PSU CAS eNews

CAS News: Help Desk Form Updated

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:55:21 GMT

The Information Technologies' Help Desk Form (http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm) has always been an "open" web form. We ask for a few details (name, PSU User ID, email, phone number, and the problem) and CAS faculty and staff can then click Submit. We've never added the extra step to have you answer a CAPTCHA challenge-response test (example: you enter the characters from a visually distorted image) to ensure that a real person is filling out the form.

Over the past few months the Help Desk Form has been under increasing attacks by automated spam robots. These bots work 24/7 searching the web for open forms. Over one weekend we received over a hundred "support requests" in our system. These requests need to be manually deleted one by one.

With the help of the College's Web Services group, the processing code behind the form has been updated to look for and reject web form spam. The program is looking for <…> type tags, which is used in nearly all the spam emails. These tags might enclose a link to buy products for example.

Please note, you can still include a web page address in the Problem Details field. But, if you enclose the address in the <...> tags, the form will not process the request. Here are 2 examples. The first link will be allowed through while the second will be rejected.

Processed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha
Rejected: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha>

If the form does reject the request, you will see a message that says:

>>Continue

Form could not be processed due to the following errors:

Unauthorized use of this form.

Back

You can click the Back link and edit the request to remove any extra information that may be causing the Submit process to fail and try again. You can always send the support request in an email to AgCompSupport@psu.edu as well.

Finally, the new form now displays a summary of the submission after you click Submit. That's the news on this process.

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

CAS News: Ag Communications & Marketing - Web Services Intake Forms

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:54:30 GMT

The Web Services group is now located within Ag Communications and Marketing. Our mission is to provide Web-based tools, means, and solutions for the college to enable effective communication of research, teaching, extension programs, and impacts to our stakeholders.

We have implemented a new system for requesting services from their group. The Web-based request forms will allow you to describe your request or question, increase the speed of resolution, and allow you to see everything in the queue ahead of your request. By filling out the forms, everyone in the Web Services group will be notified and all information will be documented, allowing you to receive quicker service.

The Web Services group has two forms: a problem/enhancement request form (Web Services Request Form) and a project request form (Web Services Project Request Form).

These definitions describe how the Web Services group categorizes requests:

Problems
- Issues with an existing system that may inhibit work or functionality.
Enhancements
- Requests to modify or add basic new functionality to an existing system. This type also includes routine work for shows and other scheduled events. These tasks usually require a few people's time over a span of days.
Projects
- Large requests that require teamwork to complete and use a substantial amount of resources (time and/or money) and planning.

For more information, you can visit this web page: http://agcomm.cas.psu.edu/WebServices.html

Chris More, Associate Director of Web Communications

CAS News: iPhone’s 3G Device can connect to College Exchange Server

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:53:13 GMT

Apple recently introduced a new version of the iPhone. With the new version comes the capability to connect to our College Exchange Server. The CAS IT team has developed a set of steps to configure the iPhone to use with our server.

http://it.cas.psu.edu/1170.htm

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

CAS News: Training being offered – SharePoint 2007

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:52:43 GMT

Have you heard the buzz about SharePoint 2007? Wondering what it is and if you should be using it? Join us for an upcoming SharePoint training session to learn to:

Share documents with team members and use the check in/out tool to prevent accidental overwriting of changes
Manage and link calendars to Microsoft Outlook for easy reading and editing
Manage contact lists that can also be linked to Outlook
Post and read announcements
Maintain project task lists
Participate in discussion boards
Receive automatic notifications when documents, calendar, announcements, etc. are updated on a SharePoint site

Using SharePoint 2007

August 28, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. via Adobe Connect
September 9, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m via Adobe Connect
September 13, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. via Adobe Connect

You can also give one of the Educational Technologists a call to schedule On-Demand training or to discuss how you can have a site created for you and your team.

For more information and to register visit our website - http://go.cas.psu.edu/training/.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

CAS News: YouTube in Extension

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:52:05 GMT

The eXtension Wiki has a resource page where you can share ideas, resources, and examples of YouTube use for Extension work.

http://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/YouTube_in_Extension

This is part of eXtension's Social Media in Extension page.

http://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/Social_Media_in_Extension

Note: Snyder & Montour counties Extension Director Ken Balliet's Natural Gas Exploration and Leasing Program wiki is listed on the Social Media in Extension page.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/2c3lzk to watch the recording of "Do You YouTube? How to Adjust Messages to Meet New Audiences" session by Emily Rhoades, Ohio State, offered in July by eXtension.

Beth Raney, eXtension

CAS News: TechieTalk Club Date Saver

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:51:29 GMT

Is the world of technology flying by you? Do you hear your colleagues or, even worse, your kids talk about technologies that you have no clue what they are? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you are invited to join us for the TechieTalk Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 10-12 a.m. We meet in Adobe Connect: https://breeze.psu.edu/techietalk

We discuss different technologies and their uses in our professional world. We encourage staff to email topics to us. If you have a question that is burning a hole in your pocket, let us know. For example, last month we discussed Forums and Blogs. How are they different? Which one is better to interact with our customers?

Join us and see what fun we can have learning together. The next meet-up is Tues, Aug 26th at 10 a.m.

Vince and Peg, Hosts of TechieTalk

How Do I... Share Large Files with a Remote Client

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:50:43 GMT

We use email for many things. However, email is not the best way to send large files, like a PowerPoint presentation, to a client. In some cases, the file may be too big to send via the College's Exchange server or Penn State's email server. In both cases, the maximum size of an email attachment (both incoming & outgoing) is 20 Mb. The College's list server application (Lyris ListManager) has a maximum message size setting for individual lists as well. By default, most lists have a maximum of 3 Mb while some have been increased to 10 Mb. Note, a 5 Mb message sent to a large list like CountiesExt or AdminNoticesUP will cause bounce back messages and may take an hour (or two) to completely deliver.

If you do need to share a large file securely and easily with an outside client, or with another person within Penn State, what can you do?

We recently discovered that the Penn State Materials Research Institute (MRI) has a secure Dropbox Service that allows anyone with a valid Penn State UserID and password to upload files for remote retrieval.

There is a 50 Mb file size limit and the MRI Dropbox Service will accept all file types. Please note that their service is to be used for business-related purposes only. The site has clear instructions on how to share a large file or files. Basically, you list the email addresses of the recipients for your items. The limit is 50 - so you can have 2 items with 25 recipients each, or 5 items with 10 recipients each, or anywhere in between. You can also set time limits on the items you share on the site.

I uploaded a PDF file to their service and sent the download invitation to my Hotmail address. Here is what I received from the MRI Dropbox Service.

Vince Verbeke (vcv1@psu.edu) has uploaded the file "YDEP_4.1_User_Guide.pdf" for you using the Dropbox service on the Penn State Materials Research Institute web site.

To download this file, please visit:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/dropbox/download.asp?itemid=99HJO73T2U5LZIYVZ13ZTG06

This download is username and password protected.
Username (E-Mail Address): vcverbeke@hotmail.com
Password: stubUVBs
File Expires On: 7/26/2008 8:13:19 AM

There is a link to follow in the email. To download, I needed to enter my Hotmail address as the Username. The password listed in the email was automatically generated by the MRI Dropbox Service as well. Again, from this side of the process, instructions were clear and easy to follow.

To access the MRI Dropbox Service, go to the following web page. Follow the on-screen instructions to upload and send the link to the file to your recipients.

http://www.mri.psu.edu/dropbox/index.asp

Note: In the May 22, 2008 eNews, we had an article entitled Drop.io - Store and Share Data in Private. While Drop.io has a 100 Mb upload limit, we recommend you use the secure Penn State MRI service over Drop.io.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... View Files and Folders in Groups

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:50:01 GMT

Most staff know that within Outlook you can choose to view messages in Groups (click View, Arrange By, Show in Groups). This view displays messages grouped by dates.

Did you know that you can view Windows Explorer folders (i.e. folders you open from the desktop like My Documents or Local Documents) by Groups as well? This feature also allows you to have the files and folders "grouped" by name, size, type, or date modified. Let's try this out.

Open a folder on your computer. This works best with one that contains a mixture of folders, files and types of files.
From the View menu choose Details.

Note: You can apply the 'Show in Groups' filter when viewing the folder by Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, and Details. The List view does not allow the Show in Groups filter.
From the View menu choose Arrange Icons By and choose Show in Groups.

Note: The default Show in Groups filter is by Name. So the groups you see will be alphabetical. A more useful view may be by Type.
From the View menu choose Arrange Icons By and choose Type.

Note: This view will place folders in one group, Word files in another, etc.
From the View menu choose Arrange Icons By and choose Modified.

Note: This view will be similar to Outlook's view where items are viewed by date.
To turn off this view, from the View menu choose Arrange Icons By and choose Show in Groups again. This will un-check the Show in Groups filter.

The Arrange Icons by Type is a favorite of mine because it separates folders and files clearly. The Arrange Icons by Modified is also handy. You can choose what works for you though. Have fun with this tip.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Word 2007: Bring Back the Save All and Close All Commands

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:49:25 GMT

Prior to Word 2007 if you held down the Shift key and clicked on the File menu you would see the Save All and Close All commands. These extra commands allowed you to quickly save or close all your open Word files. With the new "Office Button" in Word 2007, you don't see any change if you hold down the Shift key and click the Office Button. But, the Save All and Close All commands are still in Word 2007.

If you used to use these commands and would like them back, you simply need to add them to the Quick Access toolbar.

Note: If you are not sure where the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is located, check out this Microsoft Offline Online document for images of the QAT.

Open Word 2007.
Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar down arrow and select More Commands.
In the left column, click Customize.
In the Choose commands from box (where it says 'Popular Commands' now), select Commands Not In Ribbon.
Scroll down to locate the Close All command. Highlight Close All. Click on the Add > > button.
Scroll down to locate the Save All command. Highlight Save All. Click on the Add > > button.

Note: In the list of commands on the right, you can use the Up and Down triangles to set their order within the Quick Access Toolbar.
Click OK to close the Customize QAT window.

The new commands will appear in the Quick Access Toolbar for Word 2007.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Icon Restore - Keep My Desktop Icons where I Want Them

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:48:28 GMT

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.

Do you keep files and folders stored on your Windows XP desktop for quick access? Do you find it annoying when you change the display resolution and your carefully positioned icons have all changed places? If yes, this utility may be just what you need.

Note: The Layout.dll file available on this page is from Microsoft. This .dll adds the Save Desktop Icon Layout and Restore Desktop Icon Layout options to the popup menu when you Right Click on the desktop.

If you decide to test this, be sure to click the Download UnInstall Icon Restore link. This will allow you to remove Icon Restore from your system.

http://users.rcn.com/taylotr/icon_restore.html

After installing Icon Restore, simply place your icons wherever you want them on your desktop. Right click on the desktop and then Left click on "Save Desktop Icon Layout" from the popup menu. After the layout is saved, click OK.

If your icons get moved, you may then Right click on the desktop and Left click on "Restore Desktop Icon Layout" from the popup menu. Click OK.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Mobile Phone App for High Fuel Cost World

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:47:51 GMT

High fuel costs got you down? This site won't lower the price of fuel but it will help you manage your costs.

When you register at the MyMileMarker site, you provide an email address and password. You can also include a Twitter username (you can then send data to the site via Twitter). You can also add more than one vehicle to your setup.

You are then ready to go. When you are ready to add entries, you enter the vehicle's odometer reading, number of gallons, and gas price. The site will tell you how much you’re spending and how many miles per gallon you're getting. It will even tell you what your gas spending future looks like.

http://mymilemarker.com/

Bonus Site: Drive Pricing is a Google Map mash-up that lets you work out the gasoline cost for a planned journey. To calculate the gas cost of a journey you simply enter your starting location, the location of your destination and the miles per gallon of your vehicle.

http://drivepricing.com/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Pittsburgh Police Add Forensic Mac Tools

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:47:19 GMT

"When Macintosh laptops began showing up more often at crime scenes in Pittsburgh this year, police Sgt. Michael Delcimmuto knew he had to do something.

Delcimmuto, who oversees the city police unit that investigates computer crimes, said 95 percent of the computers most police agencies forensically analyze contain Windows-based operating systems.

But Mac computers, made by Apple Inc., are increasing in popularity, particularly among users in their teens and early 20s. Many police aren't trained to take apart and analyze Macs, said Patrick Cranston, of Apple-certified Cranston Consulting & Media in Robinson.

"We have a lot of colleges and universities in Pittsburgh" where students use Macs, said Delcimmuto, a 19-year veteran of the department. "We might not be coming across a ton of Macs right now, but we're steadily seeing more, and we needed to be proactive."

This week, 15 officers from various law enforcement agencies attended a seminar designed to give them tools to dismantle and examine Macintosh products."

Read the rest of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article here.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: WebVet, WebMD for Pets

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:46:23 GMT

From http://www.crunchbase.com/company/webvet:

"WebVet wants to be "WebMD for pets" - a place where people can find professionally produced and organized information about animal health issues.

The company will license content from industry experts as well as employ 25 writers. While people often use WebMD for self-diagnosis, Webvet wants to avoid the fate of attracting visitors only when their pets are sick, so it will provide additional content relevant to pet ownership such as human interest stories and breaking news."

http://www.webvet.com/

Note: Other sites that compete in this space include Petside, Petplace, and PetEducation.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: The Merck Veterinary Manual

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:42:41 GMT

"The Merck Veterinary Manual (MVM) has served veterinarians and other animal health professionals as a concise and reliable animal health reference for over 50 years. Over the years, the MVM has more than doubled in volume to accommodate advances in scientific knowledge and the expansion and specialization of the veterinary profession. With online accessibility, the trusted information contained in the MVM is more readily available than ever before. The advanced search feature and logical organization of contents make it easy for users to locate information quickly. In addition, the online version features over 1400 images - including new video and audio files - that allow users to view rare disease-causing organisms, identify plants poisonous to animals, see characteristic lesions, or review practical laboratory techniques.

Thirty new chapters, including West Nile encephalitis, pain management, ophthalmic emergencies, veterinary dosage forms and delivery systems, biosecurity, and many more
Expanded coverage in most sections, including exotic and laboratory animals, toxicology, and zoonoses
An additional 300 images, illustrations, and multimedia elements
Updated advanced search, featuring search by topic, species, specialty, disease, and keyword

The MVM and MVM web site are published on a nonprofit basis through a cooperative effort of Merck & Co., Inc. and Merial Limited as a service to the veterinary profession."

Site: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/

Samples:
Colic in Horses: Introduction
Normal Social Behavior and Behavioral Problems of Domestic Animals
Reference Tables

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: What is Taking up my Hard Disk's Space

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:42:06 GMT

"JDiskReport enables you to understand how much space the files and directories consume on your disk drives, and it helps you find obsolete files and folders.

The tool analyses your disk drives and collects several statistics which you can view as overview charts and details tables."

http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport/index.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Delta Planes to Have Wi-Fi Service by End of 2009

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:40:44 GMT

"It’s the dawning of a new age, folks. In-flight Wi-Fi is slowly rolling out across domestic airlines in the US and Delta is looking to capitalize on it by outfitting their entire domestic fleet of aircrafts with Aircell’s GoGo service.

American Airlines and Virgin America have been on-board for some time (though they have yet to launch the service) and this is pretty big news coming from an airline that’s been struggling lately. Having filed for bankruptcy on more than one occasion in recent years, Delta is positioning itself to get back on top of the domestic heap.

In April they announced a merger with Northwest Airlines that would make them the largest domestic carrier in the country and the addition of in-flight Wi-Fi makes them even more enticing for would be travelers.

The first half of 2009 will see 133 of Delta’s MD88/90 airplanes equipped with the service with another 200 Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300s to follow suit. Delta hopes to have more than 330 airplanes equipped to provide the Wi-Fi service by the end of 2009 making it the only major US airline to offer the service across its entire domestic fleet.

GoGo will cost Delta flyers $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 for flights that are longer than three hours."

Article: Delta Outfitting Entire Domestic Fleet With Aircell’s GoGo In-Flight Wi-Fi Service by End of 2009

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:40:07 GMT

What's in a Name?
You've heard of the Joseph Valentine Research Center, here's part of the reason. I love history!
http://cropsoil.psu.edu/history/turfgrass/appendixa.cfm

What's in a Song?
Check out the #1 song the day you were born. My date has the song "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods (Mm dooby do, dahm dahm, dahm do dahm ooby do).
http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Proposal 2.0: Marry me Leslie!!
A Google employee uses Google's Street View to propose to his girlfriend.
http://www.marrymeleslie.com/

[Video] Charts Rule
Do your PowerPoint charts look this good?
"I Love Charts" from PBS Kids

[Video] Home from the Show
The "show" is a Dairy Show by the way.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=83Ptl4XRIp8

Britain - as seen from space
Aerial shots show a new perspective of the British Isles.
Extraordinary satellite images show an ordinary day in Britain - as seen from space

[Video] Save the Animal Crackers!
From The National Geographic Channel's Annual Preserve Our Planet Film + PSA Contest, with the theme "what you do counts." This video is by Genna Duberstein of American University.
The Animal Cracker Nature Show

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Bogus E-mail Messages Circulating

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:38:48 GMT

Faculty and staff are reminded that the college and university will *NEVER* request account/password information via email.

You should never reply to a message asking for account information, nor should you ever click a link from a message that asks for account information. Penn State and the College of Ag Sciences will never ask for your account/password in this method. If you receive messages of this type in the future, simply delete the message.

There has been another round of these phishing scams arriving in University mailboxes over the past few weeks. The following alert is from Penn State's Information Technology Services (ITS) dated July 24, 2008: http://news.its.psu.edu/story-1028

"Warning: bogus e-mail messages from addresses such as: “The Psu.edu Team,” "websupport@webmaster.com," and "ALERT@psu.edu" have been circulating that claim to be from Penn State.

One version of these messages states that it's from the "webmail messaging center" and that the University is upgrading Penn State WebMail, so recipients should "upgrade their user accounts." It also requests that recipients "provide their User Name, Password, and Date of Birth within seven working days, or risk losing their accounts."

These e-mails did not come from Penn State and are a phishing scam. Do not respond to these e-mails. If you receive an e-mail similar to what is described above, do not provide any of the requested information and delete the message immediately. Penn State Information Technology Services (ITS) urges students, faculty, and staff not to give their passwords to anyone, under any circumstances. Your password is an essential part of your Penn State "digital identity" and must always be kept as secure as possible. In addition, the University (and other official organizations) will never require you to provide sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or social security information via e-mail.

Students, faculty, and staff can learn more about phishing scams and other computer security dangers at Penn State's Take Control Web site (http://its.psu.edu/takecontrol/phishing.php). Phishing scams are perpetrated by criminals, who use fraudulent e-mails or fake Web sites to seek sensitive or personal information, such as passwords, credit card account information, and social security numbers for illegal interests. Other universities report the same type of targeted phishing scams being sent to recipients in their own communities.

For additional tips on how to recognize and avoid phishing scams, visit:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.pdf

ITS reminds the University community to use caution when responding to all forms of e-mail. Students with questions or concerns about e-mail they receive should contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@psu.edu."

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

CAS News: Spring Cleaning Blog – Checking the Size of Your Email Folder

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:38:03 GMT

For Outlook to perform efficiently, it is important to keep up with your email and archive regularly. If your mail file gets too large, you’ll start to experience problems. Often, the only solution is to reduce the size of your mailbox. Today you’ll learn how to check the size of your email account. We'll also give you some tips that will help you clean out your email, or archive some of it into local folders.

For the entire article and any previous articles you missed, click over to the blog.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Adobe Connect Server Update - July 30

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:37:30 GMT

Adobe Connect, Penn State’s Web conferencing system, was upgraded to version 7.0 on July 30.

Adobe Connect 7.0 has some exciting changes and new features that will affect the meetings that you host and attend.

You’re invited to join us during one of our 60-minute online sessions to learn more about Adobe Connect 7’s:

New icons
Audio and video separation
Ability to Edit recordings
Breakout rooms

Date/Time:

Tuesday, August 5, 2008; 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Thursday, August 14, 2008; 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Wednesday, August 20, 2008; 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 26, 2008; 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Go here - http://it.cas.psu.edu/SelfPaced.htm - click on Adobe Connect, then Adobe Connect v7: What’s New to register for a session.

Audio will be available through your computer speakers. During the presentation, you will be asked to use the chat feature for questions and comments. After the presentation we will have a brief Q&A session. During the Q&A time, we will use the new audio features to allow participants with microphones to speak their questions to the group.

Prior to attending this session, you will want to upgrade to the newest version of Flash at http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash. Note: You should un-check the optional Free Google Toolbar box.

We also have Self-Paced training on Adobe Connect version 7: What’s New.
To view: http://it.cas.psu.edu/SelfPaced.htm and click on the Adobe Connect v7: What’s New link.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Peg Shuffstall, Educational Technologist

CAS News: County Server's APC/UPS Battery Replacement

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:36:54 GMT

County servers have UPS (uninterruptible power supply) battery backup devices from APC. A typical battery should last for three to six years. Every now and then, these batteries will fail and Support receives a question on what to do when the 'replace battery' indicator light appears.

If your APC UPS unit is still under warranty (most of these batteries had a one year warranty), you will need to contact APC either via phone or their on-line chat service. They will need to walk through some troubleshooting steps before they can authorize repair or replacement. You'll need to provide the model number and serial number. Both are located on the rear of the unit on a white sticker.

Contact info for APC: http://www.apc.com/support/

Note: If you contact APC...they have trade-in programs so you aren't stuck with the old unit. You do NOT need to get a larger unit, but the trade-in program leads you that way.

If the battery is no longer under warranty, the web page below will guide you through the steps to buy one from the company directly - or you may have a preferred vendor locally that you'd rather buy from - your choice!

http://www.apc.com/tools/upgrade_selector/index.cfm

Please use the Upgrade Selector link to enter your own Model # to find the correct replacement battery cartridge. But, if you have an APC Smart UPS 750, Model # DLA750, you can get the APC Replacement Battery Cartridge #48.

The Computer Store at PSU also carries some UPS models as well as replacement battery cartridges. They even offer free shipping. You may want to check what they have available. Click this link (http://computerstore.psu.edu/) and then in the Product Search box, enter UPS and click Go.

Also, the APC UPS unit has an easy to replace hot-swappable battery tray. Battery replacement is a safe procedure, isolated from electrical hazards. You may leave the server on to replace the battery.

Deb Sinkus, IT Specialist

CAS News: Impact Reports - Ninja and Symantec Endpoint Protection (Jan-Jun 2008)

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:36:19 GMT

Ag IT uses the Ninja Email Security Spam filtering software on the College's Exchange server. This software adds a Spam folder to your list of Outlook mailboxes. To learn more or be reminded of what occurs with these folders, see How To Use Spam Folders created by Ninja.

To see the impact of Ninja processed E-mail on the College's Exchange servers, we have compiled the following Spam Status Report. You may want to download/print the PDF or open it in a separate window (Right Click on the link and choose Open in New Window) so you can continue to read the article while referencing the report.

Ninja_Spam_Status_1-1-08_to_6-30-08.pdf

The report has columns for e-mail Allowed (3,087,883), Quarantined (2,177,121), and Deleted (894,889). There are also graphs that show the monthly and daily totals for the e-mail processed. Note: Deleted e-mails are those that have such a high "spammy" score that they are deleted by Ninja before they reach the College's Exchange server.

As mentioned in this April 24, 2008, eNews article Penn State to Enhance Current Anti-Spam Efforts , Penn State began to block incoming mail from Internet addresses listed by The Spamhaus Project . You can see from the PDF report that the Deleted email column began to go down immediately. The blue spikes from the Daily graph for Allowed mail occur during the weekdays. E-mail counts go down on the weekends.

Ag IT also began to upgrade EN computers from Symantec Anti-Virus software to Symantec Endpoint Protection or SEP software in late March 2008 with the process completed by the end of April. At the end of July 2008, SEP was installed on 1,179 AG Enterprise machines. This total grows almost daily as we install new clients (new and replacement computers) and as our Systems Management Server (SMS) continues to locate computers and install SEP.

We've compiled the following SEP Risks Report for review. The report was generated when 738 clients were online. We average between 700 – 900 clients online most work days (Mon – Fri). You may want to download/print the PDF or open it in a separate window (Right Click on the link and choose Open in New Window) so you can continue to read the article while referencing the report.

SEP_Risks_1-1-08_to_6-30-08.pdf

The report has very few risks found from January through April. This is due in part to the low numbers of machines with SEP installed. May 2008 was the first month when computers were scanned (and removed) then reported back to the SEP server. This accounts for the spike in risks found in May. You can see how new risks are still occurring in June but at much lower levels. Time will tell where this line will trend.

Also the most frequent threat was a minor one, tracking cookies. Tracking or third-party cookies come from outside the site you're visiting -- usually, from advertising agencies that place ads at many sites. These cookies pose no threat from a virus or malware standpoint. The next highest risk in the report is "unknown" threats at 704 or 32.8%. These items were blocked by SEP based on their suspicious behavior, just as you wouldn't open a door to a stranger at your home.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Create Cover Pages in Word 2007

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:35:45 GMT

Do you need a cover page for your annual report? If you have Word 2007 this task has never been easier.

Open your Word document that needs the cover page. You could also start with a blank document.
Click the Insert tab.
In the Pages section, click the Cover Page drop down triangle.
Scroll through the list of available cover pages.
Click on a cover page to have it inserted.
Enter your information in predefined fields on the page. ex: Year, Title or Subtitle.

Notes:

To remove a cover page, click the Cover Page drop down triangle and choose Remove Current Cover Page.
You can add cover pages to the gallery. Select the cover page in an existing document. Click the Cover Page drop down triangle and select Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery. Name the cover page in the box that opens. You can add a description and specify other options. Click OK.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Make an Appointment or Meeting Repeat Automatically

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:35:04 GMT

Outlook makes it easy to have an appointment or meeting repeat automatically by using the Recurrence feature. The frequency of the appointment or meeting is called the recurrence pattern. This pattern could be daily, weekly, monthly, or anywhere in between. You simply create the activity, set the recurrence pattern, and send the meeting request if needed.

Once the recurrence has been set, you can change it if needed by opening the "recurring item." More information and steps to set a recurrence can be found at:

Outlook 2007: http://it.cas.psu.edu/1196.htm
Outlook 2003: http://it.cas.psu.edu/408.htm

If you have questions about this How To or on using the other parts of Outlook, please contact us - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm - and we would be happy to assist you.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Create, Edit, and Manage Tasks in Outlook

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:34:30 GMT

Another part of Outlook is Tasks or your To Do list. "Tasks" can be simple things like making a phone call or larger things like creating a check list. Both Outlook 2007 and 2003 have a built-in Task list; but Outlook 2007 also incorporates your tasks and follow-up items into a handy To-Do list which may appear on the right side of your Outlook window.

Tasks can be entered by you or you can be assigned tasks to complete. They can have a recurrence pattern set if they need to be repeated on a regular basis (e.g. complete your time card). Once you have the task completed, you can change the status to Completed. Tasks can even be categorized so you can keep track of which program area or team that each task is associated with.

