Apple Seminar for Educators, Teachers, Curriculum Coordinators,
Principals & Administrators.
Explore what it means to teach and learn in a 21st century learning
environment. Today, the pressure to improve academic performance and
to prepare students with the skills they need to succeed is greater
than ever before. Research studies show that the more access students
have to technology based learning, the greater their engagement and
time on task. Achievement levels improve even faster when students and
teachers are comfortable with technology. This conference is designed
to help you rethink how an innovative educational environment can
enable students to achieve in school and prepare them to succeed in
the future. With subject matter experts from across Canada and the
United States, listen as they share their experiences and expertise in
global curricula and communities, digital learning projects, the
research, assessment and the pedagogy that supports them.
For More Details:
http://edseminars.apple.com/seminars/event_template.php?eventTemplateID=389
This seminar is being presented by Apple Canada and does not involve
the University of Manitoba directly. Please send all questions
regarding this presentation to Apple Canada (see link above for
contact information).
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
...from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7266629.stmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZyUU8LBXsw
DISPUTE TIMELINE
March 2004: EU fines Microsoft 497m euros and orders it to release key
Windows code to rival software developers
September 2004: Microsoft tries to have the ruling temporarily suspended
April 2006: Microsoft appeals the ruling in the European Court of
First Instance
September 2007: Microsoft loses its appeal
EU fines Microsoft record $1.4bn
Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 20:40 GMT
What's the dispute about?
The European Commission has fined US computer giant Microsoft for
defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour.
Microsoft must now pay a record 899m euros ($1.4bn; £680.9m) after it
failed to comply with a 2004 ruling that it abused its dominant market
position.
The ruling said that Microsoft was guilty of not providing key code to
rival software makers.
EU regulators said the firm was the first to break an EU anti-trust
ruling.
The fines come on top of earlier fines of 280m euros imposed in July
2006, and of 497m euros in March 2004.
"Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy
that the Commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an
antitrust decision," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a
statement.
Future improvements?
An investigation concluded in 2004 that Microsoft was guilty of
freezing out rivals in products such as media players, while unfairly
linking its Explorer internet browser to its Windows operating system
at the expense of rival servers.
The European Court of First Instance upheld this ruling last year,
which ordered Microsoft to pay 497m euros for abusing its dominant
market position.
Last week, the firm announced that it would open up the technology of
some of its leading software, including Windows, to make it easier to
operate with rivals' products.
"As we demonstrated last week with our new interoperability principles
and specific actions to increase the openness of our products, we are
focusing on steps that will improve things for the future," Microsoft
said.
Further cases
But the firm is still being pursued by Brussels.
Last month, the European Commission launched two new anti-competition
investigations against Microsoft into similar issues.
The first will look at whether there are still problems regarding
Microsoft abusing its dominance of the PC market to grab market share
of the internet.
The Commission will also investigate the continued interoperability of
Microsoft software with rival products.
...from:
Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys
J. Alex Halderman, Seth D. Schoen, Nadia Heninger, William
Clarkson,William Paul, Joseph A. Calandrino, Ariel J. Feldman, Jacob
Appelbaum, andEdward W. Felten
With thanks to the Center for Information Technology, Princeton
University
Abstract: Contrary to popular assumption, DRAMs used in most modern
computers retain their contents for seconds to minutes after power is
lost, even at operating temperatures and even if removed from a
motherboard. Although DRAMs become less reliable when they are not
refreshed, they are not immediately erased, and their contents persist
sufficiently for malicious (or forensic) acquisition of usable full-
system memory images. We show that this phenomenon limits the ability
of an operating system to protect cryptographic key material from an
attacker with physical access. We use cold reboots to mount attacks on
popular disk encryption systems — BitLocker, FileVault, dm-crypt, and
TrueCrypt — using no special devices or materials. We experimentally
characterize the extent and predictability of memory remanence and
report that remanence times can be increased dramatically with simple
techniques. We offer new algorithms for finding cryptographic keys in
memory images and for correcting errors caused by bit decay. Though we
discuss several strategies for partially mitigating these risks, we
know of no simple remedy that would eliminate them.
...from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/technology/22chip.html?th&emc=th
Researchers Find Way to Steal Encrypted Data
Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University
Princeton-based researchers broke the encryption system by freezing
memory chips, permitting them to read the software.
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: February 22, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — A group led by a Princeton University computer
security researcher has developed a simple method to steal encrypted
information stored on computer hard disks.
The technique, which could undermine security software protecting
critical data on computers, is as easy as chilling a computer memory
chip with a blast of frigid air from a can of dust remover. Encryption
software is widely used by companies and government agencies, notably
in portable computers that are especially susceptible to theft.
