June 2005 Archives

Today, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI gave the pallium, a yoke made of wool, to the newest metropolitan archbishops. This symbol of jursidiction, Pope Benedict XVI said, is an expression of their common responsibility before the "Arch-Shepherd" Jesus Christ.

Also at this Mass was a delegation from the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. The Pope asked them, and us, to not look at each other from the view of what divides us, but rather look at each other from what we share. We are divided, all in all, on the question of the authority of the Pope, the Petrine ministry. Beyond that, we share succession from the apostles, the faith from Scriptures and the great Councils and the valid priesthood and sacraments.

I wonder what roads Pope Benedict XVI will make in the next few years on the unity between our two dimensions of the Christian way.

Even if we still do not agree on the question of the interpretation and of the capacity of the Petrine ministry, we are however together in the apostolic succession, we are profoundly united with the others by the episcopal ministry and by the sacrament of the priesthood and we confess together the faith of the apostles as it is given in Scripture and as it is interpreted in the great Councils.

In this hour of the world, full of skepticism and doubts but rich in the desire for God, we acknowledge again our common mission to witness together Christ the Lord and, on the basis of that unity that is already given to us, to help the world believe. And we entreat the Lord with all our heart to guide us to full unity so that the splendor of the truth, which alone can create unity, will again become visible in the world.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]

Another assignment for my i312 course.

The short animated film explained the basic process of data transfer over a network and the Internet.

First and foremost, I learned that data packets are boxy little devices that are routed by robotic arms and moving platforms. In all seriousness, the process of data transfer across a local area network is a complex one that errors frequently; however, the system has been programmed to compensate to ensure the valid transfer of data. While it can be easy to think that the connection is as simple as a circuit-based system, like standard telephone systems, computer networks are designed to be better able to handle a much higher data load.

Systems are designed to check for security breaches at multiple points on the transfer path. The proxy, the firewall, the switches and routers are all able, in their own way, to check the packet for proper "security clearance". There is no single device that needs to be a security guard for the network.

The network has to be incredibly fast. The process that was explained in a twelve-minute production happens in fractions of a second. For a data packet of 32 bytes to reach the blogger.com site takes sixty-five milliseconds. Technology's ability to stream video to our computers in real-time is a testimony to overall ability and accuracy of the system.

The short film was an informative look at the workings of data sharing across a network that would be educational for anyone not of a computer background.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]

Below is another reflection for my i312 course. This one concerned a documentary about the origin of the Internet.

The documentary was very informative, detailing the origins of the Internet. The Internet was created by an organic process that found inspiration in random places.

One theme of the documentary was the organic nature of the development of the Internet. For example, e-mail and the World Wide Web were both "killer apps" that were never foreseen by the original scope of the project. The beauty of ARPANET, and now the Internet, was that it only outlined a foundation for other projects to flow across it. New protocols and new technologies can be developed and implemented with little change, if any, to the original network design.

Another theme highlighted by the work was the origin of ideas for this new technology. Between a study of mice influencing the packet to a post office being a model of a node, this "new" network is simply a revolution of current thought. The theories of the distributed network were found outside the new technological world.

Lastly, the most interesting point of reflection while watching the piece was the government interaction. The government, via a $1,000,000 original budget, had set the framework for the network that virtually everyone in the academic community uses everyday. The actual development of the network was organic, without real government interference or guidance. However, even with all of that, an act of Congress was still required to actually make the technology something useful to everyone. The act that allowed public access to the network is probably the most interference the government has ever truly exhibited in the execution of this technology, short of the original charter, and it was the most needed.

Where the Gutenberg printing press was the instrument that ushered in the first "information age", the old ARPANET (which from my server logs, still operates in some form) was the Gutenberg network of the technological information age. The next question is where this network will will take us from here. Will these same basic technologies guide information sharing for the next 25 or 50 years? Will there be a new ARPANET-style program that equally reforms the way we think about information management? If the organic nature of ARPANET is any indication, it is up to us to figure it out.

There is about a week left to participate in this survey; the larger the sample, the more accurate it will be.

Bapchule Bound 2005, the summer mission trip that I coordinated along with Vanessa Gonzalez and Stephanie Elliott, is now complete. Over the next few days, I'll go into more depth and reflection, but for now, it was an amazing trip. We had over 200 kids in either VBS or the Jr/Sr. High retreat- an all-time high. We only had about 30 staff.

