I'm responding to Jamie Nichols review on a website about hackers. I find the topic of hackers to be intriguing because they are either labeled as good or bad people, depending on what is happening in our world. I visited the website that you suggested and I found an interesting article relating to the Iraq war. It was an article posted on 3-26-03 and it was discussing how hackers are being blamed for shutting down service to a televison station. This television station is Al-Jazeera, which is an ally of the United States located in Qatar, not Iraq. I guess the station had re-played the video of American prisoners being executed and several people were disgusted by this. The next day the station's network was out of service and unavailable to anybody. The blame was put on hackers right away and they have never found out exactly what source caused the outage. After reading this article, I'm interested in hearing your speech on hackers. I have a feeling they either get blamed for a lot of bad situations or don't get any credit for good situations. Good luck on your speech!

www.2600.com

This is the website for 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, a journal all about hackers. I have found it to be a very useful tool in looking at the recent workings of hackers. The news stories are fun and give insight on the most recent hacks as well as the way organizations are trying to stop hackers. I am not able to get into a lot of the more recent hacks in my presentation and think that you should check this site out. I am also including a link to a specific article about Kevin Mitnick, who is a part of my presentation.

On January 21st, Kevin Mitnick accessed the Internet for the first time since 1995. The press was watching eagerly, wondering what this notorious hacker would do first. But in a twist that's hardly surprising, a true mark of the occasion has been what other hackers have done with Mitnick's new electronic presence.

This posting is in response to Lindsay's posting on Huntel Wellness Connection (Ergonomics). I am doing a presentation on ergonomic devices, and I found this site to be very interesting. The Ten Tips for a Good Ergonomic Workstation is particularly interesting because it provides some guidance that may be useful for any computer user. I also enjoyed viewing some of the office prevention exercises from this site. However, most computer users do not have time to do office prevention exercises, so I found the tips on this site to be the most relevant sources. I am curious to hear your presentation, and I believe this site does give some good insight to ergonomics.

Electronic Banking (ebanking)

Electronic Banking, or ebanking, provides electronic and Internet banking and cash management systems for financial institutions and their customers. Whether you are focused on serving the retail, small business, or commercial markets, Electronic Banking can help you meet the needs of the most demanding customer. Our technology maximizes your flexibility, profitability, and return on investment, and it is complemented by industry-leading customer support, including end-user support and consulting and adoption marketing services.
http://www.metavante.com/solutions/ebanking/index.jsp

This is response to Amy's posting on Business Continuity from Sungard. I did not realize companies aided in disaster recovery for computer systems. I looked through the site to find out how these companies aid in disaster recovery. I found one way this is done is by keeping information on a separate server not located near the main server. This makes sense, but probably many companies do not think about until their information is lost. I know I have lost information on my computer several times, I cannot imagine losing the mass amounts of information a large corporation holds. Many businesses backup their systems onsite, but what happens when the onsite facility is destroyed. Sungard is able to assist clients in making the best desicion for their companies. I am interested in hearing more on this type of technology in Amy's presentation.

This posting is in response to Kirsten's posting on technological surveillance in the workplace. I really was not prepared for how informational this website was. I was amazed on just what kind of means can be monitored. At my work our phone calls our monitored, yet it is only by minute usage. I did not know at the time that employers could listen to your phone calls long enough to decided if it is personal or business related. Yet, then it hit me that this is what is being done when I call my insurance company and the recording states that some calls are recorded to for our assurance. It astounded me that employers can, under certain circumstances, even monitor voice mails. I am glad to know that in some cases it is illegal. I did a posting on the Digital Enterprise that relates to your topic. It was about tactics employers use to monitor and whether or not it is ethical. You might want to check out the article that my posting summarizes because it has a well written overview on how some employers are performing "entrapment" monitoring. Anyways, I noticed that the article was more on Federal legislation vs. Colorado legislation. I am looking forward to your speech to know how Illinois accounts for employer monitoring vs. the Feds.

This posting is in response to Michelle's blog on how managers can reduce cumulative trauma in the area of ergonomics. I really do not know much about ergonomics, but your link explained some of the issues from a management standpoint. I found the material interesting but I found myself wondering where this fits in the workplace environment. How many managers realistically have the time to walk around and make sure workers are sitting up straight with their feet flat on the floor and that the keyboard is in adequate position for use? I think that a lot of these issues are very individualized. What may be stressful and uncomfortable to one person is going to be very different from another. I am just wondering how management can be expected to fit the needs ergonomically of every person. I am looking forward to hearing your presentation and I enjoyed the preview your link had to offer on your subject.

Business Continuity from SungardSungard is one of the leading providers of disaster recovery services. In today's world, with businesses relying more and more on advanced technology, what happens if that technology is not available to your business for an extended period of time due to a disaster? How will your business continue to function? There are a number of options available to businesses in order for them to survive disasters and keep their business running and this website provides an excellent source of information.

