November 16, 2009 - by Dennis Posted under:General
For just about everyone, an internet connection an essential utility, like water running from the tap or electricity when we plug into the wall. Since we have been talking with one of our upstream internet providers recently about a service improvement, we thought it might be interesting to share some of what we do to make sure the University maintains a connection to the internet 24X7X365.25. Problems (you know what we mean) will always happen, so we have two fiber-optic connections from separate providers that enter the campus at two different locations, from different directions. These connections are run to separate buildings, and each has a router and firewall. Should there for any reason be a problem with one connection, we automatically drop that one and run exclusively on the other. This has happened a couple of times in the past year, with no impact on our user community.
When we plan these things, we try to learn from other people's mistakes. When the Minneapolis bridge collapsed over the Mississippi, some large companies and universities lost their internet connection, even though they had two providers: Both providers depended on cable running across that one bridge! (oops)
We have made certain that our service providers have diverse paths to the internet backbone. They neither cross the East River in the same tunnel, nor traverse Long Island sound in the same path. Between them, there is a connection to the internet backbone at two points in NYC, one in White Plains and one in Boston. In short, we spend a great deal of time and energy making sure that all of the AU community can get our research done, connect with friends, keep our web sites available and get to those kitty videos on YouTube :-)
Turns out, we will be here over the Thanksgiving break, working with that provider we mentioned to push even more resiliency into our internet connection! Enjoy the Holiday.
I first downloaded PocketGuitar by developer Shinya Kasatani when it came out about a year ago. I've seen videos of this app in action when it was only available for jailbroken iPhones and I was blown away! I joined Shinya's Google Group and became a Beta Tester for it in the weeks leading up to its official release on the App Store. I was amazed at how closely this app mimicked a real guitar.
As a guitarist I did find that playing actual music with this app took some getting used to (i.e. strumming digital strings as opposed to real steel strings as well as strumming less than an inch away from where my fingers are forming the chords), however PocketGuitar is the closest you'll get to having a real guitar on your iPhone all for less than a dollar.
Aside from the standard 6-string guitar settings (such as alternative tuning modes, and distortion and echo effects), you also switch to Electric Bass mode which will mimic a standard 4-string base (in case you feel like channeling your inner McCartney). Oddly enough, a ukulele mode is also included with this app.
While this app does take some getting used to, it’s a lot of fun once you get your fingers in the right chord formations. Plus it’s a great value at only 99 cents.
Music, movies, games and whatever else you can think of is copyrighted by the author of the work. Unfortunately, that means that downloading materials for which you have not paid may be illegal and a violation of the Adelphi Code of Conduct.
The university receives many copyright infringement notices, which claim that people on our network are using software like Limewire, gnutella, bittorrent, etc. to do just that. The law requires us to investigate each of those complaints and report the findings to appropriate people in the university.
Copyright notices that trace back to students (which is usually the case) are considered Code of Conduct violations ("respect intellectual property"), and they are reported to the student conduct coordinator. When a report traces back to a computer assigned to faculty, administration or staff, it is considered an employment issue and the responsible area director will be notified.
Below is the text of such a notice:
November 03, 2009 Adelphi University 1 South Ave. Garden City, NY 11530
Sir or Madam: I
am contacting you on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) -- the trade association whose member music companies
create, manufacture, and distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate
music sold in the United States.
If you are a university
Internet Service Provider (ISP), you have received this letter because
we have identified a user on your network reproducing or distributing
an unauthorized copy of a copyrighted sound recording. This letter
constitutes notice to you that this user may be liable for infringing
activity occurring on your network. Administrators interested in
receiving fewer notices and learning about the tools available to
schools should visit the "Resources for Colleges & Universities"
section of www.campusdownloading.com.
If you are a university
Internet subscriber (user), you have received this letter because your
Internet account was used to illegally copy and/or distribute
copyrighted music over the Internet through a peer to peer
application.
Distributing copyrighted works on a peer to peer
system is a public activity visible by other users on that network,
including the RIAA. An historic 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision
affirmed that uploading and downloading copyrighted works without the
copyright owner's permission is clearly illegal. You may be liable for
the illegal activity occurring on your computer.
To avoid legal
consequences, a college user should immediately delete and disable
access to the unauthorized music on your computer. Learn how at the
"About Music Copyright Notices" section of www.campusdownloading.com.
That section also contains practical information about:
- How you were identified and why illegal downloading is not anonymous - What next steps to take - Where to get legal music online
We
encourage Internet subscribers to visit the website
www.musicunited.org, which contains valuable information about what is
legal and what is not when it comes to copying music. It also links to
some of the more popular online music services where fans can go to
listen to and/or purchase their favorite songs.
