I've spent the last 10 years, on and off, representing the buy side of the display marketing equation. For many years I held the post of Media Supervisor at digital marketing leader Razorfish, managing the display efforts for a Fortune 500 financial services brand. I co-founded, and successfully ramped, the "agency trading desk", ATOM Systems, for my agency. And I worked within Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Nerve Center as an educator and advocate for the in-house audience buying solution, Audience on Demand, as AOD's head of Brand Relations.

Never did I really get a chance to take a step back and contemplate the big picture - What are publishers struggling with in this rapidly changing ecosystem? How do the different point solutions (many of them technology based, these days) fit together… or not? What are the challenges that digital marketers are facing in their (often uphill) battle to grow digital's share of spend, and what are some solutions? Taking off my buy-side hat and taking a step back, as the newest member of Forrester's Interactive Marketing group, offers a welcome change in viewpoint!

My experience over the last few years, however, does give me a unique point of view - I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about how the modes of acquiring, optimizing, reporting on and deriving insight from display media are going through a dramatic shift. This shift is a direct result of the rise of ad exchanges like Yahoo!'s RMX and Google's ADX, Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) like Invite Media and MediaMath, data marketplaces like BlueKai, and more. I strongly believe that we're at an inflection point in how a significant portion of Display media will be managed - and by whom - going forward, and I personally look forward to sharing my perspective on it with this community.

read more

I've spent the last 10 years, on and off, representing the buy side of the display marketing equation. For many years I held the post of Media Supervisor at digital marketing leader Razorfish, managing the display efforts for a Fortune 500 financial services brand. I co-founded, and successfully ramped, the "agency trading desk", ATOM Systems, for my agency. And I worked within Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Nerve Center as an educator and advocate for the in-house audience buying solution, Audience on Demand, as AOD's head of Brand Relations.

Never did I really get a chance to take a step back and contemplate the big picture - What are publishers struggling with in this rapidly changing ecosystem? How do the different point solutions (many of them technology based, these days) fit together… or not? What are the challenges that digital marketers are facing in their (often uphill) battle to grow digital's share of spend, and what are some solutions? Taking off my buy-side hat and taking a step back, as the newest member of Forrester's Interactive Marketing group, offers a welcome change in viewpoint!

My experience over the last few years, however, does give me a unique point of view - I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about how the modes of acquiring, optimizing, reporting on and deriving insight from display media are going through a dramatic shift. This shift is a direct result of the rise of ad exchanges like Yahoo!'s RMX and Google's ADX, Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) like Invite Media and MediaMath, data marketplaces like BlueKai, and more. I strongly believe that we're at an inflection point in how a significant portion of Display media will be managed - and by whom - going forward, and I personally look forward to sharing my perspective on it with this community.

read more

Amazon's Workflow Applications Team is looking for a strong developer with a passion for user experience. You will be part of a scrappy, fun, hard-working team. Java, Perl, Rails, Apache, Linux, Oracle and Workflow tools (such as Remedy, Appian, CA) are our current skill needs to take our applications to the next level. We're inventive, smart, obsessive about user experience, and we constantly challenge the way things have traditionally been done in our space. Zeal for delivering high quality software and customer happiness is essential.

Our team owns systems that Amazon depends on for mission-critical processes used by nearly every employee in the company. For example, when a back-end service is failing, causing a negative impact to our website our systems act as the central nervous system to alert the right teams, then track and facilitate resolution and root cause analysis. When a data center suffers cooling failures, flooding, or any other horrible event our systems are used to ensure the right people are engaged immediately and the problems are addressed quickly. If customers are experiencing any problems with receiving certain products, our systems raise awareness of a potential deeper issue enabling quick resolution so that further problems can be prevented. But not all data in our systems are related to events such as this - nearly every trackable interaction between teams at Amazon is facilitated in these systems.

You will make a tremendous impact on the entire software community at Amazon by enhancing and building these tools. You will have the opportunity to leverage Amazon Web Services and a wide variety of technologies and frameworks.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Web development expertise (Proficiency in Perl, Rails, Java)
• Strong User Interface design skills
• Strong design and coding skills in Java on Unix Platforms.
• Experience with Workflow and/or BPMS tools preferred
• Expertise with data structures, algorithms, and relational databases
• Strong desire to build high-performance, highly-available and scalable systems.
• Excellent customer focus
• Be highly innovative, flexible and self-directed.
• Must be able to analyze problems and solve them creatively; be self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with BMC Remedy ARS is bonus

If interested, please apply online at http://track.tmpservice.com/ApplyClick.aspx?id=948123-1812-3695

by Daniel J. Weiss.

