pixelogist

Designer Clothing And High End Items Now Sold At Goodwill

2009-06-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

june17,2009
DENVER -- Prada, Louis Vuitton and other designer labels, spread out in a brightly lit store with fresh wood floors. If you didn’t see the blue and white sign outside you may not realize you are shopping at Goodwill.
Goodwill is on a mission to change its image and bring in first time shoppers. It is hoping to grab those customers in person and online.
“We have bigger stores, wider aisles, the clothing is sized for easy shopping,” said Rick Berninzoni, vice president of marketing for Goodwill Denver.
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Berninzoni said he knows image is everything and he wants to change the image the average person has of a thrift store.
“We run these stores just like a regular retail (store),” said Berninzoni. “Our motto here is this isn't your grandmother's thrift anymore, this is the new Goodwill.”
“This happens to be my favorite goodwill,” said Laura Grogan, who shops at the South Broadway location.
Grogan has shopped at thrift stores for years. She said she likes the recycling aspect of it and thinks the prices are pretty good.
“We mostly shop for baby items, books, toys and clothing,” said Grogan.
But some shoppers are looking for high end goods at Goodwill prices.
“We strive to put out name brands, big time name brands,” said Berninzoni.
The company hopes to portray itself as a place to buy vintage goods.
“Those are great bargains, especially the ladies jewelry, outstanding,” said Floyd Jones, who was shopping for a lamp shade. “The vintage jewelry for women is outstanding.”
Goodwill said it doesn't want to alienate its low-income shoppers. It just wants to branch out. To do so, the company is going online.
“Our managers are trained to spot collectors items, items of value and we put those items online,” said Berninzoni.
Berninzoni said he hopes to soon sell books online.
For now, Goodwill is teaming up with Dell to offer computer recycling. Customers can drop off unwanted computers at any of its locations. The computer will then be sent off to an authorized recycling dealer where the hard-drive will be shredded.
Goodwill also has plans to open an outlet store at 74th Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Westminster this August. Clothing and goods will be sold by the pound. Anything that does not sell at the retail location will be bundled and sold to third world countries.

Government review calls for basic computer skills training for 11.6 million adults

2009-06-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

An independent review by Baroness Estelle Morris published yesterday recommends an entitlement for 11.6 million adults in England to access free training in basic ICT skills.

The review, carried out by Baroness Estelle Morris, was commissioned by Government to assess whether the nation’s basic computing skills needs are being met.

Baroness Morris’s findings indicate there are an estimated 11.6 million adults who lack basic computing skills in England and that the elderly, those socially excluded and those with few qualifications are most at risk of being left behind in a world that becomes ever more digital.

The review, which has also informed Stephen Carter’s Digital Britain report, published yesterday, outlines the importance of digital skills to the health and wellbeing of UK citizens as well as the wider economy. It calls for a more focused strategy to address the skills gap that has been identified.

In advising how best to address the gap in computing skills of adults in England, the review proposes an ‘entitlement’ to digital life skills for all adults made up of:

A social marketing campaign, driven through Stephen Carter’s Digital Britain strategy, to highlight the benefits of getting online;

A helpline and website with online learning models as well as links to a range of resource, provided by broadcasters and other commercial suppliers and

Access to a diverse range of computing skills providers to learn the basic skills needed to get online such as using a mouse and keyboard, using email and using the internet.

Baroness Estelle Morris said:
“We must be ambitious about the level of ICT skills in the community. Increasingly, those who are not ICT literate will find themselves excluded as technology impacts on more parts of our lives.

“The Government set high standards in 1997 and progress has been made. The ICT infrastructure has been transformed and skill levels have increased – particularly amongst the young. We need to be careful though, that we don’t settle for that. It is vital that all citizens, no matter what their age or their background, are given the chance to develop basic ICT skills.

“If this is to happen, the Government needs to have a clearer focus, be less bureaucratic and not as complex. It must work with its partners from the voluntary and private sector to persuade people that they need to learn computer skills and make it easy for them to do so.

“The entitlement proposed in this review is a step towards achieving that.”

Kevin Brennan, Minister for Skills in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:
“Being able to use a computer and access the internet is a basic skill for work and life in the digital age. That’s why we already invest £9 million in UK Online, which includes 6,000 centres around the country offering free or low cost access to ICT. I welcome Estelle Morris’s findings and will look seriously at how we can do more to improve basic computer skills for adults most in need – including the unemployed, those at risk of redundancy and older people – as well as those in jobs.”

Stephen Carter, author of the Digital Britain review, commented:
“Digital life skills are a foundation for participation and employability in a digital society. Soon, everyone in this country will be connected to broadband so it is crucial every person has the basic skills and confidence to make the most of the opportunities broadband will bring.

He added:
“I have outlined the importance of Baroness Morris’s findings in the Digital Britain Review and look forward to seeing her recommendations being taken forward for the benefit of those who are in most need of ICT training.”

In making recommendations, Baroness Morris took account of existing funded provision of ICT skills and found there had been a 50 per cent reduction in the number of adults taking up funded ICT training. Although research indicates the number of digitally excluded adults has reduced over time, it is apparent that the gap is widening for those most at risk: adults over 65, those who are socially excluded and those with few or no qualifications.

Government will consider further how it responds to Estelle Morris’s recommendations as the Digital Britain programme is taken forward.

The review was commissioned by John Denham, when Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and announced in the Learning Revolution White Paper as follows: “To support the growing importance of digital skills at home and in work, we have asked Baroness Estelle Morris to chair an independent review of ICT Skills for Adults to provide a wider understanding of the current position. The review will address both the user skills required to participate effectively in the digital society and the best delivery mechanisms to engage and upskill adults.”

Goodwill accepting old computers

2009-06-16T00:46:00.000-07:00

7:23 AM CDT, June 16, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - Disposing of old computer parts just got a little easier in Wisconsin. Many Goodwill donation centers in the state started taking old computer equipment this week through the Dell-Reconnect recycling program. Computers, monitors, printers, hard drives, and other parts are now accepted. Maureen Roche at Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin says they'll take any brand of computer in any condition. And, just like any donation, customers can get a receipt for tax purposes.

otter - WomanÕs wedding band, laptop computer stolen

2009-06-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 15, 2009 3:00 AM
Woman's wedding band, laptop computer stolen
A Salisbury woman reported several items were stolen from her home including a $2,000 wedding band and a $2,000 laptop computer, according to reports from the Rowan County Sheriff's Office.
Kimberly Boiling reported the incident occurred June 8 at 102 Middle Oak Drive.
In other Sheriff's Office reports:
- A & E Automotive reported a June 8 larceny at 215 Kress Venture Dr.
- Hill's Mini Warehouse reported June 8 that someone broke into the warehouse and removed items from storage units at 114 Johnson Dairy Road.
- Cassandra Lisa Coleman reported June 8 a burglary to her residence at 245 Pickler Road.
- Kenneth Lee Myers reported June 8 that a home alarm sounded at his residence due to a broken basement window at 3725 Mellon Dr.
- Christina Elaine Rowland reported June 8 that her car was removed from 1260 S. Main St., Granite Quarry.
- Mondie Nicole Weber, 21, was charged June 8 with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia at 1000 Legion Club Road, Granite Quary.
- Amanda Edinger Edwards reported an assault June 10 at 540 Brown Road.
- Amanda Jane Radford reported June 10 that a gun belonging to a friend was taken from a safe at her residence on Sam Broadway Lane, Kannapolis.
- A Southeast Middle School student was found to have possessed and consumed alcohol on school grounds on June 10.
- Angela Dawn Harris, 30, was charged June 10 with disorderly conduct at 500 Dial St., Landis.
- Cynthia Diane Morris, 41, was charged June 10 with simple assault at 470 Geter Road, Woodleaf.
- Alexis S. Morris, 17, was charged June 10 with simple assault at 470 Geter Road, Woodleaf.
- Mark Randall Edwards, 36, was charged June 10 with assault on a female at 530 Brown Road, China Grove.
- Jared Mario Bryant, 21, was charged June 10 with assault on a female at 16855 Dooley Road, Cleveland.
- Candy Burton Owensby, 30, was charged June 10 with burning of churches and certain other buildings.
- Meosha Parks, 20, was charged June 10 with simple assault at 2420 Airport Road.
- Anthony Matthew Parker, 34, was charged June 10 with assaulting a minor at 155 Flowering Tree Lane, Rockwell.
- Ashley Parker, 21, was charged June 10 with simple assault at 155 Flowering Tree Lane, Rockwell.

