Category: Software

Classroom and Conferencing Technologies, Software, Tips

Tip: Using Windows media files on a Mac

Eric Behrens

If you come across a Windows video or audio file that your Mac can’t recognize, don’t despair. Unfortunately, Macs can’t automatically play back files with .wmv or .wma file extensions. The good news is that with a quick installation of some extra components, any Mac running OS X 10.3.9 or later and QuickTime 7 or later can playback Windows video through the QuickTime player. All you need to install are the free Windows Media Components by Flip4Mac from the Microsoft web site. Click on the “Free Download” button on the top of the page. (Please note that Flip4Mac also sells … Continue reading Tip: Using Windows media files on a Mac

Faculty/Staff, Help Desk, Security, Software, Students, Tips

McAfee SiteAdvisor Makes Safe Surfing Easier

Nick

McAfee SiteAdvisor is now bundled with Swarthmore McAfee Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Version 8.5 for Windows PCs. You’ll know that SiteAdvisor is running on your PC if you notice an icon like the following on your Internet Explorer (shown) and/or Firefox browser: SiteAdvisor visually indicates whether a web site you’re visiting has been determined to be safe or otherwise. The SiteAdvisor icon will be one of the following colors: green – the site has been judged by McAfee to be safe yellow – the site has user feedback indicating it may not be safe red – the site contains malicious software, downloads or … Continue reading McAfee SiteAdvisor Makes Safe Surfing Easier

Help Desk, Security, Software, Tips

Patches, patches, and more patches!!

Nick

Whether you’re a Windows or Mac user, major software vendors have released multiple patches in the past several days to close existing security holes within your system. There are also important security fixes available for popular applications like Adobe Acrobat, Mozilla Firefox and QuickTime. Beginning with Apple, there is a security patch for Mac OS X 10.4 (Security Update 2008-001). This single patch fixes five security vulnerabilities. Additionally, an upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5.2 has become available. This upgrade fixes eight security holes and also updates functionality over 10.4. Apple’s software update feature should detect the availability of these … Continue reading Patches, patches, and more patches!!

Academic Technology, Blackboard, Faculty/Staff, Software, Tips

Enhancements to Blackboard Blog, Wiki and Podcast tools

admin

The suite of popular Bb web authoring tools has been upgraded in several small, but useful, ways. Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts are all flexible tools for communication and group collaborations. You may notice the following new features: * Embedded Flash MP3 Player–Play podcast episodes in your browser * Permalinks–Create permanent URL links to blogs, wikis, and individual entries or pages * Enhanced Set-up Options for Blogs and Wikis–Allows instructors to grant more permissions, comply with privacy laws, and export blog and wiki sites from their courses If you have questions about using Blogs, Wikis or Podcasts, please contact Academic Computing … Continue reading Enhancements to Blackboard Blog, Wiki and Podcast tools

Academic Technology, Software, Workshops and Training

Spring Technology Workshops – Digital Images, Video, Web Mapping

admin

We are happy to announce a series of Technology Workshops over Spring Break on several interesting digital media and web mapping topics. Click the links below for full descriptions of each workshop, and registration through the Campus Calendar. I. Digital Video Production with iMovie (shooting and editing) March 12, 2008 – all day iMovie Workshop Details and Registration II. Digital Image Editing with Photoshop March 13, 2008 – all day Photoshop Workshop Details and Registration III. Web Mapping March 14, 2008 – all day Mapping Workshop Details and Registration For more information, contact Academic Computing Continue reading Spring Technology Workshops – Digital Images, Video, Web Mapping

Security, Software

Security Issue with Apple QuickTime (and iTunes) — Update

Nick

UPDATE 12/14/07 A fixed version of Apple QuickTime is now available, 7.3.1, that resolves the RTSP vulnerability described below. The update can be downloaded from: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ The new version supports Mac OS X v10.3.9, Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later, Mac OS X v10.5 or later, Windows Vista, and Windows XP SP2. QuickTime and iTune users should upgrade at their earliest convenience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Users of QuickTime are advised to only access QuickTime files from known, trusted sources until a fix is available from Apple. Apple QuickTime currently has a significant security issue within its Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) capability. … Continue reading Security Issue with Apple QuickTime (and iTunes) — Update