Listening First™ Stereo Headphones from Califone Chosen as Teacher’s Pick by Scholastic’s Instructor Magazine
Child-Sized Headphones Ensure Safety and Audibility for Young Learners
San Fernando, CA (November 2007) — Scholastic’s Instructor magazine has chosen the Listening First Stereo Headphones from Califone International, Inc., as a 2007 Teacher’s Pick. Each product chosen as a Teacher’s Pick was carefully evaluated by the magazine’s teacher-testers throughout the year.
Instructor magazine leads the way with “teacher-leaders” — educators who hold positions on purchasing committees, research and make product recommendations and are often in charge of allocating school funds. As one of the leading and most trusted teaching magazine in the field, Instructor magazine reaches more than 900,000 educators each issue.
Ideal for primary grades and special needs students, the Listening First Stereo Headphones offer developmentally appropriate equipment in vibrant, engaging colors and themes. The headphones are made with rugged ABS plastic in three color choices — blue, red and yellow. In addition, the Listening First Stereo Headphones also are available in animal themes — bear, panda or tiger. Providing clear sound at levels safe for a child’s eardrums, the headphones are high-quality additions to any classroom learning center, children’s library reading corner or language lab.
Through the successful Our America: Tuned In Today… But Tuned Out Tomorrow? campaign (www.listentoyourbuds.org), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends three guidelines to help students use audio technology responsibly: lower the volume, limit listening time and upgrade to ambient-noise-reducing headphones. “With an increasing number of younger students listening to personal media players in schools,” shared Califone Vice President, Marketing, Tim Ridgway, “It is important to educate them at an early age about appropriate listening levels.” Supporting ASHA and its campaign, Califone designed the Listening First Stereo Headphones to have appropriately sized, ambient-noise-reducing earcups to help ensure safe use as students acquire listening, literacy and language skills.
The Listening First Stereo Headphones come with the unique 1-year Califone warranty, which includes coverage for school, library and government use, typically not available for products purchased from consumer electronics stores.
Califone is one of our partners. Help support them!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Barracuda Networks Reports Thanksgiving Day Phishing Surge as Scammers Rush to Cash In On ‘Black Friday’
Thousands of New Phishing Web Sites Appear in 24-hour Period as Scammers Work Overtime to Take Advantage of Four-Day U.S. Holiday Weekend
Campbell, Calif., Nov. 23, 2007 – Barracuda Networks, Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances, reported a more than 10x surge in the number of phishing Web sites created and three times the number of phishing emails sent out in the last 24 hours. This increase in activity indicates that scammers and their criminal networks are working feverishly to cash in on ‘Black Friday,’ traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, and the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Barracuda Central, a 24/7 security operations center at Barracuda Networks that continuously monitors the latest spam, virus and other Internet threats including phishing Web sites, observed a tremendous increase in the number of fake Web sites targeting popular shopping sites including eBay, Amazon, PayPal and other e-commerce sites, pop up on Thanksgiving Day. Typically phishing Web sites are set up via compromised PCs of innocent businesses and are quickly shut down once the business has been notified. However, by exploiting the four-day Thanksgiving weekend in which most U.S. business activity shuts down on Thursday and Friday, scammers are banking on the idea that the sites will go uninterrupted because no one is available to take them offline.
Scammers always operate with the "get in, get out" mentality.
“Consumers need to be extra vigilant when shopping online this weekend,” said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. “Anyone planning to do holiday shopping online this weekend should go directly to the sites that they plan to purchase from, rather than click on URLs that arrive via emails.”
The Thanksgiving surge in phishing Web sites has also created an increase in emails directing unsuspecting users to the sites directly by offering ‘great deals’ or ‘sales’ as well as emails that attempt to lure the recipient into verifying account information via a link to the fake sites.
“We typically see an increase in phishing activity before a regular two-day weekend, but the volume of phishing sites and corresponding email in just this past 24 hours is quite astounding,” said Drako. “We expect this blitz to continue over the next few days.”
Barracuda Networks is working around the clock this weekend to ensure that its more than 50,000 customers worldwide are protected from this phishing attack. For more information on this weekend’s phishing activity, please visit Barracuda Central at www.barracudacentral.com.
Barracuda is one of our partners:
About Barracuda Networks, Inc.Barracuda Networks, Inc. is the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances. Barracuda Networks also provides world-class IM protection, application server load balancing and message archiving appliances. More than 50,000 companies, including Coca-Cola, FedEx, Harvard University, IBM, L’Oreal, NASA and Europcar, are protecting their networks with Barracuda Networks solutions. Barracuda Networks’ success is due to its ability to deliver easy to use, comprehensive solutions that solve the most serious issues facing customer networks without unnecessary add-ons, maintenance, lengthy installations or per user license fees. Barracuda Networks is privately held with its headquarters in Campbell, Calif. Barracuda Networks has offices in eight international locations and distributors in more than 80 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.barracuda.com.
