News Items for 2003

December

• David Byrne of Talking Heads fame has discovered a newsearch engines artistic medium—PowerPoint, as CNN reports. (12/31)
   

• Timothy C. O'Rourke, Vice President of Computer and Information Services, has updated his bi-monthly welcome message to the University community. (12/26)
   

• The mail forwarding option formerly available through the E-mail Drop feature in the Cherry & White Pages has been discontinued. If you wish to forward your @temple.edu e-mail to another account, please use the TUmail fowarding option. For more details, see the Cherry & White Pages help site. (12/26)
   

• CNN reports on "10 technologies to watch in 2004." (12/26)
   

• An underground data storage facility built into a Pennsylvania mountain is becoming a popular location for companies to archive their data, as Computerworld reports. (12/17)
   

• Apple's new Panther operating system (Mac OS 10.3) has many strengths, as BBC News reports. (12/16)
   

• Toshiba has developed a hard disk roughly the size of a nickel to be used in phones, as MSNBC reports. (12/15)
   

• Computer Services has updated the Mac OS X setup instructions for connecting to Temple's wireless zones. To access these instructions, go to the wireless website and click on Register & Obtain Setup Instructions. Note that you will be prompted to enter your AccessNet username and password. (12/12)
   

• The California city of Cerritos (population 51,000), which is unable to receive DSL Broadband or Cable Internet access, is about to become the first to establish citywide wireless access, as CNN reports. (12/12)
   

• Microsoft is investigating whether to patch a flaw in its browser that could lead to identity theft, as USA Today reports. (12/12)
   

• The Intranet Journal has an in-depth discussion on finding, removing and preventing online pests such as spyware and more. (12/10)
   

• The Mayo Clinic has a growing electronic database warehouse that enables doctors to research conditions and treat patients, as Technology Review reports. (12/9)
   

• Temple is featured in a Computerworld article on how universities are dealing with peer-to-peer file sharing activities. (12/9)
   

• Laptop computer prices are becoming more competitive with desktop models, as USA Today reports. (12/8)
   

• Online advertising is making a comeback, as Wired reports. (12/8)
   

• The Online Journalism Review reports on the current trend among many newspapers to merge print staff with online staff. (12/2)
   

• With help from GIMPS (Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search), the largest known prime number has been discovered, as New Scientist reports. (12/2)

November

• Timothy C. O'Rourke, Vice President of Computer and Information Services, announces Temple University's peer-to-peer file sharing policy. (11/26)
   

• Scientists are experimenting with various alternative energy sources for powering electronic devices, as ABCNews reports. (11/26)
   

• Tired of carrying around a credit card? Then you may want to consider having a radio frequency identification tag (RFID) chip implanted under your skin, as Wired reports. (11/25)
   

• Psychology researchers are experimenting with the use of virtual reality to help people overcome their fears, as ABCNews reports. (11/24)
   

• This week's Newsweek evaluates the mixed blessings of  technology and features a look at possible new frontiers. (11/20)
   

• An update regarding Temple's network disruption has been posted as a Top Story on Temple's What's New page. (11/20)
   

• Network/System Status:  Internet service at Temple was restored at 3:45 a.m. this morning.  The Computer Services staff worked through the night with Verizon to resolve the problem. Now that the network is up and running, Temple resources are accessible and e-mail is available, but delivery may be delayed while messages waiting in line are processed. (11/20)
   

• Network/System Status:  Due to an external Internet problem, the Temple network is available on-campus, but performance is sluggish. On-campus users, however, are restricted to Temple resources only. These resources include Temple's web pages, TUportal (including Blackboard), and e-mail. Users outside of campus cannot access these services. While e-mail is somewhat accessible on campus, mail sent to or arriving from external sources is not being processed. Computer Services is working with Verizon to resolve this network problem. (11/19)
   

• A new schedule of computer seminars for December, January, and February has just been posted on the seminars.temple.edu website. Popular seminars are are back by demand as well as new topics such as Microsoft Office XP Essentials Certificate Program and Tips and Tricks for Performing Online Research. Current student, faculty, and staff are welcome to take advantage of these free seminars. (11/18)
   

• Virus Alert & AOL Instant Messaging:  A new Trojan Horse virus called Sinkin is being spread through AOL Instant Messenger. For details, see the System Status web page. (11/18)
   

• A special antivirus issue of Bits&PCs summarizing Temple's antivirus program is now in is now available in Acrobat format. 
   