More information on Tasks can be found at - http://it.cas.psu.edu/227.htm.

More information on the Outlook 2007 To Do bar can be found at - http://it.cas.psu.edu/1205.htm

If you have questions about this How To or on using the other parts of Outlook, please contact us - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm - and we would be happy to assist you.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Computer Tutorials Based on Pictures

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:33:53 GMT

This website walks you through many tasks in Office, Dreamweaver and other programs showing screen shots to help visual learners (I am one also) pick up on the program to move forward.

See: http://inpics.net/index.html

Dr. Gregory Martin, Capital Region

Tech Spotlight: Transfer Video to your Computer

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:33:18 GMT

Pinnacle Systems makes several products to help you transfer videos to a PC for editing, burning them to DVD or sharing them on the web.

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Dazzle/

Keith Shaw from the NetworkWorld.TV's Cool Tools show demonstrates Pinnacle Systems’ Video Transfer device, which lets you copy non-protected video from a camera or other source directly to a hard disk or iPod without a PC in the middle.

[Video] http://www.nwdocfinder.com/5740

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: What is the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR of your Cell Phone

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:32:42 GMT

Want to know how much radiation your cell phone is giving off? Check out this CNET page.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html?tag=lnav

The page states: "According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), specific absorption rate, or SAR, is "a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body." For a phone to pass FCC certification, that phone's maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6W/kg (watts per kilogram). In Europe, the level is capped at 2W/kg while Canada allows a maximum of 1.6W/kg. The SAR level listed in our charts represents the highest SAR level with the phone next to the ear as tested by the FCC. Keep in mind that it is possible for the SAR level to vary between different transmission bands and that different testing bodies can obtain different results. Also, it's possible for results to vary between different editions of the same phone (such as a handset that's offered by multiple carriers). "

They also have pages for the 10 highest and 10 lowest U.S. model cell phones.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Pennsylvania Appears in a Top 10 List - Most Spammed States

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:32:08 GMT

This is not a list to be on.

The press release from July 16, 2008 also states that "The states that are experiencing higher spam levels may not place as high a priority on IT security overall or employees and businesses may be more willing to share their personal contact information in public domains. When email addresses are openly available, spammers take advantage of it and inundate those inboxes with massive amounts of spam."

The top 10 most spammed US states are as follows:

Illinois
South Dakota
Oregon
New Hampshire
Wisconsin
North Carolina
Indiana
Texas
Pennsylvania
Alabama

Click here to view a state by state map

In deference to MessageLabs suggestions about the priority placed on IT Security or our willingness to share personal contact information in Pennsylvania, spammers use multiple techniques to acquire email address lists. As members of the Penn State community, our email addresses are especially susceptible to DHA (Directory Harvest Attack) techniques. The spammer generates email addresses belonging to a specific domain and sends messages to them. Since Penn State use a set combination of letters and numbers that can be generated easily via the computer, ex:. vcv1, vcv2, vcv3, and so on, our susceptibility is higher.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: TrekPod Go! - Combination Walking staff, Monopod, and Tripod

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:31:34 GMT

If you're a photographer and/or hiker, this gadget may be just what you need.

[Video] Imaging Resource PMA 2008: TrekPod Go!

Review: A Hiking Stick? A Tripod? Yes, It’s Both!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Sun Sheds Light on Telework Savings

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:30:52 GMT

Sun conducted a study "to measure how much energy is consumed while working in a Sun office, while working at home, and while commuting to and from a Sun office."

The study found that the "average employee can save more than $1,700 per year in gasoline and vehicle wear and tear by working at home 2.5 days a week."

Read the entire article at http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/063008-sun-telework-savings.html.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Diary of a Deliberately Spammed Housewife

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:30:17 GMT

"For Tracy Mooney, a married mother of three in Naperville, Ill., the decision to abandon cyber-sense and invitee-mail spam into her life for a month by participating in a McAfee experiment was a bit of a lark.

The idea of the Spammed Persistently All Month (S.P.A.M.) experiment — which fittingly started on April Fool's Day — was to have 50 volunteers from around the world answer every spam message and pop-up ad on their PC.

What would be the experience in 10 countries when everyday people, armed with a PC and e-mail account McAfee provided for the Global S.P.A.M. Diaries project, clicked through the spam and chronicled the results?

Mooney — who had observed the family's PC crippled just before Christmas by a virus — was game, especially because McAfee was giving a free PC to all participants. She was selected to be among the 50 volunteers picked by McAfee out of 2,000 people who applied to be part of the adventure.

By the time it was all over, after every bank-account phishing scam, Nigerian bank scheme, and offer for medication, adult content and just plain free stuff had been pursued. "I was horrified," says Mooney, a realtor by profession. "It's all snake oil. I'm amazed at what true junk is out there when you're clicking through on e-mail."

Read the entire article at http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/070108-mcafee-spam-experiment.html.

BBC News offers a synopsis of the results on the experiment as well: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7482991.stm.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:29:41 GMT

Crop damage from Hurricane Dolly
Check out the grapefruit, its the last picture in the group.
http://picasaweb.google.com/webbwall/HurricaneDolly

Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America
You can watch Wal-Mart stores pop-up in the lower 48 states, timeline 1962 to 2007.
http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/

Sad Trombone
You could bookmark this and play it as needed (examples: whining kids, during a long meeting, etc.).
http://sadtrombone.com/

[Video] If I had a Hammer
Pete Seeger's song as sung by Peter, Paul & Mary.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKvpONl3No

[Video] The BBQ Song
Here's a fun review of barbecue variations across the southern United States.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTQfr_tyY

[Video] Jack Sparrow - Pirate of Caribbean Speed Painting
Jack Sparrow being created in Photoshop.
Jack Sparrow - Pirate of Caribbean speed painting

Periodic Table of Videos
You can harken back to your high school chemistry days with this one.
http://www.periodicvideos.com/

Foot Notes
From Slideshare.net: "Places where my feet have been... Follow me on a bipedal adventure through pictures."
http://www.slideshare.net/Melanie.K/foot-notes

Hello Kitty
I'm glad that I don't have kids this young anymore.
Hello Kitty Waffle Maker

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer – Checking Your Computer’s Warranty Information and Age

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:32:20 GMT

Up until now, we’ve focused on changing software settings or uninstalling programs to speed up your computer. Today we’re going to show you how to check your computer’s warranty status, and its purchase date. It is inevitable that a computer will slow down over time as applications are updated and as users accumulate more data, not to mention the wear-and-tear on the hardware. As a computer ends its warranty period, it’s usually time to look at budgeting for a new one. Click over to the blog for the full story, and to catch up on any posts you may have missed.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Unable to Open or View Outlook Attachments

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:31:45 GMT

An update to Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) has caused a number of staff to lose access to Outlook attachments temporarily.

This issue has impacted faculty and staff with College of Ag Sciences AG Exchange accounts who use either Outlook 2007 or 2003 and have the new Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) installed. The issue has been hit and miss. In some cases, entire offices have been affected. In other offices, only a single person was impacted.

At this point, if you ARE able to open attachments, you don't need to do anything. Please be aware of the issue that has surfaced.

If you find that you CAN'T open Outlook attachments, you should complete the steps in this How To: Unable to Open or View Outlook Attachments to restore your ability to work with attachments.

http://it.cas.psu.edu/1139.htm

If you are unsure if your computer has Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) installed, review this How To: Run Symantec Endpoint Protection LiveUpdate Check. It shows an image of the SEP icon (Yellow Shield with a green dot) in the lower right corner of the screen.

http://it.cas.psu.edu/810.htm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: TechieTalk Club

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:31:14 GMT

Is the world of technology flying by you? Do you hear your colleagues or, even worse, your kids talk about technologies that you have no clue what they are? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you better join us for TechieTalk Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 10-12 a.m. We meet in Adobe Connect: https://breeze.psu.edu/techietalk

We discuss different technologies and their uses in our professional world. Topics may range from Password strength to What is Twitter, or Why would I want to Tweet? to questions about how to select a mobile device.

Join us and see what fun we can have learning together. The next meet-up is Tues, July 29th at 10 a.m..

Vince and Peg, Hosts of TechieTalk

Action Item: Log Off or Shut Down the Computer

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:30:30 GMT

Should you turn your computer off when it is not being used?

Some people turn off their computers every night before they go home, others leave them on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So, what should you do?

Well, there is no one right answer. Taking into consideration the processes that run on your computer (backups, virus scans, software updates, etc.), IT makes the following recommendation for our College Enterprise (EN) Windows XP machines.

Monday through Thursday please log off of your computer when you leave for the day, but leave it turned on. This will prevent the unauthorized access of the files on your computer, but still maintain the ability for your computer to be scanned, updated, or backed up by IT. Additionally, you will save time each morning by not having to wait for your computer to boot.

To Log Off of your computer:

Click the green Start button in the bottom left corner of your computer screen.
Select the Log Off option.
Click the Logoff button.

On Friday, please shut down your computer before leaving for the day. This will refresh your computer’s operating system and keep it running optimally.

To Shut Down your computer:

Click the green Start button in the bottom left corner of your computer screen.
Select the Shut Down option.
Click OK.

If during the week your area is expecting a thunderstorm and you anticipate the potential for lightening strikes, you may also want to shut down your computer before leaving for the day.

If you have additional questions related to when to turn your computer on and off, feel free to contact IT support.

Sherry Crum, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Convert Media Files

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:29:47 GMT

Convert Tube is a Web 2.0 application that allows you to save online videos as downloadable files. For example, this service allows you to convert a YouTube video to an mp3 file that can be used for a presentation while not connected to the Internet.

Copy the video's URL. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDuBx5ZT7yk&NR=1
Go to http://converttube.com/.

Note: You should ignore any pop-ups. You don't need to register to use the site. Convert Tube is free to use but you can only download a video every eight minutes. To download videos without a time restraint, you will have to pay a subscription fee of $5 per month.

Note: If you are pasting in the link from a YouTube video and Internet Explorer added an "ie" in place of "www" to the link (Example: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=o3k8rwiAWNE instead of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3k8rwiAWNE), you should remove the letters 'ie' completely or replace with 'www' instead.
In the field, paste in the video's URL.
Select your output format. Example: Windows (.mpg).
Click Convert and Download.
Wait until the video is converted. Then click Download. Click Save.
Edit the File name to be more descriptive.
Choose where you want the video to be saved. Click Save.
If needed, click Close when the download completes.

If you choose a Windows (.mpg) file as the download format, you can double click it to watch in Windows Media Player.

Note: "The Pennsylvania State University, University Libraries, and Media & Technology Support Services adheres to the United States' Copyright Law (Public Law 94-533) of 1976 as amended, and urge all members of the Penn State community to be aware of and abide by it. For information covering such copyright issues as instructional use of home video or fair-use guidelines for off-air taping, Penn State Faculty, Staff, and Students may call 814-863-3103."
- taken from http://www.libraries.psu.edu/mtss/resources/copyright.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Quickly Rename Multiple Files

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:29:09 GMT

This Tekzilla Daily Tip shows you a little known function that lets you re-name multiple files in a snap. Please listen for the word of caution at the end!

[Video] - Episode 110 - Windows - Quickly Rename Multiple Files

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Meebo - An Online IM Program

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:28:36 GMT

Meebo lets you chat online with your friends that use MSN, Yahoo, AOL/AIM, Google Talk (gtalk), Jabber and ICQ. You can log into all the IM networks simultaneously from your browser. Note, to login to all the IM networks at the same time you need to create a Meebo account. For more, see About Meebo.

http://meebo.com/

If you want to encrypt all the traffic between you and Meebo servers use the address https://www.meebo.com/ instead.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: 3rd Party Applications Convert PDF files

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:28:01 GMT

Have you ever wanted to convert a PDF file into a Word file? Here are several links to companies that offer these applications. The first link takes you to a company whose software is free. We all like that. The next two links are to pay-for software solutions. Both allow you to try before you buy. If you have a need for converting PDF's on a regular basis, these may be the better options for you.

SomePDF.com
This site, http://www.somepdf.com/, offers several free convert tools.

PDF to Word, PDF to Html, Text to PDF, PDF to TXT, PDF Image Extract

Solid Converter PDF to Word v4
This software includes a WYSIWYG interface so you can convert exactly what you want, drag and drop PDF creation, and improved image and table extraction.

http://www.soliddocuments.com/download.htm?product=SolidConverterPDF

PDF Converter Professional 5
PDF Converter Professional 5 delivers everything you need to create, convert, and edit PDF files.

http://www.nuance.com/pdfconverter/professional/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: USB Security Lock

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:27:12 GMT

Drive locks once prevented computers from being infected with a virus via a floppy disk. The same idea is making a comeback in a new form – to block USB ports.

ThinkGeek has a USB Security lock that looks like a normal flash drive. But, this device places solid blanks into USB ports. Anyone with access to your computer will find it impossible to connect a USB drive. The USB lock can only be removed with the USB Security Lock tool. The device comes with four USB locks. Current price is $7.99

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/98fe/

Where would you use this? If you had a computer at a display area or at the fair, you may not be able to always watch it. A person could quickly insert a USB drive to copy data from (or to) your machine in these cases.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Casio's Exilim Pro EX-F1

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:26:40 GMT

Casio now has a hybrid digital camera/camcorder called the Exilim Pro EX-F1.

http://exilim.casio.com/browse_cameras/exilim_pro/EX-F1/

The EX-FI can record video for ultra slow playback. It can record at 300, 600 or 1,200 frames per second. It can also record still images at 60 frames per second. Cost is $1000.00.

To download a sample 19.4 MB video, right click on CIMG0103.MOV then select Save Target As. You will see the slow motion movie that the EX-F1 can capture.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Flash Files can be Found and Indexed

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:26:00 GMT

"For most people on the Web, if Google or Yahoo cannot find something, it doesn’t exist. That has been one of the biggest drawbacks to creating a Website or application that displays itself as a Flash (SWF) file. Search engines could see the file, but they could not see what was in it. Until now.

Adobe has come up with a way for the search engines to read SWF files and index all of the information they contain. That means any text or links in a Flash application can now be indexed. This is a huge step forward for Adobe and anyone who develops in Flash/Flex. Michele Turner, Adobe’s VP of marketing for its platform business, explains:

We are releasing technology to Google and Yahoo that enables them to crawl and index SWF files. They are now searchable. This will open up millions of Flash files to search.

Adobe has created a special Flash player for the search engines that acts like a virtual user going through each application. It actually goes through the runtime of each Flash application and translates it into something the search engines can understand. So all of those fancy interactive Flash Websites and other rich Internet applications that have been invisible to search engines, can now be seen by them."

You can read the rest of the TechCrunch article here:

Once Nearly Invisible To Search Engines, Flash Files Can Now Be Found And Indexed

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: USDA Image Gallery

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:25:23 GMT

This gallery provides a complimentary source of high quality digital photographs available from USDA's Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/

Examples: Crops, Insects, and Plants.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Inside Microsoft’s Internet Infrastructure & their Future Plans

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:24:32 GMT

Om Malik interviews Microsoft’s corporate VP of global foundation services, Debra Chrapaty. The video is refreshing to watch. As Om states, "Her candor was one of the reasons I decided to share the video with you guys. The common theme of the conversation: Microsoft is spending liberally to build out its Internet infrastructure, including upgrading its backbone network and scaling out its data center infrastructure by adding new technologies."

Inside Microsoft’s Internet Infrastructure & Its Plans For The Future

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Avoid Laptop loss at the Airport

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:23:52 GMT

Security industry executive Richard Stiennon provides tips to keep track of your laptop at the airport security checkpoint.

"1. Place your laptop in the first bin you put on the belt of the X-ray machine. You should put your laptop bag in front of it. Put the bin with your shoes, belt, purse, wallet, etc. right behind your laptop. And your carry-on bag last. The first thing you should do on the other side is put your laptop in its bag before the other luggage crashes into it and dumps it on the floor. Your other stuff separates it from the person behind you and in front of you.

2. Mark your laptop! Put a sticker on it. I know people hate to do this. But you should identify your laptop in such a way that you can quickly identify it. There are lots of Dell computers out there. I have almost picked up the wrong laptop on many occasions. DO NOT TAPE YOUR BUSINESS CARD TO YOUR LAPTOP. Do not become a target by letting potential laptop thieves know just how valuable your laptop may be. My favorite marker for my Dell Latitude is the white Apple sticker I got with my iPod.

3. If you lose your laptop contact the TSA immediately. Call the airport. Take action. I bet in 99% of the cases you can get it back."

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/29548

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: New Words in the Collegiate Dictionary

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:23:19 GMT

Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 new entries to its new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which Merriam-Webster first found them used in an English-language publication:

Air quotes (1989): gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands, used to call attention to a spoken word or expression.
Malware (1990): software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning.
Mental health day (1971): Day that an employee takes off from work to relieve stress or renew vitality.
Infinity pool (1992): outdoor swimming pool with an edge over which water flows into a trough, but seems to flow into the horizon.
Netroots (2003): Grass-roots political activists who communicate via the Internet, especially by blogs.
Norovirus (2002): Any of a genus of small round single-stranded RNA viruses; specifically, Norwalk virus.
Pescatarian (1993): Vegetarian whose diet includes fish.
Texas Hold em (1995): Poker in which each player is dealt two cards face down and all players share five cards dealt face-up.
Webinar (1998): Live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments.
Wing nut (circa 1900): Slang: one who advocates extreme measures or changes; radical.

The Associated Press has a YouTube video about the story as well here: 'Malware,' 'Wing Nut,' Now in Dictionary

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:22:42 GMT

INCONCEIVABLE!
Memorable quotes for The Princess Bride.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/quotes

[Video] I've Been Everywhere (In Pennsylvania)
I've been to Stump Creek. Has anyone else been there?
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=SRy95dlaWvE

Candy Bar Quiz
Beat my score. I got 15 out of 20 correct.
http://food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/candy-bar-id-quiz/

National Gas Temperature Map
What is your town's color?
http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

Don't Trip over that Cord Cover
This would stop me for sure.
A dollar on the floor in FriendFeed's headquarters

CPU Benchmarks
This chart compares AMD and Intel CPU's.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

[Video] Baseball Bugs
Wham! A homer. Wham, another homer. Wham, wham, wham, wham, wha.. nehhh What's up, Doc?
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=rnN1gjmEars&

[Video] What's Opera, Doc?
Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjhm-8kMtzg

Operation: Rabbit
And remember, Mud spelled backwards is Dum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation:_Rabbit

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer – Cleaning out your Startup Folder

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:27:26 GMT

This week we provide steps to help you clean out your Startup folder. The Startup folder contains tools and programs that run while Windows boots. Having too many items in Startup is yet another reason your computer can be slow to start. Click this link to the blog for the full article and steps to remove those extra items.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Web & Print Resources

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:26:51 GMT

Some of you are familiar with and use the Web and Print resources links but for some of you, this may be a new resource. The Ag Communications & Marketing staff have been working hard to provide you with this helpful collection of links. You can find the following @ http://agcomm.cas.psu.edu/WebResources.html.

College and University Statements – collection of statements for Web, Funding, Disclaimer, Accommodation, Alternative Format, and Affirmative Action.
PSU, CAS and Extension Marks – University-approved Web and print-quality marks.
Photo Release Form – This form should be used when you are taking pictures of 4-H’ers, program participants, or students for use in publications, newsletters, advertisements, brochures, Web pages, or other media.
PSU and College Photographic Images – Photos for use in PowerPoint or on the Web
College and Extension images/graphics – This collection of images includes regional maps, 4-H clovers, better kid care, creating health, EFNEP, food pyramid, master gardener, nutrition links, GROW, county icons.
Extension Templates – This collection includes newsletter, letterhead, brochure, workshop flyer templates plus brochure and flyer graphics that have been resized.

If you have questions about any of these resources, please submit a Web Contact form @ http://agcomm.cas.psu.edu/Web_Services_Request_Form.html. Someone from the Web group will be happy to assist you.

Peg Shuffstall, Educational Technologist

CAS News: Unable to Access ServSafe CD due to Missing MSVCR80.dll

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:26:17 GMT

Several county offices have reported that when they insert the new ServSafe CD that they see the following error message:

----------------------
D:\ServSafe_Deluxe.exe
---------------------------
Executable 'D:\ServSafe_Deluxe.exe' had the following unrecoverable error:
Couldn't find library MSVCR80.dll (required by c:\Program Files\[XXX- different on different machines])
Please ensure that it is installed
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------

Something in the autorun portion of the ServSafe CD doesn't work with Office 07. If all you need is access to the ppt's and pdf's on the disk, you can copy them from the CD to the computer. Then you can open them from your local drive. Here are the steps.

Note: Before starting, you might want to create a folder on your hard drive. We recommend putting a ServSafe folder in C:\Local Documents.

Open My Computer.
Hold the Shift key down and insert the ServSafe CD.
Keep holding the Shift key until the CD drive shows that ServSafe is in the drive (or when it stops trying to run the CD) - then you can let go of Shift.
Right click the CD drive and choose Explore.
Open the EN folder.
Copy all folders and files to C:\Local Documents\ServSafe
If you think you'll need to edit the files, Right click on the ServSafe folder in C:\Local Documents and choose Properties. Uncheck the box at the bottom that says Read Only. Click OK.
Eject the CD and then access the files through this folder.

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: 2008 Faculty Advisory Committee on Academic Computing Survey

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:25:38 GMT

On May 7, 2008 the Survey of Technology Use at Penn State By Faculty, Staff, and Students prepared by Brian Sonak and Vicki S. Williams was released. Here are two paragraphs from the Executive Summary page.

"The 2008 Faculty Advisory Committee on Academic Computing (FACAC) survey was opened in the spring semester to a random sample of 12,000 members of the Penn State community. All campuses were included except Penn College of Technology. The sample contained 8,000 full-time undergraduate students, 1,000 graduate students, 500 teaching assistants (TAs), 1,000 full-time faculty, and 1,500 full-time staff. With 2,983 final responders, we achieved a response rate of 25%. The survey was made up of a set of questions common to all responders and then three sets of questions were addressed to three categories of responders, students, staff, and Faculty/TAs."

"Students use technology to do online searches and research, communicate with classmates and instructors about assignments, and access online course resources. A quarter of them take courses online. They take online quizzes more than five times each semester and receive prompt feedback on their learning. About 20% use student-response systems (clickers) in class. Students would like to be able to print from their laptops in ITS labs and to access Classroom and Lab Computing (CLC) lab software from home and to practice presentations with large monitors in the computer labs or Learning Spaces."

You can download the full report here: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/surveys/spring2008/2008_Technology_Use.pdf

Cole Camplese, Director of Education Technology Services for Penn State, has written a blog post called FACAC 2008: Things to Watch. Cole shares his insights from the FACAC survey and where "we should be paying attention."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item: Adobe Releases Security Update 1 for Adobe 8.1.2

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:25:00 GMT

A critical vulnerability has been identified in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.2. This vulnerability would cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.

Adobe recommends users of Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader install the 8.1.2 Security Update 1 patch. Adobe Reader is installed on all Enterprise computers.

To see what version of Adobe Reader you have installed, follow these steps (taken from Adobe Releases Security Update 1 for Adobe 8.1.2 on the IT Tech Alerts blog).

Open Adobe Reader.
From the Help menu choose About Adobe Reader ....

Note: You will see the version number listed in this window.
Click the version window to close it.
If you saw Version 8.1.2, go to the Apply Security Update 1 section of our How To Install and Configure Adobe Reader for Windows for steps on applying the Security Update.

If you have an earlier version than 8.1.2, please see our How To Install and Configure Adobe Reader for Windows for steps on downloading the new version, remove any old versions, install the new version and apply the Security Update 1 patch.

If you are still using a previous version of the "full" Adobe Acrobat (version 7), Adobe recommends Acrobat 7 users on Windows update to Acrobat 7.1.0, available here: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=1&platform=Windows

Full details can be found on the Adobe Security Update available for Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.2 page.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Create & Send a Meeting Request in Outlook

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:24:18 GMT

In our last edition of eNews I talked about how I use Outlook to help me stay organized with what I need to do today, this week, and in the coming months.

In Outlook, a meeting is an appointment that you invite people to or reserve resources for (conference rooms). You can create and send meeting requests and reserve resources for face-to-face meetings or for online meetings. When you create a meeting, you identify the people to invite and the resources to reserve and you pick a meeting time. Responses to your meeting request appear in your Inbox. You can also add people to an existing meeting or reschedule a meeting.

Once the meeting is in your calendar, you get a reminder and have a place to add notes or agenda items.

This How To will give you some steps to Create & Send a Meeting Request in Outlook 2007.

And this How To will give you steps to Create & Send a Meeting Request in Outlook 2003.

If you have questions about this How To or on using the other parts of Outlook, please contact us - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm - and we would be happy to assist you.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Create an Event in Outlook

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:23:40 GMT

I’m on a roll so I thought I would give you another piece of the Outlook Calendar...an event.

Events are activities that last for 24 hours or longer. Examples would be a birthday, Ag Progress Days, or a County Fair. They can last 1 day or many days. A special note though, events do not display in individual time slots like appointments or meetings do. They display in a small banner area just below the date heading.

For some events I turn off the reminder while others I like to give a week's notice. It's your choice and each event can have a different reminder notification; just change it in the Reminder drop-down list.

This How To will give you some steps to Create an Event in Outlook 2003 or 2007.

If you have questions about this How To or on using the other parts of Outlook, please contact us - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm - and we would be happy to assist you.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Clear a SharePoint Site's Stored Password

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:23:07 GMT

'Stored User Names and Passwords' is a secured store for password information. With this feature, you can enter user names and passwords for various network resources and applications (such as SharePoint) once, and then have Windows automatically supply that information for subsequent visits to those resources without your intervention.

In the College of Ag Sciences, the password you use to login to a SharePoint site is your College AG password. If you have used the 'Stored User Names and Passwords' feature to save your SharePoint password and you changed your AG password, you may use these steps to remove what Windows has stored as it's "remembered" Username to a SharePoint site.

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, open the User Accounts control panel.
On the Users tab, click the user that you want.

NOTE: This is normally your User Name in the AG domain.
NOTE: Do NOT delete any "Account Unknown" entries if they exist.
Click the Advanced tab. Click the Manage Passwords button.

* This will open the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog box. A list of stored user names and passwords may appear.
* Entries for College's SharePoint sites may say "http://sharepoint.ag.psu.edu" OR http://sts.ag.psu.edu/
* Other entries may be for "*.Microsoft.com" or "Passport.Net\*(Passport)"
Select the entry you wish to remove. Then click Remove. Click OK.
If you are done, click Close. Click OK.

Steps taken from "Wrong" Information being Entered in Internet Explorer Form Fields.

Sherry Crum, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:22:14 GMT

For $24.99, this device would give you that extra peace of mind while on the road. You might also find this useful at 4-H camp or at the Fair.

"Hotel rooms and airport terminals never seem to have enough power outlets to charge all the devices today's traveler brings along. Now you can add outlets and peace of mind on business trips and vacations with the Belkin Mini Surge Protector.