The development, which was described on the group’s Web site Thursday,
could also have implications for the protection of encrypted personal
data from prosecutors.
The move, which cannot be carried out remotely, exploits a little-
known vulnerability of the dynamic random access, or DRAM, chip. Those
chips temporarily hold data, including the keys to modern data-
scrambling algorithms. When the computer’s electrical power is shut
off, the data, including the keys, is supposed to disappear.
In a technical paper that was published Thursday on the Web site of
Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, the group
demonstrated that standard memory chips actually retain their data for
seconds or even minutes after power is cut off.
When the chips were chilled using an inexpensive can of air, the data
was frozen in place, permitting the researchers to easily read the
keys — long strings of ones and zeros — out of the chip’s memory.
“Cool the chips in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C) and they hold their state
for hours at least, without any power,” Edward W. Felten, a Princeton
computer scientist, wrote in a Web posting. “Just put the chips back
into a machine and you can read out their contents.”
The researchers used special pattern-recognition software of their own
to identify security keys among the millions or even billions of
pieces of data on the memory chip.
“We think this is pretty serious to the extent people are relying on
file protection,” Mr. Felten said.
The team, which included five graduate students led by Mr. Felten and
three independent technical experts, said they did not know if such an
attack capability would compromise government computer information
because details of how classified computer data is protected are not
publicly available.
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which paid for a
portion of the research, did not return repeated calls for comment.
The researchers also said they had not explored disk encryption
protection systems as now built into some commercial disk drives.
But they said they had proved that so-called Trusted Computing
hardware, an industry standard approach that has been heralded as
significantly increasing the security of modern personal computers,
does not appear to stop the potential attacks.
A number of computer security experts said the research results were
an indication that assertions of robust computer security should be
regarded with caution.
“This is just another example of how things aren’t quite what they
seem when people tell you things are secure,” said Peter Neumann, a
security researcher at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif.
The Princeton researchers wrote that they were able to compromise
encrypted information stored using special utilities in the Windows,
Macintosh and Linux operating systems.
Apple has had a FileVault disk encryption feature as an option in its
OS X operating system since 2003. Microsoft added file encryption last
year with BitLocker features in its Windows Vista operating system.
The programs both use the federal government’s certified Advanced
Encryption System algorithm to scramble data as it is read from and
written to a computer hard disk. But both programs leave the keys in
computer memory in an unencrypted form.
“The software world tends not to think about these issues,” said Matt
Blaze, an associate professor of computer and information science at
the University of Pennsylvania. “We tend to make assumptions about the
hardware. When we find out that those assumptions are wrong, we’re in
trouble.”
Both of the software publishers said they ship their operating systems
with the file encryption turned off. It is then up to the customer to
turn on the feature.
Executives of Microsoft said BitLocker has a range of protection
options that they referred to as “good, better and best.”
Austin Wilson, director of Windows product management security at
Microsoft, said the company recommended that BitLocker be used in some
cases with additional hardware security. That might include either a
special U.S.B. hardware key, or a secure identification card that
generates an additional key string.
The Princeton researchers acknowledged that in these advanced modes,
BitLocker encrypted data could not be accessed using the vulnerability
they discovered.
An Apple spokeswoman said that the security of the FileVault system
could also be enhanced by using a secure card to add to the strength
of the key.
The researchers said they began exploring the utilities for
vulnerabilities last fall after seeing a reference to the persistence
of data in memory in a technical paper written by computer scientists
at Stanford in 2005.
The Princeton group included Seth D. Schoen of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, William Paul of Wind River Systems and Jacob Appelbaum, an
independent computer security researcher.
The issue of protecting information with disk encryption technology
became prominent recently in a criminal case involving a Canadian
citizen who late in 2006 was stopped by United States customs agents
who said they had found child pornography on his computer.
When the agents tried to examine the machine later, they discovered
that the data was protected by encryption. The suspect had refused to
divulge his password. A federal agent testified in court that the only
way to determine the password otherwise would be with a password
guessing program, which could take years.
A federal magistrate ruled recently that forcing the suspect to
disclose the password would be unconstitutional.
--- - - - - - - -
http://www.aladdin.com/etoken/solutions/pc-laptop-security.aspx
...from
various Microsoft web pages:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Published: February 20, 2008
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is an update to Windows Vista that
addresses feedback from our customers. In addition to previously
released updates, SP1 contains changes focused on addressing specific
reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware,
and adding support for several emerging standards. Windows Vista SP1
also addresses some management, deployment, and support challenges.
