eNews Volume 128 - 10/15/2009

Here's a heads up for the upcoming Cooperative Extension Annual Conference (EAC) being held on November 4 from 1 to 4 pm. Check your inboxes for the official announcement (10/9 from Dennis Calvin) but here is the scoop!

The conference will be held via Adobe Connect this year. Please make note of the following instructions to prepare for the conference, and to insure the most favorable viewing conditions:

Off Campus: We HIGHLY recommend that Educators and Staff gather in their conference room for viewing and participating in the EAC.  Each office will need the following to get the best experience from the conference:

• If your office would like to confirm the setup PRIOR to Nov 4, please contact one of the Educational Technologists via the Help Request form to schedule an appointment.

• Please provide a conference contact person by October 15 (yes, that is today) to Jacki Weikert (jxs138@psu.edu) so we can relay additional information as needed.

On Campus: We encourage Faculty and Staff to gather in rooms 342 or 443 of the Food Science building for viewing.

More information was provided in the official invite about the "Day of the Conference" activities and checklist. We’ll share this in our next eNews as well!

If you have any questions please contact me (jxs138@psu.edu).

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

We have updated our EN computer selections and upgrade options on our web site. You can find Dell Latitude and Optiplex computers and a new computer order form here:

http://it.cas.psu.edu/ENselections.htm

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

If you are working with clientele facing hard economic choices, you should look at the Managing in Tough Times, A Cooperative Extension System Educational Initiative website. This is from the MiTT home page:

"Whether the target audience for your Extension educational programs is individuals/families, farm/ranch operators, communities, or youth, you likely are being asked to provide help to those affected by economic challenges. This national Extension initiative, Managing in Tough Times (MiTT), is designed to help educators provide relevant, community-based educational programs across the nation to complement what is already available at www.extension.org. MiTTNet is a searchable directory of existing Extension programs and materials relevant to managing in tough times. It is organized by critical issues facing target audiences. "

The Managing In ToughTimes Network (MiTTNet) directory mentioned above has over 900 educational resources that can be viewed and downloaded for use in local programming by Extension faculty and staff. The MiTTNet directory is only one part of the initiative. There are also plans to supplement these resources with webinars on relevant subjects as well as alerts about new additions and contributions to the MiTTNet directory.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

On September 30, 2009 WPSU posted a Penn State New Employee Orientation Welcome Video. We won't spoil the surprise. But if you watch the video, you should be able to pick out our people.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Need to find a Cooperative Extension office in another state?

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has a clickable United States map just for you. The map links to each state's county locations.

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

When you click the Office Button in a Microsoft Office application (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) you will see a listing of your recently used documents. As you work with files, the newer items will replace the older items.

What if you have a set of key documents that you always want listed here? You can keep documents in the list by "pinning" them in the Recent Documents list.

1. Open the document that you wish to pin.
2. Click the Office button. The recent documents listing will appear on the right of the box. You will see a grey push pin icon to the right of the name.
3. Click the Pin this document to the Recent Documents list (push pin) icon.
4. The push pin will turn green and appear "pushed in."

This pin will now anchor the item in the Recent Documents list.

Tip: you can click the Pin this document to the Recent Documents list (push pin) icon to toggle the pin on and off.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

You can customize how you view your records by using a filter. To activate a filter:

1. Highlight the data area in the table. Tip: This works best if your data has column headings. You want to select the headings along with the data!
2. On the Data tab in the Sort & Filter group, click Filter.
   
   Note: At the top of each column you will see downward pointing triangles or Filter Arrows.
   
   
3. Click the Filter Arrow on the column that you want to filter, point to Number Filters.
   
   Note: You will now see a wide array of choices to filter the data. These include Equals, Greater Than, Less Than or Between.
   
   
4. Choose a filter. Enter the amounts in the boxes as needed. Click OK.
5. You should see the results of the filter.

To remove the filter, click the Filter Arrow on the column and choose Clear Filter.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

In eNews Volume 121 from May 28, 2009 we featured an article that gave you the steps to add language translation to a Blogger.com blog with code from Google.

How Do I... Add Google Translate to Blogger

On Sept 30, 2009 Google updated their website translator gadget. This is from Translate your website with Google: Expand your audience globally:

"Today, we're happy to announce a new website translator gadget powered by Google Translate that enables you to make your site's content available in 51 languages. Now, when people visit your page, if their language (as determined by their browser settings) is different than the language of your page, they'll be prompted to automatically translate the page into their own language. If the visitor's language is the same as the language of your page, no translation banner will appear."

Here are the steps to add this code to your Blogger.com blog.

1. Open your Blogger account.
2. From the Dashboard screen, click the Layout link to edit this blog's layout code.
3. Click the Add a Gadget link.
4. In the Basics list, click on HTML/JavaScript link
5. Enter the Title for the Gadget (ex: Translate this Page)
6. Paste in this code:
   
   <div id="google_translate_element"></div><script>
   function googleTranslateElementInit() {
   new google.translate.TranslateElement({
   pageLanguage: 'en'
   }, 'google_translate_element');
   }
   </script><script src="http://translate.google.com/translate_a/element.js?cb=googleTranslateElementInit"></script>
   
   
7. You can drag and drop the Translate page element to a new location. When ready, click Save.
8. Click the View Blog link at the top.
9. You will have the Translator in your blog. Pick the Language and you are good to go!

