e-Clippings: March 2, 2003

"The search for static security - in the law and elsewhere - is
misguided. The fact is security can only be achieved through constant
change, adapting old ideas that have outlived their usefulness to
current facts."
William O. Douglas, 1898 - 1980

"All I know to do is to light the candle that has been given to
me."
Fred McFeely Rogers, 1928 – 2003
*********************************************************************
I forgot to mention last time that I have added two new sections:
Mobile Computing and Gaming. I have been including items on these
topics before but feel that they are at the point when they can
logically hold their own sections. I am very interested in how these
two areas converge on learning and hope you'll find something
here of interest.
Mark Oehlert, Editor

**Later that day…
You know sometimes, it's just like…cool, you know. I consider
myself a bit of a veteran at this whole Web stuff. I remember when I
thought a 14.4 was a screamer and when only a research lab would ever
need a one GB hard drive. I remember my first URL and not knowing
what it was (Jane's Defence btw). I remember having to launch
telnet and WinSock and I could kick myself for ever getting rid of
the original Mosaic browser I had. I also remember the heady mid to
late 90's and the dot com bubble when the Web seemed to be giving
birth in exponential numbers to amazingly cool sites, tools and ideas
– and all for free!

And yes – I remember coming back down to earth – lower case e
– not the planet so much as the dirt – the bubble burst and
content looked like it was headed to the peep show – insert .25$
model – it still does in some ways. There are still ugly, choking
copyright battles looming; there are cyber-civil right battles on the
horizon that make Vernor Vinge in True Names look like an unbridled
optimist – and so it has become somewhat easy to become jaded-
but then –

Then I do something seemingly minor, like install Opera 7.02
(www.opera.com). Absolutely brilliant browser. So I start digging
through all the old sites and bookmarks I have stored up and lo and
behold – I find sites and ideas which punch X-15 "Glamorous
Glenna" - like through my jaded veil and remind me that the Web is
still a nascent glimmer of its potential and that good ideas and
good content still have homes and readers and viewers. I include some
of these faith-restoring finds below. Enjoy.
M, editor

http://www.icdlbooks.org/index.html: "The International
Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is a 5-year research project to
develop innovative software and a collection of books that
specifically address the needs of children as readers.
Interdisciplinary researchers from computer science, library studies,
education, art, and psychology are working together with children to
design this new library. With participants from around the world, the
ICDL is building an international collection that reflects both the
diversity and quality of children's literature. Currently, the
collection includes materials donated from 27 cultures in 15
languages."

http://www.centenary.edu/~balexand/bookmarq.html: Mr. Bryan Alexander
maintains a bookmark page like none other. You could spend a lifetime
wandering through all the links on this page. From a link to Vuk
Cosic's ASCII art to articles like; Chandler, "Technological or Media
Determinism?" – the site is awash in the eclectic, the offbeat
and the tres interesting.

http://oddpost.com/: This is one of a growing company of products
that makes me think that Outlook better be watching its Web-based
back. A rich yet browser-based email program done with sass and style.

http://manila.userland.com/ and http://radio.userland.com/: The
former is a Web site development tool and the latter is a blog
creation tool. Both look amazing intuitive and easy to use and are
reasonably priced (after a free trial of course). More user-friendly
on-ramps equals more diverse views available on the Web equals a
richer experience for us all. Remember Jeff Goldblum's character
in Jurassic Park when he makes some statement about how life finds a
way? [to break free of constraints] It's tools like these that
make me somewhat hopeful that the Web will be able to break free from
the Draconian perversions of copyright that some would impose.

http://www.mindjack.com/: I don't know if these guys were cool in
high school but they are now! With a Board of Advisors that reads
like "media hound/geek designs killer dinner party [Gareth
Branwyn, Mark Frauenfelder, Mikki Halpin, Jon Lebkowsky, Howard
Rheingold, Douglas Rushkoff] and a great crew of writers/reporters
– this site really does provide "the beat of digital
culture."

http://www.threedegrees.com/: Direct from Microsoft –something
very cool. Kinda like IM but with shared music and more – Gotta
download this one and try. Who still doubts that IM in some way must
be adopted by the corporate world?
*********************************************************************
This email is provided for information purposes only. Mention or
discussion of a product, company or person does not represent any
official endorsement or criticism of the same. All authors and
organizations retain complete copyright.
*********************************************************************
DID YOU RECEIVE THIS EMAIL FROM A FRIEND OR
COLLEAGUE?
Get your own free subscription to e-Clippings by going to:
Subscribe to e-Clippings by simply sending a blank email to:
eClippings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe by sending a blank email to:
eClippings-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
*********************************************************************
NEWS

**Congrats to Avilar!
Learning System Claims First SCORM 1.2 Certification: Avilar
Technologies Inc. said its WebMentor Learning Management System (LMS)
has been issued the first certificate of compliance with the SCORM
specification, version 1.2, under the new certification program
administered by the Academic ADL Co-Lab in Madison, Wisc. To be
certified, an authorized Certification Testing Center must
independently verify and validate the successful processing by the
LMS of the SCORM Test Suite, Version 1.2.3. WebMentor passed the test
at Run Time Environment level 3, which is the highest level of
compliance, the company said. The Center auditors certifying
WebMentor are from the Madison Area Technical College & UW-Learning
Innovations of Madison, Wisc.

