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Brian Lennon

Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature; Director, Digital Culture and Media Initiative, Pennsylvania State University

I direct the Digital Culture and Media Initiative in the Department of English. I have published on topics at the intersection of computing and media, translation, multilingualism, and genre theory, with special interest in the imperial history of philology and the linguistic history of computing. I am the author of In Babel’s Shadow: Multilingual Literatures, Monolingual States (University of Minnesota, 2010), a study of literary multilingualism, and City: An Essay (University of Georgia, 2002), a suite of autobiographical fragments, as well as recent articles on password security and machine translation, among other topics.

The long history, and short future, of the password

May 07, 2017 09:22 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

In Western history, the concept of the password can be traced as far back as the so-called shibboleth incident in the 12th chapter of the biblical Book of Judges. In the chaos of battle between the tribes of Gilead and...

Economy

UK Job Market Shows Persistent Weakness Ahead of November Budget

Britains labour market continued to soften in the lead-up to Finance Minister Rachel Reeves November 26 budget, as employers held back on hiring amid uncertainty over potential tax increases. A new report from KPMG and the...

Ru and Ready: India-Russia Summit Sets the Stage for a Multi-Billion Dollar Strategic Shift

India and Russia used their December 2025 meeting to establish a multifaceted collaboration intended to reach USD 100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, with obvious emphasis on right Indias significant trade deficit. By...

Oil Prices Hold Near Two-Week Highs as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut and Monitor Geopolitical Risks

Oil prices hovered near two-week highs on Monday as global markets anticipated a possible U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cut that could boost economic growth and strengthen energy demand. Brent crude futures edged up 4...

Japan’s Q3 Economic Contraction Deepens as Revised Data Signals Stronger Headwinds

Japans economy shrank more sharply in the third quarter than previously reported, according to revised data released by the Cabinet Office. The updated figures show the countrys annualised GDP contracting by 2.3%, steeper...

U.S. Stock Futures Hold Steady Ahead of Key Fed Decision

U.S. stock futures were steady on Sunday evening as investors looked ahead to this weeks Federal Reserve meeting, where policymakers are widely expected to deliver another interest-rate cut. As of 20:15 ET (01:15 GMT), SP...

Politics

Japan–China Tensions Rise as Chinese Carrier Intensifies Air Operations Near Okinawa

Tensions between Japan and China escalated over the weekend after a Chinese carrier strike group carried out a surge of air operations near Japans southwestern island chain. The activity comes at a sensitive diplomatic...

Syria Marks First Anniversary of Assad’s Overthrow Amid Ongoing Challenges

Syrians are preparing to commemorate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assads fall, a major turning point that ended decades of family rule and signaled hopes for a new political era. Events are scheduled across the...

Thailand Launches Air Strikes as Border Clashes With Cambodia Intensify

Thailand has launched air strikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both nations accused each other of violating a fragile ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The renewed conflict erupted in...

Trump Signals He May Influence Netflix–Warner Bros Merger Decision

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he expects to play a direct role in determining whether the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers will move forward, raising new questions about regulatory...

U.S. Defense Bill Sets Record $901 Billion Budget, Includes Ukraine Aid

U.S. lawmakers have introduced a sweeping annual defense policy bill that authorizes a historic $901 billion in national security spending for fiscal year 2026surpassing President Donald Trumps original budget request. The...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

U.S.-EU Tensions Rise After $140 Million Fine on Elon Musk’s X Platform

A growing rift between the United States and Europe deepened after the European Union issued a $140 million fine against Elon Musks social media platform X under the Digital Services Act. The penalty, which EU regulators...

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Denies Reports of $800 Billion Valuation Fundraise

Elon Musk has publicly refuted recent media claims suggesting that SpaceX is seeking to raise new capital at an $800 billion valuation. In a post shared on X, Musk clarified that the reports circulating online were...

Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns

Taiwans political landscape heated up after the government announced a plan to suspend access to the Chinese social media platform Rednoteknown as Xiaohongshufor one year. The interior ministry said the proposed ban stems...

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...