To see a sample "Translate this Page" gadget, you can check out the Ag IT eNews blog.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

"Google search results sometimes include documents that were not originally formatted to be viewed in a web browser, such as PDFs. In the past, the only way to view these documents was to download them and open them in a separate viewer application. To provide an alternative, we made it possible to quickly and easily view these files as HTML right in a web browser by clicking "View as HTML." This was an improvement, but unfortunately the "View as HTML" option loses some of the formatting from the original PDF, such as graphics, tables, fonts and other elements.

Today, we've added new links to "Quick View" PDFs in your browser with the formatting intact. The new links are based on the same technology that's available in Google Docs and Gmail, as well as to webmasters through the Google Docs viewer. We've been rolling this technology out to the search results page since July, and as of today we've added "Quick View" links to more than 50% of the PDFs in our index. The new links appear at the end of the second line of the result, right underneath the title."

To read more about this feature and see samples, go to

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/quickly-view-formatted-pdfs-in-your.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

On Oct 7, 2009, Google's Lat Long Blog included an entry called Your world, your map. In this post they announced that:

"Today you may notice that the United States looks a bit different in Google Maps -- all of that new green park land was probably a giveaway. That's because we've worked directly with a wide range of authoritative information sources to create a new base map dataset. In our experience, these organizations that create the data do the best job of keeping it accurate and up-to-date. For example, in the US there are a number of publicly accessible geospatial datasets created by the government for the Census, land surveying, and transportation. These datasets provide information on everything from road networks and water bodies to toll roads and bridges. By integrating this information, and working with specialized data sources like the USDA Forest Service's Forest Boundaries and the US Geological Survey's National Hydrography Dataset, we've been able to expand and improve features in our maps like parks and water bodies. Satellite, aerial, and Street View imagery also helped. With overhead imagery, we could zoom in on roadway details to figure out details like the size of the road. Our Street View imagery, which you know as a tool to help you explore new places, turns out to be very helpful to understand road restrictions and confirm street data by reading street signs."

The blog post also goes on to say:

"So where do you fit into this? Well, we've found our users are also remarkable data sources themselves, so we've added a new tool to Google Maps that lets you communicate directly with Google about any updates that you think need to be made to our maps. You'll find this "Report a Problem" link on the bottom right of Google Maps (you can also find it by right-clicking on the map). Has that new highway on-ramp finally opened up? Do we have an outdated name for your local school? Was Main Street converted into a pedestrian-only walkway? Tell us! Once we've received your edit or suggestion we'll confirm it with other users, data sources, or imagery. We hope to resolve each edit within a month."

Note: I have used the Report a problem link to advise Google that the "Berkey Creamery is on the corner of Bigler and Curtin roads on the University Park Campus." See their map as of 10/8/2009. If you read this and the map is still in error, perhaps you can report the problem too. I also let them know that the size of the University Park campus (brown portion of the map) was much too small.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Evernote, http://evernote.com/, allows you to store web clips, notes, pictures and more in the cloud. Evernote is free to use. They do offer a premium service, which costs $5 per month or $45 per year. The upgrade allows you to store more data in Evernote and includes SSL encryption for enhanced security.

You can learn more about Evernote in this series from Butterscotch.com:

• An Introduction To Evernote
• Using notebooks in Evernote
• Tagging your notes in Evernote
• Assigning attributes to your notes
• Accessing Evernote on the web
• How to search for notes in Evernote
• Get Evernote on your mobile device
• Using Evernote's clipper function
• Emailing your notes to Evernote
• Handy extras in Evernote

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

We have covered the pop-ups in your web browser that tell you that you are at risk from a computer virus and then want you to install software to remove the virus.

Below is an example of a new scare tactic being used to entice you to install what is really malware on your Windows computer. Instead of a Windows application window, you are shown an old school Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Included in the BSOD is a Security Alert and a button to Fix Now. You will notice a number of spelling and grammatical errors is the "Alert."

Detected security problems on your computer
Spyware is software, which can gather
information from user's computer throught
Internet connection and send them to its
creater. Gather information can be passwords,
e-mail adresses and all that data, which is
important for you.

Warning! Your system in infected. It is necessary to improve PC security.

Another giveaway to the falsehood of this message is the fact that the BSOD and the Alert are being displayed within Internet Explorer.

This is just another bogus attempt to trick you into installing malicious software. You can follow our How To Respond to an ‘Antivirus’ Pop-Up Ad to shut down these windows.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

FFA and Monsanto leaders discuss sustainability.

http://www.blip.tv/file/2668986

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

SlideShare is a site where you can host your presentations and share them with others. You can link to a presentation at the SlideShare site itself or embed a presentation in your own web page. The site recently hosted a 2009 World's Best Presentation Contest. You can see the winners as well as all the entries here.