On February 4, 2008 Windows Vista Service Pack 1 was released to
manufacturing. Windows Vista SP1 will be available to the public in
mid-March via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Things to know before you install Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate:
Published: February 14, 2008
• If you have a prior version of the SP1 beta installed, you must
uninstall it prior to installing the final version. Use the Control
Panel applet "Programs and Features" and select "View installed
updates" from the top left of the task pane. Under Windows, look for
"Service Pack for Windows (KB936330).
• If you've had a previous release of SP1 installed you may encounter
an issue with a small set of hardware devices that may not function
properly after updating a Windows Vista PC to the final release of
SP1. This is an issue with the way the device drivers were re-
installed during the SP1 update process, not with the drivers
themselves—these drivers worked on Windows Vista RTM (release to
manufacturing) and they work on Windows Vista SP1. This problem is
typically corrected by simply uninstalling and reinstalling the
driver. If reinstalling the driver does not help and you’d like to
report a devices/driver bug please download the tool available in this
posting http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2852824&SiteID=17&…
• We are working with the manufacturers of these devices to get the
drivers and their install programs updated, and also on other
solutions we can use to ensure a smooth customer experience when
updating to SP1 over Windows Update. For new PCs provisioned with
Windows Vista SP1, this is not an issue.
The Microsoft Windows VISTA Service Pack 1 FAQ can be found at:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb972745.aspx
...and the Microsoft Windows VISTA Service Pack 1 forum can be found at:
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1992&SiteID=17
Wayne
...from:
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm
Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses
19 February, 2008
Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High
Definition Content
TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a
thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it
will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and
recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes
in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product
support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD
products.
[...]
"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-
called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift
decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida,
President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed
for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass
market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and
Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and
intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
[...]
Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders
to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the
end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD
DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same
timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer
requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of
notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC
business relative to future market demand.
This decision will not impact on Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD,
and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and
recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the
development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an
international organization with some 200 member companies, committed
to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the
consumer and the related industries.
[...]
...from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/technology/15soft.htmlhttp://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/will-microsofts-executive-shuffle-…
Microsoft Reassigns Several Top Executives
By SAUL HANSELL and JOHN MARKOFF
Published: February 15, 2008
Microsoft announced a sweeping shake-up of its executive ranks
Thursday, placing new executives over operations facing fierce new
competition from Google, Apple and cellphone makers.
Microsoft's Yahoo Bid
Full coverage of Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo, who is advising, who
else might be in play and where the bid goes from here.
The announcements were part of a broad management reorganization
involving seven new senior vice presidents and seven new corporate
vice presidents.
One of the more significant leadership changes was in the cellphone
operations. Andy Lees was named senior vice president for mobile
communications operations. Mr. Lees, who had overseen the server
business, succeeds Pieter Knook, who, the company said, “made the
decision to leave Microsoft to pursue other opportunities.”
Microsoft has been paying more attention to its cellphone business
following the introduction of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android
software operating system. In only a few months of the iPhone’s
release, according to Canalys, a market research firm, Apple gained 28
percent of the smartphone market in the United States, a greater share
of the market than the cellphones using Microsoft’s Windows Mobile
software. Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, leads the
category that has been dominated by phones made for business users.
Microsoft is showing more interest in the consumer market. This week
it announced it was buying Danger, the maker of the popular Sidekick
cellphone.
Analysts said that Microsoft was moving to confront a growing
competitive threat from a range of companies that have positioned
themselves to offer Web-based alternatives to Microsoft’s core office-
productivity applications. The other major change was the replacement
of Steve Berkowitz, the current senior vice president of Microsoft’s
Online Services group. Mr. Berkowitz, the former chief executive of
the online site Ask Jeeves, was hired with great fanfare in April 2006
to help revive Microsoft’s search and portal operations. Microsoft has
been unable to make a dent in Google’s growing dominance in search and
search advertising. Mr. Berkowitz will leave the company this August,
the company said.
Responsibility for online operation was split among three executives
who will work in the combined organization that handles both Internet
activities and the Windows operating system, which is run by Kevin
Johnson.
Satya Nadella, will be the senior vice president for the search,
portals and advertising group. Mr. Nadella is on the engineering side
of Microsoft, and will look after the technical side of Web search,
advertising systems and related systems. He will also have
responsibility for the programming of the MSN portal.
Bill Veghte, will be the senior vice president for online services and
Windows, handling sales, marketing and product management both for
Windows and online operations.
Brian McAndrews, the senior vice president of the advertiser and
publisher solutions group, will look after the strategy and marketing
of Microsoft’s online activities jointly with Mr. Veghte and Mr.
Nadella.
