Eudora Users Encouraged to Find Alternative Software (11/16/07)
Effective Oct. 31, Qualcomm no longer supports the e-mail client Eudora. For this reason, an article titled "Eudora E-mail Alternatives" will be made available via the ITS Knowledge Base to assist Eudora users in selecting a new e-mail client to replace the old Eudora software. To view the article go to http://kb.its.psu.edu/psu-all/hd/emailalternatives online. The article contains links to Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail and provides information on configuring a new client with Penn State's e-mail settings. The article also provides instructions on creating a Penn State spam filter, using the Penn State LDAP directory with the new e-mail, and converting existing files/folders and address books from Eudora to a new client.

University offers faculty and graduate students free video research software (11/16/07)
Faculty and graduate students who use video recordings as part of their teaching and research are often faced with challenges when they need to analyze video recordings for activity patterns. To address this, Penn State now offers Studiocode, a video editing and analysis tool. Studiocode allows users to efficiently edit, transcribe, and tag video clips in a single software package. This eliminates the need for using disconnected combinations of video players and multiple word processing and analysis software. Once videos are tagged, users can create custom movies, gather quantitative information about behaviors, and search through tags and transcripts across multiple recordings. Studiocode is free for all university-owned Macintosh computers, including faculty computers and ITS-operated computer labs. Faculty and graduate students are invited to hands-on Studiocode training seminars. The three-hour sessions will be held in 6A Findlay Building during the following times (click on the respective date and time to register for that seminar):

• November 27: 9:00 a.m.-noon
• November 27: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
• November 28: 9:00 a.m.-noon
• November 28: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
• November 29: 9:00 a.m.-noon
• November 29: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
• November 30: 9:00 a.m.-noon

University Launches Fall Take Control Security Contest (11/4/07)
This week, the University launched its fourth annual Take Control security awareness campaign and contest - an effort to increase student, faculty, and staff awareness of computer security dangers such as phishing, spyware, Internet fraud and more. The campaign features an array of eye-grabbing promotional characters to highlight safe Internet conduct when using social networking venues such as blogs, chat, eprofiles, e-mail and instant messaging. This year's contest will offer laptop and iPod prizes, and will feature the theme "Little Did I Know..." to encourage students, faculty, and staff to think about how insecure actions can lead to situations they may regret. All Penn State community members may participate in the contest and learn about secure digital identity practices at http://its.psu.edu/takecontrol/ online.

Penn State Systems Directory is Now Available (10/19/07)
Penn State now has a single online directory that lists all repositories of administrative data, providing easy access to what's new, what's available, and where to go for help. The Information Systems Directory, available at http://ais.its.psu.edu/systemsdirectory, went online October 1, 2007 following review and approval by Penn State security personnel. The Directory contains valuable information about each system and data source, such as contact information, access and security requirements, training opportunities, and direct links to each system. The Directory was created to consolidate and manage the ever-growing information resources developed by Penn State, including tools, applications, and systems as well as vast amounts of institutional data. These resources, in turn, are often used to assist faculty, staff, and students in providing numerous services across the University -- from supporting internal operational needs to assisting in analytical and reporting activities. When additional systems need to be added to the Directory, a department's technical contact person can add the application or the Information Systems Directory team can be called on for assistance. All information will be reviewed prior to release to the Directory. To learn more about the new Directory, contact the Systems Directory team at systemsdirectory@psu.edu. Additional information on ITS Administrative Information Services is available at http://ais.its.psu.edu/.

The Web 2.0 Threat (10/19/07)
Everywhere you turn, people are jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. It's everywhere. There's an allure, a glitziness about it. It's changing the way people and institutions leverage technology to share and manage information - maybe as much as the broad adoption of the World Wide Web did initially, all those years ago. And let's face it - from the purely practical standpoints of information consumption and information management, it can make a lot of sense. more...