It worked wonderfully.

Stay tuned for the Bapchule Bound 2005 reflection series.

I was in Oklahoma last week checking out the Blanchard Relay for Life. While there, they had hotdogs and remembering this grand quest of mine, I asked someone connected to the event to try to sneak me one.

She couldn't and so I didn't get a hotdog there. But, there was a Sonic's down the street so I went corporate.

The best part about this hot dog was not the hot dog itself. I bought it on my way out of town (and thus out of state). While driving down US 62 towards I-44, I pondered how would be the best way to eat this chili-cheese hot dog while driving. I turn onto the I-44 on-ramp and see a toll booth in front of me. It's automated requiring exact change, something I was not sure if I had. I stopped, backed onto the grass. While Christy and I searched for change, the timing seemed too much like fate to ignore.

I couldn't find the fork that the usually put with these hot dogs. Without fear, I went for that hot dog without a fork. Soon, there was no doubt that real men don't need forks. Another state's hot dog was no more.

Then, I found the fork in the bottom of the bag.

At this point, we found the 25 cents we needed after digging through bags and change bins. We pull back onto the service road, deposit our two dimes and a nickel and never looked back.

Well, until the next day when we made the drive again. That's a different story...

Well, the cat is out of the bag now. In Today's Austin American-Statesman's Metro section, an article discusses Player's fight against UT's efforts to claim their land. UT is intending on using Player's for a parking garage.

Michael and I have started working on a student movement aspect of Player's efforts. We had talked to the owner and I threw up a quick splash page on saveplayers.com. We were mentioned in that article.

Now, there's a hellstorm of media coverage being thrown our way. Tomorrow morning, I'm booked to be on the Bobby Bones morning show on 96.7 KISS FM at 8:45 a.m. His producer sent me an e-mail today and I left him a voicemail. I figure I'm not actually booked until I hear back from him.

The site, which we planned to release in August, was not ready at all for this kind of coverage. By 10 a.m., we put up an online petition and within the last hour, I splashed a little color on the site. I'll add pictures in the next day or so.

The last time I ran a log check at 1 p.m., saveplayers.com had over 700 hits for the day. The online petition has just under 200 names.

Feel free to sign the online petition at saveplayers.com or the paper version at Player's by the register.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]

Do you intend to change any of your current behaviors regarding your personal information as the result of what you have learned? Why or why not?

For the most part, no. I already use a spam-friendly e-mail address for public postings and do what I can to restrict information being offered by my computer. I have recently refrained where I could from posting on massive public websites, unless I really had something worth saying to say. (That's good manners as well as good privacy!) I generally don't mind if the information I release online is spread to wherever and I've been mindful of the information I wish to keep quiet. I will, however, start checking browser settings on some of the various computers I use often to ensure they meet my standards.

What kind of policy does UT have toward student directory information? Do you think this is a good policy? Why or why not?

The information is public and the University allows it to be access by a wide-range of applications (web, LDAP, finger, etc) in addition to standard (read: old) paper directory requests. For the most part, I think this is a good policy; however, I would suggest adding a UT-EID login before web access. At an university with so many people, we encounter many once and could never see them again in person. With this ability, if I run into someone in class and exchange names, I am able to find that person's e-mail address and contact them. In an academic community, I think that ability is important to enhance the community aspect of it. I mention the UT-EID login since right now anyone anywhere can access the information with ease. With LDAP and other methods, it's not quite so effortless so EID authentication isn't that important to me. With WWW access, however, having the UT-EID would deter non-UT subjects from abusing the system. I do not think the system should be role-specific though, that is I would not want to limit the directory to people with UT-EIDs who are also classified as students or staff, etc. A prospective student or job applicant or retired staff or graduated student have a vested interest in accessing some of that information.

What do you think are the two most important things you can do to protect your online privacy? Why do you think these are the most important?

First, be very careful what information you release where. Just because a site asks for your phone number, that doesn't mean you should give it to them. Treat your e-mail address like a private telephone number. Have a throw-away account to give to questionable sites.

Second, avoid applications that have security holes or flaws and related links. For example, using Internet Explorer pre-SP2 and clicking on a flashy banner ad, in many cases, would lead to some sort of spyware being installed on your computer. Not only would that leave you open to your online idenity, they could have access to many important and private information on your home computer. (Note: I have not explored IE with SP2 so I don't want to knock the app unless I have personal experience to do so!)

