“Print is in a long, slow decline that feels like a death spiral, but isn’t quite so. For now, at least, the end of print is a long way off, even if kids these days can’t figure out how to turn the page.”

“One of major benefits of metadata is that it provides hindsight—it gives intelligence analysts a retrospective view of a sequence of events. As Deputy Director Boyce discussed, the ability to analyze previous communications allowed the FBI to reopen the 9/11 investigation and determine who was linked to that attack. It is important to recognize that terrorist attacks are not orchestrated overnight; they take months or years to plan. Therefore, if the intelligence community only catches wind of an attack halfway into the terrorists’ planning cycle, or even after a terrorist attack has taken place, metadata might be the only source of information that captures the sequence of events leading up to an attack. Once a terrorist suspect has been identified or once an attack has taken place, intelligence analysts can use powerful software to sift through metadata to determine which numbers, IP addresses, or individuals are associated with the suspect. Moreover, phone numbers and IP addresses sometimes serve as a proxy for the general location of where the planning has taken place. This ability to narrow down the location of terrorists can help determine whether the intelligence community is dealing with a domestic or international threat.”

“The bad news: Just 23 percent of Americans told Gallup they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers, the same percentage who said they trust TV news. The good news: Both are still more popular than big business, organized labor, HMOs and Congress.”

“Nobody can think anymore because they’re constantly interrupted,” said Leslie Perlow, a Harvard Business School professor and author of “Sleeping With Your Smartphone.” “Technology has enabled this expectation that we always be on.” Workers fear the repercussions that could result if they are unavailable, she said. The intermingling of work and personal life adds to the onslaught, as people communicate about personal topics during the workday, and about work topics when they are at home.”

“Email is the main cause of information overload at work today. It prevents us from being able to make good decisions and tackle important tasks according to priority.”

“There’s no denying it, the numbers speak for themselves. Five million people — that’s one in every 50 American adults — have clearance,” Goitein said. “It’s very pervasive. Over-classification results in over-clearance, essentially: Too many people needing clearance for jobs that are relatively low-level and non-sensitive in nature.”

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This is especially true of the information economy, given its potential to underpin other sectors. The goal is to spread technology much wider, including into areas we cannot fully envisage right now. These technologies are highly unpredictable and disruptive. Just as the impact of electricity cannot be adequately expressed in gigawatts, the real measure of the information economy won’t be in terabytes but in how far it transforms everything else we do.

Vince Cable is the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

“The Court disagrees with the Government,” the decision reads, “that FISC Rule 62 prohibits the disclosure of the copies of the FISC opinion to EFF under FOIA.”

“Within five years it will be impossible to lie.”