the courts so they can apply for workers’ compensation from the state. Without it, government officials commonly reject their cases. The justification for withholding the information? In at least six cases involving 10 workers, it was trade secrets. Court documents and interviews with government officials, workers’ lawyers and their families show Samsung often cites the need to protect trade secrets when it asks government officials not to release such data. “Our fight is often against trade secrets. Any contents that may not work in Samsung’s favor were deleted as trade secrets,” said Lim Ja-woon, a lawyer who has represented 15 sick Samsung workers."
Report: 'Failure of OPM's leadership' led to historic data breaches; FedScoop, 9/7/16
Chris Bing, FedScoop; Report: 'Failure of OPM's leadership' led to historic data breaches:
"A 2014 data breach at the Office of Personnel Management was the result of failed leadership and consistent cybersecurity ignorance, according to an investigative report released Wednesday by members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “The long-standing failure of OPM’s leadership to implement basic cyber hygiene, such as maintaining current authorities to operate and employing strong multi-factor authentication, despite years of warnings from the inspector general, represents a failure of culture and leadership, not technology,” states the report. By disregarding warnings shared by the inspector general as far back as 2005, former Chief Information Officer Donna Seymour and Director Katherine Archuleta put the personal information of more than 20 million citizens at risk, Oversight chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said during a Wednesday appearance at D.C.-based think tank, the American Enterprise Institute... "The government of the United States of America has never before been more vulnerable to cyberattacks,” the 241-page report reads."
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Tell Your University: Don't Sell Patents to Trolls; Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), 8/17/16
Elliot Harmon, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF); Tell Your University: Don't Sell Patents to Trolls:
"When universities invent, those inventions should benefit everyone. Unfortunately, they sometimes end up in the hands of patent trolls—companies that serve no purpose but to amass patents and demand money from others. When a university sells patents to trolls, it undermines the university’s purpose as a driver of innovation. Those patents become landmines that make innovation more difficult. A few weeks ago, we wrote about the problem of universities selling or licensing patents to trolls. We said that the only way that universities will change their patenting and technology transfer policies is if students, professors, and other members of the university community start demanding it. It’s time to start making those demands. We’re launching Reclaim Invention, a new initiative to urge universities to rethink how they use patents. If you think that universities should keep their inventions away from the hands of patent trolls, then use our form to tell them. EFF is proud to partner with Creative Commons, Engine, Fight for the Future, Knowledge Ecology International, and Public Knowledge on this initiative. A Simple Promise to Defend Innovation Central to our initiative is the Public Interest Patent Pledge (PIPP), a pledge we hope to see university leadership sign. The pledge says that before a university sells or licenses a patent, it will first check to make sure that the potential buyer or licensee doesn’t match the profile of a patent troll"
Internet for All; Slate, September 2016
[Podcast] Slate; Internet for All:
"Chattanooga, Tennessee, has a lightning-fast, publicly run broadband network that has attracted a lot of tech talent to the city. But as the city builds an economy around technology, one thing is becoming apparent: There’s a gaping divide between those who are tech-savvy and those who aren’t. In some neighborhoods, as few as 1 in 5 households have an internet connection. Can Chattanooga bridge its digital divide?"
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Campuses Cautiously Train Freshmen Against Subtle Insults; New York Times, 9/6/16
Stephanie Saul, New York Times; Campuses Cautiously Train Freshmen Against Subtle Insults:
"The exchange was included in Ms. Marlowe’s presentation to recently arriving first-year students focusing on subtle “microaggressions,” part of a new campus vocabulary that also includes “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings.” Microaggressions, Ms. Marlowe said, are comments, snubs or insults that communicate derogatory or negative messages that might not be intended to cause harm but are targeted at people based on their membership in a marginalized group."