MusicNet on AOL Tunes Up Again: Revamped service supports CD burning,
multiple PCs
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109544,00.asp

**I know "toner cartrdige cases? Mark has lost it"! Sure, but
readcarefully, Lexmark sued in this case based on copyright
violations of the DMCA!
LEXMARK WINS FIRST ROUND IN PRINTER SUIT: Case could determine the
future of low-cost replacement toner cartridges.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109596,tk,dn022803X,00.asp

Thomson Job Impact Study Confirms Blended Learning Yields Up to 163
Percent Increase in On-the-Job Performance: NAPERVILLE, Ill., Feb.
24, 2003--NETg , a company specializing in corporate education and
training and part of The Thomson Corp., announced that phase two of
the Thomson Job Impact Study, "The Next Generation of Corporate
Learning," further reinforces that a blended learning program
incorporating a combination of e-learning, online instruction,
simulations, texts, mentor/instructor support, and live
classroom-based training has the power to significantly increase
employee productivity. http://www.elearningmag.com
/elearning/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=48123

GAO: Improve acquisition training: A new General Accounting Office
report urges agencies to improve their training for acquisition
officials in light of rapidly changing rules.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0210/web-gao-02-14-03.asp
*********************************************************************
TRENDS SECTION

It's Open Season on Spammers : Techies, attorneys, government
officials team to tackle spam.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109595,00.asp

INDUSTRY GROUP TAKES AIM AT SPAM: Engineers team on technical
solution to hamper spam.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109614,tk,dn022803X,00.asp

More Than Half-Billion Online Globally: According to research, 580
million people now have Internet access -- with nearly 170 million
attributed to the U.S.
http://cyberatlas.com/big_picture/geographics/arti
cle/0,,5911_1593591,00.html

Word Bursts Reveal Hot Topics: Cornell University researcher Jon
Kleinberg has shown that you can learn a lot about what topics are
becoming important at any given time by analyzing large collections
of documents for sudden changes in content.
http://www.technologyreview.com/offthewire/rnb_022503_2.asp

INTEL, MARRIOTT TEAM TO PROMOTE WIRELESS LANS: Chip giant will
provide wireless Internet access at hotels across the country.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109573,tk,dn022703X,00.asp

World - Microsoft moves to support P2P: Microsoft has revealed a
testing version of software tools for its desktop Windows XP platform.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=15149
*********************************************************************
EMERGING TECH SECTION

Tiny Battery May Power Next-Gen Gadgets:By Mike Martin: Part of the
NewsFactor Network February 21, 2003: As cell phones, video cameras,
computers, and scores of other electronic products continue to
shrink, so must their batteries, which today contribute up to 35
percent of a laptop computer's weight.
http://wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/20819.html

SAMSUNG SHRINKS OPTICAL DRIVES: New drive could boost storage in
thinner, lighter notebooks.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109598,tk,dn022803X,00.asp

Content Management Tools Fail: Web content management tools often
fail to live up to their promise, according to new research.
http://cyberatlas.com/big_picture/applications/art
icle/0,,1301_1718951,00.html

REVIEW: SONY PORTABLE FILE SERVER: (Source: IDG.net) Sony's FSV-PGX1
is certainly a hot little number. The device didn't draw much
attention in the office until someone realized it includes a hard
disk drive and wireless LAN access point.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=788864

Norway - Alternative internet browser battles Microsoft IE Goliath in
mobile arena Having released a version of its browser that turns
Microsoft sites into gobbledegook, alternative internet browser
company Opera has said that the popular version of its software for
mobile devices will never be made available for Microsoft-powered
handsets.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=15172

from Syllabus
"U. Minnesota-Duluth Builds Open Source Portfolio: The
ePortfolio, which the university says is the first portfolio system
created with open source software, will store educational records,
work samples, resumes, and writing samples, as well as legal
documents and other personal records in a secure, network-accessible
system. Individuals will be encouraged to share program code changes
with the university's Open Source Portfolio Initiative (OSPI) group.
The ePortfolio system is currently used by 23,000 students, faculty,
and staff. Under the university's "Technology for Life" plan,
students may continue to use and enhance their personal ePortfolios
throughout their lifetime."
http://eportfolio.d.umn.edu or http://www.theospi.org

ELITEGROUP OFFERS A $300 BAREBONE PC FOR HOBBYISTS: (Source: IDG.net)
The barebone system offers greater customizability and easier
upgradability than earlier Desknote models.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=788785
*********************************************************************
MOBILE COMPUTING SECTION

DOD COULD SET WIRELESS POLICY NEXT MONTH: The Defense Department CIO
is expected to sign a wireless policy next month that will set
guidelines for using wireless devices across the department.
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/21260-1.html

Who is the US Mobile Device User?: According to AvantGo, the mobile
device user is generally male, between the ages of 35 and 50. The
study determined that 23% of these users work in the tech industry
and 43% use both a laptop and a PC.
http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1002085&
c=newsltr&n=lead&t=ad

Lindows Laptop Poised as PDA Killer? Posted by Jason Dunn @ 04:30 PM
"High-speed wireless service is cropping up everywhere - "Starbucks,"
college campuses and anywhere people gather. Staying connected to
your data whenever and wherever you need it is smart and Lindows.com
answers the call with its brand new Lindows Mobile PC, an affordable,
ultra-lightweight, go-anywhere notebook!...At just 2.9 lbs, the $799
Lindows Mobile PC is a featherweight, but it weighs in with such
features as LindowsOS, a 933mhz VIA processor, 256MB RAM, USB 2.0,
Firewire, Ethernet, and a crisp 12.1" TFT display, plus a PCMCIA slot
to add even more functionality such as wireless networking.
http://info.lindows.com/mobilepc/mobilepc.htm

Overclocking Poses Risks to PDAs: New apps will speed your handheld
devices, but may cause serious damage.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109556,00.asp

Palm Cuts More Jobs: The company laid off about 50 people in its
hardware unit, bringing its workforce cuts for the current quarter to
just over 100 jobs.
http://computerworld.com/newsletter/0%2C4902%2C78930%2C0.html?nlid=PM

United Kingdom - Digital Bridges supplies mobile games to Vodafone
and Telefonica Vodafone Global Content Services is to use a number of
both Java and WAP games from Digital Bridges as part of
Vodafone's Live service.
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=15183
*********************************************************************
GAMING SECTION

Getting into the Gaming Business: GameSpy's five-part series will
school you on all you need to know about getting a job in the gaming
business. By Steven L. Kent | Jan. 27-31, 2003
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/january03/education/

Horizons Family Portrait: A look at the characters of Artifact's
upcoming Horizons. By The Horizons Team | Feb. 19, 2003
Horizons is a next-generation, fantasy- themed, massively multiplayer
online game. Based in the world of Istaria, Horizons allows thousands
of players to take the roles of humans, fiends, and dragons to
adventure together in the civilized and untamed regions of the world.
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/february03/horizonsportrait/

Delta Force: Black Hawk Down (PC)
We touch down at NovaLogic for an exclusive all-access preview of
their upcoming tactical shooter set in 1993 Somalia. By Sal "Sluggo"
Accardo | February 23, 2003
http://www.gamespy.com/previews/february03/blackhawkdownpc/

Andrew Tepper on A Tale In The Desert: GameSpy talks with the lead
designer of A Tale in The Desert, the upcoming Egyptian-themed MMORPG
that will focus on cooperation rather than combat.
By Bruce "Gwog" Ladewig | Feb. 6, 2003
http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/january03/atitd/

REPORT: MICROSOFT, EA CONSIDER BUYING SEGA: (Source: IDG.net)
Microsoft and Electronic Arts are considering bidding for Sega,
according to a report in The Wall Street Journal's online edition.
http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=788863

NEW DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM FOR PS2 ONLINE GAMES: (Source: IDG.net) IBM
and Butterfly.net have reached an agreement with Sony to provide a
hosted grid environment for developers.
http://www.techinformer.com/go.cgi?id=788780
*********************************************************************
SECURITY SECTION

Lovgate.C Worm Crawls Across Web: Leading antivirus vendors post
inoculations for newest pest.
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109491,00.asp

MICROSOFT PATCHES CRITICAL WINDOWS FLAW: Security hole could allow an
attacker to delete files on affected PCs.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109570,tk,dn022703X,00.asp
*********************************************************************
HUMOR AND MISC. SECTION

20 Things You Didn't Know Your PC Could Do: Teach that old machine
new tricks--from the amazingly practical to the practically amazing.
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,108720,pg,1,00.asp

From: NNT@...
FILE EXTENSIONS DEFINED. We recently mentioned a site that explains
what all those file extensions mean. A reader kindly pointed out
another good resource at http://www.filext.com,
*********************************************************************
DID YOU RECEIVE THIS EMAIL FROM A FRIEND OR
COLLEAGUE?
Get your own free subscription to e-Clippings by going to:
Subscribe to e-Clippings by simply sending a blank email to:
eClippings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe by sending a blank email to:
eClippings-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
*********************************************************************