From: "Swisher, Bob" <bswisher@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@listserv.ou.edu'" <it-fyi@lists.ou.edu>
Subject: it-fyi: Edupage, 8 September 1999
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 10:57:18 -0500
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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association
dedicated to transforming education through information technologies.
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TOP STORIES for September 8, 1999
Sun to Unveil Computer That Makes User's Desktop Portable
28 Utilities Faulted on Year 2000 Readiness
Microsoft Denies NSA Has Keys to Windows
Y2K Tests, Upgrades Cause Their Own Chaos
ALSO
Technology Takes College by Storm, Says Professor
International Net Ratings Plan Under Fire
Partnership Programs Gain Following
On Web, Newspapers Never Sleep
SUN TO UNVEIL COMPUTER THAT MAKES USER'S DESKTOP PORTABLE
Sun Microsystems today plans to announce a computer called the Sun Ray 1
that will enable workers to access their desktops from any location on the
corporate network. The Sun Ray 1 will work in conjunction with smart cards,
which will be used for identification purposes. The system, which will cost
only $9.99 a month, stores a worker's files and applications on the server
rather than on the hard drive. The product is aimed at large businesses,
such as call centers and financial offices. Sun's move is part of the
company's effort to move computing away from the PC. (Los Angeles Times
09/08/99)
28 UTILITIES FAULTED ON YEAR 2000 READINESS
DOE voiced concerns on Tuesday over 12 utilities that are not prepared for
year 2000 (Y2K) computer problems. Meanwhile, 16 utilities--all municipal
or rural cooperatives--have not yet reported on their Y2K readiness; and
dozens of other power companies were deemed "ready with limited exceptions"
by the North American Electric Reliability Council because they have
convinced the council that there are only limited problems to correct.
Those deemed not ready included Washington State municipal utility Tacoma
Power, which has not finished preparing control systems for two hydropower
plants. DOE also listed such energy companies as Louisiana Electric,
Cogentrix Energy, and Lafayette Utilities System as not Y2K ready. The
concerns raised by the DOE come on the brink of a Y2K rehearsal staged for
today and Thursday, in which more than 2,000 companies will simulate
operations amid the failure of a generating unit or voice link. (New York
Times 09/08/99)
MICROSOFT DENIES NSA HAS KEYS TO WINDOWS
The recent discovery of a software key in Microsoft Windows labeled "NSA
Key" has led to speculation that the software company is covertly allowing
the National Security Agency access to encrypted data. Microsoft and the
NSA both issued statements denying the rumors on Sept. 3. Microsoft says
the keys are intended for use in installing new scrambling software and
helping users who have forgotten their passwords. However, the "NSA Key"
label concerns many experts who fear an alliance between Microsoft and the
secret intelligence agency. Cryptographer Andrew Fernandes discovered the
label several weeks ago while examining the code in a new version of
Microsoft software that repairs Windows glitches. Ordinarily, the label
does not appear, and had been mistakenly included in the update. Microsoft
says the label only implies that the key is compliant with the NSA's
technical standards. (Washington Post 09/04/99)
Y2K TESTS, UPGRADES CAUSE THEIR OWN CHAOS
The efforts to prepare for Y2K are creating problems of their own as
organizations rush to complete testing and repairs, making careless errors
in the process. Engineers working to prepare code must follow instructions
exactly under tight deadlines for repairs to go smoothly. Already, several
mishaps have occurred in the estimated $300 billion to $600 billion
worldwide market for repair efforts. For example, a Van Nuys, Calif.-based
treatment plant in June released over a million gallons of raw sewage into a
park and a residential area by mistakenly shutting off a crucial pipe while
testing a Y2K backup power system. Although alarms went off at the plant,
operators ignored the signal, which they believed was due to the Y2K
testing. In a separate incident, London Electricity failed to provide power
to 2,000 customers as a result of a Y2K upgrade in July. Many of those
customers were without power for a week. Still, analysts say the
difficulties occurring now are a positive sign, indicating that companies
are preparing for 2000. (Wall Street Journal 09/07/99)
=======================================
TECHNOLOGY TAKES COLLEGE BY STORM, SAYS PROFESSOR
Michael Kahan, technology expert and professor of political science at
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, recently spoke with Mo
Krochmal of TechWeb about the effects of technology on higher education.
E-mail and the Internet have revolutionized education, says Kahan, who notes
that technology really started affecting the classroom in the middle 90s.
