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Submission + - Problems with Truncation on the Common Application (nytimes.com)

Submitted by jaroslav
jaroslav writes: A combination of rigid caps on space and poor documentation of the space limits is adding stress on students applying for college using the Common Application, the New York Times reports. The story explains that the application lists word limits for questions, but actually enforces space limits. As a result, an answer with wide characters, such as 'w' or 'm', may run over space even without reaching the stated word limit. It is not explained why an electronic submission must have such strictly enforced limits.

Submission + - Writing helps women overcome sexist stereotypes 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: According to a new study, a brief writing exercise can help women in college physics classes improve their academic performance and reduce some of the well-documented differences between male and female science students. The writing exercise seems particularly beneficial to female students who tend to subscribe to the negative stereotype that males perform better in physics, the researchers say. Apparently, awareness of this so-called gender gap can negatively affect women's performance on their physics exams. But, this rather simple writing exercise—aimed at re-affirming an individual's core values—appears to narrow the gap and level the playing field for women who find themselves in this frequently stereotyped demographic.

Submission + - A Clue to Kryptos (nytimes.com)

Submitted by jaroslav
jaroslav writes: The sculptor of the enigmatic installation, Kryptos, outside CIA headquarters has revealed six of 97 letters of the currently unsolved fourth puzzle. Over the 20 years since the sculpture was first revealed three of four puzzles have been solved. The fourth was always intended to be the most difficult, but even the artist is surprised it has taken this long.

Comment Good luck ... (Score 2, Insightful) 360

by jaroslav (#33622098) Attached to: Facing Oblivion, Island Nation Makes Big Sacrifice

I wish the people and governments of these island countries well and I certainly think they should try whatever they can to get attention for their plight, but the lesson learned in COP15 is that the major industrial powers of the world are not willing to make major changes in their greenhouse gas emissions. And basically the rest of the world can't do a damn thing to make them.
Bug

Univ. of Wisconsin's 30-Year-Old Payroll System Needs a $40 Million Fix 418

Posted by timothy from the too-big-to-not-fail dept.
jaroslav writes "The University of Wisconsin is attempting to update a payroll system they have had in place since 1975, but spent $28.4 million in a 2004 attempt with no results, and now is experiencing new overruns in cost and time after 'not hav[ing] the full picture of how complex this project would be.' The current estimate of the redesign is $12 million and years of further work on top of the money already spent."
Software

Submission + - 30 year old payroll system, $40 million fix (chicagotribune.com)

Submitted by jaroslav
jaroslav writes: The University of Wisconsin is attempting to update a payroll system they have had in place since 1975, but spent $28.4 million in a 2004 attempt with no results, and now is experiencing new overruns in cost and time after "not hav[ing] the full picture of how complex this project would be". The current estimate of the redesign is $12 million and years of further work on top of the money already spent.

Comment private companies suck sometimes (Score 2, Interesting) 37

by jaroslav (#28233427) Attached to: Court Case Against VeriSign, .Com Monopoly Revived
From the article, "CFIT themselves, despite their name, is about as opaque an organization as there is".

So, we have a company we know is evil-ish, a company we think might tend towards evil if we gave them control of .com, and ICANN -- for what they're worth. It seems to me that if we continue essentially the same system we have now that VeriSign (or whoever is ultimately given control) needs to be on a short leash from ICANN. Not that they are necessarily better or more transparent, but at least they can be more directly influenced by the government / public opinion.

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