Well, scammers will always take advantage of vulnerabilities like holidays. Just remember - always be vigilant! You should never give away vital information, or click on a link in an email that asks you to sign in to an account.
Thousands of New Phishing Web Sites Appear in 24-hour Period as Scammers Work Overtime to Take Advantage of Four-Day U.S. Holiday Weekend
Campbell, Calif., Nov. 23, 2007 – Barracuda Networks, Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances, reported a more than 10x surge in the number of phishing Web sites created and three times the number of phishing emails sent out in the last 24 hours. This increase in activity indicates that scammers and their criminal networks are working feverishly to cash in on ‘Black Friday,’ traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, and the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Barracuda Central, a 24/7 security operations center at Barracuda Networks that continuously monitors the latest spam, virus and other Internet threats including phishing Web sites, observed a tremendous increase in the number of fake Web sites targeting popular shopping sites including eBay, Amazon, PayPal and other e-commerce sites, pop up on Thanksgiving Day. Typically phishing Web sites are set up via compromised PCs of innocent businesses and are quickly shut down once the business has been notified. However, by exploiting the four-day Thanksgiving weekend in which most U.S. business activity shuts down on Thursday and Friday, scammers are banking on the idea that the sites will go uninterrupted because no one is available to take them offline.
Scammers always operate with the "get in, get out" mentality.
“Consumers need to be extra vigilant when shopping online this weekend,” said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. “Anyone planning to do holiday shopping online this weekend should go directly to the sites that they plan to purchase from, rather than click on URLs that arrive via emails.”
The Thanksgiving surge in phishing Web sites has also created an increase in emails directing unsuspecting users to the sites directly by offering ‘great deals’ or ‘sales’ as well as emails that attempt to lure the recipient into verifying account information via a link to the fake sites.
“We typically see an increase in phishing activity before a regular two-day weekend, but the volume of phishing sites and corresponding email in just this past 24 hours is quite astounding,” said Drako. “We expect this blitz to continue over the next few days.”
Barracuda Networks is working around the clock this weekend to ensure that its more than 50,000 customers worldwide are protected from this phishing attack. For more information on this weekend’s phishing activity, please visit Barracuda Central at www.barracudacentral.com.
Barracuda is one of our partners:
About Barracuda Networks, Inc.Barracuda Networks, Inc. is the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances. Barracuda Networks also provides world-class IM protection, application server load balancing and message archiving appliances. More than 50,000 companies, including Coca-Cola, FedEx, Harvard University, IBM, L’Oreal, NASA and Europcar, are protecting their networks with Barracuda Networks solutions. Barracuda Networks’ success is due to its ability to deliver easy to use, comprehensive solutions that solve the most serious issues facing customer networks without unnecessary add-ons, maintenance, lengthy installations or per user license fees. Barracuda Networks is privately held with its headquarters in Campbell, Calif. Barracuda Networks has offices in eight international locations and distributors in more than 80 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.barracuda.com.
Well, scammers will always take advantage of vulnerabilities like holidays. Just remember - always be vigilant! You should never give away vital information, or click on a link in an email that asks you to sign in to an account.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey Reveals Popularity of Mobile Instant Messaging
Many Look to Cell Phones and Social Profiles to Instant Message with Buddies
Teens Look to Instant Messaging for Embarrassing Conversations, Asking Out Dates
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the second annual AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey, many IM users are spending time instant messaging from their cell phones. The survey, which examined instant messaging trends and usage habits among 1,246 IM users, revealed that 25 percent of respondents send IMs from their cell phones, including one in three (32 percent) teens.
The proliferation of cell phones with full keyboards has made it easier to send mobile instant messages. All of the major instant messaging services also let users have their instant messages forwarded directly to their cell phones when they’re on-the-go. In addition, IM users are instant messaging from within their social networking profiles.
Instant messaging is not only popular at home and on-the-go, but workplace use is becoming commonplace. More than one in four (27 percent) users say they use instant messaging at work. Further, half of at-work IM users say that instant messaging makes them more productive at work, a 25 percent increase over last year.
“Instant messaging has made its way into so many areas of our lives and we can now take our buddies with us wherever we go. Whether on our mobile phones, our social profiles or on the desktop at work, our friends, family and co-workers are right there letting us know when they’re free for a question or just to chat,” said David Liu, Senior Vice President, AOL. “This survey also found that instant messaging is truly helping people become more productive and better manage their relationships wherever they may be.”
Top-line survey findings among users of instant messaging include:
* More than half (55 percent) of teen IM users have used instant messaging to get help with their homework. This is a 17 percent increase over last year. Meanwhile, 22 percent of teens say they have sent an IM to ask for or accept a date.
