UQconnect Newsletter, The University of Queensland

How time flies!! It only seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the New Year. Already 2006 is turning out to be a huge year for UQconnect. We've experienced our fastest ADSL growth ever, our dial-up customer numbers have grown and we are about to launch the next big thing in Internet technology - Wireless Broadband.

Throughout 2006 we've been diligently working away at bringing this exciting new product to you and we're happy to say that it is now on the cusp of release. You can look at our plans now or provide your expression of interest.

In this newsletter edition, you can read more information about how to avoid problems with copyright infringement, read a detailed article on spyware, find out more uses for your web space and much more.

News and Updates

Wireless Broadband

Since late last year we have been working very hard to bring you an exciting new innovation in Internet technology - Wireless Broadband. It's the latest in connectivity and is only just starting to trickle into the market.

Please look out for announcements soon as we are almost ready to launch this product - so close in fact we are now taking Expressions of Interest.

This fantastic technology allows you to connect to the Internet at ADSL-like speeds even when you are out of the home. It is ideal for home users who want the flexibility of wireless broadband 'no phone line needed', which is perfect if you rent a house or live in a college. Or, if you have a laptop, you can take advantage of wirelsss broadband from almost anywhere. In fact it doesn't matter whether you are in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne as you will always enjoy the same lightning fast speed.

This means you can take the Internet with you when you are going out, read email in the park, or go to a cafe and browse the web. The possibilities are endless!

Check out our exciting plans today and look at our coverage maps to find out whether you can get access.

FREE Activation with ADSL Broadband extended!

To help celebrate the new year we introduced a great special where you could sign up to our ADSL Broadband for FREE. This has proved hugely popular with our customers and as a result we are extending the deal until May 31, 2006.

If you are considering upgrading to ADSL Broadband, now is the time to do it. This special saves will save you $118.80!

Not only that if you sign up before May 31, you'll also automatically be entered into a competition to win a fully signed Brisbane Lions Guernsey.

We have a range of plans to suit all customers, from basic start up plans to super fast connections with loads of download.

New 70GB 1.5Mbps ADSL Plan

We are happy to announce our new ADSL Premium Plan that includes a whopping 70GB of download on a 1500/256k connection for only $89.95 per month.

This highly competitive plan allows you to take advantage of all the best content the Internet has to offer at super fast speeds.

Additional download blocks now have 30 day expiry

Any additional download blocks you purchase will last 30 days from the date of purchase. If you purchase another download block before the end of this period then it will reset the 30 day counter, which will allow you to accumulate download. All additional download blocks purchased will appear in a single download pool at login.uqconnect.net.

To help you keep track of your download quota you will receive an automatic email whenever you have used up 70% of your download quota. We will also send you an email 5 days before your additional download block expires.

The monthly download included in your Internet account plan will continue to be reset on the first day of each month.

If you would like to know more about downloads please visit www.uqconnect.net/download.

New 1GB USB Memory Disk

Our USB Memory Disks have proved hugely popular with all customers. So popular in fact that we have now introduced a massive 1GB disk!

It's hard to imagine that you can now carry as much data as computers were able to a few years ago, in a device no bigger than a pen lid.

Pick up a UQconnect USB 2.0 Memory Disk now from your nearest ITS Service Centre.

Security Tip

Spyware - the hidden monster

In previous security articles we have tackled the sorts of problems you may encounter during your day-to-day activities on the Internet. One of these problems, which we lightly touched on and is increasingly prevalent in the news, is spyware.

What is spyware? It's a general term used for programs that advertise, collect personal information, or change the configuration of your computer without your knowledge. Some of these programs are not especially malicious as they seek to track your activities for marketing efforts, or force advertising pop-ups onto your screen. Some spyware, however, goes beyond this to actually track information such as credit card or password details.

There are many ways spyware can be installed on your computer and in this article we would like to make you aware of these so you can best tackle it. We'll show you how to best avoid it, and if you are ever breached, how to remove it.