Digital Commons media production studios to host open house Oct. 25 (10/19/07)
The Penn State community is invited to an open house of the newly designed and renovated Digital Commons media production studios on the second floor of Pollock Building, University Park on Oct. 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. At University Park, the Digital Commons offers two studios, the Faculty Multimedia Center for faculty and Studio 204 for students. These free facilities, which provide hands-on assistance from experienced multimedia experts, are part of the Digital Commons initiative of Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services. Through the initiative, similar studios will be installed at all Penn State campus locations by 2009, allowing students to enrich their educations through the creation of digital content. Featured at the open house will be four new faculty workstations that are dedicated to the creation of digital media to incorporate into course-related activities. Visitors can tour the newly expanded digital video production studio and digital video editing suite and see the array of equipment available. They will also be able to view examples of past projects produced using Digital Commons facilities. For more information about the Digital Commons initiative, visit http://digitalcommons.psu.edu/ or e-mail digitalcommons@psu.edu.

Penn State Launches New WebMail (10/1/07)
This fall, Penn State will launch an enhanced version of WebMail, that will contain many of the easy-to-use elements that made WebMail Lite so popular during its release in spring 2007. As part of this process, WebMail2 will be eventually phased out and discontinued sometime during the spring 2008 semester. Penn State WebMail was originally designed by Information Technology Services (ITS) as an e-mail reader for traveling, on-the-go users. Since its creation in 2000, Penn State WebMail's usage has experienced an exponential growth rate, and it is now used as a primary e-mail client throughout the entire University community, serving nearly 60,000 users per day. WebMail has undergone significant changes throughout the 2006-07 year in preparation for the fall 2007 semester and beyond. In response to concerns about performance and speed of WebMail2 , a simpler e-mail service called WebMail Lite was developed to better suit and support users with slower network connections. The "Lite" version went into production during the spring 2007 semester. Due to its positive reception, popular features from WebMail2, as well as features received from user feedback were integrated into WebMail Lite. Additional features and enhancements were added for the program's fall release, which is targeted to become Penn State's definitive version of WebMail. WebMail2 will be completely phased out and discontinued sometime during the spring 2008 semester. Though WebMail2 is still available as an option, users are strongly encouraged to choose the larger button/option on WebMail's splash screen at https://webmail.psu.edu/. Anyone who uses WebMail may choose to use either client, as the two are fully compatible. More information and a snapshot of enhancements is available via https://webmail.psu.edu/. Questions and requests for assistance should be directed to ITS Help Desk staff at helpdesk@psu.edu.

Free Technology Tutoring available to faculty at University Park: (10/1/07)
Faculty members at University Park who would like one-on-one tutoring on teaching, learning, and class management tools can apply to have a technology-savvy student help them acquire computer skills on a range of topics through the Technology Learning Assistant (TLA) program. Learn more at http://its.psu.edu/news/story-929

New Testing Center Open House events scheduled for Sept. 28, Oct. 25, and Nov. 13 (10/1/07)
Penn State's new Testing Center, located in the Pollock Building on the University Park campus, will hold several Open House events during the fall semester. They are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. September 28, October 25, and November 13. The Center combines an e-testing lab and the new home for the University's Scanning Operations, previously located in the Rider Building II. Scanning Operations processes paper scan sheets used to capture responses on tests, surveys, or other course assessments. The e-testing lab will be in piloting phase this fall and open for computer-based test administration in spring 2008. The lab space is newly renovated with state-of-the-art technology designed to ensure the highest level of security possible. Open House events will include an overview of submitting course-related scan sheets at Scanning Operations and demonstrations of Testing Center entry procedures, new testing equipment, and security technology. The Testing Center is jointly operated by Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services, and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, a unit of Undergraduate Education. For more information on the Testing Center, please visit http://www.testing.psu.edu/.

RSS Readers: All the News…Right on your Desktop (7/27/07)
Like any modern tech user, I have lots of interests and lots of Websites I like to visit for the latest news. There are the daily news sites that get updated several times a day, archaeology and space science sites that get updated once a week, and then the quirky blogs that get updated whenever. Wouldn’t it be great if I had a tool that told me when each site was updated and what the exact headlines were? Well, there is and it’s called an RSS news reader. more...

