A study by Iowa State University researchers Warren Blumenfeld and Robyn Cooper found about half of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied youths are regular victims of cyberbullying, which causes psychological and emotional distress to victims — producing thoughts of suicide in some who are repeatedly victimized.”
“Allied youth” refers to young people who are openly supportive of LGBT youth.
A Cisco subsidiary offers Internet and networking routers starting at under $50 and those Linksys devices are really good at distributing data around a home or office. But companies that are in the business of distributing data within the Internet infrastructure and between Internet service providers across long distances need to spend a tad bit more for their routers. How does $90,000 grab you?
That’s the starting price of Cisco’s CRS-3 router that it announced Tuesday with great fanfare. The device can deliver a whopping 322 terabits of data. That, according to CEO John Chambers, is 3 times the speed of the company’s existing CRS-1 router and 12 times faster than what the competition offers.
It took a bit of web surfing, but I did find out that CRS stands for Carrier Routing System. As far as I can tell there isn’t a CRS-2 router.
Cisco made a really big deal out of this announcement, claiming in advance that it would “forever change the Internet.” It was a big enough deal for a radio reporter to wake me up at 5:30 AM to talk about it and for me to tune into a webcast announcement at 8:00 AM followed by a 9:00 AM visit from a TV camera crew to so that TV viewers could be filled in about this incredible new development. In retrospect, I wish I had stayed in bed.
Clearly, this is a serious product which, someday, could have a significant impact on the ability for service providers to deliver high speed data. Cisco says that the product is mostly about delivering video, claiming that the routers could make it possible for “every man woman and child in China to make a video call simultaneously.” The company also said that every printed work in the Library of Congress could be downloaded in just over a second and that every movie ever made could be downloaded in less than 4 seconds, which might be really good news for media pirates.
In addition to the vast demands of entertainment and video conferencing, the technology could help play a role in telemedicine and, of course, education. It comes as FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is in the process of rolling out the Obama Administrations’ National Broadband Plan. On Friday, March 12th, Genachowski “will deliver a major policy speech outlining how the new National Broadband Plan will benefit children and families,” according to the FCC.
The Cisco announcement also comes on the heels of Google’s announced plans to build out a high speed fiber network in selected communities across the country. Unlike the Cisco router, the Google networks will deliver that data directly into homes. The Cisco product is really about the backbone plumbing. It’s kind of like a series of freeway interchanges that are necessary to speed traffic between highways but no substitute for local roads.
AT&T Labs chief Keith Cambron appeared with Chambers on the Webcast saying that his company has been testing the device on a 100 gigabit network backbone but he also indicated that it could play a role in the delivery of mobile data. I wonder if it will help out all those iPhone users in San Francisco who are having trouble with their 3G data plans?
As a reasonably heavy consumer of data, I’m all for progress at the infrastructure level. After all, how could I continue to be able to stream my Amazon and Netflix videos if the Internet gets too clogged up to handle all that traffic? It truly is important for companies like Cisco to innovate and keep things moving.
Still, I can’t help feel a little bit used by the company’s PR flacks. “Forever change the Internet” seems like a bit of hyperbole to me and, trust me, I’ve heard plenty of hyperbole after three decades covering technology companies in Silicon Valley.
My biggest problem with the Cisco press conference was trying to stay awake. After two cups of coffee and the anticipating of learning about something incredible, I found myself inundated with technical terms that even I don’t understand.
As talented as Cisco CEO John Chambers may be, he is no match for that other master of overstatement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs too exaggerates but he does it with such flare that you want to believe him even when you know that the product he’s announcing – as good as it might be – can’t possibly be all that good. Still, Jobs does it with infectious enthusiasm that Chamber can’t possibly match.
The new Cisco router will be available late this year. For the few who care, details about the Cisco router are on the company’s website.
by Larry Magid
Two studies released this week shed some light on the issue of bullying and, by implication, cyberbullying. One found that bullying is actually on the decline while the other determined that talking with an adult or a friend was most likely to “make things better.”
