“In times of radical change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves perfectly equipped for a world that no longer exists.” - Erik Hoffer
Some people still ask why I'm not on Facebook (845 million users) or Linkedin (150 million users) or Twitter (over 300 million users). My one-word answer is usually, "Privacy." Maybe that's too simple but I do believe that our individual privacy rights are not a matter of the slightest concern of Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or any other current social media network. And that goes double for Google who has recently merged all their various information gathering products under one privacy umbrella.
Managing a Facebook account is something of a full-time job. The
company has a history of changing its privacy policies and launching
applications that enroll you in some marketing and sharing exercise
without your permission. This means that you must hover over your
Facebook privacy settings like a hen worrying about its eggs.
It doesn't stop. This month Facebook gave its users, almost a billion
of them, around a week to digest proposed changes that include among
other things the renaming of the Privacy Policy to the Data Use Policy
It makes more sense when you remember that social networks - all of them - are in the business of gathering and selling your private information to others - small businesses, large corporations, governments or just about anyone with the right price of admission. They're not giving you anything for free. You have to agree to give them something they value very highly - your own privacy - in exchange for the so-called services they provide.
If you someday run into a "privacy problem" some day because some potential employer demands you provide your Facebook or other social network password and user name before you are interviewed or hired for a job, that breach of privacy is not Facebook's, Twitter's or Google's problem, it's entirely your problem.
Guy Kawasaki once famously said, "Advertising is when you tell people how great you are. PR is when someone else says how great you are. PR is better." What do you do when someone deliberately puts "bad PR" about you that gets connected to your Facebook page or elsewhere on the web? What if someone hacks your Twitter account? What if it's just mistaken identity like the case of a Japanese man with the same name as a man connected with a serious crime?
Sometimes you get much more than you ever wanted or originally bargained for. I still think social networks and privacy issues could get very expensive before the problems are resolved. If you eventually have a problem with Facebook, I can just about guarantee that neither Mark Zuckerberg nor 844,999,999 other people he uses won't even care. It will be entirely YOUR problem.
Sometimes I just don't have as much time to write as I wish. Maybe it would relieve a little pressure on my guilty conscience by providing a list of some of the articles that I wish I had time to write about:
...The researchers and the
advocates and the regulators have had to rely on the company itself to
describe its practices. What Jonathan's platform has enabled, in
collaboration with the (Stanford Computer) Security Lab, has been the
ability to actually see what websites are really doing.
...Mayer's research most recently
led to investigations by the FTC and state attorneys general in New
York, Maryland and Connecticut, into Google's bypessing of the default privacy settings
in Apple's Safari browser, meaning that millions of iPhone and iPad
users that Google had said were not being tracked by its advertising
network, in fact were having their Web data logged.
One of my friends recently said he hadn't heard anything about Ubuntu running on an Android phone. I already want one!
...Carry just the phone, and connect it to any monitor to get a full Ubuntu
desktop with all the native apps you want, running on the same device
at the same time as Android. Magic. Everything important is shared
across the desktop and the phone in real time," Shuttleworth wrote. "It
just works, the way Ubuntu should. Lots of work behind the scenes to
make both systems share what they need to share, but the desktop is a
no-compromise desktop.
Just for the sake of clarity in case the following news release
didn't get any coverage in several local newspapers owned by the Stephens family. From the EFFector newsletter
of 3/19/12:
The federal district court in Nevada has issued a declaratory
judgment that makes is harder for copyright holders to file
lawsuits over excerpts of material and burden online forums and
their users with nuisance lawsuits. The judgment -- part of the
lawsuit avalanche started by copyright troll Righthaven -- found
that Democratic Underground did not infringe the copyright in a
Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper article when a user of the
online political forum posted a five-sentence excerpt with a
link back to the newspaper's website.
Please click the underlined headline link (above) if you'd like to read the entire article.
What I really hate about this is the overall climate and those
portions of existing laws that almost encourages publishers of all
forms of media and attorneys to work together in similar efforts to
threaten ordinary consumers in blatant attempts to recover
outrageous fees for minor violations or in some cases, no violation
at all. I guess the prospect of "money for nothin'" lured the Stephen Media folks into this mess, but such cases of deliberate fraud can only increase the
disrespect for the law and give consumers a false sense of
justification to disregard copyright law entirely.
This is another case where the press and other media companies have
failed their readers or viewers and the public at large. Such
copyright (and patent) trolls are another reason I renew my EFF
membership each and every year!
Several days ago, I was checking out a few technical websites when I found Russel Barnes' post on LinuxUser's site, "HUD to replace menus in Ubuntu 12.04 – a further kick to the hornet’s nest?" Having more or less successfully worked through two versions of Ubuntu's Unity interface and reached a working accommodation with the new features added in both Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10, the title caught my attention. Without much other explanation, I played the YouTube video below. (You can also click through to the YouTube page for the larger HD version of both videos on this page.)
Based only on the video and brief description in Barnes' above post, the very first impression that could be printed on a family blog was, "We are NOT amused!"
Luckily, there was a link to the official announcement on Mark Shuttleworth's blog in the Barnes' article. For everyone's sanity at this point, Ubuntu users should first read Shuttleworth's original explanation of what may or may not appear in next version of Ubuntu, version 12.04. Read the full explanation of the Heads Up Display or "HUD" before the weak faint and strong men's heads explode. Yes, we're talking about a new twist on how to interact with a computer, but the new HUD builds on years of effort. See: Mark Shuttleworth, "Introducing the HUD. Say hello to the future of the menu." markshuttleworth.com, January 24, 2012. Available online: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/939
Now, after reading Mark Shuttleworth's more detailed and measured introduction of the Heads Up Display, he also says,
We’ll resurrect the (boring) old ways of displaying the menu in 12.04, in the app and in the panel. ...But hiding the menu before we had the replacement was overly aggressive. [Amen to that.-Ed.] If the HUD lands in 12.04 LTS, we hope you’ll find yourself using the menu less and less, and be glad to have it hidden when you are not using it. You’ll definitely have that option, alongside more traditional menu styles.
