Message-Id: <55206A473154D011924D0020AFF7ACB55E6A8D@mail1.oulan.ou.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 09:35:06 -0600
From: "Swisher, Bob" <bswisher@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@ou.edu'" <it-fyi@ou.edu>
Subject: Edupage, 15 February 1998
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Edupage, 15 February 1998. Edupage, a summary of news about information
technology, is provided three times a week as a service by Educom, a
Washington, D.C.-based consortium of leading colleges and universities
seeking to transform education through the use of information
technology.
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TOP STORIES
Speedier Net Access, Yes; Higher Prices, No
Another Delay For California Virtual U.
Justice Targets Microsoft Content Plans
Nielsen Readies New Media Measuring System
ALSO
IBM Supercomputer Contract
Drugstore Database Use Raises Privacy Issues
Hey, A Lot Of People Like Spam
Expansion Of Phone Calls Over Internet
SPEEDIER NET ACCESS, YES; HIGHER PRICES, NO
With the proliferation of ISDN and DSL telephone lines, and satellite
and cable Internet access, Web users are beginning to enjoy Web surfing
at speeds many times what they've grown accustomed to via plain old
telephone service -- the only hitch is, they don't really want to pay
for it. A recent Yankee Group survey of more than 1,900 U.S. households
found that while more than two-thirds want faster access, only 10% are
willing to spend even $40 a month for it. "For us to drive the kind of
penetration that's possible, we have to drive the cost down," says a U S
West VP. (Business Week 16 Feb 98)
ANOTHER DELAY FOR CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL U.
California State University administrators say they will hold a 45-day
comment-and-review period following disclosure of the final details of a
technology partnership they plan to forge with four major companies.
This latest delay, which is in response to complaints about the deal,
pushes back the signing date until at least May. The partnership with
Fujitsu, GTE, Hughes Electronics and Microsoft would bring $300 million
in funding for computers, networking gear and support services, but
critics say the university system would give up too much control over
university decisions. (Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Feb 98)
JUSTICE TARGETS MICROSOFT CONTENT PLANS
The U.S. Justice Department, already at odds with Microsoft over the
inclusion of its Internet Explorer software in its Windows operating
system, now is suggesting that the company's plans for providing
Internet content could possibly violate antitrust laws. "The best way
to make people switch browsers is to make sure they have to, in order to
get the best content," said a Microsoft VP in a 1996 memo. The latest
version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Windows 98 create
attractive "channels" for content suppliers that appear on the PC user's
initial screen. Justice will investigate deals that Microsoft cut with
its most prominent content suppliers requiring media companies to
customize their sites with Microsoft's technology and commit to
promotional plans that advocate Microsoft's browser over Netscape's.
(Wall Street Journal 13 Feb 98)
NIELSEN READIES NEW MEDIA MEASURING SYSTEM
Nielsen Media Research has developed a new media measurement service,
co-developed with Microsoft for the Windows 98 platform. The new,
unnamed service will bolster Microsoft's efforts to attract advertising
to its new Intercast service by validating viewer numbers -- a difficult
sell at this point. The Intercast service, which has not yet been
launched, will enable TV viewers to read supplemental material about
programs and products via their computer links. The new Nielsen system
will tell advertisers who ordered the Intercast data and what they did
with it. (Broadcasting & Cable 9 Feb 98)
==============================================
IBM SUPERCOMPUTER CONTRACT
IBM has an $85 million deal with the U.S. Department of Energy and
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to build a computer capable of 10
trillion calculations per second. The IBM RS-6000 SP supercomputer will
be delivered in 2000 and housed at the Livermore Lab. (Investor's
Business Daily 13 Feb 98)
DRUGSTORE DATABASE USE RAISES PRIVACY ISSUES
CVS Corp. and Giant Food Inc. are using a computer database marketing
specialist to send personalized letters to customers who haven't
refilled their prescriptions, reminding them to keep taking their
medicine and pitching new products that treat the customer's ailments.
The editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association calls the
practice a "breach of fundamental medical issues" and asks: "Do you
want ... the great computer in the sky to have a computer list of every
drug you take, from which can be deduced your likely diseases -- and
all without your permission?" CVS and Giant Food say their efforts are
merely intended to help customers stay healthy. (Washington Post 15 Feb
98)
HEY, A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE SPAM
An evolution in Internet marketing is the entry of bulk mailers who send
targeted ads only to people who ask for them; one example is Steve
Markowitz, a San Francisco entrepreneur whose "BonusMail" system rewards
people with airline bonuses and various kinds of gift certificates when
they agree to read ads that are relevant to their interests. Markowitz
says, "We do not send spam. We send targeted bulk mailings to consumers
who have asked to participate in the program... I hope that the
combination of what we're doing and legislation will push out spam."
(New York Times CyberTimes 15 Feb 98)
EXPANSION OF PHONE CALLS OVER INTERNET
The Israeli company VocalTec, which pioneered the first gateways for
Internet-based phone calls, is developing software that can be used with
hardware from ECI Telecom to handle 480 calls simultaneously (compared
to the current maximum of 96 simultaneous calls); when the product is
available next year, it will be linkable through multiple gateways to
handle an unlimited number of calls. (USA Today 13 Feb 98)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) and Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu). Telephone: 770-590-1017
Technical support for distributing Edupage is provided by Information
Technology Services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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translations@educom.unc.edu.
Today's Honorary Subscriber is Benny Goodman (1909-1986), the
clarinetist and band leader known as "The King of Swing." Among his
greatest recordings were "Let's Dance," "Stompin' At The Savoy," and
"One O'Clock Jump." His big band performances often included trios and
quartets, with groups led by Lionel Hampton and other musicians. When
Goodman died in 1986, commentator David Brinkley said: "A word or two
about my old friend Benny Goodman, who died on Friday. Of course,
everyone knew he was a great clarinet player and led a dance band that
played some of the best jazz and swing ever played anywhere. But not
many know he was a piece of American history. He was the first to
invite black musicians -- and it was their music -- to play in a white
band. And what made Goodman famous in the first place was the work of a
black arranger named Fletcher Henderson. His arrangements were so good
Goodman played them for forty years, right up to a week or so before he
died. They are now popular classics. And Goodman was the only musician
I know of who could play Fletcher Henderson on Monday and Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart on Tuesday. Could and did. A good deal of Henderson's
work could be called chamber music. And I believe if Mozart had lived to
hear it, he would have liked it."
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Educom -- Transforming Education Through Information Technology
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