SODA to be decommissioned August 1, 2007 (7/13/07)
Information Technology Services (ITS) will decommission the Student Online Development Account (SODA) on August 1, 2007. Due to much larger and free increases in the default allocation for PASS, the SODA is no longer necessary as an account-type offering; in addition, the service has not been requested for at least two years. Prior to August 1, links and references to SODA will be removed from ASET-managed Web pages and documentation. If you refer to/link to SODA information in your online and printed documents, please remove such references by August 1. The process for removing links has begun; however, if you come across any stray links/references on ASET-related pages (http://aset.its.psu.edu/), please send an e-mail notification to asetcomm@psu.edu. Questions or concerns regarding the cessation of this service should be directed to accounts@psu.edu. Staff here can best assist you or direct you to someone who can.

ITS TO RESTRICT RECURSIVE LOOKUPS ON CENTRAL DNS SERVERS JULY 9, 2007 Off-campus machines using non-Penn State networks must take action. (6/19/07)
In an effort to enhance Domain Name Server (DNS) security and improve resource usage on the Penn State Network, ITS will restrict a function called "Recursive DNS lookups" in the University's domain name service on July 9, 2007. As a result, University community members who use off-campus computers on a non-Penn State network will need to use the DNS server settings of their off-campus Internet service provider, in order to be able to access Internet sites outside of the psu.edu domain. Under the new plan, computer users who connect via Comcast, Verizon DSL, or hotel, conference and meeting networks should ensure that their computers are configured to use the off-campus DNS IP settings, rather than the University's DNS settings. This will make it possible for them to continue to visit Web sites that are outside of the Penn State domain, after the July 9 changes take place. To verify whether or not a particular computer is currently configured to use the Penn State DNS servers, go to http://tns.its.psu.edu/hotlinks/recursivedns.html.

Studio 204 to relocate from Pollock Building from July 2 until end of August (6/15/07)
Studio 204, the video production studio for students, will temporarily move its operations out of the Pollock Building beginning July 2 due to scheduled renovations this summer. Studio 204 will reopen in the Pollock Building at the end of August. Students can still find Studio 204 services at the following locations during the temporary Pollock closure:

• 7 Sparks Building - Students can use video and audio editing equipment here, and Studio 204 staff will be available at this location for video production consultation and support Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. No video shooting facilities are available here. This is part of the University Learning Center's Technology Center. More information can be found here: http://www.ulc.psu.edu/techcenter.php.


• Wagner Annex - Students can do video shooting and video editing here as part of Media & Technology Support Services. They can also find project consultation and support at this location. For more information, please see http://www.libraries.psu.edu/mtss/index.html.


• 103 Rackley Building - Students can use video and audio equipment at 103 Rackley Building; however, students will not find any consultation and support for their projects at this location.

ANGEL to be unavailable during upgrade to version 7.1 (5/1/07)
From 6:00 p.m. (EDT) Friday, May 18 to 6:00 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, May 19, Penn State's Course Management System, ANGEL (http://cms.psu.edu/), will be unavailable. During this time period, Information Technology Services (ITS) will be upgrading ANGEL from version 6.3 to version 7.1. ITS regrets any inconvenience this outage may cause. For information on the new features in ANGEL 7.1, visit < http://tlt.its.psu.edu/news/index.html#ANGEL71.

May release of ANGEL 7.1 to provide valuable new features (4/23/07)
On May 19, Information Technology Services (ITS) plans to upgrade Penn State's Course Management System, ANGEL, to version 7.1. The new version will sport a streamlined interface, allow greater customization of course tabs, and provide more convenient ways to access reports on student progress. For more information including training seminar schedules, please visit http://tlt.its.psu.edu/news/index.html#ANGEL71

Penn State Access Account Passwords Set to Expire Annually (1/31/07)
Penn State has recently begun an initiative that will require all Penn State Access Account owners to change their passwords annually. The new password change requirement has been instituted to increase the personal security of Penn State community members and to help protect business, research and academic resources throughout the University. See University implements yearly password change initiative for details about the initiative. Passwords can be changed at any time, but must be changed no later than April 2007. ITS strongly recommends that you change your password before it expires.