This article was cross-posted from the Center for American Progress.

The Senate has taken Americans on an energy and climate roller coaster over the past year as Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and others attempted to craft legislation that would increase investment in clean energy while cutting global warming pollution.

Yet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) last week acknowledged that the Senate would not debate an energy and global warming bill because it lacked support from a super majority of 60 senators. Sen. Reid noted on July 22 that, “We know we don’t have the votes [for a bill capping emissions].”

The vast majority of Democrats were ready to support a scaled-back bill that would decrease carbon pollution only from power plants while excluding coverage for transportation and manufacturing. Some Republican support was necessary for passage, yet no Republicans publicly supported this action. This included opposition from Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), and others who had voted for previous global warming bills.

Republican opposition, combined with a handful of Democratic senators who also opposed action, was enough to sink even this modest step. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), a lead sponsor of the companion House energy and climate bill, observed that “Republicans pulled out of the talks, and it’s just that simple ... There’s not another answer.”

Leader Reid had no alternative but to bring a much more limited energy bill to the Senate floor, and he introduced the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act, S. 3663 today. This bill is no substitute for comprehensive clean energy and global warming legislation. But it does deserve Senate passage because the bill makes progress in several critical areas. It would:

Nearly all of these proposals come from existing legislation, and many of them have Republican coauthors. Here’s what you need to know about the primary provisions of the “Clean Energy Jobs” bill, as well as the original bills and their cosponsors.

Oil spill response and accountability

The BP oil disaster was a 100-day nightmare that caused more than 180 million gallons of oil to flood from the ocean bottom into the Gulf of Mexico and onto American shores from Texas to Florida. This disaster is the largest ever, but it is no freak occurrence.

A Washington Post analysis found “a steady stream of oil spills dumping 517,847 barrels of petroleum ... into the Gulf of Mexico between 1964 and 2009 ... they poured twice as much as oil into U.S. waters as the Exxon Valdez tanker did when it ran aground in 1989.”

The Reid bill would make BP pay for the damages from the BP catastrophe and hold big oil companies responsible for future spills. It would enhance safety requirement measures to prevent future blowouts or spills.

Primary provisions:

Source legislation and bipartisan support:

Big Oil Bailout Prevention Liability Act, S.3305: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed this bill by a unanimous voice vote on June 30, 2010.

The Outer Continental Shelf Reform Act of 2010, S.3516: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed this bill by a unanimous voice vote on June 30. Ranking Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said that the bill would “help restore Americans’ confidence in our ability to safely produce our oil and gas resources, and we did it in a transparent, truly bipartisan process.”

Big Oil Bailout Prevention Trust Fund Act, S. 3306: Sponsored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), four other Democrats, and one Independent.

Reducing oil consumption and improving energy security

The BP oil disaster is yet another reminder that the United States must dramatically reduce its oil use to enhance energy security and economic prosperity. Americans currently spend $1 billion per day on oil imports, and one out of every five barrels of oil consumed in the United States comes from countries classified as “dangerous or unstable” by the U.S. State Department. The “Clean Energy Jobs” bill would reduce oil consumption via investments in natural gas vehicles and electric cars.

Primary provisions:

Source legislation and bipartisan support:

The NAT GAS Act, S. 1408: Sponsored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

Electric Vehicle Deployment Act, S. 3442: Sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

Clean energy jobs and consumer savings

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas pollution is to simply use less energy in our homes. The Reid bill provides incentives for homeowners to invest in simple and effective energy savings measures that will lower electricity bills and return these savings to families’ pockets. These incentives will also create thousands of jobs in energy efficiency technology sales and installation.

Primary provision:

Source legislation and bipartisan support:

Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, S. 3177: Sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Protecting the environment

Moving to a more sustainable energy future is not just about using energy and fuel more efficiently; it is also about protecting our existing land and water resources. The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides most of the federal funds to purchase land acquisitions for conservation and recreation. It protects 7 million acres, nearly two-thirds of which are federal lands.

