Blog Lists

Explainer: what is a virtual private network (VPN)?

By Mark A Gregory, RMIT University

Have you ever wanted to exist in more than one place at the same time?

The laws of physics suggest wormholes through space and time are hypothetical; but wormholes do exist in cyberspace and wonders can be found on the other side.

How do I: Securely share files with business partners

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Set up an online document safe.

Sharing documents with your business partners should not be onerous but does require some caution to ensure the documents reach their intended recipients and don’t end up in the hands of your competitors or those that wish to damage your business.

Computer thinks you're dumb: automated essay grading in the world of MOOCs

By Mark A Gregory, RMIT University

Let us consider the following scenario.

You have enrolled in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by a world renowned university.

After four weeks of solid work you have completed your first assignment and you sit down to upload the essay. Within a second of the essay being sent for grading your result appears declaring your essay to be a less than stellar effort.

NBN Co gets survivability right

Labor’s ambitious national broadband network (NBN) is living on borrowed time and will almost certainly be binned after the September election. The NBN may have had its fair share of problems – some legitimate and some self-inflicted – but it has a lot of redeeming features as well, especially when it comes to the network’s architecture. The Coalition’s NBN alternative may seem pragmatic but can it afford to undo the good work done so far?

How to avoid more Vodafails

Vodafone is once again bemoaning its competitive disadvantages and yet it refuses to invest in its network. Perhaps a bit of forced competition could actually help the telco.

Vodafone would have the public – and the government – believe that Telstra is taking advantage of call termination fees which is the fee a carrier pays to another carrier when a customer calls someone on the other carrier’s network.

A new NBN benchmark

The discussion around the Coalition’s NBN plan has so far centred on how it measures up to Labor’s existing plan. But perhaps it’s time for a new benchmark.