Published in the Current
At the September meeting of the Cape Elizabeth School Board, students and administrators spoke about the schools’ reactions to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
The Sept. 20 meeting, postponed from Sept. 11 due to the attacks, also saw this year’s first presentations from the high school and middle school student representatives to the board.
David Greenwood and Christopher Roy, seniors at Cape High School, said they were proud of the way the high school students responded to the terrorism. Some seniors donated blood at local blood drives, while others, including Greenwood and Roy, painted the rock on Rt. 77. The students also are looking to create a memorial for the emergency workers killed during rescue attempts.
Greenwood and Roy also reported the new administration is popular, saying new principal Jeff Shedd received an 89 percent approval rating in a Period C survey in the cafeteria.
Middle school representatives Brianna Bowen and Lily Hoffman said middle school students also were working to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, by collecting donations, holding a bake sale and selling ribbons.
Bowen and Hoffman also said Sally Foster Gift Wrap sales will begin Sept. 21 and continue through Oct. 4 to raise funds for the sixth and seventh grade outdoor experience trips.
In other business, the School Board also:
Received information about the college admissions and college choices of the Cape High School class of 2001. Ninety percent of the 112-member class is pursuing post-secondary education, 94 percent of whom are attending four-year colleges. Eight percent of the class is seeking employment or working prior to further education, and two percent are entering the military.
Heard the superintendent’s and principals’ reports on the opening of school, which
included reference to how the schools handled the issue of telling students about the
Sept. 11 attacks, and the students’ efforts to help victims. Pond Cove students are holding a penny drive; middle school students are selling ribbons; over 60 high school students have signed up for a brand-new Volunteer Club.
Heard the superintendent’s report on future direction planning and the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation.
Heard reports from the finance, policy and facilities subcommittees.
Approved new fall coaches for the middle school. Sarah Jordan will coach 8th grade
girls soccer. Tim Thompson will coach 7th grade girls soccer. Jeremy LaRose will coach 7th grade field hockey. Ben Putnam will be an assistant coach for 7th and 8th grade tennis.
Approved co-curricular fee positions throughout the district, including the senior
class advisor, high school student advisory council advisors, Bartleby advisor, and fall
art club advisor. Also appointed were the 7th grade representative to the student assistance team and several mentors for new teachers.
Received a request from teacher Andy Strout to defer his sabbatical for one year,
and a request from teacher Richard Rothlisberger to have a sabbatical for 2002-2003.
Noted that those who know men and women serving in the military should notify
board member Kevin Sweeney. A group of teachers and students has volunteered to
write them letters to keep their morale up.
The school board’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in the town council chambers.
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
Verizon Online addresses complaints amid anti-spam battle
Published in Interface Tech News
PORTLAND, Maine ‹ After several months of concern, customers of the former Bell Atlantic have settled into new anti-spam security measures taken by New York-based Verizon Online. Verizon, the company resulting from the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic, has been in the process of combining the two companies' policies.
Verizon Online introduced its New England and East Coast customers to a GTE policy of what it called "domain verification" for e-mail traffic being sent to its servers. When the new policy was introduced in mid-July, some customers were angered initially, but most concerns have since faded, according to company officials and industry Web sites covering the change.
Among those upset were Verizon DSL customers who hosted Web sites with companies other than Verizon. They wanted to send e-mail from addresses at their domains rather than their Verizon DSL-assigned address, from one of Verizon's domains, including Bellatlantic.net, Verizon.net, and GTE.net.
The new security is not unique to Verizon, according to company spokeswoman Bobbi Hennessey. MSN and Earthlink have similar policies, she said.
It is intended to serve two purposes, Hennessey said: to ensure that people sending e-mail through Verizon servers are Verizon customers, and to help control spam.
Some critics say the change is not an effective means of achieving spam control.
"To even suggest that this is a move to prevent spam is a red herring," wrote Joseph Barisa on MacInTouch.com, a technology news site covering Macintosh and Internet developments.
InternetWeek recently reported that some Verizon customers are pleased with the change because it allows better system security.
Hennessey said the company has had positive feedback from some people, though not as many as have complained. The move is part of a series of updates to Verizon systems that will bring the former Bell Atlantic and GTE networks into a single integrated system.
"We're aware that there are many ways of doing this," Hennessey said. She added that the policy is one GTE had in place prior to the merger.
"This is simply the best way," Hennessey said. "There's a downside to everything you select."
Of the company's 60,000 DSL subscribers, only about 1,000 called to complain. She said most of the complaints were resolved with an explanation of modifying e-mail software settings to include the user's own domain, as well as the Verizon-authorized address.