Man faces child porn charges

2009-06-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

A Lake City man was arrested by the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and faces charges for allegedly downloading and offering to share child pornography images online, according to police reports.Blake Andrew Hauss, 18, 143 NE Howard St., was charged with sexual performance by a child (two counts) after Columbia County Sheriff’s Office detectives and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents executed a search warrant at the Howard Street address. He is being held in the Columbia County Detention Center without bond.According to information released from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the search warrant was the result of a six-month, online undercover operation.Reports say during the investigation sheriff’s office detectives found a computer that was allegedly downloading and offering to share child pornography online and the investigation led officers to the Howard Street home.
“During the search a computer and other computer-related items were seized,” said Columbia County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Sgt. Ed Seifert. “The seized items will be sent to the FDLE’s crime lab for further examination.”Detectives with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office as well as Special Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are members of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.“Possession, viewing, transmitting or manufacturing child pornography is a crime,” Seifert said. “If you want to report someone for having child pornography either on their computer or some other device, you may report this information to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at 752-3223 or report it to the Cyper Tip Line at ncmec.org

Home computer injuries are rife

2009-06-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

Home computer-related
injuries have increased more than sevenfold, with children hurt most often, data reveal.
Over 78,000 patients were treated for such injuries in US hospitals between 1994 and 2006, and 93% of the trips, bumps and falls occurred in the home.
Over the 13-year study period the injury rate increased by 732%, which is more than double the increase in household computer ownership.
The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Children under five had the highest injury rate, mainly due to falls after tripping over cables or head injuries from falling monitors.
Make sure computers are well-positioned so they cannot be pulled over by inquisitive children
A spokesman from Rospa
Similarly, in the UK computer-related accidents in the home sharply increased from around 800 in 1995 to more than 1,800 in 1999 and 2,100 in 2002 - the latest figures available.
A third of the incidents in 2002 involved a child under the age of 15, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa).
Although most result in minor bumps and bruises, some injuries can be more serious.
One case in 1998 involved a six-year-old boy who was burned by a fire caused by spilling a drink on a computer.
Avoidable
Lead researcher of the US study, Dr Lara McKenzie of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Center for Injury Research and Policy in Columbus, said: "Future research on acute computer-related injuries is needed as this ubiquitous product becomes more intertwined in our everyday lives."
She said more information was needed on the types of computers and equipment used, the layout of these systems, and the furniture used to store them in order to develop household-safety practices in this area.
"Given the large increase in acute computer-related injuries over the study period, greater efforts are needed to prevent such injuries, especially among young children."
A Rospa spokesman said: "Whenever a piece of equipment or activity such as home-computing becomes more popular, the number of people being injured in related accidents does tend to increase.
"In fact, we noticed a particular rise in computer-related home accidents towards the end of the 1990s as computers became 'must have' items.
"Accidents always happen more easily when you're rushing, so if you're carrying a computer do take care to look where you're going and don't try to lift too much equipment in one go.
"Make sure computers are well-positioned so they cannot be pulled over by inquisitive children. And, as with all types of electrical equipment, watch out for trailing cables."

Can Computer Nerds Save Journalism

2009-06-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

Word to those who think the Internet spells the end of traditional print media: "hacker journalists" have arrived to save the day. (Read "The State of the Media: Not Good.")
A cadre of newly minted media whiz-kids, who mix high-tech savvy with hard-nosed reporting skills, are taking a closer look at ways in which 21st century code-crunching and old-fashioned reporting can not only co-exist but also thrive. And the first batch of them has just emerged from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
They've just completed a new master's program at Medill — with scholarships from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation — aimed at training programmers in basic journalism so they can better understand how technology is impacting the industry and trying to engineer change down the road. Medill isn't the only higher education institution blending computer programming and journalism; at other schools such as the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, traditional J-school programs are incorporating a dose of tech-thumping. Spurred by the success of content-driven Web sites such as Digg, which creates a front page of news stories based on what readers deem most popular each day, the brains behind these new programs are trying to capitalize on ways in which sophisticated programming can make the delivery of news more accessible.
Programmers and journalists may seem like strange bedfellows; many criticize the internet for the layoffs, buyouts and bleeding bottom lines that characterize the news business today. But, as emphasized by a report released last month by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the World Association of Newspapers, traditional news outlets must "cross the digital abyss" if they wish to survive. The problem, of course, is scraping together the capital to invest in new technologies. (Read "How to Save Your Newspaper.")
These kinds of forecasts prompted Rich Gordon, director of digital innovation at Medill, to convince the Knight Foundation in 2007 to start funding the new curriculum. Recognizing that traditional news platforms are struggling to keep content relevant online, Gordon, the former new media director for the Miami Herald Publishing Co., approached the problem a different way. "Instead of media organizations always playing catch-up, the objective should be for them to incorporate data in new and different ways from the very beginning," Gordon says, noting that, in addition to Digg, Web sites such as ProPublica, EveryBlock and PolitiFact have achieved this goal successfully. "It makes perfect sense to have programmers involved with this effort from the very beginning."
One of Medill's new graduates, a 31-year-old software developer named Brian Boyer, starts in June as the inaugural "News Applications Editor" at the Chicago Tribune. In this job, Boyer will be writing applications for the paper's Web site to accompany investigative reports and present data to readers in formats such as searchable databases and interactive charts. "The forms of journalism might be changing, but the role of the media to inform the public and hold government accountable remains the same," says Boyer, who coined the phrase "hacker journalist" to describe this new breed of newsman. "That's where technologists can help."
Coursework in Medill's new program is rigorous. For most of the first three academic quarters, students take classes at the school's Chicago campus that emphasize news reporting, content creation and the needs of media consumers. In the final quarter, scholarship recipients team up with students from more traditional journalism backgrounds and develop an application or service that addresses specific problems; Boyer was part of a team that built a prototype to improve readers' experience when posting comments on the Cedar Rapids Gazette. In an e-mail, he said of their News Mixer project: "It is, IMHO, still the only application that explores the full potential of Facebook Connect."
At the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, a three-year-old program in "computational journalism" helps computer science majors study how journalists gather, organize and utilize information, then take these workflows and see how technology can make the processes easier. Says Professor Irfan Essa: "We're trying to get people aware of what computations and software programs can do for their day-to-day work. This kind of thinking has enabled technology to streamline workflows in dozens of other industries. There's no reason it can't work in journalism, too."
Meanwhile, the journalism school at the University of Missouri has started introducing graduate-level journalism students to programming with computer-assisted reporting that delves into the basics of database management. Similarly, the University of California, Berkeley, requires students in its graduate school of journalism to take a six-week, boot-camp-style course in Web development, during which they are taught the basics of XML, HTML and other coding languages commonly used on Web sites today.
"While the core skills of journalism will always be solid reporting and clear writing, it's not just about storytelling anymore," says Berkeley's director of new media Paul Grabowicz. He adds that although some old-school media companies may be "slow" or "hesitant" — or too broke — to hire techies, they will be forced to do so in order to compete with more entrepreneurial ventures.
Boyer, the original hacker journalist, prefers to put it differently, likening the paradigm shift to the old adage that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. "If the source of the tumult in the news business is technology," he says, "then journalism needs more nerds."

