 On The Net - Computing News
with Chris Goh
I was introduced to the Internet in 1992, and those first years offered some of the most eye-opening and optimistic places I was fortunate enough to encounter. Then, as the technology became accessible to all, the pioneering and innocence quickly receded.
Recently I was forced to take off my shoes on my sixth attempt to get past the metal detector on a domestic flight to Dubbo. At the same time, a young lady had her tweezers confiscated. It makes you realise how much our society depends on trust to operate. Sharing information requires some level of trust - though some believe that if you're not paranoid, you're naïve. The funny thing is, the people causing mischief online often use their own paranoia as an excuse to generate further distrust.
Nowadays, you've got to be as cautious with your email address as with your home address. Spam experts are stealing people's identities and using them for a range of illegal activities - from spamming to registering your details on not-very-family-oriented sites. Some victims of stolen identities have been bombarded with thousands of hate emails and had their accounts suspended by their ISP. Misrepresentation of identity can even cause professional embarrassment.
What can you do? Educate your children. In the past, youthful misdeeds would eventually reach the ears of mum and dad. Kids need to be able to share their online activities with you.
Set up two email accounts. There are a number of free email providers on the web. Use one for registrations - a contact for companies, and others who need your email, but you don't know. The second address should go to friends, family and others you trust. This way you can significantly cut down spam.
HotNews
Eager Apple users are awaiting the new OS X upgrade, 10.2 (Codename Jaguar). The improvements now include favourite functions previously available in OS 9 but not included in OS X, such as spring loaded folders. There is also seamless integration for Macs into PC networking, with PC files now readily accessible as standard on 10.2.
Microsoft has announced yet again a "critical" security bug in a number of its products. The problem this time is primarily in the Office software - both the 2000 and XP versions, as well as Microsoft Project 2002 and Money 2000-03.
In the Physics labs of Cambridge University, an open source software application has been released that can accurately track your eye movements to determine what you're looking at on the screen. The software has a number of applications, including allowing disabled people to type words and characters without the need of any mechanical assistance. The developers claim the application averages about 25 words per minute with high accuracy.
Electronic gloves developed by our own University of NSW can now translate sign language to words on computer. Auslan (the Australian Sign Language) was used on this occasion as the dictionary and has shown with studies to be fast and very accurate. It will be a fantastic step in supporting our deaf community.
HotSites
- www.dcanr.org.au
- The Deaf Community Association Northern Rivers has supported the local deaf community since 1987. I've always been impressed how this association does so much with so little, with all its members contributing considerable time, resources and most of all warmth in their roles. The website is no exception.
- www.msagentring.org
- There's a growing legion of fans using Microsoft Agent to add character to their Microsoft applications and presentations. To explain it in a nutshell, you can now program or take advantage of programs that use animated characters as part of the programming interface. One example is using your voice recognition software to interface with a character so it responds to your instructions. It's gaining momentum and this site provides a list of animated avatars to download.
- www.knitting-and.com/nitting/allpatterns.html
www.fjsmjs.com/Mary/knitting.htm
- In coming months, I'm going to cover sites that are different. To ease you gently into the idea, here are two sites that will be loved by those who likes to knit or sew.
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