If you're careful about releasing information yourself and not doing insecure actions using insecure programs, most security and privacy issues take care of itself.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]

According to Professor Elizabeth Lawley, it is almost standard practice for employers to do a Web search on job applicants. Assuming she is correct, what would a potential employer find out about you?

• Is your online presence an accurate reflection of the person you are? (and is that the person you want recruiters to know?)
• Do you think that blogs will play an increasingly important role in job searching and recruiting?

I have a very heavy online presence between various postings I have made posts to large sites and my own network of sites. If someone were to read the entries on my site, I believe they would get a solid and accurate impression of who I am and what my interests are. Is that the person I want recruiters to know? All-in-all, yes. Every so often, I let myself go onto something personal on the site, the vast majority of the text is simply what I am interested in.

Blogs and other personal websites will have to play an increasingly important role in job searching and recruiting. Companies have to start looking at these communication avenues as very important-and powerful- means of information-sharing. As more and more people develop weblogs, the less importance a resume should have. While very important and very reflective of their past, weblogs allow you to find out more about a person's spirit and general attitude. For many smaller companies wishing to keep themselves fresh and vibrate, this is important.

In regards to finding a job, blogs are incredibly important. When I am looking into a company, both to do business with them or for any job options, I try to find a blog or two from a company employee. If no one enjoys working there (i.e. Office Space), then why would I? If the employees don't care about their product, why would I want to buy it?

The 21st Century is when the information era will really happen. The ability to share information of all different types and levels is required for the next step. This means resumes and formal documents, while important, will be augmented by personal expression. These new "profiles" of people and companies will be what is used to make the divide between employee grunts and exec's smaller, the divide between big corporate America and small-town individual smaller. Blogging, and the corporate use of it, is a key part of making us truly one community.

This is just a sandbox post to play with some new plugins I'm trying out on the site.

I added a location plugin that adds the "from [location]" as part of the "posted" information after each post. If you click on the location, geourl will return with various websites that are located near me.

I also added a plugin that will make linking to my photo gallery easier (hence the picture to the right). This provides no additional function to you as a viewer; however, it makes my life easier.

I will be testing a plugin that would allow me to submit and publish posts via e-mail. Roll-out is expected in two weeks.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]
A couple of nights ago, I attended my first "virtual class" for INF 312. The professor spoke to the students through a live video feed (either Real or Quicktime). The students interacted with each other and the professor by using a chat client. In this case, we used Blackboard's built-in Java applet.

While in class, I asked myself why does the University maintain 500-seat lecture halls? Which is better: the backrow of WEL 2.224 or a streaming video feed of the same thing?

The Internet and related technology is transforming the way we do things. At first, a website was simply a brochure for a company telling the world "we have this awesome product. Now go to our brick-and-mortar storefront or call us to get one!" For a business to succeed now, they must be integrated fully to the online world. If you can't order something off of a company's website, there is a problem. Which companies will survive the longest? The ones that not only use the Internet, but the ones that embrace the Internet. The ones that use it in order to decrease the effort and expense of information flow while enhancing the content of that information.

As strokes from the same brush, education is moving that same direction. No one would argue that registration is better, both in practice and in theory, now than 10 years ago. When my brother graduated in 1995, he told me of going to Gregory or the Erwin Center with a registration card and waiting in line to talk to a registrar. If he needed to add/drop a class, a very similar process had to be done as well.

Now, the practice of registration has adapted to the new technology. Students now register for classes at home in five minutes. We are advancing the theory of registering by adding a waitlist system. You are no longer limited to a class being simply open or closed. What is the next step? How will class registration change in the next ten years?

In many classes and on many campuses, classes are still taught the same way they were one hundred years ago. For a seminar class of fifteen students, that's fine. For a survey course of 500, why are we limiting ourselves to that?

The greatest benefit of technological advance is the ability to share information with ease. With language, we gained the ability to speak to each other and share information. With the written word, we were able to write them down for someone else to find the information later. With the printing press, we were able to share that information at a rate unheard of previously. With newspapers, radio and television, we have found ways to bring words, voice and sight of information to mass markets. With the Internet, we combine all of those things.

The information is indexed like never before. In 1985, if you wanted to know what time your favorite rerun came on, you picked up a TV Guide and flipped through the pages trying to simply spot it. In 2004, all we do is access one of many websites and type the show we wish to watch. Instantly, we know every channel and time in the next month that show is on.

