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*Tuesday, May 24, 2005 (Coverage: May 10 - May 24, 2005)*
HEADLINES scroll down to find summaries and links to the articles MAY 10 - MAY 16, 2005 * Muskegon: Mouse pad inventor brings comfort to work * Farmington: Schools alert parents to Web security breach * Northville: Local residents trying to catch a Web Wave * Ann Arbor: Digital imaging technique helps historians get a fresh look at ancient texts * Brighton: Online Resources * Associated Press: Students don't raise hands, they click * Lansing: Michigan.gov Debuts Personalization and RSS * Lansing: State and Local Government Collaboration Reaps Cost Savings * Lansing: Michigan Department of Information Technology Releases Cybersecurity Website MAY 17 - 23, 2005 * Ann Arbor: E-mail proliferation could obliterate our paper trail and history * Ann Arbor: Blogs connect students but worry adults Online journals * Detroit: Blogs offer new way of taking care of business * Saginaw: City targets parking scofflaws with new technology * Detroit: MIKE WENDLAND: 'Purpose-Driven' author has faith in the Internet * Alpena: ACC charging online course fee * Westphalia: Westphalia Broadbrand, Inc. (WBI) * Battle Creek: Tinkering with technology * Ann Arbor: TOM WALSH: U-M strives for tech growth * Ann Arbor: Spark may ignite tech boom Organization to spend millions in effort to make Ann Arbor a hub Cyber-state’s gets a new name: CyberMichigan On May 18, 2005 Cyber-state changed it’s name to: CyberMichigan. This name better reflects whom we specifically serve – Michigan citizens. The name change process officially began in February 2005 and took a combined effort from both CyberMichigan and Altarum’s staff, including the overall support of Altarum’s executive management team. The official press release can be found at: www.cybermichigan.org/13_0/pr_cybermichigan18may05.pdf. CyberMichigan originated in 1998 under the name of cyber-state.org as a result of a recommendation from the Michigan Information Technology Commission (MITC), a group convened by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, and the Council of Michigan Foundations. In their ground-breaking report, the Commission called for an independent entity responsible for providing on-going analysis and long-term guidance on the direction of information technology in Michigan.	CyberMichigan 3520 Green Court, Suite 300 Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1579 phone: (734) 302-4755 fax: (734) 302-4996 CyberMichigan, an Institute of Altarum, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit ICT policy research, analysis, and advocacy group that is committed to bringing together the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to work with communities so that all Michigan's citizens and organizations have quality access to information and communication technologies and the knowledge to maximize the use of these tools. One of our priorities is to assist state and local policymakers as a resource for their creation and deliberation of ICT policy. With these email news briefings, we hope to increase the awareness of the importance of information technology for Michigan's local governments, schools, health care, nonprofits, and the economy as a whole. OTHER IT NEWS SOURCES * Detroit Free Press / tech * Detroit Tech News * Michigan CrainTech * Great Lakes IT Report * Michigan Technology News * Federal Computer Week * Government Computer News * Government Technology * New York Times: Technology * Washtech.com (Washington Post) * eGovernment Resource Centre

MAY 11, 2005 * Muskegon: Mouse pad inventor brings comfort to work Long before desktop and laptop computers, long before the Apple versus Microsoft, Stanford Research Institute Scientist Doug Engelbart boldly envisioned researchers tackling worldly problems by sitting at specially crafted desks linked to a mainframe computer in a workplace environment designed to "augment human intellect." Source: Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1115822744258470.xml?muchronicle?BU MAY 12, 2005 * Farmington: Schools alert parents to Web security breach Two Farmington Public School parents discovered a security breach in a segment of the district's Web site that left more than 5,000 students' personal resumes unprotected for 30 hours. Source: Farmington Observer, http://www.hometownlife.com/Hometownlife/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=103779 MAY 12, 2005 * Northville: Local residents trying to catch a Web wave Seventy-seven-year-old Gilbert Rice wants to learn how to surf. He wants to catch the Big Wave and ride silly into the technological abyss better known as the Internet. But first, he needs a computer, dude. Then he needs a little help. Source: Northville Record, http://www.hometownlife.com/Hometownlife/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=104131 MAY 15, 2005 * Ann Arbor: Digital imaging technique helps historians get a fresh look at ancient texts Richard Janko and his colleagues are using scientific techniques developed at the California Institute of Technology to decipher ancient texts, a breakthrough resulting in hundreds of long-lost writings from authors such as Sophocles and Aristotle. Source: Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1116151952218080.xml?aanews?NEA MAY 15, 2005 * Brighton: Online resources The phone book isn't the only resource when it comes to planning a graduation party. The Internet may also offer some advice to help take the edge off the stress that comes with the day. Source: Daily Press and Argus, http://www.hometownlife.com/HomeTownLife/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=104381 MAY 16, 2005 * Associated Press: Students don't raise hands, they click Professor Ross Cheit put it to the students in his ethics class at Brown University: Are you morally obliged to report cheating if you know about it? Within 90 seconds, Cheit had roughly 150 student responses displayed on an overhead screen, plotted as a multicolored bar graph. Source: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/money/tech/techbuzz16e_20050516.htm MAY 16, 2005 * Lansing: