Three Socially Conscious Sites

A positive move in organizations is the micro-finance work of Muhammad Yunus at the Grameen Bank. This is a site which chronicles how more than 7 million people have received small loans, which they've used to build small businesses.

Also, many people can benefit financially via the Net, e.g., through kiva or prosper.com, which provide loans for people with little or no collateral.

Finally, the oversight that Internet-based tools allow are requiring governments to be more accountable. For example, the Sunlight Foundation documents the flows of money and contracts within the U.S. government.

50 Years Ago: An October Surprise

Graphic source: ComputerWorld.

The really amazing thing about the 183-pound aluminum sphere called Sputnik, Russian for "traveling companion" is the enlightened response and collaboration between the government, President Eisenhower specifically, the military, and private researchers. Fifty years ago on 4 October 1957, radio-transmitted beeps from the first man-made object to ever orbit the Earth propelled the U.S. into the Space Age once the "October surprise" woke the country up.

America was a distant second. On 6 December 1957 an American Vanguard rocket that was to be the first U.S. satellite exploded on the launch pad. Dubbed the "Kaputnik," the U.S. lagged behind.

Hence the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a rambunctious Pentagon office quickly created by President Eisenhower on 7 February 1958. The mission was to "prevent technological surprises," and although dominated by concerns of space, the office also stimulated computer research.

As a boomer, my young life was dominated by nightmares of Soviet domination, a heavy-handed curriculum push towards math and science. Not surprisingly, I studied history instead.

I can hardly imagine a worst grade-school preparation in this regard, and today such an enlightened and unified governmental response would be unthinkable.

I Still Have Checks, I Can't Be Overdrawn . . .

Bush announced that Social Security is facing a $13.6 trillion shortfall and that delaying reforms is not fair to younger workers.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is on record in stating that some combination of benefit cuts and tax increases will need to be considered to permanently fix the funding shortfall.

Bush would like to privatize Social Security for younger workers while cutting some benefits and he has remained opposed to a tax hike to make up for the shortfall.

Privatization is not popular with Bush's opponents but I believe there is little choice. Young people are not planning their finances any better than previous generations.

Iran Does Not Like the U.S.

Should Americans really be upset now that the Iranian Parliament declared the U.S. Army and the CIA as terrorist organizations?

Hardly, the Parliament can now join American academics and commentators who noted that the Iranian President did not receive a warm welcome while in New York.

I guess that is what happens when you deny obvious and horrific events in history such as the Holocaust and continue to send state-sponsored terrorists to neighboring countries.

Lights Go Out

A disturbing story ran on CNN this week. A simulated attack points to just how vulnerable the U.S. power infrastructure really is.

Only a software vulnerability in a control system could be used to physically destroy power grid equipment.

A CNN segment demonstrated how a turbine was reduced to a smoking, shuddering, metal spewing mess as the result of malicious code execution on the computer controlling the system.

The Idaho National Laboratory prepared the demonstration for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The simulated attack re-visited an old issue, now rectified--in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

The vulnerability points out how easily a well-executed digital attack could hit our critical infrastructure.

Since they run on proprietary systems, SCADA systems are less vulnerable than Internet accessible networks but they are not immune to the kinds of cyberattacks that can plague corporate information systems.

The present danger lies in an attacker who gains administrative access.

As utilities transition to connect with the Internet what has not happened is that the systems are secured and upgraded over time. The cost is prohibitive.

The move to Ethernet, TCP/IP and Web technologies will provide hackers and virus writers a number of backdoors and pathways to core control systems at utility companies, according to Eric Byres, CEO of Byres Security Inc., a consultancy that focuses on SCADA security.

The DHS and the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) have worked to address cybersecurity issues. NERC adopted eight new cybersecurity standards around asset identification, security management controls, personnel and training, perimeter security, systems security, incident reporting and response planning.

Although there are some helpful developments, I know locally that PECO Energy has enough difficulty supplying power when faced only with storms and trees. I'd hate to think how they could handle a malicious and determined attack.

Fortune Cookies, Again?

China does not seem capable of keeping their hands out of the cookie jar as reports indicate that two who were charged with espionage sought funding in China.

A federal grand jury indicted the two men of conspiring to steal high-tech trade secrets and develop them with Chinese venture capital funding.

