Discussion Post: Week 16

It’s been a great semester, everyone! One last time, if you missed one or two blog posts during the semester, this is your chance to make up one of those weeks. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into the thick of things!

The political scene is a worthy starting point this week. After several years of controversy, President Barack Obama attempted to end the “birther” debate by turning over a copy of his birth certificate to prove that he was, in fact, born in the United States. (If you’re unfamiliar with the controversy, according to Article Two of the U.S. Constitution, only natural-born U.S. citizens are eligible to be elected president.) The argument has since shifted, with some accusing Obama’s detractors of racism, while members of the GOP said that the timing of Obama’s birth certificate release only serves as “a distraction from the nation’s real concerns.” A number of individuals, though, are still questioning Obama’s legitimacy to serve in the White House, among them billionaire real estate tycoon and presidential candidate Donald Trump, who questioned the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate and also asked why a number of other records from Obama’s past, such as his school records, financial statements, and passport, have not been released to the public. Consequently, Trump has been the biggest target of racism accusations in recent days. In the meantime, others on the right have fired back at liberals for “playing the race card” in order to deflect attention from the debate.

The racism debate is hardly the only political controversy surrounding Trump over the past few days. In an aggressive April 28 speech, he ubiquitously called U.S. political leadership “stupid” in the middle of a variety of other words not suitable for this blog. Mitt Romney, who many see as the top Republican candidate, has also seen some early attacks in the 2012 campaign cycle. And, in the odd political headline of the week, reports indicate that White House staff threatened to remove a San Francisco reporter from the Bay area press pool “for using now-standard multimedia tools to gather the news.” Somehow, none of this seems too surprising in today’s political scene. What do these developments mean to you? What are your thoughts on the political environment in which modern politicians operate? How about the “birther” and other records controversies, as well as the backlash in the form of racism accusations? For that matter, what trends do you see developing in the presidential election itself? With Obama almost certain to run for re-election, who do you think will challenge him, and what do you think the candidates’ chances will be?

The economy has also been a major concern as of late, with growth falling to 1.8%. The White House says that faster gross domestic product (GDP) growth is needed. Some analysts say this can be fostered through increased consumer spending, but the Obama administration has chosen instead to boost government funds by taxing the highest earners. At present, the dollar is still sliding, although officials don’t seem overly concerned about it, as stocks are climbing despite other shaky economic indicators. The oil industry appears to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the stock increases, as high gas prices have sent profits skyward. Both political parties are actively fighting over policies for the oil companies, although traders see little impact from the rhetoric. How do you feel about the economic situation, the actions that policy leaders are taking, and what needs to be done in the future?

While we’re on this political track, let’s take one last look at the big global issues. First, a number of conflicts have continued across the Middle East over the past few weeks. Fighting intensified in northwestern Libya within the district of Misrata, and a geographic error further west led to a number of Moammar Gadhafi’s troops being captured. As loyalists to Gadhafi attempted to retake an area near the border, the conflict progressed into neighboring nation Tunisia. The loyalists were subsequently captured by Tunisian forces after a 90-minute skirmish. Elsewhere, reports indicate Gadhafi’s soldiers have begun using child rape as a weapon to instill fear into their enemies. Aid workers told Daily Mail reporters that some children were held hostage for several days and, upon returning, were too traumatized to speak. The workers were especially concerned, however, about children in regions held by loyalist forces, such as Misrata, who might be facing prolonged abuse. In Syria, the bloodshed is only increasing, with a recent fight resulting in dozens of deaths. Death toll estimates are varied, but most estimates are giving number of at least 40 killed in government protest crackdowns. The crackdowns have not stopped thousands from voicing their anger with the government, ruled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family for 40 years, but the rising death toll on what has been called Syria’s “day of rage” is certainly stomach-churning. Not all of this news in the area is quite so graphic — the Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah agreed to a peace deal that some believe was a necessary precursor to any serious negotiations with Israel — but at the same time, Taliban forces struck against Pakistani security, and violence has also escalated in Uganda. I know that most of the comments on this subject have subsided over the past few weeks, so to keep this somewhat brief, what do you think about the ongoing battles being fought across the globe?