We have attached
below the details of the illegal file-sharing, including the time,
date, and a sampling of the music shared. We assert that the
information in this notice is accurate, based upon the data available
to us. We have a good faith belief that this activity is not
authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. Under
penalty of perjury, we submit that the RIAA is authorized to act on
behalf of its member companies in matters involving the infringement of
their sound recordings, including enforcing their copyrights and common
law rights on the Internet. This letter does not constitute a waiver
of any of our member's rights, and all such rights are expressly
reserved.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you
have any questions, please visit the "About Music Copyright Notices"
section of www.campusdownloading.com.
Sincerely, Jeremy Landis Recording Industry Association of America 1025 F Street, NW, 10th Floor Washington, D.C., 20004 Email: ispnoticefaq@riaa.com Ph: 1-800-838-9775
List of infringing content ------------------------------
Rihanna Don't Stop The Music
-------------------------
INFRINGEMENT DETAIL
--------------------
Infringing Work : Rihanna Don't Stop The Music
Filename : Rihanna - Please Don't Stop The Music.mp3
First found (UTC): 2009-11-02T20:24:34.75Z
Last found (UTC): 2009-11-02T20:24:34.75Z
Filesize : 6944896 bytes
IP Address: 192.160.131.27
IP Port: 4621
Network: Gnutella
Protocol: Gnutella
We will take this information and we will attempt to confirm that a matching data transfer took place, and if so, we will identify the computer that was used.
This is where another important piece of advice comes into play: do not share you password with anyone, for any reason. If you let someone else use your computer to download illegal materials, it will trace back to you, and you will be held accountable.
Did you know that you can check your Adelphi Student email on your iPhone? Well you can! While the set up process is a little more complicated than setting up your personal AOL or Yahoo! email, I will walk through it step-by-step and you will soon be reading emails about group projects and class assignments while enjoying a snack in the Underground Café with friends. Okay—so this may not be the most fun use of your iPhone, but it's still a great way to check your email when away from the computer. Keep in mind that this only works with student and alumni AU Gmail accounts.
Log on to eCampus and click the Email tab. Once you are in your student Gmail account click on the Settings link in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
Once you are on the Settings page click on the tab that reads Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Under the IMAP Access section, make sure that the Enable IMAP button is selected.
Go to the Google Apps Password Reset page and choose a new password. Remember this password since you will be entering it into your iPhone shortly. (Note: This will not change your student email password for eCampus, but since your iPhone doesn't recognize our universal login system, you must use this page to create a special password so your iPhone can access your account).
Pick up your iPhone and launch the Settings icon. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Under Accounts select Add Account. You will then be prompted to choose the kind of email account you want to add. Choose Other and then Add Mail Account.
Under Name, choose a name for your account that’s easy to remember (i.e., My Adelphi Email). Under Address put in your Adelphi email address (username@mail.adelphi.edu). Under Password put in the new password you created in step #3. Press Save to continue.
Under Incoming Mail Server enter the following information: Host Name: imap.gmail.comUser Name: your email address (The Password field should already be filled out for you from the previous step).
Under Incoming Mail Server enter the following information: Host Name: smtp.gmail.comUser Name: your email addressPassword: the password you created in step #3.
Press Save.
You are now all set to receive your Adelphi Student email on your iPhone. For more information visit the Gmail for AU Resources page.
If you have an iPhone then you've no doubt used it to take quick photos with the not-so-great camera. Unfortunately, taking decent pictures with the iPhone takes a steady hand and lots of trial and error. It's certainly not made for high-speed photography.
I recently downloaded Photoshop.com Mobile which is free from Adobe. Not only was I looking for a way to enhance my pictures, but I was intrigued by the prospect of anything with the name "Photoshop" in it costing nothing! I was NOT disappointed.
While this app is merely a very small subset of the more familiar (and expensive) desktop app which is often used to make already thin models look emaciated, it provides basic editing functions that will really make your cell phone-quality photos stand out.
When you first launch Photoshop.com Mobile you will be prompted to either choose an existing image in your iPhone photo roll, or to take a photo right on the spot. Once you have your image, you will have the ability to crop, rotate, or flip it as well as adjust the exposure and tint. You can also apply cool effects such as Pop-Art and Soft Focus. Once satisfied with the edits, you will have the option to either save the picture back to your photo roll (don't worry-it won't overwrite your original), or you can save and upload it to your Photoshop.com account, which, if you don't already have an account for, is a great photo sharing site.
If you're looking to turn your cell phone photos into works of art then Photoshop.com Mobile is worth the free download.
For $0.99, Art (developed by the ADS Software Group) is a must-have for any art student carrying an iPhone or iPod Touch.
When you first launch the app, you will have the biographies and works of 80+ artists at your fingertips.
Clicking on Claude Monet, for example will give you his complete biography (from Wikipedia), as well as 97 thumbnails of his paintings. Clicking on a thumbnail will open it full screen.
You can create your own "gallery" by clicking the star icon on your favorite photos, and you can even test your artistic knowledge by matching randomly displayed paintings with the artist in the included quiz game. Another great feature is called "Most Expensive Art" and it lists the most valuable works and what they were sold for.
