Tech Talk Radio
March 2003
Sponsored by Stratford University
Saturdays at Noon EST on WMAL NewsTalk Radio
Turn the dial to AM630 or listen on the Internet at ListenLive
It's everything you always wanted to know about computers
and information technology, but were afraid to ask.

     David Burd and Dr. Richard Shurtz, President of Stratford University, host Tech Talk, a program about computers and information technology.
      Links to selected programs are below. All programs are archived in RealAudio format. Just click on the RealAudio link below the date to listen. Older shows are archives as transcript summaries. You can listen live over the Internet by clicking ListenLive during show time.

Show Selected Topics
March 29, 2003
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March 22, 2003
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  • Tech Talk preempted by coverage of the War in Iraq.
March 15, 2003
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  • Information Technology Moves to Into Business
    • Tech Talk Guest: Lavona Suppes, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
    • Business grads must know how to leverage technology to achieve a sustained competitive advantage
    • Learn how to make a business case for technology
      • Return on investment
      • Turn data centers into profit centers
      • Management and Delegation Skills
      • Decision making and leadership skills
      • Understand technology, but speak as a businessman
    • Stratford's Bachelor Degree in Business Administration
  • Bug in Sendmail Fixed This Week (Announcement Delayed by Government)
    • Bug was found in December 2002 by Internet Security Systems
    • They worked with Department of Homeland Security to warn companies and countries while patch was being developed
    • Patch is now widely in place. Exploit announced publicly on Monday
    • Was this the “right” approach?
  • Windows Root Kits May Be More Prevalent Than Thought
    • Most exploits (like SubSeven or Back Oriface 2000) operate at the User Level
    • Root Kit sit between the User and the Operating System
    • Commonly available for Unix/Linux and not common for Windows
      • Mask presence by intercepting calls for files listing, open programs, etc.
      • Also known as kernel mode Trojans
    • Latest Windows Rootkit: Slanret, IERK, or BackdoorALI
    • Others include: NT Rootkit, HE4Hook, Hacker Defender
    • All are available on Rootkit.com
  • Wireless Security Update
    • Tech Talk went War Driving again with the following setup
    • Washington is not doing a good job with security
      • We detected over 160 access points between Vienna (VA) and WMAL
      • Default firewall name (and probably password) found on 55% of all access points
      • Wireless Encyption Protocol (WEP) deployed on only 30%
      • DHCP deployed on most networks so IP addresses were given out to rogue machines
    • Recommended configuration (for at least modest security)
      • Implement Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP)
      • Limit access to network to specific MAC addresses (printed on network card)
      • Change password on firewall from the default value
    • Additional security recommendations (for the paranoid)
      • Use fixed IP addresses rather than DHCP
      • Change the internal address of the firewall from the default value (192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1)
      • Use a VPN for an additional encryption layer
  • Spam’s Cost to Business Escalates
    • Roughly 40% of email traffic is spam
    • Up from 8% in 2001
    • According to Ferris Research, spam will cost organizations $10 billion this year
    • AOL spam filters block 1 billion message per day
  • Alcohol Powered Laptops
    • Toshiba is working on fuel cell for laptops
    • Cell will use 50 cc cartridges of methanol for five hours of power
    • Average output power is 12 Watts with a max output of 20 Watts
    • Should be on the market by 2004
    • Toshiba is working on 10 hour fuel cell
  • Alexandria is top Identity Theft Jurisdiction in Virginia
    • Alexandria reported 114 identify theft cases in 2002 (up from 78 in 2001)
    • 279 cases were reported in Virginia for 2002
    • Alexandria credits a better reporting and tracking system for this distinction
    • Identify theft is usually detected when reviewing a credit report for fraudulent credit card charges
    • Check out the Identity Theft Central Website maintained by Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  • Supreme Court asked to bar Library Internet Filters
    • Free speech is pitted against child protection
    • Ineffectiveness of filters may be a factor
    • Blocking bases on key words is simply too broad and content intent is difficult to screen
  • Mailbag
    • Another spyware program and “de” is Germany
    • Can ProxyConn really speed up my dialup connecton?
    • Why type of computer would you buy?
  • Stratford’s Unique Approach to Education
    • New Program: Computer Workshops for Seniors
    • Features
    • Inverted Curriculum, Learning styles, Competencies
    • Retention and placement rates
    • Next Start March 17th
    • Bachelor Degree, Associates Degrees, Masters Degrees
March 8, 2003
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  • Adaptive Testing Is Now the Norm for Certification and Entrance Exams
    • Tech Talk Guest: Paul Renard, Dean of IT Department
    • How do ataptive test easure knowledge?
    • Most certification and entrance tests are adaptive
    • Different preparation techniques may be required for these tests.
    • How do Stratford students do on the tests?
  • Fed to Begin Background Checks for Air Passengers
    • Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II) will use databases that already operate in line with privacy laws and won’t profile on race,.religion, or ethnicity.
    • The system was ordered by Congress after September 11th
    • Delta Airlines will try it out at three airports starting in March
    • A contractor will be selected soon to build a nationwide network
    • 11 or 19 hijackers were flagged by CAPPS I, but were not searches because the system gave a pass to passengers who did not check their bags.