On a very different international subject, the Kate Middleton and Prince William of England became husband and wife on Friday. In order to keep her arrival “lower-key,” Middleton went to Westminster Abbey in a Rolls Royce instead of the traditional carriage. (I never would have expected to use “Rolls Royce” and “lower-key” in the same sentence, but hey.) At this point, just about every aspect of the event has been thoroughly analyzed, whether reviewers are constrating its charm with its lack of passion, poring over the many short kisses (viewable in 3D!), critiquing the eight-tiered cake and the dress — possibly the item which underwent the most scrutiny, alongside other wedding fashion headlines like sister Pippa’s white dress, Kate’s reception attire, and all those hats — as well as less-obvious highlights like the royal matchmaker, the reception’s disco balls, and the cartwheeling verger. All that, of course, is apart from the withdrawal of Syria’s invitation, the private comments (subsequently lip-read and posted for the world to see), the 56 arrests, the record-breaking viewership, the distinct lack of sponsorship deals to take advantage of those viewers, and the tributes to the late Princess Diana.

Did the size of that paragraph terrify you? If so, then it did its job. Obviously, there’s no shortage of media coverage for this event, which has some viewers delighted and others infuriated. How do you feel about the media attention that this marriage has received? Is it an important enough event to monopolize multiple television channels (not just BBC) for more than a day, or is it just dramatically over-hyped?

Locally, much of the U.S. has been dealing with fierce storms over the last week. Not that I need to remind you of that. With the death toll nearing 300, searchers are still looking for tornado victims amongst the wreckage. Obama and his family recently visited the aftermath in Alabama and, shocked by the devastation, promised to help rebuild the region. The Red Cross is working here in Indiana, as well, and they’re calling for volunteers in their efforts. I doubt I need to pose questions on this topic, since you sat through the storms as they blew through the area, so just tell us what you think.

As you may have gathered, I happen to enjoy my share of sports from time to time. It’s still unclear whether we’ll see the NFL this year, though, as the order to lift the labor lockout has been held by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. This means that the lockout, which was set to be lifted on Friday, remains very much in place. It looks like the plans of the NFL and its players will have to wait, at least for the time being, even as the annual draft proceeds as scheduled. What are your thoughts about this court battle and its effects on all those affiliated with the league? If the lockout continues through the season, how will it affect the overall entertainment market? And what are the ramifications for the economy, given how much consumer and corporate spending (think: buffalo wings and million-dollar commercials) would otherwise be driven by Super Bowl XLVI?

Apple seems to have hit the jackpot as of late with leaping profits and projections, and they’ve now moved into third place among U.S. mobile phone brands. Meanwhile, Apple’s competition is suffering — Blackberry’s forecasts are poor; Nokia’s troubles forced them to cut 7,000 jobs; Verizon’s 4G network is dissatisfying customers and the Droid Charge release has been delayed; and Microsoft’s sales and weak projections, which were much weaker than Apple’s, have caused its sharpest stock drop since 2009. The recent purchase of iCloud.com, which Apple made to host its new cloud computing service, already has fans discussing what form it should take. The white iPhone 4 has also been selling well despite its chunkier shape, and some are already looking all the way ahead to the iPhone 6. Some are still concerned about the privacy issues we highlighted in last week’s post, especially given Apple’s apparent negligence in the matter, but a bit of insecurity with location data suddenly seems far less serious than the Sony crisis.

Oh yes, you knew we’d return to this. Sure, it seemed bad enough when the PlayStation Network was down for days on end with no explanation — some of us paid good money for that system! — but now that we know it was caused by a data breach that many are believe to be the largest of all time, everyone’s paying much closer attention. That includes multiple national governments — Congress has been questioning Sony about it, and Canada is conducting its own investigation — and since Sony actively hid the breach, it looks all the worse to the public. George Hotz, who hacked Sony several weeks back and was subsequently sued over it, blames Sony itself for the intrusion, saying that angering the hacker base was the surest route to being targeted. The story only gets worse, though. Some experts are now claiming that users’ credit card information was stolen along with their personal data and that the full database is up for sale. That amounts to several million accounts. There are still some questions about the incident, of course, including whether all the claims on hacker websites are legitimate and, much more frighteningly, whether similar havoc could be wreaked through Xbox Live. What do you believe actually transpired? If your information was on Sony’s systems, are you planning to take action to protect yourself? What can Sony and other organizations do to prevent future intrusions, and what can Sony do to make up for this, if anything? Are there any broader implications for electronic data transfers as a whole? How does this relate to Amazon’s own problems with their cloud computing network? How do you compare Amazon’s multi-day outage, and the way the organization subsequently explained and apologized for it, with how Sony handled its own incident?