Many more check out library

2009-06-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

Free computer access, Harry Potter parties and cheap coffee.

At the Allen County Public Library, patrons want it all, and they want it now.

“It’s just a totally different world than 20 years ago. There are so many things people expect the library to provide now. It’s not just books, …” says Rosie Stier, manager of Little Turtle branch.

And many of those things are expensive, such as Blu-ray discs, Wii and Xbox 360 games and audio books on CD, some of which can cost about $100 a title.

“With today’s world, with everybody living on a tight budget, (patrons) obviously want the things the library has to provide. … Why not use your tax dollar as best you can?” Stier asks.

That’s why circulation in the downtown art, music and media department has increased in the past few years, from 11,000 items to 18,000 items a week, manager Stacey Pearson says.

“That is a really clear sign to me that people need entertainment that’s free, because they’re not working,” she says.

The other hot commodity is information that’s free, provided by librarians as quickly as possible.

Despite staff and budget cutbacks, those who work in the library system try to meet everyone’s demands, even when those demands might seem a bit unreasonable.

Some patrons don’t understand that even the wondrous Internet still requires time and skill to find a particular fact or gather a large amount of information.

Stier, who’s been a librarian since the 1960s and at the Little Turtle branch since 1990, has plenty of examples, including one woman who called an hour before closing on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

She wanted “a rough synopsis of the philosophy of all the U.S. presidents, and their years in office … and how their presidency stacked up against the Constitution. And she was upset when I said, ‘I can do that for you, but it’s going to take me a little time.’ ”

Stier offered to do the research and call her back the following week.

“No, she wanted it now. … They just think you can go on the Internet and it’s right there,” Stier says.

And it is, in some cases. Other times, not so much.

“Of course, information is just overflowing with the Internet,” Pearson says.

“Filtering through that information is what we try to help people with. There are limitations – we can’t give people legal information; we can only show them where they can find it,” Pearson says.

Obviously, many patrons do their own research or need to look for jobs and complete unemployment forms.

“That’s really stressful. Many people, especially those over 50, aren’t always computer savvy,” Stier says. “You get them started and they have lots of questions and they get frustrated easily.”

At Eckhart Public Library in Auburn, computer use has jumped 55 percent in the past year, and new patrons have increased by 26 percent.

“We are really the community center; people are coming here for everything,” operations manager Chris Grogg says.

They come to get tax forms, look for online love, update their MySpace page, download music and more.

In a 2007 survey of public libraries, 73 percent reported their facility was the only place in the community with free computer and Internet access, according to the American Library Association.

Last year, the Auburn library opened a separate location for teens a block away.

“They have been wonderful. They treat that as their place. Before, teens were always welcome; now, we have embraced them,” Grogg says.

That’s also the philosophy at the Young Adult Services department at Allen County Public Library.

“We try to market to them, not just ‘tolerate’ them,” manager Mari Hardacre says.

Here, cardboard cutouts of pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) line up against one wall. Large orange and purple sofas dot the room. A bookshelf is filled with board games.

And an area in the back features a large-screen TV and colorful mood lighting for video game parties and anime movie nights, plus booths with tables for those who bring in snacks.

Yes, eating is allowed in the main library these days, except for the computer areas and genealogy department.

“We consider this to be a ‘third space’ for teens,” Hardacre says. (The first and second spaces are home and school or work.)

The monthly event calendar is crammed full with meetings for chess club and book clubs, “Guitar Hero” or gaming gatherings, craft days and poetry/rap slams. The young-adult department also has a blog and a Facebook page.

For the most part, the teens are good patrons, but they’re not above a prank every now and then, such as the time someone baked a library stapler into a cake, then brought it in to share and photograph.

Sure, it’s all fun and games, until someone takes out his teeth.

That happened to Pearson many years ago when she was working in the periodicals department.

The library kept some of the more expensive magazines in a separate area and required identification from patrons who wanted to read them.

One day, a man wanted to read Billboard but didn’t have an ID. So he popped out his dentures instead. Pearson decided it was a fair trade.

“We figured he’s got to have his teeth” and that he wouldn’t leave without returning the magazine and reclaiming his unusual deposit.

Moments like that make the job interesting, says Pearson, who’s been a librarian for more than 20 years.

Once, someone left a kitten in the book return box at Little Turtle branch, back when the boxes weren’t attached to the building. The cat found a good home and is still alive, Stier says.

One ongoing trend is related to the weather. When it’s really hot or really cold, there are plenty of patrons, including kids, who stop in just to appreciate the indoor climate.

“There are so many people that flow through our buildings; … we still have some characters,” Stier says, chuckling.

And whenever they’re there, some kids need help finding something to do, which often results in long computer wait lists in the afternoon.

While the downtown library has plenty of programs for all ages, that’s not something all branches can replicate, with their smaller staffs and budgets.

“Some of us just can’t stretch that thin. It’s hard to make your money touch all of those bases to make everybody happy,” Stier says.

At Auburn’s Eckhart Public Library, staff members have decided to invest most of their materials budget in books, which means they add to their DVD collection only when movies are donated, Grogg says.

If a popular title gets “lost” – a growing problem – then they might buy a replacement.

And the periodicals collection has changed a bit over the years, too.

sscarlett@jg.net

How to remove Antivirus System Pro (Uninstall instructions)

2009-06-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

Antivirus System PRO is rogue antivirus/antispyware program, new version of Spyware protect 2009. Like other fake antispyware programs, it uses fake alerts and false positives to trick you into buying the software. Antivirus System PRO usually installed itself onto your computer without your permission, through trojans and browser security holes.
During installation Antivirus System Pro configures itself to run automatically every time, when your computer starts. Immediately after launch, Antivirus System Pro starts scanning the computer and list a lot of threats to trick you to buy the paid version of the rogue. All of these threats are fake, so you can safely ignore them.
While the Antivirus System Pro is running, your computer will display fake alerts, an example:
Windows Security alertWindows reports that computer is infected. Antivirus softwarehelps to protect your computer against viruses and othersecurity threats. Click here for the scan your computer. Yoursystem might be at risk now.
Also Antivirus System Pro will install a Internet Explorer BHO module (iehelper.dll) that will hijack Internet Explorer and randomly shows a “Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage. Needed Powerfull PC Protection” warning page (uses fake address security.microsoft.com), instead of the site you are trying to browse to:
Internet Explorer Warning - visiting this web site may harm your computer!
Most likely causes: The website contains exploits that can launch a malicious code on your computerSuspicious network activity detectedThere might be an active spyware running on your computer
What you can try: - Purchase Antivirus System PRO for secure Internet surfing (Recommended).- Check your computer for viruses and malware.- More information
The warning is fake and should be ignored! Antivirus System Pro can be safely removed from your computer along with any other trojan infections if the proper steps are taken. If you are a non-techie computer user then this method of removing Antivirus System Pro and any associated malware from your computer is for you.

Airbus A330 Computer 'Susceptible to Interference'

2009-06-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

A recent near-fatal incident involving a similar Airbus A330 could provide clues as to the cause of the Air France crash.
Last October, a Qantas A330 plunged 650 feet in a few seconds after a computer malfunction which was possibly triggered by electrical interference.
More than 50 people were injured in the incident which happened suddenly at 37,000 feet over Western Australia.
Click to view photos.
The air data computer, which is supposed to correct mistakes by the pilot, sent the A330 into a very steep dive. The computer mistakenly thought that the pilot was trying to climb too fast, when in fact the aircraft was level and cruising normally.
The pilot managed to regain control and pull out of the dive but not before all those not strapped in had been thrown around the aircraft.
One theory being investigated is that signals from a nearby military communication station interfered with the air data computer.