A Republican Candidate Said He Hoped I Got Raped; Daily Beast, 9/6/16
[Graphic Language] Olivia Nuzzi, Daily Beast; A Republican Candidate Said He Hoped I Got Raped:
"In an additional statement to The Daily Beast, the West Deptford Executive Board said, “We have been informed he is resigning.” But the fate of political discourse in America is less certain. News publications (including this one) have made a big show of eliminating comments sections in recent years, arguing, correctly, that they are little more than safe spaces for bullies. But increasingly every other public forum is becoming like that, too. And in the age of Trump, bullying has been rebranded as telling it like it is. Using obscene or threatening language is a point of pride, proof that you’re beholden to nothing but the truth. And anyone who can’t handle that? Well, they’re just a politically correct loser."
Political prisoner hit with another Kafkaesque charge for writing NYT piece about harsh repression by U.S. ally Bahrain; Salon, 9/6/16
Ben Norton, Salon; Political prisoner hit with another Kafkaesque charge for writing NYT piece about harsh repression by U.S. ally Bahrain:
"A prominent human rights activist who already faced up to 15 years in prison for Twitter posts has now been hit with another charge after writing publicly about his Kafkaesque case. Detained Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab published an op-ed in The New York Times on Sunday titled “Letter from a Bahraini Jail” (a play on Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail”)... The U.S. State Department has publicly called on Bahrain to release Rajab. It also said it has “raised concerns with the government of Bahrain, particularly on this case.” But Rajab argues the U.S. is not doing enough."
Behind the EpiPen controversy are questions about patents granted to drugmaker; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/4/16
Samantha Liss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Behind the EpiPen controversy are questions about patents granted to drugmaker:
"Drugmaker Mylan NV has received the brunt of criticism for alleged price-gouging on the lifesaving EpiPen, but other factors — and players — contributed to the monopoly it enjoys today, say experts familiar with the drug industry. First approved in 1987, the EpiPen is protected from competition until 2025 by four patents. Three of those patents were awarded within the last six years."
Monday, September 5, 2016
Hillary Clinton Gets Gored; New York Times, 9/5/16
Paul Krugman, New York Times; Hillary Clinton Gets Gored:
"So I would urge journalists to ask whether they are reporting facts or simply engaging in innuendo, and urge the public to read with a critical eye. If reports about a candidate talk about how something “raises questions,” creates “shadows,” or anything similar, be aware that these are all too often weasel words used to create the impression of wrongdoing out of thin air. And here’s a pro tip: the best ways to judge a candidate’s character are to look at what he or she has actually done, and what policies he or she is proposing. Mr. Trump’s record of bilking students, stiffing contractors and more is a good indicator of how he’d act as president; Mrs. Clinton’s speaking style and body language aren’t. George W. Bush’s policy lies gave me a much better handle on who he was than all the up-close-and-personal reporting of 2000, and the contrast between Mr. Trump’s policy incoherence and Mrs. Clinton’s carefulness speaks volumes today. In other words, focus on the facts. America and the world can’t afford another election tipped by innuendo."
Yes, the News Can Survive the Newspaper; New York Times, 9/4/16
Jim Rutenberg, New York Times; Yes, the News Can Survive the Newspaper:
"In this case, as the ad dollars that have long financed journalism vaporize into the electronic ether, you don’t know with any certainty that the best services that newspapers have provided — holding public officials to account, rooting out corruption — will live on. If anything, today’s “efficiencies” may even set readers back by pumping out lowest-common-denominator nonsense or, at worst, disinformation. Just look at what happened last week after that Goliath of the digital transformation, Facebook, pared back the team of “curators” and copy editors who oversaw the selection process for its “Trending Topics” feed. Instead, it gave more control over to an algorithm... The Facebook experience wasn’t all that far off from the doomsday scenario John Oliver recently envisioned on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight.”... Know-nothing press haters may say that news organizations are going out of business because the public is shunning them, but that’s not the case at all. Through online exposure, newspapers are reaching more people than ever. The problem is how they make money. Circulation for physical newspapers is declining, and so is print advertising; digital ads remain far less profitable. The trick is finding a way to make up the lost revenue."
