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Submission + - "Upgrade to Windows 10" prompt no longer has a "No" option (softpedia.com)

Submitted by LichtSpektren
LichtSpektren writes: True to their word, Microsoft has now aggressively resumed pushing Windows 10 to users of Win7 and 8.1. In fact, the "Get Windows 10" (GWX) program no longer offers a "No" button: only "Upgrade now" and "Start download, upgrade later" (of course, Windows already silently downloaded the files [see here: http://tech.slashdot.org/story... ], so the question is superfluous).

Submission + - Torrent Sites Earned $70M After Dropping Malware On Visitors (softpedia.com)

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: One in three torrent sites is spreading malware, claims a recent joint report from Digital Citizens Alliance and RiskIQ, which compiled data from over 800 sites. Most of the time, the sites expose visitors to drive-by attacks that silently download malicious files on computers without any user interaction. These types of attacks are usually carried out through malvertising campaigns. It turns out that this is actually a good business for the operators of the pirate sites: depending on traffic, they can make between $200 and $5,000 per day. In total it is estimated that this type of covert agreements between malware distributors and pirate site operators has pocketed the latter an $70 million per year.

Submission + - No Child Left Behind Replacement: More CS Opportunities for All But White Boys?

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Microsoft is celebrating the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act, which President Obama signed into law Thursday. "This legislation," explains Microsoft VP/lobbyist Fred Humphries, "will increase access to STEM and computer science learning nationwide and will advance some of the goals outlined in Microsoft’s National Talent Strategy. And its passage comes at a unique time during Computer Science Education Week, which is intended to highlight the importance of computer science education" (during CsEdWeek 2014, Humphries looked on as President Obama 'learned to code'). But, what Microsoft doesn't mention is that the No Child Left Behind Act replacement may leave at least some groups of children behind when it comes to the new CS/STEM opportunities. From page 176 of the 391-page Every Student Succeeds Act (pdf): "Each local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies, that receives an allocation under section 4105(a) shall use a portion of such funds to develop and implement programs and activities that support access to a well-rounded education and that...may include programs and activities, such as...programming and activities to improve instruction and student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (referred to in this section as ‘STEM subjects’) such as-(i) increasing access for students through grade 12 who are members of groups underrepresented in such subject fields, such as female students, minority students, English learners, children with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students, to high quality courses." And if that wordsmithery means you'll be seeing fewer White boys in CS, well that would seem to advance some of the goals outlined Thursday in Google's CS Education in Media Strategy!

Submission + - A post-antibiotic future is looming

Submitted by radaos
radaos writes: A gene enabling resistance to polymyxins, the antibiotics of last resort, has been found to be widespread in pigs and already present in some hospital patients. The research, from South China Agricultural University has been published in The Lancet. http://www.thelancet.com/journ...
"Our results reveal the emergence of the first polymyxin resistance gene that is readily passed between common bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Klesbsiella pneumoniae, suggesting that the progression from extensive drug resistance to pandrug resistance is inevitable", according to researcher Jian-Hua Liu.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/antib...

Submission + - Google Declares "Smart White Males With Glasses" Public Enemy No. 1

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Let's play Jeopardy! A. Al Capone. John Dillinger. Pretty Boy Floyd. Baby Face Nelson. Smart white males with glasses. Q. Who is Public Enemy No. 1? In partnership with Gallup, Google has released a second report on its take of the state of U.S. K-12 CS education. Entitled Images of Computer Science: Perceptions Among Students, Parents and Educators in the U.S., a key finding of the report is that bespectacled White and Asian male Computer Scientists are apparently the new menace to society. "Students and parents perceive that there are few portrayals of women, Hispanic or Black computer scientists on TV or in movies," the report explains in it Key Findings. "These groups are much more likely to see White or Asian men engaged in computer science. They also often see computer scientists portrayed wearing glasses." In an accompanying post at the Google for Education blog, Google Head of R&D for K-12 Education Sepi Hejazi Moghadam gets more specific, declaring smart White males with glasses Public Enemy No. 1: "The results show that there’s high value and interest in CS among all demographics, and even more so for lower-income parents. But unfortunately perceptions of who CS is for and who is portrayed in CS are narrow-White, male, smart with glasses. Even though they value it, students often don't see themselves in it." By the way, for a company that's chock-full-o-Data-Scientists, the Google report's spin on AP CS testing results includes a nugget ("among the 49 states with at least one student taking the computer science exam, 12 had no Black students participating in 2014") that is likely to alarm but mislead readers who are not informed that overall AP CS participation is dismal regardless of race/ethnicity for these states.

Submission + - Windows 3.1 Is Still Alive, And It Just Killed a French Airport

Submitted by merbs
merbs writes: A computer glitch that brought the Paris airport of Orly to a standstill Saturday has been traced back to the airport's "prehistoric" operating system. The computer failure had affected a system known as DECOR, which is used by air traffic controllers to communicate weather information to pilots. Pilots rely on the system when weather conditions are poor. DECOR, which is used in takeoff and landings, runs on Windows 3.1, an operating system that came onto the market in 1992.

Submission + - Even the CEO's job is susceptible to automation, McKinsey report says (networkworld.com)

Submitted by colinneagle
colinneagle writes: Global management consultants McKinsey and Company said in a recent report that many of the tasks that a CEO performs could be taken over by machines.

Those redundant tasks include "analyzing reports and data to inform operational decisions; preparing staff assignments; and reviewing status reports," the report says.

This potential for automation in the executive suite is in contrast to "lower-wage occupations such as home health aides, landscapers, and maintenance workers," the report says. Those jobs aren't as suitable for automation, according to the report. The technology has not advanced enough.

Submission + - Large scale survey shows correlation between 'autism' and STEM jobs (independent.co.uk)

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: A 450,000 response survey in the UK has shown there is a significant correlation between a higher score on the Autism Quotient and being a scientist or engineer. AQ scores are also higher for males than female. This appears to provide a rationale for the underrepresentation of women in STEM field other than institutional structures.

Submission + - National coalition in favor of campus censorship (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A large coalition of advocacy groups has asked the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights to pressure colleges to (1) punish students for their speech and (2) block student access to certain Web sites — especially sites such as Yik Yak, which allow students to anonymously post their views.

Yet another example of today’s Anti-Free Speech Movement for American universities — unfortunately, one that fits well into the Education Department’s attitudes. Fortunately, courts have firmly rejected these kinds of calls to restrict college student speech, though the OCR and the college administrations it pressures can get away with a lot of restrictions until the lawsuits are actually brought.

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