This new design features three AC outlets and two powered USB outlets* - perfect for MP3 players and mobile phones."

Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger

Tom Weber, EN Coordinator

Tech Spotlight: In Pictures Online Tutorials

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:21:31 GMT

"In Pictures online tutorials are based on pictures, not words. They're the easiest way to learn computer subjects. There's no complicated multimedia, just pictures that show exactly what to do."

http://inpics.net/

They have five sets of tutorials for Office 2007 listed.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Microsoft Offline Online has Set of Summer Templates

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:20:55 GMT

The Office Online site has 77 templates for all sorts of Office applications. They include Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Outlook and Word. Click this link and then scroll through the various downloads.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101675311033.aspx

Here are some samples: Independence Day party invitation, Summer event flyer (Word 2007), Family reunion newsletter (Publisher 2007).

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Pure Networks Security Scan

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:19:58 GMT

Pure Networks Security Scan is a free tool that looks for potential wireless network security and Internet security vulnerabilities across your home network. The site is simple enough. Click the link below and then choose Start Scan.

http://www.purenetworks.com/securityscan/

I ran the tool as a test for this article from my College Enterprise (EN) notebook while on my home wireless network. My score was in the Good (67-100%) range at 85%. While I will never complain about a free tool, I wanted to explain the items that popped up in my report. In the report, you can click View and then click Details to be shown the full explanation. The indented text below is my actual report. Below the report I'll explain my thoughts on the "issues" discovered by the tool.

Scan Results

Network Devices       4 items tested, no issues found      View
This Computer         6 items tested, 1 issues found       View
Router & Network      6 items tested, 0 issues found       View
Wireless Security     5 items tested, 1 issues found       View
Internet Threats      1 items tested, 1 issues found       View

This Computer ... File Sharing (#1)
File & Printer Sharing is incorrectly configured.

When we checked the File and Printer Sharing settings on this computer, we found that while it looks like the File and Printer Sharing Service is correctly configured, you might have problems due to the guest account being disabled. This can cause problems if you are trying to connect to shares on this computer from older Windows systems like Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows ME. It can also cause problems if you don't have exactly the same user names and passwords on all of your PCs.

If you feel like you're a file sharing, permissions and ACL expert and know what you're doing, then you're probably in good shape. If not, then we recommend that you download Network Magic and let us manage your file sharing. Network Magic can automatically fix this file sharing problem and also provides wireless network protection and other helpful features.

Wireless Security ... Wireless Network Channel Conflict (#2)
There are 2 other wireless networks on the same channel (11) as yours.

A potential performance problem has been detected. The wireless network you're connected to is operating on a conflicting wireless channel as another network in range.
Multiple wireless networks operating in the same area using conflicting channels can have a negative performance impact on each other. Has your wireless network ever seemed slower than normal to you? One possibility is that there's another wireless network on a conflicting channel.

For 802.11b/g networks, channels actually overlap, so you don't need to try all the channels, just channels 1, 6, and 11. Try changing your router's wireless channel, and then rerun Pure Networks Security Scan to see if it fixes this issue. To change your router's wireless channel, log on to your router's system administration utility. Refer to your router documentation for information on how to do this.

Internet Threats ... External Threat Scan (#3)
We're sorry but your router is not supported for this test.

#1: File & Printer Sharing is incorrectly configured. The Guest account on all College Enterprise (EN) machines is turned off. We do this to help security on EN machines. We feel that leaving the Guest account enabled is an un-needed security hole. What they say is true. But you don’t, or shouldn't, need to connect older Windows 98 or ME computers to your EN machine.

#2: Wireless Network Channel Conflict. There are two other nearby wireless routers in my neighborhood. Luckily, neither signal is strong and both are secured. So I couldn't connect to them if I tried. I would follow this advice though if a conflicting wireless network was in range.

#3: External Threat Scan. Since my Netgear WGR614 router doesn't support this test, no worries.

This is a very handy tool to get a handle on your home wireless network. You'll see though that Pure Networks encourages you to download and use their "Network Magic" software to fix the issues. I did NOT do that and do not recommend that you do this. My hope is that you wouldn't need to install this software to fix any issues discovered.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Woman Rowing the Pacific Ocean with High Tech

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:18:45 GMT

"Rowing solo across oceans might not be everybody's idea of a dream job, but Roz Savage decided she'd had enough of her conventional London existence and wanted to do something special with her life. So in her mid-thirties she quit her job and bought a rowboat.

She now uses her adventures to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire others to rise to their own challenges - no matter how big or daunting those challenges may seem."

http://www.rozsavage.com/

Tom Weber, EN Coordinator

All Interest: 11 Top Tips for a Successful Technical Presentation

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:18:02 GMT

While the focus of this post is for "technical" presentations, the author makes a number of great points. Unless you are a geek, you can skip over #1. After that, points # 3, #4, #7, and #11 are worth a quick look.

11 Top Tips for a Successful Technical Presentation

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Do You Engage Your Customers?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:17:25 GMT

Kevin Gamble of eXtension discusses keeping clients out or inviting them in to your work day. Kevin champions the following model:

"Every person talking to every customer wherever they can find them. This is where we're all headed. You can fight it, or you can embrace it, but you can't escape it. You have to engage with your customers on their terms. The sooner you get there the better. I can say with absolute certainty, that if you are an old-world organization erecting your old-school firewalls, that some new competitor, somewhere is cooking up an alternative to what you're currently offering that embraces these new forms of engagement, and they are going to clean your clock."

As I looked through the college's 2008-2013 strategic plan draft last week, several of the core values listed fall into this same sentiment of working with our customers.

Creativity, innovation, and openness to change
Stakeholder engagement and responsiveness to emerging issues
Dedication to diversity, multicultural understanding, and cross-cultural competence
An atmosphere of mutual respect that promotes listening, openly sharing ideas and viewpoints, and debating issues and concerns

The full post from Kevin can be found here. Be sure to read the comments at the end as well.

Zappos and Twitter-- and the futility of firewalls

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: YouTube Screening Room

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:16:42 GMT

"The YouTube Screening Room is a platform for top films from around the world to find the audiences they deserve.

Every other Friday, you’ll find four new films featured in the YouTube Screening Room.

These films always appear with the permission and involvement of the filmmakers, so be sure to rate, share and leave comments. This is your chance to not only watch great films from all corners of the globe, but also to converse with the filmmakers behind them.

While the majority of these films have played at international film festivals, occasionally you’ll find films that have never before screened for wide audiences.

All films playing in the YouTube Screening Room are displayed within our High Quality player to give you the best viewing experience possible."

http://ytscreeningroom.googlepages.com/home

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:16:04 GMT

Independence Day Quiz
How will you do on these thirty questions?
http://games.toast.net/independence/page1.asp

[Video] Presenting Twitter
Why Twitter is about real time physical information transfer ... and my mother's handbag.
http://blog.twitter.com/2008/06/presenting-twitter.html

Instant Rimshot
If you need quick access to an ironically-placed rimshot sound, go here. Don't be confused by the site though. It's complicated.
http://www.instantrimshot.com/

'Out of Office' Replies
Some *great* examples are found here.
Some of the Best 'Out of Office' Automatic email Replies

Giant Hogweed
This is really BIG!
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/WeedHosts/G_Hogweed.htm

[Video] Dog in Zero Gravity
Their dog needs a leash ... in the plane.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=t6mTLrg25gM

[Video] Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash
Two legends perform Jimmie Rodgers' Blue Yodel No. 9.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=wqc209-rwNI

[Video] Hooey Stick
This is no hooey!
Pinky's Hooey Stick

Remotely Feed & View Your Pets from Anywhere in the World
Wonder if this would work for kids too?
http://www.smarthome.com/6182ck.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer – Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) Part 2

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:56:03 GMT

This week is the second part of the Symantec discussion. Click over to the blog to find out which applications can be removed now that we have SEP installed.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Upcoming Trainings Available to College Faculty, Staff, and Educators

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:55:22 GMT

CAS IT is offering a wide variety of trainings over the next few months. For the complete list of topics & dates & times along with a description about these trainings, please visit our website - http://it.cas.psu.edu/TechTraining.htm and click on Scheduled Training.

To register or see more information, click on the topic, enter your information, and click Submit.

Please remember to register so we can plan accordingly!

We need 6 staff registered to hold the training, so please register today!

Online Learning Tool using Adobe Presenter

6/26 at University Park

PowerPoint Basics (2 part series)

7/2 & 7/9 via Adobe Connect
8/6 & 8/13 at University Park

Excel Basics (2 part series)

7/8 & 7/15 via Adobe Connect
8/12 & 8/19 at University Park

Online Survey Tool (2 part series)

11/19 & 12/3 via Adobe Connect

Also available are the eXtension's professional development opportunities which are open to all Cooperative Extension faculty, staff and employees. No preregistration. For detailed information go to:
http://about.extension.org/wiki/Schedule_of_Professional_Development_Opportunities

Don't see a topic listed that you are interested in? Please remember that we have various Self-Paced learning opportunities and On Demand Training available too. Check out our main Technologies and Training Page - http://it.cas.psu.edu/TechTraining.htm.

If you have a suggestion for training, please let us know.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

CAS News: Emergency Readiness and Disaster Recovery

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:54:37 GMT

Weather and its impact has been in the news over the past month.. Be reminded that our College has an Emergency Readiness site.

"The Emergency Readiness site has been developed to provide a centralized source of useful information to assist the people of Pennsylvania as well as the Internet community in coping with emergency situations. Included here are state and national disaster agencies, cooperative extension disaster pages, and other pertinent emergency resources."

http://emergingissues.cas.psu.edu//Emergency/default.html

Our colleagues at Iowa State have a Disaster Recovery Home webpage as well. Updated information has been added to the site to help Iowans deal with the recent flooding in the state. Note: My thanks to Robin Brekke from Iowa State in sharing this link.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item: Using Information Technologies How To's

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:54:01 GMT

The Information Technologies (IT) group has a page with nearly 400 How To's (393 to be exact). How To... documents are step-by-step instructions for College IT tasks. If you haven't looked at the site lately, please be sure to visit soon. The answer to your IT question is likely available here.

Go to the Information Technologies home page: http://it.cas.psu.edu/.
Click the How To... button.
To view a How To, you can Click on a Category to see a list; or, you can Enter a Search term in the How To Search box; or, you can Scroll Down to browse the How To's.

Tip: Scrolling through the list is actually a great way to find a How To!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Make an Appointment on my Calendar in Outlook?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:52:58 GMT

When I talk with staff about Outlook, they think of email. Most don't realize that Outlook is a very powerful tool which includes a calendar, an address book, a task list or To Do list, AND a notes section. Over the next few eNews editions, I will try to give you some more information on how you can use these parts of Outlook.

I use my Outlook calendar for almost everything - appointments, meetings with colleagues, time out of the office (travel, vacation, sick child), and even events (Fall In-service). This helps me stay organized with what I need to do today, this week, and in the coming next months.

I use my calendar to track appointments for items I need to get done and to help me track how much time I have worked on a project. An example of an appointment is writing this How Do I... article series. I have to allocate time on my schedule so I actually sit down, think, and write the article. This appointment is a recurring appointment since I write an article every two weeks. I also have appointments for when I’m going to be traveling, and when I need to work on a project (develop new training materials or update existing ones). If I didn't have these items on my calendar it would be harder for me to remember to do these things or I may overlook them as I am working on other projects.

This How To will give you some steps to create an appointment on your Outlook Calendar - http://it.cas.psu.edu/401.htm.

If you have questions about this How To or on using the other parts of Outlook, please contact us - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm - and we would be happy to assist you.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Beyond Doodle

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:52:12 GMT

In our last edition of eNews we talked about Meeting Setup with Doodle for finding a meeting date or gathering poll information among colleagues or family members.

I just want to add a little bit more to that information since staff are asking about Doodle and we are showing this cool tool to more staff at our IT Camps. Once you get a date selected for the meeting or event, then take it one more step and put it in your Outlook Calendar. (Yes, Outlook is MORE than email!)

Our How Do I... article this edition gives you some more information on creating appointments in Outlook. Once you get it into Outlook, then you even get a reminder so you remember to attend!

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Use a Password Checker to Test your Password's Strength

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:50:39 GMT

A basic doctrine of information security is to use a strong password. Your password should be at least 8 characters in length and contain a mix of letters, numbers and other special characters. See Password Best Practices from PSU ITS.

One way to determine if your password is strong is to type it into a password checker.

Microsoft’s online Password Checker reviews your password for sufficient length and complexity. As you enter your password the strength bar will move from Weak to Medium to Strong to Best.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

This check takes a few seconds. Try it out and see how your password rates.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google Docs Adds PDF Support

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:49:17 GMT

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. It does not imply recommendation or endorsement.

Here is a recent post in the What's new in Google Docs? web page:

"One of our top feature requests is now implemented: upload, preview and share PDFs in Google Docs! Click the Upload button in the Docs list to get started. While you can't yet edit PDFs, you can at least select text to copy & paste elsewhere. You can also share PDFs just like you can share your regular Google Docs."

The Official Google Docs Blog has a post on the new PDF feature as well: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2008/06/upload-your-pdfs.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google Docs and Creating Forms

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:48:39 GMT

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. It does not imply recommendation or endorsement.

Did you know that you can create a web based form from a Google Docs spreadsheet? With just a few clicks you can have a web form up that others can fill in. The results will be saved into the Google Docs spreadsheet. This feature has been around since Feb 2008. It's been in my "include in eNews" basket for awhile now. The minor downside is that you see "powered by Google Docs" next to the Submit button. But hey, it's free.

Google Docs Help Center: Creating forms

Video: Quick and Easy Forms With Google Docs

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Sharing is amazing!!!

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:48:01 GMT

John Dorner, NC State Area Agent Information Management, has written a blog entry about sharing. He starts;

"I get inspired and educated by seeing what others are doing. Today, I had several "WOW" moments. I'll share the path I took this afternoon and hope that my sharing will inspire and educate you.

A little before lunch, I noticed in my twitter stream (using TwitBin to follow it) bnr1 tweeted "@lorisheldon - Hello Web 2.0 class... from State College PA". That peaked my interest."

Some of you might recognize 'bnr1' as the UserID for Beth Raney from eXtension and Penn State. John's "weak link" tie to Beth allowed him to have, as he describes it, several "WOW" moments. You can see his blog post for what these were and the videos that inspired the comments.

http://blog.johndorner.com/2008/06/sharing-is-amazing.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Welcome to Thanet Earth

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:47:05 GMT

There are plans for a very LARGE greenhouse complex to grow hydroponic crops in the UK. When completed, the complex will increase the UK's crop of salad vegetables by 15%.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/11/greenbuilding.food

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Eat Drink or Die

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:46:24 GMT

Eat Drink or Die (http://www.eatdrinkordie.com/) is a cooking show site that caters to the Web 2.0 crowd.

Chefs Listing: http://www.eatdrinkordie.com/chefs
Sample Video: What's for Dinner Tonight: Chilaquiles

"If stuffy, heavy-handed cooking shows aren't really your thing but you love cooking personalities like Food Network's Alton Brown, you'll love the programming at Eat Drink or Die. At first blush, the bulk of the site's content looks like Web video, but there's much more under the surface. Even so, the hilarious video installments of regularly produced shows and other prepared videos don't hurt. Eat Drink or Die sports both instructional videos on how to prepare specific dishes and entertaining videos on general topics, like the Drink of the Day or healthy eating tips. You can search the site's broad video catalog to see if there's a tutorial on how to make a dish you're interested in, or you can tune in to The Food Dudes to see "Wake and Bake."

Eat Drink or Die also sports videos highlighting famous chefs like New Orlean's own John Besh and English sensation Jamie Oliver. If you're curious which energy drink is the best, tune in to the Taste Testers to get a "we'll eat anything and tell you if its good" report from two guys in lab coats who try to be scientific about their experiments, even if the food turns out to be disgusting. The "What's For Dinner Tonight" show is hosted by a different person each day of the week, and each day brings a new suggestion for dinner that evening. Even user-submitted videos can make it to the front page if the folks behind Eat Drink or Die like it."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Spam Emails Rocketing

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:45:45 GMT

"Internet users had to cope with rocketing levels of spam last month, along with a number of phishing attacks and the arrival of a new botnet.

The gloomy news from Messagelabs' Intelligence Report for May 2008 showed that spam levels are increasing; levels reached 76.8 per cent of all emails last month, which the security company said have not been experienced since early 2007.

According to Messagelabs, the rise is due to the change of tactics adopted by the spammers who are moving further away from reliance on new and undetectable email attachments. Instead they are exploiting free, mainstream hosted services such as Google Docs, Calendar and Microsoft SkyDrive, which are not filtered by traditional spam filters.

Mark Sunner, Messagelabs' chief security analyst, said: “The savvy, intelligent and accurate cybercriminals of today seem to have abandoned the attachments tactic that was so innovative in late 2007 and are now focused on exploiting free hosted applications which have become mainstream in 2008."

You can read the rest of the article here: Spam emails rocketing

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Periodical Cicadas

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:45:04 GMT

They're back !! Here are a couple of links for more info on the "17-year locusts."

Penn State:
http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/periodical_cicada.htm
http://tfpg.cas.psu.edu/300.htm

3rd Party:
http://www.cicadamania.com/faq.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:44:30 GMT

The First Land-Grant University
Do you have a guess?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land-grant_university

[Video] Finding ARPANET: The First (Physical) Site of the Internet
If you ever start something, mark it down. Example, how was I to know that Lion Ambassadors would be a big deal.
http://www.vimeo.com/943072

Classics in Lego
Famous photographs from the 'Raising of the flag on Iwo Jima' to 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' have been recreated using Lego minifigures and close-up photography.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/balakov/sets/72157602602191858/

[Video] Skydiver Flag Jump
Flag Day was last Saturday, but you should still watch as a skydiver jumps and unfurls a 140 lb. flag as he descends.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=iCz3BA-oNlY

Microsoft Pro Photo Tools
The Microsoft Pro Photo Tools site has a set of tools for photographers to perform various tasks with their images.
http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/articles/tools.aspx

Digital Image Resources
Article describes some of the visual resources available on the web.
Digital Image Resources on the Deep Web

Create a Wordle
Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide.
http://wordle.net/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer – Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:40:35 GMT

This week in Spring Cleaning for your Computer!, we discuss the new antivirus product on all EN computers, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP). Part 1 of this topic will give you steps on removing any extra virus scans that may be configured on your computer. Part 2 will discuss what other applications SEP replaces and how to uninstall those extra programs. Read the full blog post at the link below.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Updated How To's for Requesting New Accounts

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:39:52 GMT

In the last issue of eNews, we had a Request Summer Assistant and/or Intern Accounts article that described the process to request AG accounts for Summer Assistants or Interns.

First, thanks to everyone who used these steps in the past two weeks. Please be aware that three additional How To's are available to help you request new accounts.

Go to the Information Technologies home page: http://it.cas.psu.edu/.
Click the How To... button.
Click the Forms link.
You will see three new How To's:
- Request Access Account for County-based Employee
- Request Sharepoint Access for non-PSU Users
- Request Short Term Wage Payroll Employee Account

Note: If the faculty or staff is benefits eligible from PSU, they will complete the form in their benefits package and not use the Request Access Account for County-based Employee How To.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: 2008 Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:39:14 GMT

The 2008 Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Symposium was held on March 29, 2008 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The Symposium is built around a series of faculty presentations, invited speakers, and demonstrations. The theme of the Symposium was "The Collaborative Campus and the Culture of Teaching and Learning."

The keynote was given by Lawrence Lessig with introduction by President Graham Spanier. As described on the Symposium site: "In this presentation, he discusses the tension between the way copyright law is interpreted for digital media and the way young people are trying to use existing media to create new forms of expression. [No description will do it justice. You really have to listen to the way he presents his argument. He's brilliant.]"

[Video]: Lawrence Lessig's keynote

Presentations were given on a number of topics. These sessions are now available as MP3 files. Be sure to click the session notes on each page to read more about the session.

Student-Instructor to Student-Student Interaction
- What students want in terms of interactive education (online PPT, Quizzing, etc).
Faculty Panel: Electronic Testing at University Park
- Thoughts on e-Testing in education.
The Real Deal: Models and Exploration in Student Collaboration
- Using video conferencing to connect 5 different IST classes.
Developing Team Research across Disciplines and Distance
- Technologies and tips for remote collaborators.
Facebook Extends Facetime with Students Between Classes
- Faculty explains her use of Facebook in education.
Teaching Spanish at Hacienda Second Life
- Faculty explains use of Second Life in her Spanish Class.
Podcasting & Blogging in the Liberal Arts
- Faculty shed light on the concepts behind teaching and learning online.

Note: To listen to the MP3 files, you should Right Click on the link and choose Save Target As. Then save the MP3 file to your computer. You can then open and listen to the file.

The full list of 2008 Symposium sessions can be found on pages 1 and 2 of the Symposium site: http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/.

During the Symposium, a TLT crew interviewed people in an "on the street" style with a hand-held recorder. 26 of these interviews can be found here. Again, you should save the files to your computer before listening to them: http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/topics/onthestreet

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Education Technology Services (ETS) Online Resources

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:38:38 GMT

As your college's IT group we do our best to provide technology education and training. That said, please keep in mind that 'greater' Penn State also provides a wide range of technology resources. Education Technology Services (ETS) is a unit of Teaching and Learning with Technology within Information Technology Services at the Pennsylvania State University. Here are three of their offerings for all Penn State faculty and staff.

ETS Blog
ETS staff comment on issues of interest to the Penn State community.
http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/blog/

ETS Talk Podcast
The ETS Talk Podcast series will bring you insight from in and around Education Technology Services at Penn State. The show will focus on interesting uses of technology as they relate to education and scholarship. The Podcast typically happens at 2 PM on Fridays. Please scroll down on the page to see the list of Podcasts.
http://podcasts.psu.edu/etstalk

ETS YouTube channel
Videos cover a wide range of services offered to Penn State faculty, staff, and students to support the teaching and learning with technology community.
http://www.youtube.com/psutlt

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item (Maintenance): Cleanup Your Email

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:38:03 GMT

Large folder sizes directly affect you, the user. The more space your mailboxes take up, the slower your e-mail access will be since there's so much information for the system to transfer from the server to your computer. This is why you should delete or archive old email.

For complete steps see How To Cleanup your Email.

Past Maintenance Action Items:

03-27-2008: Cleaning Your Computer
02-14-2008: Empty TEMP Folders
01-02-2008: Disk Defragmenter

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Customize the Quick Access Toolbar

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:37:27 GMT

You have probably noticed in Office 2007 that you can't customize the ribbons. This can be a pain if you use a button/command regularly and can't remember where they put it on the ribbon.

I use the Quick Access toolbar (QAT) all the time for those common commands that take a few jumps to locate. The Quick Access toolbar is easily customizable. I put the Print Preview command on my QAT for all my office applications and added the signature command and format as HTML command to Outlook QAT. This has saved me time from remembering where MS put these commands.

This How To will give you some simple steps to customize YOUR Quick Access toolbar:

http://it.cas.psu.edu/training/howto/msword/QAT_07.html

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Check my Email while on Vacation

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:36:46 GMT

Vacation season is here! If you can get away this summer, good for you. Hopefully "away" will also mean "away from the office and your email." But there are times when we need to check our work email when not in the office.

You have 2 options to check your email: Use Outlook Web Access and using Outlook (the application) from outside the office.

Using Outlook Web Access (OWA) is easy... just open your web browser to this address - http://email.ag.psu.edu/ and enter your UserID and AG password. This How To will give you more information if you are unfamiliar with assessing OWA and the OWA interface - http://it.cas.psu.edu/276.htm.

The second method is to use your work computer from outside the office but on a high-speed internet connection (Wireless, DSL or Cable modem). Once you are connected to that network, open the Cisco Systems VPN client and establish a VPN connection.

Tip: All Enterprise Network (EN) computers have the Cisco Systems VPN client installed. Look in All Programs, then Cisco Systems VPN Client. You will need to log on with your PSU UserID and password.

Once you see the little yellow locked padlock in your computer's system tray, then go ahead and open Outlook. Once you are done with Outlook, Exit Outlook first. Then close VPN. At that point you can shut down your computer as well.

You can test this out before you go on vacation and if you have problems, let us know via the Help Desk Submission Form.

If you need more information about VPN or need to install the latest version, you can go here - http://it.cas.psu.edu/455.htm - for more info.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Meeting Setup with Doodle

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:36:07 GMT

Have you heard of Doodle? No, not doodling with paper and pen but Doodle, a free web-based service that helps you find a common date for a meeting, conference, family reunion, whatever you need. You can schedule the event or make a choice (what's for dinner or where to visit on vacation).

Simply create an account, activate it, and then you can create as many polls as you want. Once your poll is completed, you will receive two email messages. One email message will contain a link back to the administration page of your doodle where you can make changes to the configuration of your poll. The 2nd email will contain a link to participate in the poll. You will need to forward this participant link email to anyone you would like to include in the poll.

If you receive an invite to participate in a Doodle poll, go the webpage indicated and enter your name along with the suitable dates or choices (movie picks). Click Participate and you have voted! It's that easy.

The main page for Doodle is http://www.doodle.ch/main.html. No paper or pen required.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Hyperconnected with Twitter

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:35:22 GMT

Mark Pesce discusses how Twitter and its 'tweets' connect the world in the 21st century. His speech was the keynote at Microsoft's Australia REMIX 08 held on May 20, 2008.

He starts his talk with a training video used for the introduction of self-dial, rotary phones that used dial tone. At the time, this new technology was indeed ground breaking. He then describes how the Twitterverse knew instantly about the earthquake in China since the Twitter users in China's Sichuan Province went dark. Traditional news sources like the AP Wire, CNN and BBC had the news much later.

One of the other interesting statements he makes is that we have all been taught that content is king. Not so he says; "content is not king, connection is king."

Video: Mark Pesce Only Connect Keynote at Microsoft AUReMIX08

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Blogging - What's the difference between a Trackback and a Ping?

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:34:26 GMT

This entry from the Ask Dave Taylor! help site tells us why a 'ping' is a good thing and 'trackbacks' are often turned off. If you've started your own blog, you might want to review his page to clarify the difference between the two.

Ask Dave Taylor! What's the difference between a trackback and a ping?

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google Sites - Create Simple, Secure Group Websites

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:33:48 GMT

Google has announced that their Google Sites app is now open to the public. Google Sites looks like it could be a great tool for personal home pages. It could also be used by 4-H clubs.

Announcement: Google Sites now open to everyone

Google Sites: http://sites.google.com/site/sites/

Video: Watch a short tutorial

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Life, Death and Twitter on the African Savannah

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:33:13 GMT

This is a wonderful article of Web 2.0 technologies raising awareness and monies for the Mara Conservancy. If you do nothing else, click the link for the animal photos on Flickr. They are amazing.

"For veteran wildlife ranger Joseph Kimojino, the traditional tools of his trade -- binoculars, off-road jeep and a rifle -- have been supplemented by Twitter, Flickr and a blog.

