Episode 0053, 06/14/2008
Title/Description: US Leads in R&D, Congressmen Hacked, The Internet Police
Welcome to Course Technology's CourseCast of the week, Episode 53, recorded June 14th, 2008.
This is Ken Baldauf bringing you this week's technology news and information.
This CourseCast is brought to you by Course Technology. Check out www.course.com for innovative textbooks and creative electronic learning solutions.
Story 1 - US Leads in R&D
A recent study by the Rand Corporation, contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense, found that the US is still far and away the world's leader when it comes to research and development in science and technology. The US government invests more in scientific research than any other government, more even, than the entire European Union. Roughly 40 percent of total global R&D is spent in the US. Also, scientific publications from the U.S. appear to have a higher impact than publications published elsewhere, gauged by how often they are referenced.
Although the US is still number one in scientific research, it is not due solely to the efforts of US citizens. The report credits the influx of foreign students and workers for assisting the country in maintaining its high standings. Seventy percent of foreign students earning their PhD in the states end up staying on for at least 10 years after graduation. A concerning fact cited in the paper is the decline in US students seeking degrees in science and technology. The report sites problems in K-12 education that leave US students weaker than their international peers in scientific knowledge. In order to stay competitive in the global market, authors of the report call for improvements in the US education system, a more balanced research budget that doesn't show preference to biosciences, a more global approach to research that utilizes strengths of researchers around the world, and the establishment of a mechanism to evaluate the quality and quantity of US R&D.
Source: "RAND study: US still #1 in R&D, but sees areas of concern" [ars technica], "U.S. still tops world on science and tech" [Reuters]
Story 2 - The New Internet Police
Internet service providers Sprint, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon have agreed to police the Internet traffic that flows over their networks and the data stored on their servers to block child pornography. Under pressure from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the ISP's agreed to do what they previously argued was not their responsibility. It has long been debated as to what role ISP's should play in policing the Internet. Some compare it to a scenario where phone companies listen in on phone calls to detect criminal activity, or UPS opens and searches every package it handles for contraband. The Internet policing debate is a complicated one with strong arguments on both sides.While everyone engaged in the debate would like to put an end to child pornography, some are concerned that turning ISP's into tools for law enforcement will threaten civil liberties and privacy. Who defines what is pornography, and what will ISP's be looking to block next? This harkens back to 1996 and the Communications Decency Act when the Congress' attempted to regulate pornography on the Internet. The portion of the Act relating to indecency was ultimately knocked down by federal judges who said that decency and indecency are concepts that are objective. The announcement of the ISP's involvement in policing the Internet is sure to lead to some lively debate in the coming months.
Sources: "US ISPs agree to block access to child porn newsgroups" [Ars Technica], "Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Sprint To Block Child Porn" [NewsFactor]
Story 3 - Congressmen Hacked
Representatives Frank Wolf, Christopher Smith, and Stephen Kirk have informed their associates and the public that computers in their offices have been hacked. The congressmen turned their computers over to the House Information Resources and FBI, who informed them that the attacks originated from IP addresses in China. Representative Wolf believes that the hackers were after specific information regarding his work on global human rights. In his speech on the House floor, Wolf stated that the attack began on a PC used by his aide who handles foreign policy and human rights. The attack then progressed to other PCs around the office. "On these computers was information about all of the casework I have done on behalf of political dissidents and human rights activists around the world," Wolf stated. The attackers apparently gained access to all of these files. This is one of many recent government Internet attacks stemming from China. The Chinese government has denied any involvement.
Source: "China plays dumb on charges of hacking congressional PCs" [Ars Technica], "Congressmen accuse China of hacking their computers" [Computeworld]
And that brings us to News Briefs.
That's it for this week's CourseCast. Links to this week's stories and many more news and information resources are provided at the CourseCast Web site at www.course.com/coursecasts. Email us with your suggestions for the show at course.coursecasts@cengage.com. Until next time have a great week and be sure to take advantage of the Power -- of Technology!