OLDaily

Hard Copy or Electronic Textbooks? Professors Are More Concerned About Keeping Them Affordable
Claire Hansen, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2018/08/31

I mentioned the story of the $999 textbook the other day. This article with the frankly implausible headline is the Chronicle's take on the story. You see, it was all a misunderstanding. " The university and the publisher worked together to set the sky-high price for the online text in an effort to discourage students from purchasing it, the statement said." They wanted students to purchase the print version (which is still priced at a ridiculous level). Oh, and the Chronicle's research for this story? They asked a question on Twitter. Reporting like this is what makes Alex Jones look respectable.

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The World’s Oldest Blockchain Has Been Hiding in the New York Times Since 1995
Daniel Oberhaus, Motherboard, 2018/08/31

A blockchain is created by hashing the contents of one body of text and implanting it into the next body of text. In this example, has was stored for all to see in the pages of the New York Tomes. This means that in order to change the contents of the text (which would change the hash) someone would have to crecreate the entire press run of the New York Times. I like this because it shows how a blockchain can be set up in a way that has nothing o do with money or coins.

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