The LWCF is supposed to supply $900 million in revenue annually, mostly from offshore oil and gas leasing. But Congress has frequently raided the fund for other purposes. Only $432 million was appropriated to land acquisition in fiscal year 2010. And there is a $30 billion backlog in federal land acquisition needs because of funding shortfalls. The Reid bill would supply a consistent amount of funding for federal land conservation.

Primary provision:

Source legislation and bipartisan support:

Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act, S. 2747: Sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) with 16 cosponsors, including Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

Hydraulic fracturing chemicals

The recent development of technology to unlock and produce “shale gas” from deep within the Earth has dramatically expanded the technically recoverable supply of natural gas. This is a cleaner, domestic fuel that can replace dirty coal to produce electricity or foreign oil to power vehicles.

The “hydraulic fracturing,” or “fracking,” process can produce air, water, and groundwater pollution, including toxic ingredients such as diesel fuel. Gas producers do not have to disclose the chemicals they inject deep underground to recover the gas. The Reid bill would require transparency so that governments, first responders, and citizens have the right to know about the toxic chemicals used to produce this gas.

Primary provision:

Source legislation:

Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, S. 1215: Sponsored by Sens. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Conclusion

Comprehensive clean energy and global warming legislation stalled in the Senate because senators are opposing policies that once enjoyed bipartisan support. Reid has crafted legislation using bipartisan measures to address the BP oil disaster, reduce families’ energy bills, create jobs, cut oil use, and protect the environment. Yet despite previous bipartisan support, senators are attacking provisions in S. 3663. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) opposes the Right to Know provision for fracking chemicals. He would keep the public in the dark about the toxic chemicals used in shale gas production.

The American Petroleum Institute—big oil’s lobbyists—are fiercely opposed to requiring BP and other oil companies to be completely responsible for the economic damage from their blowouts and oil spills, so many senators who enjoy big oil support oppose it too, even if they helped write the provisions.

Politico reports that, “Republicans have said they’d support a modest increase of the cap—perhaps up to $2 billion—or a provision to allow the president to set a liability cap. But oil companies have fought fiercely against the prospect of unlimited liability, which would require them to foot the bill for all spill damages ... A spokesman for [Sen.] Murkowski said that even though she authored a key provision in the Senate bill, she will likely vote against it.”

Sens. Alexander, Burr, Graham, Hatch, Murkowski, and others will hopefully vote for S. 3663 because it includes provisions that they coauthored. If so, then the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act, S. 3663, can clear the high 60-vote hurdle and pass the Senate. It’s not the comprehensive clean energy and global warming reform that the United States needs, but it would take important steps forward toward that goal.

Related Links:

Here’s why renewable energy needs a boost from Congress

Blocking the Senate should be hard work

The Gulf’s invisible villain: natural gas

The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced today that it will once again partner with Drexel University to award a full tuition grant for a Master's Degree to an up-and-coming leader from the Hispanic community.

Drexel and the Chamber established the Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant in the Fall of 2008 and the first two award winners are currently pursuing graduate degrees at Drexel. The first, Wells Fargo manager Gloria Mirazo, will be graduating from Drexel with her MBA this December. The Chamber is currently accepting applications for the annual scholarship from students who will begin their graduate studies in September. The Master’s Grant applies to any of the six nationally-ranked master’s programs Drexel offers at its Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento

This year, in response to the region’s depressed economy, Drexel decided to increase its support to the Chamber, to help it achieve its key objective of developing its next generation of leaders, and will provide a $10,000 scholarship to each candidate for the Master’s Grant who is a finalist.

“This is an incredibly generous offer and an amazing opportunity for our members,” said Rosa Escutia, Chair of the Hispanic Chamber’s Board of Directors and Community Relations Manager for PG&E. “We continue to be impressed by Drexel’s commitment to growing the region’s economic leadership in all sectors of the community. Its focus on diversity is impressive.”

“By providing more scholarships to more of our emerging leaders, Drexel is really stepping up its commitment to the Greater Sacramento Region,” said Steve Gándola, President and CEO of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Drexel recognizes the central role that this Chamber plays in supporting the development and aspirations of the Latino community, and we are proud that Drexel is so willing to partner with us in the development of our leaders. That will make for long-term benefits.”

The Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant is awarded through a competitive process to a student admitted to Drexel whom the Hispanic Chamber’s selection committee believes holds excellent promise for future leadership in Greater Sacramento’s Hispanic community. It is expected, and a condition of the Award, that the winners will continue to be active in the Chamber and give back to their communities as they pursue their graduate degrees at Drexel.

A panel of leading Hispanic business and community leaders will review grant applications, meet with finalists, and award the grant. This year, the Master’s Grant selection committee will be chaired by Larry Garcia, Principal with the Diepenbrock, Harrison law firm. Also on the selection committee with Garcia and Gándola are Co-Chair Norma Andrade with Wells Fargo Advisors; Stella Premo with Vanir Construction; and Victoria Rosario, Associate Vice Chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, who was the 2009 Hispanic Leadership Masters Grant recipient.

“We are pleased and excited to be expanding our partnership with the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber and helping it make the investments that will benefit the Sacramento region for decades to come,” said Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, Senior Vice President of Drexel and Dean of its Center for Graduate Studies. “In a very short period of time, we have developed strong partnerships with the region, with our students and with their employers. Our faculty have done a tremendous job in structuring innovative, dynamic programs that meet the needs of working professionals and deliver great value to our students while they are working.”

Drexel opened its doors in Sacramento in January 2009, and by the start of classes in September expects to have had more than 400 students enroll in its programs. All of the academic programs Drexel offers are focused at the heart of Greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives – health, entrepreneurial business, human resources, education, knowledge management and information science. Drexel has created scholarship and grant programs exclusively for the Sacramento region to help its business and civic organizations and its people press ahead with their development initiatives through the current tough economic climate.

Drexel’s 20,000 square foot Graduate Center at One Capitol Mall is widely regarded as one of the region’s premier, high-tech educational centers. Equipped with state-of-the-art, fully integrated high-technology learning systems for its programs for working professionals pursuing master’s degrees in the evenings, it is also used by businesses and non-profits during the day. The university invested over $1 million dollars in cutting edge audiovisual/ collaboration technology to revolutionize how higher education can be delivered. It routinely donates its space and technology for use by not-for-profit institutions.

All materials related to the application process must be received by August 30.
Applications are open to qualified candidates living in Sacramento, Yolo, San Joaquin, Sutter, Placer, El Dorado, and Yuba counties.

For more information or to apply for the Master’s Grant, please visit the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce website at www.sachcc.org or call Celia Cortez at (916) 486-7700.

For more information on the fellowships and Drexel’s programs in Sacramento, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.

The next Information Sessions for Drexel’s graduate programs in California will be held at the Center, One Capitol Mall in Sacramento, on Thursday, July 29 at 6 p.m., Saturday, August 7 at 10 a.m., and Thursday, August 12 at 6 p.m.
 

• Under general supervision, plans, develops and implements basic marketing and sales plans, strategies and events for small or non-complex projects
  
• Ensures good customer service by providing appropriate information to answer questions and explain basic products and services.
  
• Researches and secures copyright and other legal clearances for publications, products, et cetera, keeping senior management informed as necessary.
  
• Drafts and edits copy for marketing projects or programs, such as publications, advertisements, press releases, announcements, et cetera.
  
• Coordinates advertising placements and schedules.
  
• Creates and maintains marketing files, records, calendars, logs, and other related documents.
  
• Maintains fresh content for Executive Education web site, responsible for social media networking.

• Consistently evaluates new executive education business opportunities.
  
• Conducts basic sales and market research and generates reports for senior management.

• Serves as team lead for student employees

• Works with the Business development team as a “concierge” customer retention point of contact in key, strategic accounts. (Accounts valued at $ 250,000 or more per year
  
• Checks in with corporate membership clients on a daily basis to assess and strategize on existing program needs, and assess new ones
  
• Serves as sole contact once initial sale has been made to properly place executives in requisite programs
  
• Responds to client queries and request/fills needs
  
• Strategizes with clients about new program interests and development of new program content
  
• Makes client premise visits
  
• Serve as point of contact for vendors. Provides accounting support including account reconciliation as required

• Thorough knowledge of basic concepts, principles, and procedures of building and maintaining effective relations with internal and external constituencies.
  
