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Educause Educause | 3 Dec 2005 00:44

Edupage, December 02, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2005
  BellSouth Foundation Donates Money for Online Education
  Online Archive to Feature Poetry Recordings
  Adware Company Quibbles with Label

BELLSOUTH FOUNDATION DONATES MONEY FOR ONLINE EDUCATION
The BellSouth Foundation announced it will spend $20 million over five
years to improve online education and technology access in nine states
in the southern United States. The BellSouth Foundation is the
charitable arm of BellSouth, which serves the southern region. The
foundation is specifically charged with improving education and,
according to Mary Boehm, president of the foundation, decided a year
ago to focus its efforts exclusively on virtual learning. The new
initiative will fund virtual learning programs and will work to bring
technology and Internet access to children in poor areas of the region.
A pilot site for the initiative in Atlanta is working on job-shadowing
technology and an online algebra course for middle and high school
students. Organizers hope to create eight similar sites, one in each of
the other states of the program. Boehm said, "We wanted to be sure all
kids, not just the privileged, could be part of the virtual learning
movement."
Associated Press, 29 November 2005
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/13280651.htm
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Educause Educause | 5 Dec 2005 23:48

Edupage, December 05, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2005
  Microsoft Tweaks IE to Sidestep Eolas Patent
  Singapore to Invest in Electronic Sector
  Intel Ups Investment in India
  Rhapsody Users Can Skip the Download

MICROSOFT TWEAKS IE TO SIDESTEP EOLAS PATENT
Microsoft has made a change to its Internet Explorer browser to avoid
infringing on a patent held by Eolas Technologies, though Microsoft
continues to dispute the validity of that patent. Eolas was granted a
patent in 1998 for a technology that allows certain programs, such as
applets or ActiveX controls, to be launched automatically from Web
pages. Eolas sued Microsoft in 1999 and in 2003 was awarded $521
million for infringement of its intellectual property. That case has
been working its way through appeals courts and is set for a retrial.
In the meantime, Microsoft has opted to modify its browser so that
users must manually accept the launching of ActiveX controls on Web
pages. Unlike an earlier proposal, the one implemented will not require
users to accept each such control on a Web page but simply to accept
them all at once. Microsoft's Michael Wallent said this solution is
less intrusive and that for most users, it will be "an almost invisible
change." Microsoft is working with developers to rewrite Web pages in a
way to minimize the effects of the change.
Internet News, 2 December 2005
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Educause Educause | 7 Dec 2005 22:25

Edupage, December 07, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2005
  George Mason Develops Academic Browser Add-On
  California Law Sets New Data-Security Standards
  DHS Picks Johns Hopkins for Disaster Preparedness
  Academy and Industry Study ROI
  EU Domain Opens for Business

GEORGE MASON DEVELOPS ACADEMIC BROWSER ADD-ON
Researchers at George Mason University are developing a plug-in for the
Firefox browser that will help academics organize sources and properly
cite them. The tool is designed to harvest bibliographic information
from online sources and organize it for someone doing research on the
Web. Assuming the bibliographic elements are formatted in a way the
software can recognize, the application will parse title, author, and
other information and correlate it with the source. Daniel J. Cohen,
assistant professor of history and one of the developers, said it can
be thought of as "incredibly smart bookmarking.... You're not just
bookmarking the page, but you're automatically [capturing]...all that
info that scholars want to save." Unlike commercial products that
organize sources, the new application will tie directly into the
browser, eliminating the step of manually collecting citation details.
The open source application is expected to be completed next year and
will be available for no charge from George Mason's Web site. Cohen
said he believes the application will make unintentional plagiarism
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Educause Educause | 9 Dec 2005 23:11

Edupage, December 09, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2005
  State Supreme Court Okays Technology Fee
  GAO Warns of Bad Data in WHOIS
  Study Says Risk of ID Theft Exaggerated
  Putting the Numbers to Software Piracy

STATE SUPREME COURT OKAYS TECHNOLOGY FEE
Overruling two lower court decisions, the Texas Supreme Court has found
that the Dallas County Community College District did not violate state
law in the late 1990s when it raised technology fees. In 1998, students
filed a class-action lawsuit against the district, arguing that state
law requires the district to tie technology fees with bond payments,
which the district did not do. The suit also contended that the fee was
imposed under the duress of students. The trial court and an appeals
court both found for the plaintiff and ordered the district to pay $12
million to 150,000 students. The state's highest court overturned
those rulings, however, saying the district did not act improperly. The
court also found that the fee was not applied illegally. Roger L.
Mandel, an attorney for the students, said he would seek a rehearing on
the question of whether the fee was voluntary. Mandel said that the
district, in its argument before the court, did not provide evidence
that the fee was voluntary. "The court," he said, "came up with reasons
completely on its own." The district has since moved the disputed fees
into tuition costs.
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Educause Educause | 12 Dec 2005 23:26

Edupage, December 12, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2005
  HarperCollins to Digitize Books
  Appeals Court Rejects Sampling Defense
  Song Sites Under the Gun for Copyright Violations
  P2P Clogger to Close
  Letter Warns of Problems with Online Job Ads