Windows 7 Clearly Better Than Vista

2009-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Microsoft came out with Windows 7 RC. RC stands for release candidate and it is the almost-finished version that will be for sale sometime in the future. I have been running it on my netbook computer I got last Christmas. The netbook is a very good, small, low-cost computer that I wrote about at the end of last year. Basically, it isn't quite powerful enough to run Windows Vista so it comes with XP.
So with some apprehension, I rebuilt my netbook from the ground up with Windows 7. After I finished the rebuild, I held my breath, uttered a prayer and started the computer up. Guess what? It has worked perfectly ever since. It runs Windows 7 very fast, and all of my software and hardware continue to work. Yea! This is great news since Vista failed both of those tests when it first came out. The wireless connection to home and office started working immediately, and I can't really find much to complain about.
If you have been putting off buying a computer due to fear of Vista, fear no longer. I energetically approve of this latest and greatest operating system from MS. Most of the smarter and more famous Windows geeks are happy about this upcoming operating system, too.
It looks and acts similar to Vista. If you have used Vista in the past you will be right at home when you switch; although, the speed increase will both surprise and delight you. If you are coming from the XP operating system it will take a little getting used to, but the learning curve shouldn't be too bad and will be worth it.
Off and on during the next few months I will be talking about some of the new things in W7, but I may wait for it to actually get into the market. If you are brave and want to play with it before it comes to the stores, you can. Just Google, "download Microsoft Windows 7" and you may download it from MS through July 2009. A neat thing is that you will get updates to this RC and be able to use it to run your computer until June 1, 2010. Basically they are giving it away for about a year. Microsoft has not announced how much it will cost.
As to when it goes on sale, Microsoft has been stating for the last week or so that it will be available before Christmas. I have heard others say anytime between August and November, but only MS knows for sure... maybe.
Contact Ron Doyle at ron@doubleclicks.info.

Satyam Computer Names New Manager For Australia, New Zealand

2009-05-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI (Dow Jones)--India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd. (500376.BY)
said Monday it has named Venki Prathivadi its manager for operations in
Australia and New Zealand.
Prathivadi has replaced Deepak Nangia, who resigned for personal
reasons, the software exporter said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Prathivadi was most recently Satyam's delivery director for an Australian
telecommunication services provider, it said.

-By Ameya Karve; Dow Jones Newswires; +91-22-6145-6121; ameyaanil.karve@dowjones.com

‘Uncle Sam wants you’ call to computer whizzes

2009-05-31T03:46:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE, Fla. — The government’s urgent push into cyberwarfare has set off a rush among the biggest military companies for billions of dollars in new defense contracts. The exotic nature of the work, coupled with the deep recession, is enabling the companies to attract top young talent that once would have gone to Silicon Valley. And the race to develop weapons that defend against, or initiate, computer attacks has given rise to thousands of “hacker soldiers” within the Pentagon who can blend the new capabilities into the nation’s war planning. Nearly all of the largest military companies — including Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon — have major computer-related contracts with the military and intelligence agencies. The companies have been moving quickly to lock up the relatively small number of experts with the training and creativity to block the attacks and design countermeasures. They have been buying smaller firms, financing academic research and running advertisements for “cyberninjas” at a time when other industries are shedding workers. The changes are manifesting themselves in highly classified laboratories, where computer geeks in their 20s like to joke they are hackers with security clearances. At a Raytheon facility here south of the Kennedy Space Center, a hub of innovation in an earlier era, rock music blares and empty cans of Mountain Dew pile up as engineers create tools to protect the Pentagon computers and crack into the networks of countries that could become adversaries. Prizes such as cappuccino machines and stacks of cash spur them on, and a gong heralds each major breakthrough. The young engineers represent the new face of a war President Barack Obama described Friday as “one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.” The president said he would appoint a senior White House official to oversee the nation’s cybersecurity strategies. Computer experts say the government is behind the curve in sealing off its networks from threats that are growing more persistent and sophisticated, with thousands of intrusions each day from organized criminals and legions of hackers for nations including Russia and China. “Everybody’s attacking everybody,” said Scott Chase, a 30-year-old computer engineer who helps run the Raytheon unit here. Daniel D. Allen, who oversees work on intelligence systems for Northrop Grumman, estimated federal spending on computer security now totals $10 billion each year, including classified programs. That is just a fraction of the government’s spending on weapons systems. But industry officials expect it to rise rapidly.

HCSO to have Internet predator investigator

2009-05-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

By CARY ASHBY - Reflector Staff Writer Saturday May 30 2009, 12:08am
The Huron County Sheriff's Office will be joining forces with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) to investigate and arrest Internet-based child predators and suspects involved in child pornography.
Capt. Ted Patrick said there is no specific deputy in mind right now for the responsibility, but the sheriff's office is seeking someone who is "computer savvy." The deputy, whose work load will be based on calls from the community, is expected to receive free training sometime this year."We hope to get in classes this summer," Patrick said.The sheriff's office hopes ICAC will provide a free computer for the online investigator to use."They'll be doing regular road patrol as well," Patrick said. "Once the training is completed and the computer is in place, we'll have it up and running."Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason created the Ohio version of ICAC in 2000 through a Department of Justice grant. Because the task force covers the entire state, each member of ICAC has access to its database.
"You share information with all 88 counties. ... They (ICAC) will help you with any investigative help you may need," Patrick said.The sheriff's office isn't the only area law enforcement agency to partner with ICAC.The Wakeman Police Department has used part-time Officer Josh Rice as its online investigator since 2006. He uses a laptop computer owned by the department funded by the Wakeman Eagles 4354. As of December 2008, Rice had investigated about 40 Internet child pornography cases, resulting in numerous convictions.Norwalk Police Detective Dave Pigman, also the department DARE officer, has been the ICAC liaison for his agency since late 2006. Pigman said he has submitted multiple cases to the Huron County Prosecutor's Office as well as other Ohio authorities, the latter of which have netted convictions."I used to have a lot more time to do it," he said, adding he has been working his current case for the last week.For Pigman, some of the advantages of ICAC is being able to contact similar online investigators across the United States. The task force membership also allows him to use Net Smartz, an Internet safety program for multiple grades in schools and I Safe, a community-oriented program.Also partnered with ICAC is the Erie County Sheriff's Office and Perkins Township Police Department.Detective Sgt. Jared Oliver and Detective Nick Kotsopoulos use an Erie County computer dedicated to online investigations. Their work has resulted in convictions of defendants living in Brook Park, Vermilion and Berlin Heights."We do it as time permits," Oliver said.

Lottery game stops temporarily for computer error

2009-05-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Iowa Lottery’s “Big Beepin’ Deal” promotion was shut down on Sunday, Monday and almost half of Tuesday because of an operator error on the lottery’s computer system.Any Iowa Lottery player who made a qualifying purchase in the promotion on those days can receive a $20 bonus by mailing their tickets to the lottery, said Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Terry Rich
Because it would be impossible to identify
everyone affected, the Iowa Lottery is extending the offer to all players who made a qualifying purchase during the affected time, Rich said.The Big Beepin Deal promotion began May 3. For every 20th purchase statewide of a $10 Powerball with a Power Play ticket option, the lottery terminal makes a beeping sound like a car horn. The customer wins $20 cash on the spot.Scientific Games, an Iowa Lottery computer vendor, has agreed to compensate the Iowa Lottery for the additional expense, which is estimated at $100,000, said Iowa Lottery Vice President Mary Neubauer. After the error was discovered, corrections were made to permit the promotion to resume at 11:28 a.m. Tuesday, Rich said. More than 5,000 qualifying purchases were made while the promotion was prevented from running.