A ranger in Kenya's acclaimed Mara Triangle wildlife park, Kimojino is a member of the Masai tribe. He first learned how to click a computer mouse in November. Now he blogs about the Mara Triangle and posts wild animal photos on Flickr nearly every day.

Kimojino's online outreach is an effort to raise awareness and money for the park, and it's urgent: Without the funds he raises online, his employer, the Mara Conservancy, would go broke. Admission fees from park visitors are the conservancy's primary source of revenue, but tourism dropped to almost zero during Kenya's post-election violence, and hasn't snapped back.

But the park's online efforts are working. Despite relatively modest traffic, the blog raised $40,000 from donations in March. Kimojino's Facebook page drew about $2,000; and a handful of safari companies bought advertising on the blog in exchange for sponsoring rangers."

To read the rest of the Wired magazine article, go here: Life, Death and Twitter on the African Savannah

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: TimeTube - YouTube in Date Order

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:32:31 GMT

What's a mashup? According to Wikipedia, "In technology, a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source."

TimeTube is a mashup that allows you to take YouTube videos and arrange them by date. This is very cool. When you click the link, you see the old school "no signal" television screen. Enter a search term in the Keywords field and you're off. You can then zoom in and out of the timeline.

TimeTube

I tried both 'Cooperative Extension' and 'Joe Paterno' as search terms. Thankfully the term 'Vince Verbeke' didn't return any results. Whew!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Colleges Putting Their Own Spin on YouTube

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:31:29 GMT

The Washington Post tells the story of how Colleges are presenting their own message on YouTube. They need to augment the sometimes less than appealing image of their schools presented by the students.

"School officials carefully craft their promotional materials, but brochures are just as likely to be tossed out with the trash as read, many acknowledged. Meanwhile, students are posting video on their Facebook or MySpace pages and sending them to each other so that they spread like crazy."

Colleges Putting Their Own Spin on YouTube

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Livescribe Paper-Based Computing Platform

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:30:05 GMT

In the last eNews, we covered the Mobile Digital Scribe digital pen in Have Good Penmanship? You'll like this Digital Pen. The upside to this device was that it didn't rely on special paper.

In the same theme, this week you might check out the the Livescribe Paper-Based Computing Platform. It requires their pen, ink, and their special dot paper in order to use it. But it also records audio. With the tap of the pen you can play back what was being said at the same time you took the note. Very cool. For less than $250 you'll be ready to take notes at staff meetings or at the conference.

Videos: http://www.livescribe.com/sneakpeek/index.html

Photos: http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/photos.html

Tech Specs: http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/techspecs.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:29:27 GMT

[Video] Caught On Tape: Tornado Rips Apart Home
From KCCI 8 in Des Moines Iowa, video from an ATM machines shows an EF5 tornado moving through Parkersburg.
http://www.kcci.com/video/16479057/index.html

Red and White Holstein History
How did we get a Red and White Holstein population in North America?
http://www.das.psu.edu/pdf/red-and-white-20070514.pdf

[Video] How It's Made: Milk
Good diet and happy cows is the key. Moo!
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=kIbVwE5zb1Y

MacBook Owner Takes Control
Owner uses technology to catch a thief.
Stolen MacBook Owner Logs On, Takes a Photo, Busts Thieves

[Video] High Hopes
What can ants and rams do to trees and dams? The same thing you can do to toy balloons!
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=mlsitMRQAdA

[Video] Christmas Island Red Crabs
For those of you in the throes of gypsy moths and cicadas, this may make you feel lucky to be in Pennsylvania.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=yvabv7a6m7E

[Video] I Will Derive
This is for all the math geeks and Gloria Gaynor fans out there.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1817395

[Video] Hey Bo Diddley
Thanks for everything. R.I.P.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1817395

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Request Summer Assistant and/or Intern Accounts

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:36:24 GMT

Thanks to all of you that are using this process we began in Spring 2007. Here's a reminder for everyone:

With the arrival of summer, we receive many account requests for temporary employees in Extension offices, e.g. summer assistants and interns. We will create individual AG accounts for these employees - including e-mail if needed. They can then be setup as a user on an Enterprise computer in your office, to use Exchange mail and calendaring, and to connect to the appropriate shared folders on the server in your office. To be in compliance with Penn State policies, these individuals need their own unique UserID and password.

STEP 1 - Extension Office
Ensure that the summer assistant/intern has a Penn State account. If he or she is a PSU student, their current Penn State UserID can be used. If they have no association with Penn State, they must apply for a "Friends of Penn State" or FPS account. This will generate a unique Penn State UserID for your temporary employee.

To get a Friends of Penn State (FPS) account you and/or the summer assistant/intern should go to this web site: https://fps.psu.edu/ then click on the Create an Account tab in the upper left (under the image of Old Main). Complete this form and then click Submit.

Note: This form will ask for an * E-mail Address. The email address you enter here will be the one to receive the FPS information after the request is processed. If you are completing the form, you can enter your PSU email address. If the temporary employee is completing the form, they can use a home or other email address of their choice.

STEP 2 - Extension Office
Once the FPS form is processed and the Penn State assigned UserID is created, you will submit a Help Desk Submission Form request that includes the following details:

Indicate that you're requesting an AG account for a temporary employee and include your Office name
(Examples: summer assistant, intern, etc.)
Include the temporary employee's First and Last name
Include their Penn State UserID
--This could be a FPS UserID or an existing PSU student/employee UserID
Include the Starting and Ending dates for the temporary employee
Will they need an Outlook Exchange account created (for Email and Calendaring)?
If yes, please list (if any) staff UserID's who will need access to this employee's calendar.
What is the Service tag number of the Enterprise computer this employee will use?
-- If they will be using more than one, please include those tag numbers also.
If your office has a server, we will allow this account to have access to all the "County Share" folders except the Administration folder. Please let us know if their access to folders should be more restrictive. Otherwise, please list 'Default OK' below.

The following text block may be copied and pasted into the Problem Details field on the form. You can then add the needed information in the form. You should send in this information in a separate request for each person.

RE: Temp AG employee in xxxxx extension office
First and Last Name:
PSU UserID:
Start Date:
End Date:
Create Exchange Account: Yes or No
-- If yes, list any UserID's who need calendar access:
Service Tag:
Restrict Server Access to these Shared folders (list):

STEP 3 - Ag IT
Once we have this information, Ag IT staff will create the AG account, set activate and deactivate dates, and grant the needed permissions.

STEP 4 - Extension Office (If needed, Ag IT)
Support will send an email that the account is active along with a temporary password to the staff person who requested the account and to the County office account. This email will include a listing of the How To's that the summer assistant or intern can follow to login and complete the setup of an Enterprise machine. At this point, the process should be done. As needed, we may schedule a time through Support to setup the temporary employee on an EN machine. Hopefully this will be the exception to the rule.

Final Note: As indicated above, to be in compliance with Penn State security policies, Ag IT will be required to phase out "generic" AG accounts in the future. All accounts that access Penn State network resources must be linked to individuals. This change will impact other generic AG accounts used for Master Gardeners, West Nile Virus staff, etc. We are discussing the requirements of the Penn State policies and how best to minimize the impact these changes will have on Extension offices.

These steps can also be found on our How To page under Forms. You can also use this link: How To Request Summer Assistant and/or Intern Accounts.

Tom Weber, EN Coordinator

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer – IM Programs

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:35:49 GMT

Today’s tip is about Instant Messenger (IM) programs. Some examples are AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo Messenger, and Windows Messenger. Even if you don’t use IM, this tip can help to clean up your computer. Instant messaging can be a handy tool in the workplace. But, unfortunately it comes with a few settings that aren’t very good for your computer. For example, all of these programs, by default, are set to start up with Windows. This places an extra burden on Windows while it is trying to boot the entire system, and adds to the slowness at startup.

Most of us install our own IM program(s), but there is also one that is included with Windows. Even if you’ve never used it, Windows Messenger still tries to run when you start your computer.

For steps to change your settings so IM programs will not load with Windows, check out the new post in the Spring Cleaning blog.

http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: New EN Prices until July 31

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:35:12 GMT

There are new lower prices in effect for the EN program computers from May 16 through July 31, 2008. Penn State has negotiated lower prices with Dell for certain configurations during this time period and we are able to pass those savings along to the EN program. There are very minor adjustments to the configurations.

EN Desktop, Optiplex 755 w/ 19" flat panel monitor - $1400 one-time or $350/yr for 4 years
EN Notebook, Latitude D630 - $1740 one-time or $435/yr for 4 years
EN High End Notebook, Latitude D830 - $1780 one-time or $445/yr for 4 years

More details about the EN program, specific configurations for the EN computers, and an order form can be found at http://it.cas.psu.edu/EN.htm.

The Enterprise Network (EN) program is a standards-based purchasing program for College computers and services. Please contact Tom Weber at thw@psu.edu or 814-863-3509 if you have questions about the program or Sharon Spicer at sspicer@psu.edu or 814-865-0505 if you have ordering questions.

Tom Weber, EN Coordinator

CAS News: New Training being offered - Online Learning Tool using Adobe Presenter

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:34:31 GMT

In one of our previous eNews Tech Spotlight articles, we told you about Adobe Presenter and what it can do for you. NOW we are ready to show you how you can use it to turn your presentations into captivating multimedia experiences and e-learning opportunities for your users. Bring your computer with Adobe Presenter installed, a headset with microphone, and a completed PowerPoint presentation. We will show you the rest!

Online Learning Tool using Adobe Presenter

June 11, 9 to 11 via Adobe Connect
June 18, 1:30 to 3:30 via Adobe Connect
June 26, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. in 110 ASI, University Park

For more information and to register visit our website - http://go.cas.psu.edu/training/.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

CAS News: "NorthCentral PA Helps" Wiki uses a Web 2.0 Technology

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:33:53 GMT

The four counties that comprise rural north-central Pennsylvania, Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter have many human service agencies. These agencies provide services beyond county boundaries but may not have a physical presence in each county that they serve. All four counties have collaborative boards that meet routinely to share resources but often the attendees are agency executives and not frontline case managers so they may not be familiar with all the other services available to meet clients needs. Additionally, each collaborative board has assembled a printed agency resource directory which details some of the services available but clientele may not be aware of its existence.

The NCPAHELPS wiki is designed as a one-stop-shop for clientele and agency personnel to locate resources in the 4-county area. I designed it so that no one other than myself has permission to make changes in order to maintain the integrity of content and overall visual appeal. It is still a work in progress as I find the time to add content. When completed, it will be a static site with changes only to the front page to feature upcoming events and any changes to addresses, phone numbers, services etc. Where agencies have their own websites I just link out to them so wiki visitors get accurate details about current info on the agency rather than trying to always update the wiki.

http://ncpahelps.pbwiki.com/

Robin Kuleck, Extension Educator, Elk County

How Do I... Insert a Movie into PowerPoint 2007

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:33:18 GMT

One way to make your PowerPoint presentations a little more interesting is to add a short video clip.

To add a movie, you can insert it onto a slide and then specify how the movie will start. There are two ways to start the movie: automatically when the slide is displayed or by clicking it. You can also keep the movie playing over several slides or have it play continuously throughout your presentation.

For complete steps see Inserting Movies into PowerPoint 2007.

Please note: Unlike pictures or drawings, movie files are always linked to your presentation, rather than embedded in it. When you insert a linked movie file, PowerPoint creates a link to the movie file's current location. If you later move the movie file to a different location, PowerPoint cannot locate it when you want the file to play.

This MS page will provide even more information on adding a movie to your presentation.

Add and play a movie in a presentation

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Quickly Rename a Selected Folder or File

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:32:46 GMT

When renaming a folder or a file in Windows, you might select it once, pause a second, then click it again. Or, you can rename it by right clicking on it and choosing Rename.

Did you know that there is a third method? If you're a keyboard junkie, this will be right up your avenue.

Highlight the folder or file, then press the F2 key. The name becomes editable right away. Then, press any of the arrow keys to place the cursor in the name and edit as needed.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Use Outlook 2007's Forward as Attachment

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:32:08 GMT

Administrative assistants who read office email accounts often ask if there is a way to "redirect" messages to staff. In other words, when a message is forwarded, they want the recipient to be able to reply directly to the original sender. While Outlook doesn't support a true redirect, Outlook does have a Forward as attachment feature that serves the same purpose. This method also allows the person sending the Forward as attachment to add comments without editing the original message.

Sender - Sending a Forward as attachment

There are several methods to forward a message as an attachment.
1. Highlight a message in any mailbox. From the Actions menu choose Forward as attachment.
2. Highlight a message in any mailbox. Press Ctrl + Alt + F.
3. Open a message. From the Other Actions menu choose Forward as attachment.
  
  Note: If the original message is a Text or HTML message, it will appear in the Attached line. If the original message is a Rich Text message, it will appear in the body of the message you are sending to the recipient.
Enter the Recipient for the message. If needed, add any comments.
Click Send.

Recipient - Reading a Forward as attachment

Open the message. You will see that you have an attached message. There are several methods to deal with the message.
1. Click once on the attachment. This allows you to read the attached message. If you don't need to take any further action, click Delete. This deletes the forwarded message and the attached message.
2. If you need to keep/file the attached message, you can drag the attachment from the forwarded message and drop it into another folder (e.g. the Inbox). Once there you can open and reply normally.
  Tip: the message will appear as a read message, since you've viewed it.
3. Double click on the attachment. This opens the message in its own window. You can reply normally at this point.
  Tip: the Move to Folder is grayed out at this point. If you need to keep/file the message, close the attached message. Then drag and drop it into a folder as in B.

These same steps are in How To Use Outlook 2007's Forward as Attachment.

These steps will work as expected when sending to College of Ag Science faculty and staff who use the College's Outlook Exchange email. You should become familiar with these steps by sending yourself a message or two. Offices that plan to use these steps should also discuss and test before putting them into general use. If you need to use these steps with outside partners, discuss the feature and test to see if their email client will support this feature.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Drop.io - Store and Share Data in Private

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:31:27 GMT

Drop.io (pronounced 'drop I O') enables you to create simple private exchange points for your data. Here is a bit about drops from their FAQ.

"A drop is a chunk of space you can use to store and share anything privately (pictures, videos, audio, documents, etc.), without accounts, registration, or an email address. Drops are not "searchable" and not "networked;" they just exist online as private points for exchange between individuals or groups.

Create as many drops as you want in as little as two clicks and set things like a password, whether others can add to the drop, and how long you want it to exist (you can renew later). Drops can be flexibly used in a range of ways from sharing family photos and videos to collaborating on group projects."

In looking through their Privacy Policy & Terms of Use I could not see any hidden tricks. They don't ask you for personally identifiable information and they do not monitor content or drops. The fact that you can password protect and set an expiration date for your drop also protects your data.

Drop.io has a 100mb upload limit for a single drop. There are other file sharing sites out there that give you more. But this should be plenty to share that large PowerPoint presentation with a client.

Home - http://www.drop.io/
Tutorial - http://snipurl.com/29ksi

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Have Good Penmanship? You'll like this Digital Pen

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:30:50 GMT

In this April 22, 2008 Network World article entitled Have good penmanship? You'll like this digital pen, Keith Shaw describes the Mobile Digital Scribe by Iogear. This digital pen retails for around $130.

What it is: Like the company's earlier Digital Scribe device, this is a digital pen that uses a base station to record a user's handwriting on any sheet of paper, using normal ink. The base station, connected to a PC via USB cable, then converts the writing into digital format, which can then be saved as an image, sent in an e-mail, or even converted to text through the optional handwriting recognition software.

The "mobile" part of the pen means the base station can record writing or drawings without the USB cable attached, allowing users to go away from their computer in order to take notes or draw. The pen also includes a mouse mode that lets you use the pen as a mouse when attached to the PC (some people prefer using a pen-based device for navigation instead of a mouse).

Why it's cool: Previous attempts at digital pens have meant things like special paper, bulkier pens and other obstacles toward the goal of having your handwriting automatically appear in a digital format once you wrote it down. The pen itself is a normal-sized pen, and uses standard ink refills. The small size of the base station means you can record writing on any size paper, and I like the ability to record notes in the mobile mode without having to be attached to a PC.

Read the remain article at http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2008/042208-cool-tools.html

This link will take you to the Mobile Digital Scribe page at Iogear. I always like to check out the Support & FAQ page. This allows you to check out any issues a new product may be having.

And I just LOVE how Keith closes the article: "For handwriting-to-text conversion, your enjoyment of the device will depend a lot on how well you paid attention to the teacher when learning cursive writing." In my case, this would be the Sisters of St. Joseph. And the answer would be, not well.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Microsoft Research WorldWide Telescope

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:30:13 GMT

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. IT won't be able to support this software if installed.

From What is WWT page: "The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe. Choose from a growing number of guided tours of the sky by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the country. Feel free at any time to pause the tour, explore on your own (with multiple information sources for objects at your fingertips), and rejoin the tour where you left off. Join Harvard Astronomer Alyssa Goodman on a journey showing how dust in the Milky Way Galaxy condenses into stars and planets. Take a tour with University of Chicago Cosmologist Mike Gladders two billion years into the past to see a gravitational lens bending the light from galaxies allowing you to see billions more years into the past."

The Experience It page has steps to download and system requirements. You will find more info on their World Wide Telescope forum as well.

Lastly, astronomy is not one of my things. I did not download and install this software as a test. If you're into astronomy, you might find this useful. Be sure that your machine can handle it though. The minimum system requirements for a PC, as listed on the Experience It page, are steep. They list a minimum of 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM with 2 GB of RAM recommended for starters. Wow.

Robert Scoble from FastCompany.tv has a thirty minute video on the project as well. If you watch this, you'll see why you need so much RAM to run the WWT.
http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/exclusive-first-look-worldwide-telescope.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google Maps Adds "More" Button

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:29:35 GMT

Wikipedia articles and Panoramio photos have been added to Google Maps. Look for the 'More' button in the upper right. When you select the Wikipedia tick box small 'W' tags appear on the map indicating that Wikipedia articles are available. Click the 'W' tag to open the Wikipedia article. Panoramio photos display as thumbnails.

This link will take you to University Park PA with the Wikipedia and Panoramio boxes checked.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: SlideRocket Presentation Tool

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:28:43 GMT

This product is still in beta. Many of the features shown in the tour and in the demo movies are just very exciting. See what you think. Would it make you give up PowerPoint for good?

"SlideRocket is a web application that provides everything you need to design professional quality presentations, manage and share libraries of slides and assets, and to deliver presentations in person or remotely over the web."

Tour:
http://www.sliderocket.com/productTour.html

Demo Movies:
http://www.sliderocket.com/demos.html

Sliderocket: cool presentation tool
http://qik.com/video/78012

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Mobile Optimised Websites

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:28:09 GMT

This article lists over 90 websites that have tweaked their site for viewing over a mobile device. Categories include Business, Entertainment, News, Reference, Travel and more. So if you have a mobile device, you might check this out.

A good list of mobile optimised websites

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: GroupTweet - Group Message Broadcasting for Twitter

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:27:35 GMT

Using GroupTweet is simple: create a separate account on Twitter for your group, and have everyone in your group follow that account. Then whenever that account gets a direct message, it pushes it back out for everyone to see.

http://grouptweet.com/

To learn more about direct messages in Twitter, see this Twitter help page.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Start Menu Alternative

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:26:57 GMT

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. If this program is installed on a College Enterprise (EN) computer it will not be supported.

This program will work in Windows XP, even though its name is Vista Start Menu. You can watch the demo on their home page to see how it works. One "large" benefit is the option to enlarge Start Menu items. If you need items bigger, this program may be a big help.

http://www.vistastartmenu.com/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:26:20 GMT

Panoramic view: Beichuan earthquake
You can spin the image as well as zoom in and out by using the scroll wheel on your mouse.
Panorama of Beichuan earthquake

[Video] Teaching Density
Don't break my heart.
Teaching Density

Packing Your ONE Bag
From NPR, make a big list of small things.
How to Pack Everything You Own in One Bag

Beetlemania at Pennsylvania post office
Mohnton is in Berks county.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24631558/

60 Photography Links You Can’t Live Without
This article is for those addicted to photography.
60 Photography Links You Can’t Live Without

[Video] Cute Kittens Bop Their Head
Cute.
http://www.flixxy.com/malric-kittens.htm

[Video] Indiana Jones theme - with Lyrics
This is just silly. But if you're a fan, it's worth 1:33 of your life. I suppose.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=1ei2Ha64te4

Large Sand Sofa
Come on over and sit down.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2018/2411400635_f6da20ca11_o.jpg

What not to eat!
Newsweek's list of eight items that have "been restricted or deemed socially unpalatable."
Eight Forbidden Delicacies

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Spring Cleaning for your Computer

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:21:12 GMT

These days, almost any application or update you install tries to get you to also install an "extra" application - an extra toolbar, for example. There are also the extras that we, as users, install ourselves, like a weather program or instant messaging.

Sometimes these extra programs do not affect the performance of your computer. But over time, you will see degradation in performance, compared to a fresh Windows install. And usually, there is a program that is the "straw that breaks the camel's back" and seems to reduce your ability to work. Most of the time, that last program isn't to blame – it's a combination of everything installed.

One slowdown that is most noticeable is when you are restarting or logging in to your computer. Most of these extras are set to run at startup, bogging down the startup process that Windows needs to perform. These programs also try to run continuously in the background, slowing down everything you do on your computer. Some extras you may have, such as instant messaging (IM) programs, are used for communication within your group, and necessary to do your job, but when used with default settings, can cause slowness. By changing some of these settings, you can keep IM, but it won't put a strain on Windows.

For the extras that were installed without intent, it's an easy choice to remove them. But, for the programs you've installed yourself, in order to effectively use your computer, you might need to make a choice between your computer's performance and the extra application.

This article is the beginning of a series of tips, tricks and advice. We will provide you with ways to clean up your computer by removing some of the extras, and ways to reconfigure the extra programs that you need to keep. We hope to give you the knowledge to make your own choices, and to help you avoid installing those extra toolbars or applications that legitimate programs try to sneak past you.

While there is not enough time or space to include every tip or suggestion, we will try to give you information about the most common pitfalls. All of these tips will be combined in one blog. You will be able to go there at any time and read any of the old or new tips. The first article will discuss toolbars and weather programs. Then, we will present a new topic in each eNews issue, and provide the link to the blog, which will contain the full article.

You can find this blog here: http://cas-pc-maint.blogspot.com/

If at any time you have questions regarding the articles, or problems with the steps, please contact us. You can call us at (814) 865-1229 or submit a help desk form at this website: http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

CAS News: Updating Your Passwords - New Text from ITS

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:20:29 GMT

We featured an article on updating your password article in the January 3rd, 2008 eNews issue entitled CAS News: Updating Your Passwords. Here are the high points:

College of Ag Science faculty and staff normally have TWO computer accounts. The first account is a Penn State Access Account. The second is a College of Ag Sciences' AG account.
The password reminder email sent to faculty and staff does not come from Ag IT Support. The reminder is sent by Penn State's Information Technology Services (ITS) HelpDesk. They instruct you to change your PSU Access Account password.
The Ag IT staff does recommend that you change your AG password at the same time as your PSU Access Account password.
To change your PSU password, go here: https://www.work.psu.edu/
To change your AG password, go here: http://work.ag.psu.edu/

Since the January 3rd article, ITS has updated the text used in their password reminder message. In addition, we wanted to clarify the difference between this valid message from the ITS HelpDesk and other "Phishing" emails.

The following text is from the reminder that I recently received for my PSU Access Account deadline. What makes this email valid?

First, it is not asking you to confirm your email address or your password by replying to this message. Penn State and the College of Ag Sciences will never ask for your account/password in this way.

Second, ITS is consistent with the use of Subject and the first line of the message.

Third, the links in the message are NOT active. In other words, you need to copy and paste the link into your browser to visit the site. Why this extra step? This method ensures that you can clearly see the address. Phishing emails often hide their real address behind a valid looking hyperlink.

-----Original Message-----
From: ITS HelpDesk [mailto:helpdesk@psu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 10:20 PM
To: Jacqueline Sterner Weikert
Subject: Your Penn State Access Account Password Will Soon Expire

Dear Penn State Access Account Holder,

Your Penn State Access Account password for jxs138 will expire on 06/24/08 12:08:29.

To change your password, please visit <https://www.work.psu.edu/password/>.

If you do not change your password by 05/27/08 12:08:29, you will be required to change it when you log in to any application that uses WebAccess (WebMail, ANGEL, ESSIC, etc.).

If your password expires, you will lose access to all University services that require your Access Account. To reinstate your access to these services, you will need to visit a signature station at one of the University's campuses, or contact the ITS Account Services Office at Penn State University Park. E-mail reminder notifications will be sent to you weekly until your password has been changed.

Penn State's password change policy increases the personal security of all Penn State community members and helps protect business, research and academic resources throughout the University. If you experience any problems after you change your password, please contact your local technical support contact for assistance.

For more information, visit <http://its.psu.edu/password/>; to keep track of your password's expiration date, visit <https://www.work.psu.edu/>. Questions and requests for assistance should be directed to the ITS Help Desk at 814-863-1035 or 814-863-2494, or by sending e-mail to helpdesk@psu.edu.

As before, the email lists TWO separate dates. It is the first date and time (in the example, 06/24/08 12:08:29) which is the worst case date (i.e. when a PSU password expires). You need to update your PSU password before this date and time!

The second date listed (in the example, 05/27/08 12:08:29) is a month earlier than the "your current password will expire" deadline. The inclusion of this date in the email adds confusion for folks. From our How To Change your PSU Access Account password and College AG password, we list the following services that use the Penn State's WebAccess for login:

Angel, Adobe Connect, CASPAR, eCommerce/ePay, Email (for PSU mail accounts), ESSIC, FIT, ITS-managed computing labs, VPN, and Web based AIS system.

If you attempt to login to any of the above services after the second date, you will be required to change your PSU password at that time. If you don't, you won't be able to login to that service. By having this month long window, ITS is attempting to help you avoid an expired password.

Bottom line; don't wait to update your passwords. When you receive the ITS reminder, change your PSU and AG passwords right away. Better yet, update your PSU and AG passwords every six months (or every three months). Then you won't receive a reminder email at all!

Finally, if you have an EN notebook, we recommend that you change your AG password while you are in your office. Why? When you update the AG password and then restart the computer (steps 11 and 12 from the How To), the computer needs to be on your office network in order to validate the updated password. If you're on the road or at home and change your AG password using the web address, you won't be able to login with the 'new' password until the notebook is back on the office network.

For more on phishing emails that attempt to steal your passwords, see CAS News: Email requests for Passwords and Account Information.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

CAS News: May 2008 Adobe Connect Demonstration Sessions

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:19:50 GMT

Below are the dates and times for Information Technology Services (ITS) May Adobe Connect Demonstration sessions. ITS will be demonstrating the primary features of the meeting room and answering questions that you might have. No registration or RSVP necessary.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m
Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m
Monday, May 19. 2008, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m
Friday, May 30, 2008, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m

Here is the link to the meeting room: https://breeze.psu.edu/r54559680/. Please come when you like, learn about the new features, different ways to use Adobe Connect, ask questions, stay for a few minutes or for the whole hour; feel free to pass this on to friends and colleagues. Members of the Penn State community can arrange for an on-site demonstration by contacting their ITS Consultant.

