IT in the news: 100 million websites, Wikipedia, cyberbullies
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Nov. 7, 2006
- In October, the Web reportedly reached a milestone of 100 million websites according to Netcraft, a company that monitors
Internet growth. By comparison, Netcraft recorded only 18,000 websites in August 1995, and the 50-million mark was reached
in May 2004. See CNN.com's Nov. 1 article,
Web reaches new milestone: 100 million sites.
- An entry for the WS32.Blaster worm in the German version of Wikipedia, de.wikipedia.org, was recemtly altered by
hackers to contain a link to a virus. Hackers then sent mass e-mail about the page. Editors deleted the links when discovered,
but it's unknown how long the links were available. See CNET.com's Nov. 6 report,
Wikipedia used to spread malicious code.
- K-State experts discuss combating cyberbullying.
Bullies have emerged in cyberspace and are striking across the country, able to steal a child's pride instead of lunch money.
K-State Media Relations, Oct. 26, 2006
IT training for November-December now open for registration
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Nov. 7, 2006
iTAC's
IT training calendars for November and December are now
online. All classes are free for K-State faculty, staff, and
graduate students, but require pre-registration. Details will be
listed on the individual registration pages. Courses include:
- Introduction to HTML
- Introduction to Dreamweaver
- Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets
- Working with CSS in Dreamweaver MX
- Electronic Grade Submission
- K-State Calendar
- Searching and Querying for Your Data in Microsoft Access
TechBytes Nov. 10: Getting the most out of Web 2.0 with Personalized Portals
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Nov. 7, 2006
Michael Wesch will discuss "Getting the most out of Web 2.0 with
Personalized Portals" at this week's TechBytes session, 1:15 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10, in 501 Hale Library.
The recent explosion of blogs, wikis, mashups, AJAX, trackbacks,
feeds, and social networking have transformed the Web beyond
its paper-imitation beginnings into a thoroughly new form of
media many are calling "Web 2.0". The possibilities for
networking, collaborating, and research are tremendous, but
using these new technologies effectively requires a thorough
understanding of how each Web 2.0 format is different and how
each can serve different functions. In this presentation, Wesch will
illustrate how personalized portals such as Netvibes and
Pageflakes can be used to integrate different Web 2.0
technologies to create the most effective match for your needs.
TechBytes seminars are free and open to the K-State community.
This series also will be video streamed live for off-campus
viewers. Visit the TechBytes website for:
- additional details, handouts, and resources from previous seminars
- a downloadable schedule for this semester
- links to both live and archived videos of TechByte programs
Fall deals at the Union Computer Store
by C. Loehr, K-State Student Union Computer Store, and B. Edwards, iTAC
published Nov. 7, 2006
The K-State Student Union Computer Store has special prices on iBook and iMac computers. As of Nov. 6, the sale
items are
- 20-inch iMac Intel CoreDuo, $999
- 17-inch iMac Intel CoreDuo, $799
- 14-inch iBook G4, $699
- 12-inch iBook G4, $599
For details, see the
Fall Deals flier (PDF)
and contact the computer store, 785-532-7319, computerstore@k-state.edu.
Send technology classroom software requests by Dec. 1
by E. Perez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Nov. 7, 2006
Over the winter break, iTAC staff
will be updating the images on all of the technology classroom podium computers. Instructors who have requests
beyond the standard software installed should e-mail Ernie Perez,
ern@k-state.edu by Dec. 1. This will ensure sufficient time to test
the requested software and install it on the appropriate computer(s).
Instructors requesting software will need
to specify in which tech classroom the software is needed, and must provide installation media as well as proof of a
license to use the software for each room needed. This includes software that was previously installed on the computers,
but is not part of the standard software. This ensures the only software installed is actively being used,
and any unused programs are removed from these computers.
The standard software for technology classroom computers will include:
- Microsoft Office 2003
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Access
- Publisher
- Corel WordPerfect Office X3
- WordPerfect
- Quatrro Pro
- Presentations
- Internet Explorer 7.0
- Mozilla Firefox 2.0
- Flash Player
- Java Runtime
- Divx Codec
- PowerDVD
- iTunes
- Quicktime
- Real Player
- Acrobat Reader
- Trend Micro Antivirus
Remove personal files from tech classroom computers by Dec. 22
by N. Brown, Information Technology Assistance Center
published Nov. 7, 2006
Instructors who are using the technology classroom computers should remove and back up any personal files on those computers by
Dec. 22. If you need assistance backing up your data, call 532-4918
prior to Dec. 22 to arrange a time to meet with Information Technology Assistance Center staff.
iTAC staff will be re-imaging the computers over the winter break and will be deleting all files stored on the computers.
Mac user group monthly meeting Nov. 11
by C. Loehr, K-State Student Union Computer Store, and B. Edwards, iTAC
published Nov. 7, 2006
Everyone is cordially invited to attend the monthly meetings of the Kaw River Macintosh Users' Group (KRMUG).
This group is for novice to experienced users. Coffee and donuts are present at every meeting.
Meetings are on the second Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-noon in Bluemont 016 (Catalyst Center) on K-State's Manhattan campus.
Guest visits are welcome. Dues are $10 per year.
The next meeting is 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Nov. 11. Mark these future meetings on your calendar:
- Dec. 9
- Jan. 13, 2007
- Feb. 10, 2007
- March 10, 2007
- April 14, 2007
- May 12, 2007
The group's purpose is to instruct and inform
users of Macintosh computers on software and hardware issues, as well as
provide a community for the sharing of ideas and experiences.
For more details, see the KRMUG website.
Security tip: Know thy security software
by H. Townsend. interim IT security officer
published Nov. 7, 2006
For Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, SIRT sponsored a
cybersecurity quiz/contest with computer speakers donated by the Union Computer Store as the prize (see the
Oct. 24 article). Much to the consternation of K-State's
IT security officer, the most frequently missed question on the quiz was "Which of the following is an example
of an antivirus software?"
The possible answers were:
a. Spybot Search and Destroy
b. Trend Micro OfficeScan
c. Defrag
d. Ad-Aware
Regular readers of InfoTech Tuesday of course know the correct answer is "b".
Trend Micro OfficeScan is the antivirus software licensed by K-State to protect Microsoft Windows, Novell Netware,
and Linux computers. Spybot and Ad-Aware are anti-spyware tools, and Defrag is a Windows utility to help clean up
and improve the performance of disk drives.
Computer users are still considered the weakest link in an institution's IT security program,
so it is critically important that K-Staters become familiar with the security tools available and
then use those tools to protect yourself, your computer, and K-State's information resources.
IT by the numbers: Network-access blocks last week
by H. Townsend, interim IT security officer
published Nov. 7, 2006
27 = Number of K-State computers that had their network access blocked last week
because they had not yet converted to the Trend Micro antivirus software and were still
running Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition after the license expired.
When you consider there are at least 10,000 computers on the K-State campus that run
Microsoft Windows, having only 27 miss the deadline indicates people have done an excellent job
making the transition to the new security software.
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