Reading and Listening | January 19, 2013

Reading

Putting Statistics to Work in a Land of Illusions by Carl Bialik – The introduction of statistics in North Korea highlights the dearth of reliable state data.
Health Law Pinches Colleges by Mark Peters and Douglas Belkin – The impact of The Affordable Care Act on adjuncts. “I think colleges and universities are going to have to rethink their model for how they compensate adjuncts. It’s clear to me over time the current model isn’t going to be sustainable,” Mr. King said.
Tough Flu Season Hits Elderly Hard by Jennifer Corbett Dooren
TSA to Halt Revealing Body Scans at Airports by Jack Nicas – “This solves our most significant concern” about full-body scanners, said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy advocacy group. “Not having TSA agents in darkened rooms looking at naked pictures of people getting on a plane is a good outcome.”
Labor-Pool Worries Fuel Calls to End One-Child Policy by Laurie Burkitt – “China’s top national statistician on Friday called for changing the country’s one-child policy because of the nation’s shrinking pool of workers, adding to a chorus of opponents who say the policy will have long-lasting effects on the country’s economic stability.”

Facebook Bets On Sharing… And Searching by Somini Sengupta and Clair Cain Miller
Acid Attack on Bolshoi Official Shocks Moscow by Ellen Barry – Officials are unsure if the attack was personal, over money, or if it was motivated by professional jealousy.

How to Make Almost Anything: The Digital Fabrication Revolution by Neil Gershenfeld – Turning data into things and things into data.