IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 18 August
18-08-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Project Maths shows promise despite failures | Fujifilm unveils 3D camera
The Irish Independent reports that more than 4,000 students failed Leaving Cert maths this year, but the new approach to teaching the subject has produced some promising results. Failure rates almost halved among ordinary level students who sat the new Project Maths in Paper 2 of the exam. There is also evidence that the innovative hands-on approach to teaching the subject has encouraged some students to raise their sights and aim for a higher-level exam. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) said that the 2010 exam had "seen an encouraging start" to the introduction of Project Maths, which was taken by 1,800 students in 24 schools. However, the overall high failure rates in maths this year remains a cause for concern. Employers' organisation IBEC described the overall maths results as "disappointing", with only 16 percent of students who sat maths taking higher level.
In related news, the paper reports that Education Minister Mary Coughlan has ruled out changes to the points system for college entry. Despite a major study showing huge stress levels among students caught up in the third-level points race, Coughlan bluntly said pressure was a "harsh reality" of life and declared the current system was the "fairest way". Earlier this week Professor Tom Collins, chairman of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, said it was time "to rethink the points system".
The paper also says that commuters renewing annual bus and rail tickets are to be issued with two 'smart cards' -- although the original idea behind the concept was for just one. CIE said commuters will be issued with two separate cards -- one for the bus, and one for the train -- when they renew their annual travel passes from this month. This is because the EUR55 million Integrated Ticketing Project to develop a one-size-fits-all smartcard for bus, train and Luas in Dublin is still not ready, despite being first promised in 2002. CIE warned commuters to carry both cards at all times, or run the risk of having the pass taken by inspectors. A spokesman for CIE said the two-card introduction was a "short-term measure".
The Irish Examiner reports that Japanese company Fujifilm has unveiled the world's first 3D camera and printing service. Photos from the new FinePix camera can be printed on special 3D paper or viewed on the camera's built-in display. Special glasses do not need to be worn to experience the effect. Fujifilm's camera takes two photos simultaneously from its two lenses, which are fixed a similar distance apart to human eyes. Using "lenticular" technology, the separate left and right eye images are interlaced on a furrowed surface to create the 3D illusion.
The paper also says that Gardai in Clare are investigating the embezzlement of thousands of euro from women who used a dating website. A man in his 30s has been questioned by Gardai in Ennis after two separate complaints were made by two women. Both complainants said they became acquainted with a man via an online website. It is alleged that the man later sought thousands of euro from each of the women. It is alleged that one woman handed over EUR4,000, while the other refused a request for a similar amount of cash.
The paper also says that the New York man suing over claims that he owns 84 percent of Facebook has a copy of a USD3,000 cashier's cheque that may support his contract claim against the company and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The purported cancelled cheque is made out to Zuckerberg and dated three days before Paul Ceglia claims the two men signed a contract in 2003. That agreement, Ceglia said in court papers, entitles him to control of the world's biggest social networking website. Ceglia said in the lawsuit that he and Zuckerberg signed a "work for hire" contract in 2003. The agreement called for Zuckerberg to do computer coding work and provided for a USD1,000 investment by Ceglia in a project called "The Face Book" in exchange for a 50 percent stake, Ceglia claims. A clause in the contract gave Ceglia an additional 34 percent for delays in the launching of the site, he claimed in court papers.
According to the Financial Times, a significant minority of Dell shareholders have backed an investor protest aimed at pressuring the company's board into stripping founder Michael Dell of the title of chairman. According to an official Dell filing in the US, holders of 25.1 percent of shares voted at the company's annual meeting last week withheld their support for Dell's reappointment as a director. The protest vote was sizeable given the automatic reinstatement most US directors receive. Two big trade union pension funds had called for a protest vote from Dell's shareholders at the annual meeting as a way to force a change in the company's governance.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Mark Hurd, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive who resigned over business-conduct violations, told acquaintances this week that he has been approached with suggestions of new jobs. Hurd told acquaintances that he next wants to do something that he's "passionate" about. He didn't indicate who had approached him, but a person familiar with the situation said the calls have been from a range of companies, from publicly traded to private equity firms. Hurd also told these people that he's in a period of "mourning" about leaving HP, likening his departure from the company to the end of a marriage or the death of a family member.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 