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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PD BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 66601-3585
Kansan
Monday
October 27,1997
Section:
A
Vol. 108 • No. 48
Partly sunny.
Online today
We got a new server! We got a new server! We got a new server! Come join the excitement.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
http://www.kansan.com
Sports today
Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost led the Cornhuskers to a 35-0 defeat of Kansas on Saturday night. The Jayhawk offense ranks last in Division I.
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
Faculty to sink teeth into new Apple
By Daniel E. Thompson dthompson@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
There's a shiny new Apple on campus today. But students aren't invited to take a bite.
The sneak peek of Gossamer, a prerelease computer from Apple Computers Inc., as well as a product map of upcoming desktop and powerbook releases, will be at 9 and 11 a.m. today in the Computer Center Auditorium.
All faculty and staff members are invited to the free presentations, but students cannot attend.
"We do a lot with students."
said Jennifer Burns, education account manager for Haddock Academic Technologies, Apple's higher-education agent. "We were concentrating on students; now we're focusing on departments."
The computer is shrouded in mystery. Anyone who sees the presentation must sign a nondisclosure agreement and legally cannot talk about Gossamer.
It is equipped with the unavailable 750 microprocessor. The microprocessor is known as G3, which stands for third generation. The second generation was the pair of processors called 603 and 604.
said Cole Robison, software training specialist in the Computer Center.
The last PowerPC released by Apple Computers was the Power Macintosh 9600 in August. It came with a 604e processor. An Apple press release said it was similarly faster than the fastest Pentium II system available. The cost for the top-of-the-line model was $5,400.
The basic way to build a faster
"It's a lot about speed," Robison said. "How many calculations a processor can do per unit of time. It's the most basic measure of the speed of a computer."
"We were concentrating on students;now we're focusing on departments."
Jennifer Burns
education account manager
Haddock Academic Technologie
computer is to make a faster microprocessor, Robison said.
The microprocessors, which are analogous in function to an Intel Pentium, were created in
a partnership, called the PowerPC Alliance, between Apple Computers, IBM and Motorola.
Robison said other areas where Apple might improve speed were the hard-drive disk, random access memory and the system bus, the device that exchanges information between the microprocessor.
Apple puts on a presentation at the University every few months, Robison said.
"They'll come in and let us know what they're up to," he said. "For me, its a personal interest. But for people more in charge of purchasing, it's for planning and how they can meet their equipment needs."
Stick with me, kid
Matt Bloom, Minnetonka, Minn., freshman, and Greg Bloom, Lake Forest, Ill., freshman, stick to the Velcro wall at the health fair on the lawn of Allen Field House. Photo by Holly Groshong/KANSAN
Governor urges technology, tax cuts
Spending is needed for students at all levels, Graves says
By Ann Premer
apremer@kansan
Kansan Staff Writer
Investing more in education and cutting taxes are at the forefront of Gov. Bill Graves' plan for the state's 1998 fiscal year.
Graves spoke to a crowd of about 190 people Friday at an early morning meeting at the Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome. The meeting
He said investment in technology was essential for the state to be competitive in what it offered to students.
"One of the areas I think we are woefully lacking in investment is in new technology at all levels of education." Graves said.
was open to the public.
For example, last year, Kansas State University President Jon Wefald proposed a $40 million increase in technology funding for state institutions. When the increase was approved, the state
"We've got to do a better job with our Regents." Graves said.
In the past, the state has not fully met educational technology needs.
He said the state needed to invest in all educational levels but also needed to spend money in other areas, too.
a ll o c a t e d $400,000 for technology, Graves said.
"I have not yet decided how we are going to split
up the financial pie," Graves said.
up the financial pie, Graves said. Graves said he would wait to be specific about his financial plan until Nov. 5, when the state's consensus revenue estimating committee would meet to predict the state's income for the next fiscal year.
The state experienced a surplus of $66 million this year, he said.
"The state is in a position to cut taxes," said Cathy Hut, director of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, which organized Friday's event. "It's a good position to be in to have excess dollars."
Graves said he was considering reducing inheritance tax and giving tax credits for property taxes on machinery and equipment.
"It will be a broad-based package," he said. "I expect us to have another good year of tax cuts."
Tow-truck drivers may be racing police to the scene
Mary Corcoran
Mary Corcoran
mcorcoran@kansan.com
The police department is supposed to rotate the tow companies it calls. When there is a wreck, police will call the company that is next on the list.
Kansan staff writer
After getting into a car accident, the last thing most people want to think about is who will tow their car. Luckily, police dispatchers usually call a tow company.
However, some companies listen to a police scanner and try to get to the wreck before police. When this happens, that company can arrange a tow with the vehicle owners before the police call the scheduled company.
"Some companies run off the scanner to get business," said Mike Faler, owner of Kaw Motor and Salvage Company. "If the owner says, 'OK, that'll be fine,' then they get the business."
"Running the scanner is against FCC regulations," said Michelle, a dispatcher at Quality Tow. "But if another tow truck says it just happened to drive by, it's the owners' right to pick who they want."
Although FCC rules prohibit tow companies from using the scanner to find business, it is acceptable for tow-truck drivers to drive around looking for accidents.
Michelle said dispatchers at Quality Tow were not allowed to jump calls.
"It's just not professionally ethical to do that," she said. Faler, who has been in the towing business for more than 40 years, said he did not allow his drivers to use a scanner to find business. Consequently, his drivers sometimes lose business when other companies jump calls.
"It seems to be happening quite a bit this year," Faler said. "It usually happens when new companies enter the area."
Police follow a rotation of Hillcrest Wrecker, Kaw Motor Company, Quality Tow, Robinson Wrecker and Trans-Masters. To get on the list, a new company must register with the police department.
Faler said new companies sometimes did not realize the police department followed a rotation and would listen to the scanner instead.
"Each time there's a new company, we always have problems with them going out on the scene and sitting there to contract a tow before we can get for," said Jerry Taylor, owner of Hillcrest Wrecker for 25 years.
Other tow-company owners had similar concerns.
"Most of the time, the police do a good job warning them that another company is up on the rotation," he said. "But if the customer has agreed, then they get the job."
To avoid jumped calls in non-accedent tow jobs, the city of Lawrence and the University have exclusive contracts with tow companies. Non-accedent tow jobs are cars parked in fire lanes or handicapped spaces, cars with outstanding parking tickets or parked cars blocking traffic.
This year, Quality Tow holds the exclusive contract for non-accident towing services for the KU parking department. It accepts bids for the contract. The tow company that offers the lowest price gets the contract.
Faler, Taylor and Michelle all agreed that jumped calls rarely happened when a company had an exclusive contract. However, exclusive contracts do not exist for accident-related jobs.
"When you have a contract, no one else is allowed to tow the cars," Faler said. "That way, students can get the best price."