Tag Archives: blogs

In the Age of Social Media, He’s a New Kind of Scientist

What does it mean to be a scientist? Far more than doing research in a lab, says Michael Johnson, whose unconventional passage into the field began with a bowling championship and a music degree.

“Think of it basically like a cheeseburger,” says Michael Johnson. He’s talking about the enzyme ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase. (more…)

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UW project highlights liability of internet ‘intermediaries’ in developing countries

How much liability do website owners and other online service providers have for content posted by other people? If someone posts content on your website that is defamatory, constitutes hate speech, disseminates child pornography or invades someone’s privacy, are you liable? (more…)

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Upcycling: Wie Phoenix aus der Asche

Recycling kennt jeder: Müll wird wiederverwertet. Um knappe Ressoucen zu schonen, erobert diese Idee nun auch die Modebranche. Aus gebrauchten oder überschüssigen Materialien entstehen hochwertige Einzelstücke und einen klingenden Namen hat der neue Trend auch bekommen: Upcycling.

Ob Lederretouren aus der Sofaproduktion, ausgediente Feuerwehrschläuche, alte Armeedecken oder schlicht und einfach Reste aus der Textilproduktion: Upcycling hat den entscheidenden Vorteil, dass Abfallprodukte oder nutzlose Stoffe in hochwertigere Produkte umgewandelt werden. Im Gegensatz zum normalen Recycling ist diese Form des Recyclings also eine echte Aufwertung. Das reduziert die Neuproduktion von Rohmaterialien und verringert damit Energieverbrauch, Luft- und Wasserverschmutzung sowie Treibhausgasemissionen. (more…)

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Weißrussland: Opposition und Zensur in einer Diktatur

Weißrussland gilt als letzte Diktatur Europas. Eine mögliche Öffnung in Richtung Europa liegt in weiter Ferne, und auch um die Meinungsfreiheit im Internet ist es in der ehemaligen Sowjetrepublik schlecht bestellt. Seit einer Gesetzesänderung im Januar 2012 haben viele Regimekritiker sich aus dem Netz zurückgezogen. Ein Überblick über die aktuelle Situation.

Während die Opposition in Russland das Internet aktiv für die politische Meinungsbildung nutzt und sich dieser Trend auch in der Ukraine rasant entwickelt, fehlt es in der ehemaligen Sowjetrepublik Weißrussland an einem organisierten Widerstand. Wer sich gegen die Regierung stellt, muss mit großen Schwierigkeiten rechnen, so der Osteuropa-Experte Denis Friedrich von der Freien Universität Berlin. Der Politikwissenschaftler stammt selbst aus der ehemaligen Sowjetrepublik und ist Mitglied der Deutsch-belarussischen Gesellschaft sowie des gemeinnützigen Vereins Menschenrechte in Belarus e.V., der sich für die Menschenrechte in seiner Heimat einsetzt. (more…)

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Understanding the How-To of Effective Communication in Small Groups

UA researcher Joseph Bonito is investigating the communication habits of decision-making groups, including North American Quitline staff members and youth involved in Lego robotics teams, to advance what is known about small group communication.

It is likely a daily occurrence: People hold well-intentioned meetings that ultimately turn out to be ineffective.

Why? The list of variables can be astonishingly long, said Joseph Bonito, a University of Arizona communication professor who specializes in small group communication.  (more…)

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IBM Social Sentiment Index Predicts New Retail Trend in the Making

Analytics points to the “Birth of a Trend,” steampunk aesthetic to pervade pop culture in 2013

ARMONK, N.Y. – 14 Jan 2013: National Retail Federation Convention – Based on an analysis of more than a half million public posts on message boards, blogs, social media sites and news sources, IBM predicts that ‘steampunk,’ a sub-genre inspired by the clothing, technology and social mores of Victorian society, will be a major trend to bubble up, and take hold, of the retail industry. Major fashion labels, accessories providers and jewelry makers are expected to integrate a steampunk aesthetic into their designs in the coming year.

Measuring public sentiment can help retail chief marketing officers customize incentives and services to be more in tune with what customers are asking for, using data to tailor their offerings to address fast-moving trends and real-time customer needs. (more…)

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comScore Reports November 2012 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

Samsung and Apple Continue to Seize Share in OEM Market

RESTON, VA, January 3, 2013– comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending November 2012. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 26.9 percent market share. Google Android continued to lead among smartphone platforms, accounting for 53.7 percent of smartphone subscribers, while Apple secured 35 percent.

OEM Market Share

For the three-month average period ending in November, device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 26.9 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 1.2 percentage points). Apple ranked second with 18.5 percent market share (up 1.4 percentage points), followed by LG with 17.5 percent share, Motorola with 10.4 percent and HTC with 5.9 percent. (more…)

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Mobile Retail Commerce Rises While Social Shopping Drops in Second Quarter, Reports IBM

Consumers Buy More Per Online Transaction

Armonk, N.Y. – 16 Jul 2012: Mobile shopping rose while social media sales fell, providing an indication of where US retailers may invest in order to capture the attention and loyalty of the digital consumer, according to a new report from IBM. The IBM Retail Online Index, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail sector reported that retailers experienced 15 percent growth in sales from mobile devices but saw a 20 percent decline in sales traced to social media based on a much smaller base over this three-month period.

This report follows today’s news from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau which announced its estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales. According to the findings, retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June from May, the third straight month sales have been down from the month before. On a positive note, June 2012 sales were 3.8 percent above the pace of June 2011. (more…)

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