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; NIH, 2011
NIH; The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee:
"Responsibilities The IACUC is responsible for oversight of the animal care and use program and its components as described in the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy) and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide). Link to Non-U.S. Government Site - Click for Disclaimer Its oversight functions include an ongoing assessment of animal care and use. IACUC responsibilities include: Review, at least semiannually, the institution's program for the humane care and use of animals; Inspect, at least semiannually, the institution's animal facilities (including satellite facilities); Prepare reports to the Institutional Official (IO) of the IACUC evaluations; Review animal welfare concerns; Make recommendations to the IO on any aspect of the animal program, facilities, or personnel training; Review and approve, those components of PHS conducted or supported activities related to the care and use of animals; Review and approve, proposed significant changes to the use of animals in ongoing activities; and Be authorized to suspend an activity involving animals. Membership [Five People]The IACUC membership must consist of at least 5 members and includes: one veterinarian with training or experience in laboratory animal science and medicine, who has direct or delegated authority and responsibility for activities involving animals at the institution; one practicing scientist experienced in research with animals; one member whose primary concerns are in a nonscientific area (e.g., ethicist, lawyer, member of the clergy); and one member who is not affiliated with the institution other than as a member of the IACUC."
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) :
"About AALAS Mission Statement: AALAS is an association of professionals that advances responsible laboratory animal care and use to benefit people and animals. The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) is a membership association of professionals employed around the world in academia, government, and private industry who are dedicated to the humane care and treatment of laboratory animals, as well as the quality research that leads to scientific gains that benefit people and animals. AALAS provides educational materials to laboratory animal care professionals and researchers, administers certification programs for laboratory animal technicians and managers, publishes scholarly journals, supports laboratory animal science research, and serves as the premier forum for the exchange of information and expertise in the care and use of laboratory animals. AALAS Goals can be viewed here. Core Values Statement The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science believes that the use of laboratory animals in scientific and medical research is essential to the improvement and protection of the quality of all life. The humane and responsible care of laboratory animals is vital to quality research and, as such, an essential aspect of AALAS endeavors. AALAS is dedicated to building and disseminating a knowledge base in laboratory animal science for the education and training of those who work in this field. Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics for members of AALAS has been adopted by the Board of Trustees to promote and maintain the highest standards of professional and personal conduct among its members. Adherence to these standards is required for membership in the Association and serves to assure public confidence in the integrity and service of AALAS members."
Second Thoughts of an Animal Researcher; New York Times, 9/2/16
John P. Gluck, New York Times; Second Thoughts of an Animal Researcher:
"In 1974, a federal commission was formed to develop ethical principles for human research. For nearly four years, the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and Behavioral Research met monthly to develop ethical principles that we rely on for human research. The principles set down in the resulting Belmont Report reflect the moral dimensions of human research that now govern this work. The report revolutionized the understanding of voluntary and informed consent, fair subject recruitment, and the importance of conducting risk-benefit analyses. No such document exists for animal research. Acknowledging that our serious work as scientists can be a source of pain and distress to sentient, helpless and non-consenting beings can be difficult. The federal government should establish a national commission to develop the principles to guide decisions about the ethics of animal research. We already accept that ethical limits on experiments involving humans are important enough that we are willing to forgo possible breakthroughs. There is no ethical argument that justifies not doing the same for animals."
Top Safety Official Doesn’t Trust Automakers to Teach Ethics to Self-Driving Cars; MIT Technology Review, 9/2/16
Andrew Rosenblum, MIT Technology Review; Top Safety Official Doesn’t Trust Automakers to Teach Ethics to Self-Driving Cars:
"Rapid progress on autonomous driving has led to concerns that future vehicles will have to make ethical choices, for example whether to swerve to avoid a crash if it would cause serious harm to people outside the vehicle. Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, is one of them. He told MIT Technology Review that federal regulations will be required to set the basic morals of autonomous vehicles, as well as safety standards for how reliable they must be... Hart also said there would need to be rules for how ethical prerogatives are encoded into software. He gave the example of a self-driving car faced with a decision between a potentially fatal collision with an out-of-control truck or heading up on the sidewalk and hitting pedestrians. “That to me is going to take a federal government response to address,” said Hart. “Those kinds of ethical choices will be inevitable.” That NHTSA has been evaluating how it will regulate driverless cars for the past eight months, and will release guidance in the near future. The agency hasn't so far discussed ethical concerns about automated driving. What regulation exists for self-driving cars comes from states such as California, and is targeted at the prototype vehicles being tested by companies such as Alphabet and Uber."