So if I'm reading this correctly, current menu-driven users will have their menus, and those who want to explore the new HUD system can enable that method for an unlimited "test drive." If people like menus they can still use them, but Shuttleworth and his developers are betting that some currently unknown fraction of Ubuntu's current and future users will adopt the new HUD. It sounds as if Ubuntu is seriously trying to build a bridge to the future.
While in the infantry, I've waded across shallow creeks, swam or floated across deeper rivers, even crossed one or two upside down hand over hand on a single rope. Believe me. Bridges are better, and more troops, or in this case Ubuntu users, can reach the other shore. In their haste to get ready for Gnome 3's clean slate approach, both Gnome and Ubuntu created changes that were deeper than the developers first thought. Some users were lost in their attempts to get the new interfaces to work for them - they didn't make it to the other side and were lost. More likely, some users had too much work to do to make more than one or two attempts and even switched to other flavors of Linux like Linux Mint, Xfce, or a host of others. That's why real change agents have to think about building a bridge.
In my own case, I found a way to get across without waiting for the bridge. I've used a program found in Ubuntu's Launchpad called Cardapio in both 11.04 and 11.10. Cardapio can be installed and updated from its own PPA. In 11.10, I changed the icon to one of my choice for the Cardapio launcher, placed it right under the big Ubuntu icon (BFB?) and fine-tuned the "Main Menu" (it's still there) to make all the various menus categories work the way I like to work. Check out Ubuntu Vibes' very detailed article on the set up and uses of Cardapio. Ubuntu Vibes also posted the video. Click on the small video below to view a larger version on YouTube:
In addition to menus, I like multiple windows open on the same workspace and switch back and forth between windows frequently. I also don't like icons, menus or scroll bars to appear or disappear. I want them to be in the same darn place I left them and don't want to wait even a second while they reappear. I'm not sold on the dash where some icons show up now and maybe totally different icons show up later. I like consistency on my big dumb screen but so far I still have the option of making those changes that help me work "my way."
After those minor adjustments with Cardapio and other tweaks, HUD's promised voice commands and learning how we work certainly have the potential to become a useful addition and that could help a transition to HUD. I may even be able to teach my big hulking HP quad core desktop to understand Anglo-Saxon voice commands. Ubuntu users need a little time to adapt to new ways of working but it looks like all of us at least now have the promise of the bridge that has been missing in the last two Ubuntu editions. So in the meantime, I suggest we hold our ire, save Shuttleworth's original HUD post for further reference and try to keep an open mind as 12.04 moves toward beta versions.
For the record, I've used menus since my first 9" black and white Macintosh replaced my earlier Kaypro and Apple IIe's. I actually tried one of Jef Raskin's early interface ideas that Shuttleworth mentioned in his article on a plug-in card added to an Apple IIe. Back then and in today's environment, testing new interface ideas is a normal part working with technology as long as we can take back a step if things don't work out as the developers originally planned.
Thankfully Ubuntu remains a high quality free distribution and I'm actually encouraged Ubuntu developers are extending the interface with new ideas. I also believe users will try to spend some time with HUD IF the Ubuntu developers give all of us the option of making the software work "our way" or if we can easily back up a step or two while HUD is further refined. Otherwise, we can also reload and relearn KDE's desktop after an early "April Fools Day" on March 26, if HUD and Ubuntu's 12.04 release doesn't work as advertised.
Ubuntu's developers and its larger community have always provided options and choices. As to Shuttleworth's article, no harm, no foul, play on!
Is Facebook becoming a "honey pot" for employers and personnel officers who want to keep from hiring people who might cause them problems after they're hired? Steve Johnson of The Mercury News thinks so in a January 16th article, "Those Facebook posts could cost you your job." What's worse, Facebook users don't have to cut their own throat, although many Facebook users do. There's always plenty of others - often your own friends - using their Facebook account to post that picture of you that you might not post yourself. What caught my eye in Johnson's report:
In a twist on the exploding use
of online social media, employers in the Bay Area and nationwide are
poring over the websites to weed out job applicants whose posts reveal
that they use foul language, take drugs, associate with gangs or have
other questionable characteristics. Some employers are even demanding
that job candidates disclose their social network user names and
passwords. [Emphasis added.]
While Johnson says the legal and ethical implications have yet to be determined in court, would you want to be an employer trying to defend your company from a drunk driving lawsuit after the plaintiff's lawyer discovers several pictures on Facebook of your new delivery truck driver behind the wheel of his own car with a beer in his (or her) hand? Would you want to hire someone who trash-mouthed their former employer on Facebook? You can read the article for more examples at: http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_19754451.
In the last month, when we're starting to see reports again of newspaper reporter's articles and blogger's posts being scanned and recorded by Homeland Security, is there any doubt that Facebook, Google+ and other social media sites have become the starting point for private firms, public organizations or even an inquisitive neighbor building a dossier on almost any employee, political opponent or anyone else for that matter?
Sure, go ahead and change your Facebook privacy settings. [Feel better now.] That may work until the next time Facebook changes their mind about what portion of your personal content will be released to the next company willing to pay a good price for your information.
I'll admit it. I don't like Facebook nor am I fond of any of the social media engines that entice people to freely exchange their personal privacy for convenience or "being cool." But then I'm just an old codger who "doesn't get it." Yep, and I don't want it either!
Over the weekend, I was talking with a friend about Download.com, add-on toolbars and malware in general. when it dawned on me that it would be a lot easier for new users and or even users upgrading their computers or just adding new software if they all knew what software to avoid first -- BEFORE they downloaded software that they'll regret and have to clean off their computer later. To complicate matters, many new computers are sold with trial versions of antivirus or other software or even less capable versions of software in hopes that users will pay for expensive upgrade packages later.
Before you act like Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay and go all "...full speed ahead," the smart move is to ask your technically inclined family members or friends first. But who do you ask when the children and
grandchildren have finally gone home and it's time to figure out what software
you want to add - or add back onto your new computer?
