Posts Tagged ‘standards’
Google’s locked-down Honeycomb confronts Open Source ideology
There have always been two Androids. Lazy journalists – including myself – have called Google’s smartphone OS free and open source, but that’s never been the whole story. Google’s apparent decision last week to strictly control access to its Honeycomb tablet software puts a quiet division front and center, and it throws down a gauntlet that I would love to see open-source advocates finally meet.
Let’s get this “open Android” thing out of the way first. There are really two Androids. The first – let’s call it Android-O – is an open-source project that Google contributes a lot to. The second – Android-G – is a proprietary Google project that happens to frequently ingest and excrete open-source code.
At any given moment, the latest, hottest Android phones and devices are running the closed Android-G, not the open Android-O. That’s always been the case. Every new version of Android is introduced with Android-G devices, and eventually, once Google’s mind has moved on to other things, that code gets dumped out into the Android-O repository…
Google’s become unusually strict with Honeycomb, though, and that’s because the tablet market is very different from the phone market. The phone market has a shifting cast of minority players with different strengths. The tablet market, on the other hand, is dominated by one big gorilla: Apple.
The world is littered with the corpses of open-source mobile projects. Nokia’s Maemo, Intel and Nokia’s MeeGo, LiMo, OpenMoko, and TuxPhone have all failed in the market so far. Back in 2009, I said that “open source phones still fail” because wireless carriers don’t like the unexpected, dynamic nature of open-source projects.
But this time, I think the problem is different. Going up against Apple, the tablet leader, Google realized it needs an industry-leading UI and a consistent brand experience for Android on tablets.
And open-source projects, as is well known, have serious problems creating industry leading UIs. For one thing, open-source projects tend to attract hard-core programmers who love adding features, not visual visionaries. But possibly more importantly, a great end-user experience is often about editing – about making things fit to a consistent vision, which is much easier when there’s one consistent vision driving the project…
EPA starts to set limits on deadly chemicals in drinking water
The Environmental Protection Agency will set a limit on the amount of the chemical perchlorate, as well as other “toxic contaminants,” in drinking water.
The national regulation on perchlorate will reverse a 2008 decision made by President George W. Bush’s administration, the agency said in a statement. It comes after EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson ordered agency scientists to review “the emerging science of perchlorate.”
“There’s going to be a lot of scrutiny of the standard because, again, we are looking at but one of several precursors that can affect iodine uptake in the thyroid,” Jackson told CNN’s Chief Medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “It’s the first time we’ve ever regulated a chemical not because of what it does directly to you, but because it has an impact on iodine uptake that might affect your child down the road.”
Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical, according to the EPA. It is used in fireworks, road flares, rocket fuel and may be present in bleach and some fertilizers, the agency said. Research has indicated that it can impact the thyroid and disrupt the proper development of fetuses and infants.
Some states have already established limits on perchlorate in drinking water, but there has been no national standard…
In addition, the EPA is also establishing a drinking water standard on “a group of up to 16 other toxic chemicals that may cause cancer and pose serious risks to human health,” the statement said.
The chemicals are a group of volatile organic compounds, such as industrial solvents, and include trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, along with other regulated and some unregulated substances “discharged from industrial operations.”
So, how many silly people actually thought government bodies like the EPA already had been doing a thorough job checking on water safety?
All George W. did was follow the habit of most of his predecessors. He acted on behalf of chemical industries that pour money into the coffers of politicians – while disposing of waste chemicals and crud from their industrial plants into what has been their favorite dump for centuries. Our groundwater.
The wealthy elite who own and control our nation’s corporate grandeur don’t live in tract housing built atop landfills. They don’t work in cities and suburbs drawing water from aquifers polluted by decades of chemical crap infused into a cancerous tea. And if they must visit their office within the boundaries of some deadly plume of carcinogens you can bet they ain’t sipping city water.
And it took the kind of change KoolAid Party protestors hate to get the EPA moving on the issue. That’s OK. The populist dumbos have copper bracelets to protect them from disease, right?
Toxic toy crisis requires fresh solutions
Manufacturer recalls of toys, promotional drinking glasses, and other children’s products constitute an ongoing “toxic toys crisis” that requires banning potentially harmful ingredients in these products and other changes in policy and practices. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.
Monica Becker, Sally Edwards and Rachel Massey note that in June the United States government recalled 12 million promotional drinking glasses sold at a fast-food restaurant chain because the painted coating contained cadmium, a toxic metal. Since 2007, the government has recalled more than 17 million toys due to high levels of lead.
The report says that these and other incidents have raised concern about the problem of toxic substances in toys and other children’s products, many of which are made overseas. The substances include ingredients either suspected or recognized as potentially damaging to children’s health. Although government, industry, and advocacy groups have taken significant actions to solve the problem, including restricting the use of certain substances, that response remains inadequate, the scientists say.