Both of these studies were about physical bullying, but there is a very strong link between bullying in the “real world” and cyberbullying. Though there are cases of teens using the Internet or cell phones to harass or bully people they’ve never met, most cyberbullying cases involve kids who know each from the real world, typically from school. In a 2008 study of middle schoolers conducted by Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin, 82 percent said that the person who bullied them is either from their school (26.5 percent), a friend (21.1 percent), an ex-friend (20 percent) or an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend (14.1 percent).
Other studies have shown a strong correlation between cyberbullying and physical bullying which is why two just-released studies on physical bullying are relevant to online bullying as well.
Two IT employees at Pennsylvania’s Lower Merion School District have been put on administrative leave, and pictures taken from Webcams on school-issued computers have been turned over to the local police department, according to the attorney of one of the employees now on leave.
Attorney Charles Mandracchia, who represents school district information coordinator Carol Cafiero, told Philadelphia TV station Fox 29 that that “they had a private Web site for some of these pictures for the Lower Marion Police Department to view and they were the only ones who could view it.”
In February, the family of Blake Robbins, a 15-year-old student at Harriton High School filed a civil complaint in federal court against the district for allegedly using the Webcam on his school-issued laptop to take a photo of the student while he was at home. The district contends that cameras were only activated if a laptop had been reported lost or stolen. The district has since stopped using the tracking software to activate Webcams.
Speaking about his client and Michael Perbix, the other suspended IT staff member, Mandracchia said, “It was their duty to turn on the camera, but they would only do that if they received a request from the two high schools.” He also said the pictures were “taken by the computer itself…every 15 minutes once the computer was open, but it was only supposed to be done if the computer was lost or stolen.”
Marc Neff, the attorney for Perbix, told the TV station, “Every time a tracking device was activated, it was activated at the request of an administrator or another IT person. The district has admitted activating the Webcam tracking system 42 times.
The software used at the time, called LANRev, has since been acquired by Absolute Software, which has changed its name and removed the ability to remotely turn on Webcams. Absolute publishes LoJack for Laptops and Computrace, which can be used to locate stolen laptops but only after a police report has been filed and only by Absolute’s own technicians–not its customers, according to a company spokesperson.
Main Line Media News quoted a district statement that said, “Placing [Cafiero and Perbix] on administrative leave with pay is not a reflection of any wrongdoing on their part. It is a standard, prudent step in an investigation such as this one and it occurred in conjunction with the start of the review process nearly two weeks ago.”
Watch TV Station Fox29′s reports on latest developments in school Webcam spy case
by Larry Magid
Internet filters have been around since the early days of the Web and they can play an important role in preventing young children from accessing inappropriate content. But they’re not a replacement for parental involvements — and they’re not for everyone.
Before installing and configuring a filter, parents need to decide if their child needs to have software controlling how they can use the Internet and, if so, how the filter should be configured.
I don’t recommend routine use of filters for teens, especially high-schoolers. For one thing, there are lots of ways for them to get around filters, including accessing the Web from their cell phones, game consoles or other people’s PCs. And since teens are on a fast path to becoming young adults, it’s better to help them develop the filter that runs between their ears. You can’t protect them forever, so help them learn self-control. Of course, there are always exceptions, and some teens do need extra supervision.
Internet filters have been around since the early days of the Web and they can play an important role in preventing young children from accessing inappropriate content. But they’re not a replacement for parental involvements — and they’re not for everyone.
Before installing and configuring a filter, parents need to decide if their child needs to have software controlling how they can use the Internet and, if so, how the filter should be configured.