LLUON Kidscom computer for the little ones

2009-05-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

May 24th, 2009 by Edwin in Childrens Gadgets, PC Gadgets
Monkey see, monkey do - or so the adage goes. Well, if you’re one who has a junior version of yourself imitating your every move, chances are the little tyke would have asked for a notebook or computer of his own by now. Well, why not give in to his fancies this time round with the LLUON Kidscom computer from Korea? It seems to be equipped with what is the most colorful touch screen we’ve laid our eyes upon to date - hopefully this doesn’t mean that they’ll be wearing glasses sooner than their counterparts. Heck, we don’t think kids will be the only ones who are attracted to this as us adults with a curious streak within would also want to give the display a whole lot of loving touches. Otherwise, how else do you explain the gangbusters sales that the iPhone has achieved to date?

Cloud Computing

2009-05-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

When I think of cloud computing. I imagine data centers floating through the clouds. Cloud computing is storing of data on a PC that is store on a server on the Internet. And the location of the server is not needed. In fact, the data might be scattered across a bunch of different servers. So it is true your data is in the sky someplace. Now to use a cloud computing service you must be connected to the Internet, have the bandwidth so you can reach those social networking sites like Flickr for photos and other sites with documents and home movies. Matter of fact where ever you happened to be and using any device such as mobile phone, a laptop, a media player or and Internet kiosk at the airport you can access the cloud services.
Cloud computing is when tasks are moved off servers and onto shared data centers and can be accessed via the Internet. Cloud computing is a realistic computing environment which involves bringing together the physical and logical resources, such as memory processors, networks, and storage into a single, manageable virtual environment and its practical with allowing one to consolidate the management and utilization of system’s resources.

In the early ages of the computing industry, the data center was originally a housed huge computer. There was no integration from one computer to another so each computer systems needed a special environment to operate along with many cables to connect all those components. Originally data centers generated a great deal of power. But over time data centers have changed into energy efficient, automated and hypersecure. These computer systems have applications that handle core business and operational data for the organization. (a good example: Enterprise Resource Planning or Customer Relationship Management). Another use of data centers are use for off site backups. Meaning in a company disaster you got backup data in another facility specially created to store business-oriented data.

So away with the huge data center and if you need a virtual computing environment that allows you to use web service interfaces to launch instances with a variety of operating systems then visit this website of with the list of Cloud Computing Service Providers. http://www.webguild.org/2008/07/list-of-cloud-computing-service-providers.php.

I see cloud computing as another form of outsourcing where a service keeps your data and provides all functionality desired by you on demand.
Here is a list of why some computer industry leaders agree with Cloud computing:

Storage
Utilization
Power and cooling
Operations taking at what percent of total cost
Human error 54 % of Network downtime
New Apps can take 60-180 days to deploy
Now of course there are considerations CIO and others should consider before using Cloud computing. One to consider is the infrastructure e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services. Will the infrastructure have the bandwidth to expand? Is it rigid or inflexible? And consider the usage of cloud services around Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking systems for communication with the public i.e. Twitter, YouTube channel and Flickr for photos and the benefits cloud computing provides around Web 2.0 technologies.

One government agency has been working with cloud computing the U.S. Department of Energy is exploring the cloud concept with their federal partners to identify opportunities to provide better service at lower cost through cloud services.

Newsweeks reports there are companies now using Amazon to run new applications instead of adding on to their data centers. Companies like Eli Lily and The New York Times have dumped their data on a cloud. And per Fran Gens, an analyst at researcher IDC, “The cloud is really the foundation for the next 20 years of the IT industry,” Gens says.

Now on your computer screen: Sunday services

2009-05-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

By JAKE SHERMANColumbia News Service
Published: Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, May 22, 2009 at 9:05 p.m.
NEW YORK — To those suffering in these troubled times, Bobby Gruenewald offers what any Christian pastor would: a seat in his church.

But in his case, the church is online.
The 32-year-old Gruenewald is a pastor at LifeChurch.tv, an Edmond, Okla., organization that, with tens of thousands of followers, has created a virtual house of worship, with sermons, prayer and Bible study for an international congregation.
The faithful have used the Internet for religious inspiration and expression for years, but Gruenewald and other experts say this is the first attempt to re-create the experience of church services online.
“We want to be reaching people where they’re at,” Gruenewald said. “We want to bring God to them.”
LifeChurch.tv, which has 13 physical campuses around the country, has started a quiet quasi-religious revolution that is bringing people across socioeconomic classes, races and international borders to Jesus.
Gruenewald said the average “congregation” at any given time on a Sunday is about 3,000 visitors, but over the course of the 90-to-120-minute services, between 12,000 and 15,000 unique viewers will log on. The services incorporate live preaching, songs and sermons from the church’s physical locations across the United States through a live feed, while viewers can chat with one another or church volunteers.
To further connect virtual users, the site also employs a chat function that automatically translates their language into a language of one’s choosing. Someone in Brazil can type a comment in Portuguese, for example, and it will be translated instantaneously to English for a viewer in Idaho. This feature, church leaders say, fosters a sense of immediate community among people with no other commonalities besides an abiding interest in Jesus.
Although officials say they are largely nondenominational, LifeChurch is rooted in evangelical Christianity. And while Gruenewald said virtual worship has similarities to televangelism, don’t call them televangelists. LifeChurch.tv offers a chance for interaction that television could never provide.
“Televangelism is one-way relationship, maybe two-way with money donations,” Gruenewald said. “What we’re seeing is a community take place and a one-on-one type interaction.”
Gruenewald said the Web site, which is free and relies on donations, has a simple mission: “We lead people to Christ.”
Leading people to religion in 2009 is a bit different than it was even in 1979. LifeChurch.tv doesn’t knock on doors to solicit believers. Gruenewald, who founded and sold two Internet start-ups in the late 1990s, recently launched a virtual community for LifeChurch.
tv on Second Life, the popular Web site on which users interact through three-dimensional characters. Visitors to the site can simulate sitting in church for services.
The church also tweets on Twitter and uses Skype and Facebook and even the iPhone to spread the Gospel.
Hjalti a Lava of the tiny Faeroe Islands in the North Atlantic stumbled on LifeChurch.
tv last summer while downloading religious applications for his iPhone and has “attended” weekly services with his family ever since. “It’s so visible and easy,” said Lava, a 40-year-old computer repair technician.
“It’s interesting to hear from other people from parts of the world dealing with different circumstances you are in. You’ll meet people from Europe, Africa and China, so it’s exciting to do that.”
In the islands, which are smaller than Rhode Island, there are a few other physical congregationsBaptist, Pentecostal and Lutheran. But for Lava, LifeChurch.tv fills a void that many churches don’t. Its ministers are more able to relate the Bible to his daily life than in other churches he has attended.
“I’m trying every week to do something more than listen,” Lava said. “They make you want to practice it.”
As the crumbling of Wall Street has sent ripples across the country, the church has gone into overdrive. Volunteers have offered online money seminars and are trying to bring people to religion when everyday life can be tough to stomach.
On a recent Sunday morning, Pastor Craig Groeschel told his online congregants that he sees Jesus “everywhere” in this down economy.
“From our church’s prospective, we have the unique opportunity now to meet people’s needs when hurting emotionally, physically and even financially,” Gruenewald said. “In these times of uncertainty, people look for things that are certain.”
But the church has its critics. David DeCosse, the director of campus ethics programs at Santa Clara University in California, says there is “great risk” that people will not find the religious connection they seek if they aren’t part of a physical community.
“Ultimately, something is not transcendent in someone’s life if you don’t have access to human touch, sound, bodies, in spaces and proximitysuffering bodies, people who need help or joyful ones,” DeCosse said.
DeCosse says his “dear Irish grandmother” derived great joy from watching Sunday Mass on television. But in today’s technological climate, he says, religion could be reduced to just one more distraction among the mess of iTunes, Kindles and Google chat.
For Amanda Simms, 37, of Starkville, Miss., that electronic mess brought her much happiness. After meeting her husband online 12 years ago, Simms fully bought in to the online revolution. Through Twitter, Carlos Whittaker, a minister at a megachurch in Atlanta, turned her on to LifeChurch.tv around Christmas Eve last year.
Ever since, she’s been on LifeChurch.tv several times a week. She even helps run one service, assisting in technical problems and answering parishioners’ questions. She scoffs at DeCosse’s criticism. LifeChurch, Simms says, allows her to understand the world in a broader sense.
Although she still volunteers at her local church, Simms says LifeChurch.tv presents more than the homogeneous sliver she finds in Mississippi.
“I am meeting a broad segment of the world,” she said, “people from 25 different countries. It allows you to see more than your local church. It allows you to see the church as a whole.”
And Gruenewald agrees. He doesn’t know what the future of virtual worship will be, but he says he can see the impact his church has already had.
“We see people that are going from hurting, hopeless, from conditions of uncertainty and fear, and finding hope and relationships with others and confidence and finding God and who he is,” he said.

