INTERNET
Virulent Nimda Worm Hits Computers Worldwide (NYT)
Taking Classes To the Masses (WP)
JOURNALISM
Far Conflict Challenges Slimmed-Down Networks (NYT)
WIRELESS
Attacks Renew Calls for 911 System to Locate Cell Phones (WP)
Cellphone Service Contracts, Sales Jump in Wake of Terrorist Attack
(WSJ)
INTERNET
VIRULENT NIMDA WORM HITS COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE
Issue: Internet
A fast-spreading computer worm has corrupted corporate computer networks and
personal computers in an outbreak that could be more widespread and damaging
than the Code Red infections, computer security experts said. Known as
"Nimda," the word "admin" spelled backwards, the worm first appeared in the
United States on Tuesday, and spread to Europe and Asia overnight. U.S.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said that Nimda could prove "heavier" than
the Code Red worm that caused an estimated $2.6 billion in clean-up costs
after outbreaks in July and August. Ashcroft also said that there was no
sign of a link between the infection and the terrorist attacks of last week.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tech-worm.html)
(requires registration)
TAKING CLASSES TO THE MASSES
ISSUE: EdTech
Fathom, a for-profit company started by Columbia University to offer courses
over the Internet - at a cost. To run Fathom, Columbia hired a new-media
executive and persuaded the University of Chicago, the British Museum and
the American Film Institute, among other prestigious institutions, to lend
their names to Fathom. But, Columbia alone put up the money: $30 million. So
far the venture hasn't made back its money, nor torn down the wall around
Ivy League. The venture's first attempt: $500 semester-long courses failed.
So now Fathom is going to offer courses which might take three to five hours
to finish, at about $50. It's been rough going for online colleges.
Seemingly at one time springing up by the dozens, universities are learning
the hard lessons of taking classes to the masses. "I'm not sure this is a
good expenditure or not," says Richard W. Bulliet, a Columbia history
professor and co-chair of a faculty committee that analyzed Fathom earlier
this year. "I'm willing to be persuaded, but I'm not persuaded yet." Thirty
million dollars, after all, could go a long way elsewhere on campus.
[SOURCE: Washington Post Magazine, AUTHOR: Christopher Shea]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/software/12508-1.html)
JOURNALISM
FAR CONFLICT CHALLENGES SLIMMED-DOWN NETWORKS
Issue: Journalism
As scores of journalists around the world scramble to get to Pakistan's
capital, less than a three-hour drive from the Afghan border, American
broadcast news operations are confronting the reality of two decades' worth
of budget cuts in foreign news. Information about the terrorist network
attributed to Osama bin Laden is scattered across a daunting region that the
networks have tended to cover from London. Since the early 90s, the major
networks have been operating with only handful of reporters based overseas.
Even so, network executives say, they are prepared to cover a far- flung
conflict.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Felicity Barringer]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/19/business/media/19MEDI.html)
(requires registration)
WIRELESS
CELLPHONE SERVICE CONTRACTS, SALES JUMP IN WAKE OF TERRORIST ATTACK
Issue: Wireless
National wireless carriers say sales of their services, while difficult to
quantify, have surged since the attacks last Tuesday. Although cellular
service in Manhattan was disrupted severely after the event, many people
used their phones to check on family and friends. And everyone heard reports
of some of the trapped employees and hijack victims using cellphones to call
loved ones as the horrifying events unfolded. The nation's largest wireless
carrier, Verizon Wireless, said it has seen sales jump in the Northeast.
AT&T Wireless Services said sales of its services have increased nationwide,
with the Northeast leading the surge. Some analysts have put out reports
this week predicting the initial jump in sales will continue and lead to a
longer-term boom in cellphone adoption. "Now everyone wants their wives and
kids to have cellphones for security reasons," said Thomas J. Lee, a
managing director at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. "I think that the utility and
importance of having a mobile phone has really been underscored."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Andrea Petersen]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/19/technology/19CELL.html)
(requires registration)
ATTACKS RENEW CALLS FOR 911 SYSTEM TO LOCATE CELL PHONES
ISSUE: Wireless
Against the backdrop of a shattered World Trade Center and emerging urban
legends of victims making a final cell call home, the wireless phone
industry is preparing to miss the deadlne for a national "enhanced 911"
system. The industry is supposed to have some form of "e-911" service up and
running by Oct. 1. But major carriers including Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS
and AT&T Wireless, have told the Federal Communications Commission they will
not be ready because the necessary technology is not available. So far, the
FCC has only granted one of 31 requests to extend the deadline. "It was a
big public safety issue before last week, and it remains an issue," an FCC
official said yesterday. Currently about 30 percent of all 911 calls are now
made from cell phones, according to the National Emergency Number
Association. On balance, even if the system had been in place, it is
questionable what benefit it would have been to rescue workers sifting
through rubble: FCC rule requires the companies be able to fix the location
of a caller within 100 meters. Finding victims in the disaster area required
equipment that could pinpoint a cell-phone signal within a few feet.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (Sept. 16), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern and Yuki
Noguchi]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/telecom/12556-1.html)
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