EDUPAGE> Edupage, April 09, 2003
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: K12Newsletters <k12newsletters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 08:00:00 -0500
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K12NewsLetters - From Educational CyberPlayGround
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/
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Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 17:22:23 -0600
From: EDUCAUSE@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Edupage, April 09, 2003
To: EDUPAGE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 09, 2003
Clarke Says More Resources Are Needed
Homeland Security Portal Unveiled
New Security Standards Group Formed
Intel and Others Join Wireless Broadband Group
AND
Report Urges National Database to Track Graduation
Computers That Monitor Users
CLARKE SAYS MORE RESOURCES ARE NEEDED
Richard Clarke, the former cybersecurity advisor to President Bush,
this week told Congress that more resources must be allocated to the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement the president's
plans. Clarke stressed the dangers posed by cyber-terrorists and called
on the government to establish a National Cybersecurity Center and to
create the position of federal chief information security officer.
Michael Vatis, former director of the National Infrastructure
Protection Center, also testified and reiterated many of the points
Clarke made. Vatis said that because of the recent restructuring and
inadequate provisions of the new department, the federal government is
less prepared to deal with cyber threats than it was a year ago. Clarke
offered a list of recommendations for improving the DHS's readiness
for cyber threats. David Wray, spokesman for the DHS, said the
department still has many open positions, including in the cyber
division, and said the DHS is appropriately structured to handle
threats.
Washington Post, 8 April 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55783-2003Apr8.html
HOMELAND SECURITY PORTAL UNVEILED
A new Web site has been unveiled to help municipalities across the
United States deal with disasters and other emergency situations.
DisasterHelp.gov includes maps and other geographic information system
data, tools for secure online chats among emergency response personnel,
and links to 17 nongovernmental assistance agencies and to 27 federal
disaster help sites. Later this month a Disaster Management
Interoperability Services tool kit will be available on the site. The
tool kit will allow police, fire, and ambulance units to communicate
through the portal in times of disasters. Currently those groups have
difficulty communicating because they use a variety of equipment, not
all of which is compatible, and different radio frequencies. The site
was created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 26 partner
agencies.
ComputerWorld, 8 April 2003
http://www.idg.net/ic_1304891_9677_1-5041.html
NEW SECURITY STANDARDS GROUP FORMED
Members of the Trusted Computer Platform Alliance this week announced
that the alliance has been disbanded and promptly reformed into the
Trusted Computing Group. Whereas the older organization was focused
largely on standards, the new group adds to that a marketing arm to try
to introduce its standards into every conceivable computing device.
Although the group will push hard for adding security technology to
computer hardware, a move strongly supported by the entertainment
industry, the group said it is not motivated by such urging from record
and movie companies. A spokesman for the Trusted Computing Group said
that "security on a platform can only get so good with software-only
solutions." Some privacy advocates expressed concern that the types of
technologies the group endorses will not adequately protect
individuals' privacy, though Geoffrey Strongin of Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD), one of the group's members, argued that adding security
components to hardware will actually increase privacy protections. The
five founding members of the group are AMD, Hewlett-Packard, IBM,
Intel, and Microsoft.
ZDNet, 9 April 2003
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-996032.html
INTEL AND OTHERS JOIN WIRELESS BROADBAND GROUP
Several makers of electronics equipment announced this week that they
will work with Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax)
to develop products compatible with the 802.16a wireless standard. Some
argue that the 802.16a standard, which is effective at ranges of up to
30 miles and at speeds of up to 70 Mbps, offers a viable alternative to
DSL and cable modems for broadband service. Many carriers say that the
costs of installing DSL infrastructure are too high to justify doing so
in rural or sparsely populated areas. By contrast, an 802.16a network
saves as much as half for installation, according to an official of
WiMax. Hardware costs for individual users pose a hurdle, however.
Whereas 802.11b cards can be had for $50 or less, an 802.16a modem
currently costs about $1,000. Members of WiMax, who include Intel,
Nokia, and Fujitsu Microelectronics America, anticipate that price
dropping to around $300.
CNET, 8 April 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1039-995994.html
AND
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REPORT URGES NATIONAL DATABASE TO TRACK GRADUATION
According to a report by the Lumina Foundation for Education, states
should create a national database to track students' progress toward
graduation, especially those who transfer to institutions in different
states. The report states that of the students who earn bachelor's
degrees, half attend two or more institutions, and these students are
often inaccurately tracked as dropouts. Forty-six databases of this
sort exist in 39 states, of which roughly half link within but not
across states. They share basic information categories on 69 percent of
the nation's full-time enrollment. The existing databases all use
Social Security numbers to track students, however, which presents an
obstacle to creating a national database due to federal privacy rules
and the challenge of securely using these numbers as identity theft and
privacy concerns mount. The report concludes that a national database
would allow institutions to "be better able to judge their own
performance and direct their resources where they're most needed and
can be most effective."
Chronicle of Higher Education, 9 April 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/04/2003040902n.htm
COMPUTERS THAT MONITOR USERS
Researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen's University in Ontario
have designed a computer that monitors its user to help with time
management. They have designed devices that determine how much
attention a person is paying to his or her PC and the relative
importance of each message received. One device is an eye contact
sensor the computer employs to determine if the user is present and
looking at the screen to decide if and when to make contact with the
user. The lab's director, Dr. Vertegaal, said, "We now need computers
that sense when we are busy, when we are available for interruption and
know when to wait their turn--just as we do in human-to-human
interaction."
BBC, 8 April 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2925403.stm
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