Monday, May 21, 2012

FB Probes Much Deeper Than You Ever thought Possible

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

For the full article, go here:  http://www.pdf-archive.com/2012/05/21/fulltext-24-1/fulltext-24.pdf  and you probably better do it soon, suspect it will disappear, red hot info!



A
small but important difference with the Like button is that there is at least supposed to
be some link to Twitter, because the web user has visited this website. For Facebook,
this is not necessary at all, which implies that individuals who consciously choose not
to participate in Facebook are still tracked and traced by Facebook. Even if someone
does not connect to Facebook himself, Facebook makes the connection.
Another important difference is that Facebook can trace the browsing behavior
to member accounts. These accounts are, usually, quite rich concerning disclosed
information, but the Like button as exploited by Facebook allows far more information
to be collected about individual members than the information disclosed on
the personal profile page. Thus, people who have an account, but do not want to
disclose much information are still profiled more extensively. Their browsing behavior
discloses much information concerning personal interests, and this information
can also be collected by Facebook and connected to the individual account. In the
end, consciousness in disclosing information, either by not participating on Facebook
or by very limited disclosure of personal information, is not sufficient to escape
Facebook’s tentacles.
An additional point of attention lies in the function Facebook is exploiting as an
identity provider. An increasing amount of websites offers the possibility to register
or log on with Facebook credentials.10 The username and password are consequently
used at places other than on Facebook only. Obviously, the services that provide this
possibility are linked to Facebook as well. However, a more pressing issue is the fact
that, for some web services, logging on is only possible with a Facebook account. This
means that, without a Facebook account, accessing or using the services is simply
10 For instance:www.slideshare.net.
1 We Are All Connected to Facebook . . . by Facebook! 11
impossible. If the amount of web services requiring a Facebook account increases,
web users will become more dependent on Facebook as an identity provider so users
can indirectly be forced to create an account.
1.4

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Ultimate Copyright Mark

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

"If the photographer had been PAID,
This watermark would be GONE."

© Douglas Keachie

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

How Facebook Makes Money

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

They don't sell your data, they sell the right to put ads in your face. That's why they call it Facebook.
 
"Kirkpatrick writes of the level of detail a Facebook ad can reach:

"Anybody can pick through endless combinations on Facebook's self-service ad page," he wrote, referring to the tool advertisers use to target their ads. "You can show your ad only to married women aged 35 and up who live in northern Ohio. Or display an ad only to employees of one company in a certain city on a certain day. (Employers aiming to cherry-pick people from a competitor do this all the time)."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/16/tech/social-media/facebook-users-ads/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

How to Lie on the Internet.

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

I don't normally just post a link, but this one is too good not to make a note of it here.  I can see myself referencing it a lot.

http://m.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/how-the-professor-who-fooled-wikipedia-got-caught-by-reddit/257134/

While I'm at it, here's another keeper:

http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-big-money-big-media-big-trouble/

Monday, May 07, 2012

Typical Modern Career Path

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

On Thursday, January 29, 2004, Sabrina Hernandez took the oath of office joining the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District). Hernandez is a newly appointed director representing the City and County of San Francisco and fills the seat left vacant by former director Robert McDonnell who passed away on August 17, 2003 after serving over 20 years on the Board.

Hernandez was appointed to the District Board of Directors by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She is currently the Business Representative/Compliance Officer of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local Union No. 6/San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association (SFECA). Prior to her current position, Hernandez was employed as an IBEW Electrician, a Paralegal and Office Manager.

Throughout her career, Hernandez has been active in various organizations such as being a member of the San Francisco Human Rights Commissions Citizens Advisory Committee, Northern California Coalition of Compliance Organizations, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Coalition of Labor Union Women. Additionally, she is a Founding Member of Wire Women, an organization of IBEW women electricians as well as a delegate of IBEWs Electrical Workers Minority Caucus.