Unit Delivery Integrator Satyam Computer Services

2009-05-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Sunil Tadwalkar is Unit Delivery Integrator working with Satyam Computer Services Ltd in testing practice (QEdge). He is graduate engineer in electrical engineering discipline and holds rich experience of over 24 years, out of which last 11 years have been in IT industry.
He is instrumental in bringing delivery excellence practices in testing project deliveries of QEdge testing project. He also worked for business management functions of QEdge RTLC as a champion. He has developed “Quality Consulting Functions” for last 6.5 years with Satyam Computers Services by leading a team of consultants in various strategic initiatives, providing consultation for program management for clients, providing support to project deliveries, competency and knowledge building, developing new services, collaborating with vertical and horizontal competency units for generating leads and managing process consulting project/programs for various overseas clients.
Sunil is certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Certified Quality Analyst (CQA) from QAI-USA He is trained ISO9001 Tick-IT auditor and has conducted many internal audits and participated in CMM assessments and Pre-assessments. He has also completed course “Intermediate concept of CMMI” conducted by SEI USA and done evaluation of eSCM assessment method at SEI Pittsburgh in USA. He has implemented PCMM practices up to level 5 & 4 in Satyam and Datamatics Organization successfully.
He is trained on green and black belt six sigma techniques. He has acquired foundation certificate in ITIL service management practices. Above all, he is recipient of “Excellent Performance” award from Management of Datamatics in year 2000 and appreciation from Satyam MD on implementation of PCMM practices.
Publications/ Books/ Papers Sunil have more than 15 articles on his credit published on number of reputed web sites. One of his article on customer satisfaction effectiveness appeared in project management best practices in the issue of people on project in Oct 04 in www.cbponline.com.

NE Iowa experts couple's computer mystery stumps

2009-05-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

BY ERIK HOGSTROM Telegraph Herald
10:00 AM CDT, May 17, 2009
ASBURY, Iowa - Mary LaMour can't understand why her computer works at other people's homes, and outside, but not inside her house. Neither can a computer technician. "It's uncanny," said Chuck Freisinger, of Phoenix Computer Services in Dubuque. "My other technician and I looked at that situation. When it's in their house, it doesn't work. When it's outside, it works fine. She took it to a friend's house and it worked fine." LaMour proved it recently. Standing on her front step, she started her Dell laptop and the computer operated normally.
Carrying the computer back across the front door threshold, an ominous blue screen replaces the desktop. "This particular thing is completely out of the ordinary," Freisinger said. The error screen reads in part: "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. IRQL--NOT--LESS--OR--EQUAL. Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed." The LaMours aren't computing novices. "I'm not computer crazy, I'm not one of these computer geeks," Mary LaMour said, "but we have had a computer for years." Dick and Mary LaMour moved into their new Asbury home in February. They soon learned there was only one spot in the house the laptop would work. "There is one place in the sun room," Mary LaMour said, "but you had to be on your hands and knees." "The only thing that really springs to mind is electromagnetic interference," Freisinger said. Electromagnetic interference can interrupt, obstruct or otherwise degrade or limit the effective performance of an electrical circuit. "Perhaps the laptop is particularly sensitive to electromagnetic interference," Freisinger said. The LaMours don't reside under any power lines, and Asbury's radio stations are not located nearby. If there were buried power lines, why would the problem only occur inside the home, not outside? "Alliant said it couldn't be wires underground," Mary LaMour said. Someone suggested the LaMours encase their laptop in a combination of cardboard and aluminum foil to mitigate any possible electromagnetic effects. "It worked for a minute," Dick LaMour said, "then it shut down again." What else could it be? "I was asked if I had a plate in my head -- I said 'No, do you?"' Mary LaMour said. "I was asked if my bracelets were magnetic, but I took a magnet off the refrigerator and proved that they're not." What about ghosts? Jokingly, Freisinger asked Mary if her house home was haunted. "If we do have ghosts, they are friendly," she said. "So I don't care." Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com

Chips falling AMD's way

2009-05-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Intel hit in Europe with big penalty
Thursday, May 14, 2009
By Stephen Williams (Contact)Gazette Reporter
MALTA & STILLWATER — The European Union on Wednesday fined computer chipmaker Intel Corp. a record $1.45 billion for alleged anti-competitive practices against smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices — a development that should boost plans for an AMD-affiliated chip factory here, officials said.
Intel, which has controlled about 80 percent of the world microprocessor market, called the decision “wrong,” and vowed to appeal.
The Capital Region has a strong interest in Wednesday’s events because of the $4.2 billion factory planned at the Luther Forest Technology Campus that will make chips for AMD.
AMD is the only true rival Intel has in the market for microprocessors, the brains inside computers. AMD had about 22 percent of the market last quarter, an improvement from last year.
Both AMD and GlobalFoundries, which took over AMD’s manufacturing facilities in March, issued statements praising the EU decision.
“Today is an important day for our industry and technology consumers worldwide,” GlobalFoundries stated. “The EU ruling not only supports a competitive marketplace but also helps make the construction of our new facility in New York, and the creation of new advanced manufacturing jobs in the region, a reality.”
GlobalFoundries’ purchase of its 222-acre site on the boundary between the towns of Malta and Stillwater is expected to occur within the next week or two.
There has been skepticism in some circles over whether the factory plans would proceed. AMD has sustained billions of dollars in losses and a dramatic drop in stock price since plans for the plant were first announced in 2006. Much of the speculation has quieted since the formation of GlobalFoundries, a partnership between AMD and an Abu Dhabi investment company to make chips for AMD and potentially other customers.
“From our perspective, opening up the market in a competitive way is a good thing,” said Michael Relyea, president of the Luther Forest Technology Campus. “It makes it more likely GlobalFoundries will be able to sell more chips to AMD.”
The tech campus is currently under construction. GlobalFoundries will be its anchor tenant.
The European Union fine set a record, exceeding the $655 million fine it issued to Microsoft in 2004 for alleged monopoly practices.
After a nine-year investigation, EU officials said in a 500-page decision released in Brussels that Intel broke EU competition law by exploiting its dominant position with a deliberate strategy to keep AMD out of the market.
It said Intel gave rebates to computer manufacturers Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and NEC for buying all or almost all their x86 computer processing units, or CPUs, from Intel, and paid them to stop or delay the launch of computers based on chips from AMD.
Intel denied doing that.
Regulators said the company also paid Germany’s biggest electronics retailer, Media Saturn Holding — which owns the MediaMarket superstores — from 2002 to 2007 to stock only Intel-based computers.
“Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for computer chips for many years,” said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. “Such a serious and sustained violation of the EU’s antitrust rules cannot be tolerated.”
Intel President and CEO Paul S. Otellini said the findings ignore exculpatory evidence Intel supplied the commission, and he believes the company will win on appeal.
“When you have a market with basically two players, when one wins, the other loses,” Otellini said in a conference call with reporters. “This is basically competition at work.”
He said the fine will be paid by cash or bond within 90 days and the company will abide by the decision pending its appeal.
There have been other regulatory actions worldwide against Intel, all accusing it of monopolistic practices against its smaller rival.
Regulators in Korea and Japan have found against Intel, and the Federal Trade Commission and the New York state attorney general’s office currently have anti-trust investigations.
AMD has also filed a lawsuit against Intel that is pending in federal court in Delaware, with a trial pending in 2010.
Intel officials said AMD’s market share has in fact grown in the last decade, while there were also innovations in microprocessor technology and the cost to consumers came down.
“Intel’s position is that microprocessors are a highly, highly, highly competitive market and the market has worked well,” said John D’Allesandro, a regional spokesman for Intel.