It just so happens that Lifehacker.com has already asked and answered that question with a 17 item list of Windows software to avoid if possible. Those of us born when secretaries made multiple copies with a typewriter and carbon paper instead of a Xerox machine may prefer a more gentile title, but the title of LIfehacker's answer is both accurate and justified.
Some of the software listed is hard to avoid. You may already have a large folder of QuickTime movies of the kids (or grandkids), or your business uses Microsoft Office and you're trapped into using MS Outlook by shared calendars. I understand all of that. But like it or not, the software listed in the Lifehacker article has a substantial number of people who would rather use something else if they could. Most of the time there are alternatives. The article suggests other possible choices to the commonly avoided programs IF you're not already entangled and wish to try some something that might even be better.
Once you have some insight about what to avoid, Lifehacker then has two more articles to help new or replacement computer owners download what the authors and many others consider better or even the best software alternatives for Windows computers.
Right away, in the second paragraph, readers have the option of downloading and installing the entire list of best Windows software in one click from Ninite.com. Ninite is considered one of the more ethical sites by some security-minded developers, but I'd still recommend you look at each piece of software listed and pick those you wish to try first. At the same time, I'd also recommend that you bookmark all three of the best and best avoided Windows software articles so that you can come back and download other applications if you later discover you need them.
Even a casual reader will quickly discover that a few software applications are listed in the software to avoid AND the best Windows downloads. Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader and Skype are on both lists. First of all, some basic software is hard (or irritating) to avoid. At least, the best windows downloads list links you directly to the developer's website and not to a 3rd party site that's larding up the download with toolbars you didn't ask for when you started and may even be difficult to remove. (See the Dec. 6 blog post "CNET's Download.com may download more than expected...")
As the title says, this is a collection of the most popular software downloads and short articles or "how-to's" to help new or returning users avoid annoyances, learn new tricks or accomplish tasks that have been difficult using other software solutions. For example, the list includes two hints for Firefox version 4. I'm already using Firefox 8 and will update to version 9 soon, but annoyances can carry forward and several are easily corrected. For example, my Firefox 8 looks very similar to my old Firefox 3. I like my tabs just above the page I'm viewing. The point is that you can sometimes customize software to work the way you want it to work.
And finally, don't forget the Windows Security Baseline so that your new or existing computer stays as secure as possible in the shark and minefield infested waters of the Internet. (See: the Dec. 1 blog post "Getting a new Computer for Christmas?") And don't forget to use the automated software update programs to help keep your protected computer that way.
If you're wondering about all the nautical references to admirals, sharks and minefields, in my youth, I always felt more secure without the additional complication of staying afloat and I joined the infantry. I hope you and your computer stay safe and secure without any added complications during the New Year and that you enjoy your holidays...
Brian Krebs, who writes the Krebs on Security website, points out Dec. 6th, that CBS/CNET's Download.com site now uses a downloader program that frequently includes the preselected option to install unnecessary "toolbars" or other "invasive or annoying" programs that many long time computer users frankly call "crapware." You can read the full article at: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/12/download-com-bundling-toolbars-trojans/
I've also recommended Download.com as a convenient and safe source for home users and seniors to download software. However, Krebs' testing found that some of the extra programs were tagged as malware by more than one antivirus program. At least one of the extras was difficult to remove. Krebs even included an explanation from CNET as to why extra programs are bundled with the program you actually requested.
New Christmas computers are a prime target for multiple downloads of games, and utilities after Christmas. But this Christmas, remember Krebs reexamination of one of the most popular download sites and carefully consider his advice:
"...In the meantime, it’s always a good idea to download software directly
from the source whenever possible, and to pay close attention to the
prompts during the installation process."
Very good advice indeed. And as an old-timer myself, I've been burned often enough that I now carefully look for the extra little check marks in fine print during installation process of any downloaded software. Just be cautious and do try to go to the original source of the software if you can.
UPDATE: 12/09/11- Insecure.org also has a news page with more information on the additional software and changes added by CNET's Download.com. You can find the executive summary, and a list of related web posts concerning the topic at: http://insecure.org/news/download-com-fiasco.html
Gordon Lyon, developer of NMap and other security projects, also suggests downloading software applications from their official sites or more ethical aggregators such as FileHippo, Ninite or Softpedia.
It's December 1st and that time of the year when it's appropriate for an update on the security hardware and software I use with Windows computers here in the workshop every day. If
you're planning to purchase a brand new Windows computer, first consider establishing the
computer's security baseline before you start loading a lot of
applications and surfing all over the web.
Windows Secrets - "Everything Microsoft Forgot to Mention" Brian
Livingston, the founding editor of Windows Secrets, retired this past year, but he's left the
website in very capable hands. The website formerly shared a simple "Security
Baseline" on the free portion of the website but unfortunately, some of the latest information on the basics of home or small office security, formerly free content, now requires a paid subscription. A quick checklist of the minimum common sense security configuration
for a PC from the earlier free baseline articles includes: a hardware firewall, security software, a plan to manage updates and a secure browser.
Hardware Firewall
First be sure that the built-in Firewall in Windows 7 turned on. It should be, but check it to make sure. If you have a direct connection to the Internet, a cable broadband or DSL connection, a separate home or small business router or combination router/wireless access point normally includes a built-in hardware firewall and an extra measure of security between the modem and my networked computers. Setting up a router or router/wireless access point, be sure to follow the setup directions for your particular router, change the network name and passwords from the defaults and use the strongest wireless security settings your router/access point and other wireless equipment supports. Also take notes about the settings you keep and the changes you make either in the paper version of the manual or like me, keep a notebook that contains all your network manuals or setup guides and keep a record of your changes and updates there. Believe me, there will be a day when those notes, network sketches and settings will be helpful.
