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November 18, 2005
Brief Buzz for this week
Slow week out there, with Thanksgiving approaching and registration underway. But a few items worth noting this week:
UPDATES: Some of the students expelled from Quinnipiac over the Halloween party held a few weeks ago launched a blog to share their side of the story, the QU Chronicle reports (link). The blog can be found here.
Also, Sony BMG has recalled the discs that included the copy protection technology that we shared with you last week in EnterTech. If you bought one of those CDs, Sony BMG is willing to replace it with an MP3 copy of the album and a copy that does not include the copy protection. The site they created for information about the copy protection lists the CDs affected, and how to get a replacement. Ironically, the first version of the uninstall software Sony BMG provided to remove the software had a security flaw of its own - that has been fixed with a new version of the uninstaller.
ANOTHER EXPLUSION: And following a Yellowcard concert at QU, another student was expelled for intoxication (link). The student hit three parked cars before security found the student.
D'OH: And now for something completely different: is The Simpsons just a funny, long-running cartoon, or is there more to it? Well, one professor, who has taught a course at Southern on The Simpsons, has found more than just rapid-fire humor (link). Students will find this course to be no easy A, but will instead find interesting layers embedded into the popular TV show.
REGISTRATION FRUSTRATION: It's the time of semester where students are selecting courses for spring, but different schools are encountering different problems. At Sacred Heart, athletes are finding it difficult to get the courses they are required to take, a trend not found at many other campuses because athletes are given preferred registration status (link). And at Fairfield, issues with online registration and course availability come out again, in an opinion piece by former Post intern and friend of The Buzz Kelly Sheehan, who shared her personal experience in this week's Mirror about her difficulties in completing her senior year on time (link). Registration time is frustrating for many - good luck to all.
What's the buzz at your campus? E-mail Josh at thebuzz@ctpost.com
Posted by Josh on 11:28 PM | Comments (2864)
November 12, 2005
EnterTech: Sony BMG unleashes buggy DRM
Although many college students don't buy CDs in the volume that they previously did, many will still make the trek to Best Buy or Strawberries when a CD by an artist they really like hits the streets. However, concerns have been raised recently by copy protection technology added to certain CDs released by Sony BMG, which now can allow hackers the ability to hide malicious software on your computer.
The software, called XCP, is designed to keep people from ripping CDs purchased legally at a store. This, in turn, is to make it more difficult for people to share MP3s with others, which record companies believe is at the heart of an ongoing decline in CD sales.
However, last week a technology security expert realized that the way Sony was handling this creates serious security issues. The technology uses a type of setup called a rootkit, which modifies the way Windows works deep in its core, to hide files. In this case, it hides any filename that starts with $sys$. The software is also extremely difficult to remove, and can't be done without the assistance of Sony BMG or many hours of hard work - some tech-savvy people who attempted to remove it on their own found that their CD drive stopped working after they removed their software, making them jump through hoops to get their system working properly again. For some, that meant reinstalling Windows.
Now, how do you protect yourself from this software? Steve Gibson, a technology expert who hosts a weekly podcast called Security Now, devoted an entire show topic to the subject last week, labeled Episode 12 and downloadable in both audio and text formats from his security Web site. News sources are already compiling lists of CDs which have the copy protection on it - one such list can be found here. A great list of frequently asked questions can also be looked at here so you can become more informed. Sony BMG has suspended production of copy-protected CDs, but some may be available in music stores. A class action lawsuit is also in the works against Sony BMG for use of the technology.
Here's why this is important: hackers are already aware of this hole that the copy protection software exists, and are updating viruses, trojan horses and the like to exploit this security problem. Determining the risk is important, and the Security Now podcast gives all sorts of information about how to protect yourself. The site also provides links to free software that can help you detect the problem. If you wish to remove the software safely, you can go to the Sony BMG copy protection Web site by clicking here. Sony BMG offers a service pack that can eliminate the security hole, if you wish to keep the software, by removing the stealth capability of the files. Or, if you wish, you can contact them for directions on how to uninstall the software. However, if you do so, you can no longer listen to Sony BMG titles protected by the technology on your computer.
One last thing: the same security expert who discovered the security vulnerability also believes that the software phones home, telling Sony what is being listened to, based on his research. If you're on the side of more privacy, you may want to find out more about this software and how to remove it.