I don’t recommend routine use of filters for teens, especially high-schoolers. For one thing, there are lots of ways for them to get around filters, including accessing the Web from their cell phones, game consoles or other people’s PCs. And since teens are on a fast path to becoming young adults, it’s better to help them develop the filter that runs between their ears. You can’t protect them forever, so help them learn self-control. Of course, there are always exceptions, and some teens do need extra supervision.
by Larry Magid
Netbooks have been the rage for the last couple of years for very good reasons. These small laptops, which typically cost between $300 and $400, can do most things most people want to do with a laptop computer yet are cheaper, smaller and lighter than typical laptops.
It’s ironic that smaller machines are now cheaper than bigger laptops. Until a few years ago, users who wanted a small notebook PC would pay a premium. It wasn’t uncommon for machines under three or four pounds to cost two or three times as much as heavier notebook PCs. Netbooks turned the cost/weight equation upside down.
Consider this: For $269.99 (after rebate) you can order a Compaq Mini CQ10 machine that comes with Windows XP, a gigabyte of memory (enough for basic usage) and a 160 GB hard drive, which should be more than enough storage for many people.
The device, which I haven’t tested, has an Intel Atom N270 processor running at 1.60 GHz. I’ve tested similar netbooks from Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Gateway and find them to be adequate for most common tasks, such as Web surfing and e-mail. They’re also OK for viewing Web video, though I wouldn’t rely on such a low-power device to edit video.
The Compaq Mini has a 10.1-inch screen, which is small but big enough to be useful. The keyboard on this and many other netbooks is 92 percent the size of a typical notebook PC keyboard. That doesn’t bother some people but I’m a touch-typist who rarely looks at the
keyboard, and the smaller size bothers me a lot. I can handle it for Web surfing but for word processing or even writing e-mail, I strongly prefer a full-size keyboard.
But one of the good things about netbooks is that they’ve put downward pressure on the pricing of larger and faster notebook PCs.
Bargain notebooks with full-sized keyboards
For example, Lenovo just loaned me a ThinkPad Edge with a 13-inch display and a full-size keyboard. A version with AMD dual-core processor and 2 gigabytes of memory starts at $599. The one they sent me has a 1.3 GHz duo-core Intel processor and 4 GB of memory and sells for $799. It also has 3 USB ports, an HMDI slot so you can plug it into a high-definition TV, and a really good keyboard.
The Edge weighs 3.6 pounds, which is only about 11 ounces heavier than the ThinkPad 301, which costs $2,154 with the same amount of memory. For that price, the 301 comes with a 128 GB solid state drive, which is fast. But the far-cheaper Edge comes with a 320 GB hard drive. If money weren’t an issue, I guess I’d go for the slightly lighter 301. But considering the cost difference, I’d definitely buy the less expensive machine. I’m a fairly demanding road warrior — I carry my machine with me everywhere I go — and I’m certainly happy enough with this model.
On HP’s and Dell’s Web sites, I found plenty of impressive full-featured notebook PCs for under $700. If you need just the basics — and most people will do just fine with that — you can get a well-equipped Dell Inspiron 15 for $379 that comes with a dual-core processor, a CD/DVD burner, 4 GB of memory and a 320 GB hard drive. This machine has everything most PC users would need. At 5.8 pounds, it’s a bit heavy for my tastes, but if you don’t plan to carry it around all day, weight may not matter.
With the exception of netbooks, almost all the laptops I looked at feature Windows 7, which I’ve been using long enough to feel good about. I not only find it easier to use than XP and Vista, but it’s more reliable. Although system crashes still aren’t out of the question, they are infrequent.
Of course, there is that “other” camp, which also has some great laptops. Apple’s MacBook, which starts at $999, is a fine machine. If you want a Mac with same 4 GB of memory and 320 gigabytes of storage you’d get on the $799 Lenovo or the $399 Dell Inspiron 15, you’ll pay $1,149 — and that’s just for a MacBook. If you want the much cooler MacBook Pro with those specifications, it will cost you $1,399.
I’m not deriding the Macintosh, and I realize that some people would never consider buying a computer that doesn’t have an Apple logo on it. But in a tough economy, these low-cost Windows laptops are definitely worth considering.
This article originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News
