Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2010 Academic Technology Fair.  For those of you who are looking for more information on some of the great topics presented this year, or for those who were unable to attend, all of our materials are now available for download: DimDim is a web-based, real-time, collaboration solution that allows for easy, cross-platform (Windows, Mac and Linux, equally) conferencing.  Only presenters who want to share their screens—not attendees—need to install anything.  If you need to present somewhere when it would be inconvenient to go in person, DimDim can help you get there “virtually.” DimDim … Continue reading Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

Beardsley Media Center Adds Pen Tablets for Image Editing

The Beardsley Media Center in has added ten new Bamboo Fun pen based tablets from Wacom to all of the computers in the main room this Fall. These new tablets are ideal for illustration, drawing or photo editing in which the use of a pen would be advantageous. These are medium sized tablets, and they come with a multi-function pen/stylus that lets you navigate contextual menus as well as edit your material. They are pressure sensitive, so artists drawing can vary the width of their “brush” by adjusting how hard they touch the surface with the pen. The tablets can … Continue reading Beardsley Media Center Adds Pen Tablets for Image Editing

October 26, 2010 – Academic Technology Fair

10am-2pm Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Scheuer Room Information Technology Services, in partnership with the Language Resource Center and the Library, proudly presents the 2010 Academic Technology Fair: Collaboration and Creativity. This event is open to ALL Swarthmore College community members. We’ve worked hard to put together our most interesting program to date, featuring: DimDim DimDim is a web-based, real-time, collaboration solution that allows for easy, cross-platform (Windows, Mac and Linux, equally) conferencing.  Only presenters who want to share their screens—not attendees—need to install anything.  If you need to present somewhere when it would be inconvenient to go in person, DimDim can … Continue reading October 26, 2010 – Academic Technology Fair

Give Your Computer a Fighting Chance

Regardless of the type of computer you use, someone somewhere is always trying to infect it or break in.  One of the best defenses you have is keeping your operating system and applications up to date.  Today, like it or not, patching is a necessity although many treat it as optional. When software vendors announce patches, miscreants immediately begin reverse engineering (if they weren’t already) the changes to determine where the security holes exist in the software.  They then write code designed to exploit these holes and gain access to your computer.  The number one way to deliver this malicious … Continue reading Give Your Computer a Fighting Chance

Would You Put Sensitive Information on a Postcard?

Probably not… When you send someone a postcard (remember “snail mail”?), whatever you wrote is visible to anyone who handles it from where it was mailed all the way to the final recipient.  So, of course, you wouldn’t want to put sensitive or personal information on a postcard. Very similar to a postcard, email can generally be read by anyone along the path from where it was sent to its final destination.  In fact, multiple copies of the same email might be stored by mail servers transferring the message along the way. In general, just like a postcard, sensitive and … Continue reading Would You Put Sensitive Information on a Postcard?

SwatFiles Drive

Have you tried SwatFiles – the system that lets you store and share your files online?  You can upload your files and access them from any computer with an Internet connection – no VPN needed.  In addition, you can share your files with selected colleagues whether at Swarthmore or not.  You can also use SwatFiles as a drop box, simple wiki system, and a web server .  All faculty, staff, and students have space on the system.  You can access SwatFiles at swatfiles.swarthmore.edu. For the folks that are already using SwatFiles, one common question is how to easily edit files. … Continue reading SwatFiles Drive