Internet

Taking a no-nonsense, peer-based approach, this three-part series raises teen awareness of the threats that Internet users face. Personal, financial, and career-related risks become clear through conversations with young people and interviews with computer experts-including Ron Teixeira, Executive Director of the National Cyber Safety Association; Dean Daley, an experienced computer systems analyst; and Marsali Hancock of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition. Students will gain a solid understanding of best practices and rules of online conduct, so that they can navigate potential Internet perils before trouble occurs. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National ISTE Technology Foundation Standards for Students. A Cambridge Educational Production. 3-part series, 14-21 minutes each.

The Information Age has been hailed as a quantum leap forward for humanity-an opportunity to finally achieve Marshall McLuhan's global village" in which "the medium is the message." But what kind of people are being created in cyberspace? While computer technology has changed virtually all aspects of life, critics argue that this technology is contributing to the growing social isolation of individuals. This program examines just what the implications of the new Information Age may be with Jim Clark, President of Netscape Communications; Sherry Turkle, MIT psychologist and sociologist; and Clifford Stoll, author of Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway. (29 minutes)"

What is the price of free speech? Protected by their First Amendment rights and the Internet's cultural philosophy of post it all and let the readers decide," American hate groups are having a field day on the World Wide Web, creating virulent virtual communities of intolerance. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel investigates the proliferation of hate online with Don Black, founder of the white nationalist Web site Storm Front, and Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment attorney who has represented The New York Times and ABC News. Together they discuss both the medium and the message, plus the controversial issue of content filtering. (22 minutes)"

From its simple origins to its emergence as a global nervous system, the Internet has changed the way the world works. In this fascinating overview, ARPANET pioneers and Usenet trailblazers describe how the Internet and e-mail came to be. Next, law enforcement officers and hackers from the L0pht address censorship, worms and viruses, and the challenge of Internet security. And finally, Web experts discuss the use of hyperlinks, graphical interfaces, search engines, and streaming technology to make the Internet more transparent, while the CEOs of DoubleClick and now-defunct DigiCash talk about the impact of e-commerce. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)

E-commerce, e-learning, e-zines, eBay-what's the common denominator? The e" of course! But in today's fast-paced, highly connected world, that "e" doesn't just stand for "electronic"; it stands for "everywhere" as more and more people link up online. This program travels the Web to explore Internet careers in three main areas: the front end, the back end, and everywhere in between. Front-end insights come from a programmer, a graphic designer, and a quality assurance tester; back-end information is provided by a webmaster, a help desk specialist, and a sales associate; and an IT recruiter, an advertising sales rep, and an entrepreneur explain how they've integrated the Internet into their careers. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to all applicable National and State Educational Standards including the NCLB Act. Recommended for high school and college. A Cambridge Educational Production. (22 minutes)"

In a Web 2.0 world, anyone can broadcast or publish online-and this clear and simple program explains how to do it, step by step. Using plain English and plenty of visuals, Podcasting and Blogging Essentials spells out what podcasts and blogs are, how to find and access them on the Internet, and how to create them from scratch and upload them to the Web. No previous knowledge is required. An excellent starting point for students and educators alike who want to get their message out and would like to see how it's done. Viewable/printable supporting materials are available online. (58 minutes)

While tracing the spread of English via Internet technology, this program considers the implications of such de facto linguistic hegemony in a world of high-tech haves and have-nots. In addition, the program examines the simultaneous standardization and fragmentation of English as it is acquired by non-native English-speakers in Africa and Asia. Interviews with specialists drawn from WorldCom and Sony subsidiary So-Net, the Library of Congress and the British Library, CNN and the BBC, and elsewhere provide a wide-angle perspective on digital content, language translation utilities, and initiatives to bridge the digital and linguistic divides. (52 minutes)

What do Amazon.com, Kaiser Permanente, Envera, and NASA have in common? They all use XML, or Extensible Markup Language, the nuts and bolts" of Internet programming and the emerging standard for e-commerce applications. Whereas HTML is a single, predefined text formatter, XML functions as a very flexible data formatter, a metalanguage allowing for the smooth transfer of information between companies. This program explores how XML eliminates many problems of data incompatibility, as in B-to-B transactions, and facilitates specific technical uses, like large-scale electronic publishing or the creation of specialized documents. (26 minutes)"

The Internet is quickly dissolving the boundaries of time zones, geography, and even language. This program, hosted by CNBC's Tyler Mathisen, brings together visionaries and commentators to spotlight Internet applications in vogue around the world. Businesses including real-time Internet research service iNetNow as well as educational initiatives such as Africam.com, a provider of virtual safaris, are profiled. Broadband capabilities and wireless access are explored, along with day-trading and venture capital. Cybersurgery, an online auction, and Web-based games also grab a share of the limelight. (44 minutes)

How will producers, advertisers, and consumers be affected when information and entertainment merge into the on-demand environment of the Internet? Segment one of this program deals with the displacement of broadcast TV, while segment two examines the rise of cultural capitalism and the vanishing distinction between producers and consumers. A collage of interviews with Peter Schwartz, of Global Business Network; Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos; and heavy hitters from Walt Disney, Sony Digital Media, the Hollywood Stock Exchange, About.com, TiVo, Eidos Games, and MIT explore the business, cultural, and technological ramifications of living in a world where the Internet is the new medium of choice. (2 parts, 50 minutes each)

Traditional media companies are scrambling to understand the process of producing video for the Web because they know that early adapters will have a tremendous competitive edge in the nascent digital entertainment and information industry. This topical overview-a valuable resource for media professionals and students alike-methodically explains the fundamentals of creating streaming video for the Internet, including shooting, digitizing, encoding, serving, broadcasting, and playback. Bandwidth, compression, luminosity, signal cleaning, frame rate, router hop, and other key terms are defined. (30 minutes)

Tens of thousands of people live" there, and tens of millions of U.S. dollars are exchanged there. Welcome to SecondLife.com! After introducing viewers to this compelling virtual world, You Only Live Twice grapples with overlapping in-world/real-world issues ranging from cybersex and the psychological repercussions of virtual sex crimes, to intellectual property rights fraud, to taxation on hard cash made on virtual cross-border sales, to the medical use of Second Life as a schizophrenia simulator. Insights and opinions are provided by SL creator Philip Rosedale; virtual property development millionaire Ailin Graef; Play Money author Julian Dibbell; Lauren Gelman, of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society; New York University's Clay Shirky; Ted Castronova, author of Synthetic Worlds; and others. Contains mature themes and explicit imagery. (47 minutes)"