Winners: http://www.slideshare.net/contest/worlds-best-presentation-contest-2009

All Entries: http://www.slideshare.net/contest/worlds-best-presentation-contest-2009/entries

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

"Dell is closing its desktop PC manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, N.C.

 The cost-cutting move will ax 905 jobs, with 600 workers set to be laid off in November and the rest in January, Dell said Wednesday.

"This is a difficult decision, especially for our North Carolina colleagues, but a necessary one for Dell customers and our company," Frank Miller, vice president of Dell's Public Business Unit Supply Chain, said in a statement.

Dell had announced some layoffs at the North Carolina plant in March but gave no indication that the plant itself might be in danger of shutting down.

This plant closure is just the latest in a series of efforts by Dell to shrink expenses worldwide by billions of dollars.

In 2007, the company said it would lay off 8,800 employees, or 10 percent of its global workforce. However, the company modified that number last year, cautioning workers to expect even deeper cuts.

Over the past few years, employees in Canada, Ireland, and, of course, the U.S. have gotten pink slips.

The appetite of consumers toward laptops over desktops was a factor behind the decision to close the North Carolina plant, which opened four years ago. Last year, Dell shut down its desktop manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas."

From http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10370693-92.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

If you own an iPhone, this TechCrunch article might point you to a new application to try.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/15/the-35-best-iphone-apps-of-the-year-so-far

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

"The crew of the classic science-fiction show's Starship Enterprise wore small devices on their chests that they could tap to communicate instantly with their colleagues. Such communications technology is now closer to reality thanks to a Finnish company which this week demonstrated high-tech clothing that can send and receive messages via satellite.

The demonstrator antenna, built by the Patria Aviation Oy company, looks like a simple patch of cloth but is capable of operating in the Iridium and GPS frequency band as part of clothing. The Iridium satellites allow two-way voice and data communication, while GPS provides positional data to the user. Iridium could also relay the position of the user.

According to the firm, the project's main issue was selecting the fabric to use because the material's electrical characteristics had to be measured using a number of techniques. This is not a completely trivial task and different measurement techniques have to be used in order to evaluate the validity of the extracted parameters, such as the system's ability to store electric capacity, what researchers called its dielectric constant. The next goal was to determine the antenna's performance when the wearer was moving around or bending.

The antenna's geometry allows it to bend in a direction that least reduces performance. Testing proved that the antenna meets the electrical specifications under bending conditions, according to Peter de Maagt, a technical officer with the European Space Agency which funded the project.

The radiating patch antenna is shielded against environmental conditions by a protective layer. The selected geometry meets the stringent requirements imposed by Iridium and GPS, maintaining 'circular polarization' of its radio signal over the full bandwidth even when bent, which is commonly recognized to be difficult to achieve with soft, wearable antennas, he stated.

The final hurdle will be manufacturing. The main concern is how to make the antenna robust enough against manufacturing tolerances, researchers said."

From: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/45768?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_pm_2009-09-30

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

"Are you worried about river wildlife in your area? Want to know if the animals are happy? If the water's clean enough?

Then maybe you should text them and ask!

That's what people living and working in New York can do thanks to Amphibious Architecture, a new experiment set up by students from New York University's Environmental Health Clinic and the Living Architecture Lab at Columbia University.

The system is built using a series of plastic tubes positioned vertically in the water at key positions in the Bronx and East River. Each time a creature swims below the buoy, the top of the tube lights up. A sonar device on the tube identifies what type of creature it is.

Whenever a person sends a text to the creatures, the other end of the tube will be illuminated too.

The tubes also monitor the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water - a key indicator of water quality - which allows the animals to tell how happy they are."

To read the rest of the BBC World Service, Digital Planet article, go here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8293608.stm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. Any mention of commercial products is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement.

The Miracle of Fall
Pictures of Fall color of common trees and shrubs.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/fallcolor/trees.cfm

Farm Hacking - Corn Mazes
Here are seven amazing corn mazes.
http://hackaday.com/2009/09/30/farm-hacking-7-amazing-corn-mazes

[Video] Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for Fertilizer and Chemical Application
Alabama Cooperative Extension System specialists discuss using a GPS for spreading fertilizer and chemicals on fields and pastures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnYXyOspuFQ

[Video] "Water 'n Poo"... a Song about Nutrient Management
Dairy farmer vocalizes about nutrient management.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAUw9GO6tgE

[Video] The Turkey Rap - Redneck Rap Song
Nice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UyiQp4OLqA

[Video] Aerogel
Aerogel is the lightest material in the world.
http://www.flixxy.com/aerogel-material.htm

Reboot the Coke Machine Please
We mentioned a false Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) above. Here is a real world example.
http://imgur.com/QRY6K.jpg

Wildlife Photography Contest
The voting ends on Oct 30, 2009.
http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_EventsandNews_PhotoContest

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist