TonyPiazza.com

Greetings again, friends and colleagues. Today, I've got some details from a colleague at work to share on a way to help an organization in Delaware County...

Meanwhile, some industry news of interest in the ever-changing RFID front, as word comes of RFID viruses. Also, in the not-so-plesant news front, there is some interesting discourse over the suspension of digital rights management in times of critical need, such as life and death situations.

Of course, it's not all bad news. The growing web 2.0 concept continues to revolutinize business processes. And, in the happy-yet-offbeat front, a youth has set a new record in memorizing digits of Pi.

Posted by Tony at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nicholas Donofrio with IBM says those people waiting for "The Next Big Thing" should just forget it! Why? We have passed the era of the "next big thing", because we now have the next little thing all the time! An interesting concept worth reading...

Posted by Tony at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Scientific Integrity Conference at Purdue University

Because you live in Indiana, we thought you might want to know about "Integrity of Science in the 21st Century," a free conference at Purdue University on March 31 and April 1, 2006.

The conference will feature a number of experts discussing the intersection of science and policy, particularly in the life sciences, and student-led workshops on ways that students can make their voices heard on these important issues. While the conference is open to faculty members, teachers, and community members, it is geared towards students and student activism. 

Please forward this message to any students--high school, undergraduate, or graduate--who you think might be interested in attending the conference.

Dr. Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation, will present the keynote address. Click here to view the tentative conference agenda.

Students who pre-register will be given free meals and housing (with Purdue students). You can register here.

This is a great opportunity for students who are interested in the use and misuse of science and would like to explore how they can become effective voices for science. The conference is sponsored by Student Pugwash USA, an organization that promotes social responsibility in science and technology. Questions about the conference should be directed to Sharlissa Moore at Student Pugwash USA.
 

Regards,

Michael Halpern
Outreach Coordinator
Scientific Integrity Program
Union of Concerned Scientists

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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Posted by Tony at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Once again, I find myself spinning the wheels... after months of speculation, I finally had a chance this evening to tinker with the inner-workings of the Movable Type blog set-up. What did I find? Nothing! Well, I did find something, but not what I wanted!

For some time now, I've tried to get my blog posts to cross-populate at CICS World and at TonyPiazza.com... and after multiple attempts, I get no where... this post is a result of a manual double posting, the sort of thing I'd like to avoid. Does anyone have any ideas how to overcome this issue?

In the meantime, continue to read posts at CICS World, as I will discuss issues of town and gown, Muncie, the ICT field and professional development. Read on at TonyPiazza.com for innovations I've discovered in blogging, news on multimedia integration, and updates geared toward potential clients attracted to the services I render via my professional site. (While on that subject, I also maintain a site for personal updates at ElizabethAndTony.com, which includes my picture gallery).

Posted by Tony at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A quick post from me today (then it's back to work!) The Star Press posted a great article that really hits on a lot of issues that should be near and dear to CICS candidates' hearts. The article is about the habit of members of the BSU community to refer to the community as Funcie. The article brings to the front a lot of interesting ideas that I frequently discuss here in this blog, including town and gown issues, meaning of words and content, and the power of online collaboration. It's worth a read (I'd advise you to read it now before the paper end-of-lifes the document)

Posted by Tony at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I always found interesting the so-called "Town and Gown" disconnect between colleges and their host communities. Too often "the campus" is its own semi-autonomous island, cut off from the 'townies'. Muncie is no different. Being a native, I can speak to this. The 15 minute drive across town from where I grew up on the outskirts of the South-East side of town to the campus was at times like stepping into another universe. The isolation can be especially true for the rigors of graduate school, and perhaps more so exaggerated in a highly immersive experience like CICS. So, I challenge CICS candidates to break out and explore their host community in Muncie. I provide a chance...

Muncie is once again in the news! A few months ago, Saturday Night Live's Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg released "Lazy Sunday", a digital short about spending a lazy weekend day eating cupcakes and watching The Chronicles of Narnia. Not the first time they released a short (in fact, online movie making is what got Samberg onto SNL), but this one caught fire.

A short time later, the "west coast response" initiated a faux-feud reminiscent of the East-West Rap Feud of the 1990s. Rapping about the joys of painting pottery and drinking lattes, "Lazy Monday" added to the humor and post-modern intrigue of online video storytelling of "Lazy Sunday".

And now we have "the middle coast response" (their words, not mine)... "Lazy Muncie", the latest post-modern entry into this carnival atmosphere, debuted only a few weeks ago and is now another popular and well-regarded video. And, in spite of a few vulgarities, the video really does well to capture the sprit of the Midwest in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner. References to Muncie icons such as TK Constructors, Prairie-Creek Reservoir, Garfield-creator Jim Davis and McGalliard Road abound. Perhaps you should take a look...

Posted by Tony at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The new AT&T (or, as the new logo is written, at&t) continues to grow and grow and grow... The company formerly known as SBC is making its first huge move since rebranding itself with its former parent's namesake, acquiring BellSouth.

Where just a year ago, we had MCI, Verizon, SBC, AT&T, Qwest and BellSouth, we now have at&t, Verizon and Qwest... it sounds like Ma Bell all over again! (especially if you look at how one-time smallest "Baby Bell" SBC has devoured everything in the past few years: Pacific Telesis, Ameritech, SNET, AT&T and now BellSouth... and those weren't small time acquisitions... each of those was a major company that now operates under the banner of "at&t"... new name, same old company...)

Of course, read up on it. The analysts are saying that the real reason (and I agree) is that at&t wants total control of Cingular Wireless (probably to be renamed at&t wireless). What about #2 Verizon? Word on the street is that effort is under way to increase the 55% ownership in Verizon Wireless to 100%, with a buy-out from partner Vodafone. And Qwest? Who knows... It probably will have to morph to survive. I wouldn't at all be suprised if it is gobbled up by a bigger fish.

Posted by Tony at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)