Security Software
Many new computers come with short-term trials of security software. Several free security packages are also available. Don't wait until you grow tired of the nagging to purchase their paid products. Set aside a time to remove the trial security package, and immediately download and install Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). When I last checked the security software suggested on the Security Baseline page, Microsoft Security Essentials was
recommended by Windows Secrets' editors Susan Bradley and Fred Langa
for anyone looking for anti-virus and anti-malware protection. Langa
reported his experience using MSE and Windows built-in
firewall for six months on nine different desktop and laptop computers
with a mix of Win7, Vista and XP. "All the machines have remained
clean," Langa wrote. "They've suffered no malware or virus infections
whatsoever."
I also run at least a monthly scan alternating between free versions of MalwareBytes and SUPERAntiSpyware. Usually all I'll catch on these extra scans are cookies that share enough information with other 3rd party sites to be considered "spyware." But I like to take that extra step in the interest of privacy and security and I appreciate having both free products immediately available if I were to suspect a more serious problem.
Manage Software Updates
Microsoft maintains a free update program for MS software, usually once a month on the second Tuesday of the month, but occasionally security updates are sent out before the monthly updates. Check the settings in your control panel to make sure you are notified about the updates and then update the software as soon as practical. Most home users can just choose to allow the update process to download and install the updates in background.
You also need a plan to manage all your other non-Microsoft updates and keep your browser and email packages secure. I use Personal Software Inspector (PSI) from Secunia. Start with the link, look at the screen shots and then read through the tabs until you get to the download page. Be sure to read the system requirements and other hints. For additional help before or after the installation process, Secunia provides an extensive FAQ page. Look over the topics, scan down the page to see how detailed the answers are and then use the FAQ if you need help. One final suggestion. Although PSI offers an automatic update setting, and I use it, be sure to check the icon that PSI installs with the other notifications at the bottom right of the screen after every startup. The icon should be green. If yellow or red, click on the icon to open PSI and see what action you may need to take to update your installed software. Use a Secure Browser
If you're using Windows and not yet using Internet Explorer 9, you should be. However, many knowledgeable computer users prefer Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Both third-party browsers have unique features that may cause some users to prefer one or the other. Actually on my own machines, I keep up-to-date copies of MSIE, Firefox and Chrome so I can check and occasionally troubleshoot web pages with all three browsers. Use the automatic updates provided with Chrome and Firefox to help keep your browser as secure as possible.
Final Good Idea:
While you're checking out the security essentials and other articles,
be sure to sign up for their FREE version of the Windows Secrets email newsletter with the latest tech
info and helpful tips on Windows. After receiving a few of the free versions, you may find the small donation for the complete version is easy to justify. Although retired and no longer directly involved in IT, I still read every issue.
These days, all you have to do is blink and you'll miss something on the Internet. I was off-line for a day or two and when I came back on "the net" I discovered that the FBI, working in concert with police officials in Great Britain and the Ukraine moved to break up one of the groups using the ZeuS worm to steal funds from individuals, businesses and government agencies. Brian Krebs, as usual, kept track of all the developments on his KrebsonSecurity blog. If you missed the details of the story in your local paper, you can follow the progress of the story using the links below:
Sep. 29, 2010 "19 Arrested in Multi-Million Dollar ZeuS Heists" (UK)
Sep. 30, 2010 "11 Charged In ZeuS & Money Mule Ring" (UK)
Sep. 30, 2010 "U.S. Charges 37 Alleged Money Mules"
Oct. 2, 2010 "Ukraine Detains 5 Individuals Tied to $70 Million in U.S. eBanking Heists"
The above is indeed great news. According to Krebs, "Investigators say the Ukrainian gang used the software to break into computers belonging to at least 390 U.S. companies, transferring victim funds to more than 3,500 so-called “money mules,” individuals in the United States willingly or unwittingly recruited to receive the cash and forward it overseas to the attackers."
The bad news is that there are still other groups using ZeuS to obtain account and password information, then making fraudulent electronic fund transfers and money mules to move the money out of the country and into the hands of the thieves at the top of the organization. Law enforcement and banking officials need to do a better job of letting users know how these groups operate and how users can improve the security of their individual and commercial accounts to prevent these thefts in the first place.
Once again, if you don't have KrebsonSecurity on your RSS feed or your daily reading list, you're missing an important source of information about keeping your own computers or your company's computers secure.
There's nothing better than a network of people thinking about a similar interest or problem. A hat-tip to Carol Huber, formerly of Pinellas County Schools, who sent me the link to an article on study skills in The New York Times. The September 6, 2010, article, "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits," by Benedict Carey, points out the wide gap between "common knowledge, " and research on study skills. Certainly there's more to learn or maybe re-learn about helping student retention.
For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.
Like a football coach who mixes their team workouts with drills to improve strength, speed and specific skills, a student can benefit when a good learning coach varies the type of material covered in a single session. For example, interleaving vocabulary, reading and speaking in a language class or practice sessions solving several different types of problems in mathematics appears to increase student retention and performance during follow-up testing.
Which may explain why some of the early Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC) software seemed so effective twenty years ago. The software was programed to "spiral" the student through a subject area and vary the material being presented based on the student's recent performance. The software, with almost infinite patience, could go back and reteach a particular skill if a student needed more practice or quickly move forward if the student demonstrated mastery. There were many areas in some of those early attempts at computerized learning that needed improvement, but I still like their ability to vary the instruction based on student performance and ultimately allow each individual student to progress as fast or as slowly as necessary to master a particular topic or skill.
But back in the present, several of the links within the article may help those who are working hard in schools or homes everyday and are willing to look for new ways to help students retain the knowledge they've worked so hard to learn. Read the whole article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?em&exprod=myyahoo
Released in June as a public beta by the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) and the Tor Project, the HTPPS Everywhere Firefox extension helps guarantee that your browser is using encryption when visiting 27 sites, including Google Search, Wikipedia, EFF, and many other sites that offer HTTPS.
I first learned about Zotero while looking at some promotional material for UberStudent, a new set of learning tools for college or advance HS students. Most people (and I suspect you're in that group) don't need to worry about a new operating system and and a whole CD of new software if you're already focused on research and writing. Most of us who transitioned from 3x5 cards and erasable bond into computer-based writing have likely developed our own system for taking notes and saving bibliographical information in a particular format.