• Thorough written, verbal and interpersonal communications, tact and political acumen to effectively represent the Center for Executive Education.
  
• Thorough research, analytical and critical thinking skills, including sound judgment and decision-making skills and skill to correctly identifying real and potential problems, advising management as required, and proposing effective strategic resolutions.
  
• Skill in project management, including event planning and meeting deadlines.
  
• Must be able to work independently and demonstrate strong time management skills and organizational skills in environment of frequent interruptions.
  
• Must be able to think clearly, logically, creatively and ethically about business (in general) and marketing (in particular).
  
• Strong decision-making skills for the analysis and solution of marketing problems.
  
• Must have demonstrated service orientation, collaboration and communication skills, with an ability to effectively interact with a diverse population. 
  
• Strong research skills. The ability to do secondary and/or primary research to increase the organization’s knowledge of companies, industries, products and consumers.
  
• Ability to work as a member of a team.
  
• Ability to use business technology effectively; this includes communications and computer technologies.
  
• Basic knowledge of html and web editing
  
• Knowledge of Client relationship management system to support the work of the web editor
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project to plan and execute marketing strategy
  
• Thorough knowledge of the campus (and the Haas School of Business in particular) ,its mission, goals, objectives, programs, achievements, infrastructure and issues of concern (preferred).

Victor Decolongon - Getty Images

6 days ago: CARSON CA - JULY 22: Head coach Bruce Arena of the Los Angeles Galaxy voices his opinion toward the line judge during is team's MLS match against the San Jose Earthquakes at The Home Depot Center on July 22 2010 in Carson California. Donovan scored on the rebound to tie the game 2-2. The Earthquakes and the Galaxy played to a 2-2 draw. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

View full size photo »

Once a week, the Major League Soccer minds at SB Nation get together and talk about ccricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, the nuptials of pseudo-celebrities, and Prince.

Seven's such a good song.

When those issues are exhausted, Major League Soccer's results pursued and perused, subsumed then consumed.  The product: a blend of pictures, bars and evaluation we call the SBNhanced Power Rankings.  Emphasis on power.

Though they stumbled in Champions League, Los Angeles's perch atop Major League Soccer keeps them amongst the league's cup contenders.  Dallas continues to tease as the team most likely to join them, while Houston is threading a different move:  form playoff contenders to bottom tier.

"You stand in the way of [rankings] and we will smoke them all:"

The Cup Contenders
	Los Angeles Galaxy	100% (21 out of 21 points)
	Columbus Crew	100% (21 out of 21 points)
	Real Salt Lake	100% (21 out of 21 points)

With each week that the top three persist in their places atop the rankings, we're reminded that the league is playing out somewhat predictably. True, almost everybody thought Seattle would be in this group, but Los Angeles, Columbus and Real Salt Lake were contenders before first kick. Nobody has ascended to their level.

Postseason, But Little More
	FC Dallas	81% (17 out of 21 points)
	Toronto FC	67% (14 out of 21 points)
	San Jose Earthquakes	67% (14 out of 21 points)
	New York Red Bulls	62% (13 out of 21 points)

A win at BMO may have vaulted Dallas into the upper-tier, but with a draw in Toronto, Dallas still has something to prove before they can be considered a cup contender.  San Jose is the new team in this group, vaulting from playoff doubts after an impressive showing against Los Angeles.

"Playoffs? Playoffs?"
	Colorado Rapids	52% (11 out of 21 points)
	Seattle Sounders	48% (10 out of 21 points)
	Chicago Fire	33% (7 out of 21 points)
	Houston Dynamo	29% (6 out of 21 points)

Houston's 3-0 loss to Columbus has them on the edge of the fourth tier, though the team they met in last year's playoffs, Seattle, picked up some support after beating Colorado this weekend.  Thanks to their loss, the Rapids fell to this third level.

And with the third pick in the 2011 MLS Superdraft ...
	New England Revolution	10% (2 out of 21 points)
	Philadelphia Union	10% (2 out of 21 points)
	Kansas City Wizards	0% (0 out of 21 points)
	DC United	0% (0 out of 21 points)
	Chivas USA	0% (0 out of 21 points)

With the exception of a few voters who hold New England and Philadelphia in higher regard, there is strong agreement amongst the SB Nation community:  there is a bottom tier of five, and those teams aren't particularly close to a playoff challenge.  Kansas City, who had some support last week, joins DC United and Chivas USA as franchises without votes.  I guess the panel doesn't have much regard for Manchester United.