Other customers began sending e-mail through their Web hosting company's servers, rather than Verizon's, she said.
Hennessey said Verizon is working on additional spam-proofing of its systems, but declined to describe the projects. The company is expected to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.
PORTLAND, Maine ‹ After several months of concern, customers of the former Bell Atlantic have settled into new anti-spam security measures taken by New York-based Verizon Online. Verizon, the company resulting from the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic, has been in the process of combining the two companies' policies.
Verizon Online introduced its New England and East Coast customers to a GTE policy of what it called "domain verification" for e-mail traffic being sent to its servers. When the new policy was introduced in mid-July, some customers were angered initially, but most concerns have since faded, according to company officials and industry Web sites covering the change.
Among those upset were Verizon DSL customers who hosted Web sites with companies other than Verizon. They wanted to send e-mail from addresses at their domains rather than their Verizon DSL-assigned address, from one of Verizon's domains, including Bellatlantic.net, Verizon.net, and GTE.net.
The new security is not unique to Verizon, according to company spokeswoman Bobbi Hennessey. MSN and Earthlink have similar policies, she said.
It is intended to serve two purposes, Hennessey said: to ensure that people sending e-mail through Verizon servers are Verizon customers, and to help control spam.
Some critics say the change is not an effective means of achieving spam control.
"To even suggest that this is a move to prevent spam is a red herring," wrote Joseph Barisa on MacInTouch.com, a technology news site covering Macintosh and Internet developments.
InternetWeek recently reported that some Verizon customers are pleased with the change because it allows better system security.
Hennessey said the company has had positive feedback from some people, though not as many as have complained. The move is part of a series of updates to Verizon systems that will bring the former Bell Atlantic and GTE networks into a single integrated system.
"We're aware that there are many ways of doing this," Hennessey said. She added that the policy is one GTE had in place prior to the merger.
"This is simply the best way," Hennessey said. "There's a downside to everything you select."
Of the company's 60,000 DSL subscribers, only about 1,000 called to complain. She said most of the complaints were resolved with an explanation of modifying e-mail software settings to include the user's own domain, as well as the Verizon-authorized address.
Other customers began sending e-mail through their Web hosting company's servers, rather than Verizon's, she said.
Hennessey said Verizon is working on additional spam-proofing of its systems, but declined to describe the projects. The company is expected to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.
Monday, September 24, 2001
Clickshare moves toward large-scale micro-transacting
Published in Interface Tech News
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. ‹ Stepping up its support of Internet micro-transactions, Clickshare has brought a financial-services helper to the table: Multi Service Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kan.
Clickshare's business is centered on micro-transactions, in which Internet users pay small amounts for specific pieces of content, such as an archived newspaper article or video clip. While many companies handle the transactions themselves, Clickshare not only moves the money, but also allows a user's registration at one member site to be valid at all other Clickshare member sites.
After the transactions, Clickshare makes sure the money gets funneled appropriately. Now Multi Service, a handler of private-label credit cards, will take care of the actual movement of money, in exchange for a cut of the transaction amount.
Forrester Research analyst James Crawford is skeptical about micro-transactions in the near term. "It's a technology in search of an audience," he said. "It's been an area that's seen a lot of activity and not a lot of success."
Name recognition is a big deal to consumers, Crawford said. He expects a micro-transaction standard to emerge, but not from small startups like Clickshare.
"It's going to come from a financial services provider," Crawford said. "Consumers just don't trust Internet startups."
ClickShare needs to process more than the $10,000 in daily transactions the company has cited as representative, Crawford added, noting that the company only retains a small percentage of each transaction.
"To be profitable, they're going to have to get orders of magnitude, more customers," Crawford said.
ClickShare CTO Richard Lerner said that is the company's major focus. "Mostly what we're doing is building up our network of clients," he said, adding that each client is a Web site with many regular viewers.
Lerner said the company has "about a dozen" live clients and is in talks with "a couple of dozen" more companies, serving what he called "potentially millions of registered users." He said the company does not have many registered users at the moment.
He hopes Multi Service's strengths will meet Clickshare's needs as it expands.
"They have a lot of expertise in handling financial matters and handling customer service," Lerner said.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. ‹ Stepping up its support of Internet micro-transactions, Clickshare has brought a financial-services helper to the table: Multi Service Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kan.
Clickshare's business is centered on micro-transactions, in which Internet users pay small amounts for specific pieces of content, such as an archived newspaper article or video clip. While many companies handle the transactions themselves, Clickshare not only moves the money, but also allows a user's registration at one member site to be valid at all other Clickshare member sites.
After the transactions, Clickshare makes sure the money gets funneled appropriately. Now Multi Service, a handler of private-label credit cards, will take care of the actual movement of money, in exchange for a cut of the transaction amount.
Forrester Research analyst James Crawford is skeptical about micro-transactions in the near term. "It's a technology in search of an audience," he said. "It's been an area that's seen a lot of activity and not a lot of success."
Name recognition is a big deal to consumers, Crawford said. He expects a micro-transaction standard to emerge, but not from small startups like Clickshare.
"It's going to come from a financial services provider," Crawford said. "Consumers just don't trust Internet startups."
ClickShare needs to process more than the $10,000 in daily transactions the company has cited as representative, Crawford added, noting that the company only retains a small percentage of each transaction.
"To be profitable, they're going to have to get orders of magnitude, more customers," Crawford said.
ClickShare CTO Richard Lerner said that is the company's major focus. "Mostly what we're doing is building up our network of clients," he said, adding that each client is a Web site with many regular viewers.
Lerner said the company has "about a dozen" live clients and is in talks with "a couple of dozen" more companies, serving what he called "potentially millions of registered users." He said the company does not have many registered users at the moment.
He hopes Multi Service's strengths will meet Clickshare's needs as it expands.
"They have a lot of expertise in handling financial matters and handling customer service," Lerner said.
Friday, September 21, 2001
$20 million adds voice recognition to Nexiq arsenal
Published in Interface Tech News
MANCHESTER, N.H. ‹ A late August infusion of nearly $20 million from its investors and Manchester-based Sunrise Capital Parters led off a round of partnership announcements for telematics hardware and software company Nexiq. The first, with Salt Lake City-based Fonix, will add voice-recognition and text-to-speech software to Nexiq's in-vehicle framework for integration of electronic devices.
According to company spokesman Brian Payne, the framework allows connection of personal devices such as mobile phones and PDAs to be connected to a car, allowing access to the devices through displays on the dashboard and the console often found between the front seats.
Payne said telematics also allows electronic diagnostics to be performed from remote locations. While it is commonplace for cars to have electronic components and require attention from mechanics using special devices, it is not yet common for managers of corporate truck and car fleets to keep track of their vehicles' maintenance schedules while they are on the road.
Payne added that telematics can be somewhat like the On-Star system currently offered in GM's top-line automobiles, in which drivers can press a button and ask for directions from their location to a restaurant, gas station, or other destination.
In a report published by TechMall, USB Warburg analyst Saul Rubin predicted the rapid expansion of telematics services and devices in the near future. He said vehicle manufacturers will likely brand their own telematics services, but will outsource the building of hardware and software to support it.
MANCHESTER, N.H. ‹ A late August infusion of nearly $20 million from its investors and Manchester-based Sunrise Capital Parters led off a round of partnership announcements for telematics hardware and software company Nexiq. The first, with Salt Lake City-based Fonix, will add voice-recognition and text-to-speech software to Nexiq's in-vehicle framework for integration of electronic devices.
According to company spokesman Brian Payne, the framework allows connection of personal devices such as mobile phones and PDAs to be connected to a car, allowing access to the devices through displays on the dashboard and the console often found between the front seats.
Payne said telematics also allows electronic diagnostics to be performed from remote locations. While it is commonplace for cars to have electronic components and require attention from mechanics using special devices, it is not yet common for managers of corporate truck and car fleets to keep track of their vehicles' maintenance schedules while they are on the road.
Payne added that telematics can be somewhat like the On-Star system currently offered in GM's top-line automobiles, in which drivers can press a button and ask for directions from their location to a restaurant, gas station, or other destination.
In a report published by TechMall, USB Warburg analyst Saul Rubin predicted the rapid expansion of telematics services and devices in the near future. He said vehicle manufacturers will likely brand their own telematics services, but will outsource the building of hardware and software to support it.
Thursday, September 20, 2001
Small business tucked away in Cape Elizabeth
Published in the Current
Cape Elizabeth has a few storefront businesses, mainly found in the shopping plaza in the town center. But most of Cape’s businesses are less visible, though no less active, according to town business owners.
State law requires sole proprietorships and partnerships to register with the clerk’s office of the town in which they are based.
Corporations don’t need a town license, since their papers are on file with the state, according to Town Clerk Debra Lane.
Most of the businesses on file in the town office are service businesses, with a high concentration of design firms and financial consulting businesses. For those business owners, working from Cape Elizabeth is often as much of a lifestyle choice as anything else.
“In the graphics industry a lot of work can be done via the Internet,” said Kim McClellan of McClellan Graphic Services. She works out of her home, which enables her to adapt her schedule to her family.