The authors recommend several actions for the government, including banning or restricting the use of all substances with well-documented toxicity in toys and other children’s products. They also offer recommendations for how the toy industry can be proactive, including establishing an industry-wide list of toxic substances to avoid.
Anyone bet on who gets the job done first?
Our government studying, listening to lobbyists, checking with election campaign managers, polling companies – deciding what legislation is needed if any?
The worldwide toy industry establishing a proactive body to suggest to all concerned governments what should be banned and/or watched?
Google sues Feds for bid-rigging
Google has filed suit against the U.S. government, alleging that the process by which a government agency evaluated a request for a new software suite unfairly gave preference to Microsoft.
In 2009 the Department of the Interior sought a new collaboration and messaging suite for its approximately 88,000 employees. Google sought to join the process, but was allegedly rebuffed by the bureaucratic process.
Because of Microsoft’s long history of providing government solutions, the suit alleges that the DOI established Microsoft Office as a departmental standard, which was affirmed in an updated decision in July 2010…
Microsoft had submitted its Microsoft BPOS-Federal Suite, consisting of hosting services, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Office Communications Online. Google wished to challenge Microsoft with its Google Apps, a hosted service that Google said could be implemented more cheaply and effectively than Microsoft’s service. In July, Google won FISMA certification for Google Apps for Government, a hosted version of Google Apps that Google said met the DOI’s requirements.
Google asked the court to bar the Department of the Interior from going forward with the requisition process, including a planned 5,000-user pilot process for Microsoft’s products.
Bid-rigging is a time-honored part of American government. How dare Google challenge our traditions?
$22M + Lockheed + Pentagon flunky = private spy network
A senior Pentagon official broke Defense Department rules and “deliberately misled” senior generals when he set up a network of private contractors to spy in Afghanistan and Pakistan beginning last year, according to the results of an internal government investigation.
The Pentagon investigation concluded that the official, Michael D. Furlong, set up an “unauthorized” intelligence network to collect information in both countries — some of which was fed to senior generals and used for strikes against militant groups — while masking the entire operation as a more benign information operations campaign.
The inquiry concluded that “further investigation is warranted of the misleading and incorrect statements the individual made” about the legality of the program, according to Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman…
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ordered the investigation after The New York Times reported on the existence of the network in March. The inquiry was carried out by Michael Decker, a top aide to Mr. Gates for intelligence issues…
Mr. Furlong, a senior Air Force civilian official, has been barred from his office in San Antonio for several months. The Air Force inspector general is conducting a separate investigation into the matter, to determine whether Mr. Furlong broke any laws or committed contract fraud.
Pentagon rules forbid the hiring of contractors as spies.
Mr. Furlong’s network, composed of a group of small companies that used agents deep inside Afghanistan and Pakistan to collect intelligence on militant groups, operated under a $22 million contract run by Lockheed Martin.
Furlong continues to have a successul career in what are termed “military-friendly” corporations and contractors.
In other words, that portion of the military-industrial complex that does the grunt work that leads to fatter contracts for corporations that profit the most from death and destruction.
Measurements of carbon in China’s air indicate sharp reductions
Alternative sources for electrical power in China continue dynamic growth
A collaborative, six-year study of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in Beijing and surrounding provinces suggests that combustion efficiency, a component of overall energy efficiency, is improving in the region.
The findings, published in the September 21 issue of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [.pdf], are generally consistent with official Chinese government statistics and could bolster their credibility as international negotiations proceed on commitments of China and other nations to combat climate change.
Which wouldn’t even be a question here if Americans realized that many other nations differentiate between agitprop and statements about commerce and science.
A team of atmospheric scientists and environmental engineers from Harvard University and Tsinghua University in Beijing have continuously measured atmospheric CO2 and carbon monoxide (CO) levels in rural Miyun, about 100 km northeast of Beijing, since November 2004…
The measurements provide the most detailed look at carbon emissions for a specific urbanized and industrialized region of China to date. Moreover, the resulting analysis of CO2 and CO levels is generally consistent with China’s official statistics, showing an upward trend in overall energy efficiency…
Over the period of study—and while controlling for daily, seasonal, and weather-induced fluctuations—the data trends indicated increasing combustion efficiency in the Beijing region. Modernization of industrial boilers, replacing old vehicles with new ones meeting stricter standards, and closing of older industrial facilities can all contribute to this trend…
While our indigenous reactionaries, anti-intellectuals and science-haters in general piss and moan about the intimidating short-term economic costs of building a healthier life for our nation, other countries, other governments press ahead with the task. Media flunkies will ignore publication of a report like this as they are supposed to. It’s kind of a chuckle that the only folks who tend to track down information like this are on the political Left – or part of the stodgy investment community.
