Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Malware decreases, Trojans still dominate:
“According to data gathered by Panda Security, only 39 percent of computers scanned in February were infected with malware, compared to 50 percent last month.”
Should we cheer or fear cyber vigilantes like Anonymous?:
“The ongoing drama starring hacker group Anonymous and beleaguered security company HBGary has taken a startling twist: In the wake of HBGary CEO Aaron Barr resigning, a group of House Democrats plans to use information gleaned from stolen electronic documents to launch an investigation of HBGary Federal along with two other federal tech contractors for plotting to attack and discredit pro-union opponents of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to reports.”
Mobile Data Usage Explodes:
“I picked up on an article over at ArsTechnica which references a Cisco report on mobile data usage (World Mobile Data Traffic to Explode By Factor of 26 by 2015). The Cisco report itself (cisco.com [pdf]) has a lot of interesting data and predictions in it. The ArsTechnica article focused mainly on the growth of data traffic in general; I want to talk about something else I found interesting – user profiles.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
New Interpretation of Antarctic Ice Cores:
“Climate researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association (AWI) expand a prevalent theory regarding the development of ice ages. In the current issue of the journal Nature three physicists from AWI’s working group “Dynamics of the Palaeoclimate” present new calculations on the connection between natural insolation and long-term changes in global climate activity. Up to now the presumption was that temperature fluctuations in Antarctica, which have been reconstructed for the last million years on the basis of ice cores, were triggered by the global effect of climate changes in the northern hemisphere. The new study shows, however, that major portions of the temperature fluctuations can be explained equally well by local climate changes in the southern hemisphere. Continue reading ?”
Insurance / Gambling:
Three Reasons Legal Online Gambling Might Not Crush Casinos:
“Although the Federal government prohibits online gambling, states are making a play to fill budget gaps with new revenues from gambling taxes. The big question is whether top casinos such as MGM (NYSE:MGM) and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) will get crushed by legal online gambling websites.”
Iowa Senate Committee approves Internet poker:
“A Senate committee voted Wednesday to legalize Internet poker, as long as gamblers play on Iowa sites.”
Health / Safety:
UN food prices hit record high in February:
“A U.N. food agency says that global food prices reached new highs in February and warns that oil price spikes could provoke further increases.”
Economics:
Jobless Claims At 2-1/2 Year Low; Productivity Rises:
“New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week to touch their lowest level in more than 2-1/2 years, while nonfarm prouctivity rose as expected in the fourth quarter.”
Legal:
Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks’ alleged source, faces 22 new charges:
“The Army has brought new charges – including one that carries the death penalty – against Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, a former intelligence analyst accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks.”
Student files lawsuit over FBI’s GPS tracking:
“A community college student who says he’s never done anything that should attract the interest of federal law enforcement officials filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the FBI for secretly putting a GPS tracking device on his car.”
Labor:
Figures. WI State Worker Retirement System Owns $5.5 Million in Koch Industries Bonds:
“If the Wisconsin state employees hate the Koch brothers so much why does their retirement plan invest in Koch Industries Bonds?”
Just a reminder: Unions rake in millions for Democrats:
“What’s really at stake in the Wisconsin budget showdown? Are big corporations trying to wipe out the middle class, as union activists claimed in between comparisons of Governor Scott Walker to Adolf Hitler and chasing down Republican legislators in the halls of the capital? Or are Democrats trying desperately to cling to closed-shop rules that allow them to fill their campaign coffers through union bosses who profit greatly from their elections? John Henry of the Center for Public Integrity answers that question in today’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:”
Transportation/ Land Use:
Families ask RI town council to take land for memorial to 100 victims of nightclub fire:
“Relatives of the 100 people killed in a Rhode Island nightclub fire have formally asked a town council to take the site by eminent domain so they can build a memorial there.”
Does Gov. Scott have power to kill high speed rail? Court hears case today:
“Florida’s high speed rail future will be decided by the Florida Supreme Court, and the fight hits a new phase Thursday, one day before a U.S. government deadline.”