Ourbrisbane.com.au

Although UQconnect now enjoys a family of customers from around Australia, our largest base still resides in Brisbane. With this in mind, this site a fantastic place to start. Ourbrisbane is a portal run by the Brisbane City Council that keeps you up-to-date on everything going on in this vibrant city. It is also a handy place to provide feedback. For people not from Brisbane, this site is also a great source of visitor information.

Version Tracker

With the plethora of applications available on modern computers, it can be difficult to keep up with all the updates and latest releases. This site makes all of this easier by providing a one-stop shop of updates for nearly all Windows and Mac OS programs. Most updates are free, as are the massive range of freeware and shareware programs. It is also a useful place to do program searches and find out user reviews.

ABC Science Podcasting

Podcasting - Wikipedia defines it as the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. This ABC site allows you to download many of the best science podcasts of the past few weeks. If you've heard a show, or even missed one, about a great science story on ABC then this is the place to go.

Last month we sent a couple of emails to all customers making them aware how copyright infringement can affect you as an Internet user.

We have received a number of Take Down Notices (legal requests from copyright owners to remove infringing material) in response to copyright infringements.

All of these notices were due to customers downloading and/or storing copyright material on their computer using our network when they did not have the permission of the Copyright owner.

Powerful search engines, deployed by companies in the music and movie industry constantly trawl the Internet seeking to identify sources of infringement.

Under the current legislative position, UQconnect must comply with a specified schedule of actions, including expeditiously disconnecting your access to the Internet, if we want to be protected from liability.

Customers can avoid all this, however, by educating themselves about what constitutes copyright on the Internet and understand the dangers in using P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing programs.

Competition

We are giving all customers who have yet to sign up or Rapid DSL Transfer to one of our ADSL plans, the chance to WIN a signed Brisbane Lions guernsey.

This priceless guernsey includes the hand signatures of the entire Lions squad, including Brownlow medalists Michael Voss, Simon Black and Jason Akermanis. The guernsey is already framed with wooden fittings (as seen in picture) to help keep it in pristine condition.

To be in the draw to win this fantastic prize, all you need to do is sign up or Rapid DSL Transfer to a new ADSL plan before May 31, 2006.

This is the perfect chance to take advantage of our $0 installation and Rapid DSL Transfer set up for ADSL as you now get double the bonus.

UQ News

UQ leads the way in Scramjet research

Last month scientists from The University of Queensland successfully launched the latest experimental Scramjet rocket at Woomera, South Australia.

It was the fourth rocket launched by Hyshot, which has paved the way for an $8 million research grant between UQ, the Queensland Government and Boeing.

Scramjets are the next generation of space technology that will allow aircrafts to fly at speeds greater than 8000 km/h, at higher altitudes with almost no oxygen and use significantly less fuel. It is touted as the biggest leap forward since the invention of the jet.

The latest experiment was conducted with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and will help pave the way for future launches.

Commercial application for this technology is still a while off, but you can keep up with all the latest with UQ News's Special Coverage.

Using your webspace

In our last edition of the newsletter we wrote about how you can use web space for making things like a personal website. Now we would like to tell you about another exciting use.

Many of you have probably experienced the frustration of being told a file you're trying to send someone over email is too large.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and other modern web browsers, have an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) function that allows you to save files on the Internet.

FAQs

My ADSL service sometimes appears not to be working – is there something simple I can do to fix it?

From time-to-time your ADSL connections may appear not to be responding. The easiest and most common solution is to simply “power-cycle” the modem – just unplug the modem's power cable for sixty seconds and then plug it back in – or if the modem has an on/off switch, simply switch it off, leave it for sixty seconds, and then switch it back on.

Surprisingly enough this simple solution solves many of the problems you may face with your modem.

There are a number of things that you can do that will enable the UQconnect Helpdesk to more efficiently assist you with your phone queries:

MATERIAL for UQconnect News
If you have any questions, or suggestions for improvements or additions to this newsletter, please email feedback@uqconnect.net.

Some words from the UQconnect Manager