Finally, I was going to talk about Friday’s Endeavour shuttle launch, as it represents the final trip for the “baby of the fleet.” Even Obama planned to be in attendance, demonstrating the significance of the event, but a problem with an auxiliary power unit heater forced a delay until Monday, at the earliest. Still, it remained an important day: House Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a near-fatal gunshot wound to the head on January 8, flew to Cape Canaveral to watch her husband, Mark E. Kelly, command the shuttle. She has amazed doctors with the pace of her recovery after a shooting that killed six and wounded 12 others. While the delay deprived her of the chance to watch the launch, Giffords ability to attend the near-event still proved how far she has come. In any case, here’s one last chance to talk about the event, including the future of space travel and where research will go from here. And for that matter, with SETI shutting down as well, how are we going to find aliens now?

We’ve covered quite a few big stories this week, but as always, if none of the above suit you, you’re perfectly welcome to comment on one of the below links or make a new post on a different subject. You’re also more than welcome to discuss what you’ve learned over the course of the semester and where you see yourself using those skills in the future — I always like hearing about the impact of this, so feel free! In any case, it’s been a pleasure seeing your contributions throughout the term. I can’t wait to see what you have to say during this final week of the COM 315 blog!

UPDATE: Given the timing, I’d be a fool not to add one last story to the list. According to a speech by Obama late Sunday evening, Osama bin Laden is dead. As CNN reported, “Osama bin Laden — the longtime leader of al Qaeda — was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members.” By all means, feel free to use this as the topic of your comments this week. No matter how you look at it, no story this week is more significant.

Other articles of interest:
Yahoo says 1M users affected by email outage
Yahoo Finds Delicious Buyer
Hulu Plus hits Xbox Live April 29, free for a week
Three Foxconn workers arrested for leaking iPad 2 design
Sleep Can Wait. The Birds Are Angry.
Apple Rejects Immigrant ‘Smuggle Truck’ Game
Indiana Senate narrowly OKs ban on texting while driving
RIM shares hit in Toronto after profit warning
Barnes & Noble Accuses Microsoft of Patent Abuse
New Federal Guidelines Regulate Junk Food Ads for Kids
Advertisers Fire Back At Government Over Proposed Food Marketing Guidelines
Banning Barbie
Does Drinking With Parents Help Teens Drink More Responsibly? Not Really
5-Minute Screen for Signs of Autism Works in 1-Year-Olds
Homeless child enrolled in wrong school: What should happen to him?
8-Year-Old Sells Loaded Gun for $3 at Queens School: Police
Teaching turning into a rest stop on the MBA highway
Friendster to Erase Early Posts and Old Photos
Cuomo: NY law sheds 24,000 sex offenders from Web
South Africa photographer honored for Soweto photo
China’s One-Child Policy Brings the Challenge of an Aging Population
Obama’s Silence on Boeing Is Unacceptable
Civility on the Way Out? Add Dogs to That List
The new rules of sun safety
ER Visits Keep Increasing, Survey Finds
Manny Ramirez might play winter ball
MLB: 10,955 drug tests since ’07-08
Frank McCourt blasts Bud Selig, MLB
Dutch club VVV-Venlo sign 1-year-old child

Discussion Post: Week 13

Hello again, all! Just one more presentation to go. Please be sure to send in your topic before class on Tuesday!

We’ll return this week to the conflict in Libya, but let’s start with a different angle. Have you ever used the bit.ly URL shortening service? How about ow.ly, vid.ly, graphic.ly… the list goes on. But I’ll bet you never considered what the “ly” represented, did you? The suffix, which is ultimately controlled by Moammad Gadhafi of the Libyan regime, has long been attractive because of the adverbial potential (if you were hoping to register the smel.ly domain name, it’s taken). The Gadhafi link has caught a number of people off guard, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. military and United Nations, all of whom are distressed by the connection. What do you think about it? How does this affect U.S. plans to announce terror alerts via Facebook and Twitter? Is the Gadhafi link as big of a problem as some seem to think? If you led one of the organizations that used or otherwise relied on a .ly domain, how would you handle this situation? Does control over the unique suffix offer any strategic advantage to Gadhafi in the Libyan conflict?

