Jeffrey P. Bezos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Amazon.com, Inc. letter to Shareholders filed with the SEC. This is a brief, detailed letter that is clearly focused on productivity, project planning and delivery, the importance of balanced, highly functioning productive teams, and the statistics relevant to testing prior to production. Worth reading and sharing with… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2017
Commentary – Why Visualizing Open Data Isn’t Enough
Kate Rabinowitz, D.C. Policy Center: “With a new proposed Data Policy, release of high profile datasets on topics like 311 and taxicabs, and Open Government Advisory Group, the D.C. Government looks interested in moving up the ranks of open data cities. This is good news for policymakers, businesses, and citizens. But with open data comes… Continue Reading
Data on DC’s most lucrative speed traps
Technically DC: “D.C. has a lot of speed cameras. But there’s one speed camera in the southbound lane of Kenilworth Avenue that, in 2016, accounted for 10 percent of the total revenue made from D.C.’s speeding and red light cameras. That’s one hardworking camera. This data comes via the Washington Business Journal, which put in a Freedom… Continue Reading
Tax Quiz – How much do you know?
Peter G. Peterson Foundation – “The lengthy and complex United States tax code can be difficult for Americans to understand. So, it’s not surprising that there are many common misconceptions about the tax system. Take our quiz to see how much you really know.” Continue Reading
America’s Highest Paying Companies
“American wages vary widely, from the minimum wage to six-figure salaries, and more. Often, it is the industry, in addition to the job, that determines the level of pay. The highest-paying jobs tend to be found in tech firms, consulting groups, medical facilities, and financial institutions. In certain companies in these industries, it is not… Continue Reading
Information Technology and the U.S. Workforce: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?
National Academies: “Recent years have yielded significant advances in computing and communication technologies, with profound impacts on society. Technology is transforming the way we work, play, and interact with others. From these technological capabilities, new industries, organizational forms, and business models are emerging. Technological advances can create enormous economic and other benefits, but can also… Continue Reading
Killer Apps: Vanishing Messages, Encrypted Communications, and Challenges to Freedom of Information Laws When Public Officials “Go Dark”
Stewart, Daxton, Killer Apps: Vanishing Messages, Encrypted Communications, and Challenges to Freedom of Information Laws When Public Officials “Go Dark” (April 13, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract= “In the early weeks of the new presidential administration, White House staffers were communicating among themselves and leaking to journalists using apps such as Signal and Confide, which… Continue Reading
New Book Pays Tribute To The Library Card Catalog
I worked in college and special library technical services for quite a few years before I completed both college and my Master’s program. I was a cataloger, and my tools were dedicated OCLC terminals and hand typed catalog cards (the IBM Selectric was also indispensable in those days). I created my catalog cards, filed my… Continue Reading
A growing number of people think their job is useless. Time to rethink the meaning of work
World Economic Forum: “A great deal has been written in recent years about the perils of automation. With predicted mass unemployment, declining wages, and increasing inequality, clearly we should all be afraid. By now it’s no longer just the Silicon Valley trend watchers and technoprophets who are apprehensive. In a study that has already racked… Continue Reading
Quartz – Google took your drawings and taught its AI to sketch on its own
Dave Gershgom: “A few months ago, Google made a game called Quick, Draw!, where it supplied you with a word and you’d try to sketch it online. The game then used a neural network, a statistical approximation of how the brain learns, to identify what you were trying to sketch. It was like playing Pictionary… Continue Reading
National Park Week April 15 to 23, 2017
“National Park Week is America’s largest celebration of national heritage. It’s about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations, and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks! It’s all happening in your national parks. The National Park Service is once again partnering with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of… Continue Reading
MasterPrint: Exploring the Vulnerability of Partial Fingerprint-based Authentication Systems
“This paper investigates the security of partial fingerprint-based authentication systems, especially when multiple fingerprints of a user are enrolled. A number of consumer electronic devices, such as smartphones, are beginning to incorporate fingerprint sensors for user authentication. The sensors embedded in these devices are generally small and the resulting images are, therefore, limited in size.… Continue Reading