HARPERCOLLINS TO DIGITIZE BOOKS
HarperCollins has announced plans to digitize its own books and make
those files available through search services, marking the latest
development in the rapidly changing landscape of electronic access to
books. Google is working on its hotly contested service to scan vast
numbers of texts and make them available online, while other companies
have begun their own programs to digitize books. The move by
HarperCollins is that company's attempt to be a part of new
technologies while retaining control over its content. The company will
pay to have an estimated 20,000 backlisted books digitized, as well as
about 3,500 new titles each year. Those electronic files will be open
to search engines to make indexes but not to download images of the
pages. According to Brian Murray, group president of HarperCollins,
"We'll own the file, and we'll control the terms of any sale." Jane
Friedman, chief executive of the publisher, said, "We want to be the
best collaborator, but we also want to take charge of our future." The
company said the effort would also allow it to keep certain titles
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Educause Educause | 14 Dec 2005 23:13

Edupage, December 14, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005
  Michigan Ponders Online Requirement
  Colleges Join the RFID Bandwagon
  Online Education Booming
  Quanta to Produce MIT's $100 Laptops
  CSIA Gives Feds D+ on Cybersecurity

MICHIGAN PONDERS ONLINE REQUIREMENT
High school students in Michigan will be required to take at least one
online course in order to graduate under a proposal before the Michigan
State Board of Education, which is expected to approve it. Mike
Flanagan, the Michigan state superintendent of public instruction,
offered the proposal as a way to help students in the state prepare for
college and for professional lives, which he said increasingly employ
technology. The board is expected to pass the new regulation, which
would make Michigan the first state to require an online course for a
high school diploma. Kathleen N. Straus, president of the board, said,
"We think we'd be on the cutting edge" if they pass the new rule,
which would still require the approval of the state legislature and the
governor. The proposal would allow noncredit online courses, such as
ACT prep classes, to count toward the requirement, but Flanagan said he
hopes students would choose to take for-credit courses.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 December 2005
http://chronicle.com/free/2005/12/2005121301t.htm
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Educause Educause | 16 Dec 2005 23:34

Edupage, December 16, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2005
  Berkeley Funded for New Research Lab
  Study Evaluates Wikipedia Content
  FCC Chair Pushes New Internet Phone Tax
  Senate Panel Proposes New FTC Policing Powers
  Mobile Mail Patent Suit Filed Against Microsoft

BERKELEY FUNDED FOR NEW RESEARCH LAB
Google, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems plan to fund the Reliable,
Adaptive, and Distributed Systems Laboratory at the University of
California, Berkeley, to focus on the design of more dependable
computing systems. According to Berkeley researchers involved with the
new lab, research results will be nonproprietary and freely licensed.
The three companies have pledged $500,000 each yearly for five years to
support the project. The lab's founding director, computer scientist
David Patterson, is currently president of the Association for
Computing Machinery. According to Patterson, "We're trying to sustain
the broad vision, high-risk, and high-reward research model" in
establishing the new research facility.
New York Times, 15 December 2005 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/technology/15research.htm

STUDY EVALUATES WIKIPEDIA CONTENT
According to a research study published in the journal Nature,
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Educause Educause | 19 Dec 2005 22:50

Edupage, December 19, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2005
  U.S. House Requires HDTV Conversion in 2009
  NIST Sets Data Specs for Biometric ID Cards
  Meeting Compliance Laws Raises IT Costs
  Expert-Edited Alternative to Wikipedia
  Google Buys Part of AOL

U.S. HOUSE REQUIRES HDTV CONVERSION IN 2009
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation requiring complete
conversion to HDTV broadcasting in early 2009. The bill included
funding to aid consumers with analog TV sets who watch free TV stations
to purchase converter boxes. Satellite and cable TV consumers would not
be affected by the digital switch. The requirements and funding were
part of a larger deficit-cutting bill still to be addressed by the
Senate. A major goal of the digital TV requirement is to gain radio
spectrum for emergency use.
Yahoo, 19 December 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051219/ap_on_hi_te/congress_digital_tv

NIST SETS DATA SPECS FOR BIOMETRIC ID CARDS
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has
established and published biometric data specifications, required for
federal ID cards slated for implementation in October 2006. The new
specs cover fingerprints and facial image recognition. Comments on the
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Educause Educause | 21 Dec 2005 19:37

Edupage, December 21, 2005

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2005
*** Holiday Break ***
  FTC Says CAN-SPAM Working
  Japan Explores Search Engine Development
  Patent Office Expected to Reject NTP Patents
  Hackers Hit Security Company Database
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  Seagate to Acquire Maxtor
  IBM Acquires Micromuse
  Ericsson Buys Marconi Name and Most Assets
  UC Retains Contract to Run Los Alamos Lab

***Following this issue of Edupage, publication will be temporarily
suspended during the winter holidays. The next issue of Edupage will be
published on January 4, 2006.***

FTC SAYS CAN-SPAM WORKING
The Federal Trade Commission reported to Congress on the effectiveness
of the CAN-SPAM Act, concluding that legal action against spammers and
improved e-mail filtering have reduced the amount of junk e-mail
reaching consumers. The agency has filed 21 lawsuits under CAN-SPAM.
Recommendations include passing new laws to help regulators trace
spammers and sellers outside the United States, better user education
on spam prevention, and continued improvement in filtering tools and
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