PAUSD "InClass computer system crashes, erasing data

2009-05-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

Teachers put in extra hours to re-enter grades and students even rewrote essays after the "InClass" computer system used by Palo Alto high and middle schools crashed last month, erasing more than a month's worth of data.
The district has been using Blackboard's InClass system since 2004. It allows teachers to post documents and assignments for students to download, or post grades for students to check. Students can also upload and store documents there, and the system has a gradebook where teachers can track grades.
The system is backed up nightly, said district Director of Educational Technology Marie Scigliano, but on April 26 something went wrong during one of those backups. The bad backup crashed the server and corrupted all of the recent backup data, Scigliano said, destroying all the data from after March 15 — the last time a more thorough, permanent backup had been performed.
"We were pretty scared there, when we thought 'Oh God, we lost all the grades back to March 15,'" said Lettie Weinmann, technology coordinator at Gunn High School.
Weinmann found that most Gunn teachers used other systems besides InClass to keep track of grades, though many did have to re-post grade information and documents. Only four teachers at Gunn actually used InClass as their primary grade-recording method, she said.
Two of the teachers tracked down the grades — one found some old paper records and the other re-collected assignments
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from students. The other two teachers had to agree on a "creative grading" solution with their students, Weinmann said.
Some students in Gunn's "Focus on Success" program also had to rewrite essays and re-do other work, Weinmann said. They'd been storing their work on the system in some cases because they don't have access to a home computer, she added.
Several Palo Alto High School teachers said they weren't severely impacted, but did have to re-upload documents and re-post grades.
"Luckily I do not use the InClass program for grade postings," Paly Spanish teacher Emily Garrison wrote in an e-mail. "Other colleagues in the department were here on the weekend inputting grades."
Scigliano said the district is auditing the system to determine what went wrong, and has created "additional redundancies in our backup procedures."
"We try to do everything we can to make the experience as seamless and reliable as possible," Scigliano said. "Occasionally, things happen."E-mail Diana Samuels at dsamuels@dailynewsgroup.com

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Casio Computer Co

2009-05-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Casio Computer Co. (6952.TO) said Tuesday it fell into the red in the fiscal year ending March 2009 from a net profit the year earlier due to sluggish digital camera sales, the strong yen and a weak economy.
The manufacturer of handheld computers, digital cameras and the G-Shock watch line swung to a group net loss of Y23.15 billion from a profit of Y12.19 billion in the previous year.
It had earlier predicted a profit of Y1.50 billion.
Sales slid 16.9% to Y518.04 billion from Y623.05 billion, while operating profit fell 89.35% to Y4.02 billion.
Casio released a Y1 billion net profit outlook for the first half of the fiscal year ending September 2009 and Y5 billion for the full year ending March 2010. Sales are forecast at Y250 billion for the first half at Y530 billion for the year.
Casio's earnings are based on Japanese accounting standards.

-By Tor Ching Li, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-6895-7565; chingli.tor@dowjones.com

Two stole gov’t computers

2009-05-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday 10th May, 2009 Posted: 14:25 CIT (19:25 GMT)
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Two computer technicians were ordered to perform 75 hours of community service after pleading guilty to the theft of two laptop computers with a total value of $11,677.06, the property of the Cayman Islands Government.
Jovin Omar Fuentes was 18 when the thefts occurred in August 2008. Jordan Martin Belfoure was 17.
Crown Counsel Tanya Lobban said police attended the Glass House after receiving a report from a worker there. The officers were shown a Closed Circuit TV recording of an area from which the laptops had gone missing. It appeared to show Fuentes and Belfoure concealing the laptops and trying to dispose of the packaging.
The young men were spoken to. Fuentes admitted where a laptop was. Officers visited the premises of a third person and found the laptop.
It was subsequently established that a second laptop had been taken and it also was recovered.
The method of theft was to hide the laptop in a box containing another laptop that was being taken out of the Glass House on a genuine delivery.
Ms Lobban said neither defendant had a record of any previous convictions.
Attorney Phillip McGhee asked Magistrate Grace Donalds to consider the social inquiry report for Fuentes, which he said “sets out the situation fully.”
On behalf of Belfoure, Attorney Edward Renvoize also relied on the social inquiry report. He handed up several character references which he said described what efforts his client had made since the incident to get back on the straight and narrow.
The magistrate did not comment on the contents of the two reports but indicated she was taking into account the defendants’ guilty pleas. In addition to the community service orders, Fuentes and Belfoure were each placed on probation for 12 months.

DMV computer link sought

2009-05-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

Connecting with police network can aid in crime-fighting, Troy officials say

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer First published in print: Saturday, May 9, 2009
TROY — Linking the state's motor vehicle and police computers could help track down missing felons, two Rensselaer County officials said Friday.
County Clerk Frank Merola and State Sen. Roy J. McDonald, R-Saratoga, announced support for the computer connection.
Merola began pushing the computer ties this week after learning that Robert T. Henry, who escaped from a Tennessee prison 29 years ago, came to the Rensselaer County Department of Motor Vehicles office several times for transactions.
Merola would like to see the DMV computers linked to the State Police Information Network to show both outstanding criminal warrants and traffic violations.
"If Mr. Henry had a parking ticket in Buffalo, he would not have received that renewal,'' Merola said.
McDonald said he would introduce legislation Monday to mandate the sharing of information between DMV and the network.
McDonald said the measure is aimed at protecting the public by helping to identify when a criminal comes into the DMV office.
Merola said Henry had proper Social Security information and a birth certificate when he came to the DMV office.
State DMV reviewed linking the systems and determined that it created safety issues, said Ken Brown, an agency spokesman.
Henry was arrested by police Monday in a Jefferson Street apartment while talking to Tennessee authorities on the phone.
Henry was not listed on national wanted lists when he escaped from a Nashville jail in 1980, authorities said. As a result, when Henry was arrested in drunken-driving incidents in Troy and Syracuse, police did not learn he was a long-time escapee.
Henry is being held in the Rensselaer County Jail. He is awaiting a court hearing on whether he should be extradited to Tennessee.

L.A. police union protests computer-based parolee assessment

2009-05-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

In a letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger, the Police Protective League expresses concern over planned expansion of the tool, which would result in less monitoring of lower-risk offenders by parole agents.
By Andrew Blankstein May 6, 2009
The union representing 9,800 Los Angeles police officers is protesting a state corrections department plan to expand its computer-based risk assessment of prison parolees.In a May 5 letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Los Angeles Police Protective League said it had "deep concerns" about the Parole Violation Decision Making Instrument, a tool being used at selected state parole offices to classify and manage parolees.