• Virus Alert:  Be on the lookout for the Mimail.i worm, a new computer virus that arrives as an e-mail attachment. Similar to a previous worm, the message targets PayPal users. Details about the worm are available in a ZDNet article. Be sure to protect your computer from viruses by participating in Temple's "The BUG Stops Here" antivirus campaign. (11/18)
   

• MSNBC offers a technology shopping guide for the holiday season. (11/17)
   

• Partnerships formed between the technology industry and educational institutions raise controversy, as ZDNet reports. (11/17)
   

• This week's Temple Times features an article on Temple's AntiVirus program. (11/13)
   

• Security Update: Microsoft has released a number of new critical patches for the Windows operating system. For security reasons, it is important that you install these patches by running Windows Update. (11/12)
   

• This week marks the 20th anniversary of the first documented computer virus, as BBC News reports. (11/11)
   

• If your PC makes too much noise, Endpcnoise may have a solution for you, as CNN reports. (11/11)
   

• Some students are questioning Penn State's use of tech funds to pay for the campus Napster subscription service, as MSN reports. (11/7)
   

• Microsoft is offering rewards for information leading to the arrest of the original authors of the Blaster worm and Sobig virus, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. (11/5)
   

• Even if you are Internet-savvy, it's easy to fall prey to e-mail scams, as MSNBC reports. (11/5)

October

• Ariel Silverstone, Chief Information Security Officer, has sent an e-mail message announcing that current students, faculty, and staff can now obtain Temple's Symantec Antivirus software for home use for a small charge. For details about this program, see the www.temple.edu/antivirus website. (10/31)
   
• Virus Alert: A new virus called W32.Mimail.C@mm is now in circulation. This virus takes advantage of security vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system.  To protect your computer, run Windows Update to make sure you have all the critical patches installed. For more details about this virus, see the Symantec website. (10/31)
   
• The Tech.life section of today's Philadelphia Inquirer includes answers to some useful FAQs. (10/30)
   
• Ariel Silverstone, Chief Information Security Officer, has sent an e-mail message to residence hall students, faculty, and staff announcing Temple's initiative to have Symantec Antivirus software installed on all campus computers. The software is available from the antivirus.temple.edu website. Access to this website is restricted to on-campus use.  (10/28)
   
• PC Magazine casts its votes for the 101 most useful websites. (10/28)
  
  
• Using laptops in airplanes has helped reduce flight delays and improve safety, as USA Today reports. (10/22)
  
  
• ZDNet news reports on the newest version of Microsoft Office software—Office 2003. (10/22)
  
  
• Apple has launched a Windows version of its popular iTunes online music service, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. (10/17)
  
  
• Security Update: Microsoft has released a number of new critical patches for the Windows operating system. For security reasons, it is important that you install these patches by running Windows Update. (10/15)
  
  
• Behind the scenes, wireless technology played an important role during R.E.M.'s current tour, as CNN reports. (10/15)
  
  
  
• Budget Unit Heads: The Office of Telecommunications has standardized University phone bills in a new web format and has made them available for review through FMS on the web or Report2Web. (10/13)
  
  
• Future software will enable you to sketch drawings directly into a computer and then animate what you have created, as CNN reports. (10/13)
  
  
• Microsoft has released a critical patch for Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5, 6.0, and Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows Server 2003.  To obtain the patch, run Windows Update. (10/7)
  
  
• Congratulations to the following winners who entered the CS raffle at Homecoming: Kevin Sullivan, Ramenta Warren, Alex Gehman, Curtis Chandler, John J. Yust, Shawn Bennett, and Pam Simmons.
  
  
• Network Status:  Due to an outbreak of another variant of the Welchia worm, you may experience slow service when connecting to Temple resources or accessing the Internet on campus. The reason for slow performance is the Welchia worm is overloading the firewalls protecting Temple's network. Computer Services is aware of the problem and working to isolate and remove the sources of infection on campus. (10/6)
  
  
• America Online is launching a new AOL Latino service, aimed at the growing number of U.S. households where Spanish is the primary spoken language, as MSNBC reports. (10/1)
  
  

September

• An article in the Online Journalism Review examines the question of editing newspaper weblogs. (9/25)

• The annual DEMOMobile show presents what's new in mobile technology products, as PC World reports. (9/25)

• Microsoft announces plans to cancel chat room services in several countries, as CNN reports. (9/24)

• During the first half of this year, mobile phones with built-in cameras outsold digital cameras, as PC World reports. (9/23)

• The Internet and satellite classes offer service members on active duty the opportunity to earn their college degrees, as CNN reports. (9/23)

• A new type of LCD screen brightens laptop viewing, as The Mercury News reports. (9/22)

• Scientists are looking to DNA as inspiration for new computer devices, as CNN reports. (9/22)

• A new worm, called "Swen" or "Gibe," is making the rounds by disguising itself as an official warning from Microsoft, as the Washington Post reports. (9/19)
   

• Hand-powered gadgets are becoming popular, as MSNBC reports. (9/17)
   

• E-mail Hoax Alert: A virus advisory e-mail message with false information is again being circulated.  The message may or may not come from someone you know. The text of the message explains that your address book is infected and you must delete a file named JDBGMGR.Exe. Please ignore this message and do not erase the file. For more information about this hoax which surfaced last year, please see the ZDNet website. (9/17)
   

• For Students:  Did you know that you can access OWLnet through the TUportal website?  Just log in to TUportal using your AccessNet username and password and click on the OWLnet tab. (9/16)
   

• Future computer displays may eliminate the screen altogether and project images in the air, as CNN reports. (9/15)
  

• If you receive an e-mail message with the subject "It's near 911" or "The War Has Started," don't open the message.  These messages include computer viruses, as CNN reports. (9/11)
   

• The Microsoft critical security bulletin announced yesterday (see news item below) has since been picked up as a critical issue by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (9/11)
   

• Important Security Alert:  Microsoft has released a critical security bulletin for computers running Windows XP, 2000, NT 4.0, or Server 2003. See a memo issued by Ariel Silverstone, Chief Information Security Officer, for details on how to protect your computer. (9/10)
   

• Who is being sued by the music industry for illegally downloading music?  CNN features two of the defendants. (9/9)
   

• Due to the success of the OpenCourseWare project, MIT is expanding their free course materials website to include more topics, as an article in the BBC reports. (9/9)
   

• Have you checked out the our Live Webcams?  Get a live view of the Bell Tower and Liacouras Walk by clicking on Temple's Live Cams on the bottom right corner of the main CS website. The view refreshes automatically every 45 seconds. (9/8)
   

• The music industry has issued 261 lawsuits nationwide against individuals for music downloading and sharing copyright violations, as MSNBC reports. (9/8)
   

• Microsoft has released a new critical patch for computers running Windows as well as a number of security patches for Microsoft Office.  To obtain these patches, please run Windows Update. (9/3)
   

• TUportal/Blackboard Status:  At 4:15 p.m. today (Wednesday, 9/3), performance on TUportal and Blackboard 6 was seriously degraded. Computer Services immediately brought the system down, contacted Blackboard, and began troubleshooting. By 7:00 p.m., the system was restored and performance was back to normal. During this process, however, a coding issue with Blackboard 6 was discovered. Computer Services alerted Blackboard and we will install a fix later this week. In the interim, Computer Services is carefully monitoring the system. (9/3)
   

• Residence Hall Students:  If you have requested assistance getting your Internet connection activated, we want you to know that your request has not been forgotten. Requests are backlogged due to a new virus outbreak this week brought to campus on some student computers. Computer Services is rolling out a new managed anti-virus solution as fast as possible to minimize ongoing virus threats. We apologize for the delay in responding to your request. Please remember that, in the meantime, you have 24-hour access to computers in Tuttleman during the week, with weekend hours in Paley as well. (9/3)
   

• Network Status:  Internet traffic going outside the University is slow due to unusually high traffic patterns in the residence halls.  Computer Services is investigating this activity to try and resolve the problem. (9/2)
   

• Virus Alert:  The Welchia virus has been found on a number of campus computers running Windows. To guard against infection, make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date and be sure to run Windows Update to obtain the very latest security patches. (9/1)
   

• Residence Hall Students:  A number of student computers in the residence halls have become infected by the Welchia virus. Computer Services had to turn off ports in several rooms to prevent the spread of the virus on the network. If you are a residence hall student, do not connect to the network unless you have up-to-date virus software on your computer. You are urged to do this to protect your computer from becoming infected and to stop the virus from spreading. (9/1)

August

• What technology resources does Temple offer? Find out in the Getting Connected at Temple guide which includes a summary of services for new students and updated information for returning students. The guide is available online in Acrobat format. You can download a free copy of the Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. (8/27)
  

• Residence Hall Students: If your computer is running Windows XP, 2000, or NT, you must pick up a copy of the Getting Connected CD. The CD will ensure that your computer is protected against the Blaster computer worm and also take you through the process of obtaining an Internet connection in your room. The CD and connecting instructions are now available at the Help Desk and the Tyler and Ambler Computer Services departments. Beginning Thursday, (8/28), they will also be available in the residence halls. (8/27)