IT Trends :: Thursday, March 16, 2006
IT NEWS
U Wisconsin Zaps Mac Hack Challenge
A University of Wisconsin computer engineer used his personal Web page to dare hackers to break into the university's network and access a specific Mac OS X machine. The trouble? He didn’t exactly have the authorization to invite hackers to the university’s network. But the machine apparently survived 38 hours before university administrators pulled the plug. (Information Week)
Read more
300 Geniuses Call Him Boss
Will Frank Moss push MIT's Media Lab to innovate itself out of existence? Media Lab earned its reputation envisioning today's "digital lifestyle," developing ideas from wearable computers to digital ink to a $100 laptop computer for use by children in developing countries. Now Moss, a computer industry entrepreneur, is dedicated to taking it to the next level, theorizing that future innovation will come from the users of the technology themselves. (Christian Science Monitor)
Read more
Anti-Cheating Database Banned at N.S. University
Mount Saint Vincent University in Bedford, Nova Scotia will no longer use plagiarism-detection software managed by a California company. Student leaders have been lobbying to stop professors from using the online database, turnitin.com, and the university's senate agreed in a vote on Monday. About 4,000 schools worldwide use the subscription-based site. Students at several Canadian universities have objected to using the service, saying that it fosters an atmosphere of distrust at Canadian campuses. (CBC News)
Read more
Internet Connection Plagued by Saturation
Peter Schilling, Amherst College's Director of Information Technology, attributes the school's network problems to students participating in peer-to-peer file sharing. According to Schilling, the College’s Internet connection is frequently filled to capacity due to an increase in the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs like the popular BitTorrent. Students use these programs to download large music and video files. As a result of the increased download volume, students and professors using the Internet for academic reasons have been hindered. (The Amherst Student)
Read more