Changes In Technology And In How Information Is Shared Both Further And Faster Are Transforming How Organizations

Statement: Fordham Against Torture Weighs in on Revocation of Bill Cosby’s Honorary Degree

To the Fordham Community

From: Fordham Faculty and Fordham Against Torture

President McShane and the board of Trustees have acted responsibly and conscientiously in deciding to rescind the honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby, in the light of what we now know. The members of Fordham Faculty against Torture understand the difficulty involved in publicly acknowledging and moving to correct a mistake, for the sake of the victims and to preserve the good name of the university. The moral logic applied to the personal crimes of one man, though, applies equally well to a situation of profound international political significance. We must ask, therefore, how Fordham can be so attentive to the actions of Bill Cosby while ignoring the actions and words of John Brennan, especially in the light of what we now know of his support for torture in the aftermath of the Senate Report on Torture.

It is also dismaying to us that the Cosby decision, though certainly appropriate, appears to have been made behind closed doors and entirely without consulting the Fordham community in any way, just as was the decision to grant the degree in the first place. In contrast, the petition to revoke John Brennan’s honorary degree emerged from the Fordham community itself, was vigorously debated by proponents and opponents alike, and had the support of more than 700 faculty, students, staff, and alumni, only to be rejected on the flimsiest grounds. If the decision to revoke the Cosby degree can be said to represent the university, how much more compelling is the strong evidence of community support in the matter of John Brennan?

At this point in time, we want to thank all those hundreds of people who signed the petition, and all those students and faculty who gave passion, time, and energy to move the university to a morally responsible position. We are sorry that this passion and commitment could not convince the Board of Trustees and the President to act. At the same time, we are determined to continue to fight for human rights and justice, and to guarantee that the labors of so many will result in a permanent resource for the Fordham community.

Sincerely,

Orlando Rodriguez Jeanne Flavin Jeannine Hill Fletcher Glenn Hendler Brad Hinze James Kim David Myers Louie Dean Valencia

For more, see the recent article in The Fordham Ram

Campaign Reform is the cornerstone of restoring our Republic

New Plugin Shows Exactly Where Your Congressperson's Money Comes From

We the People, and the Republic We Must Reclaim Lawrence Lessig TED Talk 2014

OpenSecrets.org AllAreGreen.us

We do NOT want to trade our civil liberties for ANY amount of freedom. Death + freedom > slavery + safety. This is not complicated.

by commentator on ArsTechnica post   

Privacy matters, pass it on

https://www.flickr.com/photos/krillion/16433017276/

Down the rabbit hole

A friend sent me a link to this article today: IBM Unveils a Computer that Can Argue

I don't know that I'd agree this computer is "thinking" and "learning" but it is impressive...  scary and impressive... personally though, while some scientists are trying to create artificial intelligence (did they not watch Terminator?!?!?!?!?!?), I think there's a good chance that the first true AI or AIs will actually come from the Internet.... 

Some food for thought:

Minding the Planet: From Semantic Web to Global Mind

some of the other places (in no particular order) that I wandered after visiting that article....

http://stko.geog.ucsb.edu/sw2022/sw2022_paper1.pdf

http://keet.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/some-ideas-about-what-the-semantic-web-will-look-like-in-2022/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linked_Data

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBpedia

http://mmt.me.uk/slides/iam121009/#(1)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_room

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_mind

http://longbets.org/1/

http://singularityhub.com/2011/04/04/kurzweil-is-confident-machines-will-pass-turing-test-by-2029-video-2/

STEM fields all mapped out!

Physicist and science writer Dominic Walliman produces the YouTube channel Domain of Science where he shares fantastic animations that map out different STEM fields.

These videos are perfect to share with students to give them a comprehensive view with information about different types of sub-disciplines within fields and how they relate to each other.

I've embedded the Map of Mathematics video below for you but if you click on it and watch the video on YouTube you'll find the playlist which shares other videos on the topics of engineering, biology, physics, chemistry, and more.

And of course he has shared a lot of other great content on his channel. You should view, subscribe, and share ASAP!

Dominic has made the images of maps available via Flickr for educational use and you can purchase Domain of Science posters as well.

Watch on YouTube to view the whole playlist

Writing for Wikipedia event 10/26/16

All about Amazon and Cutting the Cord

I just updated my website with two pages for my parents and friends who are interested in cutting back on the cable bill ;)

Cord Cutting is still not mainstream, but it is gaining in popularity. If you’re curious about how it works or you want some help getting started then you’ll want to check out the resources I’ve curated on the subject.

TV Icon by Creaticca LTD shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license 

Part One: Save some money and Cut the Cable!

Coin bank icon by Laura Reen shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

On this page, I have the following for you:

​​Advice on deciding which bundle or subscription to choose I would also suggest keeping a list of all of the shows, movies, and channels you like to watch... that will help you narrow in on which bundle or subscription makes the best sense for you

​Select a streaming device I think the best bet for most people is the Alexa Fire Remote with Voice (currently $25 for Amazon Prime Members) but you should choose the best streaming device for your needs... this section will give you the pros and cons of all of the major options

Still want local channels? Even if you opt out of cable, it’s easy and inexpensive to get local channels via a HD TV Antenna

Once you've Cut the Cord, here are some additional items for you to check out on that page: Additional Resources and Bonus Content

Part Two: All About Amazon

There are some really great benefits to Amazon Prime membership beyond free, fast shipping. Check out some of the great features you can take advantage of with your Amazon Prime membership.

Also on this page, I have tips and tricks for using Alexa.

Must order this book... Varieties of Scientific Experience:  Carl Sagan on Science and God via Brain Pickings

Creating a Better Filing System

I found a great article on the Wirecutter about organizing your digital files, here's an overview:

-How long will it take-

It depends on how many files you have, a day to a week.

-Have a plan-

Start with categories, once everything is filed, file them into sub categories.

Keep in mind to use the same file structure (all singular or plural names, all caps or lowercase). It might be helpful to plot out the folder structure on paper.

-Use specific folders: resources, in progress, final, scrap-

Create a main folder called "Projects" and in that folder create subfolders called "Resources," "In Progress," "Final," and "Scrap" to use for the files you create during the process. Also use filenames like "01," "02," "03," etc in folders and files.

-For photos use: year > month > people > event

Using this structure for your folder allows you to sort by year and search by term: by month, person, or event.

-Pin folders to sidebar-

If you are working on a project or frequently accessing a specific folder or you need a folder with a long file path, you can drag the folder over to "Quick Access" on the left sidebar.

-Include descriptive file name and keywords-

Keywords will make files searchable by those terms.

Head over to the Wirecutter for their article on How to Organize Your Digital Files to get more details and examples.

Monkey’s selfie at center of copyright brouhaha

Wikipedia says the public, not the photojournalist, owns the rights to ape's pic.

Copyright Brouhaha!!!  Even when monkeys are involved copyright is a headache!