University of South Carolina Libraries
; South-iCaro 1 iniana*a?Li brary Horseshoe P . I p w -Vi i-.i *, , I - M .ft U w .. . ' ?? ____ _____ I ' Official says syster f*i I O lull (HI By John Braun and Brian Pomeroy Computer files at USC that contain grades, transcripts and other personal information cannot be reached without passwords and secret numbers, according to a university official. But the security system doesn't keep some students from being able to check on their peers. Two USC ctllHontc fnlH fho fhon nnnlH jobsf'nl' jNSfcSSV* s ?MWih. V ;-v I; ',<: ?'(J, / .8 ) ^ " . ' . ' ' i-,. . -V^v.: ? :vV./. .. * - V -*vf JVU>... "* V;v: ?/; *. \ y ,v' - | :^ Vf V: ^ f ' * -WF USC employee Sally Stocker works at a comp Innkinn tin student rnrnrris nn similar terminal*: Three USC prol By Toni Saddler Three USC professors have developed a way to show three-dimensional images to audiences without glasses. Media arts department chairman Porter McLaurin and physics professor^ Edwin "Rudy" Jones and LeConte Cathey said last week they have perfected the method they onnminnn/1 o KVA/\nfV* ortA ci 111 ivsmiv?vsvi a uiuiuu 05V/. Physicists had thought the mind needed two images to perceive in 3-D. The three professors found that the 3-D effect can be achieved with one image, a method once thought impossible, Cathey said. "THERE ARE many claims in literature that say our technique would not work," he said. "However, we have done the impossible two times in a row." The technique is called Visidep, an acronym for "visual image depth enhancement process." Its creators claim it has unlimited application in fields such as inside USC student Mark Spires, who is blind, "sees" with his ears as he goes to class. Page three. What makes "An .Officer and a Gen tleman" such an appealing movie?Page 11 Stanford quarterback John Elway is a leading candidate for both the Heisman Trophy and the New York Yankees' right fielder slot. Page 14. n secure ts nain f S3P Robert RobefSon, systems vice presiden of Computer Services, said his office doej not give access codes to students, but of ficials can allow student workers to use th< computer system. "There's no rule that keeps officials fron allowing responsible students access (t< i n 4- m/\ \ ' ' l\ir\ aiuucmiccuiua;, ucsdiu. The registrar determines who needs to se< the files to do his job, Roberson said ^&?SSIBBEB&foL. f>\., ' * ' JHPWy Ph?to by Win McNimt uter terminal. Two students admitted in the past. ressors develop medicine through x -rays and radiology, th< military through 3-D simulation games, oi research through high resolution density computer technology, television en tertainment and sports, and basic still-lif photography. Visidep is more realistic than earlier 3-1 techniques because the picture does nc jump out of the screen, McLaurin said Instead, the depth in the image appears t go back into the screen as if the viewer wer looking out of a window. "Any image that you can present, you ca present it in 3-D with Visidep," he added. THE POTENTIAL impact of thi technique is far-reaching in medicin because anatomical locations will be mor precise, and Visidep can be applied t microscopic viewing, McLaurin said. Visidep can help oil researchers becaus it u/ill chnw tho HontK nf art oil fiolH fha ?V TT11* tJllVTT MIV VTA 1411 V/li 11V1U 111(1 could not be presented in 2-D. Another application of Visidep would be i sports and instant replays, becaus distances look different when seen in 3-D a opposed to standard 2-D television, a< cording to McLaurin. After shooting a baseball game wit Visidep, the professors said playe placement and ball movement are totall different,but more accurate,in 3-D. "I nev knew the pitcher's mound was so large, McLaurin said. According to Jones, Visidep is based o "Cyclopian,"or one eyed perception ,rathe than standard 3-D concepts based o stereopsis, or two-eyed viewing." Sm "3D," piQ? fo iccess to 1 I Computer Services then assigns the person ' ar."nnnt numhpr and a na?u;nrH that ! allows him access to the relevant section of 0' ; the computer. I 1 Until July 1, a user needed only a i password or an account number to use the o computer ; now a user needs both, Roberson said. e No user has access to all the information I. in an individual's file, Roberson said, and fewer than 100 officials have been given access to any part of the system. ? Roberson said the computer security g system is such that the files could only be r called up on terminals in some ad- s ministration offices by persons entering an authorized password and account number. A ntnrtf?n1- rmilH e?pf a nasswnrH onlv from 1 the person to which it was issued, not from within the computer itself, Ftoberson said. a One student said he could not gain access f to the computer without a special password and account number this summer. s However, he needed access to the computer g u for his job. P I At first, his employer would sign him on, J he said. "We weren't doing anything ( ^ illegal,'" he said of his fellow student workers. "We were just checking things out, |V making sure things were right." j ki g His employers gave him the password and - account number one day "when we were all * j in a hurry." Although he cannot reach the system ? 0 through terminals in student computer \ rooms,he said he can get to the system from $1 any administrative terminal. j In another job last spring, the student said he taught himself to use the computer to call ( up student records from a code book in the ( office in which he worked. "There was a code book just lying around, ( and I picked it up and looked at it," he said. j ? The book contained the Dassword and "had codes to tell you how to find things," he said. With the book, he said, he could find ), perfect new 3-1 B 17.V.V : : v,:- ;;,.^ - I bNmb e fl BPf ^^8 3-D nioneers _ ? B - JJ Brainstorming sessions at the Winners Circle F in laughter tor USC researchers Dr. LeConte Cathev Jones. The trio spent many hours at the restaur . lies There's no rule that keeps fficials from allowing ^sponsible students access (to i i - i i f [uaenis recorasj. ? Systems Vice President of Computer Services Robert Roberson grades, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and egistration information if he knew the itudent's name or student number. He said his employers asked him not to sxamine files on his own, but "it was kind of ike'...you shouldn't do that, you know." Tho nthor cfii^nnt tiroc ?;nrUinO oc a nonr A. IIV/ V/tllVxl OlUUV/Ul TT WO YTUl UlU^ UO U idviser last spring when he had his own >assword to get to student files. "I would enter three letters, then omething would come up on the screen. I'd ;ive a code and then my personal password," he said. He said he could call up class rolls, grade eports, SAT scores, home addresses, elephone numbers and parents' names. "I could get to everything on the cornrater" dealing with student records, he >aid. He was told bv his employers not to *ive the information out over the telephone 'unless I knew exactly who was calling." He said he had not tried to use the system since the new sign-on procedure was put into ise. Both students said they could not change 'ecords. Information on the computer files includes students' class schedules, grades and everything on admission forms. "There is ?iL: ?. n?i ? 4i? * [turning mat is un me cumpuici mat i? hui derived directly from the student or as a result of information that he supplies the institution," Roberson said. Medical forms are not stored on the computer, he added. 3 process ?<Aj* 1 lestaurant were often spiced with f, Dr. Porter McLaurin and Dr. Edwin anf nlonrtinn a nauu 1.11 tanhllSnftlO uiii piaiiiiiviy (i now u p? iuviiiih|iiu,