[ECP] Educational CyberPlayGround NetHappenings Headlines and Resources

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Happy NetHappenings - Reading and Learning for today.
It's got some pretty smart stuff.

<Karen>


1)
PrivatePhone http://www.privatephone.com
is a free phone-number and voice-mail service created by NetZeroVoice.
Now you can give out your phone number and still remain anonymous.
All calls go straight to voice mail and you are alerted to the new message
via e-mail or through a text message on your cell phone.
Users can check the message over the phone or online.

2)
Why cell phone outage reports are secret
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/cell_phone.html
Consumers have no idea how reliable their cell phone service will be
when they buy a phone and sign a long-term contract. The Federal
Communications Commission  refuses to make public a detailed
database of cell phone provider outages that it has maintained since 2004.

3)
Student-led initiatives at UC Berkeley called ?Big Ideas?
http://bigideas.berkeley.edu
Last year, I started a program at  to
provide small grants to student-led initiatives, such as clubs,
project-oriented courses,  competitions, field work, and
greater student involvement in shaping future research, education,
and service activities.
Press
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/12/13_ideas.shtml
$100K annual, campus-wide competition http://contest.berkeley.edu
that helps identify interesting and high-impact student ideas.

4)
Evolutionary relationship between music and language.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/perfectpitch.html
Language is Music to the Brain. Music Education
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/home_music.html


5)
Forbes reports that Senator Ted Stevens  massive
telecommunications bill  quest to
overhaul America?s telecom laws ended in failure.
<http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2006/12/12/stevens-telecoms-
congress-face-cx_jh_1211autofacescan03.html>


6)
Your Webcam can watch your house while you're away
http://tinyurl.com/ls4uo
Connect a standard webcam to that computer.
Install Orb 2.0 and that's it...
http://orb.com/en/myextras

7)
US scientists reject interference
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6178213.stm
Campaigners say that in recent years the White House has been able to
censor the work of agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency
and the Food and Drug Administration
Some 10,000 US researchers have signed a statement protesting about
political interference in the scientific process.
The statement, which includes the backing of 52 Nobel Laureates,
demands a restoration of scientific integrity in government policy.
According to the American Union of Concerned Scientists, data is
being misrepresented for political reasons.
It claims scientists working for federal agencies have been asked to
change data to fit policy initiatives.
The Union has released an "A to Z" guide that it says documents
dozens of recent allegations involving censorship and political
interference in federal science, covering issues ranging from global
warming to sex education.

8)
Second Life Hype and the  numbers driving a lot of the
media / advertiser interest...
http://www.valleywag.com/tech/second-life/a-story-too-good-to-check-221252.php

9)
The West is not very highly concerned with the threat of cyber terrorism
http://www.regnum.ru/english/749825.html
2006 marks a kind of anniversary: 15 years of a fraud with counterfeited
advice notes, one of the major frauds in the history of world banking.
It was about faked credit notes. As a result, in 1991-92, 400 billion
rubles were embezzled from the Russian Central Bank. The results were
really catastrophic for Russia.
The unprecedented in world banking theft was ceased by joint effort of
the Central Bank staff and Russian Ancort Company that in a very short
time managed to elaborate and install a system of cryptographic
protection of notes. As a result, despite the continuing attempts made
by the crime, no fake credit note let take money illegally from the
Russian Central Bank. A REGNUM correspondent spoke about those events
with President of Ancort Co Anatoly Klepov.


Third exploit for Word released
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/12/13/HNthirdword_1.html
Hackers have released attack code that exploits a critical vulnerability
in Microsoft's Word software -- the third such bug to be disclosed in
the past week.
The proof of concept code was posted Tuesday on the Milw0rm.com Web
site, making it widely available to the hacking community. It exploits a
previously unreported bug in Word.

Symantec waves red flag over 'Big Yellow'
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasi
c&taxonomyName=security&articleId=9006160
Symantec Corp. customers who have not updated their antivirus software
are being targeted by a self-propegating worm, the company said Friday.
The worm, dubbed "Big Yellow," by security vendor eEye Digital Security
Inc. has been seen in a handful of attacks, and is not considered to be
a serious threat to most users, security vendors say.
The worm exploits a flaw in Symantec's Client Security and AntiVirus
Corporate Edition software, which was patched last May, so only
out-of-date versions of the product are at risk.