A resident of San Francisco, CA, Hernandez graduated from Lowell High School. Continuing her studies in the Pre-Med curriculum, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Hernandez is currently a Masters Degree candidate for Legal and Ethical Studies at the George Meany Center/National Labor College.

Pruett's Blog Finally Posted This, as it is Nanny-Gated.

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

My response to Pruett's Panic over Beason listing Nevada City as his home town.

I was born in SF, lived in LA til age 5, raised in Berkeley to 17, moved to Rocklin for 2 years at Sierra, back to Berkeley for Cal, over to Marin for 10 years, back into San Francisco for 15, bought up here, stayed on working in SF, have lived here full time since Aug 2004.  Please tell me, what is my hometown?  And how long has Mr. Beason lived up here?

And here is the real test of the validity of upteen generations family here.  Would you vote for Mr. Beason, a known quantity, or someone drawn at random from the pool of folks who were born here?  Sue McGuire has more than enough talents to impress me without dragging her pedigree into the mix. And so does Beason, let them run on their qualities, not their lineage.

Mr Pruett did publish it, but has yet to respond to it.  Neither has anyone else, I think I covered the bases pretty good.  Non issue in today's world.

Friday, May 04, 2012

The Stuff I Have to Put Up With.

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

  The stuff I have to put up with, when blogging in support of our schools, at Rebane's Blog:  http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/

Money should follow the student wherever the student goes as long as the academics measure up to the lowest acceptable public school."

The implication here is is very plain, some schools are unacceptable to GG. He wrote this, and made no mention of any other judges of "lowest acceptable public school."

"I've never, ever, written anything like 'public schools are unacceptable'."

Oh really?

The GVSD and Pleasant Valley districts are, in contrast, failing academically," "I've never, ever, written anything like 'public schools are unacceptable'" ~GG~

So schools that are "failing academically" are acceptable to GG? The bulk of your writings would suggest otherwise.

Would you like to talk about slander and FALSEHOOD, written by GG, try this on for size.

"Russ, "Runts" is a brand spanking new sock puppet*. Smells like Keachie." ~GG~

GG is into weird stuff, like smelling socks (and getting it WRONG) by his own admission.

"Acceptable to the ed bureaucracy is any accredited school" Your clarification about who is doing the accepting is very late to the party, in a comment posted well after my comment asking you what was an "acceptable school."  Nice try, but your litter box has a problem. How does it feel to be on the receiving end of your typical writing style?

Local control I sure will find a way to have boards that are 100% "numeracy literate." at a level satisfactory to both GGand George, such that they can make decisions about which calculus books and software to buy.

BTW, enjoying your subscription, GG?

" in blog lingo, a sock is a person using an anonymous name, in this case GG thought a brand new persona using an anonymous name, a "sock," was me when it was in reality another person, who self identified, when GG when ballistic on the subject.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

The Teachers' Unions are Striking Back.

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

I see no counter arguments explaining just exactly how, and Why, teachers and their Dark Force Unions are engaged in a terrorist plot to turn our nation of little darling curious and eager to learn angels, into slothful, book and teacher hating unemployable monsters. What exactly would you attribute the motivation for this exercise in evil?

Could it be you don't know?

What exactly would take a person who finished 4 years of college and 1.5 years of graduate work, (supposedly the type of student you want them to produce),into precisely the kind of student you claim they are intentionally producing? You know, a slothful, money grubber who lives to make donations to the Democratic Party, and doesn't want to do any work to get the cash to do so?

I mean, this is certainly worthy of a book or two, and some serious investigation. Are they hexed the first time they walk into a classroom of their own? Why don't we have some studies on this mysterious Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation? After all, it, and it alone, is costing us hundreds of billions and America's future, and until we know what causes it, no matter who we hired is likely to be affected by it. maybe we should call it Dr. Gregor's Effect, since it maybe be a genetic defect, shared by the lower end of all college graduates. At least that much has been identified and backed up with plenty of data, according to at least one person here, who can joyfully relist it for the benefit of the newcomers.