How It Works: Each of the seven participants puts Major League Soccer's clubs into one of the four tiers. Teams in the top tier get three points. Next tier, two points, then one, then zilch. Voters can put as many teams into each tier as they would like. Though the vote total orders the teams, the clubs are intended to be grouped, not sorted.

In even-numbered years, North America's Computing Research Association (CRA) gathers computer-science department heads, deans, provosts, and major computer-science funding agencies at the Snowbird Resort and Conference Center in the Wasatch Mountains, not far from Salt Lake City. Hot on the heels of Microsoft Research's Faculty Summit, the Snowbird Conference occurred July 18-20.　The insight shared during sessions on statistics, trends, and the best ways to communicate computer science is applicable to the field as a whole, as were other ideas addressed in sessions held during the conference, including:

- A Call to Action: Peter Harsha, who represents CRA in Washington, D.C., led a session providing an inside view of how the legislative process can affect the funding of computer-science research. He also explained the role the Computer Research Advocacy Network plays in ensuring that elected officials receive targeted, timely communications.

- Understanding the Ranking of Graduate Programs: Charlotte Kuh of the National Research Council gave a progress report on a survey to update the 1995 database of Ph.D. rankings. The session chair, Jim Kurose of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, outlined the impact the CRA had in ensuring that its data included conference papers and citations in the computer-science field. Read the full story.

- Computer Games: Michael Mateas of the University of California, Santa Cruz made a case for graduate research in game design and development, presenting an array of research areas important to the industry, including artificial intelligence, procedural generation, and interactive narratives. Donald Brinkman of Microsoft Research External Research presented educational game-related activities such as Kodu and the game-themed programming approach, outlining Microsoft's near-term plans to drive next-generation educational games.

- Social Good: Lakshminarayanan Subramanian of New York University led a discussion on the potential computer-science departments have to promote social advancements through global initiatives. Examples included high-speed, point-to-point, solar-powered Wi-Fi and the use of technology to detect counterfeit currency, prescriptions, and other documents.

- Basic Computing Knowledge: Andy van Dam from Brown University presented the findings from the CRA Education Committee on trends critical to the future of computer science, including diversity, pipeline issues, and general apathy toward the field of computer science. The report, two years in the making, details best practices to introduce students to computational thinking, to address computer-science curricula, and to identify and develop cognitive, mastery, and research skills.

- Communicating Computer Science, The Hot Under the Cool: Chaired by Judith Bishop, director of Computer Science within Microsoft Research External Research, this session explored how to communicate innovation in computer science to a world already overwhelmed by technical advancements. Other participants in the session included Shyno Chacko Pandeya from the New Image of Computing Initiative, which uses the Dot Diva brand to attract middle-school girls; Virginia Gold from the Association for Computing Machinery, who provided insight into the marketing aspects of the first Computer Science Education Week campaign; and Jon Kleinberg of Cornell University, who introduced his new book Networks, Crowds and Markets, co-written with Cornell colleague David Easley, which is aimed at large classes from all fields of study.

Microsoft Research is a full member of the CRA and the conference. Rico Malvar, managing director of Microsoft Research Redmond, provided a new insight into the work of the association in promoting the interests of the members of the computing research community.

The conference was a tremendous opportunity to help support advancement of the CRA strategy and agenda, as well as network with computer-science thought leaders in North America.

Daron Green, general manager, External Research, a division of Microsoft Research

THE Maccabi Games coming to Denver’s Loup JCC on Aug. 1 will be the single largest Jewish sporting event ever in Denver.

The games will unite Jewish teens from as close as Houston and as far away as Hungary in a six-day sports competition that aims to unite the global Jewish community.

The event, which will cost the JCC about $1.4 million, will take place in Denver this year for the first time in its 28-year run.

Jewish athletes will also flock to Baltimore, Richmond and Omaha for the Maccabi Games held there concurrently.