The two, Lan Lee, 42, of Palo Alto and Yuefei Ge, 34, of San Jose, are accused of trying to steal trade secrets from their employer, chip maker NetLogics Microsystems Inc. They allegedly sought funding from China's General Arms Department and the 863 program, which is a government-led project aimed at boosting technology research in China.

Lee is an American, while Ge is a Chinese national.

However, the original indictment makes no mention of possible involvement by the government of China.

Talk Back

I attended a conference of educators and you really have to consider how slow education changes in comparison with other fields. The media formerly was a thing to consume but now the direction is on reader feedback. Web 2.0 hit with Digg and StumbleUpon in a big way but this similar phenomenon has yet to really impact education. What if people have an opportunity to provide immediate feedback and a reciprocal conversation ensues? Education want responses and this would accomplish that end. The days of not knowing how people are responding to your message are over. In former days an academic could toil in isolation not knowing how their research was received but now they can have instantaneous feedback. This would liven up the educational process tremendously. I recall the demands of publishing online eLearning research in the pre-bubble phase of the Internet and it was exciting. The demand for high quality ideas were there but the demand of time were so much greater. Publish or perish, sabbaticals are optional.

Al-Maliki on Iraq at the U.N.

Al-Maliki is asking that the flow of arms must stop pouring into Iraq and he is correct on this point.

Regions such as Anbar province are quieter but he did claim that there has been a drop in sectarian killings which is difficult to believe. There has been a wave of bombings and shootings which swept Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 50 people.

The success in Anbar is a result of a coalition of Sunni sheiks and the U.S. military.

The Text of Comments by Columbia President Lee Bollinger

Graphic source: Getty Image File

I thought it proper, in order to fully understand the discussion, to provide the full text--according to CNN--of President Bollinger's comments about President Ahmadinejad. Thus, I reproduce the CNN story here. I'd like to see this text studied and commented about since there are very few American academics who seem to take Middle Eastern spokespersons to task, or to school as the case may be. Ahmadinjad claims to be an academic, and appeals to audiences as such, thus, he should be able to interact with the world community, and fellow academics, as one.

==NEW YORK (CNN) -- Columbia University president Lee Bollinger took Iran's president to task Monday, bluntly criticizing his record and saying he exhibits "all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Columbia University president, Lee Bollinger, excoriated Iran's leader Monday.

Bollinger's assessment came as he introduced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to an audience of students and faculty.

As he read a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government, the crowd of 600 applauded.

Ahmadinejad was at the university to give a speech and take part in a question-and-answer session.

During the introduction, Bollinger cited the Iranian government's "brutal crackdown" on dissidents, public executions, executions of minors and other actions.

He assailed Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust as "ridiculous."

"For the illiterate and ignorant, this is dangerous propaganda," he said. He called the Iranian leader "either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated."

"The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history," he said.

"Will you cease this outrage?" he demanded.

Bollinger said he doubted Ahmadinejad would show the intellectual courage to answer questions posed to him.

Ahmadinejad opened his remarks by saying Bollinger's introduction was discourteous, intellectually dishonest and inaccurate.

He said academic freedom should prohibit the "vaccination" of the audience with negative comments about a guest speaker and his ideas.

"I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here, present here," Ahmadinejad said through a translator.
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"In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all," he said.

During his introductory remarks, Bollinger said Columbia would offer a faculty position to Kian Tajbakhsh, an Iranian-American social scientist who was released last week after having been held in Iran since May.

Tajbakhsh, a Columbia graduate, will be offered a position as visiting professor of urban planning as soon as Iran lets him leave the country, he said.

Bollinger asked Ahmadinejad to allow Tajbakhsh to lead a university delegation to address collegiate audiences in Iran on the subject of freedom of speech.

During a question-and-answer period after his remarks, Ahmadinejad invited Columbia students to visit Iran and promised to provide a list of universities for them. The audience applauded.
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"I am only a professor who is also a university president, and today I feel the weight of all the civilized world yearning to express the revulsion at what you stand for," Bollinger told Ahmadinejad. "I only wish I could do better."

After the session, Bollinger said Ahmadinejad left without properly answering many of the questions that were posed to him.