    • ACLU may challenge systems as a violation of privacy
    • European Commission has agreed to provide on airline passengers embarking in Europe. Data will be contained in the Passenger Name Record (PNR), including Credit Card numbers, dietary requirements, phone numbers, and comments
  • The Digital Battlefield Will be Tested in Iraq
    • Global Positioning System on all vehicles will allow maps to include Blue dots for Friendly and Red Dot for Enemy Vehicles (for a common operating picture). Will be displayed on a digital screen similar to automobile GPS systems
    • Tactical Intranets will permit shared displays. Flanking action drawn on the screen of the commanders vehicle will be instantly transmitted to all other vehicles.
    • RF Tagging of Supply (FedEx like and called Precision Guided Logistics)
    • Upgraded M1A2 Abrams Tanks are equipped with computer, laser designators, and improved IR sights (which can operate as reconnaissance sensors and pass targeting information back to headquarters.
    • All information will be relayed to Pentagon via Satellite for realtime tracking of events.
    • Munitions will be guided by GPS and accurate to within 1 meter
    • Backbone of whole system is a worldwide secure computer network
    • In summary: Key drivers are precision and situational awareness
  • Wagering on War
    • BetOnSports.com allows betting on World Events
    • Site is based on Costa Rica and has a section on World Events (which is now dominated by the Iraqi war)
    • Selected bets
      • How long after the initial attack will the ground attack begin (an attack requires a minimum of 5000 military units)
      • What will Saddams fate be by 06/30/03?
      • Time frame in which the US will begin its attack of Iraq (an attack requires minimum 1000 military units)
      • Odds the US Embassy in Pakistan will be taken by a terrorist group before?
  • Firms Curbing Employee Web Access
    • According to FBI survey, 78% of companies had found that employees abused Internet privileges
    • Firms want to curb usage without being too “big brotherish”
    • Largest Employee Internet Management Software Company is Websense
    • It software contains a database 4.2 million sites
    • Websense has 18,000 customers worldwide including 282 Fortune 500 companies
    • Used to monitor email, surfing. Can limit the number of minutes for surfing or the sites that can be accessed.
    • Chat rooms, eBay, IM are major time burners
    • Web-filtering expected to be an $800 million dollar business
  • Other Technology Tidbits
  • Mailbag
    • What is a zip file and how can I read it?
      • Zip is a file compression technology. To decompress the file (unzipping) you will need the winzip program. Go to www.winzip.com and download the evaluation copy. If you want to create zipped files, you will need to purchase the software for $29.
  • Stratford’s Unique Approach to Education
    • Bachelor Degree, Associates Degrees, Masters Degrees
      • Inverted Curriculum
      • Learning styles
      • Competencies
      • Retention and placement rates
      • Program clusters provide career options
      • Next Start March 17th
    • New Program: Computer Workshops for Seniors
March 1, 2003
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  • DNA Mystery Solved 50 Years Ago
    • DNA (Acronym for deoxyribonucleic acid. It is used to encode genetic information.)
    • Watson and Crick developed the double-helix model for DNA 50 years ago, based on X-ray diffraction data taken by Maurice Wilkins.
      • On 28 February, 1953, Francis Crick walked into the Eagle Pub in Cambridge, UK and announced the discover
      • Later he and Watson would share the Nobel Prize
    • DNA Encodes information in a biological computer program in base 4
      • The nucleotides are composed of a sugar (ribose), phosphate, and one of 4 nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or thymine (T). The sequence of these bases is used to encode the genetic information for building protein.
      • Selected sequence file sizes are shown below.
File Length of selected DNA sequences
Species Type Base Pairs (Mbp) File Size (MB)
Flu 8.83 2.1
Yeast 12.5 2.9
First Plant 140 33
Human 3900 691
Mbp = Million Base Pairs
MB = Megabytes
  • The Great Year 2003 Bug
    • A chain letter being distributed via email last week bizarrely predicted that the Internet will stop working on March 3, 2003 (030303)
    • It is just another chain letter hoax
    • Details
  • End of the Old PC As We Know It
    • For more that 20 years, the PC has relied on the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
      • A small fixed software routine built into a chip on the motherboard
      • Hangover from distant past, when the original PC designers thought the BIOS would only be used on about 250, 000 machines and then retired.
    • Intel is proposing an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) to replace the BIOS
      • EFI is a tiny operating system that will support high-resolution displays, graphical user interface, networking, both local and remote diagnostics.
      • Check out all of the Intel EFI presentations.
  • Spyware And Ad Delivery Software
    • Free software is really not free.
    • It infects your computer with programs that either collect data or bombard you with unwanted advertisements
    • Spyware and Adware have become the scourge for those who like to download and try new programs
    • Steve Gibson created OptOut, a spyware detection program
    • My niece used Kazaa and it really loaded her machine
    • Kazaa Lite has spyware and adware stripped out of it.
    • Biggest Violators (Xzoomy.com, Xupiter Toolbar, Bonzi Buddy, Gator)
    • How to get rid of all those parasites?
  • Culinary Team Building Workshops
    • Latest addition to Stratford's lineup
    • Has already been successfully delivered to business -- both small and large
  • Mailbag
    • Very slow download speed with Cox Internet.
    • Memory upgrade problems
  • Stratford’s Unique Approach to Education
    • Features
      • Inverted Curriculum
      • Learning styles
      • Competencies
      • Retention and placement rates
    • Program clusters provide career options
    • Next Start March 17th
    • Bachelor Degree, Associates Degrees, Masters Degrees
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