WorkZone: Amping up for hiring season | What do employers look for in an applicant?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/5/16
Matthew Gutierrez, Pittsbrugh Post-Gazette; WorkZone: Amping up for hiring season | What do employers look for in an applicant? :
"On the verge of peak hiring season, the Post-Gazette spoke with some Pittsburgh employers about what they look for when interviewing job candidates and what separates the top applicants from the rest of the pack... Studies have shown that many employers value cultural fit more than specific talent and experience. “Are you a culture fit for the company? Are you ethical? If you don’t meet both of those, you're not hired,” said Sonny Bringol, president of Bridgeville-based Victorian Finance. He added that most of his firm’s problems are culture-related, rarely associated with finance."
Friday, September 2, 2016
The F-word is making more frequent appearances in appellate opinions; ABA Journal, 8/29/16
Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal; The F-word is making more frequent appearances in appellate opinions:
"Do you call it the F-word? Use asterisks instead of some of the letters? Substitute the word “expletive”? Or write it out in full? Appellate opinions are more frequently choosing the last option, Law.com reports."
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Elsevier’s New Patent for Online Peer Review Throws a Scare Into Open-Source Advocates; Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/1/16
Goldie Blumenstyk, Chronicle of Higher Education; Elsevier’s New Patent for Online Peer Review Throws a Scare Into Open-Source Advocates:
"Patents on software can be controversial. And often, so is the company Elsevier, the giant journal publisher. So when word hit the internet starting on Tuesday night that Elsevier had just been awarded a patent for an "online peer-review system and method," reaction from people aligned with the publishing and open-source worlds came swiftly on Twitter and in other online venues, much of it reflecting suspicion about the company’s motives... The concern revolves around the patent Elsevier received for its five-year-old "article-transfer service," a propriety online system the company uses to manage journal-article submissions and the ensuing peer reviews."
A Silicon Valley Dream Collapses in Allegations of Fraud; New York Times, 8/31/16
Katie Benner, New York Times; A Silicon Valley Dream Collapses in Allegations of Fraud:
"Along with the start-up, Mr. Choi’s personal credibility is on the line. As he built WrkRiot, the entrepreneur said that he graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University and that he worked at J. P. Morgan for nearly four years as an analyst. N.Y.U. and J. P. Morgan both said they had no record of Mr. Choi. At least one company listed on his LinkedIn profile also could not be found. Mr. Choi, whose LinkedIn profile has since been wiped clean, did not respond to questions about his résumé. His lawyer, Bernard Fishman, said he was not aware of the allegations against WrkRiot until contacted by The New York Times."
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Most Scientific Findings Are Wrong or Useless; Reason, 8/26/16
Ronald Bailey, Reason; Most Scientific Findings Are Wrong or Useless:
""Science, the pride of modernity, our one source of objective knowledge, is in deep trouble." So begins "Saving Science," an incisive and deeply disturbing essay by Daniel Sarewitz at The New Atlantis. As evidence, Sarewitz, a professor at Arizona State University's School for Future Innovation and Society, points to reams of mistaken or simply useless research findings that have been generated over the past decades... In his 1972 essay "Science and Trans-Science," the physicist Alvin Weinberg noted that science is increasingly being asked to address such issues as the deleterious side effects of new technologies, or how to deal with social problems such as crime and poverty. These are questions that "though they are, epistemologically speaking, questions of fact and can be stated in the language of science, they are unanswerable by science; they transcend science." Such trans-scientific questions inevitably involve values, assumptions, and ideology. Consequently, attempting to answer trans-scientific questions, Weinberg wrote, "inevitably weaves back and forth across the boundary between what is known and what is not known and knowable."... Ultimately, science can be rescued if researchers can be directed more toward solving real world problems rather than pursuing the beautiful lie. Sarewitz argues that in the future, the most valuable scientific institutions will be those that are held accountable and give scientists incentives to solve urgent concrete problems. The goal of such science will be to produce new useful technologies, not new useless studies. In the meantime, Sarewitz has made a strong case that contemporary "science isn't self-correcting, it's self-destructing.""