Each year incoming students are more familiar with electronic media than the
preceding generation, and now many professors are not as knowledgeable about
technology as their students, Kahan says. Professors need to keep up with
technology in order to reap the benefits of e-mail and the Internet, as well
as to avoid potential drawbacks, such as downloaded term papers. E-mail
allows students to communicate more openly than they might feel comfortable
doing in the classroom, and allows professors to assign more group work as
well as work outside the classroom. Kahan says that in the future the
teacher's role will become more that of a "referee" or a "consultant" as
digital media increasingly enables access to outside resources. (TechWeb
09/07/99)
INTERNATIONAL NET RATINGS PLAN UNDER FIRE
The Global Internet Liberty Campaign, composed of 17 human rights
organizations and policy think tanks, is criticizing a global Internet
ratings plan that will be debated this week at the Internet Content Summit
in Munich. The aim of the ratings system is to protect minors from
accessing harmful Web sites. "When closely scrutinized, these systems
should be viewed more realistically as fundamental architectural changes
that may, in fact, facilitate the suppression of speech far more effectively
than national laws alone ever could," said the Global Internet Liberty
Campaign. The Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), whose members
include AOL Europe, the Bertelsmann Foundation, IBM, and Microsoft, is
likely to give its approval to the ratings plan. The ICRA will urge Web
site operators and their partners, subsidiaries, and customers to
voluntarily rate their sites. The Global Internet Liberty Campaign is
concerned that governments will not be impressed with the voluntary system
and will instead implement their own mandatory version. (C|Net 09/07/99)
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS GAIN FOLLOWING
Self-funded IT projects are gaining popularity because they provide state
and local governments with the IT resources they need while avoiding lengthy
funding negotiations. Rather than charge the government for the services
they design, technology firms are beginning to charge the public for access
to the sites they create. For example, in a contract between IBM and the
state of Arizona, the technology firm funded its development of an online
vehicle registration system. Yet it now receives $1 for each online
transaction that takes place, as well as a portion of the state vehicle
taxes and credit card processing fees. Meanwhile, the new system will save
Arizona's Motor Vehicle Department $1.25 million annually. A new study,
called "Vision 2010: Forging Tomorrow's Public-Private Partnerships," finds
that these new alliances between the public and private sectors are becoming
increasingly common, particularly in the areas of information technology and
e-commerce. (Washington Technology 08/30/99)
ON WEB, NEWSPAPERS NEVER SLEEP
As online competition increases, newspapers are beginning to deliver news 24
hours a day rather than only once. To meet the demand for more timely news,
many newspapers are asking print reporters to do more work and to cope with
multiple deadlines. For example, the Washington Post's site last week
launched its "P.M. Extra," which is an afternoon edition featuring breaking
news written by Post reporters. Similarly, the New York Times will begin a
"continuous news desk" in October, to post the latest news online.
Newspapers are competing with online news sites, such as MSNBC, BBC, and Fox
News, which provide their own content as well as updates from Reuters and
the Associated Press. Meanwhile, some reporters are annoyed at being asked
to do additional work without additional compensation. Furthermore, news
staff believe the extra writing may detract from reporting time, and some
experts are concerned that the ability to publish immediately on the
Internet will lead to journalistic carelessness. (Washington Post 09/07/99)
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UPCOMING EDUCAUSE CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS:
EDUCAUSE '99
"Celebrating New Beginnings"
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference
October 26-29, 1999, Long Beach, California
http://www.educause.edu/conference/e99/
The EDUCAUSE '99 information technology conference promises to be one of
higher education's preeminent educational events. The conference will shape
and define the agenda for the transformation of education through
information technologies for the 21st century.
For more information on EDUCAUSE '99, please visit the conference Web site
at http://www.educause.edu/conference/e99/, or contact us at
conf@educause.edu or 303-449-4430.
THE LEARNING MARKETPLACE: NEW RESOURCES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
Presented by the Leadership Forum of the Center for Academic
Transformation (An EDUCAUSE Affiliate)
November 11, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.center.rpi.edu/LForum/LMWkshp.html
For additional information on all EDUCAUSE conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/conference/conf.html
For information on other technology related educational conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/ir/events.html
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OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS
EDUCOM REVIEW is a bimonthly print magazine on information technology and
education. U.S. subscriptions are $18 a year.
CAUSE/EFFECT is a quarterly practitioner's journal about managing and using
information resources on college and university campuses. U.S. subscriptions
are $52 a year.
For additional information on these and other EDUCAUSE publications see:
http://www.educause.edu/pub/pubs.html
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Edupage Copyright 1999, EDUCAUSE
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EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association dedicated to transforming
education through information technologies