Couldn't one argue that authorization was granted by the database when a valid login/password pair was provided? I suppose that is a) too technical, and/or b) is a broad enough definition of "authorize" that any successful cracking of a password results in an authorized access.

At least in Massachusetts, the wiretapping laws cover both in-person and telephone conversations being recorded. The key bit is that unlike the majority of states, both parties need to consent to recording in MA. http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter272/Section99

Actually its even older than that, according to the article:
"Wang credits German engineer Adolf Busemann for the original concept. In the 1950s, Busemann came up with a biplane design that essentially eliminates shock waves at supersonic speeds."

The real breakthrough is in minor modifications to the wing design that cut down drastically in drag, reducing necessary fuel burn. While it may not be a field-able concept yet, they are gradually breaking down the barriers to a more efficient supersonic transport design.

Hey, someone needs to protect American jobs with tariffs, because that worked so well in the 1930's.

Bell?? is that you? I don't know a single person who enjoyed TEAL or felt it contributed in any way in their learning process. The rumor mill said that MIT only kept it because it kept getting them in the news (ahem Media Lab ...) because it sounded cool. And hey look! it worked! It uses several different forms of learning to teach, but you have to use those forms. I like using my own forms. Like teaching myself and not getting up at 8am to see a prof read PowerPoint slides at us. but our prof was truly terrible. I hate any class that uses participation as credit to try and blackmail you into attending class. Teach well and be engaging more than 25% of the time, and that is all you have to do to get me to go to class.

Actually, the TEAL approach that replaced the large freshman physics lectures at MIT places a heavier emphasis on attendance. In a traditional lecture the professor doesn't know most of the students, and doesn't really care if 50% of them stop showing up after the first week. With TEAL there are interactive portions of the class (such as answering multiple choice questions with a personal remote) which are tracked and factored into the student's grade. In other words, if you don't show up, you can't get an A (no matter how well you have mastered the material).

Personally I don't think this is the best approach, but it certainly isn't forgiving of a student's absence from class.

As a side note, when I was a freshman, many of my classmates did not find the TEAL lectures to be terribly effective in teaching the material. Frequently they would go back into the video archive after class and watch recordings of the "traditional" lectures from years past to actually learn what was being taught. They just went to the TEAL lectures because they didn't want to loose their participation credit.

This reminds me of one of my third grade teachers. His class motto was "people with beards are great".

I can't help but think that he was on to something.

Actually, it also brings to mind a theme from Cryptonomicon, where programmers are referred to as Dwarves, "stout, taciturn, vaguely magical characters who spent a lot of time in the dark hammering out beautiful things." I don't think its a coincidence that beards go along with the territory.