I The Behrend Beacon STDs prominent on college campuses By Jenn Haight news editor no\ ,edituro psu.edu In light of the AIDS crisis that is affecting the entire world, I am going to write on another serious subject. There is an epidemic that is sweeping across colleges nationwide. In 2000, 30,000 new HIV infections were con tracted through sexual inter course. Half of those infections were contracted by 15-24 year olds. These are your peers. These are your best friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, broth ers and sisters. AIDS is not the only epidem ic spreading across campuses; chlamydia is the most promi nent bacterial sexually trans mitted disease andHumn Papalova Virus (HPV) is the number one most prominent What's with wireless? Ask ASCII Logan Stack technology columnist 1 ,„ .I I RCP p,ll edu Dear ASCII I just got a wireless router, so I can connect with both my desktop and laptop. What's the difference between the 802.11 a, b, and g? And is there any thing special I need to do to set it up? - Cord Free AtLast Dear Cord Free, The only special setup that you're required to do is set your region to USA. Different countries use different fre quencies for their wireless networks, and if you set your region to another country, you may be violating FCC regula tions about the frequencies on which you are allowed to broadcast. Frequency is also the differ ence among the three types of wireless. 802.11 b was first. Then they came out with 802.11 a, which works on a different frequency, one with less interference so you can get more range out of it. Unfortunately, a isn't back ward compatible with b, though it is about five times faster. So, 802.11 g was made as a compromise; it works at r'lr \.) viral STD. Chlamydia is cur able with antibiotics; however, I-IPV is not. It is treatable though, and outbreaks can he suppressed. College students make up the largest age group when it comes to contracting STDs. Guys and gals, if they won't wrap it, then you shouldn't tap it. Keep in mind that condoms are not a foolproof method of prevention. Abstinence is the only 100 percent way of mak ing sure that you do not sexual ly contract any kind of dis eases. We all know that absti- nence is not a very realistic concept for our peers. The best measures we can take to ensure prevention of STDs and AIDS is to use protection every time, monogamy and testing. not only HIV testing, but also STD testing. It is also key in a sexu ally active relationship to dis cuss methods of prevention. the same speed as a, and is backward-compatible with old 802.11 b equipment, but it doesn't get the range boost from working on a clearer fre quency like 802.1 to does. Most new cards support both b and g, and the better ones sup port all three. I==tM MEI Sev.sre managed unencrypted, swit managed Copycat Spark managed test managed linksysl managed linksys Secure Secure Secure r Secu•c r Secure managed ado Net ad-hot Guest managed My Rainer managed Ciendoggo managed MXgOd managed f cT Secure managed 4,4 Op* ro f""N Secure Sec.d.ec r Secure Secure Secure Man ed vow man" r Secure managed Wh{sp managed linksys f" Secure Logan Stack / THE BEHREND BEACON This list of networks shows how popular using wireless has become. You probably will not notice the speed difference if you buy cheap, old 802.11 b equip ment. It's about 12 times faster than a DSL line, so unless you are using it to transfer files to someone else on the wireless network, you will still have to connect through the (compara tively) slow connection. PULE_ IT The Health and Wellness Center does free anonymous HIV testing. On a lighter note. you read ers are my peers, and I would hate to see any of you in any kind of pain, physically or emotionally. So please, keep yourselves protected. Talk about things you wouldn't nor mally find yourselves dis cussing and, most of all, use your judgment. If you're going to sleep with someone who's slept with 25 people, you prob ably shouldn't be the twenty sixth. And also, so you know, if you are trying to prevent STDs and HIV, do not use a condom lubricated with spermicide. they can cause irritation and lesions. These lesions and open skin irritations can allow fluids to get in and infect you. Bottom line: No glove. no If you don't want people connecting to your network. you should set up encryption. On the router, you define a key which works like a pass word. Anyone who knows the key can connect to your net work, and those who don't know it can't connect or even G..6st Network Name read the data passing through the space between your router and laptop. I did a brief survey of wire less networks in a dorm to see if anyone had an unencrypted network. If they did, it would have allowed other students to connect to their network and steal their bandwidth. After David Lower / CONTRIBUTED PHOTO iStumbler Sqinat Norse If you're gaming for 10ve... People can meet in strange ways, but the realm of online worlds create a whole new mean ing. Popular MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games) such as World of Warcraft, The Sims Online. The Matrix Online. Everquest II or City of Heroes are played by hundreds of thousands. One of the attractions of these online games is the ability to fall into a story and potentially roleplay. Another important aspect is the ability to customize a character, toon or atar's appearance or visual representation in the game's world. One of the perks of participating in an online roleplaying game is the ability to adopt a per sona that might be different from real life. Players.get to interact with other people from around the globe. Some use the computer and the anonymity of hiding behind the monitor. Sexual predators, evangelical ministers and other outspoken voices choose popular online games to spread their agendas. While some MMOs push the unique gameplay and groundbreaking graphics engines, others market the social aspects. The Sims Online, Habbo Hotel and Second Life all rely on there being interesting people to talk to at all times. Called glorified chat rooms by some, these digital planes are required stomping ground for those using MMOs to find true love. Love isn't the only thing that can be found. Take the Alphaville scandals of the early days of the Sims Online. Many opportunistic personalities landed at the Alphaville server. Mafias and brothels seemed to blossom overnight. Working girls that offered adult chats made their pimps millionaires in the game's currency. Although the game's designers could have never foreseen what would have occured in the supposedly family-friendly world, it suggests that more people are interested in using MMOs to find lust and not love. walking up and down the halls with a laptop. I discovered that the only unencrypted net works were ones which didn't allow a connection to the Internet. So students in that hall, at least, know what they are doing... or had friends to help them. According Connection Agreement at Res Com's website, "You may not connect hubs, routers, print servers, terminal servers, or other networked devices... You may not use a wired Ethernet port to bridge the connection to or from a wire less port like an airport device." So you are not actual ly allowed to do what these students are doing in the dorms. But Rescom goes on to explain, "Wireless Ethernet communications is prohibited in the residence halls due to security concerns. Residence hall users have been easily compromised in the past due to wireless Ethernet connec tivity." Because they are secure, they are in keeping with the spirit of the rules, though violating the letter. There is a big list of other things you're not allowed to do, so if you care you may wish to read the rest of the document on their website. Yrni rd _FL By Michelle Vera Suroviec photography editor nusl2lo psu edu Focal Point Kyle White, a junior Math major, bowled a perfect score of 300 in his bowling class this past Thursday morning. Kyle's no stranger to bowling though. He's been bowling in a league for three years, and he's participated in the sport consistently since the age of 8. His previous high score was a 287. Congrats! If you have newsworthy content and would like to be featured in a Focal Point, email us! Contribute to the Creative Writer's Corner The Student Life sec tion is looking for fic tion, poetry, and/or non fiction writers to con tribute to a new col umn. If you are interest ed in having your work IP üblished, don't hesitat to e-mail us at SLeditor@psu.edu. Friday, February 10, 2006
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