On the other hand, if you're a new college student or returning for a few advanced classes, Zotero may be worth a longer look. Zotero has a pretty good home page which starts, "Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, cite, and share your research sources. It lives right where you do your work—in the web browser itself." By being a Firefox extension or plugin, Zotero will work on Windows, Mac or Linux systems using Firefox. Additional plugins are available that allow Zotero to work with MS Word, OpenOffice or Neo word processors. As you check out the Zotero home page, note the Center for History and New Media and the George Mason Univ. logos at the bottom of the page. Somebody has thought long and hard about how to help young students write papers. Example? The interface mimics iTunes, something most college students already know how to use.
While on the home page, at least click on the icons shown for "Collect", "Organize" and "Cite" which are three individual tasks that most of us are attempting to accomplish during the process of writing a paper. What blew me out of my chair was (1) how easy it is to add new material from web pages or material already in your computer such as video or PDFs and (2) the list of major styles and journal specific styles already built into the research tool! The format is either there or may be available with another plugin. The last two tools are more interesting from a class or teaching perspective. Tools are available to sync the information among multiple computers, share information within work groups and even publish dynamic bibliographies.
And like Steve Jobs, "...One more thing!" Please play the short video on the quick start guide's first page found at: http://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide. The video may be the best summary of what Zotero can do that I've seen so far. The support pages contain other basic tutorials and videos, support forums, and a blog and you may want to bookmark the page for further reference if you decide to give Zotero a more serious try.
If you've already got your own system for doing what Zotero does, God bless you and use what works for you. I may use some of my own time this Fall to see if I can catalog some of my own permanent references - some of the PDFs, videos and documents that I've collected over the past several years - and get to know Zotero a little better. At least I'm not working on a deadline.
And as for the UberStudent software, I plan to download UberStudent onto a live CD or even a spare computer and see what other new learning tools are available for advanced secondary or college-level students who use Linux. I might find other learning tools I'd like to explore. Maybe everyone currently in education already knows about Zotero which if so, only confirms my suspicion that I've been retired too long and should sit down and shut up. However, like so many other new technological tools, getting the word out about tools like Zotero to the small schools in the hinterlands always takes more time than anyone thinks. Not everything on the Internet can go viral and reach Mountainburg at the same time. We'd have a heck of a traffic jam on that little wire over the mountains!
Update: 9/20/10 Lifehacker.com likes the UberStudent software CD. Kevin Purdy writes:
We suggested last week that, for many college students, a used laptop reloaded with Ubuntu is good enough. UberStudent, an Ubuntu installation loaded with student-friendly tools and customizations, is a smart pick for getting your actual school work done.
KrebsonSecurity reports on Sept. 1st that criminals used a computer virus to steal the Univ. of Virginia at Wise comptroller's credentials and then electronically transferred $996,000 from BB&T to the Agricultural Bank of China. Nothing in BB&T's EFT software triggered an alarm and nobody at the bank bothered to check on the legitimacy of the transfer? How many million dollar transfers does UVA-Wise make to Agricultural Bank of China? See: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/09/cyber-thieves-steal-nearly-1000000-from-university-of-virginia-college/
Now look. I'm tired of writing about this, but I'm also absolutely convinced businesses and government agencies - whose commercial accounts lack the protections afforded to individual consumers - need to take simple, inexpensive precautions to prevent similar thefts. Brian Krebs spells out ways for businesses to protect themselves in the links attached to the bottom of the UVA-Wise article above.
From the lack of information in newspapers and national news networks, I guess the only people who think this type of crime is a big deal are the victims who have actually lost money. These are preventable crimes that need to be exposed and not hidden from the public.
Earlier this month, AVG's web security reports that the Mumba botnet used the Zeus banking trojan to infect 55,000 more PCs around the world, stealing bank account details and credit card numbers. See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/02/muamba_botnet_infiltrated/
In February 2010, a Virginia network forensics company, reported Zeus attacks involving 74,00 PC's in 10 federal agencies, 2,500 companies and a number of Fortune 500 firms in the financial, energy and technology industries. See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/18/massive_hack_attack/
One would think that Microsoft users would be rushing down to their local computer store looking for the latest and greatest (and certainly a more secure) computer operating system, but that's really not the case. Ars Technica has the numbers and graphs to show just how resistant Microsoft users are to change. In July 2010, 62 percent of Microsoft users are still using Windows XP, but Windows 7 by rising to 14.5 percent has passed Windows Vista at 14.3 percent of computer users. Macintosh users comprise 5.1 percent of the OS market share and Linux (all varients) rolled back to a 0.93 percent share. Check out additional graphs and the full report at: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/08/windows-7-overtakes-windows-vista.ars
If you are one of 62 percent of the Microsoft faithful who are still using Windows XP and for good reasons still don't wish to upgrade your older computer right away, help is available. Fred Langa, senior editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter, has an extensive checklist of things you can do to extend XP's usefulness on your existing older hardware for a long time. The list doesn't have to be completed all in one sitting. Instead, it's arranged in a logical fashion and with a little TLC and patience you can extend your computer's long-term health even further. If you're really serious about keeping your Windows XP system, see: http://www.windowssecrets.com/2010/08/12/01-Preparing-Windows-XP-for-the-long-haul
No less an authority than PC World stirs the security soup by pointing out that Linux's open source software is inherently more secure than Windows for small business owners and others like schools and local governments who can't affort a large IT security staff. The fact that fewer people use Linux and Linux's inherent diversity makes a less attractive target for the people who write malware is only part of the answer. PC World's Business Center looks at the PC security issue at: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/202452/why_linux_is_more_secure_than_windows.html
Maybe Linux users should just be thankful that Microsoft complacent customers have become a gigantic "honey pot" that keeps the bad guys with the malware focused on the much larger Windows market and less on Macintosh and Linux systems. At the end of the XP's life span, please stay as safe and secure as you can.
