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The Newsletter of the Department of Computer and
Telecommunication Services (CATS)
Tools for Outlook Web Access
Add-ons available
Some additional tools are now available for users of Outlook Web Access,
the web version of the College’s standard email client.
These tools include a spell checker, the ability to check the size of
your mail folders, a signature tool, and enhanced addressing functions.
See the page at
http://www.oneonta.edu/mail for a quick guide to the installation
and use of the Outlook Web Access Plus Pack.
Live from Mars
Website provides latest information
With the landing of the Spirit Rover on Mars, and the upcoming landing
of its twin on January 24th, lots of exciting new images and discoveries
will be available every day from NASA.
See the Mars Exploration Rover site at
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
for the results of each day’s exploration.
More compact storage
USB flash drives make files more portable
The days of using floppy discs are just about gone. Another reason why
has been the recent appearance of USB flash drive storage. About the
size of a pack of gum, these devices just plug straight into your
computer’s USB port and appear as just another disk drive for storing
files.
A USB Flash Storage Device – Life Size
Like all computer technology, these devices are getting cheaper all
the time. A128 Megabyte unit costs $50, 256 MB can be had for around a
hundred, and for those people who want it all, a gigabyte (1000
megabytes) is $400. It seems likely that this kind of storage (very
small, with no moving parts and very little power requirement) will soon
outdo the traditional hard drive.
You can find out more about flash storage at
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/sans/news/article.php/3293191.
Personal Use of College Phones
The College has had clear policies on the use of its telephone system
since 1992. See the full policy at
http://www.oneonta.edu/admin/telecomm/personal_use_phone.asp.
Information Security
Dealing with unneeded storage media
We all store potentially sensitive information on our computers, and
sometimes we don’t consider how it might land in the wrong hands. Paper
with confidential information gets shredded, but often computer storage
media just get tossed in the garbage can – completely readable. There
have been cases of disposed floppy disks, compact disks and even junked
computers giving up their secrets to enterprising individuals with the
time to sort through all the ordinary files. Also, don’t forget that
deleting files from a floppy disk or a hard drive doesn’t actually
remove them from the disk. Someone with the right software tools can
easily recover data you’d just as soon not be public.
When the college surpluses computers, computer services uses disk wipe
utilities to ensure that hard drives are cleaned beyond recovery, but
this of course doesn’t apply to your home machines or any portable disk
you may throw out.
The best way to make floppy disks unreadable is to physically destroy
them. Break the plastic case open and cut up the magnetic disk inside.
Compact Discs are easy to wreck, too. Take a sharp object like a pair of
scissors and scratch up the bottom surface (the data side) thoroughly.
Don’t cut yourself.
If you are getting rid of an entire computer (donating it to a
charitable organization, selling it or even just trashing it) you should
download and run a disk-wipe utility like Eraser (available for free
from http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/)
to make absolutely sure that your information is not recoverable.
Speaking of trash, don’t toss that computer in the dumpster! Apart from
the fact that most computers are loaded with all kinds of toxic goodies
that we don’t need in our drinking water, your obsolete hardware could
actually do somebody some good. There are many local human service
agencies that would be glad to accept the donation of functional
computer hardware.
If it’s completely busted, though, the best choice locally is Edison
Computers in Oneonta – they disassemble and completely recycle
computers, monitors and printers. See their recycling information page
at
http://www.edisoncomputers.8m.com/electrecyc.html. This is a much
better choice for the environment than a landfill or an overseas
river-side “recycling center”. See the report at
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/25/computer-waste.htm for
a sense of the magnitude of this problem.
Edison deals directly with U.S. metals refiners and hazardous-materials
companies to recycle computer hardware, and is licensed to do so by the
New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
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