Thanks to everyone who attended the WCF Firestarter event in New York City on June 19, 2010!  I had a great time helping organize the event and speaking with many of the attendees about the Windows Communication Foundation.  There were over 200 folks who made it out to the Fire Starter in NYC that day, as well as an almost equal number that tuned in via our live simulcast!  Special thanks goes out to the event’s speakers Miguel Castro and Don Demsak for assembling and delivering most of the day’s content!

The recordings and content from the event are now available! 

NYC WCF Firestarter Content

NYC WCF Firestarter Speaker Info

Miguel Castro’s Blog Follow Miguel on Twitter	Peter Laudati’s Blog Follow Peter on Twitter	Don Demsak’s Blog Follow Don on Twitter

WCF Links & Resources Demos

Here are some links to useful information on WCF.

Get Started With WCF NOW!

• What IS the Windows Communication Foundation?
• WCF Developer Center on MSDN
• Beginners Guide To WCF
• WCF Resources & Community on MSDN

The Docs

Here are the links to the docs for all 3 major releases of WCF. The WCF 4 documentation is the most current, of course. The deltas between these are minor, but good to have if you’re restricted to using an older version in your organization.

• WCF 4 Reference Documentation 
• WCF 3.5 Reference Documentation
• WCF 3.0 Reference Documentation

WCF REST

• WCF REST Developer Center on MSDN
• Overview of REST in WCF
• WCF REST Starter Kit (most of these features are in WCF 4 & VS2010 with a few exceptions)
• Paste As XML Types in VS 2010 (Dani Diaz shows how you can use this REST Starter Kit feature in VS2010)
• Rob Bagby’s AWESOME Blog Series on WCF REST
• Glenn Block’s Blog (Glenn is now on the WCF REST team!)

WCF RIA Services

• Get Started With WCF RIA Services
• WCF RIA Services on MSDN
• WCF RIA Services Code Gallery
• Silverlight Web Service Team Blog (Using WCF with Silverlight Clients)

WCF Data Services

• WCF Data Services Center on MSDN
• Getting Started with WCF Data Services
• WCF Data Services & oData At-A-Glance
• WCF Data Services Team Blog
• The Endpoint Blog

"As youth who have 'grown up' during the '80s and '90s, we are the product of a unique historic moment in which queer youth are increasingly visible and coming out at younger and younger ages. These days many of us have greater access to community and support. From gay-straight alliances to LGBT centers, from media visibility to the Internet, queer youth are finding and creating community all over the globe. Increased visibility, however, also means an increase in the attacks against us. And with youth coming out in larger numbers and from more disparate communities, it is all the more urgent that we talk about how our identities as young queers intersect with our cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds."

"I first began to come out when I was 11. In terms of my family, I was fortunate because my parents have always been accepting of my sexual identity....So at the age of 12 I came out to my entire elementary school, which included grades K-8...I was in sixth grade and attending a Catholic school in San Francisco when I came out to a small group of people...During this time I started attending LYRIC, the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, a wonderful program and hang-out space for LGBT youth in San Francisco....The next year I was in seventh grade..."

On Wednesday, Facebook began rolling out a new feature: Questions. The idea is simple. You ask a question and the Facebook community can answer. Yes, the ENTIRE Facebook community, not just your friends.

Of course, we've seen something like this before. But Marshall Kirkpatrick of Read Write Web thinks that this is something entirely different:

Scale, social software smarts and real identities have the potential to add up to something really magical. Company founder Mark Zuckerberg, wrong as he is about many things like privacy, has said that his goal with Facebook is to build empathy and connection between different people all around the world. If he was in it for the money, he would have taken Yahoo's $1 billion offer years ago and run. That goal of cultural change may very well be served better by Questions than by any other Facebook feature to date. 

His article sites a question about Rush Limbaugh:

The question is one of those that can clearly be taken as bait. But instead of vitriole, we get a sensible, and pretty compelling, answer. Marshall thinks this just might be the first step toward civil dialogue -- and away from the kind of rhetoric that has been so divisive lately.

Is Marshall right? Or is this just another move to position Facebook at the center of all things web, as most of the pundits are saying: 

• Facebook Launches Questions Product in Beta (cnet)
• Facebook Q&A Service 'Questions' Begins Rolling Out, Could Be Massive (TechCrunch)
• Facebook Officially Launches Questions, a Possible Quora Killer (All Facebook)
• Facebook Goes (Very) Public with Questions Product (GigaOm)