“My hours are flexible,” she said. “It’s been really invaluable for me to work out of the house.”
Another home-based business is the Intelligent Design Enforcement Agency, run by Thomas and Candace Puckett. They are a writer and graphic-design team who lived in Washington, D.C., for years before moving to New England in search of a more laid back lifestyle.
“We live here for the beautiful scenery,” Thomas Puckett said.
With an office behind the house and one inside, the business isn’t exactly visible from the street.
“You would never know,” Puckett said.
High-speed Internet connectivity and reasonable shipping deadlines have enabled the Pucketts to work without much trouble.
Puckett called TimeWarner Cable’s RoadRunner Internet service “the spine of my business,” and said he has learned to work around the 4 p.m. FedEx deadline for overnight shipping.
Paulina Salvucci of Self Care Connection is also taking advantage of modern communications in her business. She is a personal coach for people coping with
chronic illness and those caring for them.
She sells her booklets and advertises her services on her business’s web site. It broadens her market base so that she can live in Maine and work with people all over the country.
“I love working at home,” Salvucci said. “It gives me a lot of freedom.”
She warned that there is a danger: “When you work at home, you can really overwork.”
She has set hours for the different tasks she needs to do, and has times of the day when she does things other than work. Even then, there are other challenges.
“You work in isolation unless you connect with other people,” Salvucci said.
She keeps in close touch with other professionals in her field, in Maine and elsewhere.
She loves living in Maine, and working in her Cape Elizabeth home office allows her to do that.
“I was one of those people who summered in Maine,” she said.
In 1979 she moved to Portland and eventually bought a house in the Cape. “I wanted someplace that was quiet and rural that was close to the city,” Salvucci said.
Businesses must file a form with the town clerk’s office and pay a one-time $10 fee, town clerk Lane said. When the business leaves town or dissolves, she said, the owner must notify the clerk. Home office businesses must also get a $50 permit from the town’s code enforcement officer.
Cape Elizabeth has a few storefront businesses, mainly found in the shopping plaza in the town center. But most of Cape’s businesses are less visible, though no less active, according to town business owners.
State law requires sole proprietorships and partnerships to register with the clerk’s office of the town in which they are based.
Corporations don’t need a town license, since their papers are on file with the state, according to Town Clerk Debra Lane.
Most of the businesses on file in the town office are service businesses, with a high concentration of design firms and financial consulting businesses. For those business owners, working from Cape Elizabeth is often as much of a lifestyle choice as anything else.
“In the graphics industry a lot of work can be done via the Internet,” said Kim McClellan of McClellan Graphic Services. She works out of her home, which enables her to adapt her schedule to her family.
“My hours are flexible,” she said. “It’s been really invaluable for me to work out of the house.”
Another home-based business is the Intelligent Design Enforcement Agency, run by Thomas and Candace Puckett. They are a writer and graphic-design team who lived in Washington, D.C., for years before moving to New England in search of a more laid back lifestyle.
“We live here for the beautiful scenery,” Thomas Puckett said.
With an office behind the house and one inside, the business isn’t exactly visible from the street.
“You would never know,” Puckett said.
High-speed Internet connectivity and reasonable shipping deadlines have enabled the Pucketts to work without much trouble.
Puckett called TimeWarner Cable’s RoadRunner Internet service “the spine of my business,” and said he has learned to work around the 4 p.m. FedEx deadline for overnight shipping.
Paulina Salvucci of Self Care Connection is also taking advantage of modern communications in her business. She is a personal coach for people coping with
chronic illness and those caring for them.
She sells her booklets and advertises her services on her business’s web site. It broadens her market base so that she can live in Maine and work with people all over the country.
“I love working at home,” Salvucci said. “It gives me a lot of freedom.”
She warned that there is a danger: “When you work at home, you can really overwork.”
She has set hours for the different tasks she needs to do, and has times of the day when she does things other than work. Even then, there are other challenges.
“You work in isolation unless you connect with other people,” Salvucci said.
She keeps in close touch with other professionals in her field, in Maine and elsewhere.
She loves living in Maine, and working in her Cape Elizabeth home office allows her to do that.
“I was one of those people who summered in Maine,” she said.
In 1979 she moved to Portland and eventually bought a house in the Cape. “I wanted someplace that was quiet and rural that was close to the city,” Salvucci said.
Businesses must file a form with the town clerk’s office and pay a one-time $10 fee, town clerk Lane said. When the business leaves town or dissolves, she said, the owner must notify the clerk. Home office businesses must also get a $50 permit from the town’s code enforcement officer.
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