Current CITE-ings from the Popular and Trade Computing Press
Article Type: Current CITE-ings from the Popular and Trade Computing Press From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 29, Issue 6
This month’s focus is on internet privacy and security. With recent news on vulnerable networks can be such as the case with Iran’s nuclear reactors, WikiLeaks, etc. there is cause for concern. How secure are our university networks? Library systems? And the personal computers we use at work or at home? Do you regularly backup your data? Do you have a recent antivirus program that is kept up to date and run on a regular basis? For libraries, think of all the personal data stored on its computers. A security breach can be devastating. We also take a look at trends in online distance learning that libraries are a part of, internet protocols you may not know about, and some articles on how easy it is to publish your own book and great web sites that will be fun to explore.
Privacy and security
Companies are looking to unify policies regarding security for mobile devices and this article offers several recommendations. Some recommendations for Wi-Fi networks include standardizing on WPA2 (Wi-Fi protected access); using virtual private networks (VPN) in public hotspots; regulating guest access via a portal;having regular scans for unauthorized access points; and unifying mobility teams. With smartphones, it is critical to extend password strength policies and require stronger authentication. Regarding encryption, make it mandatory and specify requirements for over-the-air encryption (Finneran, 2012).
Online tracking is proliferating and is a threat to internet user security and privacy. There are some cookies that follow you around the web. They note your browsing habits and help companies determine appropriate ads. There are solutions to these ads through third party browser add-ons. Three tools are highlighted: AVG Do-Not-Track, Do-Not-Track Plus, and Ghostbury. These are tools that you can use now while the Obama administration and the FTC are looking for tougher online privacy protections (Paul, 2012).
If tracking your usage was not enough, spammers can hi-jack your e-mail account. The common tactic is spoofing your address to get an addressee to open the e-mail because it looks legitimate. According to the author the best advice is to delete the account and start anew (Bradley, 2012).
Facebook is instituting more security protection for its users by teaming up with Microsoft, McAfee, Trend Micon, Sophos, and Symantec. With these antivirus companies, Facebook is blacklisting malicious URLs (Claburn, 2012).
There are some free no-cost security programs for the internet and this article recommends several that can be easily downloaded: AVG Antivirus, AVast Free, Panda Cloud, Avira Free, Microsoft Security, PC Tools Antivirus, and Comodo internet (Mediati, 2012).
Education
Campus Cruiser has a product called Academic Alert, educational software that tracks at-risk students that may drop out. How to contact students is left up to the school. This software helps catch problems early so they can be corrected(CampusCruiser, 2012).
Online learners usually are not traditional college-age students. Now many learning opportunities are focusing on post-graduate studies. A new trend is that traditional universities are now getting into the game, competing against the for-profit universities. The traditional universities do not want to cheapen their brand of education. The traditional entrants are now happy that technology has caught up with what they can offer. USC has found the helpful technologies of broadband networks, videoconferencing systems, webcasts, and live-chat applications have brought quality to their distance learning programs. Traditional universities are focusing on learning experiences that are richer and more interactive (Waters, 2012).
Internet protocols
June 6 was the day when Akamai, AT&T, Facebook, and Google turned on support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). However, in a poll, 38 percent of companies, they say they have no plans to use it. Why switch? Because every device in your network will get an IPv6 address. If you do not switch, your site will lose customers without the upgrade. Dual stacking is an option, however it is a huge project. You will need to get moving, especially if you have customers in Asia (Lientz, 2012).
HTML5 development includes all the tools used in web platforms. These tools are HTTP, TLS, WebSockets, HTML, CSS, SVG, and JavaScript. Also some API’s are included. The World Wide Web Consortium works to achieve broad interoperability stakeholders (Smith, 2012).
For fun
Ever think of publishing your own book? A step-by-step guide to publishing an e-book is provided by this article. First recommended is to prepare your e-book for the three major platforms of Apple, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. ePub is the standard format. Send this document to a formatting service. Create a cover,back cover, and spine. Get an ISBN number from Bowker. Get your financial payment systems in order. Be prepared to charge $9.99. After commissions,expect to make $7.00 a book. Pay close attention to the fine print where it concerns your rights as a seller. You will need to decide whether to protect your book with Digital Rights Management. Promote your book on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest (Null, 2012).
There is a great article that categorizes freebies on the internet by Megan Geuss. There are at least 57 sites to visit. The categories used to organize the freebies are: The Tech-Savy Business Person, The Shopper, The Communicator, The Commuter, The Health Nut, The Entertainment Buff, and The Traveler (Geuss,2012).
Lois Trapasso(Lomar233@hotmail.com) is based at Library Consultant, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, USA.