Officials with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have touted their computer risk-assessment tool as a way to better identify lower-risk offenders, whom parole agents would spend less time monitoring and who might be eligible for targeted programs rather than being put back behind bars.Last month, after the governor ordered massive budget cuts, state corrections officials proposed reducing the number of ex-convicts on parole by more than 25% and allowing prison inmates to shorten their sentences by completing rehabilitation programs.Parolees monitored by the state would be reduced by more than 30,000, from the current 114,000. Sex offenders, inmates convicted of crimes classified as violent or serious, and others judged to be high-risk would continue to be monitored on parole.
The program is currently being administered by the state corrections department in four parole offices. Plans call for expanding its use to all 182 offices by the end of next year.Scott Kernan, head of operations for the parole department, defended the system, saying it takes a burden off already overworked parole agents, who could then focus their attention on the most high-risk offenders."It's intended to create consistent decisions across the state," Kernan said, noting that it would supplement, not supplant, parole agents.But police union President Paul M. Weber wrote that he had reservations."We are very disturbed that the public safety of Los Angeles residents is now being gamed by bureaucrats in Sacramento, determined to 'save money' by implementing a program to block return of parolees to prison before the Legislature has approved this approach," Weber said in his letter.Some are not convinced that the system has complete criminal history information to identify between low- and high-risk offenders."Past violence is the best predictor of future violence. To ignore that is to place the community at greater risk," said LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck.The debate comes after a parolee killed four Oakland police officers in March.

Computer help service CrossLoop comes to the Mac

2009-05-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

CrossLoop, a screen-sharing software service, has finally come to the Macintosh. Download its desktop application, log in, share your access code with a friend, and you can log in to see their computer, and access it to help them fix problems. You can log in either between two Macs or between a Mac and a PC.
CrossLoop lets skilled people offer their skills for a fee, collecting it from users (who do have the right to get their money back if they’re not happy), and splitting the revenue. The Montery, Calif.-based company competes against other computer help services, including Geek Squad and Support.com.
For people switching over from PC to Macs, like VentureBeat editor Matt Marshall, CrossLoop also includes a way to share files — easier than using a disk drive or separate file-sharing service.
Launched in late 2006, cofounder Mrinal Desai says that his company has logged a total of five million help sessions, for 100 million help minutes, and saw 328 percent growth in 2008. None of those numbers are quite as specific as, say, how much revenue the company is bringing. But one can assume that this is not a bad business to be in considering the recession. Many consumers are holding off on new computer purchases to save money, and instead they’re looking for help extending the life of existing machines through software upgrades, repairs and hardware extensions.

computer

2009-05-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 03, 2009 10:20 PM PDT
How long does Microsoft plan to keep selling copies of its Windows Vista operating system after the upcoming launch of Windows 7? The company isn't saying.
With previous versions of Windows, Microsoft used a transition period when old and new versions of Windows were available to help corporate customers manage their transition to the new version of the operating system.
This time Microsoft aims to put the ghosts of its Vista troubles to rest as soon as possible, and could stop selling Vista as soon as Windows 7 is released.
"We are still not sure if [computer makers] will be able to ship Vista once Windows 7 is made available. Having said that, an enterprise customer that purchases a PC with Windows 7 pre-installed is allowed to downgrade to Vista should they desire, similar to what we have today on Vista to XP," wrote Richard Francis, general manager and Windows client business group lead at Microsoft Asia-Pacific, in an e-mail.
Microsoft will stop supporting all versions of Vista in April 2012, Francis said.
The launch of Windows 7 could take place within a few months from now. Last week, the company released the final beta version of the software, one of the last steps before locking down the code and sending the finished operating system to computer makers.
Microsoft had high hopes for Vista, but users found the OS sluggish on some computers and they complained about the number of permission prompts required for some tasks. Dissatisfaction with Vista kept user demand high for Windows XP, but many companies -- including Eastman Chemical and Continental Airlines, among others listed on Microsoft's Web site -- decided to roll out Vista within their organizations.
Microsoft appears to be betting that Vista won't be missed once Windows 7 is released.
"It's been a long time since we've had a version of Windows that will actually run better [than the previous version] on the hardware that most customers have," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Windows product management group at Microsoft, during a conference call with reporters last Thursday.
Compared to Vista, Windows 7 will be faster and work better on systems such as netbooks, which have less powerful processors and less memory than other computers, he said.
While Microsoft hasn't detailed plans for Vista after the launch of Windows 7, Nash said Windows XP will continue to be available on netbooks for one year after the launch of the new operating system.

Using Your Computer Screen as a Television

2009-05-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

I used to think people who watched TV and movies from their computer screens were insane. How could you possibly get comfortable at your desk? It wasn’t too long ago that even the largest of screens couldn’t give picture quality that was good enough to sit back and avoid squinting. If you didn’t have external speakers hooked up, forget about it.
As monitors upgraded to flat panel LCDs, upped their screen size, stretched to widescreen, and adopted digital video inputs like DVI, watching a two-hour movie off your computer monitor has started to make more sense. Add decent built-in speakers and it’s a no-brainer.
Apple’s LED display.
A couple weeks ago I asked Apple to send me a review unit of their 24-inch LED Cinema Display. All I wanted was to check out their three-in-one cable system for notebooks, which includes the controversial new mini DisplayPort (more on that in a later post). But DisplayPort aside, I was finally convinced that turning your home office into a miniature home theater makes total sense.
Living and working from a large studio apartment in Brooklyn, space is in limited supply for me. My home office sits within a former closet across from my bed–five feet from the foot of my bed. The other night all I wanted was to lay in bed and veg out to some Law & Order: SVU (I’m a huge Ice-T fan) via Netflix. I wouldn’t be able to fully lay out my limbs on the couch in front of my TV, so I decided to pull the LED display to the very front of my desk and see if I could stand watching this way. To my surprise it was almost as good as watching the traditional way.
I wouldn’t recommend doing this with a screen smaller than 24-inches. I’ve tried with my 19-inch HP widescreen and it ends up feeling like I’m in the nosebleed seats. At 24-inches I could get far enough away from the screen, about 6 to 7 feet, so that I didn’t feel like I was sitting on top of display, plus when I was working at my desk, the 24-inch display didn’t overwhelm my desktop. I know you dual-monitor users out there will argue 24 inches isn’t big enough, but you don’t live in my apartment, ok?
Contrast levels are a lot higher than in previous Cinema Displays – 1000:1 compared to 400:1. This results in a lot more detail in the dark and dirty scenes Dick Wolf’s franchise is known for. And while many people (myself included) groan about the new DisplayPort connectivity, which currently limits peripherals that can be connected to the display to only new Apple computer products, it does lead to improved picture quality over DVI. According to the DisplayPort website, “The first version of DisplayPort provides over twice the capacity of single-channel DVI over the same number of wires through a much smaller and easier to use connector… In addition to greater resolution, DisplayPort also supports greater color depths and higher refresh rates.”
So while it’s a bummer there currently isn’t an adapter to connect older Macs and PCs to the LED Cinema Display, it is exciting that there’s a new connection standard that the majority of computer manufacturers have adopted which, later this year, will really improve video quality on LCD monitors.
The built-in 2.1 speakers on the LED Cinema Display are pretty decent as well. Sure, you wouldn’t want to watch a blockbuster with only these on hand, but watching standard TV fare is totally doable.
My biggest gripe, and this comes as no surprise, is that the Apple Cinema Display isn’t cheap – it’s $900. Obviously, there are tons of manufacturers out there that are now offering wide screen HD displays, so shop around. My only recommendations, if you’re looking to have your monitor work two jobs in your house, is to go with a minimum of 24-inches of screen size, make sure it has digital outputs like DVI or DisplayPort, and also features a 1000:1 contrast ratio at minimum.
But be wary of manufacturers who claim astronomical contrast ratios (such as 2,000,000: 1, which you’ll see out there). You can read about how manufacturers juice their specs here. I’m not saying manufacturers who quote such high figures are fixing their specs, but a number that stratospheric does make you wonder what they’re basing that figure on.