Some big headline-grabbing pieces of news have been winding down over the past few weeks, from Egypt’s ousting of (now ex-) president Hosni Mubarak to the triumph of machine over man on Jeopardy! That’s not to say that either of these events are truly over — Egypt still has to undergo major transitions in its government, and the fallout could affect other nations throughout the Middle East and in the global community (see, for example, Bahrain and Benghazi), while Watson’s victory on Jeopardy! is perhaps only the beginning of a push toward machines that can comprehend and respond to natural human language (perhaps a physician’s assistant is next?) — but they’re transition points, at the very least. We, ourselves, are about to transition to our second presentation. I can’t wait to see what you have to offer later this week!

As a last reminder, be sure to submit your outline to the SafeAssign link on Blackboard at least 48 hours before the class in which you’re scheduled to present. If you present on Tuesday, that means it should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Sunday; if you’re scheduled for Thursday, send in your outline by the beginning of Tuesday’s class. Even if we’re forced to delay a few presentations to the following class period, as we discussed in class, you still need to be ready to present on the day for which you’re scheduled.

Anyway, let’s get to the real stuff! NASA’s Discovery shuttle is set to be launched this Thursday as one of the very last missions before the fleet is retired. Do you think the shuttle will get off the ground this time this time, after the delay of its original November 5 launch date? What does the end of the fleet mean for the broader realm of space exploration? Do you think that other organizations will be able to pick up the slack for the canceled Constellation program, or will the risks of private endeavors be too great?

Los Angeles reporter Serene Branson recently suffered from the effects of a painfully visible migraine during a live broadcast at the Grammys, and she’s not the first on-air reporter to combat one. What lessons can we take from this? What would you do if you had to give a presentation under less-than-optimal conditions (which is very often the case)? What, if anything, can we do to cope with a distraction of the highest order like this? To take a different perspective, how do we or should we react to things like this, as viewers? Are we as caring and concerned as some say we should be, or have we lost our empathy? How, then, does this compare with incidents like Jim Gray’s recent on-air confrontation with a caddy or James Corden’s fake flirtation with 16-year-old Justin Bieber?

In other television news, American Idol is scoring high ratings for FOX this season. Wait, what? AI is still on TV? I thought it was supposed to be in its grave now, with all but one the original judges jumping for the lifeboats and many fans and critics claiming that the yearly winners have grown consistently weaker since Carrie Underwood’s 2005 victory. The show certainly hasn’t implemented the sort of major changes that one would expect to redefine it, so what does it mean that a series that many people thought was past its expiration date is rebounding? How is it retaining more viewers now than it has in the last five years? What do you think?

Other articles of interest:
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One-third of U.S. households lack broadband Web access
Apple’s taking 30 percent of app store subscriptions is an unkind cut
Second language protects against Alzheimer’s
California School District Uses GPS to Keep Students From Cutting Class
Auto-corrected text leads to killing
The Geek Squad Explains What the End of the Internet Means to You
iPad 3 with Retina display, new device sized between iPad and iPod in Apple’s pipeline
Redbox plans to take on Netflix with video streaming service
US Videogame Market Sales Fall In January
Wind-powered car sets records in a 3,100-mile road test