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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2003 Study Shows Improved Visual Perception from Video Games RealNetworks Lowers the Bar for Per-Song Download Price AND College Course on Writing Viruses Raises Objections Howard University to Build Genetics Database Bertelsmann Sells Academic Publishing Unit Microsoft Adjusts Software Licensing Plan STUDY SHOWS IMPROVED VISUAL PERCEPTION FROM VIDEO GAMES A study conducted at the University of Rochester indicates that playing high-action video games can increase a person's performance on a range of visual tests. The tests included locating the position of a blinking object, counting simultaneous objects on a screen, and identifying the color of an alphabet letter. In the study, subjects who spent several months regularly playing action video games consistently performed better on the tests than those who did not play the games. The study did not address the question of how violence in video games influences those who play them. The authors of the study said the results suggest that such video games could be beneficial to people with visual impairments or to soldiers training for combat. Military experts confirmed the latter notion, saying that soldiers who have spent many years playing action video games are often better at certain combat skills, such as operating long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. Wall Street Journal, 28 May 2003 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105413319494664400,00.html REALNETWORKS LOWERS THE BAR FOR PER-SONG DOWNLOAD PRICE Not long after Apple Computer's new music service went online selling songs for 99 cents each, RealNetworks announced that its new Rhapsody music service would charge just 79 cents per song. Rhapsody is based on the Listen.com service, which RealNetworks acquired last month. According to RealNetworks's Dan Sheeran, users who subscribe to the service for $9.95 per month will be able to download songs for the 79-cent price. Sheeran said the revenues from subscriptions will allow the service to run at a profit. By comparison, Apple's service is available to anyone with a Mac, without a monthly subscription fee. Subscribers to the Rhapsody service will be allowed unlimited downloads and can burn any downloaded songs to CDs. Internet News, 28 May 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/2213011 AND ***************************************************** COLLEGE COURSE ON WRITING VIRUSES RAISES OBJECTIONS A new virus-writing course planned for the University of Calgary this fall has some complaining that the university is taking a bad step. Students in "Computer Viruses and Malware" will write their own viruses as well as antivirus applications to fight them, in what Ken Barker, the head of the school's computer science department, sees as an ideal way to learn about viruses and how to stop them. Fred Cohen of the University of New Haven, who taught a similar class, agrees with Barker, though he warned of the danger of student-created viruses getting outside the classroom. David Perry of antivirus software maker Trend Micro, however, said the idea is a bad one. He said most malicious code is not very sophisticated and that those who write viruses are generally not good programmers. Jan Hruska, co-CEO of antivirus software maker Sophos, agreed, saying that the skills to write antivirus software are extremely different from those required to write viruses. "Don't bother applying for a job at Sophos if you have written viruses," he said, "because you will be turned away." ZDNet, 28 May 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-1010538.html HOWARD UNIVERSITY TO BUILD GENETICS DATABASE Citing the possibility for significantly improving health care for blacks, officials at Howard University this week announced the creation of a genetics database culled from laboratory samples collected from 25,000 African American patients at Howard University Hospital. All information in the database would be kept confidential from groups such as life insurance companies. Officials at the university noted that blacks have generally not participated in large-scale medical research, despite suffering from some diseases at much higher rates than other racial groups. Some observers questioned the potential value of such a database and expressed concern that the project would serve to exacerbate racial stereotypes or attitudes. Troy Duster of New York University argued that health issues among a certain population are at least as likely to be influenced by social factors, such as lifestyle and environment, as by genetic factors. Washington Post, 28 May 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46122-2003May27.html BERTELSMANN SELLS ACADEMIC PUBLISHING UNIT Bertelsmann has announced the sale of its academic publishing group, BertelsmannSpringer, to two firms, Candover and Cinven, which last year purchased Kluwer Academic Publishers. The two publishing groups will be merged to form a new company, called Springer, that will control an estimated 10 percent of the academic publishing market. Springer will be larger than publishers such as Wiley, Blackwell Publishing, and Taylor & Francis, though Elsevier Science will remain the largest, with approximately 25 percent of the market. Observers said that since Bertelsmann bought Springer-Verlag in 1999, creating BertelsmannSpringer, the parent company has not made promised investments in the publishing group and that the Springer management is probably pleased about the sale to Candover and Cinven. Indeed, a spokesperson from BertelsmannSpringer said, "[I]t is good that we are moving from Bertelsmann, where we were not part of the core business, to a new owner where we will be." Information Today, 27 May 2003 http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb030527-1.shtml MICROSOFT ADJUSTS SOFTWARE LICENSING PLAN Responding to continued customer complaints about its software licensing program, Microsoft has added a range of services to the program. Beginning this fall, customers of the company's Software Assurance program will have access to online training, extended customer phone and Web support, and Microsoft's bug-tracking service, TechNet. In addition, customers will be able to use Microsoft Office on their home computers. Many customers complained when the Software Assurance program was initiated, saying they would end up paying more than under the pay-as-you-go model. Microsoft argues that for companies that upgrade software within three and a half years, the program will save them money. Still, Microsoft hopes that by adding services to the program, customers will feel better about the expense and that salespeople will have an easier time selling the product. CNET, 27 May 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1012_3-1010162.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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