IT Trends for Thursday, December 4, 2003.

Thursday, December 04, 2003

In This Issue

OPINION

Terry Calhoun, IT Trends Commentator
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)
University of Michigan

J'e's been busy playing detective and he's discovered some interesting loopholes in various procedures related to ICANN policies. I've noticed "bad" whois registration addresses before but never followed through to do anything about them. Maybe now that J'e has laid all of this out for us, more of us can join in to plug these spam holes.

***

The Curious Correlation Between .biz Domains, Bad Whois Data, and Spam

J'e St Sauver, Ph.D,
University of Oregon

If you take the time to deconstruct the spam you receive, one of the most interesting things to scrutinize is any URL contained in the body of the spam. Notice any pattern to the URLs you see? Ever wonder who's behind those all those different domain names?

Non-network-geeks may not know that every domain has (or at least is *supposed* to have) accurate registrant information available via "whois."

Read more


IT NEWS

Students Question Digital Privacy Policies at Cornell

On the face of it, Cornell's policies regarding Internet usage and logs are fine, maybe even exemplary. However, a new student group - the Cornell Freedom Project - takes issue, saying router transaction logs should not even be kept (Cornell Daily Sun)...

Read more

Berklee School of Music Distributes Music Lessons Via P2P

Berklee shares lessons on production, performance, songwriting, the music business, and more. The lessons, which do not come with interaction between professors and students, can be downloaded through peer-to-peer file-sharing networks...
.
Read more


More Blackboard Penetration in the Defense Department

What's different about this new contract is that is for K-12 schools and aimed at military dependents, one more step toward creating online-competent students headed for our campuses. (Federal Computer Week)...

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Indiana University Students Want Better Network Security

Despite growing efforts to educate student users, the task seems huge. As one student says: "Obviously, I still have problems. I really don't know what to do."...

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At Penn State: More Devices - More Power

Penn State spends $1 million a month on electricity. Much of the recent increase is to power student devices and there seems to be no end in sight. (MSNBC)...

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Coalition of Deans Supports Info Tech Minor at U Mass

For the first time ever, every U Mass dean has contributed financially to the development of an interdisciplinary minor. The topic is . . . Info Tech! (Daily -U. Mass.- Collegian)...

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New Phone System Bugs Some Users at Oakland U.

Replacing a previously-"maxed-out" switch with a $350k new one d'esn't always go smoothly (The Oakland Post)...

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RESOURCES


Turning Data Into Decisions

Lack of data integration, unclear data-collection priorities, and data silos present serious challenges for campus decision makers. Are there IT solutions? (National Association of College and University Business Officers)...

Learn more

Where Innovation Matters, IT Matters

Responding to a Harvard Business Review article earlier in the year titled, "IT D'esn't Matter," Peter Siegel argues that IT's strategic importance remains strong...

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Using Technology to "Fix" Maintenance Productivity On Campus

Wireless, cell phones, PDAs, and specialized software are making a positive impact in the area of facilities maintenance...

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Spam is a "Weapon of Mass Disruption"

Spam is already illegal in Delaware, but d'es that diminish its incidence at the University of Delaware? Apparently not. (University of Delaware Review)...

Learn more

Sponsored by:
Campus Calendaring Webinar
Learn all about WebEvent View, the universal calendar for the college campus. WebEvent View integrates public event calendaring with personal/group calendaring for students, faculty, and administration, providing one view into all campus-wide calendars through a standard browser interface. For more information and to register for the next WebEvent View webinar, Click here.

Events

Syllabus fall2003
December 8-10,
Cambridge, Mass.

Events Calendar


Sponsored by:
Simplify Web Site Content Publishing
More than 100 colleges and universities use Ektron content management solutions to help ease the burden of updating information on their Web sites. Read Rivier College’s success story or download a free 30-day trial: See Ektron at Syllabus Fall 2003 in December!

Click here for details

POLL

Sponsored by:

Mitsubishi Electric

What is your most common method of projector control?
Local control using IR or RF remotes
Remote control using RS232 based control system
Desktop use (no remote used)
Other method


Sponsored by:
Syllabus fall2003 to Feature Technology Providers
Syllabus fall2003, December 8-10 in Cambridge, Mass., features the latest campus technology products at the conference vendor fair. Exhibitors include: Matchware, a leader in easy-to-use web and multimedia authoring tools for education and professional use; Numonics, developer of innovative presentation, communication and training products, and Tipping Point Technologies, a leader in high-speed, network-based intrusion prevention and piracy prevention.

For more information and to register, Click here for details

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Social Versions of Napster: Friendster of F'e?

What are "Friendster" and "Xanga," why are they so popular, and will they create IT problems for university administrators? (The Johns Hopkins Newsletter).

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Technology to the Rescue

Technology tools are now invading the realm of financial aid officers, who face ever-increasingly complex tasks and issues. (University Business)...

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Wi-Fi at 108 Mbps?

Well, in practice you're not going to get data transfer that fast. The pace of wireless data transmission speed increases reinforces wireless as a technology that can be upgraded on campus a lot more easily than replacing wires. (PC World)...

Read more




Sponsored By

Increasing Quality in Online Instruction
This week's interview features David Starrett Director, Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning, Southeast Missouri State University.



Since 1997, technology institutes at Southeast Missouri State University have helped faculty to use technology effectively. Starrett discusses roles and rewards, assessment, and other issues regarding faculty development.

Click Here to Listen

Sponsored By

Discussion of the Week:

How do you manage the myriad of projects and their implementation? -- posted by Patrick Graves

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