We witnessed a perfect example of the latter, this week – with Alcoa reporting “surprising” growth and profits for the last quarter. Surprising to the average ignorant consumer, surprising to the typical American voter. But, a logical result of China shutting down Aluminum producers who wouldn’t live up to increasing requirements for cleaner air and water. Alcoa stepped in with the product needed by Chinese manufacturers – now deriving more and more from the global marketplace than domestically until native producers live up to high environmental standards.
The Harvard China Project is a research program focused on China’s atmospheric environment, collaborating across schools of Harvard University and with Chinese universities. It conducts interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed studies related to air pollution and greenhouse gases in China, designed to build knowledge and research capacities to help align China’s domestic priorities on environment and development with equitable international strategies on climate change.
Obama/Salazar halting 33 exploration rigs in deepwater review
Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission
The U.S. government’s broad move to crack down on offshore oil safety will include the temporary suspension of 33 deepwater exploration rigs, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Thursday after unveiling a series of measures in the wake of the massive BP oil leak.
The halt represents the biggest regulatory threat to the immediate growth of U.S. oil production, potentially delaying project development plans by companies like Chevron Corp in the Gulf of Mexico, where rising output has helped offset shrinking domestic onshore supply.
Unlike the administration’s six-month extension of its ban on new deepwater drilling permits and its decision to cancel a much-anticipated lease sale offshore Virginia, the indefinite pause for existing deep-sea exploratory rigs to meet new safety requirements threatens to affect proven oil discoveries rather than untested areas.
“These actions are all guided by the need to take a cautious approach to offshore oil and gas development, as we strengthen safety and oversight of offshore oil and gas operations,” Salazar said.
In other words, all the crap loopholes provided by eight years of the Oil Patch Boys running the show in Washington still have to be plugged.
1200 Texas DWI cases set aside over useless tests
Or maybe you can?
More than 1,200 Harris County DWI convictions will be set aside and the cases revisited, prosecutors said after the sentencing of Deetrice Wallace, a Department of Public Safety contractor who faked inspections of alcohol breath testing devices.
About 1,000 defendants convicted of driving while intoxicated can petition for a retrial without evidence submitted by Wallace, the prosecutor said. Some defendants had more than one case affected.
Wallace signed off on about 4,000 test slips. Of those, some did not result in convictions and others were not in Harris County. ADA Terese Buess did not know how other counties would address the problem.
The prosecutor was not optimistic about seeking 1,200 convictions again because the office will not have test results, and other evidence has been destroyed, including videotapes.
Buess prosecuted Wallace for three counts of tampering with a governmental record, a state jail felony. State District Judge Jeannine Barr sentenced her to a year behind bars…
Buess said Wallace manipulated the machines instead of changing the reference sample every month, and pocketed $146,000.
One defendant who will be able to get a new trial, she said, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a felony DWI.
If you’re employed by law enforcement you must be trustworthy. Right?
Was lack of oversight invented in Texas?
Take your final – Pee in a cup!
The increasing use of smart drugs or “nootropics,” to boost academic performance, could mean that exam students will face routine doping tests in future, suggests an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics…
“It is apparent that the failures and inconsistencies inherent in anti doping policy in sport will be mirrored in academia unless a reasonable and realistic approach to the issue of nootropics is adopted,” claims Vince Cakic.
But what this should be is far from clear, especially given the ready availability of these types drugs for therapeutic use, says Mr Cakic, conjuring up the prospect of urine tests for exam students.
“As laughable as it may seem, it is possible that scenarios such as this could very well come to fruition in the future. However, given that the benefits of nootropics could also be derived from periods of study at any time leading up to examinations, this would also require drug testing during non-exam periods,” he writes…
RTFA to see which might be your favorites.
Better Living Through Chemistry keeps being redefined from generation to generation.
Obama chides California for failing to evaluate teachers
U.S. President Barack Obama has singled out California for failing to use education data to distinguish poor teachers from good ones. Obama urged the state to change this situation so as to receive competitive, federal school dollars, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At stake are billions of U.S. dollars in federal stimulus funds to be allocated in “Race to the Top” grants, the paper noted.
Obama’s comments on Friday echo recent criticisms by his Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who warned that states that bar the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers, as California does, are risking those funds.
Obama and Duncan made their position clear. “This competition will not be based on politics, ideology, or the preferences of a particular interest group,” Obama said. “Instead, it will be based on the simple principle: whether a state is ready to do what works.”
“Race to the Top” applicants must show progress in four key areas to compete for the 4.35 billion dollars: adopting rigorous academic standards, recruiting and retaining talented educators, turning around chronically low-performing schools, and building data systems to track student and teacher effectiveness.
But Obama also pointed out that teachers should not be judged solely on student test scores.
You’d think that was clear enough.
It seems likely that if the president has to point out student eval isn’t the only road on the map – then that must be the target for those whose opposition to change is more important to them than the change considered.
Humbugs all.
