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Wednesday, November 17, 2010 The Statement 3B
news in review
Five of the most talked-about stories of the week, ranked in ascending order of actual importance
.CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5B
3 DAIA MINEK
A survey conducted by the International
Data Corporation said the amount of digi-
tal data in the world will reach 1.2 zetta-
bytes by the end of 2010. A zettabyte is
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes - that's
21 zeroes worth of bytes!
With such an immense amount of available
information, there is a growing need for ana-
lysts who can sort through this data and trans-
form it into readable information - which can
then be used to analyze consumer behaviors
and other trends.
Dragomir Radev, a professor in the School
of Information, defined the job in an e-mail,
explaining that "Data Mining is a statistical
methodology for identifying patterns in data."
Data mining can be used in many occupa-
'tions. Radev wrote: "(Data mining) can be used
to find correlations between particular symp-
toms and particular diseases, between the sales
of different products, or between the prices of
different stocks."
Datamining analysts predict future situations
and behavior patterns by building models from
historical patterns and past trends. Models can
help businesses create better marketing strate-
gies, reduce costs and become more efficient.
According to Radev, data mining analysts
might examine the sales transactions in a
supermarket to find out how to increase sales.
He explained that data algorithms might dis-
cover that 75 percent of customers who buy
breakfast cereal also buy milk. To account for
this pattern, the supermarket would place their
milk next to the cereal aisle to make shopping
more convenient for customers and encourage
them to buy both cereal and milk.
Students interested in pursuing a career as
a data mining analyst should be well-versed in
algorithms, statistics and computer software.
According to a University of California at San
"Diego report, jobs in data mining are available
in advertising, fraud detection, surveillance,
web mining,probabilistic trading, riskmanage-
ment, business intelligence, scientific research
and law enforcement.
systems or "computers in'other things," said
Robert Dick, associate professor of Electri-
cal Engineering and Computer Science. Dick
explained that embedded systems "are the
specialized computers in smartphones, in
cars, in medical devices, in your kitchen and in
your child's toys."
As the amount of complex technology
increases, so does the need for embedded sys-
tem engineers. "The market size is bigger (for
embedded systems) than for general-purpose
computers and is growing faster," Dick said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics, an increase of 295,200 software engi-
neer jobs can be expected from 2008 to 2018.
To answer this demand, companies are
looking to hire students who demonstrate a
wide expanse of knowledge in software engi-
neering and computer science. Dick said "an
engineer who understands hardware, soft-
ware, applications and people" is best suited
for this job.
He explained that a bachelor's degree in
computer engineering or computer science is
sufficient to be hired as an embedded systems
engineer and that the student must also under-
stand the social contexts and environments in
which a particular embedded system is used.
"Embedded system designers work to build
compact, complex, high-performance, inex-
pensive, low-power, real-time, reliable, secure,
wireless embedded devices quicker or better
than their competitors at other embedded sys-
tems companies," he explained.
For students interested in creating embed-
ded systems, Dick recommends that students
complete both theoretical and hands-on
coursework involving hardware and soft-
ware design. He said students specializing in
this field can expect to be hired by cell phone
companies, companies like Google and Intel
or even companies that manufacture medical
devices.
utes in 2009.
"These are exciting times for news jour-
nalism reported on the web," the study stat-
ed. "The new medium allows for much more
interactivity, as readers respond via comments
or blogs. Web/online journalists have the
opportunity to shape the future."
Online journalism allows for quick and
timely coverage. Web writers are able to keep
track of groundbreaking stories as they devel-
op. Videos, blogs and reader polls are just some
of the ways in which online journalism allows
for more creativity and interactivity than
print publications.
As online publications become the domi-
nant source for news, writers and editors with
multimedia experience are becoming more
and more valuable. Online journalists should
be familiar with interactive technologies that
combine text, graphics and sound, according
to the Bureau for Labor Statistics.
Superior candidates for feature writing for
the web should have strong writing skills typi-
cally gained through a degree in communica-
tions, journalism or English. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics recommends that applicants
be creative, curious, self-motivated, have a
strong sense of ethics and be able to perform
well under a deadline.
now in the population and not enough geri-
atric nurse practitioners, geriatric physicians
and geriatric psychiatrists," she said. "In med-
icine and in nursing, it's a big field with a lot
of need."
Struble explained that some of the main
problems the elderly face are dementia, car-
diovascular disease and cancer. She said that
40 to 50 percent of people over the age of 85
have dementia.
However, Struble said that as health care
continues to improve, people are expected to
remain healthier at much older ages.
"It's predicted that older people are going
to be healthier because of all the research and
health promotion. They will be healthier and
live longer and just have a short illness at the
end," she said.
Hospitals are becoming more focused on
the growing need for geriatric health care,
Struble said. In order to gain more knowledge
of geriatrics, she said the amount of geriat-
ric material tested by the nursing boards has
increased. She also mentioned the work of the
Hartford Foundation, an organization trying
to increase the number of social workers, doc-
tors, nurses and other related professionals
trained in geriatric health care.
Struble mentioned that the University's
Program for Positive Aging works with the
U-M Depression Center, Department of Psy-
chiatry and the U-M Geriatric Center to
advance the importance of studying geriatric
mental health. According to the program's
website, the initiative strives "to bridge the
gap between existing knowledge and practice,
and to utilize promising research findings to
educate new clinical and research profession-
als, improve care, and disseminate knowledge
regarding aging and mental health locally,
statewide and nationally."
After TechCrunch wrote about a
self-published e-book "The Pedo-
phile's Guide to Love and Pleasure,"
the text shot up to Amazon's 65th
best-selling e-book before Ama-
zon took it down, leading critics to
question the site's filtering system.
