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The 2012 race is the first to be measured not just in polls but also in tweets, likes, searches and blog posts. In most of the major news events this cycle, cable and television outlets — and online news sources — are quick to jump on the statistics released by social media firms as context for how each campaign did. These types of analyses offer what feels like a quasi-scientific take on the event, but experts are grappling with how valuable it all really is. The hunt is on to establish a Dow Jones for social media or, perhaps, to witness the emergence of a Nate Silver-style savant who can scan the digital whitewater rapid rushing by on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere for the why-it-matters bottom line.
Wanted: A definitive analysis of social media data
A debilitating cyberattack on power plants or water systems could produce the same sort of rampant outages and widespread disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned.
“If you think a control-system attack that takes down a utility even for a few hours is not serious, just look at what is happening now that Mother Nature has taken out those utilities,” Sec Napolitano said at a Washington Post cybersecurity event, noting the effects in some cases can be “life threatening.” Her remarks are only the latest example of the administration’s efforts to highlight the country’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In doing so, federal leaders have emphasized the need to boost the digital defenses of the nation’s critical infrastructure while facilitating the exchange of information between government and the private sector.
Sec Napolitano warns of cyberattack on utilities
US cellphone carriers took a major step toward curbing the rising number of smartphone thefts with the introduction of databases that will block stolen phones from being used on domestic networks.
The initiative got its start earlier this year when the Federal Communications Commission and police chiefs from major cities asked the cellular carriers for assistance in battling the surging number of smartphone thefts. In New York, more than 40 percent of all robberies involve cellphones and in Washington (DC) cellphone thefts accounted for 38 percent of all robberies in 2011. With the introduction of the database, carriers will be able to block stolen handsets from being used on their networks. Until now, such blocking had targeted the SIM card, so unauthorized calls could not be made on stolen phones, but putting in a new SIM card meant the phone could still be used. That meant a stolen phone could be sold on the second-hand market. The new database blocks the IMEI number, a unique identification number in the cellphone akin to a VIN (vehicle identification number) in a car. The ID number remains with the cellphone no matter what SIM card is used.
Stolen cellphone databases switched on in US
Calling to report one of the increasingly common theft crimes in U.S. cities could be difficult. That's because the crime is smartphone theft.
In Los Angeles, cellphone thefts, which now account for more than a quarter of the city's robberies, are up 27% from this time a year ago, police said. In San Francisco, which has been particularly hard hit, nearly half of all thefts this year were cellphone-related, police said, with most occurring on bustling transit lines. Though some experts put annual cellphone losses in the billions of dollars, there is no precise figure on how many devices are stolen each year. But the problem has become so visible that it has caught the attention of lawmakers and regulators seeking to take the profit out of cellphone theft.
Cellphone thefts on the rise
There is a widespread belief among teachers that students’ constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks, according to two surveys of teachers.
The researchers note that their findings represent the subjective views of teachers and should not be seen as definitive proof that widespread use of computers, phones and video games affects students’ capability to focus. Even so, the researchers who performed the studies, as well as scholars who study technology’s impact on behavior and the brain, say the studies are significant because of the vantage points of teachers, who spend hours a day observing students. The timing of the studies, from two well-regarded research organizations, appears to be coincidental. One was conducted by the Pew Internet Project, a division of the Pew Research Center that focuses on technology-related research. The other comes from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco that advises parents on media use by children. It was conducted by Vicky Rideout, a researcher who has previously shown that media use among children and teenagers ages 8 to 18 has grown so fast that they on average spend twice as much time with screens each year as they spend in school. Teachers who were not involved in the surveys echoed their findings in interviews, saying they felt they had to work harder to capture and hold students’ attention.
Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say
The teachers who instruct the most advanced American secondary school students render mixed verdicts about students’ research habits and the impact of technology on their studies.
Some 77% of advanced placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) teachers surveyed say that the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students’ research work. But 87% say these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans” and 64% say today’s digital technologies “do more to distract students than to help them academically.”
According to this survey of teachers, conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in collaboration with the College Board and the National Writing Project, the internet has opened up a vast world of information for today’s students, yet students’ digital literacy skills have yet to catch up:
- Virtually all (99%) AP and NWP teachers in this study agree with the notion that “the internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available,” and 65% agree that “the internet makes today’s students more self-sufficient researchers.”
- At the same time, 76% of teachers surveyed “strongly agree” with the assertion that internet search engines have conditioned students to expect to be able to find information quickly and easily.
- Large majorities also agree with the notion that the amount of information available online today is overwhelming to most students (83%) and that today’s digital technologies discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research (71%).
- Fewer teachers, but still a majority of this sample (60%), agree with the assertion that today’s technologies make it harder for students to find credible sources of information.
- Given these concerns, it is not surprising that 47% of these teachers strongly agree and another 44% somewhat believe that courses and content focusing on digital literacy should be incorporated into every school’s curriculum.