Technological Surveillance in the Workplace is a website that contains a very thorough overview of electronic monitoring. During the past several years, there has been a growing trend among employers to electronically monitor the actions and performance of their workers. This is a highly controversial issue in a time when monitoring is running rampid throughout the business world. This website cites specific cases involving the different methods of electronic monitoring and gives a good explanation of legal issues surrounding electronic monitoring in the workplace. Furthermore, suggestions are offered for what points an employer should consider before choosing to proceed with some form of employee monitoring.

Huntel Wellness Connection (Ergonomics)
On the right side of the page of this web site, under "Programs and Resources" is the topic of ergonomics. Ergonomics, which is the science of fitting the work environment to the worker, is a "full speed ahead" engine. It encompasses all aspects of our lives, not just our working conditions. Yet, it is our work environment that leads to most grievances associated with muscloskeletal disorders and repetitive motion injuries. Whether or not your employer has an ergonomic agenda, how can you as the employee better protect yourself without investing in costly ergonomically correct equipment? Try evaluating your work station at work and at home. This includes scrutinizing not only your basic computer position, but all of its peripheral elements as well. Or try evaluating yourself. There is a 16-point check list to make you become ergonomically aware of yourself in certain situations. Ergonomics is not a fad but a fact, and employees should take a voluntary role in helping their employer reduce work related stress injuries since it is the employees' health that is a stake.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/elbank.htmElectronic Banking
For many consumers, electronic banking means 24-hour access to cash through an automated teller machine (ATM) or Direct Deposit of paychecks into checking or savings accounts. But electronic banking now involves many different types of transactions.

Electronic banking, also known as electronic fund transfer (EFT), uses computer and electronic technology as a substitute for checks and other paper transactions. EFTs are initiated through devices like cards or codes that let you, or those you authorize, access your account. Many financial institutions use ATM or debit cards and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) for this purpose. Some use other forms of debit cards such as those that require, at the most, your signature or a scan. The federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFT Act) covers some electronic consumer transactions.

How Managers Can Reduce Cumulative Trauma -

onsightergo.com -

There are a number of ergonomic issues that relate specifically to management. Managers have the opportunity to promote conditions that have a lower potential to cause injury, and to identify early signs that someone might be having a problem - then help prevent it from becoming serious. Much of the following is supported by research, some of it is just plain common sense. The quality of the relationship between worker and manager has a great influence on the potential for cumulative trauma injury. Ergonomics researchers doing a study at the San Francisco Chronicle found that with good ergonomics but a poor supervisory relationship, symptoms were more severe. In other words, a poor supervisory relationship - in essence - canceled the beneficial qualities of an ergonomically correct workstation.

Students air opinions on pirating music from the Web - Martha Irvine,
Associated Press


http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/2003/03/21/piracy.html
Downloading music from the Internet has become a favorite Web pastime,
especially among teens and college students. It's free and easy to do,
causing many to turn a blind eye to the fact that the activity also often
violates copyright laws. A recent survey by polling firm Ipsos-Reid, for
example, found that only 9 percent of Americans ages 12 and older who were
questioned see anything wrong with making copies of tunes and sharing them
on the Internet. Major record labels and retail chains have formed competing online music
services that generally charge upwards of $10 a month. But can paid ever
compete with free?

Hello AIS Class. We are going to experiment this semester with blogging. This experiment is related to your presentations. Every student is required to find a minimum of a single web related material to share on this blog...the best of the best would be recommended. I will allow each of you to post a maximum of three materials related to your presentation. I will demo this in class and you are to post the materials by the evening of your presentation. You cannot post the entire article as that is a copyright violation...approximately 10 % of the article material is considered fair use. If you are posting a more commercial web site, then the link and a brief description is advised.
Also be aware that we are publishing in the real world, where anyone can see what is posted. Appropriate social netiquette is expected of all good UIS AIS students as we make our worldwide debut.

California experiment in 'telemedicine' brings health care to rural
areas - LISA RAPAPORT, Sacramento Bee

It once seemed more fiction than science to believe patients in the far
reaches of rural California could be treated by doctors in Sacramento
without traveling miles on end to get care. But after a decade of
experimentation, telemedicine - which uses phones, computers,
videoconferences, diagnostic cameras and a whole host of other gadgets
to link patients in one place to doctors in another - is coming of age
in California. Access to care, always limited in rural California, is getting worse.
The population is growing and aging while hospitals close.

Telemedicine programs pioneered at the University of California-Davis
Medical Center and a handful of other hospitals a decade ago now hold
the promise of bringing vital health care services to a growing number
of rural patients who might otherwise go untreated or wait months for
care. "This is the future of medicine for rural health not just in California
but nationally," said Robert Ross, president and chief executive of the
California Endowment.

The Institutionalization of Hacking Practices - Yuwei Lin, Ubiquity

This research is associated with computer hacking and trying to understand
the impact that hacking has on computing practice and development. This
paper examines the overlap between the hacker community and the open
source community, and issues about innovation, practices and identities
in terms of the cultural dynamics of computer software innovation.