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Author: Eric Dover

Cleaning out your Twitter feed

Posted on by Eric Dover

It is always a good idea to clean house once in a while, and this includes any social networks you may use. There may be stale or out-of-date information or posts that you would like to remove and, in some cases, clean out the whole thing and start over.

In the Twitter world, more and more tools are becoming available to help you manage your Twitter feeds and clean out old posts or completely delete everything that the public can see. One tool is an iOS app called DLTTR Continue reading “Cleaning out your Twitter feed” →

Creating ebooks on an iPad

Posted on by Eric Dover

iPad options are springing up on the app store for ebook creation. Check out the Book Creator for iPad, a $4.99 app in the app store. This app uses the epub standard to create photo/art books, text-based books, albums, and almost any kind of book imaginable.

Content options for creating rich ebooks include:

  • The ability to select from more than 50 font options
  • Importing photos, videos, music, and recorded speech
  • Adding voiceover from within the app

Continue reading “Creating ebooks on an iPad” →

Ethiopia bans Skype, Google Talk, and all other VoIP services

Posted on by Eric Dover

The Ethiopian government has banned the use of Voice over IP (VoIP) services like Skype, Google Talk, and others. This ban comes with severe penalties — up to 15 years in prison — for those who use these services while in Ethiopia, including visitors.

Ethiopian authorities say they are imposing these bans because of “national security concerns” and to protect the state-opened Ethio Telecom, which is also the only Internet service provider in the country.

Continue reading “Ethiopia bans Skype, Google Talk, and all other VoIP services” →

IT Help Desk moving to billing system May 12, 2012, for personal computer repairs

Posted on by Eric Dover

Effective May 12, 2012, the IT Help Desk will be moving to a billing system as the only payment method for personal computer repairs for faculty, staff, and students. Credit card, debit card, and CatCash payments will no longer be taken at the IT Help Desk.

Once the repaired computer is picked up at the IT Help Desk, a bill will be mailed within 30 days to the local address that is on file or is provided at the time the computer is picked up from the IT Help Desk. This change will allow:

  • Customers to set up payment plans for expensive repairs once they receive their bill in the mail
  • Parents and/or relatives will be able to help pay for their student’s computer repairs without the need to come on campus
  • You will now be able to pay your bill when it arrives using credit card, debit card, check, and cash

When the bill arrives in the mail, payment will be collected by going through the Information Technology Services Business Office. Bills can be paid online at https://www-secure.telecom.ksu.edu/customer-service; in person by going to 109 East Stadium; by mail; or over the phone by calling 785-532-7331.

Viruses now targeting Mac computers

Posted on by Eric Dover

Over the last week the Mac community has been dealing with the first major virus outbreak to affect OS X. These viruses take advantage of a vulnerability within the Java engine of the Mac and allow a virus to be installed on a computer by simply visiting a website that is infected. Apple has released a patch for the Java vulnerability along with a removal tool that aids in the removal of known variants of the virus.

All Mac users are highly encouraged to:

  1. Ensure their OS X operating system is up-to-date. To do this, click the Apple icon in the upper left-hand corner of your computer and select Software Update. Be sure to install all updates.
  2. Ensure they have an antivirus software package installed on their Mac. K-State does provide antivirus software to all faculty/staff and students at no cost to the individual. To get K-State’s antivirus software, go to www.k-state.edu/its/antivirus.

Continue reading “Viruses now targeting Mac computers” →

Dell warranty options when buying a new computer

Posted on by Eric Dover

When purchasing a new Dell computer for your department, you may wonder “Which is the best warranty to get to ensure that iTAC can service it under the provisions of the warranty?”

Dell offers an array of warranty options that may or may not meet your needs. For the service that iTAC offers, it is recommended to purchase the less expensive “Basic Hardware Service”. This provides a decent savings over purchasing the “ProSupport” service.

Continue reading “Dell warranty options when buying a new computer” →

Handing down or selling an iPad? A tip to make it a secure transition

Posted on by Eric Dover

With the release of the new iPad last week, many are looking to sell, trade in, or hand down their old iPad. Chances are your iPad is full of personal data such as email, documents, photos, and social applications that auto-log-in to your accounts such as Twitter and Facebook. If not properly handled, the receiving party could gain access to this and other data that may be stored on the iPad.

Continue reading “Handing down or selling an iPad? A tip to make it a secure transition” →

PressPausePlay, a documentary exploring creative democracy

Posted on by Eric Dover

Like no other time in history, we as a global society have been given the power to create, disseminate, and digest creative works that have escaped the old methods of creation and distribution. We have started to democratize how we create, share, and consume information and creative works.

The documentary “PressPausePlay” explores this era of democratized creation and explores the new creative landscape that is present and evolving, as well as examines the question of “Does democratized creativity cause ‘true talent’ to get lost in the noise of average?” The documentary can be viewed free via several different delivery methods, all of which are available at www.presspauseplay.com.

Walk-up wireless clinics start today, run through October

Posted on by Eric Dover

Kansas State University is moving to a new wireless system for laptops, mobile devices, and other wireless devices. The new “KSU Wireless” (for students living off-campus and faculty/staff ) and “KSU Housing” (for those living in residence halls and Jardine Apartments) will be the primary wireless systems for K-Staters.

The current k-state.net will be turned off Oct. 25.

To aid in the transition, Information Technology Services is hosting several “KSU Wireless” walk-up clinics on the following dates in the Union, just outside the Food Court.

  • Thursday, Sept. 15
  • Tuesday, Sept. 20
  • Wednesday, Sept. 28
  • Thursday, Oct. 6
  • Tuesday, Oct. 11
  • Wednesday, Oct. 19
  • Tuesday, Oct. 25

All clinics are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. If you would like assistance getting your devices attached, please stop by with your devices. To try it on your own, go to wireless.k-state.edu on your devices and follow the instructions. For assistance outside the clinics, stop by the IT Help Desk in 214 Hale Library.

"Buying a computer for college" computer recommendations updated

Posted on by Eric Dover

The computer specifications for students purchasing new computers or bringing existing computers to campus have been updated for the Fall 2011 semester. The updated specifications can be found on the 2011-2012 Computer Recommendations website.

Continue reading “"Buying a computer for college" computer recommendations updated” →