************************************************************** K12NewsLetters - From Educational CyberPlayGround http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ ************************************************************** Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 13:47:12 -0700 From: EDUCAUSE@xxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Edupage, January 21, 2004 To: EDUPAGE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. ***************************************************** TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2004 RIAA Files 532 New Lawsuits New Software Hides Cell Phone Users' Locations Mining Data to Increase Participation in a Social Program Iraqi Academics Stay Connected with Technology Wireless High-Speed Access for Detroit's Poor Residents RIAA FILES 532 NEW LAWSUITS The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed 532 new lawsuits against computer users it accused of illegally distributing songs over the Internet. The suits are the first since a federal appeals court blocked the use of copyright subpoenas to identify the accused, who are labeled only by their Internet protocol addresses. According to the RIAA, each of the "John Doe" defendants has distributed an average of more than 800 songs online. The suits will work through the courts to obtain traditional subpoenas to identify the users' names and addresses. The RIAA expects to contact each defendant identified to negotiate a financial settlement before amending the lawsuit to formally name the defendant and transferring the case to the proper jurisdiction. San Jose Mercury News, 21 January 2004 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7762395.htm NEW SOFTWARE HIDES CELL PHONE USERS' LOCATIONS Now that cell phone networks have the ability to discern the physical location of callers, Bell Labs said it has developed software to allow cell phone users to control when and under what circumstances their whereabouts are available to networks. A federal rule required cell phone carriers to upgrade infrastructure to pinpoint individuals who call 911 from a cell phone, and companies are now anxious to deploy "location-based services" to capitalize on the investments required to comply with the 911 regulation. For such services to be effective, however, providers must strike a balance between features users find beneficial and those that appear burdensome or intrusive. Bell Labs said its new software will provide users who want a high level of personlization to establish rules that govern who can see their location, under specific circumstances and at specific times. Bell Labs is hoping to test the new technology with several cell phone carriers and to make it available next year. New York Times, 19 January 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Cell-Location-Services.html MINING DATA TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN A SOCIAL PROGRAM A new data-mining study at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) is designed to help locate likely participants in the Ticket to Work program. The program is an initiative of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to issue "tickets" to people with disabilities. The tickets can be redeemed at various agencies or institutions for job training or vocational rehabilitation. For the NCSA study, the SSA will provide enrollment data from states that have begun the Ticket to Work program. Researchers at the NCSA will use a data-analysis tool to sort through the information provided to generate insights that officials hope will encourage more people to take advantage of the program. The NCSA's analysis tool was originally created to solve large-scale science and engineering problems. Federal Computer Week, 19 January 2004 http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2004/0119/web-ncsa-01-19-04.asp IRAQI ACADEMICS STAY CONNECTED WITH TECHNOLOGY After years of suppression under Saddam Hussein's regime, some Iraqi academics are using the Internet to reconnect with colleagues now scattered around the world and to rebuild the country's largely crippled education system. Iraqi scientist Abduljabbar al-Wahedi has set up a Web site where academics can connect with each other and with universities and students in Iraq. According to al-Wahedi, members of the Web group who left the country are encouraged at least to travel back to Iraq and lecture at the universities, and some have decided to move back to Iraq permanently. Some universities in the country still lack e-mail access, but al-Wahedi said his group hopes to connect all of Iraq's universities by the end of the year. BBC, 20 January 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3410923.stm WIRELESS HIGH-SPEED ACCESS FOR DETROIT'S POOR RESIDENTS The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is working on a project to bring wireless high-speed Internet access to residents of poor areas in Detroit. Commercial ISPs often bypass less affluent urban areas due to an expected lack of return on the investment required to establish necessary infrastructure. Working with nonprofits and religious institutions in the area, the Center for Urban Innovation at the university's School of Social Work hopes to bring wireless access to Detroit's poor communities for as little as $100 per year, per customer. In addition to high-speed access, residents of affected areas will also be able to take computer-training courses. The project involves setting up several large antennas as well as smaller repeaters to cover currently unserved areas. According to Larry M. Gant, director of the project, wireless was chosen because of its relatively low cost. Gant also defended the technology as being fairly simple to secure, as long as people take the time to lock down their systems. Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 January 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i20/20a03401.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to LISTSERV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to EDUPAGE-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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