Homework revisited; Radio Times, WHYY, 8/31/16
[Podcast] Marty Moss-Coane, Radio Times, WHYY; Homework revisited:
"Guests: Harris Cooper, Brian Gill, Jessica Rosenworcel It’s a continuous complaint: too much homework! It comes from kids, parents, and sometimes even teachers. But are children really spending too much time on assignments out of school? What are the benefits of having children continue their studies after class? This hour we look at what the research says about homework and the role parents should play helping their kids deal with it. Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with one of the leading researchers on homework, HARRIS COOPER, professor of psychology at Duke University. We’ll also learn about the history of the homework debate which has been raging for over a century from Mathematica Policy Research’s BRIAN GILL. And these days, most assignments are online but five million families with school-age kids don’t have access to high-speed Internet. We’ll talk to FCC Commissioner JESSICA ROSENWORCEL about the “homework gap” and how to close the digital divide."
Companies are making money from our personal data – but at what cost?; Guardian, 8/31/16
Jathan Sadowski, Guardian; Companies are making money from our personal data – but at what cost? :
"Data appropriation is a form of exploitation because companies use data to create value without providing people with comparable compensation... In short, rampant practices of data appropriation allow corporations and governments to build their wealth and power, without the headache of obtaining consent and providing compensation for the resource they desire. Data appropriation is surely an ethical issue. But by framing it as theft, we can lay the groundwork for policies that also make it a legal issue. We need new models of data ownership and protection that reflect the role information has in society. In the Gilded Age 2.0, a laissez-faire attitude toward data has encouraged a new class of robber barons to arise. Rather than allow them to unscrupulously take, trade and hoard our data, we must reclaim their ill-gotten gains and reign in the data imperative."
Drugs And Privilege: Big Business, Congress And The EpiPen; Huffington Post, 8/31/16
Michael Winship, Huffington Post; Drugs And Privilege: Big Business, Congress And The EpiPen:
"[Mylan CEO Heather Bresch] should resign for price gouging rather than get a raise, but like so many of her fellow executives Bresch sails serenely on as her fellow Americans drown in health care debt. Her career and the success of her company epitomize everything that so enrages every voter who believes that the fix is in and that the system is weighted in favor of those with big money and serious connections... And even at half-price, the cost of an EpiPen remains an outrage. In fact, some estimate that the dose of epinephrine used in the injector may really cost as little as a dollar. In other words, this is one more, big old scam — yet another case of big business trying to pull the wool over the citizens’ eyes and pick our pockets while the government and our politicians mostly look the other way. The Mylan mess is the cozy relationship between regulators and the regulated in a nutshell. Throughout government, politics and business, cash contributions are made, connections are used, strings are pulled and favors are requested and returned. So the system wins again, corrupt as hell. But take notice. Realize that the rest of us are more and more aware of how we’re being had — and that we truly must be heard and heeded. Unless the tiny-hearted, gold-digging CEOs of America’s corporations and our leaders get the dollar signs out of their eyes and come to their senses, they are writing a prescription for an angry public response that not even their bought-and-paid-for Congress can hold at bay."
Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto plagiarized thesis for law degree: report; Associated Press in Mexico City via Guardian, 8/22/16
Associated Press in Mexico City via Guardian; Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto plagiarized thesis for law degree: report:
"President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico heavily plagiarized the thesis for his law degree, according to an investigation by a local news outlet... It said 29% of the thesis was material lifted from other works, including 20 paragraphs copied word-for-word from a book written by former president Miguel de la Madrid without citation or mention in the bibliography... In 2006, a scholar at the Brookings Institution found that now-Russian president Vladimir Putin in earning his graduate degree had copied pages of material from a book written by two American professors. In 2012, Hungary’s President Pal Schmitt – whose role was largely ceremonial – resigned after a scandal over his doctoral dissertation. Earlier this year, a German university decided to let the country’s defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, keep her doctorate after plagiarized passages were found in her dissertation."
