- This year, academic-computing expenses will account for a larger portion of overall IT
spending than administrative computing, returning to the previous pattern of academic
departments outspending administrative ones. The report also noted that roughly 80%
of institutions in the survey have standardized on a single brand of computer in an effort
to control maintenance and training, and to simplify ordering costs -
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/03/2003032601t.htm (Chronicle of Higher Education,
26 Mar 03)

- A new spam-blocking service was announced by software designer Phil Goldman,
who is self-financing the Los Altos-based company Mailblocks. Customers will pay
an annual fee for the service, which intercepts messages from unknown senders and
automatically returns the message with a seven-digit number and a form to fill out.
The completed form, demonstrates that the message was not sent by an automated
mass-mailing machine, and the system forwards the email to the intended recipient -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/24/technology/24PHIL.html (New York Times,
24 Mar 03)

- According to the article "Technology Companies Take Hope in Charity" by Susan
Reed, Hewlett-Packard has been working with the United Nations on ways to
standardize and computerize the small-loan industry in the developing world. This
is part of a trend on the part of the technology industry where corporate collaboration
with non-profits and foreign governments is becoming a new way of doing business.
Another factor that enters into the small-loans idea is the company's new goals to
counter anti-Americanism and encourage the concept of global citizenship - http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/business/23PHIL.html?th (New York Times,
23 Mar 03)