http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/data/ en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408317/posts Americans are known for gorging on food, but we're also gluttons of another sort: A new study finds that the average American consumes more than 34 gigabytes of video, music and words a day-and that's only on our free time. One byte of information is equivalent to one letter of text. One gigabyte is equal to roughly 8 minutes of high definition video. Thirty-four gigabytes of data would fit on about 7 DVD disks or 1.5 Blu-ray disks. A mix of old and new media contribute to our daily information diet, the study finds, including TV, radio, books, the Internet,... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408317/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404606/posts There's plenty of cause to be skeptical of climate-change theology because global-warming advocates are secretive about their data. If climate-change research were all on the up-and-up, there would be no reason to hide it. So far, the spotlight has been on Britain's University of East Anglia and its refusal to release surface temperature data, which is by far the most comprehensive long-term data available on the subject kept anywhere in the world. In an effort to pooh-pooh the cover-up, global-warming activists are trying to reassure a curious public that this isn't a concern because some other data sources purportedly show... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404606/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:57:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2399029/posts While rumors of a possible Verizon-compatible iPhone in 2010 persist, one analyst has predicted that Apple will instead bring the iPhone to another GSM-based carrier in the U.S.: T-Mobile. In a note to investors released this week, Doug Reid of Thomas Weisel Partners said his firm believes that T-Mobile, and not Verizon, will be the beneficiary when Apple's exclusive agreement with AT&T expires next year... AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple for the iPhone is due to expire in 2010... While the iPhone in its current iteration is compatible with T-Mobile's network, it is not capable of connecting to its high-speed... AppleInsider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2399029/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 04:09:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400142/posts The private sector reports last week stated there were almost 200,000 jobs fewer in the private sector. Also the numbers were. Plus the weekly jobless claims have been hovering around 500,000 for the past month. 400,000 is considered break even. This report should not be trusted, it was put out temporarily to take the pressure on Obama and to get health care thru. vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400142/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 14:06:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396285/posts After the leaked email scandal, the University of East Anglia has been forced to admit they threw away the raw temperature data they used to make their predictions of anthropogenic global warming. They claim they only kept the 'adjusted' data. That is one sure-fire way to prevent skeptics from checking your calculations. Based on what programmers have learned from examining the leaked code the University of East Anglia used to calculate the 'Hockey Stick Graph,' their calculations definitely need rechecking. Bluegrass Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396285/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:22:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2393368/posts The past couple of days have uncovered some shocking revelations about the baloney practices that pass as sound science about climate change. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2393368/posts#comment Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:39:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375366/posts The Obama administration on Friday touted reports of 640,000 stimulus jobs, the latest economic numbers and the backing of a Republican governor to try to undercut GOP attacks on the effect of its massive $787 billion package. Reports released Friday afternoon showed that stimulus projects, such as highway and other infrastructure work, have directly saved or created 640,329 jobs, Vice President Joe Biden said. White House officials said a total of about 1 million jobs have been created or saved by the stimulus when taking into account the roughly 400,000 jobs that come from the economic effect of tax cuts,... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375366/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:44:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370018/posts Debate about the impact of the $787 billion stimulus continued this week. “Thanks largely to the Recovery Act,” Larry Summers argued, “we have walked a substantial distance back from the economic abyss and are on the path toward economic recovery.” Yet the latest data from the Department of Commerce continue to show that only an insubstantial part of this distance was due to the stimulus. The table shows the latest Department of Commerce estimates of the contributions of consumption, investment, net exports, and government spending to the improvement in GDP growth from the first to second quarter. Growth improved by... The Wall Street Pit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370018/posts#comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:21:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364973/posts If you own a T-Mobile/Microsoft Sidekick smartphone I don’t have to tell you this. But if you are among the millions who don’t: on October 1st literally every user of the Sidekick data service lost the private personal records – emails, notes, calendar entries, contacts, etc. — they had stored on the system. Initially, it was believed that information was now lost forever. The official statement from Microsoft/Danger (the latter being the company that builds the Sidekick) and T-Mobile is that the data “almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger.” Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364973/posts#comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:52:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2336253/posts Where the problem truly arises is where problems occur whenever individual rights and individual property collide with the demands of an increasingly statist government and with genuine communitarian needs and requirements for security of the state. Any treatment of individuals in a free society must be based on the recognition that a citizen – and even a visitor to this free land – is innocent until proven guilty, and that he or she must be treated with utmost respect unless and until we have probable cause to view him or her as a potential threat. Even then, the assumption must... Worldnet Daily: Technocracy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2336253/posts#comment Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:37:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316716/posts The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, America’s preeminent gun control organization, recently issued a report suggesting that states with “weak gun laws” are the nation’s major sources of “crime guns.” But as with other Brady reports, a deeper examination is in order before accepting their conclusions. Curious turnaround Earlier this year, the Brady Campaign claimed that the Tiahrt Amendment restricted law enforcement from accessing ATF trace data: The so-called Tiahrt Amendment (named after Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas) includes several riders attached annually to Justice Department appropriations legislation since 2004 that make it harder for law enforcement to prevent... Austin Gun Rights Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316716/posts#comment Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:47:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308401/posts BOSTON (AP) -- When Shanghai blogger Isaac Mao tried to watch a YouTube clip of Chinese police beating Tibetans, all he got was an error message... ...Mao thought the error -- just after the one-year anniversary of a crackdown on Tibetan protesters in China -- was too suspicious to be coincidental, so he reported it on a new Harvard-based Web site that tracks online censorship... ...Zittrain started Herdict in February -- a month before China's block began -- to aggregate reports of online inaccessibility and help users detect government censorship on the Web as soon as it happens. Having tracked... Technology Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308401/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 01:45:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298558/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. man has been charged with giving al Qaeda details about the New York City transit system and the Long Island Railroad, as well as firing rockets on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to court papers unsealed on Wednesday. Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, is also accused of receiving military-type training between March and August last year from the Islamist extremist group headed by Osama bin Laden. Vinas provided al Qaeda with "expert advice and assistance, including assistance derived from specialized knowledge of the New York transit system and Long Island Railroad, communications equipment and personnel,... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298558/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:22:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2254901/posts Forcing Google to delete user data after six months could dent its ability to predict pandemics such as swine flu, said the search giant's co-founder. Larry Page said he thought more debate was needed around the issue of storing user data. The European Commission wants data ditched after six months but Mr Page said there were benefits to users. "More dialogue is needed [with regulators]," he told UK journalists at a Google event in Hertfordshire. Data clash He said Google's ability to plot and predict potential pandemics would not be possible if the firm had to delete search data after... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2254901/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 19:33:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2247345/posts Staff unwittingly give usernames to someone posing as IT support: Have you ever wondered whether that unfamiliar face in the office is actually an intruder about to steal your data? Probably not, but maybe it is time to think again. At one FTSE-listed financial institution the managing director himself opened the door to a stranger who, within 20 minutes of gaining entry to the building, had found a highly sensitive document outlining a half a billion pound merger lying on a desk. Luckily, on this occasion, the data was not used for nefarious purposes because the intruder was Colin Greenlees,... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2247345/posts#comment Sat, 9 May 2009 02:18:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216101/posts Real consumer spending, representing outlays adjusted for inflation, fell 0.2% last month, a reversal after rising by a three-year high of 0.7% in January, the government estimated. February's level of spending was higher than the average seen during the fourth quarter of 2008, signaling that consumer spending could add to economic growth in the first quarter, rather than subtracting as it has done in the past two quarters. Economists at Morgan Stanley boosted their forecast for first-quarter consumption to 1.3% annualized growth after a 4.3% decline in the fourth quarter. However, they still see gross domestic product plunging at a... MarketWatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216101/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:39:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208431/posts Council member Bobby Shriver – who retained his council seat with the second-highest vote count in Santa Monica history -- is considering a run for state attorney general in 2010, joining a crowded field eyeing the post currently held by former California Gov. Jerry Brown. Shriver – who is the brother in law of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a nephew of former President John F. Kennedy -- confirmed he is being courted to run for what is widely considered the most powerful state post after the governorship. Political consultant Harvey Englander, who called Shriver “extraordinarily independent,” told reporters Friday that... The Lookout News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208431/posts#comment Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:26:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2203722/posts SNIPPET: "If you are going to rely on data from Alexa in a study of people who are involved in extremist or other illegal activity, you have to provide a plausible explanation as to why your particular population would install the Alexa toolbar and thus compromise their own security. Finally, I will tell you in no uncertain terms that Alexa's data for prominent al-Qaida websites does not resemble in the slightest the actual usage of those sites under direct observation." SOFIR.ORG http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2203722/posts#comment Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:55:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186866/posts THERE are plenty of people who can muster outrage at Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees third baseman who is the latest example of win-at-any-cost athletes. But I’d prefer to see him as at the cutting edge of another scourge — the growing encroachment on privacy. The way Mr. Rodriguez’s positive steroid test result became public followed a path increasingly common in the computer age: third-party data collection. We are typically told that personal information is anonymously tracked for one reason — usually something abstract like making search results more accurate, recommending book titles or speeding traffic through the toll booths on... Sarasota Herald-Tribune / www.heraldtribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186866/posts#comment Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:40:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2178700/posts Rangel’s Financial Disclosures Omitted Data Over 30 Years, a Report SaysBy DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI Published: February 4, 2009 Representative Charles B. Rangel’s financial disclosure forms had at least 28 omissions in the past 30 years and failed to account for what became of more than $239,000 in assets, according to a report issued Wednesday by a private government-ethics group. Despite Congressional rules that require members to list the purchase or sale of any assets, Mr. Rangel accumulated from $239,026 to $831,000 in assets that were not listed in subsequent reports, according to the report by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan group... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2178700/posts#comment Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:30:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2178624/posts A citizen of India, Rajendrasinh B. Makwana attempted to sabotage the computer database at Fannie Mae. He was, according to news reports, employed as a so-called temporary foreign worker who had been authorized to work in the United States temporarily under the provisions of the H1B visa that had been issued to him. Here’s how this appalling situation can be summed up: This is the real threat to society, not the sinking of Fannie Mae. But the strange case of Makwana does bring up a number of issues. The main one is the use of H1B visa workers – and... FamilySecurityMatters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2178624/posts#comment Thu, 5 Feb 2009 02:45:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174966/posts URBANA, Md. (AP) - The Justice Department says it foiled a plot by a fired Fannie Mae contract worker in Maryland to destroy all the data on the mortgage giant's 4,000 computer servers nationwide. The U.S. Attorney's Office says 35-year-old Rajendrasinh Makwana, of Glen Allen, Va., is scheduled for arraignment Friday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on one count of computer intrusion. U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein says Makwana was fired Oct. 24. Rosenstein says that on that day, Makwana programmed a computer with a malicious code that was set to spread throughout the Fannie Mae network and destroy all... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174966/posts#comment Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:06:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2164896/posts Getting rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" rule will bring big problems for the U.S. Military. Aside from the fact that I do not approve of the homosexual lifestyle, I have identified a few quick reasons why allowing gays to openly serve will bring negative effects to the military. Jeremy Buff's Conservative Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2164896/posts#comment Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:54:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149053/posts The celebrated openness of the Internet -- network providers are not supposed to give preferential treatment to any traffic -- is quietly losing powerful defenders. Google Inc. has approached major cable and phone companies that carry Internet traffic with a proposal to create a fast lane for its own content, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Google has traditionally been one of the loudest advocates of equal network access for all content providers. At risk is a principle known as network neutrality: Cable and phone companies that operate the data pipelines are supposed to treat all traffic... WallStreetJournal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149053/posts#comment Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:39:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148544/posts Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results. It's a historic statement - and nobody has yet grasped its significance. Not so very long ago, Google disclaimed responsibility for its search results by explaining that these were chosen by a computer algorithm. The disclaimer lives on at Google News, where we are assured that: The selection and placement of stories on this page were determined automatically by a computer program. A few years ago, Google's apparently unimpeachable objectivity got some people very excited, and technology utopians began to herald Google as... The Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148544/posts#comment Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:11:18 GMT