Home Computers and student achievement revisited: Several months ago, I sent out a note to several friends in education about the Duke research study which reported that having a home computer does not automatically raise test scores and in some cases can lower test scores of low-income students. Mike Cassidy, Mercury News, had a column on the topic and includes a link to the original Duke study and adds information about a second study by Columbia which also reports lower test scores. At least the second study points out the importance of parental monitoring and supervision. Cassidy's column can be found at: http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_15634370
On the same Monday morning, I also found a hint on where the students may be spending their computer time when they're not supervised. Social networking and blogs have shown a 43% increase in the last year and now take up 22.7% of online time according to a Nielsen Company study. Americans spend 10.2% of their online time on games! See: http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/08/nielsen-social-networking-and-gaming-up-email-uncertain.ars
On a personal level, I've still resisted the urge to return to the Facebook-type social networks because of serious security issues previously reported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Data mining used on social networks can be a trap for the uninformed, careless and unwary. Furthermore, I'm still not sure old Infantry officers are supposed to "twitter" about anything. It certainly sounds undignified for grown men and women.
I once used Facebook to follow a friend from Tallahassee Community College while she was on a 6-month trip to China and wondered how many members of the Chinese and other intelligence services were looking over her "electronic shoulder" as messages were transmitted back and forth to the States. Later I dropped the service entirely when unmoderated comments and posts from other users started tasting as stale as World War II surplus tea bags. Scott D. Harris refers to Facebook and other social networks as a "time suck." Personally, I would also add several other dimensions, but maybe that's just me and I could be wrong.
The need for even more student, teacher and parent training:
Fortunately, Cassidy and the two research papers and other reports may actually help us make a case that educators still need to push for more student, teacher and parental training about computers and improved levels of follow-up and student supervision. For that reason, I was particularly pleased to learn that Van Buren (AR) School District invited Ian Jukes to speak to district teachers about how technology is in a period of disruptive change and how their students will live and work in an era when the future is even less predictable than most adults now comprehend. The district even took an extra step - hosting an evening session for parents and interested community members!
At one point during Jukes' presentation, he pointed out the disconnect between the need for schools to teach basic skills measured by state standards and student test scores and the growing importance of teaching higher level skills to prepare our students to work and succeed in a world of ever more rapid change. Most of the evidence leads to the belief that our students will live in a far more dangerous and changing world. Communities and their schools can no longer afford to prepare our kids to live and work in 1955. Jukes concluded his evening presentation with a quote from Erik Hoffer, "In times of radical change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves perfectly equipped for a world that no longer exists.”
Of course, Jukes uses the Internet and technology to share his message with people who want to learn more. He suggested the audience check out the 21st Century Fluency Project at: http://www.fluency21.com for additional information. Be sure to check out some of the articles on the blog. (Access to some materials may require completion of a free registration.) And yes, I've put Jukes' blog with its multiple authors on my daily scan list.
Yet I still harbor a concern. From my perspective of almost 40 years of training and teaching, computers are like table saws. They are both valuable tools. We already know how to make table saws much safer with saw blades that instantly drop down out of the way if they sense a cut into skin. Unfortunately, we usually don't purchase the safer table saws because of their higher price. At this same point, we don't yet know how to secure Facebook or even our own home computers or business and financial networks. We still need more actual research asking how long-term exposure to computers, smart phones and networks changes how children and adults think, learn and react as they are swept away in the flood of information on the Internet.
I appreciate the access to new information that's already available at my very fingertips. But in my own middle-world, somewhere between the 1940's and the mid-21st century, most table saws and computers can still cause severe damage if used carelessly, thoughtlessly, or without properly trained teachers, parents and other adults to help supervise and keep things safe.
Brien Krebs, in KrebsonSecurity reports on July 20, 2010, credit thieves are now attaching bank card skimmers inside gas pumps. The small circuit boards, apparently include both memory that stores the bank card data and a Bluetooth wireless transmitter that later passes customer's bank card data to an accomplice. The thief can just innocently park within Bluetooth range of the infected pump and use a laptop or smartphone to download the stolen card info. For more details see: "Skimmers Siphoning Card Data at the Pump"
For the past several months, using a credit card or debit card to pump gas in the Southeastern U.S., especially along I-75 or I-95 in Florida and Georgia proved even more expensive for a number of travelers and local residents. Similar credit card skimmers have been found in gas pumps along I-25 near Denver, Colorado. Police have also reported skimmed credit card numbers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington, and pay-at-the pump gas can cost you a lot more than you expect.
So far, there's not much you can do until you "Discover" (pun intended) that your card has been used for unauthorized purchases. One Florida gang was using the stolen card numbers to buy expensive gift cards in several Miami Walmarts. If skimmers get your pin number and your debit card number, they can empty your account while you're still on vacation. Alachua County Deputy Sheriff, Lt. Stephen Maynard, suggested to The Gainesville Sun that consumers take their credit cards or debit cards inside to the cashier or consider paying with cash.
Debit cards are the greater risk. Herb Weisbaum writes in an MSNBC "ConsumerMan" report that police in Las Vegas and Washington state, "advise residents not to use their debit card at a gas pump because there’s no way to be sure it hasn’t been tampered with." Weisbaum's article continues:
Debit cards do not offer the same fraud protection as credit cards. If a crook armed with a skimmer snags your credit card number and uses it to buy things, you can dispute the charges with the credit card company. You won’t owe a thing while they investigate.
If the crook grabs your debit card number, he can go to a cash machine and pull money out of your checking account. It could take days for the bank to investigate and put that money back into your account. During that time checks could bounce or you might not be able to pay your bills. That’s why the only way I pay at the pump is with a credit card.
Another safe way to pay is with a gas station charge card. If you must use a debit card, choose the "credit" option. Your debit card doesn't become a credit card; it just means you don't have to punch in a PIN code. That's why it's actually safer. If the thieves get your card number, they won't have your PIN so they can't use it at a cash machine.
So travelers may not know that gas pump skimmers are in the area and debit card users are particularly at risk. OK, then what can average consumers do to protect themselves? Common sense safeguards include:
Go in the store to process transactions and sign all credit card receipts, slower but effective, and you get to stretch your legs a little on a trip.
Check all credit card and debit card statements as soon as they arrive for any unauthorized purchases.
Put a security code in place on all credit cards so only the owner can use them.
Notify your local law enforcement officials AND your bank as soon as suspect you may have been victimized by this type of scam.
Immediately cancel any compromised accounts. There are differing protections and time limits depending on the type of cards you use. Bank debit cards normally carry fewer protections than credit cards, so don't delay!
Check credit reports for any negative information that might have occurred from the incident.
Deputy Maynard also told The Gainesville Sun that he plans to stop using his debit card for purchases and said, "Cash is king."
Jakob Nielsen, who normally writes and teaches about web page design, did a small group study of iPad and Kindle reading speeds. It might be an important indicator for anyone interested in the purchase of an e-reader or educators working in classrooms or libraries who have a professional interest in the reading performance. The article can be found online at: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html
While reading text on iPad and Kindle tablets is faster than in the past, they're still slower than reading printed text. PC screens were much slower for reading long-form text. Like a good friend and former director of media services for a Florida school district usually says, I suspect we'd both like to see a larger, more comprehensive study, but at least it may have be a hint that we should be careful when we use desktop computers or laptops to measure reading speed during computerized instruction and testing.
As one who used to read Washington Post articles and other news on my old Palm Pilot, I still think I'll wait for a tablet-sized device with a useable plug-in keyboard (like my old Palm) and the Android operating system. The next two or three years may really be interesting as computer form factors continue to evolve.
In the meantime, Nielsen's article on iPad and Kindle useability may help if you're thinking about moving to an e-book reader.
UPDATE 1: Our own local feedback on tablet computing has been all over the map for the past several days. One of our friends who works with technology and computer networking received an iPad for her birthday last week and thinks it's a wonderful tool. Another friend who deals with research, is very analytical and like my own look at e-readers, is still evaluating their potential use. A third friend and former reporter/editor is seriously looking at the lower priced Kindle ($189) with the software upgrades and improved type, but not with the improved screen of the more expensive DX model (yet). Her goal for a Kindle is mostly for convenience and saving trips to the library or used book store. All are what I'd call "serious readers."
Whatever the future holds for tablets, I don't want to be limited by Amazon's e-book inventory, Apple's online store or any set of vendors. I want to replenish the contents of a tablet from an infinite variety of sources, any video, audio and text in any format that will download and play on a conventional computer. I do most of my current daily reading online and more listening to books on tape and podcasts when Katy and I are on trips, unless she has one of the several books from her "book bag" already in her lap while I'm driving and I'm listening to NPR via Sirius Radio or an MP3 podcast through a single ear-bud.
Maybe I just forgot if I ever heard it before, but I do not remember seeing earlier attempts to quantify the difference in reading speed between printed pages, e-readers/tablets and at the slow end, desktop computers. It's more likely academic research was being done but without any notice by the popular media. The reading speed issue caught my attention because I've always believed that someday, it would be more economical for schools to move beyond textbooks and laptops by purchasing e-readers or enhanced tablets.
The enhanced tablets that students could carry between home and school would contain individualized student lessons as well as expanded resources including text, audio and video materials. These tablets would allow student progress to be monitored, software and student work backed up - even new lessons automatically reloaded by school wireless networks drawing from additional online servers (easily and inexpensively updated from regional or state-level networks). Think of a Florida Online School expanded statewide or even regionally or nationally with broad university participation and public funding for course development. Students could advance at their own pace and on their own vocational path as they grew older. Teachers could actually serve as mentors and advisers more than lecturers.
I may never live to see universal access to educational technology for every student, IF that's what it would eventually be, but I can also safely predict that the future of education will probably NOT take the actual form that technologists or anyone else predicted even 15 years ago. Never the less, age has not dimmed the goal that one day educators can have the tools at their fingertips to evaluate a child's education by what he or she has actually learned - their "entire body of work" - and not by the length of time they remain in school or their performance on a few superficial tests.
Thanks to all who commented via email or in conversations for stimulating a few more ideas into the discussion topic this week. I really appreciate the exchange.
UPDATE 2:PCWorld.com has picked up the story and added some of the questions that might be answered by a more extensive comparison of e-readers, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs. The story has also been picked up by Lifehacker.com and the British e-zine, The Register.
UPDATE 3 The ars technica website reports as of July 19, 2010, "Kindle books are now outselling Amazon's hardcover books in the US." Lowering the price of the smaller Kindle to only $189 has tripled the Kindle's sales in the past month.
For the last decade or so, a typical computer keyboard will usually last me only about two years before I've worn the letters completely off of six or eight keys. That's not a big problem for a touch typist, but when you've worn away the letters, punctuation marks and symbols off three or four keys on the same row, it starts to get a little more serious. Or it could be that the eyes behind my trifocals aren't as sharp as they used to be. You may notice your own eyes bouncing up and down from the keyboard to the screen and back looking for specific keys. Maybe it's a little of both.
Standard replacement keyboards are not that expensive and almost always included when a new computer is purchased. On the other hand, what do you do if your expensive wireless or ergonomic keyboard is missing a few critical letters or the characters and punctuation symbols on your standard keyboard are getting harder to read? Remembering that a couple of companies make sets of sticky key labels for foreign languages and a number of office or graphics software packages, I looked for "keyboard stickers" on Google. Once I got past the designer keyboard stickers with flowers or flames and the glow-in-the-dark keyboard stickers for those red-eye flights across the continent, I settled on what looked to be a no-nonsense website and checked out www.4keyboard.com.
You can pick from a wide variety of languages, colors, and special applications. They even have stickers for the smaller keys found on netbooks. Compared to the cost of a new keyboard - particularly the $50 or $60 for a new ergonomic keyboard, less than $6 plus shipping for a set of keyboard stickers didn't sound like too much to spend if it would help.
I actually ordered a set of "English US LARGE LETTERING Keyboard Stickers (Upper case)" on sale at $2.66 plus shipping. These particular stickers are available in black, grey and white to match your keyboard. The stick-on key labels arrived in about a week. The "F" and "J" key stickers were even notched to clear the small bumps that help a touch typist find the home row on the set I ordered. I read the online directions and gave myself a couple of hours to work on applying the stickers to the keyboard. You can check out the vendor's online instructions at http://www.4keyboard.com/page_2.html.
After disconnecting the keyboard, I used a little alcohol on a soft paper towel to clean the top of each key. The stickers are fairly stiff but do use tweezers to hold the sticker so that you can more easily rotate and align each sticker individually. Take your time and plan ahead. Sometimes it is easier to rotate the keyboard to help find a steady spot to hold the tweezers and sticker while your other hand aligns the sticker and presses it down when properly aligned. My Microsoft ergonomic keyboard also has several keys that are slightly different sizes than the standard keyboard. In a couple of cases, I used a small razor knife to trim any surplus sticker after the sticker was applied to the key.
NOTE: If you click on the picture, check out the original size of the characters on the Backspace and function keys. You can also see the right-hand shift key sticker was trimmed to fit the slightly smaller key on the ergonomic keyboard. The very dark black areas seen on the space bar, "N" key and several other keys now covered were worn perfectly smooth by heavy use.
I now have a keyboard that I can read out of the corner of my glasses, and the much larger, high-contrast letters are certainly easy to see. In the unlikely event that the keyboard lasts longer than the current sticker set, I can easily afford to replace any stickers again. In any event, I'll consider the keyboard and stickers a "long-term test."
Just got an email from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) expressing concerns about Facebook's decision to make all online activity on Facebook "social by default." What that means is, "All of your personal information, and all of your online activity, automatically shared by Facebook with anyone, anytime it wants to, without your permission."
EFF has published analyses of how the various Facebook changes affected your private information, including a video teaching you how to make your data private again, a translation of Facebook's jargon, and a guide to Facebook "Connections." The following four articles are recommended if you have any concerns or questions about Facebook's most recent changes:
How to Opt Out of Facebook’s Instant Personalization: Step-by-step directions (and new video) on how to navigate Facebook's more complicated privacy settings to protect yourself from all the various "Instant Personalizations."
A Handy Facebook-to-English Translator: In a world where "the default is social," plain English terms like "public information," "visibility," or "connections" do not always mean the same thing this week that they meant two weeks ago. Do you really want your "Likes" and so much of your other personal information on Facebook to be public?
Six Things You Need to Know About Facebook Connections: "Connections" is such an innocent-sounding word. The blog post explains how connections allows your personal information to be shared with far more people than ever before, including people you don't know, regardless of whether you want them to.
Leave it to free enterprise. I'm not sure the FBI, CIA or NSA could have build a better system for sharing your newly "public information." I dropped out of Facebook months ago and while I deleted my Facebook account, nothing on Facebook really disappears. I've had two well-meaning individuals want to share information from a YouTube account that I've never intentionally made public because it has NO video stored there. I haven't used it yet!. How did they find out I had a YouTube account? They're both on Facebook and apparently YouTube and Facebook now are "plugins" exchanging info with all the other corporate and government plugins. How many more reciprocal plugin accounts are being shared without my knowledge? How many of your other accounts are being shared?
Anyway, that's why I've always paid my dues to EFF every year. To find out more about the Electronic Frontier Foundation and all the things they do, visit: http://www.eff.org/
If you visit certain sites while logged in to Facebook, an app for those sites will be quietly added to your Facebook profile. You don't have to have a Facebook window open, you don't need to signed in to these sites for the apps to appear, and there doesn't appear to be an option to opt-out anywhere in Facebook's byzantine privacy settings.
Software added to our computers without our permission used to be called spyware or malware. Facebook now says that secretly adding the stealth apps is a bug, and apps are no longer being added, "however any unwanted applications that were previously added will still need to be removed manually."
Apparently EFF and 14 other consumer protection groups have launched a formal complaint against Facebook with the Federal Trade Commission. If Facebook's management cannot grow up and clean up their act, it may be time for the FTC or other adults to intervene. There's a reason that more corporate and government networks are already blocking Facebook and as a result of Facebook's lack of discipline, poor record on user privacy and now lack of rigorous software testing. It's about time!
It looks like old dogs and young pups will both need to learn a few new tricks!
For those who thought they could avoid joining the more than 400 million residents of Planet Facebook, abandon all hope. Social media — complete with Facebook-like status updates, profile pages and networks of social connections — is coming to your office cubicle.
The article includes info on Lotus Connections, Sharepoint 2010 and Socialtext. Maybe the larger companies can work out a few kinks in the privacy and security issues with Facebook, Twitter and other less business oriented social software programs. While it is entirely optional, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS has social networking - broadcast and chat accounts - baked into the OS with access from the top level menus. The fact that social networking is included in all installations of this important long-term-support release speaks to how popular the Ubuntu developers think social networking has already become.
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Updated - While business and other organizations move in the direction of social media, The New York Times has an article on the implications of social media on children:
The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends — or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time.
What are the implications of more and more electronic communications between children? They obviously have some impact on relationships. Do social networks and texting potentially slow the development of social skills in children? Does this new means of communicating between friends help shy students come out of their shell? For the April 30th article with references to distinguished authors and books on the topic see: "Antisocial Networking?" by Hilary Stout.
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In either case, I wasn't overwhelmed with Facebook when I tried it a while back. On the surface it allowed a friend's visit to China to be quickly and easily shared with friends from halfway around the world. Technology always looks good until you can find and evaluate all the hidden costs. Actually I abandoned ship during the first round of Facebook privacy concerns, so I haven't rejoined the revolution... yet. But those of you who are (still) actively working with large organizations - corporations, non-profits, schools or voluntary associations - may find yourself needing to know more about this growing phenomenon from a business and a professional standpoint. I hope the articles will help and keep looking for those hidden costs.
