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EDUCAUSE | 3 Aug 2006 00:12

Edupage, August 02, 2006

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 02, 2006
  Blackboard Sues to Protect Patent
  Child Online Identity Card Debuts
  China Closes Liberal Web Site

BLACKBOARD SUES TO PROTECT PATENT
Blackboard has filed a lawsuit against Desire2Learn for allegedly
violating a patent that was granted in January. The patent covers 44
e-learning functions, such as providing users with predefined roles in
multiple online courses. Matthew Small, senior vice president and
general counsel for Blackboard, said that such features, which are
common today, were novel ideas in the 90s when Blackboard applied for
the patent. Blackboard officials also noted that the company has no
intention of litigating against colleges or universities that might be
infringing on the patent or against open source providers such as
Moodle and Sakai. Officials from Desire2Learn said they could not
comment on the suit because they had not had a chance to review it.
Several observers believe the suit is overly broad, saying that the
patent office does not have the staff to thoroughly investigate
applications. Peter Schilling, director of information technology at
Amherst College, said he thinks the patent will be invalidated if
challenged.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 2 August 2006 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/08/2006080201t.htm
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EDUCAUSE | 4 Aug 2006 22:11

Edupage, August 04, 2006

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 04, 2006
  UC to Join Google's Book Scanning Project?
  Cal Poly Moves Away from Social Security Numbers
  BPL Gets New Boost from FCC

UC TO JOIN GOOGLE'S BOOK SCANNING PROJECT?
The University of California is reportedly in talks with Google to join
its controversial book-scanning project. The university is already
participating in the Open Content Alliance (OCA), which is also working
to digitize vast numbers of books but with a different approach. Rather
than scanning all books, copyrighted or not, unless copyright holders
request that a book be left out of the program, the OCA has taken the
approach of only scanning copyrighted books whose owners have given
explicit permission. The university and Google did not disclose details
of the negotiations, but questions arose about how the institution's
participation in the two projects might be reconciled. Brewster Kahle,
director of the Internet Archive, which was a founder of the OCA,
wondered if perhaps Google would move its project to a more open model,
closer to that of the OCA, because, as he said, "there is no point in
scanning these books twice." Daniel Greenstein, director of the
University of California system's California Digital Library, said the
issue is fundamentally not about specific companies or organizations
but about the university's mission to support public education and
explore new roles for libraries in the digital age.
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EDUCAUSE | 7 Aug 2006 23:38

Edupage, August 07, 2006

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 07, 2006
  Bowdoin Backs Away from City Wi-Fi, Cites CALEA
  Open Source Popular at U.K. Universities
  Google Debuts Web Site Warnings
  RIAA Sues LimeWire

BOWDOIN BACKS AWAY FROM CITY WI-FI, CITES CALEA
A planned rollout of wireless Internet service by Bowdoin College to
the residents of in Brunswick, Maine, has been halted, at least
temporarily, due to concerns over the Communications Assistance for Law
Enforcement Act (CALEA). The FCC has said that the law, which mandates
law enforcement access to communications systems, should apply to
network operators, including colleges and universities. Higher
education has opposed that decision, saying it would be extremely
costly for them to comply and that there are other ways for
institutions to cooperate with law enforcement. Following legal action
and lobbying, a court allowed an exception for "private" networks.
Bowdoin, which is in Brunswick, had been working to implement a
wireless network in the city for students and town residents. Saying
that it isn't clear whether allowing town residents to access the
network would compromise its being a "private" network, officials from
the college have decided that the network will only be available to
students. Mitch Davis, CIO at Bowdoin, noted that the plan to open the
network to everyone in town is currently suspended, not dead.
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EDUCAUSE | 9 Aug 2006 23:18

Edupage, August 09, 2006

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 09, 2006
  UC System Signs On to Google Book Scanning
  Researchers Create Categories of Technology Use
  AOL Regrets Disclosing Search Results
  More VA Data Goes Missing