Speaking of which, the back-and-forth struggle between Gadhafi’s military and the rebel forces has hardly let up, most recently centering around Ajdabiya, a key city 60 miles south of the rebels’ interim capital, Benghazi, with sizable oil reserves. As we all know by now, the unending conflict has cost countless Libyans their lives and, in the global economic scene, has been pushing gas prices skyward for weeks, but perhaps the biggest fiscal shock is that during the U.S. government bailouts over the past few years, one of the largest beneficiaries was the Central Bank of Libya, which received “tens of billions in loans from the Fed.” What are your thoughts on the continuing conflict and the international community’s role in it? What about the set of friendly fire mistakes by NATO? Where do policymakers go from here? How can the conflict best be resolved, and what can be done to limit international consequences as well? For that matter, since nothing on the world stage happens in a vacuum, how does the Libyan crisis relate to those in Syria, Yemen, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, and even Japan?

We haven’t talked much about the prospect of a government shutdown, which Congress seems to avert anew each week. That’s a particularly dangerous prospect when you consider that the U.S. military is presently scattered in various ongoing missions around the globe, and a shutdown might make it impossible to pay them or to keep other government departments running. Considering that the most recent act by Congress will only keep the government functioning through Friday and that its implementation just over an hour before the deadline required “painful cuts,” is such a failure ultimately unavoidable? Was the hurriedly-made deal at the center of this most recent aversion as much of a catastrophe as some experts suggest, or is President Barack Obama correct that it was a laudable step that will benefit the country’s future? What will happen if the U.S government closes its doors for the first time since the dual shutdowns of 1995-1996? What would the ramifications be for the 2012 elections, particularly given reports that the 1995-1996 shutdowns and restorations under a divided government boosted President Bill Clinton’s approval ratings?

Let’s again try to close with a story that’s a little less depressing. In the wake of Sony’s lawsuit against hacker George Hotz, the group Anonymous attacked and successfully shut down several Sony websites. I won’t explain all the details about what “Anonymous” actually is in this post, as a complete explanation could easily span a full book (or just a Wikipedia article), but in this most recent attack they also “‘played’ with” the PlayStation Network (PSN), causing system instability which affected a number of users over the past week. However, the diffuse group has now announced the suspension of attacks against PSN, as their first efforts were detrimental to gamers as well as Sony. Just because their first efforts have been halted hardly means that Anonymous is done, however, as their next move is apparently an April 16 boycott of Sony stores. Do you think that the offline actions will be more effective than the PSN attacks? Do you think that they can successfully attack Sony without further inconveniencing gamers, or for that matter, is that in fact the group’s priority? How should Sony or, for that matter, law enforcement react to such activities? Do you think that Anonymous is correctly fighting for the people, or are they a menace that needs to be stopped? What about other individuals and groups that support Anonymous’ efforts? Finally, what are the ramifications of groups like Anonymous, and what does it mean that a group of individuals who do not even know one another beyond their common claim as “Anonymous” can be so effective in their efforts?

That’s all for this week’s post. As usual, feel free to post about any of the above or below stories, or make your own post on a new topic, if you like. Keep working on those final presentations, and I’ll see you in class!

Other articles of interest:
How one Oregon lawmaker convinced his colleagues to ‘Rick Roll’ the state legislature
Vote count ‘human error’ shadows Wisconsin Supreme Court election
Google’s Size Pertinent to Broad Antitrust Case
3 Ways Social Media Can Wreck Your Career
PlayStation chief: Nintendo makes ‘babysitting tools’
New book reveals Apple’s Steve Jobs mentored Google co-founders
The Sleepless Elite
Texas Speed Limit Raised: Is it Safe?
Is Your Brain Liberal or Conservative?
Six industries hurt by an NFL lockout
Purdy: Defense threw the better pitches at Bonds trial
Ramirez was a huge talent, colossal waste
Charlie Sheen Tour: What the Critics Say About the Disastrous New York Show
The New Commodore 64, Updated With Its Old Exterior
Video Games Help Stroke Victims Rehab Motor Functions
Your commute is making you stupid, study suggests
Is it a new particle, or just a fluke?