U.S. Warns of Threat to Satellites
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6278182,00.html
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration warned Wednesday against
threats by terrorist groups and other nations against U.S. commercial
and military satellites, and discounted the need for a treaty aimed at
preventing an arms race in space.

DHS, industry use LOGIIC to combat cyberthreats
http://www.gcn.com/print/25_34/42765-1.html
The Homeland Security Department has teamed with 13 organizations on a
12-month project to secure the process control systems of the nations
oil and gas industries against cybersecurity threats.

Engineer Indicted for Alleged Espionage
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4403727.html
SAN JOSE, Calif.  A Chinese engineer was charged Thursday with stealing
trade secrets from a Silicon Valley company that made military training
software and attempting to sell them to Asian governments.
Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, 42, a Chinese national with Canadian citizenship,
was indicted on 36 felony counts, including the rare charge of economic
espionage to benefit a foreign government and various violations of
military technology export laws.

Verizon to build fiber optic link to CHINA
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-12-18-verizon-china_x.htm
Verizon Communications plans to build an undersea, fiber-optic link
between the United States and China, partnering with China Telecom,
China Netcom, China Unicom, and companies in Korea and Taiwan.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2007 and end late in 2008.
Data transport speeds are predicted to reach 10 gigabits per second for
individual customers. The new line enhances a lower-speed system that
is the sole direct link between the two countries.

CHINA CENSORS THEIR PEOPLE!
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/SECURITYcensor.html

Hackers Selling Vista Zero-Day Exploit
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2073611,00.asp
Underground hackers are hawking zero-day exploits for Microsoft's new
Windows Vista operating system at $50,000 a pop, according to computer
security researchers at Trend Micro.
The Windows Vista exploitwhich has not been independently verifiedwas
just one of many zero-days available for sale at an auction-style
marketplace infiltrated by the Tokyo-based anti-virus vendor.
In an interview with eWEEK, Trend Micro's chief technology officer,
Raimund Genes, said prices for exploits for unpatched code execution
flaws are in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, depending on the popularity
of the software and the reliability of the attack code.

ePassports 'at risk' from cloning
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/6182207.stm
The ePassport is one of the many measures pursued by the United States
and governments internationally after the horror of 11 September.
It will, we are promised, keep the unwanted and dangerous outside our
borders, while streamlining entry for those welcome to come and visit.
But as the implementation of the scheme gets underway it is becoming
clear that there could be serious problems with it.
With the old passport, we knew where we stood. If you lost it you knew
you had lost it, but with the new, machine readable passports the story
is very different.
When you take a digital photo the image is, in effect, a code, which
means that however many prints you make they are all exactly the same.

Hacker sues bank for his time
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/3903065a6437.html
A man who admitted hacking into the Reserve Bank's telephone system now
wants $7500 from the organisation for using his information to upgrade
its security.

VanBokkelen: 2006: The year of the breach
http://tinyurl.com/y687nn
The year 2006 may go down in computer security history as the year of
the breach. As of Dec. 1, more than 36 million people in the United
States might have had their personal information compromised this year
by hackers, laptop computer theft or information security blunders. More
than 97 million records are potentially at risk of identity theft
because of nearly 300 separate breaches, and the year isn't over.


10)
Class president at Cooper City High charged with changing
 grades of 19 students
http://tinyurl.com/yy6of9
Ryan C. Shrouder, 18, of Cooper City, was taken to jail from school and
charged with two counts of computer crime with intent to defraud, a
second-degree felony, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office report. He
was released from jail on bail, has been suspended from school and will
be recommended for expulsion, said Joe Melita, head of the Broward
County School District's investigative unit.
Shrouder serves as the alternate student advisor to the Broward School
Board. He often sits in on board meetings and was issued a school
district laptop computer. Sheriff's Office investigators say Shrouder
took advantage of that access and used an employee password to access
the district's network and change the grades of 19 students. It's
unclear whether authorities think he changed his own grades.

11)
Those Hippies! known for sex, drugs, and rock and roll
and the 9th wonder of the world the  .www now recognized by
TIME -  everyone sing -
"YOU say you want a revolution . .  well . . . you know
we're gonna save the world"
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/IEC/iecmusicbeatles.html
Defeat Cenors!

