No IT newsletter during spring break
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 6, 2007
The InfoTech Tuesday newsletter will not be published next week
during spring break. Publication resumes March 27. Spring break is a good time to
catch up on IT presentations that may have been missed this semester, including:
Why would I want a wiki?
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
A wiki is defined by Wikipedia as "a website that allows visitors to add,
remove, and otherwise edit and change content, typically without the need
for registration." The power of a wiki is the ease with which you can
collaborate online. A wiki empowers users to create and edit Web content
without having to know HTML.
Wikis can be used for various collaboration efforts such as:
- Research papers
- Creating and maintaining documentation
- Class projects
- Team efforts
Wikis can be publicly accessible or password-protected. Find out
more about wikis at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIKI.
For those interested in experimenting with wikis, many free services are available. A few
of the popular ones are PBWiki, BrainKeeper, and Wetpaint. If you are unsure
which wiki to choose, WikiMatrix (www.wikimatrix.org)
provides a tool to compare various wikis.
Palm devices need DST updates, too
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
Last Friday evening, just before the weekend Daylight Saving Time change,
some K-Staters received e-mail that their Palm devices also need to be updated to reflect the time change.
Without the updates, "calendar events and e-mail messages will indicate an hour off the
actual time in locations that observe DST," says Palm's
Daylight Saving Time updates
webpage. It has downloads for DST updates and also lists affected Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices,
including Treo, LifeDrive, Tungsten, Zire, and TX models.
TechBytes upcoming sessions: Camtasia Studio; from PC to Mac
by C. Rodriguez, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
"Record, Edit and Share with Camtasia Studio"
1:15 p.m. Thursday, March 15, Union 213 (note different weekday)
Gerry Snyder will cover how to
capture your PowerPoint presentation, edit it, add pop-up notes and annotations, and
then share it on the Web, CD, or even on an iPod. This easy-to-use program also allows
you to record screenshots, add video of a lecturer, insert interactive quizzes, and then
edit the presentation for delivery in most common media formats.
Two weeks from now: "Transitioning from the PC to the Mac"
1:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, Union 213.
TechBytes seminars are free and open to the K-State community.
The series is also video streamed live for off-campus viewers and others
who wish to view it from their desktop. Visit the TechBytes site for
a link to the next live video, plus handouts, videos, and resources from previous seminars.
GIS lecture to be rebroadcast March 14-16
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
The "GIS Vision and Enabling Technology" lecture presented by Jack Dangermond March 8
as part of the Provost Lecture Series
will be rebroadcast three times this week on TV channel KST8 (Cox Cable Channel 8):
- Wednesday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, March 15, at 7 p.m.
- Friday, March 16, at 8 p.m.
The spring 2007 broadcast schedule for the lecture series is available in a
PDF document on the Educational Communications Center website.
Questions about channel KST8 and its programming
can be directed to Sue Jagerson, 785-532-3105.
Geocaching, a scavenger hunt with GPS units
by E. Dover, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
For those of you who already have a GPS (Global Positioning System),
there's a cool activity called geocaching that you may want to check
out. Geocaching is similar to a giant world wide scavenger hunt played
with GPS units.
People will hide "caches" with notes, objects, or puzzles for others to
find using their GPS units. Someone hides a cache, notes the GPS
coordinates, and then posts the coordinates on the geocaching.com
website, which acts as a global directory for caches. This activity can
be enjoyed by anyone, as long as they or a friend have a GPS unit.
Some cache sites require hiking, while others are hidden in
easy-to-access locations for all to participate. Check out
geocaching.com for more information and let it guide your adventure.
IT projects during spring break
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
These are some of the IT projects in the works during spring break:
- KATS final updates to prepare for fall/summer enrollment starting March 26
- Plasma screen and Polycom installation in Hale Library
- Projector installation in Military Science
- Planning for a 77-inch diagonal interactive whiteboard installation in Hale Library
- Maintenance and cleaning of K-State's 42 technology classrooms
Security tip: Beware of Internet cafes as you travel
by H. Townsend. interim IT security officer
published March 13, 2007
With spring break next week, many travelers will visit an Internet Cafe or other public
Internet location to check their e-mail or bank accounts, book their next hotel stay, etc.
Be aware that Internet cafes are popular targets for criminals wanting to steal your personal
or financial information.
A typical approach is to install a program called a "keylogger" on a public computer. It
intercepts every keystroke you type, watching for patterns that look like a password or
credit card number, then sends that information to the criminal. "Shoulder surfing" is also a
risk in public places -- where someone watches you type your password, account number, or PIN.
There is little you can do to reliably determine if a public computer is safe.
Many keylogger programs are very effective at concealing themselves. You can ask the proprietor of the facility
about their computers' security, but can you trust the proprietor or even speak their language?
The only sure way to be safe is to not use untrusted computers when entering passwords or financial information.
Use them to check the weather, flight schedules, or things to do in your next destination, but do not enter
private information. Instead, use a computer in a trusted location, like the business office of a
reputable hotel, if you absolutely must enter private information.
IT by the numbers: K-State student elections March 6-7
by B. Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center
published March 13, 2007
According to Bill Harlan in Student Activities and Services, the following numbers
accrued from the K-State student body elections March 6-7:
| Number | K-State student elections, spring 2007 |
| 5,385 | Students who participated in the March 6-7 elections
(logged in to the SGA elections website) |
| 9.85% | Student voters logged in during first hour of voting |
| 51% | Student voters who had voted by 1 p.m. the first day |
| 5 | Years the current online voting system has been used |
|