FBI Questions Unisys After Chinese Hack

IT systems integrator Unisys Corp. failed to detect the hacking of U.S. Department of Homeland Security computers; thereafter, data was sent to a Chinese-language Web site.

DHS had 844 "cybersecurity incidents" during the government's 2005 and 2006 fiscal years, and it described that number as "high and unacceptable."

The data breach adds to countries such as France, Germany and the U.K. that hackers in China have attacked them for sensitive information on government computer systems.

In 2002, Unisys won a $1 billion contract to manage U.S. government computer systems created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to shore up the nation's defense. Unisys received a $750 million contract in early 2006 to continue the work.

Three months passed before clues emerged that malicious software capable of copying and transferring files had been installed on 150 DHS computers. In 1997-1998 I monitored a network that featured the same type of shenanigans. In the DHS case, the software led to the transfer of unclassified data late at night or early in the morning to a Chinese-language Web site. This is Security 101.

Columbia's President Challenges Meglomaniac

Of course we want an ingrate such as Ahmadinejad to question 9/11 and the Holocaust so that the reams of academics who enjoy free inquiry in the U.S. can refute him. I heartily recommend providing a forum for the disturbed for this has been the only way to crowd out error and expose falsehood.

But that would have involved thinking in the U.S. and it is not to be expected everywhere.

At the Columbia University appearance, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the widely accepted view of the 9/11 attacks and defended the right to dispute the reality of the Holocaust.

Thankfully, there were edgy moments due to a sharp individual at Columbia University. Columbia President Lee Bollinger challenged Ahmadinejad by stating: "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Finally, one American academic who does not willingly swallow the swill of every Islamist who appears to the West and claims to be misunderstood. "You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Bollinger told Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad, according to news reports, smiled at first but appeared increasingly agitated, decrying the "insults" and "unfriendly treatment." Welcome to free speech Ahmadinejad.

Audience members took Ahmadinejad to school over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.

"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history."

Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation, said Bollinger's opening was "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here." I don't think hiding behind religion will work in the West.

During a question and answer session, Ahmadinejad appeared tense and unsmiling, in contrast to more relaxed interviews and appearances earlier in the day.

Ahmadinejad reiterated his desire to visit the 9/11 ground zero but he is on record questioning whether al-Qaida was responsible.

This might be his Holocaust II.

Asked about executions of homosexuals in Iran, Ahmadinejad said the judiciary executed violent criminals and high-level drug dealers by comparing them to microbes eliminated through medical treatment. He said: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

The audience roared derisively.

President Bush said Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia "speaks volumes about really the greatness of America."

Bush Leading Towards a Renewal of the Middle East Peace Process

The U.S., EU, Russia, and the U.N. are detailing a series of key talks to re-vitalize the Middle East peace process for a peace conference in November.

The Arab League will have representation.

In addition to Israel and the Palestinians, expected countries include: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen and Syria.

A key move is that the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are drafting a document that would "lay the foundations for serious negotiations." The Arab representatives are criticizing the work as non-substantive.

The Islamist movement, Hamas, is already predicting the conferences are a waste of time.

Ian Hunter, "When The World Was Round," Animated Video Release

Jerkin' Crocus in the UK will release the first single from Ian Hunter's critically acclaimed album Shrunken Heads on 29 Oct 2007. 'When The World Was Round' will be available in three formats: a 7 inch picture disc, a CD single, and a DVD single. Each format will be on sale for £1.99, or all three can be bought for £3.99. The 7 inch and CD will both include unreleased material, whilst the DVD will include an animated video. Pre-orders are available now from Townsend Records.

U.N. Not to Abandon Iraq Again?

The U.N. may be ready to get its hands dirty again after abandoning the Iraqis after a 2003 bombing.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pledged that the time had arrived for determined action on Iraq. This should also be the time that nations that consistently weighed in on Iraq should arrive with their financing and ideas but I doubt that will happen.

It remains to be seen if the U.N. will make any difference given the fact that a greater U.N. presence will do little to ensure better security.

Since a 2003 bombing killed the U.N.'s top envoy--Sergio Vieira de Mello--and 21 others the U.N. presence has been negligible. Iraqi Primi Minister Nouri Maliki says he can now guarantee UN security. Not.