If you plan to join their demonstration session through Adobe Connect, please read through the Getting Started information at http://meeting.psu.edu/quickstart and test your connection in advance with their generic test meeting room at https://breeze.psu.edu/testmeetingroom/.

If you have any questions or problems entering the test meeting room, help is available by emailing breeze@psu.edu.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Lock my Enterprise Computer

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:19:17 GMT

Why would you want to "lock" your Enterprise computer? Your desk could be in a public access area of your office. If you need to step away, you'd want to lock the computer. Perhaps you work on sensitive information and someone walks up to your computer. You don't want them to catch a glance of what is on your screen. Or, you want to leave your computer on overnight to allow Windows Desktop Search to index your data. See 'Locking your Computer' from eNews 89 - How Do I ... Review Instant Search Settings in Outlook 2007.

The steps to lock the computer from eNews 89 asks you to press Control + Alt + Delete and then click the Lock Computer button. Well, guess what, there's a one step process you can use. It uses the Windows key. If you've never used this key, it's beside the Alt key on the left side of the keyboard. Here is a sample image.

To quickly lock the system, press Windows + L. You will see a Computer Locked dialog box. You can now leave the machine.

To unlock the computer, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. You will see an Unlock Computer dialog box like the one below, except it will have your UserID. Enter your password and click OK to start working again.

Other Windows key shortcuts are explained here: Windows Key Shortcuts.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Say "No to All" when Overwriting Files

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:18:31 GMT

When attempting to overwrite a group of files, Windows gives you three choices: Yes, No, or Yes to All. What about No to All? Even though the choice is not listed, you do have this option.

When would you want to use No to All? Let's say that you're copying a folder from a USB drive back to your computer. Inside the folder you added a couple of NEW files. All you need are these "new" files copied back. You don't need to copy back any of the existing files.

Now, you could use the Yes to All choice. But then you would have to wait for ALL the files to be copied back. Depending on how many files you have in that folder, this could take some time for all the files to be updated. The No to All <hidden> choice is just the ticket.

The tip itself is very simple. Start the copy process. When you see the Confirm File Replace dialog box, hold down the Shift Key and click No.

The No button won't change to 'No to All' or give you any indication that it worked. But the copy process will then work as described above.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Error Printing Another's Outlook 2007 Daily Calendar

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:17:51 GMT

Have you ever seen this error when printing another's Outlook 2007 Calendar?

"The messaging interface has returned an unknown error. If the problem persists, restart Outlook".

This error can occur if you are trying to print the other person’s calendar using the Daily Style. The Daily Style may include printing Task items. If you have not been given access to the delegate's Tasks, you see the error. You have two options to resolve this issue.

First, the calendar owner can modify your delegate rights to include permissions for Tasks.

In the Navigation Pane, click Tasks. Click the Share My Tasks folder link
Click the To button. Enter your name from the Global Address List. Click OK.
In the message body, they can enter a message or leave blank.
Click Send. Click Yes. Click OK.

Second, you can modify the Print style of your Calendar to exclude Task items when printing the daily calendar.

In the Navigation Pane, click Calendar.
From the File menu choose Print.
Click on the Define Styles button.
In the Print Style list, highlight Daily Style and click Edit.
From the Tasks drop-down list, choose No Tasks.
Click OK. Click Close.
Click Cancel, unless you want to test print.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Issue with Outlook 2007, Duplex Print Job, and Collate Copies

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:17:17 GMT

The following Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article was published on April 9, 2008. It's fairly short. So we can just copy and paste the text into the article. You can also visit the article here.

This scenario seems unlikely. But, there just might be folks out there who do a lot of duplex printing.

An e-mail message is not printed correctly in Outlook 2007 when you perform a duplex print job, and you use the "Collate Copies" option.

SYMPTOMS
Consider the following scenario:

• In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you perform a duplex print job of multiple copies of an e-mail message.
• The e-mail message is in a non-HTML format.
• The e-mail message has an odd number of pages.
• You use the Collate Copies option in the print job.

In this scenario, the first page in the second set of the print job is printed on the back of the last page in the first set. For example, when you print two sets of a five-page e-mail message, page 1 in the second set is printed on the back of page 5 in the first set.

WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, use the HTML format for the e-mail message.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Adding One Month to an Excel Date

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:16:41 GMT

The following tip on how to add one month to a date in Excel was written up by our colleagues at Auburn. If you're an Excel user, you might want to check this out.

http://blog.auburn.edu/aliasim/wordpress/?p=85

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Moffsoft FreeCalc - Windows Calculator Replacement

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:16:02 GMT

As I've helped staff over the years it's always struck me that the calculator is pinned to a lot of Start menus. So this free application may be just the "upgrade" many of you need.

Moffsoft FreeCalc adds a number of features that are missing from the existing Windows calculator. Here are the top 2 in my mind.

Adjustable calculator size - Make it any size you want. It will remember the size and position next time you use it.
Tape - It has a simulated paper history tape. You can save and print the tape.

See their page here: http://www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Flip Video Camcorder

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:15:22 GMT

Disclaimer: Information presented here is provided as a general information resource. IT has not purchased one of these products and won't be able to support them if purchased.

Pure Digital Technology has an easy to use hand held camcorder that educators may want to try. See the CNET Review of Flip Video Ultra for information from last year as well as David Pogue's NY Times review from March 20, 2008.

Here are links from the Pure Digital site with additional info.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Phishing Scams and Hoaxes

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:14:46 GMT

Economic Stimulus Refund Phishing Scam
A number of phishing scam emails are currently targeting US taxpayers by offering bogus refund payments as bait. This email, purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), claims that the recipient is qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.

More information:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/economic-stimulus-refund-scam.shtml

United States District Court Subpoena Malware Email
This seemingly official email purports to be a subpoena sent by the United States District Court. The message claims that the recipient must testify before a Grand Jury at a specified place and time. The message is an attempt to trick you into installing information-stealing malware on your computer.

More information:
http://www.uscourts.gov/newsroom/2008/alert.cfm
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/subpoena-phishing-scam.shtml

Visa Personal Password Phishing Scam
The email claims that you can protect your Visa credit card for online purchases by clicking a link in the message and creating a personal password. However, the message is just another phishing scam and was not sent by Visa.

More information:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/visa-password-scam.shtml

Mail Server Report
According to this email, a dangerous virus is being distributed via emails with the subject line "Mail Server Report". The warning claims that opening attachments that come with the email will first display a message saying "It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful" before destroying all files on the infected computer and stealing personal information. However these claims are untrue. There is not, nor has there ever been, a virus like the one described in this bogus warning message.

More information:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mail-server-report-hoax.shtml

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Walk Through Memory Lane

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:14:09 GMT

Here is a Dell Your Blog posting from April 30, 2008.

Ever been intimidated by the thought of opening up your laptop to upgrade memory?

Check out this how-to video that was just posted over at StudioDell. Kris Green, an expert in such things, walks through the process. It’s not as hard as you may think.

http://yourblog.direct2dell.com/2008/04/30/walk-through-memory-lane/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: A Thousand Words

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:13:30 GMT

Kodak has a blog. The pictures from the 2008 Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day post from April 25 are great.

"A Thousand Words is a place for stories from the people of Kodak. We love what we do, and we want to share our stories about imaging and its power to influence our world. We invite you to join our conversation with stories of your own."

http://1000words.kodak.com/

See their Picture Wednesday posts here: http://picturewednesday.1000words.kodak.com/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Zamzar - Free Online File Conversion

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:12:51 GMT

This site will convert files among a variety of formats. This page has the complete list of conversion types. If you're not in a hurry and go by the mantra of "free is better", then using the free service should be just fine. They do have a signup plan for Zamzer as well. So if you find that you like the service, you might consider signing up.

What's most interesting is the fact Zamzar will convert an Adobe PDF file to a Microsoft Word DOC file, for free.

http://zamzar.com/

The site is easy to use. Simply follow the four simple steps.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:11:51 GMT

[Video] ESPN's Report on Sara Tucholsky and Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship at its best.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=jocw-oD2pgo

[Video] Life = Risk
Here are some famous failures.
http://www.flixxy.com/famous-failures.htm

[Video] Top 3 laughing babies
Need a laugh?
Top 3 laughing babies

Say What?
This site will help you with proper pronunciation. Get your daily quotidian out of the way and then check out this site.
http://howjsay.com/

Build a Wi-Fi antenna using household materials
"Who'd have thought that a toilet-brush holder, of all things, would turn out to be an excellent WiFi antenna?"
Build a Wi-Fi antenna using household materials

Eagle Eyes
For those Highlights readers out there who used to love the Hidden Pictures challenge, can you find the differences in these photos?
http://audubon.org/gbbc/game/index.php

[Video] YouTube's #1 VideoTen
The most popular video of all time has over 84 million views. It is by Judson Laipply, a comedian and motivational speaker from Cleveland, Ohio.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

The Needle Doctor
Have some old school music you need to play or convert to MP3's?
Turntables

Galaxies in collision
Images released as part of a project called GOALS (Great Observatories All-sky Luminous Survey).
Baltimore Sun article - Galaxies in collision; a new Hubble spectacular
The Hubble Heritage gallery - Cosmic Collisions Galore!

[Video] Engineer's Guide to Cats
I bet that you didn't know that a cat's aspect ratio was important.
Engineer's Guide to Cats

Price of gas capped at $4/gallon for pumps that can't help it
I wonder how high new pumps are programmed to allow gas prices to go?
Capped at $4/gallon

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: AutoUpdate.exe - Fatal error on Startup

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:47:40 GMT

If your College Enterprise (EN) Dell notebook is displaying this error message on startup, you should remove the EMBASSY Trust Suite by Wave Systems from the computer.

AutoUpdate.exe fatal error
CLR error:8007000b
The program will now terminate.

Close all open applications.
Click Start and choose Control Panel.
Open the Add or Remove Programs control panel.
Highlight EMBASSY Trust Suite by Wave Systems. Click Remove.
Select the Remove radio button. Click Next. Click Yes.
Wait for the program and all its components to be removed. This will take several minutes. Please be patient.
When asked, choose Yes, I want to restart my computer now. Click Finish.

Note: The AutoUpdate.exe fatal error should no longer appear.

Dell Latitude notebooks where this software may be installed include: D420, D620, D630, D820, and D830.

The EMBASSY Trust Suite (ETS) by Wave Systems supports the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). TPM provide hardware-based authentication for computers. For example, you could login to the computer using a biometric fingerprint reader. The AutoUpdate.exe fatal error began after the March 2008 Microsoft updates. The software came pre-installed on these Dell's. We don't use or support TPM hardware, so the easiest fix is to remove the software.

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

CAS News: Penn State to Enhance Current Anti-Spam Efforts

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:46:52 GMT

The following is from this ITS Alert :http://its.psu.edu/alerts/alert-661.

On April 17, 2008 Information Technology Services (ITS) began blocking incoming mail (with the recipient address format as xyz123@psu.edu, for example) from Internet addresses listed by The Spamhaus Project (http://www.spamhaus.org/). The Spamhaus Project is an organization that provides dependable real-time anti-spam protection for Internet networks, and works with law enforcement to identify and pursue spammers worldwide. Using the Spamhaus lists marks one of several continuing efforts being made at Penn State to combat the amount of unwanted, unsolicited e-mail, commonly known as spam.

Penn State will block addresses that are recognized by all three Spamhaus lists: the Spamhaus Block List (SBL), the Exploits Block List (XBL), and the Policy Block List (PBL).

SBL: a current database of Internet addresses of verified spam sources and spam operations (including spammers, spam gangs and spam support services).
XBL: a current database of Internet addresses of hijacked computers that have been infected by illegal third-party exploits (such as worms/viruses with built-in spam engines, and other types of trojan-horse exploits).
PBL is a list of end-user Internet address ranges which should not be delivering unauthenticated outgoing e-mail to any Internet mail server except those provided for specifically by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for that customer's use. The PBL helps networks enforce their Acceptable Use Policy for dynamic and other Internet address ranges not used for transferring e-mail.

It is expected that users of Penn State's e-mail services should not experience problems; however, it is possible that problems could be experienced if one is using a third-party Internet Service Provider (ISP) to check Penn State e-mail. If this is the case, users should contact their respective ISPs to resolve the issue. Overall, it is expected that users should see a significant decrease in the amount of spam.

General inquiries and requests for assistance should be directed to ITS Help Desk staff at helpdesk@psu.edu.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: User Service Conference 2008

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:46:07 GMT

The User Service Conference 2008 will be held Monday, May 12, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel at University Park.

This annual conference is designed for staff who provide IT support to departments, colleges, campuses, and offices. Participants will attend educational sessions, interact with their colleagues, and enhance their professional development.

In keeping with this year's theme, "Communicate, Collaborate, and Expand Your Horizons," the conference will offer twelve customer service, management, and technical sessions on topics such as network and data security, records management, the new PASS, business continuity, and collaboration tools. Ken Forstmeier, senior director of Consulting and Support Services, Information Technology Services, will present the keynote address. New at this year's conference is a fourth break-out for "Birds of a Feather" sessions where attendees can meet and discuss a topic of interest with other attendees. Poster and vendor displays of interest to IT professionals will also be available throughout the day. Continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be served as part of the $70 conference registration fee.

For conference details and registration information, please visit the User Services Conference 2008 Web site at http://css.its.psu.edu/usconference/. Registration is limited, and the deadline is close of business, Monday, May 5, 2008.

Tom Weber, Senior IT Project Leader

CAS News: Penn State IST researchers classify Web searches

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:45:00 GMT

"Although millions of people use Web search engines, Penn State researchers show that — by using relatively simple methods — most queries submitted can be classified into one of three categories.

Jim Jansen, assistant professor in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology, worked with IST undergraduate Danielle Booth, as well as Amanda Spink of the Queensland University of Technology, to find that Web search engine users are doing primarily informational, navigational or transactional searching.

Informational searching involves looking for a specific fact or topic, navigational searching seeks to locate a specific Web site and transactional searching looks for information related to buying a particular product or service."

You can read the rest of the April 2, 2008 Penn State Live story here: IST researchers classify Web searches. The complete paper is available online at the College of Information Sciences and Technology site as a PDF as well: http://ist.psu.edu/faculty_pages/jjansen/academic/pubs/jansen_user_intent.pdf.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: ITS Summer-Fest Technology Training

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:44:11 GMT

Faculty and teaching assistants are invited to sign up for free technology workshops during Summer-Fest 2008, a weeklong training session conveniently offered during the break in the academic schedule, May 12-16. Popular topics include Using Clickers in the Classroom, EndNote, e-Portfolio, Videoconferencing for Instruction, Excel, SPSS, Office 2007, Penn State Thesis Template, Photoshop, Using Adobe Connect in the Classroom, and many more.

You should go to the http://its.psu.edu/training/ site. Then click Register for Training and log in to visit the online catalog for a complete list of training sessions and to register for sessions.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item: Sun Releases Java(TM) 6 Update 6

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:42:27 GMT

As of April 21, 2008, the current version of Sun's Java client is Java(TM) 6 Update 6.

Please follow our How To Update Sun's Java Software to update your Java software.

Fixed: This release contains fixes for one or more security vulnerabilities.

Note: Older versions of Sun Java are not removed from your system when downloading and installing new versions from Sun. Therefore, if you have the latest Sun Java version installed, then you should consider removing all older versions of Sun Java from your system. This can be done via "Add/Remove Programs" in the Microsoft Windows "Control Panel".

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Allow "Camera and Microphone Access" for 'psu.edu' in Adobe Connect

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:41:42 GMT

When you start your camera for a Adobe Connect meeting, are you prompted to allow "Camera and Microphone Access" for 'psu.edu'"? These steps will show you how to allow access within the Adobe Flash Player so you're never prompted again.

Click this link to open the Flash Player Settings Manager: Website Privacy Settings Panel

Tip: If you need to find this page later, do a search for "Flash Player Settings Manager" in Google.

Note: You should be on the Website Privacy Settings page. This is your list of visited sites. We're assuming that you'll find psu.edu in this list. If it doesn't appear on the list, you need to login to Adobe Connect before you continue.
From the list of Visited Websites, locate and select psu.edu.
Click the Always allow radio button. This will change the icon to a green checkmark.

Note: You can choose to go through the list of remembered sites to allow other trusted sites access to the camera and/or microphone. You can also delete sites from this list.
Close all Internet Explorer windows to save the change.

When you login to a Adobe Connect meeting and start the Camera and Voice, you should not be prompted to allow access. This tip was recorded as a video for the TechieTalk club as well. To view these steps as a video, you can click here: Allow 'Camera and Phone Access' for 'psu.edu'.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Change the Default Envelope Fonts in Word 2007

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:40:09 GMT

This How To will walk you through updating the "Envelope Address" and "Envelope Return" styles. These styles control the font used by the Normal template when you create envelopes.

http://it.cas.psu.edu/729.htm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Create a Custom Label Layout in Word 2007

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:39:12 GMT

Word 2007 allows you to print a sheet of 30 labels quickly and easily. All you have to do is enter an address once and then the Label wizard will generate a sheet of labels for you. But what if the standard label templates included with Word 2007 don't print correctly on your printer? These steps will help you add a 'New Label' template of your very own.

http://it.cas.psu.edu/754.htm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Clear the Java Plug-in Cache

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:38:21 GMT

Clearing the Java Plug-in cache ensures that the browser loads the latest versions of Java applications and applets. This is a troubleshooting step similar to clearing your web browser's cache and temporary files.

To clear the Java Plug-in cache:

Close all Internet Explorer windows.
Click Start and select Control Panel.

Note: If Control Panel is in Category view (you see Pick a category at the top), click the Switch to Classic view link on the left.
Double-click the Java icon in the control panel.
Under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings.

Note: You can choose to edit the amount of disk space used for storing temporary files.
Click Delete Files.
All choice should be selected. Click OK.
Click OK to close the Java control panel.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: IAdHide.dll and Backweb - Can they be removed?

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:37:16 GMT

Have you attempted to empty your TEMP folder and have files called IAdHide.dll, IAdHide3.dll, tempIAdHide3.dll, or IAdHide4.dll that can't be deleted?

IAdHide.dll's are part of a program called BackWeb from BackWeb Technologies. BackWeb Technologies sells customized versions of BackWeb to companies who then use it to check for software upgrades. As a result, the 'IAdHide.dll' file is always in use and can't be deleted.

One of the companies that use BackWeb Technologies' services is Logitech. If you have a Logitech camera or keyboard, you may have the 'IAdHide.dll' file. HP also uses the BackWeb program to remind you to update their All-in-One printer software.

Turn off Logitech Updates

These steps assume that you have Desktop Messenger from Logitech installed. You may have other Logitech products and the product that checks for updates may have a different name, ex: Desktop Manager.

Click Start, All Programs, the Logitech folder, then select Desktop Messenger.
Un-check any Notifications service you see in this box.
Click Done.
Restart the computer. The 'IAdHide.dll' file can now be removed from your TEMP folder (or will not appear at all).

Turn off HP Updates

It is recommended that HP Update automatically checks for updates and notifies you when an update is available. You should do these steps only if you plan to occasionally check for updates manually.

Click Start, All Programs, the HP folder, then select HP Software Update.
In the HP Update window, click Settings.
Choose Never. Click OK.
Restart the computer. The 'IAdHide.dll' file can now be removed from your TEMP folder (or will not appear at all).

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: PA's Operation Safe Surf Video Contest!

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:36:15 GMT

"Attorney General Tom Corbett has teamed with Microsoft and Comcast to sponsor this yearly video contest for all Pennsylvania middle and high school students. Dozens of entries were received and the top six regional semi-finalists - three from western Pennsylvania and three from eastern Pennsylvania- traveled to Harrisburg to put the finishing touches on their videos in a state-of-the-art production facility. Click here to view the top six finished videos and vote for your favorite!"

http://videocontest.attorneygeneral.gov/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Twitter takes hold in my Physics class

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:35:14 GMT

Christopher Dawson, teacher and IT administrator for Athol Massachusetts High School, has encouraged the use of Twitter in his physics class. We brought up the use of Twitter in our 3/13/2008 eNews: Tech Spotlight: Micro Blogging with Twitter.

Read Twitter takes hold in my physics class.

Are there any 4-H Educators out there tweeting with their 4-H clubs or Faculty working with students on class projects? Let us know if you are. We can share your stories about using this new technology here. If you need to start others out on Twitter, this 2.5 minute video is good place to begin: Twitter in Plain English.

If anyone would like to follow me, you can find my Twitter account here: http://twitter.com/vcverbeke.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Windows Keyboard Layout Explained

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:34:14 GMT

This web page explains the special keys from a Windows natural keyboard. It has nice artwork of the keys.

http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/keyboard/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Talk without Background Noise on a Cell Phone

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:33:15 GMT

This device claims to eliminate virtually all of the background noise around you so that people on the other end of the line can hear you. The Jawbone cell phone headsets touch your jaw bone (thus the product name) to pick up your voice while cutting out background noise.

Cost is $120.00.

Jawbone Demo Video

Be sure to look over their FAQ page for more info on their product. If you wanted this device to work with a computer, #10 in the list states, "Is the Jawbone compatible with my PC or MAC? Right now, we're not supporting PC or MAC Bluetooth compatibility due to the large variability in the performance of computer Bluetooth systems."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Innovation Park at Penn State

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:32:19 GMT

Most of us have gone to the Penn Stater for a meeting or a conference. But do you really know all that goes on at Innovation Park? I didn't. But I've learned a little more this week. For example, are you a Cool Blue Character? Or do you know someone who could be?

You might be surprised at everything that goes on in the park. Here are a couple of links to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.innovationpark.psu.edu/faq.html

Companies with a home at Innovation Park:
http://www.innovationpark.psu.edu/companies.html

And, there is a great view of Mount Nittany from there as well!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: The Art of Cyber Threats

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:31:24 GMT

Alex Dragulescu is a Romanian-born MIT researcher and artist. He was commissioned by MessageLabs, a computer security company, to create artwork based on the various threats we all face online. You can see small images on the MessageLabs Know Your Enemy page.

Larger version of some of these same pictures can be found on Dragulescu's own web site.

Malwarez shows several worms, viruses, trojans and spyware examples.
Spam Plants were created from the ASCII values found in the text of spam messages.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Google Attempts to Index the "Invisible Web"

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:29:16 GMT

In a blog post dated April 11th, 2008, Jayant Madhavan and Alon Halevy of Google's Crawling and Indexing Team said the company has begun an experiment in which its indexing software enters text in Web site forms to see what pages may appear.

"In the past few months we have been exploring some HTML forms to try to discover new web pages and URLs that we otherwise couldn't find and index for users who search on Google. Specifically, when we encounter a <FORM> element on a high-quality site, we might choose to do a small number of queries using the form. For text boxes, our computers automatically choose words from the site that has the form; for select menus, check boxes, and radio buttons on the form, we choose from among the values of the HTML. Having chosen the values for each input, we generate and then try to crawl URLs that correspond to a possible query a user may have made. If we ascertain that the web page resulting from our query is valid, interesting, and includes content not in our index, we may include it in our index much as we would include any other web page."

"This experiment is part of Google's broader effort to increase its coverage of the web. In fact, HTML forms have long been thought to be the gateway to large volumes of data beyond the normal scope of search engines. The terms Deep Web, Hidden Web, or Invisible Web have been used collectively to refer to such content that has so far been invisible to search engine users. By crawling using HTML forms (and abiding by robots.txt), we are able to lead search engine users to documents that would otherwise not be easily found in search engines, and provide webmasters and users alike with a better and more comprehensive search experience."

Their blog post is here: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/crawling-through-html-forms.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:28:27 GMT

[Video] Make a Difference
Just wanted to let you all know - YOU make a difference in my life!
http://www.blueribbonmovie.com/

Green New York City
Here is New York's "green" website. The videos are neat. The bird that they use reminds me of the Partridge Family's partridge. For all of you under 30, this was a 1970's TV Show. By the way, I wasn't the only one to see a resemblance.
GREENYC

110 best books: The perfect library
"From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world… we present the ultimate reading list."
110 best books: The perfect library

Plumbing Solving Graph
I agree!!
Plumbing Solving Graph

Poodwaddle Clocks and Stats Counters
Collections of various "clocks" that display times, statistics, and much more.
http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks.htm

[Video] The Bear Rub
Do bears dance in the woods?
http://www.flixxy.com/bear-rub.htm

[Video] Rush hour in a Japanese subway
If this was a video of steers being pushed into a trailer, outrage would be swift.
http://www.komando.com/videos/4-12.asp

[Video] How Happy Are You With The Way You Look?
Watch over lunch since it's a bit long (8:51). Cute. And I love my nose too!!
http://www.flixxy.com/short-film-clay-animation.htm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: State of Spyware Protection for Enterprise Computers

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:06:26 GMT

For many years, College Enterprise (EN) computers used the programs Spybot and Spyware Blaster as our AntiSpyware tools. Starting in June 2007, new EN computers shipped with Windows Defender as the AntiSpyware software. Now, our department is in the process of installing the newest version of the Symantec client, called Symantec Endpoint Protection, on Enterprise Network computers.

Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) includes an AntiSpyware protection component. This will replace Spybot, Spyware Blaster and Windows Defender. Once the SEP installation is complete, Symantec will disable Windows Defender on your EN machine.

Notes:

Once Symantec Endpoint Protection is installed on your machine, you can double check that Spybot and Spyware Blaster are removed from your machine. Here is our How To for their removal.
Symantec Endpoint Protection is a managed enterprise version of Symantec AntiVirus. However, Penn State has obtained a site license for Symantec AntiVirus which provides a cost-free virus protection solution with which faculty, staff and students can protect their home computers. The current version of unmanaged Symantec Antivirus is available on Penn State's download site. Here is our How To for that install.
The current version of Spybot, version 1.5.2, is still free for personal use. But companies and institutions need to buy licenses for SpyBot. SpyBot is no longer free for machines in schools, universities, and other non-profit organizations.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Penn State to Increase Wireless Network Security

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:05:46 GMT

The following is from this ITS Alert: http://its.psu.edu/alerts/alert-651.

"On Wednesday, April 2, 2008, Information Technology Services (ITS) modified a part of the University's network that impacts non-Penn State traffic entering Penn State Wireless networks. This change was made to utilize Penn State's wireless resources more efficiently to address the increasing demand for the service, while simultaneously increasing network security. The following items will not be affected by this change: intra-campus Penn State Wireless connections; outgoing Penn State Wireless network connections; and typical network use such as accessing Web sites and checking e-mail.

However, Penn State wireless connections that use active FTP or the X Window System to connect to external servers will no longer work effectively after the April 2 modifications. Individuals using these types of connections will now need to use more secure methods.

