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A Different Digital Divide: Age

September 29, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Mark Stencel, CQ Columnist

The child of a science writer I know once hopped into her mother's lap and took control of the family computer. My friend was amazed to watch her daughter, who was 3 at the time, use the wheel on the mouse to scroll down the screen. "Oh," the science writer said, "that's what that does!"

Perhaps John McCain has felt just that kind of wonderment this year, as his staff and family have taught the 72-year-old Arizona senator how to browse the Web and read his daughter Meghan's campaign blog. The Republican nominee has described himself as a technological "Neanderthal" and computer "illiterate." And now his Democratic opponent has turned those comments into a campaign ad that paints McCain as "out of touch."

Tags: computers, digital divide, Mark Stencel

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Beyond Wi-Fi - Making the U.S. More Competitive on Broadband

September 8, 2008 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Mark Stencel, Governing.com

For many local governments, the Wi-Fi gold rush ended last November. That's when Internet service provider Earthlink announced that "significant further investments" in its municipal wireless business did not make sense for its shareholders.

Earthlink's news was no surprise. Earlier, the Atlanta-based company had announced big layoffs and vague plans for reorganizing its municipal broadband group. Since Earthlink was the leading corporate player in the field, its troubles did not bode well for community wireless initiatives, some of which were abruptly put on hold.

Tags: broadband, Earthlink, Governing.com, Mark Stencel, wi-fi

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NASA Looking for a Few Good....Astronauts

July 30, 2008 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Mark Stencel, Governing.com

If you ever dreamed of a career hauling freight into orbit or perhaps to the Moon, hopefully you got your resume to NASA earlier this month. That was the deadline to apply for 10 to 15 new astronaut slots. The agency's human resources staff estimates at least 3,000 people have asked to be considered.

The job requirements for space work are as steep as an orbital ascent. The agency is looking for U.S. citizens with engineering or science backgrounds to join the ranks of its 92 active astronauts. "Extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft" is a plus, one job posting said, although teachers with the right educational credentials also were welcome to apply. But be warned: "Frequent travel may be required."

Tags: astronauts, Governing.com, Mark Stencel, NASA

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Your Insecurity Card

June 23, 2008 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Mark Stencel, CQ Columnist

Calling my local cable provider for technical support is an all too frequent annoyance, made more so by the automated process by which the company tries to determine that I am, in fact, me. After matching my home phone number to my account, a recorded voice asks for one more piece of identifying information: "To ensure the privacy of your account, please enter or say the last four digits of the primary account holder's Social Security number."

Asking for any part of a Social Security number is, needless to say, the worst possible way to ensure anyone's privacy, especially when companies misuse those ubiquitous numbers by pretending that they can safely serve as a kind of secret password.

Tags: Governing, Mark Stencel, privacy, Social Security

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