The U.N. recognizes that the military solution, as hammered out by the U.S., can not operate in a vacuum. The U.S. military has done all that it has been asked to do.

Now is time for others to jump into the breach.

Germany and Japan are pledging supoort. Saudi Arabia and Iran are making their presence known, however, this should involve a great deal of oversight from the international community. Too easily funding could be directed to groups that are de-stabilzing influences. More positively, representatives from international economic organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have been involved in recent discussions.

Firefox, Not Only Just a Long Time to Download

The new Firefox 3.0 alpha blocks malware, takes a long time to tie up your computer while downloading as I realize from first-hand experience, and it secures plug-in updates.

I am glad to see that security features debut in the latest download, it is one of the best features of Firefox. Now that Mozilla Corporation has updated Firefox 3.0 to alpha 8, this is the revealing for the first time to users concerning the several security features that have been in the works.

One of the features debuting is the alpha of "Gran Paradiso," the code name for Firefox 3.0, which includes built-in anti-malware warnings and protection against rogue extension updates.

An interesting twist on the Firefox phenomenon are the small plug-ins--"extensions" in Mozilla lingo--thus increasing its scalability, range, and flexibility. Even more important is that the several thousand extensions originated with outside developers, that include diverse tools to pick from.

The browser is smart in that updates are authenticated and downloaded automatically.

This is a worthwhile upgrade while Mozilla has not officially announced a release date for the final version of Firefox 3.0.

Microsoft Reveals U.S. Navy Secrets

Microsoft is revealing U.S. submarine secrets through its Virtual Earth tool. The image clearly shows the propeller on an Ohio class submarine.

The picture has enough detail to show the seven-bladed prop. The image was photographed while the boomer was in dry dock at the Navy's base in Bangor, Washington.

This revelation might allow a reverse engineering opportunity for nefarious purposes.

In fact, submarine propulsion systems are engineered to operate as silently as possible and the design clearly is one of the Navy's most closely guarded secrets.

If you recall the movie The Hunt For Red October U.S. forces attempt to hunt down a Soviet submarine equipped with completely silent hydrojets with the drama hinging on the silent operation.

At least there were no topless sailors in the photo. In 2006, Google Earth caused quite a stir when the system photographed a Dutch woman sunbathing topless in her backyard.

Obvious: Cell Phone Usage Causes Brain Damage

Perhaps my headline is overstating the case but we all know frequent cell phone use may slow brain function which has been studied by researchers.

I know its true that when trying to walk through a store or when winding my way through traffic the cell phone users are dim-witted and in the way.

The researchers in Australia, England, and the Netherlands studied 300 persons and as published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, looked at the group of people over 2.4 years. A larger study expands the basics here to gather data on 17,000 people over a longer period of time.

Stanford Saves Face (book)

Stanford will host a course on designing applications in Facebook. The focus is designed to teach a broad range of students how to build "engaging Web applications." You might not know that from the actual name of the course: "Create Engaging Web Applications Using Metrics and Learning on Facebook."

What I find amusing about these higher education courses is that they are developing the things that at the secondary level students are being told to avoid.

7 Begin Trial in Miami

Graphic source: Department of Justice photo of Narseal Batiste.

The jury selection began in Miami for the seven men accused of plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices with the goal of inciting an anti-government insurrection.

The trial is in the wake of last month's conviction of Jose Padilla, formerly held as an enemy combatant, and two other men on murder conspiracy and terrorism support charges.

The seven men from the Liberty City neighborhood face charges of up to 70 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to levy war against the United States and conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida.

The ringleader is a construction worker named Narseal Batiste, 33, and the seven were videotaped pledging allegiance to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

The seven hoped to trigger a "full ground war" and replace the U.S. government with one based on Islam according to tape transcripts.

The objections to this case seem a big odd since the plotters never got far enough to assemble explosives and weapons. On the other hand, this went beyond just opinions, ideas, and speech. They were plotting and just because they did not pull it off is no reason to demean law enforcement.

Sim City Iraq

Iraq re-enactments are using 3-D imaging and innovative computer animation to show nascent commanders how the battles are shaping up. The "Virtual Staff Rides" come courtesy of the Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

The project has been in the works since February 2005.