February 5, 2012
Tuesday Oscar-nominated Shorts —page 5
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
WWW.DAILYAZTEC.COM
VOLUME 99, ISSUE 65
Cerebral palsy studied at SDSU lab
campus
Personal interaction vs. Social media — page 3
I feel like, as great as they are for communicating ... they also present a large distraction german pineda
Aerospace Engineering Sophomore
SDSU police will give away free U-locks today
campus
monica linzmeir , assistant photo editor
The SDSUPD will be giving away Ulocks on campus. A high-tech cerebral palsy research technique—also used in Hollywood to create animated characters—is being utilized on a child participant to caputre speech motion. The research is being conducted by SDSU professor Ignatius Nip and a team of students.
Christina Koral Staff Writer
Many students walk by the San Diego State School of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences building every day, but few realize the kind of groundbreaking research that occurs in the seemingly ordinary building. Speech language assistant professor Ignatius Nip and his
courtesy of sdsu newscenter
Staff Writer
team of SDSU students have been studying the relationship between facial movements and speech-language development in children with cerebral palsy, a motor disorder that can affect the entire body and inhibit speaking ability. The technology captures the same motion of facial expressions as the one actors’ use to create computer-generated film
characters. “The company we bought this from has actually won Academy Awards,” Nip said. “It’s the same system they use to animate Gollum from ‘Lord of the Rings.’” In the research lab there is a set-up similar to one you would see on a movie set. Eight optical motions-capture cameras designed to detect infrared light focus on the participant, who
then have about 15 markers on their faces that reflect the infrared light, which sends a 3-D image of the participant’s face back to the computer. “No one has looked at the speech movements of children with cerebral palsy using this type of technology,” Nip said. “We can use the information SDSU research continued on page 2
The Times, victim of Chinese cyber attack
national Michele Pluss Staff Writer
On Jan. 30, The New York Times released a report claiming it had been the target of a cyber attack by the Chinese for the past four months. The hacking coincided with an online story The Times published last October, which scrutinized the large fortune the family of Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao. Through several business deals, Jiabao’s family had amassed a fortune of several billion dollars. According to an NPR interview with Wired’s cybercrime desk senior reporter Kim Zetter, when Times reporters contacted Chinese
Laura Nguyen
officials for reaction to this story prior to publication, they “heard that officials were saying there were be consequences (to running the story).” This prompted the Times to alert AT&T to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. The Times’ investigation into the cyber attack revealed the hackers gained access to employees’ corporate passwords and then used those passwords to infiltrate 53 personal computers of Times reporters, the majority of whom worked outside the Times’ newsroom. The report claims this most recent attack is reminiscent of past Chinese cyber attacks in three ways: The malware initially
A view of The New York Times building in New York. The Times recently claimed to be a victim of a cyber attack.
used to hack the Times’ system was a specific strain associated with computer attacks originating in China; the hackers routed their attacks through American universities to disguise their
courtesy of purple x
tracks; and the attacks originated from the same university in China from which past computer attacks were launched by the Chinese NYT hacking continued on page 2
Students are invited to register their bikes and receive a free U-lock during two events hosted by the San Diego State Police Department today and Thursday. Today, the event will be located at the Cuicacalli Walkway and on Thursday at the Campanile Walkway from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All SDSU community members are welcome and encouraged to register their bikes. “I’ll be there,” kinesiology junior Patrick Holub said. “Who wouldn’t want a free bike lock? You can never be too cautious.” The estimate retail prices of U-locks vary from $15 to $50 at local stores. However, locking one’s bike may not be enough. Bike locks and chains can be easily cut with a pair of belt cutters. SDSUPD stresses the importance of students registering their bikes with the police department, which increases the probability of finding a stolen bike. “I feel comfortable riding and leaving my bike on campus,” bioengineering sophomore Jenna Gould, who also rides her bike to school daily, said. “But I do think the SDSUPD is doing a good job of reaching out to students and ensuring the security of their bikes.”