Since all of the artwork is located on a remote server, you need to have a web connection to fully utilize this app (either a cell phone signal or wi-fi access). You do, however, have the option of downloading either all the artwork or the artwork of selected artists to your iPhone or iPod Touch, but since it will take up valuable space on your iPhone (up to 1 GB), you're better off using the web connection.
If you're an Art History major, or just someone who loves art, you can't go wrong with Art for the iPhone.
Over the past few weeks, I've been buying the remastered Beatles albums. The sound quality is truly amazing! I was listening to Abbey Road on my way home the other day, and I kept thinking that Ringo was riding shotgun with me!
Anyway, the first thing I do when I get a new CD is rip it to my Mac Book Pro (using iTunes) and sync it with my iPhone. However, with these new Beatles CDs, something was missing... the classic album covers!
Usually, when I download an album from the iTunes Store, it comes with the album artwork. When I rip a CD (or download from a source other than iTunes), I go to "Advanced" in the iTunes menu and select "Get Album Artwork." This magically searches an online database called GraceNote and downloads the album covers. However, since the Beatles music is not yet available for download, neither is their album artwork. This seems to be the case with other albums in my iTunes Library (mostly with Indie music). There is, however, an easy way to get this missing artwork to show up.
Do a Google Image Search for the album you want the artwork for.
Right-click on the image and choose "Copy Image."
Open up iTunes, locate and select all the songs on the album you want to apply the artwork to.
Right click and select "Get Info." A pop-up will appear asking if you want to edit information for multiple items. Click "Yes."
Click in the Artwork box, and press "Control" (or "Command" on a Mac)+"v"
This will apply the album cover to all the songs on the album!
Your password is the one thing that protects your personal information. Adelphi's acceptable use policy requires that you keep your password secret and that you don't share it with anyone. We see too many cases where passwords are abused to do all kinds of nasty things. We see examples returning every year where passwords were shared between roommates or while in a relationship, but are abused when things go bad.
Even when you do not disclose your password, attackers will try to figure out what it is, simply by guessing in a semi-intelligent way. Adelphi's system administrators deflect many of such attacks every day. To help prevent this kind of abuse, we require you to reset your
account if you use an incorrect password too many times in a row.
Stolen passwords are used to steal online identities that can be used to incur expenses, send out malicious email, or do other illegal things. With your password, someone may access your Facebook, Twitter, or IM accounts.
Anything that you do while using equipment that is owned by the University, or that is connected to our network, can be traced back to a computer. Very often, we can also identify whose account was used on that computer and we will hold that user accountable for everything that happened.
When you follow a few simple rules, your online life will be a lot more secure:
Pick strong passwords. Use some strange characters in it, such as ;, #, &, etc. Preferably, use these characters somewhere in the middle of your password.
Pick a password that is a combination of upper-case and lower-case characters
Use different passwords for different purposes. Don't use your Adelphi password for your Facebook account. Pick yet a different password for your banking.
Keep your passwords to yourself.
Nobody at AU will ever ask for your password, your date of birth, your SSN, or any other personal information. Never disclose that kind of stuff, no matter how legitimate the request may seem.
If you suspect abuse of your password, call the IT HelpDesk at x3340
Information security is everyone's responsibility!
Waterslide Extreme by Dare Digital Ltd. may not be the most useful iPhone app, but it's definitely one of the more addictive ones, especially for the enticing price of zero dollars.
The gist of the game is to use the iPhone's Accelerometer to steer your player down a waterslide that winds its way through a city skyline while collecting crystals (and avoiding crabs). The hard part of the game is tilting the iPhone with just enough movement so your player doesn't fall off the slide, plunging to his or her death.
One of the really great things about this game is the fact that you really don't need that much time to really enjoy this game. It's perfect for people with short attention spans since you can stop the game at any time and pick it up later.
It also makes amazing use of the iPhone's 3D capabilities (notice the water droplets that accumulate on the screen).
Waterslide Extreme can be downloaded here for free.
Dennis Bohn has worked at Adelphi for the past decade and is responsible for the Adelphi University data network. He was graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in German, and holds a number of technical certifications. His never-ending goal is to make the network more resilient, more secure and faster. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two dogs and a cat.
Scott Finkelstein is a Web Designer at Adelphi University. When he's not busy straddling the line between Design & Tech, he is on the lookout for new and exciting iPhone Apps, as well as filling up his iPod with obscure bands.
Fred Hicks manages the Network and Systems groups at Adelphi University. He is involved in all aspects of network infrastructure, maintaining server hardware as well as the physical security of the network firewalls and access control.
Fred has over 10 years of hands-on IT experience in network design, systems architecture, and identity management systems. He is continuing his education at Adelphi University in their pre-law bachelor's degree program.
Kees Leune is Adelphi University's information security officer. He holds a Ph.D. in information systems from Tilburg University (The Netherlands) and has several professional certifications. Kees makes regular appearances at industry conferences where he speaks on a variety of topics.
