[Eli Katz looks at what we're losing when we're just a click away from everything...-Ed.]

In the new zero-delay world of research and searching, we have grown accustomed to satisfying our informational needs instantly. How many people actually go to a library or reference book when they can find what they need in the blink of an eye on any popular search engine? While this new era of easily-accessible info has leveled the playing field for many, it also may have impaired our ability to expand our knowledge through trial and error. You don’t have to read through half a book anymore to find exactly what you need. With the ability to Ctrl-F a page on the Internet, you don’t even need to read the whole article. The Cliffs Notes technique even explains how to get the best results from millions of pages on a specific topic.

Read the rest of this entry »

[There's war afoot--internet war, that is (not that there isn't plenty of the regular kind too...)! Comm. techie Eli Katz explains all. -Ed.]

Walking around campus the last few weeks, it’s hard not to hear people talking about the election, ROTC and registering to vote. But another, arguably more important, event took place this month; the launch of Google Chrome Beta.

With the (premature) launch, Google has just entered into the heart of the Browser Wars and they made quite an impact. I should first point out, for disclaimer purposes; I am a huge fan of Google. Not just because of their search engine in “Pirate”, last year’s Gmail Paper or even Google MentalPlex, but because of the simplicity of possibly the most used internet tool in the world. In addition, Google has come out with a host of information gizmos that are useful and FREE!

With Google Chrome, the focus of the “computer-experience” has continued the shift away from the operating system and towards the emerging “all-purpose” browser. This is a simple but powerful change in thinking. It makes sense since we today we use the browser for everything from shopping to word-processing.

Read the rest of this entry »

['Cuz you're not. Fresh from the One More Thing to Worry About Department is Comm. tech correspondent Eli Katz's conclusion that no one is safe. -Ed.]

Right about now, all around the US and the world, ordinary, kind, and suspecting victims are surfing the Internet, sending into cyberspace (and by extension the real world) personal and compromising information.

Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Wasn’t it you, who just yesterday logged on to check your bank account? Didn’t you buy that new outfit on Amazon by entering your credit-card number? It is harder for under-age kids to buy cigarettes than it is for them to enter their SSN, birthday, and address on a digital college application. There are endless amounts of examples but the point is clear.

We, as a civilization, are more vulnerable to theft and fraud than perhaps any other time in human history and instead of major online sites working to improve our protection, in our infinite wisdom we have decided to make it easier to have our data ripped off. Bring on the era of the “Single Sign-in”. It’s not enough that people are still using the good old “123456” and “PASSWORD1”, now we can handle all our sensitive information from behind just one simple word mixed with a few familiar numbers. Re-set questions are also another vulnerable area. Think how easy it would be to find your mother’s maiden name in public records. A better system would be to rely on multiple questions that are derived from your personal preference.

Read the rest of this entry »