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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2006 Intel to Shutter Cambridge Research Center More Britons Say No to Technology Microsoft Says Half of Windows Computers Have Trojans INTEL TO SHUTTER CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH CENTER Intel announced plans to close its research center at Cambridge University as part of a larger effort to cut costs at the company. The center was established three and a half years ago, at which time it was expected to employ about 25 scientists from Intel and a similar number of outside researchers, most of whom would be from the university. The relatively small number of staff, compared to three other Intel research centers in the United States, resulted in comparatively high operating costs. Staff affected by the closure will either be offered the opportunity to seek other work with Intel or be let go. Ian White, chair of the School of Technology, was highly complimentary of the research center and the work done there, saying it would likely have led to important advances. Representatives from the university said they were disappointed by the announcement but that the institution would maintain its long-standing relationship with Intel. The Register, 26 October 2006 http://www.theregister.com/2006/10/26/intel_closing_cambridge/ MORE BRITONS SAY NO TO TECHNOLOGY New research from Point Topic indicates that as many as 44 percent of households in the United Kingdom lack Internet access and that 70 percent of those who do not have access do not intend to get it. This compares to 50 percent in 2005 who said they would not get access. Katja Mueller, chief analyst for Point Topic, said, "As the number of non-access households shrinks, those that are left are increasingly resistant to its appeal." One result of this dynamic, she noted, could be a growing digital divide separating those with access and those without. When asked whether they would be more likely to be connected if financial and skills barriers were eliminated, many Britons still expressed doubt. Emily Turberville-Tully, communication manager for Citizens Online, a nonprofit that investigates issues of technology access, said, "We are finding that people just don't see the relevance [of the Internet] to their lives." Unless those people can be convinced that the Internet will benefit them, they are unlikely to want to be connected, she said. BBC, 26 October 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6085412.stm MICROSOFT SAYS HALF OF WINDOWS COMPUTERS HAVE TROJANS According to data collected by Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool during the first half of 2006, nearly half of the PCs using the tool were infected with a backdoor Trojan, which allows a hacker to remotely manipulate the computer. Such "zombie" machines are used in distributed denial of service attacks, and, according to the company's Security Intelligence Report, "Attackers ... are clearly concentrating a significant amount of development focus on this category of malware." The current estimate of almost 50 percent infection for backdoor Trojans represents a decrease from last year's estimate of 68 percent, but Ross Brown, CEO of eEye Digital Security, said that most consumers remain unaware of the problem. Meanwhile, the incidence of infection by rootkits fell during the same six-month period by 50 percent, according to Microsoft's data. Internet News, 26 October 2006 http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3640216 ***************************************************** 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. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE
