Archive for June, 2014
The Highest-Paid CEOs Are The Worst Performers
June 18th, 2014Via: Forbes: Across the board, the more CEOs get paid, the worse their companies do over the next three years, according to extensive new research. This is true whether they’re CEOs at the highest end of the pay spectrum or the lowest. “The more CEOs are paid, the worse the firm does over the next […]
UK Intelligence Forced to Reveal Secret Policy for Mass Surveillance
June 17th, 2014At least the wholly domestic traffic isn’t going down the gurgler too. *wink* Via: Privacy International: Britain’s top counter-terrorism official has been forced to reveal a secret Government policy justifying the mass surveillance of every Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google user in the UK. This disturbing policy was made public due to a legal challenge […]
U.S. Health Care System Costs the Most, Ranks Lowest in International Survey
June 17th, 2014Via: CBS News: The U.S. spends more money on health care compared with other industrialized countries, but Americans still get the least bang for their buck — and many still don’t have access to care — according to a report just published by the Commonwealth Fund. The report from the private health care research foundation […]
“Will ISIS Plan a 9/11-Style Terror Plot Against the U.S.?”
June 17th, 2014I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise. Via: CBS: Republicans are sounding the warning that the next 9/11-like terror plot could emerge from the regions of Iraq and Syria that are currently dominated by an extremist group bearing down on Baghdad. As the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – which has already captured […]
Office of Naval Research: U.S. Marine Ground Vehicles Will Carry Lasers to Shoot Down Drones
June 16th, 2014Via: Office of Naval Research: As the Navy prepares to deploy its first laser weapon on a ship later this summer, Office of Naval Research (ONR) officials announced June 11 that they have finished awarding contracts to develop a similar weapon to be used on ground vehicles. The Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move program, […]
Australia: Concentrated Solar Facility Produces Supercritical Steam for First Time
June 16th, 2014Via: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation: A team of solar thermal engineers and scientists at our Energy Centre in Newcastle have used the ample sunlight flooding their solar fields to create what’s called ‘supercritical’ steam – an ultra-hot, ultra-pressurised steam that’s used to drive the world’s most advanced power plant turbines – at the […]
U.S. IT Workers Training H-1B Replacements
June 15th, 2014This has been going on since before I left the IT world behind back in 2005. I’m surprised that there are still IT jobs to outsource in any number. Maybe they go and comeback and go again… The feeble U.S. flag display in the cubicles was cringe inducing. Oh dear. Via: ComputerWorld: Training the replacement […]
U.S. Pushing Local Cops to Stay Mum on Surveillance
June 15th, 2014Via: AP: The Obama administration has been quietly advising local police not to disclose details about surveillance technology they are using to sweep up basic cellphone data from entire neighborhoods, The Associated Press has learned. Citing security reasons, the U.S. has intervened in routine state public records cases and criminal trials regarding use of the […]
The Craft Distilling… Bubble?
June 15th, 2014*chortle* Via: The Atlantic: Craft distilling—a loosely defined industry consisting chiefly of distillers producing fewer than 50,000 cases a year—is now in its heady, early-Internet phase. There were about 70 small distilleries across the United States in 2003; today there are more than 600. Hardly a day passes without the announcement of a new distillery […]
Starbucks to Provide Free Online College Education to Thousands of Workers
June 15th, 2014Would you like extra foam with that? Via: New York Times: Starbucks will provide a free online college education to thousands of its workers, without requiring that they remain with the company, through an unusual arrangement with Arizona State University, the company and the university will announce on Monday. The program is open to any […]