UC SYSTEM SIGNS ON TO GOOGLE BOOK SCANNING
The University of California will join Oxford University, Harvard
University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and the
New York Public Library in Google's controversial book-scanning
project. The UC System comprises more than 100 libraries on 10
campuses, and the new deal will give Google access to many millions of
volumes housed at those libraries. As with other texts in Google's
program, digital copies will only be accessible through its own search
engine. Google still faces legal opposition to its program, which scans
copyrighted material as well as public domain texts, though access to
protected work is limited. The UC System also participates in the Open
Content Alliance (OCA), which takes a different approach to copyrighted
works, scanning only those for which copyright owners have provided
explicit permission. Although Jennifer Colvin, strategic communications
manager at the California Digital Library, rejected the idea that
participating in both projects represents a conflict, others disagreed.
Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, said, "Having a public
institution decide to go with Google's restrictions doesn't help the
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EDUCAUSE | 11 Aug 2006 23:14

Edupage, August 11, 2006

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2006
  UT to Hire Cybersecurity Czar
  University Researchers Find Hole in HSBC
  Editors Resign after Web Site Budget Slashed
  Report Points to Malware in Social Networks

UT TO HIRE CYBERSECURITY CZAR
Calling IT security a "monster," Charles Chaffin, chief audit executive
and compliance officer for the University of Texas System, announced
plans to hire a cybersecurity czar to manage IT security at the
system's 15 campuses. Although each campus in the UT System has a
chief information security officer, there has not previously been such
a position covering all of the campuses. The person in the new position
will have oversight of system-wide efforts to improve computer
security, including reducing use of Social Security numbers as student
identifiers. One of trickiest problems with eliminating Social Security
numbers is that for years, faculty used them as identifiers for
students in their classes, and many faculty still have old records on
their computers that include the numbers. Chaffin noted that within the
UT System, there are tens of thousands of PCs that possibly contain
Social Security numbers.
Austin American-Statesman, 10 August 2006
http://www.statesman.com/
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EDUCAUSE | 15 Aug 2006 00:05

Edupage, August 14, 2006

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006
  Italian Students Win Programming Contest
  Microsoft Lowers the Bar for Game Development
  U.S. Presses Ahead with Electronic Passports

ITALIAN STUDENTS WIN PROGRAMMING CONTEST
At the 2006 Imagine Cup programming contest, held in Delhi, India, a
team of Italian students took first prize in the Software Design
category. The competition, sponsored by Microsoft, brought together
teams from more than 100 countries competing in six categories. For its
winning entry, the four students from Turin Polytechnic built an
application that collects information that patients typically don't
disclose to their doctors but is nonetheless an important part of the
diagnosis and treatment of their symptoms. The winning team, which
pocketed $25,000 for its victory, said their application, called "Hello
World," could be especially beneficial for people who suffer from
anxiety disorders.
BBC, 14 August 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4789979.stm

MICROSOFT LOWERS THE BAR FOR GAME DEVELOPMENT
Microsoft announced plans to introduce an inexpensive version of its
game-development software. Currently, development applications for
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo games cost thousands of dollars, and
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EDUCAUSE | 17 Aug 2006 00:50

Edupage, August 16, 2006

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2006
  MS Windows Flaws Again Targeted by Hackers
  MS Security Update Needs an Update
  Appeals Court Supports FCC Rule on High-Speed Lines
  Encryption for Mobile Phones

MS WINDOWS FLAWS AGAIN TARGETED BY HACKERS
Security companies have identified a new worm circulating that seeks to
take advantage of a flaw in the Windows operating system and allows
hackers to use infected computers to send spam. Earlier this month,
Microsoft issued a patch for 23 vulnerabilities, including the one that
the new worm uses. Because the patch has only been available for a
week, however, experts said many computers are likely still at risk for
the malicious code. Infected computers can be used as spam
proxies--computers that send millions of junk e-mails on behalf of
spammers. Many spammers are resorting to this sort of approach because
ISPs are increasingly unwilling to host such e-mail campaigns.
BBC, 16 August 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4797949.stm