At the library in 1985, you would have to visit and search through a card catalog. In 1995, you could visit a terminal at the library and search the card catalog using a computer. If you were lucky, you might be able to search at home. In 2005, the entire content of a book is indexed and searchable. In 2015, how many of our books will exist only in a digital format?

The University of Texas at Austin is converting the FAC from the home of the UGL (undergraduate library) to a new "digital commons". The books are being removed to other places on campus and this location is dedicated to information.

The classroom of tomorrow is coming today. Picture your standard high school chemistry class. There are rows of desks in front of a chalkboard. To your right, there are various lab stations with the usual water and gas hookups. The class is small- 17 students. Sadly, the number of teachers trained in chemistry at all is low. Not only that, but for this advanced International Baccalaureate HL course, there's not a chemistry teacher with the proper education for such a low number of students. There are some teachers on staff who could assist with lab work, but teach theory? Not enough and the district's budget is too small to hire more FTEs.

There are two other high schools in town with the same problem. Also, a small rural school fifty miles away is stuck without a well-trained teacher. In the classroom of today, everyone has the same problem and everyone is left without a solution. In the classroom of tomorrow, the chalkboard is really a thin screen. A teacher, jointly hired (or contracted) by the schools in need, appears on the screen.

Each student has a tablet PC- or something like one built into their desk or something crazy I haven't dreamed of, instead of writing on paper, they write on digital paper using digital ink. Wireless technology, probably up to gigabit speeds by then, link all the students at all sites with the teacher. He has a TA at each location to assist him in ways only someone on-site could. This solution puts all sites within their budgets.

There are video cameras around the room to help make multiple classrooms one. The teacher wants a student at site A to work a problem on the board. The chalkboard-screen has the same technology as a tablet PC. Using cameras and this smart board, the students at sites B, C and D all see this student and his work as if he were there (only a bit flatter).

Let's not forget about little Susie. She was sick that day or was in a car accident and is stuck at the hospital or the school's softball team made it to state and are forced to miss a day of class. She has access to the Internet so she watches the lecture from wherever she is at. This solution isn't perfect but it's better than completely missing a lecture.

Tests and quizzes are administered through this system. The teacher is notified at his station that three students at the same site close to each other are amazingly answering the same questions at virtually the same time with the same answers, both right and wrong. In person, he already knew something was fishy but now, it's obviously in a quantitative way (scientists love that you know).

When lab time rolls around, the need for a lab notebook is no more. Everything is inputted into the tablet device. A group of four students work together, one student inputs the information and all four instantly has the exact same data. Since it is very important that each individual works on the lab, the system locks a student from entering another piece of data after she entered over 40% of the data herself alone. Or, students working in teams run different trials of the same experiment. The system alerts the students that two of them entered the same data pieces for three of the four entries. A TA comes over and the students did their own work, it just ended up the same. The TA overrides the system flag. The next time, one student is completely clueless but gets the same result as the star student in the class while they were working together. The TA works with the students and helps them understand the concept without just borrowing answers.

I am rambling but think of the abilities? A chemist discovered something completely new about gas laws- something very basic and is in every high school chem text. A panel of editors realizes they need to rewrite that chapter. After an approval process by some standardized organization, the school downloads and applies the new chapter to all student tablets wirelessly. Students can use the new chapter, complete with annotation and the stored previous text, instantly. Waiting four years the new information to be written, printed, approved by the State, approved by the District and approved by the teacher, then purchased and received? No more. The discoveries of today can be taught tomorrow.

There are problems with the model and it assumes certain advances in technology and a willingness to bring education into the 21st century; however, it is the classroom of tomorrow.

The libraries of tomorrow are moving towards the UT UGL idea. Will we ever be perfectly paperless? Probably no and that's probably a good thing. The libraries and classrooms of tomorrow, however, are radically different than what we see today.

[Originally published related to INF312/STS311]
With the first summer session starting last week, I started INF 312 (Information in Cyberspace). This course in the School of Information is designed to give students a understanding of basic internet concepts hitting highlights such as Unix, proper XHTML coding, basic computer security and whatnot.

The course is web-based with five modules over five weeks. I have completed module one that is not yet due for another week. The product of the assignment can be found on my i312 homepage. It simply has to be the best webpage I have ever created.