A fire in the engine room caused Iceland's government is the newest The Obama administration plans
the Carnival cruise ship Splendor to country to open an inquiry into ille- to present a four-year strategy to
lose power, and 4,500 people were gal espionage by the U.S. embassy, end the U.S. combat mission in
stranded onboard for three days with though U.S. embassy officials deny Afghanistan by 2014 at a NATO
only Spam, canned crab meat and the claims. Norway, Denmark, Swe- summit this week. The plan is to
Pop-Tarts to eat until the ship was den and Finland are investigating transfer power from American
docked in the San Diego harbor. similar claims. troops to Afghan security forces.
----- --------------------- ------
In exchange for fighter jets worth
$3 billion, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu agreed, in
talks with Secretary of State Hill-
ary Clinton, to temporarily pause
construction projects on the
West Bank.
- - - -~
5. WEB FEATURE
WRITER
6. GERIATRIC HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL
According to the Department of Health and
Human Service's Administration on Aging, in
2009 there were 39.6 million people aged 65
years and older in the United States. This num-
ber will increase to about 72.1 million people
by the year 2030. By that time, the percentage
of people aged 65 and older will be equivalent
to 19 percent the U.S. population.
The expected growth of the older popula-
tion is largely due to the aging of the baby
boomers and the higher life expectancies
made possible with improved health care.
Between the years 1946 and 1964, 77 million
babies were born during the post-World War
II boom years.
A report published by the Harvard School
of Public Health said that in 2011, the oldest of
the baby boom generation will turn 65-years
old. The report also mentioned that as the baby
boom generation grows more elderly, they can
expect to live well into their 90s.
As a greater proportion of the American
population ages, more nurses and doctors will
be necessary to care for the growing number
of elderly patients. And according to Dr. Laura
Struble, an assistant clinical professor in the
School of Nursing, there currently aren't
enough clinicians who specialize in geriatrics,
or the study of health care for those 65 and
older.
"We have a huge number of older adults
According to The Digital Future Report, 22
percent of people who still read newspapers
say that if the print edition of their newspaper
were to be terminated, they would be indif-
ferent. But although America's growing reli-
ance on the Internet has clearly had a negative
effect on newspaper publications, that hasn't
necessarily translated into a negative impact
on the journalism industry per se.
But people are still searching for quality
journalism, it's just that they're looking for it
online.
The University of Southern California's
Annenberg Center found in 2009 that Internet
users are consuming online news on average
12 minutes more a week than the year before,
up from 41 minutes a week in 2008 to 53 min-
0 111211 5 1 4 5 64P 7 w81 9 10
quotes of the week on the cheap
"Ifyou touch my junk, I'll have you arrested." job hunt on the cheap
JOHN TYNER, a passenger at Sat Diego's airport, to a TSA agent after learn-T,~~-'
ing that there wo lpbe a "groin check" during the pat-down he opted for 'arn-
rather than submitting to a full-body scan.
"We'd been told we were going to be released in 10 days
almost every 10 days for nine months.""I
PAUL CHANDLER, after being released by Somalian pirates who captured him P
and his wife, Rachel Chandler, and kept them captive for 13 months.
"Our political and religious leaders tell LGBT youth that
they have no future."
CINDY MCCAIN, wife of Sen. John McCain, in an ad made by gay rights
campaign NOH8 promoting the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE EBERTS
Her husband supports keeping the policy in place.-lA I ith Winter Break fast approaching, students of all years are expected to begin
ooking for summer internships and jobs. But interviewing can be an expensive and
stressful process, between buying suits and perfecting rdsumes, cover letters and inter-
the rules view etiquette. So, here is some advice to stop yourself from spending too much cash
before you even get the job.
One of the most expensive aspects of acquiring a job is interview attire. But there is
No. 293: No. 294: No. 295: no need to shell out too much money to suit up. Stores like H&M have suits and shirts
that look expensive but aren't, and chains like Banana Republic have so many sales and
It's too early for French fries are Going to a midnight coupons that you can get a suit that looks expensive (and is) without paying near the
Christmas music. always a communal screening of the retail price.
food - always. Harry Potter movie? As for perfecting your resume and cover letters and learning proper interview eti-
quette, there is no need to pay for a private tutor. Take advantage of the University's free
Fine. Dressing up for resources, like the Career Center and Sweetland Writing Center to make sure you secure
it? Not OK. the job of your dreams.
Have advice for life on the cheap? Let us know. E-mail onthecheop@umich.edu.
by the numbers cOURTESY cONGRESSIoNAL RESEARcH SERvicE; 2009 NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH
Number of legal marijuana users in Number of states with legal mari- Number in millions of illegal users who used
states with established programs. juana programs. marijuana at least one month before a 2009
survey.
7. MOBILE DEVELOPER
According to Nielsen, a global marketing
research company, 21 percent of American
wireless subscribers use a smartphone. And
they only expect that number to grow, project-
ing that by the end of 2011 smartphone sales
will outsell all other phones in the U.S. market.
Not only are more users purchasing smart-
phones, but they're consuming more data on
them as well.
The Internet and American Life Project
found that 40 percent of adults access the
Internet, e-mail or instant messaging on a
mobile phone, and 76 percent of cell phone
users now take pictures with their phones, as
opposed to the 66 percent who did in 2009.
Similarly, 38 percent of cell phone users access
the Internet on their phones, as compared to
the 25 percent who did in 2009.
The growing consumer desire for smart-
phones will result in increased employment
opportunities for graphic designers, software
4. EMBEDDED
ENGINEER
The field of embedded engineering is expand-
ing as our environment transforms into a more
advanced technological world.
Embedded engineers create embedded