Good luck to all on this one. The next EnterTech will be on podcasts, and Security Now is one good one to get started with if you're into technology and want to learn how to stay safe on the Internet in today's world. I'll share more with you next week.
Posted by Josh on 10:11 PM | Comments (1587)
The Buzz: Guster has a stalker!
GUSTER STALKER: This week's Fairfield Mirror had an interesting photo entry about a gentleman found on campus attempting to recruit people for a production company and attempting to talk to the student government about opening for Guster. Guster's own tour diary references it (link), and it's interesting to see their comments about it: "And for the first time, everyone in Guster felt like they'd finally made it. We had our own real true-to-life stalker, escorted off campus by the town police and everything!" Guster performed at Fairfield on the 11th.
FOLLOW-UP: Fairfield seniors are also officially moving ahead with their alternative to 200 Nights after Fairfield pulled the plug on the troubled, yet long-standing tradition (link). The new tradition will tentatively be called "100 Nights". Less nights, but a new tradition may be born.
TOAD'S RAIDED: Popular music and bar destination Toad's Place was raided last weekend by Connecticut Liquor Control officers looking to see if underagers were drinking, the Quinnipiac Chronicle reported (link). The attendees, which included Quinnipiac students, were held as late as 12:30, depending on whether they were over 21 or not. This is the first raid of Toad's in recent memory.
PAIR OF GOOD READS: The Southern News has been on top of all sorts of interesting trend stories this semester, and this issue is no exception. Check out this pair of stories on self-injury and fast food (which brings up the age-old "Freshman 15").
What's the buzz on your campus? Know of a cool event that's taking place? Let Josh know by E-mailing him at thebuzz@ctpost.com.
Posted by Josh on 9:59 PM | Comments (3)
November 4, 2005
Buzzing into November, and we need your help!
AS PROMISED: Earlier this week I noted in a Buzz item a Halloween party that went awry. The Quinnipiac Chronicle published their report on Wednesday, and noted that 16 students were arrested at the party, and of those eight were immediately expelled (link). At fault: the house residents were serving alcohol to minors. Those expelled will not get reimbursement for room and board or tuition.
POKE THIS: On a lighter note, The Chronicle also reported on Facebook do's and don'ts (link). Among their suggestions: don't poke people just because the option is there. Although to be fair, it is fun to get into poking wars when you're both online.
FOOD FIGHT: Some Southern students are unhappy about the current meal plan options, the Southern News reports (link). In an all-too-familiar discussion that has been heard on campuses across the country, many aren't happy with the food quality or simply don't eat 19 meals per week, but are still forced into the meal plan anyway. Other schools have a wider variety of options, the Southern News reports. At Fairfield, for instance, students are given a few different options, with the option to "buy up" to larger plans if they want more than their current meal allotment allows, an effort that helps keep costs down.
"NIGHT" LINE: The Fairfield University Senate took notice of some of the disappearing traditions at Fairfield, an item covered recently here in The Buzz (link), and seniors are now looking at possibilities of establishing unofficial events that might continue events that the school shut down because they were no longer wishing to be held liable. The school says it's difficult to monitor events where drinking is one of the main focuses of the event. However, some seniors currently involved in the student government are now looking at alternatives that can keep alive in spirit events that have been shut down, even if not in the current form, a welcome turn of events. The student senate has already passed a resolution about the topic encouraging the building, not destroying, of traditions.
NCAA TIME: Some more good news from Fairfield this week: The women's soccer team won an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament by winning the MAAC tournament (link). They were the fifth seed in that tournament, and have become the first team to be fifth seeded in that tournament and ultimately win. The NCAA tournament begins Nov. 12.
CORRECTION: In a buzz item two weeks ago, I painted as a negative that Sacred Heart was painted as the 11th most unwired college campus by Intel. It's time to stop posting after a long shift at work - obviously, when we're talking wireless access, unwired is a good thing :) Color me old fashioned (at 23, no less), but I remember not all that long ago that unwired surveys were being done to show how badly a school was doing in getting Internet to college students - obviously, Intel's motive was different this time around.
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP: Work continues on a piece relating to MySpace, Facebook, and privacy. If you're a college student in the area and are willing to be interviewed, please E-mail thebuzz@ctpost.com. And as always, also E-mail us if you have any buzzworthy items going on at your campus.
Posted by Josh on 9:04 PM | Comments (2)
