Emerging Tech

Four Saskatchewan school boards teamed up last summer with SaskTel and Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc. to create BrainBinder.com, a web-based technology and network computing deployment for grades Kindergarten to 12.

Before you think about dumping those old, uncommunicative legacy systems, consider giving them a new lease on life. Enterprise Application Integration enables islands of automation to be integrated without the need to replace existing legacy systems that are performing satisfactorily.

In the drive to maintain Canada's competitive edge, it

1. Install an antivirus utility and update it often. During setup, at a minimum, you should enable full-time automatic scanning and make sure the utility checks the contents of .zip and other compressed files.2. Antivirus vendors update their virus definitions--the files they use to spot viruses--every week. For maximum safety, you should update that often, too. Some utilities can automatically add definitions as they become available.3. Be cautious about macros. Enable macro security options in your software packages. In such Office 2000 apps as Word and Outlook, for example, select Tools, Macro, Security... and be certain that the security level is set to high or medium.4. Update your Internet software. The majority of todays viruses arrive via e-mail, so make sure your e-mail program is up-to-date. Microsoft Outlook is the focus of most e-mail-based viruses, and Microsoft regularly releases new security patches. Dont ignore your Web browser either. The latest patches close some

Once an unfathomable maze of unrelated information, Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has moved from data disorder to stored and shared knowledge.

While Java is the biggest new development language to emerge in many years, a shortage of experienced Java programmers could dash all hopes within the IT industry for large-scale Java deployment anytime soon.

Stephanie Adkins travelled from Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., to Huntington, N.Y., to meet Harry after reading his life story on the Internet.

The following may help limit exposure to electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones.