|
|
Cathleen Moore and Jennifer Jones, "Videoconferencing demand peaks in WTC wake," 19 September 2001, <http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/0919vconf.html>, (20 September 2001).
After the recent terror events that occurred 11 September 2001, America's corporations have been focusing on videoconferencing for meetings as a substitute to air travel. Although videoconferencing had increased recently due to economic situations our country has faced, more investments are already underway for videoconferencing equipment and services, as well as Web conferencing. Services and equipment for videoconferencing is expected to rise 30 percent in the next months. Many analysts believe travel will resume in time but videoconferencing may still be utilized as a cost-efficient means. With the onset of war that faces America, airlines may be grounded again demanding the need for even more videoconferencing capabilities. Stock prices of corporations selling videoconferencing equipment have already began to climb. The corporations, although success is evident, are humbled by the increase of sales due to the WTC diaster.
Thor Olavsrud, "W3C Advances Accessibility Standard," 13 September 2001, <http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article/0,,10_886051,00.html>, (20 September 2001).
September 13, 2001 accessibility standards for those surfing the Web by advancing the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 to "Candidate Recommendation" phase. The guidelines describe how Web browsers and other components will assist those with disabilities from visual to cognitive and neurological. The document is divided into three main priorities. The three priorities are broken down into enabling of access, removal of barriers, and improvement of access for those with disabilities as pertains to the Web. The Candidate Recommendation phase is one of the last steps to fulfill full Recommendation status. W3C has said they will help developers understand and implement the new requirements.
Robert Lemos, "Nimda rampage starts to slow," 20 September 2001, <http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5097235,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02>, (20 September 2001).
The Nimda virus that attacked over 150,000 computer systems on Tuesday, September 18, 2001 had been reduced to almost 50,000 by Thursday. The Nimda worm was caught much faster than its predecessor the Code Red worm. Those companies that were affected were hit hard by the worms destructive abilities, damaging critical files and slowing network speeds to those similar to dial-up. PCs and servers were both infected by the Nimda virus. Most companies in the United States have already taken measures to stop the spread and remove the virus from their systems. Asian companies have reported that the worm is still spreading as of Thursday. The United States was still the hardest hit with a ratio of 5:1 as compared to its Asian counterparts.
Cara Garretson, "How vulnerable is the U.S. IT infrastructure?," 20 September 2001, <http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/09/26/010926hnvulnerable.xml>, (26 September 2001).
In the wake of the terroristic tragedy, experts have raised questions concerning the vulnerablity of the U.S. information technology infrastructure. Most experts agree that the IT infrastructure is vulnerable to terrorist attacks in the forms of viruses. Experts have singled out domain name servers and routers as the most vulnerable pieces of hardware. They also agree that software does not provide the necessary security features. Also mentioned was the problem that personal computers pose due to their standalone develop of previous years. Experts emphasize educating the public as the most effective means of detering security breaches. They also encourage the government to research and implement programs to improve technology security. Harris Miller, President of the Information Technology Association of America stated "The state of teh art [of security technology] today is not good enough.
No Author Listed, "Sun Unveils New Data Center Architecture Flagship High-End Server, Services and Software Call Into Doubt Further Investments in Mainframes," 26 September 2001, <http://www.aspisland.com/news/doc.asp?id=NE98182>, (26 September 2001).
September 25, 2001 Sun Microsystems Inc. introduced its Sun Fire 15K server, also known as Starcat. It is thought that mainframes may be coming to a pass as these powerful servers offer users many new options at a more efficient level. The Sun system offers more features capabilities than any other server on the market, including IBM's mainframes. In fact, the Starcat server is nearly three times as powerful as IBM's biggest mainframe. The system also offers 300 percent greater throughput than any UNIX system available now or in the next year. The new areas of the Starcat server are innovative technology to connect system components and a system divided into many segments for optimal management and resource use.
John Schwartz, "In Investigation, Internet Offers Clues and Static," 26 September 2001, <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/26/technology/ebusiness/26SCHW.html>, (26 September 2001).
The aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have required the F.B.I. and other agencies examine several sources of information pertaining to the terrorists. The Internet and other technology have been no exception. The difficulties agencies face are where to look and what to look at. Several hundred emails have had to be examined, slowing the process considerably. As may be expected, time is the investigating agencies' most limited resource. Several tools have been used to assist agencies in the investigations. For surveillance one such tool is the computer system called Carnivore (formally called DCS-1000). Carnivore can track and intercept e-mail messages on the Internet. A satellite system know as Echelon is also used by agencies used to listen in on conversations. Systems are also availabe to assist in searching through vast amounts of information. All the devices that assist the agencies have disgruntled the public because of a violation of Fourth Amendment rights. The Government sees the current situation as reasonable for searches that would at other times be considered unreasonable. As stated by Mark Rasch, "None of that technology helps unless you know who to point it at, at least in a general way."
Although the article has a basic business tone, many of the contents fits within the technology and Web design arena. The article suggests that although many business are "Cyber Companies" today, they cannot afford bad publicity and management that has haunted several online businesses. Often businesses have done a poor job designing quality Web sites and making sound management strategies as to how they will market in the Web. The article suggests ways companies must utilize features available to make their sites more secure, utilize marketing techniques the Web can provide while not offending the customer, and devising a sound Internet market structure. Most importantly is how the components of ecommerce is utilized. Users do not want an influx of e-mail or to think their privacy is being violated whenever they make a purchase or simply surf for online products.
Lisa Guernsey, "Living Under an Electronic Eye," 27 September 2001, <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/27/technology/circuits/27PRIV.html>, (28 September 2001).
The September 11 tradegy has afforded several new ideas, thoughts, etc. pertaining to the Internet and other Electronic devices. The article addresses concerns that people have pertaining to electronic surveillance, their reactions, and how government's role has evolved. Many people do not want their privacy rights infringed upon, however they do think the government should have the right to monitor electronic communication, as much as 79 percent. Congress has issued several steps to monitor electronic communication by use of such systems as Carnivore used by the FBI and others. Cell phones also act as a free tracking device for officials to use to locate persons. Many issues are discussed within the article one may find interesting, however my favorite quote within the article given by Winn Schwartau, a security consultant in Seminole, Florida, "We need human intelligence--a live human being on the ground, being a spy. And we've given up a huge amount of it."
Jefferson Graham, "Web conferencing: What you see is often hard to get," 25 September 2001, <http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/2001/09/25/vid-chat-review.htm>, (28 September 2001).
The article summarizes what is needed for Web conferencing in simple terms. For hardware, a Webcam, microphone (if not built onto the Webcam), a PC with USB port, and an Internet connection. Software needed includes the software for the Webcam, some type of messaging software such as MSN's Messenger and sometimes other software pieces. Faster connections always is a plus for quality video conferencing. The article suggests that one-way conferencing is still probably the best way to communicate by video on the Web. After the events of September 11, and the expected increase in videoconferencing use, companies are sure to improve quality, affordability, and marketing of Videoconferencing.
Robert Lemos, "Security leery of government Net," 11 October 2001, <http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098169,00.html?chkpt="zdnnp1tp02>, (11 October 2001).
A computer network implemented by the United States Government has been proposed. Govnet, as it would be called would use Internet protocols but would not be a part of the existing Internet. The military already uses a similar network. Security advisors are leary of the use of such a network by the government due to the sensitive data. The advisors warn that the network would use encryption to protect data and be immune to viruses, worms, and other cyberattacks. Even with such securities, the Military network was attacked by the LoveLetter virus, however it did not spread. Most advisors do agree that security measures do need to be increased but the answer may be to protect smaller networks rather than creating the new Govnet.
David Pogue, "Browser Battle: Beyond the Numbers," 11 October 2001, <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/11/technology/circuits/11STAT.html>, (11 October 2001).
The article compares Internet Explorer 6.0 and Netscape 6.1 and also discusses benefits and shortcomings of each. Internet Explorer 6.0 has the ablility to reject certain cookies but a very small precentage of Web servers provide complementary P3P capabilities needed. Another added feature of IE 6.0 is the ability to resize pictures to fit within the screen easier. Netscape 6.1 has several new features that make Web browsing easier. The user can now turn off the blink command, provides a new auto-complete feature (even better than IE 6.0) even filling a complete form, define keywords for addresses, and save a Web site as a single file. Although Netscape has made more improvements, IE 6.0 is still loads pages faster and is more technically advanced. Netscape adheres to the W3C standards more closely than IE 6.0 a problem for CSS programmers. IE is still the most attractive, worthwhile update because it is free, fast, and preinstalled with Windows.
Chuck Lindell, "Al-Quida's Use of Internet Has Troubling Possibilities," 11 October 2001, <www.computernewsdaily.com/>, (11 October 2001).
How knowledgable are terrorists when it comes to computer usage? Authorities know Bin Laden and others have used encryption to hide computer files and email. Investigations are also being conducted to determine whether or not Al-Qaida may hide messages on Web sites and electronic photos. Indeed, the Internet and Web have become tools for terrorists and possibly even weapons. The terrorists could use the networks to spread viruses, worms, and hack other systems. Most people don't have sufficient computer security installed on their systems. As stated in the article, attack tools and methods are available to all terrorists. The more expertise one has, the more destruction that can be obtained.
Dave Moniz and Andrea Stone, "Speed crucial in 'Information War'," 19 October 2001, <http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/10/19/info-war.htm>, (19 October 2001).
As the war in Afghanistan continues, the US military still finds itself with the difficult task of utilizing intelligence information in a timely manner. The US has several intelligence gathering possiblities but unless the information can be acted upon it is deemed worthless. The US government has been including high-ranking military officials in air support operations to give immediate clearance for military strikes. The real-time information, which has been provide by satellite, aircraft surveillance, and ground troops, was present during the Gulf War, but not acted upon fast enough.
Guy Gugliotta, "Research Breakthrough In Size of Transistors," 19 October 2001, <http://www.int.com/articles/3673.html>, (19 October 2001).
Scientists have created the world's first molecular-scale transistor that could push the miniaturization of electronics to its final threshold. The first semiconductors were made from germanium, the next were from silicon. Lucent Technologies, the creator of the new transistor, suggests carbon may become the ultimate semiconductor.
Hiawatha Bray, "Send in the cyber G-men," 15 October 2001, <http://www/boston.com/dailyglobe2/288/business/Send_in_the_cyber_G_men+.shtml>, (19 October 2001).
Sandstorm enterprises Inc., a Boston-based company, has developed a new product called NetIntercept. The company claims the product to be more pro-privacy than other similar network monitoring devices. NetIntercept was developed well before the September 11 events, but could have played a crucial role in detecting terrorists. NetIntercept captures and copies every packet of data that crosses a network or Internet connection, then it sorts the packets and reassembles the data into useful information. The cost of the system sells for $15,000. The system will not run unless the computer is coded with a special security key provided by Sandstorm.
Eric J. Sinrod, "Electronic Surveillence in the Workplace," 18 October 2001, <http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ccarch/2001/10/18/sinrod.htm>, (23 October 2001).
Employers are monitoring employee electronic use in the workplace for various reasons and the statistics are staggering. As many as 78 percent of employers in the U.S. monitor employee electronic use. Are privacy rights being violated? Employees think so! What does employers monitor? The following is a list employers gave when recently asked.
AP, "Mail-handling fears expected to accelerate bulk e-mail use as anthrax worries continue," 22 October 2001, <http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/010366.htm>, (23 October 2001).
Will bulk e-mail usage increase or even replace traditional mailing in the U.S. due to the anthrax scare? Most experts agree that e-mail marketing, billing, and other forms of communication may increase but they do not think traditional mailing will be replaced. E-mail has been growing as a marketing tool but Americans still like traditional catalog browsing and many Americans still have no access to the Internet. Traditional bulk mailing generated $528 billion in sales last year and lost sales may be over 2 billion this year. A small percentage but still a considerable drop. Those organizations who have been reluctent to use e-mail for marketing are reconsidering, at least in the present.
Pui-Wing Tam, "U.S. forces pack pocket computers," 23 October 2001, <http://www.msnbc.com/news/646394.asp?0si=-&cp1=1>, (23 October 2001).
It is a well known fact that the U.S. military utilizes some of the most sophisticated electronic and computer systems in the world but I was amazed at the numbers presented in the article. Over half of the USS McFaul's, a navy destroyer, 300 crew members carry Palms to download e-mails and the ships plans. The hand-held computers are not just being used for e-mail. The units, used mostly by Navy and Army, are being utilized as logistical and tactical, keeping track of supplies, data collection and dissemination, and track enemy and friendly troops. Often the different models being used by the military are altered for shock resistence, waterproofed, and other protection from the elements. The costs of the systems being utilized are from $150 to $7,500. The more common of the hand-helds is the Palm but other specialized companies include Symbol Technologies Inc. and Paravant Computer Systems Inc.