New K-State identity numbers and cards
by E. Unger, Vice Provost for Acdaemic Services and Technology
published Dec. 6, 2005
State law prohibits the display of Social Security
numbers (SSNs) on identification cards including the Wildcat card as of July 1, 2006.
In order to meet the July deadline, the K-State ID Center will distribute
new K-State Wildcat ID Cards,
which will display a randomly generated nine-digit number in place of the Social Security number.
The new number is called the Wildcat ID number (WID) and will be used in the future in place of
SSNs in university information systems.
The faculty/staff distribution schedule
for picking up new ID cards is Dec. 19-23, based on the first letter of the last name.
Similarly, newly generated numbers and cards will be distributed to students in May 2006.
The generation of this new number and issuance of new cards are the
first steps in a multi-year Personal Identification initiative focused
on minimizing the use of SSNs and assigning unique numbers to
individuals associated with K-State throughout their lifetime. A
website is being created to keep you updated on the progress of this
important initiative.
Once your new card becomes effective Jan. 3, 2006, shred or cut up your old card that
shows your SSN.
Dec. 15 webcast: Cyber security tips for the holidays
by A. Hagedorn, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Dec. 6, 2005
K-State's Security Incident Response Team (SIRT) invites all K-Staters
to attend the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's web seminar about cyber security tips for the holidays.
Experts have predicted a 25 percent increase in online shopping from last year.
It is important to understand how to be safe and stay protected online.
Mark your calendars for this educational event, which is scheduled 2-3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Big 12 Room of the K-State Student Union.
See the web seminar page
for details.
This event is free of charge, and pre-registration is not required.
If you have any questions, contact Aimee Hagedorn at
aimeeh@ksu.edu.
VPAST lecture Dec. 8: GIS in AgroBiosecurity
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published Dec. 6, 2005
"Geographic Information Systems in AgroBiosecurity: From Farm, to Factory, to Federal" is
a VPAST lecture in Emerging Technology that will be presented by Matthew Bechdol
1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in Room 213
of the K-State Student Union. The lecture is open to the public and
is sponsored by the Vice Provost of Academic Services and Technology and the Department of Geography.
iPod nanos in short supply for Christmas
by C. Loehr, K-State Student Union Computer Store
published Dec. 6, 2005
The K-State Student Union Computer Store is currently out of stock on iPod nanos,
and it appears they are going to be in short supply up until Christmas.
Although a few have shipped, a number of people are on a waiting list. Apple has delayed the rest of
the order of iPod nanos. The estimated ship date is Dec. 15 for some and Dec. 20 for others,
but it is hoped they will ship sooner.
The store still has iPod with video in stock, including some 30-gigabyte models and lots of 60-gigabyte models.
Dec. 9 reception for distance-education graduates
by K. Strecker, Division of Continuing Education
published Dec. 6, 2005
K-State students who completed degrees through distance
education this fall will be honored by the Division of
Continuing Education. A reception is scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m. Dec. 9
in the K and S Ballroom of
the K-State Student Union, with congratulatory remarks by
Elizabeth Unger, vice provost for academic services and
technology and dean of continuing education, and Betty Stevens,
associate vice provost for IT partnerships and associate dean of
continuing education.
In addition, the 35th anniversary of TELENET 2, K-State's
videoconferencing network, will be celebrated.
For graduates who will be celebrating at a distance, a
virtual ceremony is online at www.dce.ksu.edu/commencement.
K-State family, friends and supporters can watch the welcome from
Unger and words of encouragement from Provost Duane Nellis, view the
processional list of graduates, and post messages of congratulations to
the graduates.
Apple open-mic night applications due today
by J. Deehr, K-State Apple campus representative
published Dec. 6, 2005
An Apple Open Mic Guitar Night is set for 7-9 p.m. Dec. 8
(Thu) in Union Station. Do you like to play guitar? Play your music and get recorded!
Don't play guitar? Enjoy good music, hot cocoa, and fresh-baked cookies.
A guitar will be available for use. Come prepared to play your heart
out, and don't forget to have fun! Each performer will be recorded
using Apple's GarageBand program and will receive a copy on CD (for free).
The entry deadline is Dec. 6 (today).
