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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 Report Predicts Higher IT Spending in Education Sound of Keyboard Clicks Reveals What Is Typed Panasonic Launches Linux Collaboration Center New Wireless Chips Faster than Wi-Fi Networks REPORT PREDICTS HIGHER IT SPENDING IN EDUCATION A new report from research firm Input forecasts rises in state and local spending for IT in education, but only after several more lean years. The report suggests that spending is not likely to increase significantly until 2008, after which education IT could see healthy investment at the state and local levels. Such growth will depend, however, on reining in costs for health care, said James Krouse, author of the report. "For many years now," he said, "health care has picked the pocket of education budget." The problem affects K-12 education more than higher education because colleges and universities typically rely less on public funds and can turn to tuition and fees to meet tight budgets. Overall, Krouse said, it will be a very tough market for the next few years, with "a somewhat...rosy horizon." Federal Computer Week, 13 September 2005 http://www.fcw.com/article90778-09-13-05-Web SOUND OF KEYBOARD CLICKS REVEALS WHAT IS TYPED Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have demonstrated that an audio recording of someone typing on a computer keyboard can reveal with surprising accuracy exactly what they have typed. Using commercially available recording equipment, the researchers captured audio of typing and analyzed the sounds using an algorithm they developed. Because keys make different sounds, the system is able to make educated guesses about what key was pressed in what order. The application then applies some linguistic logic, including spelling and grammar checks, to refine the results. After three rounds of revisions, the application was able to identify 96 percent of the individual characters typed and 88 percent of the words. The application was effective even with background noise, such as music or cell phones ringing. Doug Tygar, UC Berkeley professor of computer science and information management and a principal investigator of the study, said the project should raise concerns about the security risks of such a technology. "If we were able to figure this out," he said, "it's likely that people with less honorable intentions can--or have--as well." ZDNet, 14 September 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5865318.html PANASONIC LAUNCHES LINUX COLLABORATION CENTER Motivated by a desire to foster standardized software architectures, Panasonic has launched a Linux incubator at its Digital Concepts Center, located in San Jose, California. Brad McManus, director of the Digital Concepts Center, said that Panasonic sees much to be gained in developing technologies on standard architectures, which would minimize problems of incompatibility among products. The Linux Collaboration Center will focus primarily on middleware and applications but will also consider projects that address user interfaces and ubiquitous networking. McManus said the new Linux center aims to establish relationships with four or five start-up companies developing consumer electronics. In exchange, Panasonic will have first right of refusal for a portion of the companies' institutional funding. eWeek, 14 September 2005 http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1859036,00.asp NEW WIRELESS CHIPS FASTER THAN WI-FI NETWORKS California-based Airgo Networks has developed new wireless chips that it says are more than four times faster than Wi-Fi technology. The chips are said to be capable of data transfer at rates of 240 megabits per second, compared to 54 megabits per second for Wi-Fi. Greg Raleigh, chief executive of Airgo, said that even with the losses that wireless networks experience, his company's wireless chips will be faster than most wired networks. Craig Mathias of wireless advisory firm Farpoint Group said the announcement is significant because it opens the door to using wireless technology effectively in residential applications. The chips have enough capacity to allow home users to watch multiple HD video transmissions while another user is surfing the Internet. Raleigh developed the technology behind the chips while a student at Stanford University. Other wireless companies are waiting to develop chips using Raleigh's technology, which he calls MIMO OFDM, until the 802.11n standard is set. San Jose Mercury News, 14 September 2005 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/12642293.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 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] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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