Author: The UTD Mercury
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Feds seize Ulbricht, shut down site
The FBI arrested a UTD alumnus on Oct. 1, allegedly the leader behind Silk Road, an underground black market website. Ross Ulbricht, a 2006 graduate, was arrested in a branch of the San Francisco Public Library and indicted on charges in money laundering, computer hacking and narcotics trafficking conspiracy. The Department of Justice seized Silk…
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404 Page Not Found: University erases Ulbricht
The University of Texas at Dallas is attempting to shove Ross Ulbricht down the memory hole. Official university pages that reference the accused alumnus have been edited to remove all mention of him, or have been deleted altogether. While we on The Mercury editorial board understand that this action is by no means illegal and indeed…
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College roommate opens up about Ulbricht
The alleged drug lord the FBI arrested on Oct. 1 is a far cry from the friendly and intelligent man who attended UTD, according to a former college friend. “(Ross) was a lot of fun. Just reading the indictment about him — it was like reading about a completely different person,” said former roommate and…
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Silk Road and the Deep Web
Silk Road, the online black market that generated millions of dollars in drug sale commissions, was shut down by various federal agencies on Oct. 2. Notorious for the ease at which users could buy illegal drugs, the website had been in operation since January 2011. Silk Road was able to remain hidden from authorities by…
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Tennis season begins with individual tourney
The men and women’s tennis teams kicked off their season at the ASC Individual Tournament in Belton, Texas from Sept. 12-14. The tournament, which consisted of four flights, had individual players representing their universities. Senior Casey Clark of the men’s team represented the Comets in flight 1 and stormed through the rounds to win the…
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From freshman to graduate: Six-year Comet offers advice to newcomers
I first stepped foot on UTD soil in 2007 as an 18-year-old kid with a slight interest in mathematics and computers. At the time, I had only spent three years in the United States and most universities appeared identical to me — giant stadiums, frantic fans, fraternities and parties — all creating the image of…
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$1,000 rebate, easy money for needy seniors
At the end of July, AffordableCollegesOnline.org published a study revealing the colleges in Texas that provide the best return on investment. UTD placed fifth out of 49 schools, behind familiar foes including our sister school in Austin and Texas A&M’s College Station campus. Finishing fifth is great, but UTD’s yearly tuition is thousands of dollars higher than…
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EMAC grad’s documentary explores Instagram community
It started with homemade red velvet cupcakes. That was the first Instagram photo posted by a UTD alumnus who is now making waves after his documentary exploring the community behind the popular photo-sharing app released in May. “Instagram Is,” created and directed by Paul Tellefsen, a spring 2013 Emerging Media and Communication graduate, features interviews…
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UTD must aim high, yet forge unique identity
For several years, administrators, student leaders and others have made sure that UTD’s excellence is known by dubbing it the “MIT of the South.” In fact quite a few universities have adopted this colloquialism, including the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Alabama in Huntsville — I guess there’s a nice ring to…