May 2003 - Vol. 46 No. 5

May 2003 issue cover image

Features

Opinion Editorial pointers

Editorial Pointers

As I write this column, the press is having a field day over reports that the latest corporate entity to surf the Wi-Fi wave is, of all things, McDonald’s (see News Track, page 10). The decision may not be as pioneering as, say, the low-cal vegan McWrap, but the hamburger giant is surely in impressive […]
News News track

News Track

The Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), a humble U.S. agency that until recently was little known even within Washington circles, is growing in size and stature as a seeker of antiterrorism gizmos. The Wall Street Journal calls the group the U.S.’s talent scouts for finding and funding novel devices to combat terrorism on behalf of […]
Opinion Forum

Forum

I enjoyed Diomidis Spinellis’s article ("The Decay and Failures of Web References," Jan. 2003) on the longevity of URLs but would like to contradict his conclusion that search engines and Web archives are unable to solve the problem. Spinellis cites a 1999 paper to argue that search engine coverage is inadequate. While this may have […]
Research and Advances Wireless networking security

Introduction

In the time span of just a few years, wireless local area networking went from being a novelty to revolutionizing the way many organizations connect their computers. Visit any major department store, hospital, or office building, and you will encounter 802.11 cards in all of the PCs and access points hanging from the ceiling. The speed with which wireless networking has caught on is not surprising, as 802.11b offers up to 11Mbps of bandwidth, and a range of several hundred feet. Newer standards, such as 802.11g, promise five times the speed. Multiple wireless access points can be easily installed on the same network to increase the coverage area, so that an entire building can be easily connected. Conversely, wiring buildings with Ethernet is expensive and limits the locations from which networked computers can be used.
Opinion Inside risks

E-Epistemology and Misinformation

The problems of online misinformation seem to be worsening due to the growth of the Internet and our ever-increasing dependence on online systems. Information technology is a double-edged sword—perhaps even more so than many other technologies. In the hands of enlightened individuals, institutions, and governments, its use can be enormously beneficial. In other hands, it […]

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