Am I a good person? You asked Google – here’s the answer; Guardian, 8/31/16
Andrew Brown, Guardian; Am I a good person? You asked Google – here’s the answer:
"The beginning of being a good person is the knowledge that you may not be, or that you have acted as a bad one would. After that it gets complicated. The most obvious complication, perhaps, is that there is no agreement on what constitutes a good person. In fact there’s no agreement on whether we should even agree who a good person is... The only certain thing about this question is that if you’ve never thought to ask it, the answer has to be “no”."
The Real Clinton Foundation Revelation; New York Times, 8/31/16
Richard W. Painter, New York Times; The Real Clinton Foundation Revelation:
"Lots of people and groups get favorable treatment, and most of these are interested in making money rather than giving it away. The problem is that it does not matter that no laws were broken, or that the Clinton Foundation is principally about doing good deeds. It does not matter that favoritism is inescapable in the federal government and that the Clinton Foundation stories are really nothing new. The appearances surrounding the foundation are problematic, and it is and will be an albatross around Mrs. Clinton’s neck... I’m a Republican, but I believe that Hillary Clinton is the only qualified major party candidate in the race and she should become president. Yet to win, and certainly to succeed as president, she needs to demonstrate that she understands how much appearances matter, as well as facts and law, and that the president should not unnecessarily open herself up to attack."
Former Bush ethics lawyer backs Clinton, warns on foundation; Politico, 8/31/16
Nick Gass, Politico; Former Bush ethics lawyer backs Clinton, warns on foundation:
"Hillary Clinton is the "only qualified candidate in the race and she should become president," President George W. Bush's former chief White House ethics lawyer wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday, while calling on the Democratic nominee to do more to assuage the fears and suspicions about the looming presence of the Clinton Foundation as an influence on policy. "There is little if any evidence that federal ethics laws were broken by Mrs. Clinton or anyone working for her at the State Department in their dealings with the foundation," wrote Richard W. Painter, currently a law professor at the University of Minnesota. "Unfortunately, the foundation is still fuel for Mrs. Clinton’s persistent critics." Pointing out that Clinton's critics have yet to find proof of any violations of statutes or ethics regulations, Painter acknowledged that there was likely favoritism but concluded that no laws had been broken."
Professor's Response to Twitter Slur Goes Viral; Inside Higher Ed, 8/30/16
Inside Higher Ed; Professor's Response to Twitter Slur Goes Viral:
[Kip Currier: Reading this story about Prof. Eric Mendenhall conjured up for me the memorable "When they go low, we go high" maxim from First Lady Michelle Obama's 2016 DNC speech.] "The fall semester has just started but Eric Mendenhall, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, already has schooled the Twitterverse on how to shut down slurs. Mendenhall said a student who had just followed him on Twitter posted that "My genetics teachers is a faggot." Believing the comment to be about him, the professor had this to say..."
How the Mafia Murdered the Townspeople of Amatrice; Daily Beast, 8/31/16
Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast; How the Mafia Murdered the Townspeople of Amatrice:
"What struck most people first was why the Romolo Capranica primary school in Amatrice had been destroyed. After all, the city paid more than €700,000 in 2013 to renovate the structure, including high-tech anti-seismic features that are supposed to be in place in any public building. But when investigators looked up the building code records, the seals and stamps that proved compliance were apparently faked and fudged. In essence, the documents meant to ensure anti-seismic protection measures were installed in a primary school in an earthquake zone had been faked. The school fell because someone had cheated the system. And now, Italy’s chief anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, is warning that, if left to its own devices, the mob will strike again and infiltrate the eventual rebuilding contracts in the area."