More Fun can be had at Teacher Bashing Central, located here:

http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2012/05/education-teacher-meritocracy-and-our-national-future.html

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

The Engineer as an Education Critic

Technorati Profile http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
 A local blogger who goes by Rebane, apparently thinks that turning the USA into 310 million engineers would be a good thing.  My response:

STEM cells do seem to have replaced brain cells here.
Examine please:
http://www.hebel.co.nz/about/production.html
The engineers' view of the world.

From a nearby thread, Ryan Mount observes:
"What a fiscal hawk wants to know, is what what does a dove economy look like? What does a liquidity solution look like? And where does it end? And what does it mean if, let's say, the Dollar isn't the reserve currency anymore. Noble laureate Professor Krugman seemed very uncomfortable with this line of questioning."

And from Rebane's blog we get the following fantasy:

"A forty point increase in our PISA score (see chart) would generate “… results (that) are stunning. The improvement in GDP over the next 80 years would exceed a present value of $70 trillion. That's equivalent to an average 20% boost in income for every U.S. worker each year over his or her entire career. "

I'm not sure where these figures were wiped from, but I have reason to doubt that if every student in the USA was educated to be a top of the heap, PISA-wise, engineer, that the figures would be so abundant. Or, on the other hand, that if the select few were so anointed, that any of the money would "trickle down" to the unwashed, ill-housed and health uncared for, masses.

I notice that the elephant in the room, poorly socialized kids entering the system from incomplete families, full of anger issues, was completely ignored in the previous thread, except by me, where the resident genius signed off with, "Since I am not a teacher, why should I care if CalSTRS goes bust with unfunded liabilities?"

The problem all engineer types posting here seem to have is one that was identified by Mario Savio nearly fifty years ago.

"I ask you to consider—if this is a firm, and if the Board of Regents are the Board of Directors, and if President Kerr in fact is the manager, then I tell you something—the faculty are a bunch of employees and we're the raw material! But we're a bunch of raw materials that don't mean to be - have any process upon us. Don't mean to be made into any product! Don't mean - Don't mean to end up being bought by some clients of the University, be they the government, be they industry, be they organized labor, be they anyone! We're human beings!...There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all." Sproul Hall Steps, December 2, 1964[6]."

In short, and referencing the diagram I started with, engineers see people as a raw material, That Is Uniform in Nature, and thus subject to a simple equation along the lines of "student ignorant of subject into classroom, teacher teaches subject, student exits classroom, knowing subject." To the extent that student exits the classroom still ignorant of the subject, the the obvious point of failure is strictly considered to be located in one of three areas: the teacher, the teacher's union, and too much money spent in that classroom. That is the only set of factors considered by the engineer types here, and is so nearsighted as to render them blind to the real issues of society that result in the mix of students that shows up in front of the teacher, 35 strong in elementary school, and 180 strong in high school, every year.

Students are willful creatures, and are definitely NOT raw, inert, materials, mined from the earth. And 310 million engineers will not turn the USA into a Golden Goose, and the path chosen by followers of George Shultz & Co will do major damage to our current regular goose, so wise up and man up, the issues are far broader than the teachers, the teachers' unions, and too much money in the classrooms.

Think about a society that spends bazillions making advertizing like what I read on my grocery bag from SaveMart, "EARN 5 CENTS/GAL FOR EVERY $50 YOU SPEND." At least they ended it with a period, but what the heck does that mean?

A society that spends fortunes convincing everyone that they should be unhappy unless they buy a particular product is doomed. I don't spend $100 month on SAT tv to see programming. I spend it to slightly time shift my viewing, and eliminate the 20 minutes of every 60 that is spent showing ads. I am currently looking to find the cheapest way to get HBO and slightly time shift (commercial kill) everything else. Any suggestions? I am going to experiment with high high super antennas as well, and may go to OTA if I can get it working. Channel Master no longer makes a CM7000 OTA HD VTR, and now they are selling for more than new on eBAY.