Discussion Post: Week 7

Welcome back to the blog! We had some good presentations this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing the last few on Tuesday. Keep that energy going!

On a side note, if you accidentally post on the blog for another section of COM 315, that’s totally fine. Just let me know, and I’ll be sure to give you credit for participating in the blog discussion for the week. (And hey, if you want to willfully engage in that discussion as well, that’s fine too! I’m sure the other instructors will appreciate the activity.)

With that said, let’s get to our discussion! First, there were some significant changes made this week to two of the most prominent internet search engines. Google took action against “crummy content,” trying to reduce artificial increases in content farms’ page rank. Bing is making a much more visible change, incorporating “Likes” by Facebook friends into its algorithm in an attempt to take advantage of the social networking movement and strike back in the search engine battle. Google is hardly done yet, however, as it is working to unveil a recipe search feature to help the chefs and wannabes among us. What do you think about the duel between search engines? Which of these most recent moves do you think is most advantageous? Bing has been gaining market share, little by little; can Microsoft keep it going, or will its growth be short-lived?

In gaming news, Sony really, really doesn’t want you hacking the PS3. Police, along with Sony executives, recently paid a visit to the home of one console hacker, graf_chokolo, who promptly retaliated by voicing his disgust on Twitter and uploading his databases of hacked information to the internet. Sony subsequently sued the hacker and demanded that he remove the links to his databases, an order with which he has complied — who knows how many people already downloaded his files, though. What are your thoughts about this conflict? Do you think that Sony has a right to be angry about the hacking, or is tinkering inevitable when you release a technological product? Was the ultimate reaction by both parties appropriate? And will the sudden PSP price drop to $130 make people forget all about the legal battle?

After some Friday heat shield check-ups, the U.S. space shuttle Discovery is now docked at the International Space Station for the 13th and final time. This 11-day endeavor is mostly a delivery assignment, with two spacewalks planned as well. By the time it’s over, Discovery will have spent just two days short of a year in space since 1984. What are your thoughts on the end of NASA missions (here’s NASA’s 2011 schedule, if you’re interested) and the most recent developments in Discovery’s tale?

Since there was some interest in the education topic last week, I promised we’d continue thinking about some of the same issues during our discussion this week. In week 2, I linked an article about a recent study which indicates that there are limited learning outcomes from higher education. This has been generating a lot of buzz among scholars and the public, both of whom are looking for reasons behind the problem and ways to fix it. First, since Ji Hyeon had some concerns about the validity of the study’s measures, do you think that learning outcomes really are limited, or are you skeptical of the findings? If there are any such inadequacies, what, if anything, can be done to make a positive change? (Note that the last article I linked also has a great discussion section, rather like our blog, that helps to extend the article. I recommend checking out what those readers have to say.)

Finally, if you thought that Egypt’s leadership change would have no effects outside the country, you were wrong. Libya in particular has erupted in violence as international pressure on Colonel Moammar Gadhafi to step down from his leadership position increases. Most nations with citizens in Libya are frantically working to evacuate them, and the U.S. is taking somewhat more direct action against the Libyan government through sanctions and talks with nearby world leaders. For his part, Gadhafi ordered retaliation by force against the mobs calling for his ouster, and he claims that protesters are merely hallucinating due to spiked milk, coffee, and Nescafe. Elsewhere, Tunisia’s interim government has announced that it will hold democratic elections no later than July, and protesters in Yemen are dramatically growing in number. China has restored access to LinkedIn — it initially blocked the site to prevent other countries’ social unrest from being seen — while Tahrir Square, the site of some of Egypt’s biggest recent protests, is now its biggest tourist attraction, bringing to mind thoughts of China’s Tienanmen Square incident just a few decades ago.

As always, you can use the above discussion or the below links as inspiration for your posts, or you can make a blog post of your own, if you’d prefer. (To make your own post, log into your WordPress account, and through the gray bar at the top of the screen, select My Blogs -> COM 315 Course Blog -> New Post.) I look forward to seeing what you think this week!