Cutting Ties to the Clinton Foundation; New York Times, 8/30/16
Editorial Board, New York Times; Cutting Ties to the Clinton Foundation:
"The Clinton Foundation has become a symbol of the Clintons’ laudable ambitions, but also of their tangled alliances and operational opacity. If Mrs. Clinton wins, it could prove a target for her political adversaries. Achieving true distance from the foundation is not only necessary to ensure its effectiveness, it is an ethical imperative for Mrs. Clinton."
EpiPen furor brings protesters to Mylan’s headquarters; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/31/16
Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; EpiPen furor brings protesters to Mylan’s headquarters:
"Roughly two dozen people led by the watchdog group Public Citizen gathered outside to express disgust over the skyrocketing cost of the auto-injector whose price has surged some 500 percent in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed on to petitions backing that view, and the group delivered the piles of paper to prove it... Several protesters, including retired state senator Jim Ferlo, criticized Mylan for paying CEO Heather Bresch nearly $19 million last year funded in part by collecting “super profits” on the EpiPen. “I consider this morally repugnant behavior by this CEO,” Mr. Ferlo said... Earlier, Mr. Ferlo and others called on Congress to enact reforms to ensure that expensive life-saving medications, including cancer and hepatitis drugs, can be afforded by everyone who needs them. “Health care is a human right,” said Ed Grystar, chair of the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare."
Patent office workers bilked the government of millions by playing hooky, watchdog finds; Washington Post, 8/31/16
Lisa Rein, Washington Post; Patent office workers bilked the government of millions by playing hooky, watchdog finds:
"Thousands of employees who review patents for the federal government potentially cheated taxpayers out of at least $18.3 million as they billed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for almost 300,000 hours they never worked, according to a new investigation... The investigation scheduled for release Wednesday by the independent watchdog for the Commerce Department, the patent office’s parent agency, determined that the real scale of fraud is probably double those numbers..." Investigators also found widespread time and attendance abuse at another Commerce agency, the U.S. Census Bureau, where employees in the small hiring office overcharged the government for thousands of hours of time they never worked. The fraud, also carried out by supervisors, involved 40 employees, more than half of the staff of the small office."
Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings And The University Of Chicago; On Point, WBUR, 8/31/16
[Podcast] On Point, WBUR; Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings And The University Of Chicago:
"The University of Chicago is the latest school to push back against trigger warnings and safe spaces. We’ll look at the debate over political correctness on campus. Guests Stephanie Greene, senior at the University of Chicago, majoring in English. President of the Organization of Black Students. Member of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Student Advisory Committee. (@all_worn_out) Cosmo Albrecht, junior at the University of Chicago, majoring in public policy. Community and government liaison for the University of Chicago student government. Member of the student group, "Chicago Student Action." (@cosmo730) Charles Lipson, professor of political science at the University of Chicago. (@Charles_Lipson) Jonathan Chait, staff writer for New York magazine. (@jonathanchait)"
I’m a black UChicago graduate. Safe spaces got me through college.; Vox, 8/29/16
Cameron Okeke, Vox; I’m a black UChicago graduate. Safe spaces got me through college. :
"UChicago should know that trigger warnings and safe spaces exist to give those with firsthand experience a way to engage without sacrificing their well-being or safety. This accessibility is the key to a truly open marketplace of ideas and an essential pillar of academic freedom. Recklessly painting trigger warnings and safe spaces as enemies to academic freedom will only make UChicago a more hostile environment for marginalized first-years. Being diverse isn't easy and our diversity ain’t free. Don’t let us in if you can’t make room for us."
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Pennsylvania wades into open data; GCN, 8/26/16
Matt Leonard, GCN; Pennsylvania wades into open data:
"The data currently available on OpenDataPA supports Gov. Tom Wolf’s three governing objectives -- education, employment and government services -- includes prison population numbers, school performance profiles and summary information on well inspections. The state also plans to release datasets from other state agencies on the site... The administration’s main goals for releasing this data is three-fold: accountability, modernization and innovation. The portal will allow citizens to keep track of government projects, find this information in one place and use if to “make data-driven decisions.”"
