Patrick Thibodeau

U.S. gets 124,000 H-1B petitions, 45% above cap

The federal government received 124,000 petitions for H-1B visas, 39,000 more than it can fulfill under two hiring caps.

Should universities offer Cobol classes?

At universities today, Cobol is often taught as an elective, and even then it's likely offered at less than one in four schools. There are strong opinions about whether that is the right approach.

Pulling the plug on small in-house data centers

Virtualization and cloud services are making it easier for companies to shift IT infrastructure operations to service providers, and that's exactly what many organizations are doing. Insider (registration required)

DHS shifts to cloud, agile development

In a bid to improve its IT operations, the Department of Homeland Security has adopted agile development and is implementing cloud-based platforms.

With H-1B cap exceeded, visa lottery will be needed

The government's H-1B visa caps have already been reached, meaning a lottery will be needed to distribute visas, federal officials said late today.

Games and diversions dominate mobile app use

The average person in the U.S. spends 2 hours and 38 minutes a day on smartphones and tablets.

U.S. gets flood of H-1B petitions on first day

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received roughly 50,000 'packages' with H-1B petitions on Monday, the first day of filing for the next fiscal year.

Different and cheap, new $25 Raspberry Pi is selling

Maybe people are bored with Apple and Windows machines, or just restless for the challenge of something new. But different is selling.

Electrical engineer takes on the job of IT security head

Pepco, a large utility that serves Washington DC and the surrounding area, is in the political bullseye. Its customers include many members of Congress so a security breach that hurts service would get noticed.

H-1B demand this year will be fast, furious

The federal government begins accepting new H-1B visa petitions on Monday, with demand expected to be heavy. And the initial rush is going to be followed by much fury.

It's twilight for small in-house data centers

Virtualization, cloud services and SaaS is making it much easier to shift IT infrastructure operations to service providers, and that is exactly what many users are doing.

Cloud platform OpenStack got its start at NASA

OpenStack gained some momentum when IBM decided to use it as the foundation of its cloud services, but the three-year-old technology may not have experienced its rapid rise without NASA. Insider (registration required)

Sandberg's book prompts discussion on dearth of women in IT

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's belief that the women's revolution has 'stalled' and that 'men still run the world' may hold true in IT.

Computer science enrollments rise 29% in 2011-12

The number of new undergraduate computer science majors at Ph.D.-granting U.S. universities rose by more than 29% last year, an increase that the Computing Research Association called 'astonishing.'

Emerging tech keeps cities running

Boston residents are using city-provided apps to improve municipal operations, and South Bend, Ind., is using sensors to detect sewer problems.

Plan to hike H-1B cap to 300,000 seen dead; 130,000 cap still possible

The U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration bill is expected to include an H-1B cap hike and higher fees aimed at offshore outsourcers.

In online sales tax debate, $1M business is 'mom and pop'

As Congress considers a law requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes nationally, debate is heating up over the revenue threshold for triggering collections.

Are there 60 votes in the Senate for online sales taxes?

The U.S. Senate is expected this week to take up a non-binding amendment to test support for online sales tax collections.

DHS shifting to cloud, agile development to boost homeland security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has moved to agile development and is shifting to cloud platforms in an effort to improve its IT operations.

Foreign OPT students work long hours for low pay, says professor

Foreign students in the federal Optional Practical Training (OPT) program often work long hours and for much less pay than their U.S. counterparts, according to Karen Panetta, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University.