12)
Save the Date! Thursday, Jan 18th, 2007 2007 - 6:00 p.m.
Public Forum on Media Ownership With
Federal Communications Commissioners Michael J. Copps and
Jonathan S. Adelstein (Additional Panelists TBA)
Temple University, Gladfelter Hall Philadelphia PA
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the
Smthsonian-Showtime Deal
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-275
Title: Additional Information Should Be Developed and Provided to
Filmmakers on the Impact of the Showtime Contract
The report was requested by the House Subcommittee on Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations.
A summary is at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07275high.pdf
Excerpts:
The Smithsonian followed its internal contracting guidelines regarding
competition, oversight, and conflicts of interest. When it began
exploring a television venture in 2002, it approached 18 major media
companies and negotiated with two before reaching a deal with
Showtime. The process was overseen by Smithsonian Business Ventures?
(SBV) Board of Directors and the Smithsonian?s Board of Regents, who
approved the contract in November 2005. When SBV?s Chief Executive
Officer disclosed a potential conflict of interest, the Smithsonian?s
Ethics Officer reviewed the disclosure in accordance with Smithsonian
policies and concluded that no conflict existed. GAO?s Ethics Officer
concurred with the Smithsonian?s decision.
The Smithsonian has been working to implement policies and procedures
necessary under the contract since it became effective in January
2006, but the information that it has provided to interested parties
has been insufficient. The Smithsonian and Showtime waited until March
2006 to publicly announce the new venture and did not implement
internal processes to review filming requests for compliance with the
contract until after the public announcement. The Smithsonian has
created a committee to review filming requests, but does not document
in detail its rationale for key decisions or attempt to synthesize
these decisions over time. Also, the "Frequently Asked Questions" on
the Smithsonian?s Web site provides little information for filmmakers
about the new contract.
The Smithsonian contends that it will be able to accommodate the same
level of filming activity as it has in the past based on its
historical analysis of filming contracts.
GAO found that this analysis was unreliable because it was based
on incomplete data and oversimplified criteria.
In addition, concerns have been raised about damage to the
Smithsonian?s image and the appropriateness of limiting
the use of the collections held in trust for the American public
"Smithsonian Deal With Showtime Passes Muster: GAO Finds Researchers'
Access Is Unaffected"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121
501894.html
contact Media Tank www.mediatank.org 215-563-1100
100 S. Broad St., Ste 1318 Philadelphia, PA 19110

13)
For Teachers: The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006,
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/newteacher.html
Congress recently passed a tax bill that temporarily
extends three popular tax breaks for classroom teachers.
President Bush's signature, allows teachers to deduct
up to $250 in out-of-pocket classroom expenses,
even if they don't itemize deductions.


14)
K -12 ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES
ONLINE SCHOOLS FLUNK AUDIT
http://tinyurl.com/y7l847
A recently released state audit described a booming online
education system with poor student performance, sloppy
accounting and lax oversight of taxpayer dollars by the
Colorado Department of Education.

15)
BEFORE CHILDREN ASK, "WHATS RECESS?"
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/play.asp
A survey of 15,000 school districts conducted in 1999
found that 40 percent of public elementary schools were
either eliminating recess or cutting back on it or considering
one or the other.  Before that, elementary school pupils
often had a 10- to 20-minute recess in the morning, another
after lunch and a third in the afternoon.
Only 3 states require recess and 10 recommend it.

16)
ReGifting Just in case you need it http://regift.net/

17)
Microsoft made its game-development tools available to everyone ­including students. 
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6176023.stm>
Five UK development software can be downloaded for free.

18)
Social Networking Mashups & Info:

Hook ups
http://www.dodgeball.com/

Myspace coming to cell phones
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6144395.html
Cingular Wireless plans to offer its customers a version of the
social-networking site MySpace.com on its phones for about $3 a month.
Cell-phone service provider Helio also offers MySpace services on its phones.

YES!! <Karen>
Internet marketing FTC's going to require that advertisers
disclose their relationships with paid bloggers,
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101389.html>. 
Procter & Gamble's use of "a volunteer force of 250,000 teenagers to
promote the company's products to friends and relatives."
The FTC's action appears to address the online version of existing word-of-mouth regulations. 

19)
As founder of the Grameen Bank receives Nobel Peace Prize, the profile
of microcredit lending grows Bangladeshi Economist Claims Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony 2006
http://nobelprize.org/award_ceremonies/ceremony_oslo/video/2006/index.html

20)
Folk Life Radio - Whole Wheat Radio - it's free
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/folkmusic.html
get Winamp 5.3.2 - it's free
http://www.winamp.com/

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