TRB’s Conference Proceedings on the Web 24: Challenges to Implementing Successful Land Use Strategies at Airports is a compilation of the presentations and a summary of the ensuing discussions at an ACRP Insight Event held April 10-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The event brought together airport representatives and community planners to discuss effective strategies for improving their ability to partner on land use issues in the vicinity of airports. ACRP Insight Events convene airport industry leaders a...

TRB’s Conference Proceedings on the Web 24: Challenges to Implementing Successful Land Use Strategies at Airports is a compilation of the presentations and a summary of the ensuing discussions at an ACRP Insight Event held April 10-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The event brought together airport representatives and community planners to discuss effective strategies for improving their ability to partner on land use issues in the vicinity of airports. ACRP Insight Events convene airport industry leaders a...

More than 155,000 people born in countries such as Somalia, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, and Mexico now call Columbus home. Their struggles are many, from employment to language to education and mental health. All of that has been exacerbated by COVID-19.

Bojíte se, že letos nebudete zatlačovat slzu u zlatavých nekonečných obzorů? Ale budete. A mnozí alergici na řepku slzy zatlačují už teď. Rajčata stojí sice 170kč za kilo, květák je už také kaviárem českých domácností, ale heslo "řídit stát jako zemědělství" nám zajistilo širé moře zlaté barvy. Sice se z řepky nenajíme (teda až na ty, co z pěstování rýžují zlaté dotace), ale že jsou to panorámata, co? 

Will Smith, Will Ferrell, Wanda Sykes, Stephen Colbert and Colin Quinn are among the latest additions.

Especially for Cub Scout Leaders and Parents: In order to help your Scouts stay engaged in the program while we work through the COVID-19 crisis, we are publishing some resources ...

Now there is a "30 Day Challenge" for Scouts BSA. Scout, Tenderfoot, and Second Class challenge sheets are available.   ...

Cape Cod & Islands Council is offering a special Council Shoulder Patch to recognize Scouts who meet the COVID-19 Challenge! ...

From a friend: Please explain to me your enthusiasm for controlled digital lending. Please let me know what you think...

A few weeks ago, the US telecom industry began pushing a bullshit narrative through its usual allies. In short, the claim revolves around the argument that the only reason the US internet still works during a pandemic was because the Trump FCC ignored the public, ignored most objective experts, and gutted itself at the behest of telecom industry lobbyists. The argument first popped up over at AEI, then the Trump FCC, then the pages of the Wall Street Journal, and has since been seen in numerous op-eds nationwide. I'd wager that's not a coincidence, and I'd also wager we'll be seeing a lot more of them.

All of the pieces try to argue that the only reason the US internet works during a pandemic is because the FCC gutted its authority over telecom as part of its "restoring internet freedom" net neutrality repeal. This repeal, the story goes, drove significant investment in US broadband networks (not remotely true), resulting in telecom Utopia (also not true). The argument also posits that in Europe, where regulators have generally taken a more active role in policing things like industry consolidation and telecom monopolies, the internet all but fell apart (guess what: not true).

Usually, like in this op-ed, there's ample insistence that the US broadband sector is largely wonderful while the EU has gone to hell:

"Unlike here, European networks are more heavily regulated. This has led to less investment and worse performance for consumers for years. American consumers are being generally well served by the private sector."

Anybody who has spent five minutes talking to Comcast customer support -- or tried to get scandal-plagued ISP like Frontier Communications to upgrade rotten DSL lines -- knows this is bullshit. Still, we penned a lengthy post exploring just how full of shit this argument is, and how there's absolutely zero supporting evidence for the claims. The entire house of cards is built on fluff and nonsense, and it's just ethically grotesque to use a disaster to help justify regulatory capture and market failure.

While it's true that the US internet, in general, has held up relatively well during a pandemic, the same can't be said of the so called "last mile," or the link from your ISP's network to your home. Yes, the core internet and most primary transit routes, designed to handle massive capacity spikes during events like the Superbowl, has handled the load relatively well. The problem, as Sascha Meinrath correctly notes here, is sluggish speeds on consumer and business lines that, for many, haven't been upgraded in years:

"Right now, an international consortium of network scientists is collecting 750,000 U.S. broadband speed tests from internet service provider (ISP) customers each day, and we’ve been tracking a stunning loss of connectivity speeds to people’s homes. According to most ISPs, the core network is handling the extra load. But our data show that the last-mile network infrastructure appears to be falling down on the job."

Again, your 5 Mbps DSL line might be ok during normal times, but it's not going to serve you well during a pandemic when your entire family is streaming 4K videos, gaming, and Zooming. And your DSL line isn't upgraded because there's (1) very little competition forcing your ISP to do so, and (2) the US government is filled to the brim with sycophants who prioritize campaign contributions and ISP revenues over the health of the market and consumer welfare. And while there's a contingency of industry-linked folks who try very hard to pretend otherwise, this is a policy failure that's directly tied to mindless deregulation, a lack of competition, and, more importantly, corruption. In short, the complete opposite of the industry's latest talking point.

For years we've been noting how US telcos have refused to repair or upgrade aging DSL lines because it's not profitable enough, quickly enough for Wall Street's liking. Facing no competition and no regulatory oversight, there's zero incentive for a giant US broadband provider to try very hard. Similarly, because our lawmakers and regulators are largely of the captured, revolving door variety, they rubber stamp shitty mergers, turn a blind eye to very obvious industry problems, routinely throwing billions in taxpayer money at monopolies in exchange for fiber networks that are usually only partially deployed -- if they're deployed at all.

Meanwhile, US telcos that have all but given up on upgrading aging DSL lines have helped cement an even bigger Comcast monopoly across vast swaths of America. It's a problem that the telecom sector, Trump FCC, and various industry apologists will ignore to almost comical effect. Also ignored is the fact that this results in US broadband subscribers paying some of the highest prices for broadband in the developed world:

"Numerous studies, including those conducted by the FCC itself, show that broadband pricing is the second-largest barrier to broadband adoption (availability is the first). It’s obvious that if people are being charged a lot for a service, they’re less likely to purchase it. And independent researchers have already documented that poor areas often pay more than rich communities for connectivity. Redlining of minority and rural areas appears to be widespread, and we need accurate pricing data from the FCC to meaningfully address these disparities."

Try to find any instance where Ajit Pai, or anybody in this chorus of telecom monopoly apologists, actually admits that the US broadband market isn't competitive and, as a result, is hugely expensive for businesses and consumers alike. You simply won't find it. What you will find are a lot of excuses and straw men arguments like this latest one, designed to distract the press, public, and policymakers from very obvious market failure. Market failure that was a major problem in normal times, and exponentially more so during a pandemic where broadband is an essential lifeline.

Despite you know what, little evidence of a rush to new racks

Equinix has posted its Q1 FY2020 results for the period ending March 31st, along with some interesting insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted data centre consumption.…

Компания Google выпустила новую версию приложения Google Lens с несколькими полезными изменениями.

Glenn Greenwald predicts over the next four years that "it's all going to get much worse", with President Obama shifting politically more to the right while the Democratic base continues to support him. Continue reading →

With the Republican establishment attempting to stop real estate mogul Donald Trump from receiving the GOP nomination, a new anti-Trump ad produced by the Emergency Committee for Israel alleges that Trump supports dictators. But what about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s record on dictators? Earlier this week, Clinton addressed the annual AIPAC conference, seeking to cast herself as a stronger ally to Israel than Donald Trump. We examine her record on Israel and U.S. foreign relations at large with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept. Continue reading →

Questions surrounding Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation continue to grow. On Sunday, Democratic National Committee interim chairperson Donna Brazile defended Clinton’s meetings as secretary of state with Clinton Foundation donors, saying, "When Republicans meet with their donors, with their supporters, their activists, they call it a meeting. When Democrats do that, they call it a conflict." Donna Brazile’s comments come in response to an Associated Press investigation revealing that while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state, more than half of the private citizens she met with during the reporting period had donated to the Clinton Foundation. The AP investigation comes after a three-year battle to gain access to State Department calendars. The analysis shows that at least 85 of 154 people Hillary Clinton had scheduled phone or in-person meetings with were foundation donors. We speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept. His most recent piece is headlined "Why Did the Saudi Regime and Other Gulf Tyrannies Donate Millions to the Clinton Foundation?" Continue reading →

Бывший гитарист MACHINE HEAD и нынешний участник VIO-LENCE Phil Demmel в недавней беседе ответил на вопрос о том, как пандемия повлияет на туровую индустрию:

«Да, думаю, будет жёстко. С VIO-LENCE у нас было масса классных предложений на этот год, и у меня были ещё кое-какие наметки — очень интересные варианты, так что это всё очень разочаровывает, правда. Если послушать нашего вокалиста, то он верит, что всё быстро вернётся на круги своя, так что я бы заручился его оптимизмом и тоже думаю, что всё вернется к тому, что было, однако я остаюсь и реалистом в плане того, что они вряд ли быстро разрешат потным телам карабкаться друг на друга — возможно, это будет последним, что они разрешат, так что да — меня это беспокоит.

У меня с женой есть бар, так что наше дело уже шесть недель как прикрыто, и вот это вызывает беспокойство. Мы надеемся на лучшее, пытаемся не зацикливаться на этом и не сильно беспокоиться, чтобы не вгонять себя в стрессовое состояние.

Мы в безопасности, мы были подготовлены к ситуации, так что я просто надеюсь, что большинство людей останется здоровым, и мы как можно быстрее вернёмся к нормальной жизни». #Vio-lence #ThrashMetal #Thrash_Metal

Elecia and Chris of Embedded.fm invited us to come back on the show for episode 317: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DISINTEGRATED?. We also had the added enticement of a low tide adventure after recording. Lenore had been on the show back in 2014 for episode 40: MWAHAHA SESSION, and Windell was on the following … Continue reading Windell and Lenore on the Embedded.fm podcast →

As climate change accelerates, IBM is galvanizing the global science community with a massive infusion of computing resources, weather data, and cloud services to help researchers examine the effects of climate change, and explore strategies to mitigate its effects. IBM pledges to help direct the equivalent of up to $200 million for up to five climate-related projects judged to offer the greatest potential impact, and will then broadly share the experiments' results.

IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge program (@CitiesChallenge) will be sending teams of company experts to five municipalities through 2018 to provide pro bono consultative advice on issues such as affordable housing, economic development, immigration, and public safety.

IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge program (@CitiesChallenge) will be sending teams of company experts to 16 municipalities around the world through 2016 to help cities with critical issues ranging from jobs creation, transportation, and public safety, to healthcare, revenue, social services, and public works.

IBM today announced that it is extending the annual Smarter Cities Challenge, a worldwide, highly competitive grant program that provides pro bono consulting to help cities improve the critical services they provide to their citizens.

Do you have any skills or tools for coping with your inner world? How are you managing your emotions and thoughts and physiology with all this stress? The better you handle your inner world, the better you will handle everything in your outer world, the better decisions you’ll make, the better you’ll perform, the more energy you’ll have, and the better you’ll influence or support your family and your team. Try practicing Coherence to restore your resilience and energy

It was quite a challenge to hold it for more than 15 seconds. Immediately I wanted to share this experience with other people. I whipped up a cooler full of ice balls and hit the streets with my (actually Nick's) trusty folding table. The pitch was simple. I dared people to hold the ice ball in their hand for one full minute.

[Image: An example of gravitational lens effects, via Wikipedia.] Over at WIRED, Daniel Oberhaus, author of the recent book Extraterrestrial Languages, takes a look at some proposals from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) program. “Among this year’s NIAC grants,” Oberhaus writes, “are proposals to turn a lunar crater into a giant radio dish, to develop … Continue reading "Gravitational Lensing, Interstellar Cinematography, and the Future of Magical Warfare in Space"

IBM Security today released a global study examining consumer perspectives around digital identity and authentication, which found that people now prioritize security over convenience when logging into applications and devices. Generational differences also emerged showing that younger adults are putting less care into traditional password hygiene, yet are more likely to use biometrics, multifactor authentication and password managers to improve their personal security.

IBM Security today announced the results of a global study exploring the factors and challenges of being a Cyber Resilient organization. The study was conducted by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM Resilient and found that 77 percent of respondents admit they do not have a formal cyber security incident response plan (CSIRP) applied consistently across their organization. Nearly half of the 2800 respondents reported that their incident response plan is either informal/ad hoc or completely non-existent.

Al día de hoy podemos decir que de nuestros cinco sentidos el olfato es el menos comprendido. Si bien lo usamos todos los días, la ciencia no ha llegado a comprender por completo cómo las moléculas producen un olor o cómo determinar cómo huelen sin olerlas. Sabemos desde hace décadas, en el caso de la vista, que para ver se necesitan longitudes de onda de luz y en cuanto al sonido sabemos que la audición ocurre a través de frecuencias tonales, pero el “código olfativo” se había mantenido indescifrable… hasta ahora.

Un nuevo estudio de IBM pone en entredicho algunas de las creencias que se tienen acerca de la generación del Milenio. Según el estudio elaborado por la Compañía, los nacidos en la Era Digital no son “ni perezosos, ni egoístas, ni superficiales” y aconseja a las empresas detenerse a conocer qué motiva a cada empleado para poder así maximizar sus cualidades únicas.

IBM dio a conocer que el Tecnológico de Monterrey está transformando la gestión del entorno laboral de todas sus unidades de negocios con su solución de gestión de talento, Kenexa. La solución permite a los profesionales de Talento y Cultura (Recursos Humanos) del Tecnológico de Monterrey, tomar decisiones estratégicas a fin de impulsar los resultados de negocio basadas en hechos, es decir, sobre la base del análisis de talento (reporteadores) de su tradicional encuesta de clima organizacional.

El 67% de los usuarios en todo el mundo se siente actualmente cómodo utilizando tecnologías biométricas (lectura de huella dactilar, escaneado de retina y reconocimiento facial o de voz) para acceder a sus aplicaciones, según el estudio IBM Security Future of Identity elaborado por IBM.

IBM y la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) firman Convenio de Colaboración que incluye conceptos de Iniciativa Académica, Reclutamiento, Investigación, Responsabilidad Social y Proyectos Especiales. Formación de profesionales en las nuevas necesidades de las organizaciones: expertos en cómputo en la nube, analistas de big data, desarrolladores de soluciones móviles y de redes sociales aplicadas a negocios

Less than half of global CEOs believe their enterprises are adequately prepared to handle a highly volatile, increasingly complex business environment, according to a major new survey by IBM of more than 1,500 Chief Executive Officers from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, including 22 respondents from New Zealand – the largest number of respondents in eight years of research.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that the Gold Coast has been selected as a recipient of an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant (#smartercities). The grant will give the Gold Coast City Council the opportunity to work with a team of IBM experts to analyse and recommend ways to improve the city’s public safety disaster response capabilities.

IBM Security today announced a new capability from IBM Trusteer that helps banks identify fraudulent accounts before they are opened. The technology also protects consumers even if they are not a customer of the bank being targeted with the fake account.

Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) was awarded the 2008 Excellence Award in the ‘Best Practices - Service Provider’ category by the TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum).