[Eli Katz looks at what we're losing when we're just a click away from everything...-Ed.]

In the new zero-delay world of research and searching, we have grown accustomed to satisfying our informational needs instantly. How many people actually go to a library or reference book when they can find what they need in the blink of an eye on any popular search engine? While this new era of easily-accessible info has leveled the playing field for many, it also may have impaired our ability to expand our knowledge through trial and error. You don’t have to read through half a book anymore to find exactly what you need. With the ability to Ctrl-F a page on the Internet, you don’t even need to read the whole article. The Cliffs Notes technique even explains how to get the best results from millions of pages on a specific topic.

Read the rest of this entry »

Listen up, prospective Art History PhDs: if you’re not out of here by mid-century, you could be in for a disaster of near-Biblical proporations. From the Voice’s doomsaying coverstory, re: the Manhattanville “bathtub:”

Imagine this scenario, based on Jacob’s research: It’s the year 2065, and Columbia University’s 17-acre West Harlem expansion is abuzz with activity. Students hurry through rainfall along a tree-lined promenade overlooking the Hudson. In a biotechnology lab nearby, scientists are engineering lethal pathogens to respond to the next generation of infectious diseases and bioterrorist threats. Deep down below, engineering majors use the future version of Facebook to instant-message their friends.

Warnings, meanwhile, are steadily being broadcast about an oncoming storm. A Category 2 hurricane with 110-mile-an-hour winds is barreling down on the city—a more frequent occurrence than in decades past. New Yorkers have become familiar with the drill: They evacuate to local shelters set up by the city’s Office of Emergency Management. Over several hours, the Hudson rises 10 feet, flooding the waterfront promenade and the rest of the campus. Many, but perhaps not all, have heeded warnings to leave the deep basement. Damage will be extensive and exorbitantly expensive. And some of the sprawling labs that contain biohazardous material may become another kind of floating threat to the city.

Read the rest of this entry »

['Cuz you're not. Fresh from the One More Thing to Worry About Department is Comm. tech correspondent Eli Katz's conclusion that no one is safe. -Ed.]

Right about now, all around the US and the world, ordinary, kind, and suspecting victims are surfing the Internet, sending into cyberspace (and by extension the real world) personal and compromising information.

Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Wasn’t it you, who just yesterday logged on to check your bank account? Didn’t you buy that new outfit on Amazon by entering your credit-card number? It is harder for under-age kids to buy cigarettes than it is for them to enter their SSN, birthday, and address on a digital college application. There are endless amounts of examples but the point is clear.

We, as a civilization, are more vulnerable to theft and fraud than perhaps any other time in human history and instead of major online sites working to improve our protection, in our infinite wisdom we have decided to make it easier to have our data ripped off. Bring on the era of the “Single Sign-in”. It’s not enough that people are still using the good old “123456” and “PASSWORD1”, now we can handle all our sensitive information from behind just one simple word mixed with a few familiar numbers. Re-set questions are also another vulnerable area. Think how easy it would be to find your mother’s maiden name in public records. A better system would be to rely on multiple questions that are derived from your personal preference.

Read the rest of this entry »