Feds Target 'Predatory' Publishers; Inside Higher Ed, 8/29/16
Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed; Feds Target 'Predatory' Publishers:
"The Federal Trade Commission on Friday filed a complaint against the academic journal publisher OMICS Group and two of its subsidiaries, saying the publisher deceives scholars and misrepresents the editorial rigor of its journals. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, marks the first time the FTC has gone after what are often known as “predatory” publishers. Such publishers exploit open-access publishing as a way to charge steep fees to researchers who believe their work will be printed in legitimate journals, when in fact the journals may publish anyone who pays and lack even a basic peer-review process."
Fired Professor Shot 2 Men Outside Chappaqua Deli, Police Say; New York Times, 8/29/16
Jonah Engel Bromwich, New York Times; Fired Professor Shot 2 Men Outside Chappaqua Deli, Police Say:
"In October 2002, Mr. Chao joined Mount Sinai as a research assistant professor. He stayed at Mount Sinai until May 2009, when he received a letter of termination from Dr. Charney for “research misconduct,” according to a lawsuit that Mr. Chao filed against the hospital and Dr. Charney, among other parties, in 2010. He went through an appeals process, and was officially terminated in March 2010. “In informing his colleagues of his termination, Mount Sinai/MSSM stated that Dr. Chao had been ‘fired for data fraud,’” the lawsuit said. The case was dismissed, and Mr. Chao lost on appeal."
Sci-Hub Controversy Triggers Publishers’ Critique of Librarian; Library Journal, 8/25/16
Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Sci-Hub Controversy Triggers Publishers’ Critique of Librarian:
"“I was surprised that AAP would take the tactic of trying to say ‘don’t talk about Sci-Hub,’ as if ignoring the problem, or not shining light on it, would make it go away,” Joseph told LJ. “That seems kind of a backwards way to approach this issue to me, because what we’re seeing, frankly, is Sci-Hub really growing in popularity.” Sci-Hub’s various clashes with the world of scholarly publishing, Joseph noted, is helping to raise awareness of the issues surrounding journal access outside the library walls. “It’s not just a library problem…. When researchers are going to the lengths of using an illegal resource to get access, I think it’s really showing institutions that it’s not a departmental problem. It’s an institutional problem.” And the problem doesn’t only lie within academia, Gardner added. As a member of ALA, he said, it would be unethical for him to promote Sci-Hub’s use given the constraints of the legal system. “But I do think that copyright is far too strong, and that the system is in need of reform. The reason why services like Sci-Hub exist is because we have a copyright system which is too draconian.” “This is an area where tempers run high, and I think that reasonable people can disagree,” he said. “There are a lot of people, scholars and librarians, who think that using Sci-Hub is civil disobedience and I’m personally very sympathetic to that argument. But it’s also obvious to me that under the current legal system, this is totally illegal.” Gardner is working on research that he will present at ACRL’s 2017 conference, again using data from the Science survey to examine Sci-Hub’s potential impact on inter-library loan practices."
Monday, August 29, 2016
The New Cheating Economy; Chronicle of Higher Education, 8/28/16
Brad Wolverton, Chronicle of Higher Education; The New Cheating Economy:
"Business is booming right under colleges’ noses. It’s not just papers and assignments anymore. Now it’s the whole course."
Colin Kaepernick protest has 49ers fans burning their jerseys; Washington Post, 8/28/16
Cindy Boren, Washington Post; Colin Kaepernick protest has 49ers fans burning their jerseys:
"Kaepernick’s team spoke of the symbolism of the anthem while also pointing out that Kaepernick’s protest was in keeping with “such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression.” His coach, Chip Kelly, supported his right to protest. The NFL, in a statement, said that players are “encouraged but not required” to stand for the anthem and O’Connor, among others, defended Kaepernick, writing: “This is what American servicemen and women have defended here and abroad — Kaepernick’s right to sing the national anthem at the top of his lungs, and to refuse honor it altogether. As long as he’s not interfering with his teammates’ right to make their own red, white and blue choices, what’s the problem here?”"
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