Other articles of interest:
Why IBM’s Watson is good news for government
MySpace’s relative stability in mobile usage attracts potential buyers
Apple to host event, iPad 2 in the wings
Apple’s Lala purchase appears to have been “insurance”
Verizon iPhone 4 (Consumer Reports Review)
Mobile device etiquette keeps going down the drain, survey finds
Retailers clamoring to buy your old phones
The $200 Microhouse
18 fun facts about Social Security numbers
Nebraska man cited in naked joyride
Blagojevich Charges Dropped: Judge Agrees To Drop 3 Of 23 Charges Against Former Illinois Governor
Ancient megadroughts preview warmer climate: study

Discussion Post: Week 4

Hi, all! As a quick note, if you’re having any trouble reading the comments on your presentation — which I understand, given the handwriting — I’ll be happy to go over them with you during my office hours or by appointment. The same goes for all future assignments for our class.

Given the timing of this weekend and the textbook we’re using for this class, I thought it would be appropriate to start this week’s discussion post by taking a step back in time to Apple’s famous “1984” Super Bowl advertisement. The commercial was revolutionary in its time, but most people aren’t aware that Apple executives hated the advertisement and tried to cancel it. (For those of you who have not seen the ad, a copy is embedded within the linked article.) What are your thoughts on the advertisement? What would you have done if you had to approve or reject it? What made it so great, and what about it could have turned into a catastrophe?

The internet officially ran out of IP addresses last week. Things should still be fine for at least a few months, according to most analysts, but there will ultimately have to be a change from the IPv4 format to IPv6. How do you think this will affect internet use, if at all? Could it derail internet browsers and other tools that rely on the IPv4 format? Given how long the IPv4 format has been used, how can the new format be effectively distributed across regions and countries? Should we expect any resistance or hesitation to conform?

Earlier this week, Apple made headlines by rejecting a prominent Sony application from its App Store without a clear reason. It turns out that Apple is tightening its policies in an attempt to receive some of the profits from publishers who use the iPad to distribute content like books and magazines. Some consumers and companies are concerned that this will force changes to a number of existing and future apps to avoid similar rejection. Likewise, Apple is gambling that publishers will be willing to share profits rather than abandon the App Store. What are your thoughts on this issue?

We certainly can’t let this week pass without looking at this evening’s Steelers-Packers showdown. It’s official: the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLV!

…According to Madden 11, anyway. The video game simulated the matchup last week and predicted a back-and-forth battle, resulting in a 24-20 victory and Pittsburgh’s seventh Super Bowl win. Laugh if you like, but Madden has a strong track record with Super Bowl predictions since they started in 2004; in seven years, it has only missed one prediction (the Giants’ 2008 comeback against New England). It’s also been fairly close on some of the scores, particularly over the last couple of years. Every few years sports analysts return to the discussion of sabermetrics, or the prediction of sports outcomes based on individual and team histories and other available statistics. What do you think about the accuracy of video games for gameplay and predictions? How do you foresee the future of such simulations, whether in the sports realm, the social sphere, or other processes like chemical reactions and aerodynamics?

On a more somber note, a recent research study showed that the risk of cardiac arrest significantly increases following a Super Bowl loss by one’s favored team. The study itself is significant, but it might also be helpful to consider three different ways of reporting the research. How are they different? Why are they different? Would you have reported the study any differently?

Of course, we can’t end this post without returning to the story that’s been all over the news: Egypt. U.S. President Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak have both voiced their approval for current Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman leading an Egyptian transition toward democracy. While this technically satisfies the demands for Mubarak’s departure, concerns remain among protesters and human rights activists about the integrity of that democracy, as Suleiman has not indicated that he will stop the policy of imprisoning political opponents. All things considered, will this be enough to curtail the current violence? Do you think this will be an improvement for the citizens of Egypt or not? How will this affect the international tensions within and beyond the Middle East?

Other articles of interest:
Fifth grader gets to report on Super Bowl XLV
Hackers Penetrate Nasdaq’s Computers
Facebook, Twitter Fans To Decide Fate of Barbie and Ken
‘Small’ iPad 2 introduction event later this month; launch in March: report
Meet Watson, the computer set to outsmart the champions of Jeopardy!
(related, from Week 1, IBM computer taking on ‘Jeopardy’ champs)