For information and instructions on how to implement these secure connections, please visit the ITS Knowledge Base at http://kb.its.psu.edu/psu-all/hd/penn_state_wireless_changes. Problem reports and requests for assistance should be directed to helpdesk@psu.edu."

A very limited group of College Faculty or Staff might be impacted by this ITS change. If you fall into these categories: a) Connect to a server outside the Penn State network; b) Use the Penn State wireless network for this connection; and c) Use active FTP or X Window System software to connect to the server, you should see the ITS Knowledge Base article for more information.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item: QuickTime 7.4.5 Update Released

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:04:59 GMT

On April 2, 2008, an updated version of QuickTime was released (7.4.5). This update includes fixes that enhance reliability, improve compatibility with third-party applications, and addresses security issues. See more details here.

QuickTime is installed on all Enterprise computers. Apple's QuickTime software allows your Enterprise computer to view graphics, videos, on-line video streams (ex: Candidate Interviews in the College), and more.

Action Required: Please see our How To Install QuickTime for Windows using the Standalone Installer for steps on updating QuickTime to the latest version.

Errata:

If Mac OS X and Windows Vista computers have QuickTime installed, they should be updated as well.
This blog post from ZDNet provides a brief rundown of the key patches in this QuickTime update.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item: Apply Microsoft Updates

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:04:18 GMT

Tuesday April 8th was the monthly "Patch Tuesday" from Microsoft. More than half of the vulnerabilities fixed by this month's patches have received a "critical" rating from Microsoft.

Action Required: If you are prompted by your Enterprise computer to apply these updates, please do so immediately.

One of the fixes is an "April 2008 Internet Explorer Cumulative Update" for all versions of Internet Explorer (IE). The vulnerability allowed "remote code execution if a user viewed a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer." In other words, if you viewed a website that has been hacked to spread malicious code, your computer could become infected with malware. These compromised web pages can be found on "good" websites too. Just because you never visit "bad" sites doesn't mean that you're safe. This April 2, 2008 posting from the Symantec Security Response Weblog is an example. You need to apply the critical updates to be safe from this most recent vulnerability.

In addition, this IE Cumulative Update permanently removes the "click to activate" behavior from Internet Explorer. What did the "click to activate" behavior do? When you visited a web page that contained a video, you needed to click twice to play the video. You will only need to click once to play the embedded video now.

Tip: See How To Install High Priority (Critical) Updates for general inforrmation on High Priority updates.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Use a Picture or Symbol as a Bullet in PowerPoint or Word 2007?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:03:38 GMT

For certain PowerPoint presentations, you may want to change the bullet to something related to the topic of the presentation. For example, you could use a lady bug if you're discussing spring time bug nuisances for home owners. You could insert a 4-H clover if you are talking to a group about 4-H. Or maybe you just want to change that boring black dot to a nicer looking green dot to match the color theme of your presentation.

This How To will give you the steps: http://it.cas.psu.edu/721.htm.

Similar steps can be used in Word to change the bullet to a picture or symbol - http://it.cas.psu.edu/724.htm.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Add an Identity to my Jump Drive?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:02:44 GMT

Does your office or work team have the same make & model USB Jump Drive? During the rush of presentations, field days, or other meetings do they all start to look alike? Here are a couple of suggestions for labeling your USB Jump Drive and making it more portable:

After sticking the Jump Drive into your computer you can label it by clicking on My Computer and then single click the Jump Drive followed by pressing F2 to re-label the drive. I stuck my Initials in front of the current drive name. A sharpie on the outside of the drive works just as well.
Create a folder on the Jump Drive at the very beginning and store files to it rather than just loose on the drive. Mine is named simply "To Carry". If you ever have to move things off you can simply drag and drop the folder with all files within windows. Sub folders can be made from within that folder as needed. Another reason for this will become apparent below.
Create a file called OWNER_INFO.txt. This file only keeps information on it that helps get your Jump Drive back to you. I have created a file for you to edit. A *.txt file can be read by just about any program (Windows, Mac, UNIX), so it is as useful as sticking a piece of masking tape on your drive. This file should sit outside the main folder where all other files lie on the Jump Drive.
This one is optional. Create a file called MEDIC_INFO.txt. This file would contain your name, emergency contacts, blood type, allergies, or any other special medical conditions you may have. I know some of you carry these Jump Drives around your necks or on key chains. So this info would be at the ready even if you weren't. This info may be scanned in case you are found in an emergency. I have included a sample of that file as well.

So if done right, when you next open your new Jump Drive you should see the two text files and the folder holding your documents. By eliminating the clutter, you increase the chance of your Jump Drive returning to you or even saving your life.

For more background information on dedicated USB drives for medical purposes see:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080313/NEWS/803130309/1178

You should also have a listing in the phone book of your cell phone marked ICE-SPOUSE or ICE-Mother, etc. so that In Case of Emergency, Emergency Responders would hit that phone number first. If you have more than one to call in an emergency use the protocol of ICE-1 Spouse, ICE-2 Bob, etc. You can go here, http://www.icesticker.com/ for more information.

Tip: To download these files to your Jump Drive, insert the drive. Right Click on a link and choose Save Target As. (If you're not using Internet Explorer, you may need to choose a different command to download the file.) Click My Computer. Open the Jump Drive and click Save.

Dr. Gregory Martin, Capital Region

Tech Spotlight: What is Adobe Presenter and Why would I want to use it?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:01:57 GMT

From Adobe's webpage: "Adobe Presenter, formerly Macromedia Breeze Presenter, is a rich media and e-learning authoring tool that enables anyone to create professional, high-quality on-demand presentations from within Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Presenter enables you to turn drab presentations into captivating multimedia experiences and e-learning courses through easy-to-add audio, video, and software simulations."

So what does that mean to you? Adobe Presenter is an Add-in or application that works with Microsoft PowerPoint. It allows you to create an audio file to use with your presentation, along with inserting videos and a quiz. Then once you publish the presentation, you can easily put it on your webpage, burn it to a CD, or even add it to an ANGEL course.

Adobe Presenter is available for purchase via the PSU computer store:

Adobe License Adobe Presenter 6.2 for Windows $75.00 SBWNSK009
Adobe License Adobe Presenter 6.2 for Windows MEDIA ONLY $5.00 SMWNSK001

Note: With Site Licensed software, you are required to purchase a paper license (i.e. $75 cost) for each computer that will use it. Departments or Extension offices may buy only one copy of the media. Faculty or staff can then sign out the CD and install the software with their individual license key. If individuals want a CD of their own, you need to purchase extra copies of the media for them.

Here’s an example of how Adobe Presenter can be used, take a look at this training on What is a Podcast.

For a demo of Adobe Presenter or to get started, you can visit this page from Adobe - http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/breeze/presenter/quick_start/index.html
and - http://meeting.psu.edu/presenter.

If you need training in your group, team, or department, the Educational Technologist can offer this as an On Demand training. Please see our On Demand training page - http://it.cas.psu.edu/OnDemand.htm - for more details about requesting this type of training.

You can download a free 15 day trial from Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatconnectpro/trial/.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Flash Player Update Available to Address Security Vulnerabilities

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:01:13 GMT

Adobe has released an updated version of Flash Player on April 8, 2008. Their Security bulletin states: "Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Flash Player that could allow an attacker who successfully exploits these potential vulnerabilities to take control of the affected system. A malicious SWF must be loaded in Flash Player by the user for an attacker to exploit these potential vulnerabilities. It is recommended users update to the most current version of Flash Player available for their operating system."

Adobe recommends all users of Adobe Flash Player 9.0.115.0 and earlier versions upgrade to the newest version 9.0.124.0, by downloading it from the Player Download Center.

Note: If you visit this page, you should uncheck the installation for the Google Toolbar!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Beg, Borrow but Don't Steal

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:18 GMT

Alvin Trusty is an Assistant Professor from the University of Findlay. He is Director of the Educational Technology Program in the College of Education.

The following video link is to his presentation from the eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference 2008 called How to create a great PowerPoint without breaking the law. The presentation covers copyright law issues and how to create a great PowerPoint presentation. The del.icio.us page shows his background material for the presentation. The "How did I do that?" link takes you to his blog where he tells you how he created the video.

[Video] How to create a great PowerPoint without breaking the law

[del.icio.us] http://del.icio.us/atrusty/etechohio08

[Blog] How did I do that?

Anne Adrian from Auburn University has a great summery of the talk on her blog as well.
http://blog.aafromaa.com/2008/04/create-presentations-and-educational.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: New FTC Videos Help Consumers Spot Phishing Scams

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:59:46 GMT

You can share these with friends and family!

"The Federal Trade Commission has released three 60-second videos to help alert consumers to phishing scams. Phishing uses deceptive spam to trick consumers into divulging sensitive or personal information, including credit card numbers and other financial data, through an email or a link to a “copycat” site. The goal of the videos is to offer practical, useful, and memorable messages.

The videos are the newest tool on OnGuardOnline.gov, the agency’s multimedia initiative to help consumers be on guard against Internet fraud, secure their computers, and protect their personal information. The award-winning site features tips, articles, how-to videos, interactive quizzes, and tutorials in English and Spanish. The new videos also will be featured on YouTube www.youtube.com/ftcvideos and on the FTC Web site at http://ftc.gov/bcp/edu/multimedia/video/ogol/phishing/index.shtml."

From: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/04/vids.shtm

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Lessons Learned from a Compromised Machine

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:58:57 GMT

The following article is from the April 2008 SANS Institute Security Newsletter for Computer Users. One of their readers, John Y. wrote in to tell the story of how a compromised machine began to send Spam emails.

One key takeaway is the bolded text below. IT puts notifications of updates to this software on our IT Tech Alerts blog. Even with the Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) installed on your EN machine, you have to patch commonly installed applications.

"A computer used by one of our staff was compromised in December, and began sending email advertisements for Viagra and Cialis to large numbers of addresses. We caught it fairly quickly because we have monitors that look for that kind of behavior on our network. An analysis of the computer showed that it had been infected when the user visited a small Mom-and-Pop type arts & crafts store on the web. The Mom-and-Pop website had been "re-programmed" by someone in Ukraine to send a blast of software attacks at anyone unlucky enough to visit it. One of these attacks was directed against a vulnerability in a version of Apple QuickTime released just two weeks before the attack. Symantec Anti-Virus stopped all of the attacks except the QuickTime attack. Sadly, it only takes one successful attack to compromise any computer.

Lessons We Learned - - - Small Mom-and-Pop websites can pose a greater risk than the sites of big vendors like Amazon.com. Owners of small businesses often don't have the expertise or resources to protect their sites from being compromised and used by Bad Guys. Once a website has been compromised, it can then be used to attack your computer.

- -- Anti-virus is still a necessary defense, but it can't do the whole job. In the past, computer criminals wrote viruses that broadcast themselves all over the Internet, making it easier for anti-virus companies to identify them and develop a countermeasure quickly. Now, attacks are much more targeted and the criminals have gotten better at making attack software that is harder to detect. Anti-virus makers are finding it difficult to keep up with the criminals.

- -- Bad Guys are targeting many applications that run on your computer, as well as the operating system. The campus computer that was compromised was completely up-to-date with its Windows security patches. But in order to keep your computer secure (besides patching Windows, Internet Explorer, and Office, all done automatically through update.microsoft.com), you have to patch commonly installed applications like QuickTime, RealPlayer, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and Sun Java, all of which can be attacked through your email or web browser. "

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Rogue AntiSpyware Programs

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:58:15 GMT

The following article was posted to the Sunbelt Blog on March 25, 2008.It lists several products that purport to remove malware from your computer. In fact, they will take your machine "hostage" and you need to pay the hacker money to gain access to your machine again. One example is called TheSpyBot. They are attempting to trick people into thinking this is SpyBot Search & Destroy.

Various new rogue antispyware programs

Sunbelt Software is behind the Ninja Email Security that the College uses to scan its Exchange server for Spam.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: #1 Music Retailer in US is Apple's iTunes

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:57:25 GMT

According to a NPD MusicWatch survey data report for January and February 2008, Apple has become the number one retailer of music in the United States. A change was made in how consumer data was counted by NPD. Twelve songs are now considered equal to one CD. Here are the numbers.

iTunes Store – 19 %
Wal-Mart – 15 %
Best Buy – 13 %
Amazon – 6 %
Target – 5 %
FYE/Coconuts – 4 %
Borders – 3 %
Circuit City – 3 %
Barnes & Noble – 2 %
Rhapsody – 1 %
Other – 29 %

"The fact that a digital-only retailer has ascended to the top of the sales charts is not unexpected, but it does demonstrate just how much the music landscape has changed since the beginning of the decade. The NPD Group has been tracking a "sharp increase" in digital downloads over the past several months as physical sales dry up. According to NPD's research, 48 percent of US teens didn't buy a single CD in 2007, compared to 38 percent in 2006."

From Apple passes Wal-Mart, now #1 music retailer in US. Reuters has another article: Apple says iTunes now top U.S. music retailer.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Six-grader takes on Network Administrator Duties

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:56:26 GMT

"How an 11-year-old became his school's network manager. Six-grader Penn took control of the network reins after the existing network overseer left right before the start of the school year and Penn's mom Paula, the school librarian, had computing duties dropped in her lap."

Slide Show: He's 11...and it's his network

Full Article: 11-year-old takes school network by the horns

They don't say what he's making though. Wonder what a child labor lawyer would say?

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: PA's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Newsletters

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:55:37 GMT

If you have any interest in the outdoor's, the Pennsylvania's DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) newsletter page is a great jumping off point for news. For example, an announcement of the new iConserve Pennsylvania initiative’s Web site, http://www.iconservepa.org/, can be found in the March 12, 2008 issue.

These newsletters are bi-monthly. The resource page is here: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/index.aspx

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Geek And Poke Cartoons

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:54:37 GMT

These newsletters are bi-monthly. The resource page is here: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/index.aspx

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:53:54 GMT

Vietnam Veterans Memorial is online
An interactive version has debuted. Every name is viewable online and linked to the veteran's service record.
http://go.footnote.com/thewall

[Photo] Horse and Cow Photos
Get pumped up for horse and dairy show season.
http://animalphotos.info/a/2007/12/29/man-and-majestic-black-horse-jumping-trees-in-background/
http://animalphotos.info/a/2007/12/20/holstein-cow-looks-down-on-camera/

How well can you spel?
Take the spelling quizzes below to find out how bad of a speller you really are.
http://www.badspelling.com/

Abandoned But Not Forgotten
Here is a website of abandoned, historical and unusual locations throughout various states and countries. This link takes you to PA's page.
http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/pennsylvania_pictures.htm

[Video] eBay Tips with Greg Kusch
Greg Kusch teaches people how to get the most out of eBay. In this Maholo Daily video, he shares some tricks of the trade.
http://www.mahalo.com/EBay

You’ll Never Moonwalk Alone
How far did the crew of the Apollo 11 lunar mission walk while on the moon? This map tells the story.
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/260-youll-never-moonwalk-alone/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Email requests for Passwords and Account Information

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:11:24 GMT

Faculty and staff are reminded that the college and university will *NEVER* request account/password information via email.

Emails of this nature are termed "phishing". From Wikipedia, "Phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication."

Further, Ag IT does not send alerts warning users of individual phishing scams. These scams are too numerous to regularly keep on top of, so please remember legitimate entities do not request information in this manner.

The ITS Alerts site has a listing of E-mail (spam, phishing) alerts which gives you an idea of how prevalent these activities are. Other Universities have similar warnings for their staff: NC State, Florida State, Purdue, Michigan, Penn, Tennessee, Texas.

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

CAS News: Outlook 07 Meeting Management - Self-Paced Training now Available

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:10:45 GMT

Our Outlook 07 Meeting Management tutorial is now available. The recorded session can be found at - http://it.cas.psu.edu/TechTraining.htm - then click on Self-Paced Learning (under Learning Opportunities).

As you can see, there are many other online tutorials on this page.

The handout needed for class can be found at:

Go to: http://sharepoint.ag.psu.edu/it/ET/TrainingHandouts/default.aspx.
Login with your College of Ag Sciences UserID prefaced by AG\ (For example: AG\slg161).
Click to open the Outlook 2007 Meeting Management folder.
Download & print the Outlook07MtgManagement.pdf Training guide.

If you have any questions about Outlook or the training please contact us through the CAS IT Help Desk - http://it.cas.psu.edu/contactform.htm.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

CAS News: Apple Software Update offers Safari 3.1 Web browser

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:10:04 GMT

Apple's QuickTime software allows your Enterprise computer to view graphics, videos, on-line video streams (ex: Candidate Interviews in the College). We've recommended and installed QuickTime for a number of years. In the past year, Apple has included software called 'Apple Software Update' as part of the QuickTime install. In our How To Install QuickTime for Windows using the Standalone Installer, we recommend that this software is installed. The Apple Software Update software looked for new releases of QuickTime and prompted you to install new versions.

On March 18, 2008 Apple began offering their current web browser, Safari v3.1, via Apple Software Update as well.

We recommend that you do not install Safari on your Enterprise computer.

You should un-check this option if it appears. We also strongly recommend that you use Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) as your browser. As an example, Internet Explorer is compatible with the College's SharePoint sites. If you use multiple browsers, we recommend that you use IE as your default browser. To minimize software conflicts do not run different browsers at the same time. If conflicts appear, you may need to reboot your computer and run only the browser of your choice.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Action Item (Maintenance): Cleaning Your Computer

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:09:23 GMT

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in colder climates, where the house is difficult to clean during winter."

Computers need the same care, at least once a year. Desktop computers should have their exterior cleaned and the interior blown free of dust. Excess dust buildup will clog fans and heat syncs resulting in slower performance. Notebook computers can also be cleaned. The second link is from the Latitude D820 User Guide but the steps may be followed for any Dell notebook.

The third link describes why stains may appear on a notebook's LCD screen. For example, dirt and dust from the palm rest or the key tops may stain your screen from too much pressure on the cover when closed. Did you know that you can clean an optical mouse as well? See the last link for that tip.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Use Adobe Connect?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:08:35 GMT

Adobe Connect (formerly Breeze) is a Web-based collaboration tool that facilitates synchronous interactions among individuals and groups from the desktop. Adobe Connect is a service provided and supported by Penn State ITS. Here in CAS, we use Adobe Connect for meetings, trainings, and team collaboration projects.

Adobe Connect operates on the concept of "meeting rooms." A room is simply a unique space on the Adobe Connect server where meeting participants interact. A meeting room has a unique Web address and is assigned a "host" (the instructor). Once assigned, the host has complete control of the meeting room. Rooms can exist indefinitely and can be customized according to the individual needs of the host or meeting.

Adobe Connect has the capability of using audio and video if members of the meeting have a headset and webcam. Of course, bandwidth is still the limiting factor for using these additional technologies. Penn State's phone bridge can also be used for the audio portion.

We have more information about Adobe Connect on these websites:

Various How To’s on setting up meeting rooms, troubleshooting, using the pods, and much more can be found at:
http://go.cas.psu.edu/howto/HowToList.cfm?Cat=Breeze
More information on what Adobe Connect is, who can use it, and what equipment you need can be found at:
http://it.cas.psu.edu/AdobeConnect.htm
And finally, online training on getting started with Adobe Connect and being a host or participant can be found here:
http://it.cas.psu.edu/SelfPaced.htm, locate the Adobe Connect section.

For more detailed information, see their web site - Adobe Connect Community.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Change the Default Font in Word 2007?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:07:46 GMT

Setting a default font ensures that every new document you open will use the font settings that you selected and set as the default. The default font applies to new documents that are based on the active template usually Normal.dotm.

Create a new, blank Word 2007 document.
On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher (this is the small arrow in the lower right of the Font section).
On the Font tab, select the options that you want to apply to the default font.
Click the Default... button in the lower left of the Font dialog box.
In the "You are about to change the default font" message, click Yes.

When you create a new document that is based on the Normal template (Normal.dotm), the new document uses the font settings that you selected.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Web 2.0 Resources from Participatory Media Literacy

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:06:48 GMT

The Participatory Media Literacy Wiki lists resources for blogs, wikis, RSS, social media, music-photo-video sharing, mashups, podcasts, and more.

https://www.socialtext.net/medialiteracy/index.cgi

There is a Youth-led Programs and Projects under the Participatory Media Education Resources link.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Rising Spam Hits University Accounts

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:03:22 GMT

If you thought Spam is targeting just your account, this Mar 18 2008 from The Hoya may make you feel better (maybe?).

Rising Spam Hits University Accounts

But what's interesting, Georgetown apparently has "a group of 30 to 40 users who are charged with reporting increases in spam mail." How would you like to have that job! You would need to count and report the Spam you receive. Wow!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Outlook's Default Appointment Length

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:59:10 GMT

Double clicking on a date in the Monthly view will create all day events, not timed appointments. You can uncheck the All day event box if you need to change it to a timed appointment.

To open a new timed appointment from the Monthly view, highlight the date, use the New button instead (or press Ctrl + N, or Right Click and choose New Appointment). The appointment's time will default to the start of your business day with a 30 minute time scale.

Double clicking on a time period in the Day or Work week view, opens the appointment form with the time and date selected. You can drag the cursor across several time periods then Right Click and choose New Appointment to create an appointment covering that time period.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Multi Function Printers (MFP) Page Cost Calculator

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:58:04 GMT

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has an online wizard that allows comparisons between their printer based MFP's and other manufacturer's copier based MFP's (examples: Canon imageRUNNER, Ricoh Aficio MP, and Konica Minolta buzhub).

You need to wait for the opening to complete. Then choose a base model HP printer based MFP to review. Follow the directions to walk through the wizard.

Please use this as a resource for additional questions you might have about MFP devices. The wizard is sponsored by HP, please keep this in mind.

http://www.computerworld.com/html/hp_printer_swf/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Computer Systems Security Breach - Wave of the Future?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:57:11 GMT

Brian Krebs on his washingtonpost.com blog posted an article about the recent data breach at the Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain. This "breach of its computer systems may have given criminals access to more than four million credit and debit cards issued by nearly 70 banks nationwide."

But what makes this breach different than others in the past is the fact that Hannaford Bros. "met industry standards regarding how customer data is stored and maintained."

It appears that "the hackers snatched the credit/debit card data sometime between when the customer swiped their card in the reader at the register and when that transaction was approved."

Read the full article: Hannaford Breach May Presage '08 Trend

Here is another article on the breach as well, IT expert: Hackers have upper hand.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: The Future of Voice May Be Voiceless

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:56:17 GMT

If you thought Spam is targeting just your account, this Mar 18 2008 from The Hoya may make you feel better (maybe?).

Rising Spam Hits University Accounts

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Update on MacBook Air and Airport Security

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:55:22 GMT

In the March 13, 2008 issue of eNews we had the following article, All Interest: MacBook Air confuses Airport Security. This article reprinted a Macnn story on how the MacBook Air ultra-portable caused confusion as it went through airport security.

In response, an update has been posted to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) blog on March 20, 2008. It seems that images of the new MacBook Air will be sent to the TSA workforce of 45,000 employees.

Update: Bob Screens the Apple MacBook Air

This story demonstrates the quick turnaround that is possible with Web 2.0. Blogger Michael Nygard posted Steve Jobs Made Me Miss My Flight on March 6, 2008. The TSA's public response came just two weeks later.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:52:47 GMT

SwapMouseButtons
This freeware program allows a hotkey to change your computer mouse to 'lefty' or 'righty' by pressing CTRL - F12. This is an easy way to share a computer between left-handed and right-handed persons.
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/mtpsoft/swapmousebuttons/

The Best Medical Photos of the Year
Scientific shots that just might change your definition of "masterpiece."
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/gallery/2008-03/best-medical-photos-year

Spring Cleaning A Complete Checklist
To go along with cleaning your computer, this page has a number of Spring cleaning checklists and resource links.
http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/cleaning101/a/springclnngguid.htm

[Video] BigDog Quadruped Robot
As the subject says, this is so stunning it's spooky!
http://gizmodo.com/368651/new-video-of-bigdog-quadruped-robot-is-so-stunning-its-spooky

[Video] Ten Greatest Ads of all Time
Of course, my favorite is # 8. I'm the guy at the end.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/03/clunk-click-eve.html

Movie Poster Birth Announcements
Your "new release" is featured on a movie poster, complete with cast and crew details.
http://www.5starbaby.com/

Hulu - Web-based video venture from NBC
Hulu is a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal. You can watch over 250 ad-supported TV shows.
http://www.hulu.com/

Color Flip
Click and drag any corner of the screen to turn the page. Click to let go. This has no educational value whatsoever. None. Zip. You might not even want to click this link. ;-)
http://www.colorflip.com/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Web and Print Resources

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:55:23 GMT

It's nice to know that staff have been using the Resources page from the College website. If you've never seen it, the Resources page has College and University Statements, PSU/CAS images, Extension/Outreach Related Images, and various Templates.

How do we know? This page used to be hosted on the old "ICT" site. Since this unit was separated into the Communications & Marketing unit and the Information Technologies unit, Support has fielded several calls about how to find this much needed page.

The Resources page is now part of the Communications & Marketing site. To find the page, go to http://agcomm.cas.psu.edu/; look for the QUICK LINKS column on the right. Then click the Web and Print Resources link.

When you're on the Communications & Marketing site, be sure to browse around for other information and services as well!

Deb Sinkus, IT Specialist

CAS News: PowerPoint 2007 Compatibility Issues Linked to Default Printer

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:54:43 GMT

Adams county staff had ongoing problems with Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 after it was installed. Presentations had text display problems, the cursor would appear offset from the actual point where text was inserted, and text would be misaligned and/or cut off during slide shows.

They discovered that the issue was linked to computers that were using their Toshiba copier/printer as the default printer. As they found here, "These are common symptoms resulting from bad/corrupt/incompatible printer drivers or no installed printer drivers. In nearly all cases, the quickest route to eliminating the problem is changing the default driver to one that is Microsoft certified for the Windows version."

If you experience issues like this with PowerPoint 2007, keep this tip in mind. Hopefully you can download and install an updated driver for your printer to fix the issue completely.

If you need a workaround, here is what Adams county suggests. Before opening PowerPoint, change the default printer to the generic Microsoft Office Document Image Writer printer. You should be able to work with and/or present PowerPoint programs without issue. After you're done, you can switch back to your regular printer.

Thanks to Christy Hemler from Adams county for sharing this tip.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Upcoming Trainings Available to College Faculty, Staff, and Educators

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:54:01 GMT

To register or see more information, click on the topic, enter your information, and click Submit.

Please remember to register so we can plan accordingly!

We need 6 staff registered to hold the training, so please register today!

PowerPoint 07 Basics (a 3 session class)
3/11 & 3/18 & 3/24

Outlook 07 Information Management
3/20
4/16
5/14

Excel 07 Basics (a 2 session class)
3/12 & 3/19
4/2 & 4/9
5/8 & 5/15

Outlook 07 Meeting Management
3/20

Online Survey Tool - Hands-on Workshop (a 2 Session class)
3/19 & 4/2
5/21 & 6/4
11/19 & 12/3

Create a Podcast - face-to-face
4/1 - Bedford County
4/17 - Bradford County
4/23 - Cumberland County

If you have a suggestion for training, please let us know.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

How Do I... Place a screen shot into Word or PowerPoint?

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:53:18 GMT

Do you have a webpage image that you would like to add to your PowerPoint presentation or maybe you want to include a picture of a specific software application into your report in Word? There is a Print Screen button on your keyboard that makes this job really easy.

Once you get the image "copied" you can paste it into Word, PowerPoint, or even Paint and then manipulate it to fit your needs. If you need to save this image for later use, you can use Paint or SnagIt to save the file as a jpeg. Otherwise you can just use it once and save your Word document or PowerPoint presentation normally.

This How To will give you all the steps - http://it.cas.psu.edu/667.htm

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Setup Data as a Table and Apply Conditional Formatting in Excel 2007?

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:52:27 GMT

Conditional formatting refers to the ability to format a cell based on its value. Conditional formatting makes it easy to highlight certain values so that they stand out visually. For example, you may set up conditional formatting so that if a formula returns a negative value, the cell background displays green.

To start out, define your data as a Table. Steps 1 - 2 assume that the entire worksheet is to be formatted as a table.

Click in the first cell.
In the Styles group, click on Format as Table.
Select a table type. If the data has a header row, leave "My Table has headers" checked.
Click OK.
Click the Home tab.
Highlight the column of data to have Conditional Formatting.
In the Styles group, click on Conditional Formatting.
You can choose from any number of default choices.

Note: Excel 2007 provides a number of new data visualizations: data bars, color scales, and icon sets. You can also use the Manage Rules choice to review all the rules you have. But the various default choices should be a great start.

Note: In the past, a cell could have at most three conditions applied. With Excel 2007, you can format a cell based on an unlimited number of conditions.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Micro Blogging with Twitter

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:51:40 GMT

This article is a Q&A about Twitter with David Parry, who is an assistant professor of Emerging Media at the University of Texas at Dallas. "Twitter is a software tool that allows users to continually post (or "tweet") very short text messages to the Web from computers or mobile phones. These quick public messages simply describe what a user is currently doing."

Please read the entire article to get the full impact. Here are some pull-out insights from the interview.

Parry: I'll say two things about Twitter in academia. One, its uses in academia parallel its uses in the business world. It's a networking, water-cooler-talk kind of environment, where you don't see people every day, but you feel connected because you get updates on what they are doing in their life every day. Also, it's a mixture of the insightful plus the mundane. So students will send me "I am looking for rain boots" or "I am going to meet someone at a coffee shop to buy something that I just bought on craigslist" along with the insightful, where they'll say something like, "Oh, I saw this news article on TV that relates to what we talked about in class." But is has to be both of those things for Twitter to really work.

Parry: I would say that of all the things I did [during the fall when I introduced Twitter]--including blogs, Wikipedia ... a whole range of new technologies--it was by far the class favorite. It was most often mentioned on course evaluations, and it's also the one that stuck the most. Out of a class of 20, there are five who heavily use Twitter and five who occasionally use Twitter. So we're talking 50 percent who still use it.... So in that sense, it was well received by students. Also, one of the things I was trying to teach in that class was [that] it's not about the nodes in the network; it's about the connections you can form between information. So a single blog post doesn't do you any good; it's the blog post connected to another blog post that creates the network.

Parry: "Newmediajim" is one of the people I tell students to follow first in Twitter. He's a cameraman for NBC. He often gets to work wherever President Bush is traveling; right now he's in Africa. He's a marquee example of how mixing the mundane with the relevant gives people more insight into what's really going on. I have a much clearer picture, from following him, of what it means to be on Air Force One and create a shot and camera pools and all this other journalistic stuff.... You get a sense of him as a whole person.

From Linda L Briggs, "Micro Blogging with Twitter,"
Campus Technology, 3/5/2008
http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=59315

Robin Brekke from Iowa State shared this article via a tweet.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Technology via Audio or Video

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:51:02 GMT

From the author, "I’ve put together a list of what I consider to be the top 10, based on podcasts that are informative, concise, and not boring. Of course, I’m also biased toward stuff that has relevance for IT and business technology, and not just consumer tech and gadgets. I’ve also limited this list to audio-only podcasts." Here's his list. If you visit the Sanity check: The 10 best technology podcasts page, you'll see a brief description along with links to each podcast.

Buzz Out Loud
TWiT
Tech5
Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing
BusinessWeek - Technology & You
The Microsoft IT Manager Podcast
MarketWatch’s Take on Tech
The Real Deal
Security Now!
TechnologyIQ

He then followed with a list of the 10 best Web video shows on technology and the IT industry. Again, visit the Sanity check: The 10 best video shows on technology page for details.

The GigaOm Show
CIO Vision Series
Cranky Geeks
At the Whiteboard
Top 5
Inside Silicon Valley
Loaded
Tech Talk
Systm
IT Idiots

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google's 411 Service

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:50:11 GMT

Google's new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. You don't need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free.

Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you're looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.

If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say "Text message" or "Map it."

Video: http://www.google.com/goog411/index.html

FAQ: http://mobile.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=12594

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: "Time Management" by Randy Pausch

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:47:01 GMT

The following Time Management lecture was given by Randy Pausch, who has pancreatic cancer, at the University of Virginia in November 2007.

Randy Pausch (http://www.randypausch.com/) is a virtual reality pioneer, human-computer interaction researcher, co-founder of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center (http://www.etc.cmu.edu/), and creator of the Alice (http://www.alice.org/) software project.

The Powerpoint slides for this lecture can be found at www.cs.virginia.edu/robins/TM_slides.html and high-resolution downloadable versions of this and other lectures by Randy can be found at www.cs.virginia.edu/robins/Randy.

Video: "Time Management" by Randy Pausch

Randy's talk starts at 7:45. The entire video is 90 minutes. Here's an action item from his last slide. You might want to keep this in mind if you watch the video.

Make a note in your day-timer to revisit this talk in 30 days. Ask "What have I changed?"

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Network threats develop 'antibiotic' resistance

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:44:36 GMT

This article is from a Feb. 13, 2008 posting on CSOonline.com.au. The author makes a great point about how malware writers adapt their software constantly. Anti-virus and anti-malware companies are not involved in an "arms race" as much as in an "evolutionary process of adaptation" with the bad guys really rings true. Just as hospitals create strains of "antibiotic-resistant super bugs" we are seeing malware that avoid even the best detection software. In the end, it's up to the humans behind the mouse to practice safe computing. The Staysafe.org site has a number of articles on how to stay safe online.

"Looking at how malware has evolved over time, you can see many of the same effects we see in nature. The key evolutionary concept that we see is the continuous adaptation of malware to its environment. It's not an "arms race" as much as it is a predator-prey relationship between malware and antimalware. Similarly in P2P darknets, there is a predator-prey relationship between P2P and the forces of censorship or copyright police.

If you think of the universe of computers as the environment in which malware exists, you can see how changes in that environment cause adaptations in the malware. Both the environment and the malware itself are directed by intelligent actors (hackers and security researchers) rather than random mutation, but the evolutionary progress is quite evident. As defenses have become more sophisticated, malware has adapted. As malware becomes more stealthy, defenses have adapted.

In this back-and forth we have to consider how the actions of security researchers create evolutionary pressures and environmental niches for new malware. A few weeks back we examined the issue of security monocultures. If all defenses are identical, then they are also predictable. As a result they are easier to bypass. Just like an army of clones, our operating systems are all susceptible to the exact same attacks (for the most part). But while the targets are very similar, the attacks are extremely varied. Malware mutations (variants) are multiplying at incredible rates and are currently estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000, depending on the antimalware vendor you ask. So lots of different "nasties" but only a few different variations of immunity. No wonder so many systems get compromised every year."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: The Botnets behind our Spam

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:43:33 GMT

According to this article, just a few Botnets are responsible for 85 percent of Spam. The #1 Botnet is Srizbi, which distributes 39 percent of Spam. #2 is the Rustock Botnet. The Mega-D Botnet comes in third. The article explains that Mega-D is "well known for concentrating on so-called male enhancement products." So, now we know who to blame!

Link: The botnets behind our spam

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: List of News Organizations using Twitter

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:42:16 GMT

If you use Twitter, these links can help get you more tweets. The author has started a list "traditional media organizations using Twitter."
http://red66.com/2008/02/a-list-of-news-organizations-using-twitter

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Caller ID Spoofing

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:40:23 GMT

Do you trust Caller ID on your phone? After reading these two articles, I don't think you will. People can spin technology any which way.

SpoofCard Becomes "Untraceable": SpoofCard and "Caller ID Spoofing" explained
http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/spoofcard-becomes-untraceable-spoofcard-caller-id-spoofing.html
January 19, 2008

Confessions of a Caller-ID spoofer
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24934
February 12, 2008

You can also try a Google search on SpoofCard for much more info. If you need numbers to use, try the White House or a U.S. Senator (just kidding).

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: MacBook Air confuses Airport Security

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:39:33 GMT

Do TSA staff need to receive constant training on new technology? You bet. As such, I take issue with the phrase 'technically ignorant' used in the first sentence below. When the TSA agent saw something out of the ordinary, they checked into it. In my opinion, this was a good thing.

"The MacBook Air's thin design is causing some confusion for the technically ignorant, according to one blogger who says that the ultra-portable caused him to miss his flight. When going through the TSA airport security checkpoint, blogger Michael Nygard was held up as security staff gathered around his MacBook Air, trying to make sense of the slender laptop. One of the less technically knowledgeable staff points out the lack of standard features as cause for alarm.

"I'm standing, watching my laptop on the table, listening to security clucking just behind me," Nygard recalls of the situation. "'There's no drive," one says. 'And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be,' she continues."

Nygard was made to wait until a younger agent came over to the gathering to inform his comrades of their error, that it is indeed a laptop and not a "device". After making three attempts to describe the concept of a flash-based hard drive, security lets Nygard through the checkpoint, only to go back to the service center to rebook, as his flight had since left."

Link: From March 10 article on Macnn, http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/03/10/macbook.air.confusing/

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:36:31 GMT

Pigs replace Pesticide in Battle against Beetles
IPM (Integrated Pest Management) doing the job in an organic apple orchard. Our ancestors, who only had 'natural' prevention methods, must look at us as teenagers. As we relearn their techniques, we are growing up. The adage "the older I get, the smarter my parents get." is used for a good reason. It's true. The farmer's quote in the last paragraph is priceless.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23479970

U.S. Airlines Switching to E-Tickets Only on June 1
Travelers will need to print e-tickets at home or at airports.
E-Tickets Only Starting June 1

Fly Lufthansa to Europe
Can you land in the correct city? I scored 25,658 out of 30,000.
http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html

Top 10 Amazing Chemistry Videos
Fiery explosions, beautiful reactions, and hilarious music videos are great reasons to be excited about chemistry.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/top-10-amazing.html

The Legend and History of the Song 'Danny Boy'
As we approach March 17th, Danny Boy is a pretty depressing song.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3826136 and YouTube video http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jgma--0WYU

[Video] Muppets - Barnyard Boogie
If you watched the Danny Boy video and are sad, this might help.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZI8xgMiVyY&feature=related

Free Shipping
FreeShippingOn works with over 500 stores, collects their free shipping coupon codes, and lists them on the site for the world to see.
FreeShippingOn

[Video] Writing Left Handed
I understand the "hook" hand style now.
http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/writing.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: eNews RSS Feed Updated

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:45 GMT

Support has received several questions from staff who are no longer receiving eNews via the RSS Feed. Please be aware that with the move to our new web site, the RSS Feed address has changed as well.

Here is the new address: http://ict.ag.psu.edu/NewsLetters/rss/enews.xml

You can update your RSS Feed Reader with this new information. If you use Outlook 2007 to read eNews, these steps will walk you through removing the old feed and adding the new address.

Open Outlook 2007.
From the Tools menu choose Account Settings. Click the RSS Feeds tab.
Select the PSU CAS eNews feed.
Click Remove. Click Yes.
Click the New button.
In the New RSS Feed box, enter (type or paste) the new eNews address. Click Add.
Click OK. Click Close.

You should receive future articles as expected. For more on RSS Feeds, see RSS Feeds Setup in Outlook 2007, How Do I... Use RSS Feeds in Outlook 2007 or Creating RSS Feeds and Publishing Podcasts to a County Web Server.

We'd also recommend adding our IT Tech Alerts as an RSS Feed. http://icttechalerts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: TechieTalk Club

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:26:51 GMT

For those of you who enjoy joining TechieTalk Club but miss a meeting, we now have a BLOG with notes about the discussion. We'll also be recording TechieTalk this month and will post that to the blog as well. So, join us on our blog to keep up to date with discussions in TechieTalk. This month we discussed Second Life with Beth Raney from eXtension and RSS feeds with Vince Verbeke. You may notice that this blog is part of SharePoint. This is a new feature of SharePoint 2007. You will need to access the site using your AG\username and password.

http://sharepoint.ag.psu.edu/it/ET/TechieTalk/default.aspx

March 25th from 10-12 is the next LIVE TechieTalk. Please join us if you can. Here’s the URL: https://breeze.psu.edu/techietalk/

Your Hosts of TechieTalk
Vince Verbeke, Ken Balliet and Peg Shuffstall

CAS News: Introduction to the Office 2007 Interface - Self-Paced Training Now Available

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:25:49 GMT

Are you new to using Office 2007? Did you miss our overview sessions where we discussed the new features of Office 2007? If you did, don’t fret! We have a 40 minute training video titled "Introduction to the Office 2007 Interface" available for you.

The objective of the training video is to discuss the new Office 2007 interface and how to use it. During the video, we review the Office button, application options, using and customizing the Quick Access toolbar, and using the Ribbon. We also show you how to find topics in Office 2007 Help and how to use the new zoom slider feature.

This video can be found on our Self-Paced Learning page - http://it.cas.psu.edu/SelfPaced.htm. Again, the video title is Microsoft Office - Introduction to the Office 2007 Interface.

On the same Self-Paced Learning page, you will find a recording to the Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Overview along with several other online tutorials. We are currently working on another tutorial … Outlook 07 Meeting Management, that will be available soon.

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

CAS News: March Adobe Connect Demonstration Sessions

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:25:00 GMT

Do you need training on using Adobe Connect (Breeze)? You can join in on a training from ITS.

Below are the dates and times for their March Adobe Connect Demonstration sessions. ITS will be demonstrating the primary features of the Adobe Connect (Breeze) meeting room and answering questions that you might have. No registration or RSVP necessary.

Here is the link to the meeting room: https://breeze.psu.edu/r54559680/. You can login at any time during the hour training window to learn about new features, different ways to use Adobe Connect and ask questions. You can stay for a few minutes or for the whole hour. If you have any questions, please send them to breeze@psu.edu.

Morning, Friday, March 7, 2008, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Afternoon, Thursday, March 13, 2008, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Afternoon, Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Morning, Monday, March 24, 2008, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Action Item: Update to Adobe Reader v8 Released (8.1.2)

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:24:04 GMT

Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader users should install Adobe's new 8.1.2 update immediately to protect themselves from potential software vulnerabilities, according to ITS Security Operations and Services (SOS).

According to the following PSU ITSAlert, "The University has experienced a large number of incidents related to a type of PDF-based hostile code that has been circulating through the use of vulnerable (pre 8.1.2.) versions of Acrobat and Reader software. When users open the infected PDF file it downloads a variant of the "Zonebac" trojan horse, resulting in control of the individual's computer system. The code also attempts to render all antivirus applications inoperable."

Adobe Reader is installed on all Enterprise computers.

If you are currently in the Enterprise Network (AG domain), IT will automatically update Adobe Reader on your computer starting Wednesday February 27th. Your computer will receive the update the first time it is available on the network. You do not need to leave your computer in the office that evening. The automatic update will also remove old versions of Adobe Reader from the computer as well (the automatic update will not remove Adobe Professional or "full" Adobe Acrobat versions).

If you are not a part of the Enterprise Network, please see our How To Install and Configure Adobe Reader for Windows for steps on updating Adobe Reader to the current version.

Tip: If an older version of Adobe Reader was removed by the automatic update, it may not find and remove all the shorcuts for the older Adobe Reader. You should delete them manually.

Keep in mind, only version 8 of the "full" Adobe Acrobat can be updated for free. If you are still using a previous version of the "full" Adobe Acrobat (versions 7 and earlier), you should purchase a license for Adobe Acrobat 8. This is available to faculty, staff and students at the Penn State Computer Store at http://www.computerstore.psu.edu/. Once the software has been purchased, you can remove the vulnerable older version, install the new version, and then visit the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com/ to apply the necessary product updates.

Tip: Please note that the new version of Microsoft Office - Office 2007 - has the ability to create PDF files. If the only documents that you convert into PDF's are Office documents, then you may not need the full version of Acrobat at all.

Tip: Adobe Acrobat is Departmental Site Licensed software. If you search for Adobe Acrobat 8.0 in the Computer Store's Product Quick Search box, you will see a Acrobat Pro 8.0 Win License ($40.00 SLWNSR040 ) and Acrobat Pro 8.0 Win Media ($5.00 SMWNSR036). These are sold separately. Why? Often a Department will buy 1 copy of the media. Then Faculty or Staff purchase their individual license for $40. You can then sign out the departmental CD for the install. But, if you want a CD of your own, you would need to purchase both a copy of the media along with a paper license.

Please pull any loaner / summer-use computers from the closet and update Adobe Reader on them as well!! Update your home machines too.

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

Action Item: Sun Releases Java(TM) 6 Update 4

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:23:09 GMT

As of Feb 21, 2008, the current version of Sun's Java client is Java(TM) 6 Update 4.

Please follow our How To Update Sun's Java Software to update your Java software.

Fixed:
This update fixes a security issue which allowed malicious people to bypass security restrictions and run malicious XML data within a trusted applet or Java Web Start application.

Note:
Older versions of Sun Java are not removed from your system when downloading and installing new versions from Sun. Therefore, if you have the latest Sun Java version installed, then you should consider removing all older versions of Sun Java from your system. This can be done via "Add/Remove Programs" in the Microsoft Windows "Control Panel".

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I ... Use the Keyboard to Select Cells in a Word Table

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:22:08 GMT

Of course you can use your mouse to highlight cells in a Word table. But Word provides any number of ways to use the keyboard. These keyboard shortcuts are for Windows. They will work in both Word 2003 and Word 2007.

Extend a Selection
To extend a selection from one cell, hold down the <Shift> key and press any arrow key (Right, Left, Up, Down) to highlight cells.

Block a Selection
This is a beefier "extend" selection. Another plus to this technique is that you don't need to hold down a key while making the selection. To start, click in a cell, then press <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <F8>. Now, press arrow keys (Right, Left, Up, Down) to block your selection. When done, press <Esc> to cancel selection mode.

Select All
To select an entire table in Microsoft Word place the cursor anywhere within the table. With the Num Lock off, press <Alt> + <Shift> + <Numeric Keypad 5>. The entire table is instantly highlighted.

Dell notebook users may not have access to an external numeric keypad. You'll need to make use of the embedded keypad. Numbers and symbols are marked in blue on the right of the keypad keys. Unlike above, you need to have the Num Lock on, be sure that the keypad is enabled. Press <Num Lk>. The Num Lock light (lock with the 9) should indicate that the keypad is active. On Dell Latitudes, the letter "I" corresponds to the keypad 5 key. So, the key combination to select the table would be <Fn> + <Alt> + <Shift> + <I>.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I ... Backup and Restore OneNote Notes

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:21:12 GMT

Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 automatically creates backup copies of your notes. Only sections that have changed since the last backup are backed up again. You can change how many backup copies are kept, how often they are created, and where they are stored. You can also manually back up your notes at any time and use backup files to restore your notes.

To read more about these topics, see the following Microsoft Help page.

Turn automatic notebook backups on or off
Change the number of backups that are stored
Change the default storage location for backup files
Manually back up all changed files
Manually back up all notebooks
Restore notes from a backup file

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/HA102117231033.aspx?pid=CH102381761033

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I ... Review Instant Search Settings in Outlook 2007

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:20:04 GMT

Office 2007 requires the installation of Windows Desktop Search (WDS). If we hadn't included this as part of the Office 2007 Installation Project, you would have been asked to install it. According to Wikipedia: "Upon installation, Windows Desktop Search builds an index of the files on a user's hard drive. The initial creation of this index can take up to several hours, but this is a one-time event. Once the index is complete, Windows Desktop Search is able to use this index to search results more rapidly than it would take to search through all the files on your computer. Searches are performed not only on file names, but also on the contents of the file (provided a proper handler for the file type is installed) as well as the keywords, comments and metadata the file might be tagged with. For example, searching the computer for The Beatles would return a list of the Beatles music on the computer, as well as any e-mails and documents that include the phrase "The Beatles" in their titles or contents."

In Outlook, this new search feature is called Instant Search. In the Jan 3, 2008 issue of eNews, we featured an article that described how to Use Instant Search in Outlook 2007. We'd like to describe Instant Search settings in more detail this week.

Performance Issues
It's possible that slow Outlook performance issues are related to the building of your search index. Did you know that Outlook needs to be open to allow Instant Search to index your Outlook data? Since Instant Search doesn't run while the computer is busy, and since you work all day, it may never get the chance to scan and index Outlook's .OST and .PST. files. You may have to leave Outlook running overnight to allow the indexing to complete. But before we blame Instant Search for Outlook's slowness, let's determine the indexing status. The index may be up-to-date. To check the status of the indexing process, follow these steps.

Tip: If you read more than one Email account, you'll need to perform these steps for each account.

In Outlook, from the Tools menu choose Instant Search and then click Indexing Status.
This dialog box reports of the number of items that remain to be indexed.
If you see "0 items remaining", the index is up-to-date and will function as expected.
If you see a large number here, you should leave Outlook running overnight. Check the Indexing Status again the next day to see if the number is at zero.
Click OK to close the dialog box.

If your Outlook data is indexed but searching is still slow, you can follow these steps to modify how much of your Outlook data is indexed.

In Outlook, from the Tools menu choose Instant Search and then click Search Options.

Note: In the Indexing section, you'll see a "Mailbox - your name" that corresponds to your Exchange account's OST file. If you see "Personal Folders" listed, they correspond to local PST files setup for your profile.

Note: If you were to uncheck all the boxes in the Indexing section you would effectively "turn off" Instant Search within Outlook. This is a drastic step to take and should not be done lightly.
In the Indexing section, IT recommends that you leave the "Mailbox - your name" checked.
You can choose to check or uncheck the "Personal Folders" options.
In the Search section, you can make your own selections. The choices are self-explanatory. We do have recommendations below.

Display search results as I type when possible  Clear this check box if you don't want the search results to be displayed as you type. For better speed, this should be unchecked.

Make searches faster by limiting the number of results shown  When your search returns an extremely large number of results, Outlook will limit the number that are shown to speed up search and show you the most recent items. Outlook displays a message in the Instant Search pane alerting you to this limitation. You can click the message to open a dialog box and see all of the results. For better speed, this should be checked.

Highlight the words that I search for  Clear this check box if you don't want your search results to be highlighted. For better speed, this should be unchecked.
In the Deleted Items section, you can make your own selection.

Include messages from the Deleted Items folder in each data file when searching All Items Select this check box if you want to include deleted items in your searches when doing a search in All Mail Items. For better speed, this should be unchecked. But, if you want to have search within Deleted Items (some folks use this to file messages), you can check it.
In the Instant Search Pane section, you can make your own selection.

When searching, show results from The option for Only the currently selected folder is selected by default. Select the All folders option if you want all searches to include every folder in the Outlook Folder List. For better speed, leave the default option checked.
Click OK to close the dialog box.

Incomplete Search Issues
If Instant Search starts to return incomplete results or no results, you do have an option (albeit a drastic one). You need to delete and rebuild the search index. This usually corrects any problems. As mentioned above, since indexing tends to take a long time and slows the system down, you should do these steps at the end of the day. Then leave Outlook open overnight.

Close Outlook.
Click Start and choose Control Panel.

Note: If Control Panel is in Category view (you see ten broad categories listed), on the left side of the Control Panel window, click the Switch to Classic View link
With the Control Panel in Classic view, double-click the Indexing Options icon.
From the Indexing options dialog, click the Advanced button.
Click Rebuild. In the warning box, click OK. Click Close.
Re-open Outlook. Allow the index time to be rebuilt.

Locking your Computer
If you plan to walk away from your computer for several hours or leave it on overnight, for security reasons you should "lock" the computer while this happens. These steps assume that you plan to allow Instant Search to index Outlook.

Open Outlook.
Close any other programs.
Press Control + Alt + Delete.
Click the Lock Computer button. You can now leave the machine.
When you return, press Control + Alt + Delete. Enter your password to "unlock" the computer.

Hopefully allowing the indexing to complete, tweaking the settings, or started over with a rebuilt index will allow Instant Search to do its job ... in an instant.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Youth Forestry and Natural Resources Wiki

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:18:46 GMT

Note: This article focuses on educators or teams that are using new technologies to work with their clients. If you're doing something cool and exciting with technology, let us know so we can include you as we showcase these technologies.

Article submitted by Ray Bierbower, Forestry and Natural Resources 4-H/Youth Educator from McKean county.

"My WIKI was developed as a method of providing program information and updates on activities of the youth forestry and natural resources program. The site is located at: http://youthforestryandnaturalresources.pbwiki.com/. The site is updated frequently to provide youth participating in the program information on all of the outdoor clubs activities along with the upcoming programs and activities that will be offered. Summaries of previous events are included to provide a sample of the programs to perspective new members. Members of the clubs will add their input and provide topics for the site. Links are listed to other natural resource organizations sites that are relevant to the program. The County website is listed to provide a link to the podcasts which discuss forestry and natural resources topics.

The wiki is also used as a marketing item to provide groups and organizations a glimpse of what the program is all about and what is going on. County Commissioners are encouraged to check it out weekly so they are aware of what programming is happening."

Jacki Weikert, Ron Matason, Peg Shuffstall, and Sherry Crum
The Educational Technologist Team

Tech Spotlight: Working (Safely?) in a Web 2.0 World

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:17:41 GMT

These slideshows (you need to click to advance each slide) take us through the positive side to working via today's Web.

http://www.slideshare.net/gagnonc/a-new-way-to-define-a-productive-worker
http://www.slideshare.net/slgavin/meet-charlie-what-is-enterprise20
http://www.slideshare.net/TheShed/meet-charlotte

We also have this Feb 20, 2008 InfoWorld article, Experts hammer Web 2.0 security. It describes how "Security experts fear that social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn provide both a delivery vehicle for malware and the info to create targeted attacks."

"We're already seeing extremely complex, well-designed attacks on these sites where there is a lot of content modification aimed at tricking the end user, with people trying to put malware on their own pages or someone else's," he said. "Companies need to realize that it's not just about malware being on porn sites or free screensaver pages anymore. Social networking is where the activity is heading, and companies need to wake up and protect themselves."

IT departments must be prepared to ward off the many types of threats that will emerge from use of the sites, including malware and targeted spear-phishing schemes.

"Companies need to adjust their security policies for Web 2.0 world today, they need to tailor their Internet use policies and create rules that include social Web sites, blogs, and all the other types of sites being created out there, the usage policies need to be spelled out specifically and enforced," said Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism at network gateway maker Secure Computing.

"Beyond that they need technical safeguards to back those policies, but the outlook for all this is still pretty grim," he said. "Most companies are barely providing sufficient protection in the context of Web 1.0."

Here's my take. Do we as workers in the knowledge information business of Extension need to try new ideas and methods? Sure. Isn't that why we're here? But, as Dana Carvey playing President George HW Bush would say, we need to be prudent. "Take 'her slow! Slow-ly.. Wouldn't be prudent!" We need to be careful with our use of technology. We need to understand that a criminal anywhere in the world can reach out and touch you.

'Better' technology should help you get work done easier. People are people. We need to communicate. If we can do that through all the Web 2.0 hoopla, let's go.

Because I'm all a-Twitter and ready to set up my BaseCamp, let the river run through my podcasts, do the Wiki/Blog dance, fire up the RSS grill for my feeds (that sounds del.icio.us) and get LinkedIn with all of you.

Can't wait for Web 3.0 (maybe I'll be retired by then).

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: IFilters - Extra Windows Desktop Search Functionality

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:16:38 GMT

Disclaimer: If you feel that Windows Desktop Search (WDS) is already slowing down your computer, you don't want it to add more information to its index. So, installing extra IFilters is optional.

WDS uses Add-ins called IFilters to enable it to index new file types. The IFilter interface scans documents for text and properties (also called attributes). It extracts chunks of text from these documents, filtering out embedded formatting and retaining information about the position of the text. It also extracts chunks of values, which are properties of an entire document or of well-defined parts of a document. Here are several optional IFilters that may be installed.

From Microsoft: Outlook saved mail (.msg file)
This IFilter allows you to perform a search on all elements of your MSG (.MSG) files including Message Body, Subject, From, From Name, From Address, To Name, To Address, Sent Date, and Received Date. Additionally, content within attachments are indexed and searched.

From Adobe: Adobe PDF IFilter v6.0
This IFilter allows you to search within Adobe PDF documents.

This Microsoft page has a list of Add-ins for Windows Desktop Search. Several of these are from a company called IFilterShop. They develop IFilters and other custom components and provide consulting services for Microsoft Search related technologies. They have a long list of IFilters. Non-commercial users can download free versions of their IFilters from their web site, http://www.ifiltershop.com/.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: 3rd Party Software Add-in's Slow Opening of Office 2007 Programs

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:15:39 GMT

Editor's Note: This article could have been listed as CAS News or How Do I. It's listed as Tech Spotlight since the number of staff who use this software is limited. If you have software that installs Add-in's, you might find this article of interest. Keep in mind, we're not advocating that you disable this software if you need the functionality.

Some software (examples: Adobe Acrobat's full version and Dymo LabelWriter) add extra features to Office 2007 programs via an Add-in. An Add-in might create an additional toolbar or button (example: to quickly create a PDF or print a label). This is a great idea. But the downside to Add-in's is that they may be large, complex and take time to load. If the benefits of an Add-in aren't worth the added delay, you can easily turn off them off. You will still be able to use the 3rd party software from the All Programs menu. You just won't have quick access to it from within an Office application.

Outlook 2007

To manage installed Add-in's, follow these steps:

From the Tools menu choose Trust Center.
In the left pane, click Add-ins.

Note: This will show you a list of Active and Inactive Add-in's. The following COM Add-in's are included in the 2007 Office system. You may see all or some of these in the Active list. These should not be disabled.

• Microsoft Access Outlook Add-in for Data Collection and Publishing
• Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging
• Microsoft Office Groove Proxy for Outlook Add-in
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Colleague Import Add-in
• Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile Service
• Microsoft VBA for Outlook Add-in
• OneNote Notes about Outlook Items
• Windows Search E-mail Indexer

Note: Any other COM Add-in's that are listed in the Trust Center are installed by other software. They can be disabled.

Tip: The name of the Add-in will normally give you a clear idea of the program that it belongs to. You can also click once on an Add-in, then look at the location of the program at the bottom of the dialog box. This location should be the Program Files folder name.

Tip: Adobe Acrobat's Add-in name might be similar to Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Add-In. Dymo LabelWriter Add-ins might be similar to Dymo AddressFixer Addin and Dymo LabelWriter Addin.
At the bottom of the dialog box, in the Manage drop-down list, COM Add-ins should be selected. Click Go.
To disable an Add-in, remove the check in front of the name.
Click OK.
Close and re-open Outlook. Did it launch faster? If yes, then one or more of the Add-in's are causing the issue. You can choose to go back into the Trust Center and selectively re-enable an Add-in, close and re-open Outlook until you identify the Add-in causing the issue. Leave it unchecked.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access 2007

Note: These four applications share the same Add-in path. Use the Office Button to open the application options. Microsoft Word will likely be the only one with 3rd party Add-in's.

From the Office Button select Word (or Excel or PowerPoint or Access) Options
In the left pane, click Add-ins.

Tip: Active Add-in's are "in use" by the applications. Inactive Application Add-In's are not in use at the moment. You will still be able to disable any listed 3rd party Add-in's.
In the Manage drop-down list, select COM Add-ins. Click Go.
To disable an Add-in, remove the check in front of the name. Click OK.

Publisher 2007

From the Tools menu choose Add-ins.
To disable an Add-in, remove the check in front of the name. Click OK.

One last tip, you should check the 3rd party software's web site for updated software as well. If you need to reload Dymo software for example, they often update their software to be fix incompatibilities with newer applications like Office 2007.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Web 2.0 version of Mathematica

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:14:28 GMT

The O'Reilly School of Technology (OST) and Wolfram Research are working on a web-based version of Mathematica.

Here are two pull out quotes from this link: http://oreillyschool.com/why/interview.php

"Now the O'Reilly School of Technology (OST) is poised to offer Mathematica in its newest form: called "Hilbert" for the influential mathematician, the newly licensed software will be browser accessible and, utilizing AJAX technologies, will emulate the desktop version of the software with remarkable fidelity."

"The only difference (between the desktop and web versions) will be that users will be reading, typing and executing commands on a web page version that connects to a server via AJAX. Mathematica output is rendered real-time via AJAX and CSS."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: How to Speak: Lecture Tips from Patrick Winston

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:12:47 GMT

In this skillful lecture, Professor Patrick Winston of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers tips on how to give an effective talk, cleverly illustrating his suggestions by using them himself. He emphasizes how to start a lecture, cycling in on the material, using verbal punctuation to indicate transitions, describing "near misses" that strengthen the intended concept, and asking questions. He also talks about using the blackboard, overhead projections, props, and "how to stop."

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58703/winston1.html

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: New Jargon Term - Agrichar

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:11:41 GMT

Argrichar n. A byproduct of synfuel production resulting from heating biomass in an oxygen-free environment. Agrichar retains much of the carbon normally released as CO2 during combustion, so it represents a decrease in CO2 emissions and an increase in the yield of crops fertilized with it.

From Wired magazine's Jargon Watch.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Obsolete Skills

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:10:39 GMT

On Feb. 16th, Robert Scoble had the following post on Obsolete skills. These are "Things we used to know that no longer are very useful to us."

Dialing a rotary phone.
Putting a needle on a vinyl record.
Changing tracks on an eight-track tape.
Shorthand.
Using a slide rule.
Using carbon paper to make copies.
Developing film/photos.
Changing the ball or ribbon on your Selectric Typewriter.
Getting off the couch to change channels on your TV set.
Adjusting the rabbit ears on your TV set.
Changing the gas mixture on your car’s carburetor.

He then asked his readers to come up with their own lists. As I looked through the comments posted, here are ones that I used to know how to do.

Making an exclamation mark on your manual typewriter by typing a period then backspacing and typing a single quote over it.
Adjusting a television’s horizontal and vertical holds.
Finding a street on a map by finding the name in the list and then using the grid coords (like C4-6).
Sharpening wooden pencils. (I think my grandfather is the last one in my family to do it well with a knife, and the way things are going, I think I may be the last to do it with a pencil sharpener, even.)
Using a TV Guide to see what was on TV.

Keep in mind, someday there'll be a list like this with RSS, Wiki, Blogs on it (see the above Working (Safely?) in a Web 2.0 World article).

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:09:28 GMT

[Video] PA Gypsy Moth Threat
WPSU's Pennsylvania Inside Out discussed the Gypsy Moth Threat (starts at 3:30). The segment featured Alan Cameron, Penn State Professor Emeritus of Entomology.
Pennsylvania Inside Out: This is THON, Gypsy Moth Threat, Koyannisqatsi

Winter 2007-2008
New Hampshire photos from between Dec 21, 2007 & Jan 06, 2008.
View as Pictures, View as Slide Show

Drought Monitor
The maps are updated each Thursday at 8:30 a.m. EST.
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

[Video] Dolphins Create And Play With Bubble Rings
Wow and double Wow!!
http://www.flixxy.com/dolphin-quest.htm

Lickable Ads
Look for print ads in People magazine this month from Welch's to give you a chance to sample their grape juice ... by licking the ad. The company working with Welch's is First Flavor from Bala Cynwyd, PA.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120287036186164289.html

Sisters find each other via MySpace
Long-lost sisters reunited.
MySpace 'shocker' reconnects sisters

FaceBook Rules
Just don't Poke! I love that one.
Facebook rules for the rest of us

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: Low Cost HP Printers may cause Big Time Headaches

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:50:01 GMT

HP has come out with an inexpensive line of LaserJet printers that have attracted users. So what gives with the low costs? And what’s the problem with setting them up on a larger network?

I’ll use the HP Color LaserJet 2600n since that is the one I crossed paths with. The LaserJet 2600n is what HP calls a "Host Based" printer. This means that the printer has no processor. The printer uses the "Host" computer's processor to send the print request. The software that comes with the printer must be installed on each computer that will use the printer. The software processes the job and sends a finished dot pattern to the printer to print.

HP has not made it easy to determine if the printer is host based. One indication is the driver(s) available for the printer. If the printer has PCL or PS drivers, it’s not a host based printer.

These host based printers unfortunately have trouble printing .pdf files as well.

Network Administrators on HP’s support site have indicated not to install the software and printer on a Windows Server acting as a print server in hopes of dodging installation of software on each computer. They have indicated that each print job sent to the server runs it owninstance of the software. This could lead to CPU usage problems on the server.

Here are a few links I found on HP’s site about Host Based Printers –
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c00296495
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00252237

One last item, be careful if you are a Macintosh user. The software has limited support with many Macintosh operating systems.

Mike Leiter, IT Support Coordinator

Action Item (Maintenance): Empty TEMP Folders

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:49:02 GMT

Note: 'Maintenance' action items are semi-regular articles designed to encourage staff to perform routine tasks on their EN computers.

Your EN notebooks and EN desktops may slow down over time due to leftover Temporary (.tmp) files and Temporary Internet files (e.g. "gunk"). Temporary files and Temporary Internet files are left behind when a machine crashes, from installing and uninstalling programs, and perhaps under other circumstances you really don't need to care about.

For complete steps see How To Empty TEMP folders.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU DO THIS TASK?
The TEMP folders should be emptied at least once a month on your EN machine.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Freeze, Hide, or Split my View in Excel 2007?

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:47:56 GMT

In Microsoft Office Excel 2007, you can change the view of a worksheet as you work on it. You can freeze a pane or even hide columns to make your worksheet work better for you. If your worksheet is too large you can split the window so you can see different parts of the data in one window.

This How To gives you more information.
http://it.cas.psu.edu/training/howto/excel/view_options07.html

For more information on the different views in Excel 2007, you can also use the Help button (little blue question mark at top right corner of your Excel window) and click on Worksheet and Excel Table basics and then Managing Worksheets.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Add SharePoint Site to Trusted Sites in IE

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:46:56 GMT

As more and more people are beginning to use SharePoint to share information, you have probably found yourself accessing a SharePoint site (e.g. the IT Training Handouts site, a program team site, CED, Region, or County site). To save yourself from having to logon each time and remember to add the AG\ before your UserID, you can add the SharePoint site to your Trusted Sites within Internet Explorer.

NOTE - you should ONLY do these steps on your PRIMARY computer. If you share a computer, we recommend that you DO NOT complete these steps since SharePoint is a secure website. You will need to logon with AG\ followed by your PSU UserID and AG password.

This How To will give you the steps:
http://it.cas.psu.edu/622.htm

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: Managing Your Email

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:45:58 GMT

Looking for tips on how to manage your email? This article from The Pittsburgh Channel.com gives you five great ideas. Pay close attention to number 3!

Breeze Through Your E-Mail With These 5 Tips

For additional information about managing email, the Educational Technologist Team has several upcoming Outlook 2007 Information Management sessions. The dates are: March 20, April 16, and May 14, 2008. You can register here: http://go.cas.psu.edu/training/

Lori Pudliner, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Google Browser Sync for Firefox

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:44:38 GMT

If you're a Firefox user, you may be interested in this Google extension.

"Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions."

I found this info in a Twitter post from IT Tip Of The Day.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Postal Services May Get Their Own Internet Domain

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:42:58 GMT

"A new "dot-post" Internet address in the works aims to set apart the electronic services increasingly offered by postal agencies around the world. Backers say restricting the ".post" domain name to postal agencies or groups that provide postal services would instill trust in Web sites using such names. By contrast, popular suffixes such as ".com" and ".org" are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. The Internet's key oversight agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is trying to work out contract terms for the suffix with the UN Universal Postal Union. Approval could come as early as mid-February and implementation several months later.

Adding Value
"Dot-post is an extension of the innovation currently happening in the postal agencies," said Paul Donohoe, the postal union's e-business manager. "They are investigating services that are looking for alternative ways to add value to communications." Services unveiled or proposed around the world include electronic postmarks, online billing and payments and hybrid mail -- when a digital document gets printed by the postal service and delivered as paper, or when physical mail gets scanned into an electronic document for delivery. If the suffix is approved, the UN postal agency would assign domain names under it to individual national agencies, which could then distribute sub-domains to contractors and other service providers.

Delayed Final Approval
The UN agency also could assign names directly to mail-related industries, such as direct marketing and stamp collecting. The postal union proposed ".post" in March 2004. ICANN gave it a tentative OK that October, but Donohoe said final approval has been delayed partly because of the structure of the UN agency -- one requiring unique contract terms. ICANN has said it may start a new round of applications later this year."

Link: Postal Services May Get Their Own Internet Domain

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Catalog Choice - Eliminate Unwanted Catalogs

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:41:18 GMT

From the Catalog Choice About page, "Catalog Choice is a free service that allows you to decide what gets in your mailbox. Use it to reduce your mailbox clutter, while helping save natural resources. Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and funded by the Overbrook Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, and the Kendeda Fund."

BusinessWeek describes the service in this article: Cutting the Stack of Catalogs.

"Catalog Choice isn't a new idea. But it has generated interest by doing a few things differently from its predecessors. It's free. And it lets you decline specific catalogs rather than all of them. Plus, it is operated by big green groups: the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Berkeley (Calif.)-based Ecology Center. The site's stated goal is to reduce the number of unwanted catalogs. Since its Oct. 9 launch, Catalog Choice says it has signed up 300,000-plus people, each of whom declined to receive an average of 12 titles."

If you get a few too many catalogs, perhaps you can try this out.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: Weather Proverbs

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:38:59 GMT

Since we have four (yes really there are four) groundhogs in PA for weather, check out this other source of weather insights. Please note the domain name. This is NASA! We're talking High Tech. You betcha!

http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/weather/hsweathr/solutions.html

Punxsutawney Phil, Octoraro Orphie, Dover Doug, and Poor Richard should be worried. How were the corn husks last year anyway? "When the corn wears a heavy coat, so must you."

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Lighter Side & Interesting Links

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:36:13 GMT

O'Hare International Airport
You may have known that Chicago's O'Hare was named after WWII Pilot and Medal of Honor recipient, Edward 'Butch' O'Hare. But did you know that his father was Al Capone's lawyer. He testified against Capone in his tax evasion case that sent him to prison. He was also killed later by Capone in retribution. What an example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O'Hare

A River Story
From the Pittsburgh Quarterly, photographer John Beale's 13-month chronicle of the Allegheny River.
http://www.pittsburghquarterly.com/pages/winter2008/winter2008_98.htm

[Video] Frozen Grand Central
Over 200 people freeze in place on cue in Grand Central Station in New York.
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

[Video] Children Shows from the 1970's
Pufnstuf, Witchiepoo, and Bugaloo may sound like nonsense words and a Banana Split is something that you would eat. But to a generation of schoolchildren in the early to mid 1970s, like me, you know these names. Lets 'flip our lids' one last time.
HR Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Banana Splits, Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch!, Captain Caveman, Land of the Lost, Great Space Coaster, The Electric Company, The Muppet Show.

[Video] Children Shows from the 1960's
See above. :-)
Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, Tom and Jerry, Beany And Cecil, Popeye, Johnny Quest, Captain Kangaroo, Hercules, 1965 ABC Cartoon Promos Pt.1, 1965 ABC Cartoon Promos Part 2, Penelope Pitstop, Space Ghost, Kimba The White Lion, Spiderman.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

CAS News: New IT Website

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:12:24 GMT

Information Technologies has a new Website designed to help you more easily find the information and resources you need. Go to http://it.cas.psu.edu/. We welcome any comments or suggestions you have at it-cas@psu.edu.

Neal T. Vines, Director

CAS News: Computer Store Promotes Green Campaign

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:11:37 GMT

A newly launched green campaign at Penn State's Computer Store will make it possible for students, faculty, and staff to help protect the environment by disposing of old laptops, batteries, cell phones, and other kinds of electronic waste. The campaign, which begins this week, provides several ways for Computer Store customers to participate in a variety of recycling and conservation efforts.

"We'd like this to be an easy way for everyone in the Penn State community to get involved - and dispose of electronic items they no longer need, such as laptops, inkjet cartridges, personal cell phones, rechargeable cell phone batteries and rechargeable laptop batteries," said Robin Becker, manager of the Computer Store. "Many people don't realize that when e-waste isn't disposed of properly, it can produce toxic residues and other kinds of problems."

eWaste Recycling - beginning Jan. 24, students, faculty and staff can bring their old personal cell phones, rechargeable batteries, and empty ink jet and toner cartridges to the HUB and Willard Computer Store locations, where staff will ensure these items are disposed of through the national Call2Recycle and ThinkRecycle programs.

Laptops-4-Credit - individuals can receive immediate store credit, by recycling old laptops at either the HUB or Willard Computer Store locations.

Smart Power Strips - Computer Store customers will soon be able to purchase "smart surge protectors" in either the Willard or HUB stores, or via the Computer Store Web site. These strips automatically turn off accessories, when computers are shut-down, saving a significant amount of energy.

Skip the Bag - customers are encouraged to "skip the bag," whenever shopping bags aren't necessary with their purchases.

Five for Five - a "Green Table" will be featured during the Computer Store Expo on April 2 at the Nittany Lion Inn, showcasing recycling services and energy efficient products. The Green Table will offer a gift card of $5 to anyone who turns in five recyclable items at the Expo.

Energy Star - Energy Star compliant laptops, printers, and monitors will continue to be available to all students, faculty and staff at the Computer Store. These products are designed to automatically conserve energy use throughout the day.

Renewable Papers - the Computer Store has begun using recycled and renewable papers for all Store advertising materials and business purposes whenever possible.

Soy-based Inks - the Store is also requesting soy-based inks for the printing of all Store marketing materials in an effort to avoid contributing to toxic airborne solvents found in traditional petroleum-based inks.

To learn more about the green campaign effort at Penn State's Computer Store, go to http://computerstore.psu.edu/green/. Additional information on Penn State's University-wide Take Charge conservation campaign is available at http://www.takecharge.psu.edu/.

From: http://its.psu.edu/news/story-971

For more information on this topic, see this website for Going Green – http://earth911.org.

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

How Do I... Insert a Chart into PowerPoint, Word or Excel

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:55:56 GMT

In PowerPoint 07 or Word 07 when you insert a chart you will actually be using Excel to insert the chart in these applications. Excel makes it easy to make a picture of your data. This picture is a chart which is often more effective than plain text or a list of numbers.

We have two How To's to walk you through the steps: one for inserting a chart into PowerPoint or Word and one for inserting a chart directly in Excel.

How To Insert a chart in PowerPoint or Word

How To Insert a chart in Excel

If you have questions about these steps or need assistance, please feel free to contact any of the Educational Technologist.

Jacki Weikert, Educational Technologist

How Do I... Set My Outlook Contacts as the Primary Address Book

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:55:06 GMT

Outlook's Global Address List (GAL) feature contains more than email addresses. In the GAL you can find Resources, e.g. Conference Rooms and Loan Pool calendars.

When you click the To button in a new Outlook email window, do you see the Global Address List as your default address book? Would you prefer to see your own Contacts as the default instead? If yes, a few clicks will set this to your new preference.

To configure your Outlook 2007 address book to look in your Contacts first, do the following:

1. Open Outlook.

2. From the Tools menu choose Address Book.

Note: The address list you see now is your default. This may be the Global Address List.

3. Tip: while you're still in the address book, click the drop-down list of address books. Please notice that there is a listing for All Address Lists, All Contacts, etc. You will not be choosing anything from this list. Instead, under Outlook Address Book, look for your Contacts address book. Be sure you locate the correct one for the next step.

4. Then, from the Tools menu choose Options.

5. In the Show this address list first drop-down list select Contacts (you may need to scroll up in the list of choices) or the name of the address book you wish to be your default choice.

6. Click Apply. Click OK. Close the Address Book.

7. Create a new email message. Click the To... button. You should see the address book of your choice as the default.

View as a Video tip

Sherry Crum, Educational Technologist

Tech Spotlight: A Master Gardener's Journal

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:53:20 GMT

In spring 2007, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery county Extension offices were asked to meet with Virginia Smith, garden writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and a web designer. The Delaware County Master Gardeners were working on improving public relations at the same time. The creation of a blog was suggested and I suggested the idea to the committee. Marion Yaglinski volunteered to start it, and has contributed well and often since June 2007. She is also asking Hort Educators in the region and other Master Gardeners for contributions to the blog.

Marion includes information about Master Gardener educational programs on every entry. She's also added lots of links to PSU gardening information sites and environmental stewardship sites.

Read more about how it started in their first entry here: About Master Gardeners

Visit the site http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/gardenerjournal/ and be sure to pass the word.

Linda R. Barry, Master Gardener Coordinator, Delaware Co.
Marion Yaglinski, Master Gardener, Delaware County, and Longwood Garden Volunteer

Tech Spotlight: Rule of Three Works for Backups

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:51:49 GMT

Good ideas here for all of us, especially for backing up personal info on home computers.

Note: This article is being re-printed with permission from Ohio State University Extension.

When It Comes to Backups, The Rule of Three Works for Me (Most of the Time)

"I have a long standing rule for keeping computer files or important documents safe, the rule of three. I try to keep at least three copies of documents in at least two locations, preferably in two different zip codes. This works for the documents I use every day. I keep the main copy on my flash drive. I then back-up the flash at work and then at home. That’s three copies in at least two different zip codes.

My current problem is that I only have two copies of my most important files, the hundreds of digital photographs of my kids. I have one copy on my main computer and one copy on a network-attached storage (NAS) device, which is stashed in a closet. Good protection from a hardware failure, but not from fire or theft.

As I see it, my options for that elusive third copy are limited. The amount of data involved is not huge by today’s standards, but larger than I can reasonably manage on a regular basis. Burning DVD’s or copying data to an external hard drive, then storing it at another location such as my parent’s house, is just too cumbersome.

I’ve been looking at two of the dominate online backup services, Mozy and Carbonite. Each of these services offers an unlimited storage option for around $50 a year, a pretty attractive option. I’ve tried the free version of Mozy, (2GB of storage and a slower back-up) with less than satisfactory results. I’ve since made some adjustments and tweaked my network, now I’m ready plunk down some cash for online back-up. While reviews of both services have said Carbonite is easier to set-up, I think I’ll buy the Mozy service, as I already have an account with them, plus Mozy has a $5/month as well as yearly subscription option. I’ll let you know how things turn out."

Author:
Rich Emnett
Systems Manager, South-East Region
Ohio State University Extension Center

Article Link:
http://help.ag.ohio-state.edu/wp/?p=72

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Curved Monitors

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:50:23 GMT

Alienware and NEC have announced LARGE curved monitors for the second half of 2008.

Alienware Curve
http://www.mahalo.com/Alienware_Curve
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006186.html

NEC Curved-Screen display
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006253.html
[Video] http://www.qik.com/video/8974 (Move the slider to the 3:00 mark. You see the actual screen there).

No, these will not be part of the EN program!

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

Tech Spotlight: Malware Growth

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:46:41 GMT

My only comment is that it's too bad the Stock Market isn't tied to the malware market. The original article can be found here on the Sunbelt blog: The growth of malware

"Interesting data from Andreas Marx at AV-Test.org. This chart shows the growth of unique samples (by MD5) per year. It's worth noting that these numbers are also increasing because of variants -- i.e. the same Trojan will be changed sometimes hourly or daily just to try and fool the scanners. So it's not like there's over 5 million unique pieces of malware. There are many that are variants of the same piece of malware.

Nevertheless, this is a good representation of the staggering load of malware that anti-malware folks are under. Like most companies, we’re processing gigabytes of malware daily. Our automated systems like our Sandbox help; but in the end, manpower plays a key role in being ahead of the game. There’s the HUMINT aspect, like hunting down new malware and tracking IPs and locations of the bad guys; but also reverse engineering and specialized code and signatures created for difficult malware. And, there's difficult coding needed to deal with rootkits and the like.

It’s why being a security company (especially in AV or antispyware) these days is a whole new game. No longer can a company compete with a few folks in the lab and a group of good programmers. They're out there: Little companies with small teams working an antispyware or antivirus product, but it’s hopeless. A small platoon won’t win this war. You need a brigade."

Year # of unique samples (MD5)

1985 564

1986 910

1987 389

1988 1,738

1989 2,604

1990 9,044

1991 18,384

1992 36,822

1993 12,287

1994 28,613

1995 15,988

1996 36,816

1997 137,716

1998 177,615

1999 98,428

2000 176,329

2001 155,528

2002 199,049

2003 178,825

2004 142,321

2005 333,425

2006 972,606

2007 5,490,960

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist

All Interest: The Davos Question 08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:41:40 GMT

What one thing do you think that countries, companies, or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?

Basically, anyone can create a YouTube video and answer the question. Then upload it to the Davos Conversation YouTube site.

See the explanation of The Davos Question here: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=BDqs-OZWw9o

Bono's response is an example: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTqP4r6bgI

The playlist of Leaders and CEOs answering the question can be found here: http://ie.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=749732FFD312CA7F

Vince Verbeke, IT Specialist