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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Microsoft – Create strong passwords

“A strong password is an important protection to help you have safer online transactions. Here are some steps to create a strong password. Consider using some or all to help protect yourself online: Length. Make your passwords at least eight (8) long. Complexity. Include a combination of at least three (3) upper and/or lowercase letters, punctuation, symbols, and… Continue Reading

The influence of urban green environments on stress relief measures: A field experiment

“This study investigated the psychological (perceived restorativeness, subjective vitality, mood, creativity) and physiological (salivary cortisol concentration) effects of short-term visits to urban nature environments. Seventy-seven participants visited three different types of urban areas; a built-up city centre (as a control environment), an urban park, and urban woodland located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Our… Continue Reading

Cold weather led to record-high natural gas storage withdrawals

EIA: “Last week’s widespread, record-breaking cold weather had significant effects across virtually all segments of the U.S. natural gas market. The frigid temperatures led to record highs in demand, storage withdrawals, and prices. The week ending January 10 posted a record-high net withdrawal of 287 billion cubic feet (Bcf) from underground, natural gas storage facilities. The… Continue Reading

Learning about social learning in MOOCs: From statistical analysis to generative model

Learning about social learning in MOOCs: From statistical analysis to generative model. Christopher G. Brinton, Mung Chiang, Shaili Jain, Henry Lam, Zhenming Liu, Felix Ming Fai Wong (Submitted on 8 Dec 2013 (v1), last revised 19 Dec 2013 (this version, v2)). [The authors are researchers from the EDGE Lab at Princeton University, together with collaborators at Boston University and Microsoft Corporation] “We study user behavior… Continue Reading

Copyright Clearance Center and ALPSP Launch New Open Access Resource Center

“The non-profit Copyright Clearance Center announced this week that is has launched an Open Access Resource Center in partnership with the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP). And to kick off its partnership CCC is hosting a free webinar featuring ALPSP CEO Audrey McCulloch today, January 16, to discuss the resource center as well as how ALPSP members are… Continue Reading

UK – 10 Steps to Cyber Security

“The Government and intelligence agencies are directly targeting the most senior levels in the UK’s largest companies and providing them with advice on how to safeguard their most valuable assets, such as personal data, online services and intellectual property. The Cyber Security Guidance for Business, produced by CESG (the Information Security arm of GCHQ), the Department for… Continue Reading

World Bank Report – Global Economic Prospects

Coping with policy normalization in high-income countries, January 2014 “The report describes a global economy that is at a turning point. For the first time in five years, there are indications that a self-sustaining recovery has begun among high-income countries – suggesting  that they may now join developing countries as a second engine of growth in… Continue Reading

Eugene Volokh – Bloggers = Media for First Amendment Libel Law Purposes

“So holds today’s Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox (9th Cir. Jan. 17, 2014) (in which [Eugene Volokh] represented the defendant). To be precise, the Ninth Circuit concludes that all who speak to the public, whether or not they are members of the institutional press, are equally protected by the First Amendment. To quote the court, The protections of the… Continue Reading

The Hill – ObamaCare contractor faces mid-March deadline or disaster

Jonathan Easley on The Hill: “If the ObamaCare contractor brought on last week to fix the back-end of the HealthCare.gov portal doesn’t finish the build-out by mid-March the healthcare law will be jeopardized, according to a procurement document posted on a federal website. It says insurers could be bankrupt and the entire healthcare industry threatened if the… Continue Reading

Profile of President Obama’s Second Term – The New Yorker

ANNALS OF THE PRESIDENCY – GOING THE DISTANCE. On and off the road with Barack Obama. By David Remick “The conventional wisdom is that a President’s second term is a matter of minimizing the damage and playing defense rather than playing offense,” Obama said in one of our conversations on the trip and at the White House. “But, as… Continue Reading

New Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

“Welcome to The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media. Whether you’re new to social media or just looking to close a few knowledge gaps, we’re glad you stopped by. By now, we’ve all heard how valuable—even essential—social media can be. Whether your current sentiment leans more toward enthusiasm or trepidation, there’s no way around the fact that… Continue Reading

Paper – National contributions to observed global warming

Environmental Research Letters Volume 9 Number 1. H Damon Matthews et al 2014 Environ. Res. Lett. 9 014010 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/9/1/014010. National contributions to observed global warming “There is considerable interest in identifying national contributions to global warming as a way of allocating historical responsibility for observed climate change. This task is made difficult by uncertainty associated with national estimates of historical emissions, as well as by… Continue Reading