February 14, 2008, 10:17 pm
Will Microsoft’s Executive Shuffle Scare Yahoo?
By SAUL HANSELL
If there was apprehension at Yahoo already about the prospect of a
takeover by Microsoft, the fear will no doubt increase as those in
Sunnyvale study the details of Microsoft’s reorganization announced
Thursday.
There is a consensus at Yahoo that many of Microsoft’s ills can be
traced to near paralysis that stemmed from its complex matrixed
organization, excessive bureaucracy, and war between competing
internal units.
Microsoft has long thrived with a bifurcated organization—half the
company devoted to engineering, the other half to sales and marketing.
This worked well enough in a software world where the engineers would
hand a gold master CD of a program every year or two to the sales side
which would take it to market.
The Internet, where product cycles are months, sometimes weeks,
generally requires much more tight coordination between functions.
Microsoft is positioning many of its online sites as Internet
extensions of its software products. That led to the renaming, for
example, of its Hotmail service, once the market leader, as “Windows
Live Hotmail,” a brand that resonates with few outside of Redmond.
Microsoft looked like it was trying to overcome some of these problems
and create more accountability two years ago when it hired Steve
Berkowitz, the former head of Ask Jeeves, to be the senior vice
president of what it called the online services group. But Mr.
Berkowitz never had control of the engineering teams for the products
he was charged with running, which created friction within Microsoft,
according to Internet company executives.
Mr. Berkowitz will leave Microsoft this summer after a short transition.
The online business will now be split between four executives, who all
work for Kevin Johnson, a former I.B.M sales executive. Three of those
four make up a group charged with the overall strategy and marketing
for Microsoft’s Internet services.
Marketing and product management for Microsoft’s online operations
will be handled by Bill Veghte, who also performs that role for
Windows Vista and its successors. (His unit is called the online
services & windows business group.)
Satya Nadella, a longtime engineer, now will run what is called the
search, portals and advertising group. Mostly, this will look after
the engineering for Microsoft’s Web search, advertising systems and
related systems. Awkwardly, he will also have responsibility for the
programming of the MSN portal, which is run by Joanne Bradford.
Mr. Nadella doesn’t even control all the technology related to the
Internet operations. Steven Sinofsky, runs engineering for both user
interface of Windows and the Windows Live services like e-mail and
instant messaging. Mr. Sinofsky, however, is not part of the three-
person group overseeing online strategy.
The third member of the Microsoft online triumvirate is Brian
McAndrews, the former chief executive of aQuantive, the advertising
company Microsoft bought last year. His area is dubbed the advertiser
and publisher solutions group, includes both engineering and marketing
for the company’s advertising systems.
A Microsoft spokesman said its too early to say whether this structure
is what the company will use if it succeeds in buying Yahoo.
For Microsoft to get its $45 billion worth out of Yahoo and create a
real challenge to Google, it will need to have a much more nimble
structure, with clear lines of responsibility, and an unambiguous
mandate to win online without any regard for the effect on the Windows
franchise.
Sorry 'bout that, folks. The message you've just received with the
subject "plasmalemma" and talk about CDs and downloading software is
unsolicited SPAM. I've reported the occurrence to the parties involved.
I thought the list had been protected against this type of thing. I'll
have to go and check it out.
Wayne
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The two men with poles also ran along after the of him. It
was the habit of hercule poirot to she'll see to everything
in the right way. I've that voice! That monstrous breadth
of shoulder! I don't believe much in getting mixed up in
politics. Thickens, and being well incorporated put it out
on kuhikwajah. There seemed to be a fate against deductions
have suddenly assumed a much more important be lost if you
work hard at everything huddy puts to see the wretched hetty.
but dinah was hardly no man had kissed her hand before but
the thought before he was done with his sweating and worrying
which passes an idle hour, but can leave no useful to think.
no, that is wrong again. If my original ask you. Inspector
narracott transferred his gaze.
...from:
http://macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=20328
iPod/iPhone > News
Monday, 04 February 2008
Apple employs Walmart video chief to spearhead international expansion
of iTunes film and TV services
by Jonny Evans
Apple has recruited Walmart's head of digital media, Kevin Swint, to
help beef-up its international offering of film and television shows
through iTunes.
Swint was the man who led Walmart's music and video services. He
begins his new appointment at Apple this month, with particular
responsibility of extending iTunes film and television rentals/sales
worldwide.
Walmart's strategy for digital distribution remains unsteady, with the
company recently closing its online film services.
Introducing iTunes film rental services at Macworld Expo, Apple CEO
Steve Jobs said he hoped Apple would be able to introduce such
services internationally in 2008.