How Teens Do Research in the Digital World
Advisers to Mitt Romney would limit the role of lobbyists in transition teams and the White House if the Republican presidential candidate wins the election.
The Romney camp is considering a one-year ban to prevent registered lobbyists from taking jobs in the administration that overlap with their previous advocacy work, people familiar with the matter said. This would be similar to a two-year ban put in place by President Barack Obama, though he has offered exemptions in certain cases. Romney's aides already have decided on a one-year ban for lobbyists who are part of transition teams from lobbying the agencies they worked on. Should Romney win, these "landing teams" are meant to arrive in Washington quickly—before the Jan. 20 inauguration—to make policy and personnel decisions. Some lobbyists working with the Romney camp have complained that the ban would punish them in return for their help.
Romney Would Limit Lobbyist Roles
The Federal Communications Commission, in cooperation with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has developed useful tips, practical advice and guidance to be followed in communicating during a natural disaster emergency such as that presented by Hurricane Sandy:
- Limit non-emergency phone calls. This will minimize network congestion, free up "space" on the network for emergency communications and conserve battery power if you are using a wireless phone;
- Keep all phone calls brief. If you need to use a phone, try to do so only to convey vital information to emergency personnel and/or family;
- For non-emergency calls, try text messaging, also known as short messaging service (SMS), when using your wireless phone. In many cases, text messages will go through when your voice call may not. This will also help free up more network "space" for emergency communications on the telephone network;
- If you have trouble getting through using one communications service, try another. For example, if you are unsuccessful in calling on your wireless phone, try a messaging capability such as text messaging or email. Alternatively, try a landline phone, if one is available. This will help spread the communications demand over multiple networks and should reduce overall congestion;
- Wait ten seconds before redialing a call. On many wireless handsets, in order to redial a number, you simply push "send" after you've ended a call. However, if you do this too quickly, the data from the handset to the cell sites do not have enough time to clear before you've resent the same data. This contributes to a clogged network;
- If in your vehicle, place calls only while your vehicle is stationary. Pull off the road to a safe place to make the call;
- If you have Call Forwarding on your home number, forward your home number to your wireless number, particularly in the event of an evacuation. That way, you will receive incoming calls from your landline phone;
- If you do not have electric power in your home, consider using your car to charge your cell phone or listen to news alerts on the car radio. But be careful – don’t try to reach your car if it is not safe to do so, and remain vigilant about carbon monoxide emissions from your car if it is a closed space, such as a garage;
- Tune in to your local television or radio stations or access the Internet (via your desktop or laptop computer, tablet or mobile phone) for important news alerts.
- If you have a hearing disability, the audio information provided on television emergency programming will be accompanied by visual information. Because this will typically be provided through closed captions, make sure that you have your captions turned on your set.
- If you have a hearing or speech disability and need to make a phone call, you can use relay services to access assistance. In your local area, dial 711 to access these services by text or by voice. Alternatively, you can access IP Relay or video relay services online.
- If you have a visual disability, emergency information provided during televised news programming will be provided in an audio format along with its visual format. If you are watching regularly scheduled (non-news) programming and hear tones or beeps, this signals that emergency information is being provided. Turn on your radio or call someone to get up-to-date information about the emergency that is occurring.
Tips for Communicating in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
Our deepest condolences go out to those who lost loved ones as a result of the storm. And our deepest gratitude goes to the first responders and other emergency teams who are working tirelessly in the recovery efforts. This was, and remains, a devastating storm, and the FCC continues to assess and respond to the impact of Hurricane Sandy on our nation’s communications infrastructure.
Overall, the condition of our communications networks is improving, but serious outages remain, particularly in New York, New Jersey, and other hard-hit areas. We are continuing to work closely with FEMA and our other federal, state, and local partners – as well as communications companies – in response efforts. In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to expect the unexpected as the full picture of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on communications networks develops. The crisis is not over. We’ll continue to be intensely focused on helping with the full recovery of wired and wireless communications infrastructure.
FCC on Response and Recovery Efforts Post-Hurricane Sandy FCC: Communications Improving but Outages Linger (National Journal)
FEMA chief Craig Fugate acknowledged that many Sandy victims can’t get help via the Internet.
“Yes, I know there’s no power and the Internet is not going to help and you can’t call 1-800-FEMA. That’s why we also put people on the ground, starting [October 31], to go door to door, start getting into those neighborhoods,” Fugate said during a gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey. On Oct 29, President Barack Obama urged people to stay indoors and keep an eye on a government website, ready.gov, for more information — despite the fact that that’s hard to do for people without power or Internet access. Neither President Obama nor local or national broadcasters provided emergency phone numbers at the start of the storm, in anticipation of power failures. Fugate also touted FEMA’s website for people who can still go online.
Craig Fugate: FEMA not relying solely on the Web