NASA

Self-help software could one day replace psychiatrists

Paul Mah — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:13:26 -0400

It appears that researchers are developing self-help software for astronauts to one day carry along with them on space missions. The current situation calls for astronauts who are stressed to contact Earth, where they can chat with a NASA psychiatrist. However, this becomes impractical for missions to Mars and beyond, where transmission times alone could take upwards of 20 minutes. This would be where the multimedia self-help tool designed by James Carter of Harvard Medical School comes in. An interactive video component helps user negotiate and resolve conflicts, while a "problem solving therapy" module aids in listing concrete problems, as well as brainstorming for practical solutions. Now, if only similar solutions were adapted to solving IT problems; I know of more than one person who would benefit from them.

For more on this:
- check out this Network World article

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Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

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Are you underpaid?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:59 -0500

Salary is always a touchy subject, especially your own salary. But in the world of technology, it's important to keep tabs on where you stand compared to your colleagues. Janco Associates recently reported that 22 U.S. CIOs currently make more than $2 million a year. Janco also reported that the mean salary for CIOs at large companies is now $171,200 to $181,240, which some experts say is still too low. "If you pay your CIO $180,000 a year, you're going to get a clerk," says Paul Strassmann, an IT productivity expert and former senior IT executive at Xerox, Kraft and NASA.

For more on where you stand on CIO salaries:
- See this Baseline.com article

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Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

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Editor's Corner

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 20:01:40 -0400

Eons ago, when computer hacker Kevin Mitnick was sentenced to jail, I thought a better punishment would have been for him to use his extensive hacking knowledge in a good way--by sharing what he did and how he did it with the government and private sector IT organizations. He's actually doing that now, as a paid consultant for top companies. Now there's a second opportunity to put that type of knowledge to work. A British security hacker is very likely heading to U.S. court on charges he broke into systems at the Army, Navy, Pentagon, Air Force and NASA. If the U.S. succeeds in bringing him over for trial, and if he's convicted, he should have the opportunity to turn his bad deeds into good deeds for the benefit of federal and state cybersecurity and systems security. - Judy

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Mon, 10 Apr 2006 20:00:50 -0400

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Sun, 26 Mar 2006 19:00:50 -0500

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