* Forty-three percent of teen IM users say they have used instant messaging to say something they would not say to someone in person. Teenage girls are more likely than boys to do so. Nearly half of teenage girls surveyed have used instant messaging to say something they would not say in person, compared with just over a third of teenage boys.
* Teens today are more likely to upload photos (42 percent in 2007 vs. 34 percent in 2006) while instant messaging. They are less likely to conduct online research for school (57 percent vs. 63 percent) or update their blog or social profile (33 percent vs. 42 percent) while sending IMs.
* Nearly three in four teens (70 percent) and one in four adults (24 percent) send more instant messages than emails.
* Multi-tasking remains very popular, as IM users tend to engage in multiple online activities while sending instant messages. Checking email is the most popular activity among eight in ten adult and teen IM users. After email, adult IM users most often conduct online searches (49 percent), while teens say they like to research homework assignments online (57 percent).
* Nearly four in five (79 percent) at-work IM users say they have used instant messaging in the office to take care of personal matters. One in five (19 percent) IM users say they send more instant messages than emails to their co-workers and colleagues.
**Note to Broadcast Media: B-Roll is available and can be previewed by logging onto http://www.thenewsmarket.com/AOL.
Survey Methodology
Interviewing for the AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey was conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a national sample of 1,246 instant messaging users, including 836 adults aged 19 and older and 410 teens aged 13-18. Interviews were conducted October 25 through November 4, 2007. Users of any instant messaging service were eligible to complete the survey. Members of the Knowledge Networks internet panel were recruited by telephone polling methods, and panelists who were not online were provided with Internet access. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points for adults and 6 percentage points for teens.
About the Associated Press
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.
About AOL
AOL® is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
Many Look to Cell Phones and Social Profiles to Instant Message with Buddies
Teens Look to Instant Messaging for Embarrassing Conversations, Asking Out Dates
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the second annual AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey, many IM users are spending time instant messaging from their cell phones. The survey, which examined instant messaging trends and usage habits among 1,246 IM users, revealed that 25 percent of respondents send IMs from their cell phones, including one in three (32 percent) teens.
The proliferation of cell phones with full keyboards has made it easier to send mobile instant messages. All of the major instant messaging services also let users have their instant messages forwarded directly to their cell phones when they’re on-the-go. In addition, IM users are instant messaging from within their social networking profiles.
Instant messaging is not only popular at home and on-the-go, but workplace use is becoming commonplace. More than one in four (27 percent) users say they use instant messaging at work. Further, half of at-work IM users say that instant messaging makes them more productive at work, a 25 percent increase over last year.
“Instant messaging has made its way into so many areas of our lives and we can now take our buddies with us wherever we go. Whether on our mobile phones, our social profiles or on the desktop at work, our friends, family and co-workers are right there letting us know when they’re free for a question or just to chat,” said David Liu, Senior Vice President, AOL. “This survey also found that instant messaging is truly helping people become more productive and better manage their relationships wherever they may be.”
Top-line survey findings among users of instant messaging include:
* More than half (55 percent) of teen IM users have used instant messaging to get help with their homework. This is a 17 percent increase over last year. Meanwhile, 22 percent of teens say they have sent an IM to ask for or accept a date.
* Forty-three percent of teen IM users say they have used instant messaging to say something they would not say to someone in person. Teenage girls are more likely than boys to do so. Nearly half of teenage girls surveyed have used instant messaging to say something they would not say in person, compared with just over a third of teenage boys.
* Teens today are more likely to upload photos (42 percent in 2007 vs. 34 percent in 2006) while instant messaging. They are less likely to conduct online research for school (57 percent vs. 63 percent) or update their blog or social profile (33 percent vs. 42 percent) while sending IMs.
* Nearly three in four teens (70 percent) and one in four adults (24 percent) send more instant messages than emails.
* Multi-tasking remains very popular, as IM users tend to engage in multiple online activities while sending instant messages. Checking email is the most popular activity among eight in ten adult and teen IM users. After email, adult IM users most often conduct online searches (49 percent), while teens say they like to research homework assignments online (57 percent).
* Nearly four in five (79 percent) at-work IM users say they have used instant messaging in the office to take care of personal matters. One in five (19 percent) IM users say they send more instant messages than emails to their co-workers and colleagues.
**Note to Broadcast Media: B-Roll is available and can be previewed by logging onto http://www.thenewsmarket.com/AOL.
Survey Methodology
Interviewing for the AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey was conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a national sample of 1,246 instant messaging users, including 836 adults aged 19 and older and 410 teens aged 13-18. Interviews were conducted October 25 through November 4, 2007. Users of any instant messaging service were eligible to complete the survey. Members of the Knowledge Networks internet panel were recruited by telephone polling methods, and panelists who were not online were provided with Internet access. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points for adults and 6 percentage points for teens.
About the Associated Press
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.
About AOL
AOL® is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