MS SECURITY UPDATE NEEDS AN UPDATE
Microsoft acknowledged that a patch issued earlier this month for
significant flaws in its operating system has led to new problems for
some users. Computers that installed the August patch on Windows 2000
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EDUCAUSE | 18 Aug 2006 21:09

Edupage, August 18, 2006

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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, AUGUST 18, 2006
  U.S. Department of Commerce Renews ICANN Contract
  Boeing to Drop In-Flight Broadband Service
  Report Advises Consistency on Government Web Sites
  Penn State Adopts Text Messages to Students

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE RENEWS ICANN CONTRACT
The U.S. Department of Commerce renewed its contract with the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), leaving the
management of the technical details of the Internet with the nonprofit
group. ICANN will continue its responsibility for Internet Assigned
Numbers Authority (IANA), which includes allocating IP addresses,
assigning protocol identifiers, and managing top-level domain names and
root servers. The contract involves five one-year options.
Internet News, 17 August 2006
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3627026

BOEING TO DROP IN-FLIGHT BROADBAND SERVICE
Boeing has announced plans to drop its in-flight Internet service,
called Connexion, due to lack of demand. Airline passengers access the
Internet through a high-speed wireless network, with signals bounced
off satellites. Despite preimplementation surveys showing strong
interest in the service, very few passengers used Connexion, which cost
$9.95 an hour or $26.95 a flight.
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EDUCAUSE | 21 Aug 2006 23:06

Edupage, August 21, 2006

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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, AUGUST 21, 2006
  EU Orders Deutsche Telekom to Share Network
  Romania Arrests 23 for Internet Scams
  Microsoft Repairs Security Patch
  EA Exec Claims Gaming Industry Fails Women
  SanDisk MP3 Player Doubles Storage of iPod Nano

EU ORDERS DEUTSCHE TELEKOM TO SHARE NETWORK
The European Commission (EC) supported German regulators who ordered
Deutsche Telekom AG to open its high-speed Internet networks to
competitors. As a result of the order, the company must permit
competitors to buy access on its broadband network to offer their own
services to end users. German regulators will have advance approval of
the price charged. Past refusals to grant access forced the company's
business rivals to build their own networks, effectively preventing
them from operating outside cities and causing higher Internet prices
in rural areas, according to the EC.
Wall Street Journal, 21 August 2006
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115616823663141011.html

ROMANIA ARRESTS 23 FOR INTERNET SCAMS
As part of a move against Internet scam rings operating in Romania,
police arrested 23 people in Pitesti, from a group of 63 suspects
sought for questioning over accusations of scamming foreigners by
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EDUCAUSE | 24 Aug 2006 00:35

Edupage, August 23, 2006

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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, AUGUST 23, 2006
  Adjuncts Turn to Web
  Department of Education Exposes Loan Data
  Teen Spammer Sentenced to Curfew

ADJUNCTS TURN TO WEB
New services are emerging that offer online tutorials for adjunct
faculty, a group many say is marginalized and treated poorly by many
colleges and universities. Higher education increasingly depends on
adjuncts, often to teach night or weekend classes, and many adjunct
faculty have little experience teaching. Services such as
AdjunctSuccess offer online seminars and other tools to help train
these part-time faculty and give them a place to correspond with others
in similar situations at other universities. Critics of such programs
say they do little to help adjunct faculty while encouraging the trend
toward fewer tenure-track instructors in favor of part-time faculty to
whom institutions have little obligation. Richard Lyons, cofounder of
AdjunctSuccess, defended the company, saying colleges and universities
will not be swayed to hire more adjuncts because of this training and
that it provides a needed resource for an entire class of faculty who
are often left behind.
Inside Higher Ed, 22 August 2006
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/22/adjunct
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