Michigan.gov Debuts Personalization and RSS Visitors to the Michigan.gov state portal will now be able to personalize the site with links to information they use most often and the information will automatically appear on follow-up visits to Michigan.gov. Source: Michigan.gov, http://www.michigan.gov/dit/0,1607,7-139--118323--,00.html MAY 16, 2005 * Lansing: State and Local Government Collaboration Reaps Cost Savings In an innovative collaboration between state and local government, multiple parties will now benefit from a recently announced agreement with Oracle USA, Inc. The Office of Technology Partnerships, housed within the Michigan Department of Information Technology, worked to secure a joint agreement that will bring major savings on Oracle products. The partnership includes local units of government as well as the Michigan Department of Management and Budget. Source: Michigan.gov, http://www.michigan.gov/dit/0,1607,7-139--118323--,00.html MAY 16, 2005 * Lansing: Michigan Department of Information Technology Releases Cybersecurity Website The Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT) today announces the release of a new website promoting cyber security in Michigan government, businesses and private households. Available at www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity, the site provides critical information regarding IT security for work, home, government and business. This website was developed with federal Homeland Security grant funds in support of Michigan’s security strategies and goals. Source: Michigan.gov, http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192--117672--,00.html MAY 17, 2005 * Ann Arbor: E-mail proliferation could obliterate our paper trail and history Another exciting benefit of the continuing electronic revolution and Internet takeover will be that paper records increasingly won't exist. This is great news. The future won't find it so easy to look over our shoulders and arrogantly grimace at what we're up to. Let's face it, historical privacy will be a tremendous amenity for our privileged era as our paper trail narrows and shrivels. Thank you, e-mail. Source: Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1116358878315860.xml?aanews?NEO MAY 17, 2005 * Ann Arbor: Blogs connect students but worry adults Online journals, forums vulnerable to stalk One Ann Arbor-area teen's online journal contains her full name, age and a photo. Her hometown and instant message screen names are listed, though, unlike many other blogs, hers has no link to let blog viewers send her e-mail. Source: Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1116358924315860.xml?aanews?NEA MAY 17, 2005 * Detroit: Blogs offer new way of taking care of business Blogging for business. General Motors Corp. may be struggling for automotive sales supremacy with surging Toyota Motor Corp. But GM is way out front among old economy companies in embracing a cool tool that might help the automaker get its mojo back: Blogs. Source: Lansing Bureau, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/111636961376440.xml?news/statewide?NE MAY 17, 2005 * Saginaw: City targets parking scofflaws with new technology If you didn't pay an isolated Saginaw city parking ticket -- or two, or three -- you rarely faced collection action. Even if you failed to shell out for a half-dozen citations, your worst possible scenario was to pay maybe $100 or $200 for police to remove the immobilizing Denver Boot from your tire. Source: Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-15/11163396684461.xml?sanews?NECN MAY 20, 2005 * Detroit: MIKE WENDLAND: 'Purpose-Driven' author has faith in the Internet I'm out in southern California this week, taking some vacation time and attending a conference at Saddleback Church run by Rick Warren, author of the best seller "The Purpose-Driven Life." Source: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwendland20e_20050520.htm MAY 21, 2005 * Alpena: ACC charging online course fee Alpena Community College is developing 10 more online courses to be offered in the fall. In response to the expenses related to online course offerings — membership in the Michigan Community College’s Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative, in-house costs of developing and maintaining on-line courses, limiting on-line course sizes and providing extra preparation compensation for these courses — ACC will begin assessing students who take online courses a course fee of $10 per contact hour beginning in the fall. Source: Alpena News, http://www.thealpenanews.com/Archives/2005/may/21/local2.html MAY 22, 2005 * Westphalia: Westphalia Broadband, Inc. (WBI) Telephone and high-speed Internet users in St. Johns will soon have a new option for their service provider. Westphalia Broadband, Inc. (WBI) is in the construction phase of their efforts to bring service to St. Johns. Source: Clinton County News, http://www.hometownlife.com/HomeTownLife/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=106074 MAY 23, 2005 * Battle Creek: Tinkering with technology When is a lunchbox more than a lunchbox? Nathan West, 14, has come up with the ultimate answer to that question. Source: Battle Creek Enquirer, http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050523/LIFESTYLE08/505230313&SearchID=73208943220757 MAY 23, 2005 * Ann Arbor: TOM WALSH: U-M strives for tech growth You hear it all the time, sometimes as an expression of hope, sometimes of sheer frustration. Michigan has great research universities, people often say, but our state fails to turn that research into thriving entrepreneurial companies and communities. Source: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/money/business/walsh23e_20050523.htm MAY 23, 2005 * Ann Arbor: Spark may ignite tech boom Organization to spend millions in effort to make Ann Arbor a hub After more than 18 months of discussions among private businesses, economic groups and university officials, Spark is set to publicly launch this week. Source: Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-13/111686290989110.xml?aanews?NEA

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