If you would like to perform, fill out an entry sheet and drop it off
at the Union Computer Store during business hours. To apply online,
go to www.ksuapplerep.com and
click on the Jam Session link. You will be contacted via e-mail
no later than 8 p.m. Dec. 7 with your scheduled time to perform.
Send questions to the K-State Apple Campus Rep Jason
Deehr, jdeehr@mac.com, or see
www.ksuapplerep.com for details.
Suggestions for improving your Scantron output
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Dec. 6, 2005
1. Make sure to set the correct settings on the scanner BEFORE
you scan. If you have questions that can have multiple answers,
you must select this option before you scan your cards.
2. Bring a storage device with you -- USB drive, floppy disk, or
zip drive. If you forget a storage device and must save your
file to the local machine temporarily, don't forget to delete
the file off of the local machine and empty the Recycle Bin when
you've finished uploading your file.
3. Remember to press the Esc key (Escape) after all the cards have
been scanned. If you don't, the last 6-8 cards won't be read.
4. After the scan, check your scanned file to make sure it contains
no asterisks. If you find an asterisk, that means something
didn't scan correctly and you will have to manually fix it,
either in the Scantron file or after it is imported into K-State
Online.
5. It's a good idea to spot-check a couple of your Scantron
cards just to double-check that you have scanned your cards
correctly and have set your answer key up correctly in K-State
Online.
6. If you need any assistance, contact the IT Help Desk
at 532-7722.
Union computer store hours during semester break
by C. Loehr, K-State Student Union Computer Store
published Dec. 6, 2005
The Union computer store's schedule during the holidays and semester break:
| through Dec. 16 (Fri) | Normal hours |
| Dec. 17 (Sat) | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (open longer hours) |
| Dec. 18 (Sun) | Closed |
| Dec 19-23 (Mon-Fri) | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Dec. 24-Jan. 2, 2006 | Closed |
| Jan. 3-6 (Tue-Fri) | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Jan. 7-8 (Sat-Sun) | Closed |
| Jan. 9-12 (Mon-Thu) | 8 a.m.-7 p.m. |
| Jan. 13 (Fri) | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Jan. 14-16 (Sat-Mon) | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Jan. 17 (Tue) | Resume regular semester hours |
IT by the numbers: K-State's wireless use
by R. Becker, Computing and Network Services
published Dec. 6, 2005
Wireless use at K-State has been steadily growing in the past few
years, with the number of concurrent users at any one time showing the
most growth.
The number of concurrent connections to K-State's wireless network exceeded
the IP address allocation of 765 on Nov. 29.
As a result, on Nov. 30 Computing and Network Services doubled the number of IP addresses available for wireless
to 1,530.
| Timeframe |
Total number of
wireless users |
Peak number of
concurrent users |
| April 1-30, 2004 |
1,176 |
274 |
| April 1-30, 2005 |
2,425 |
557 |
| Nov. 1-30, 2005 |
2,474 |
900 |
Laptops with wireless capability currently comprise 52 percent of student computers in the residence halls.
| Q/A: IT questions from K-Staters |
by B. Edwards, T. Ramsey, Computing and Network Services
published Dec. 6, 2005
Are GIF e-mail attachments a security risk?
They can be. Suspicious e-mail sometimes arrives, often with no text, and contains a single GIF attachment.
The purpose of the e-mail is debatable, but the intent is obviously to get the receiver to click on the attachment.
GIF attachments can be a security problem if:
- The attachment is named .GIF but is really an executable file.
Clicking on such an attachment can cause a hidden program to be installed on your computer.
- Your Windows computer is not up-to-date on its security patches.
Clicking on an attachment allows any known security loopholes to be exploited.
- You save it to a file and then open it.
Whenever an unexpected attachment arrives in e-mail, it's best to just delete it.
If it's unexpected and from a relative or friend, contact them first and ask if they
really meant to send you an attachment.
Have a question or comment?
TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
|
| Web watch |
gifts.com
by A. Hagedorn, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Dec. 6, 2005
The gifts.com shopping site
has more variety of gift ideas than most other sites or
articles out there, with multiple ways to search for gifts aside from price
-- including by recipient, interest, occasion, and category.
Search results include everything from tech gadgets to bath soaps.
Find a good site? TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
|
|
