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Technology'
/olume 110 • Issue SO • 16 pages
MyDoon^Womi
IMyDoom Worm is the latest
le-mail virus, which started
]infecting computers Jan. 26.
’Also known as Novarg
>Contained in e-mails with
random senders
>Originated in Russia andj
has spread to 168
countries
Andrew Burujon • THE BATTALION
Source : CIS CNN.COM
V Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
w \\ w.thebattalion.nct
page design by • EMILY HENDRICKSON
Worm squirms its way through A&M
By Melissa Sullivan
THE BATTALION
Approximately 1,000 e-mails sent to Texas
A&M have been infected with the MyDoom worm,
dubbed the worst worm since the Love Letter worm
in May 2000.
Tom Putnam, director of Computer Information
Services, said the University is working to create tools
that detect and delete any infected e-mails.
"We are hoping we can find a way to catch all of
them,” he said. ”We are deleting them as they come
through the front door.”
The MyDoom worm, which started in Russia,
began spreading and infecting computers Jan. 26
Willis Marti, associate director for networking at
A&M, said whoever spread the worm may be upset at
the Utah-based SCO group, which has been pressing
its claim that some of the creators of the operating
system Linux copied parts of SCO’s computer code.
"There are all sorts of reasons for creating a worm
or virus," Marti said. " When you take over someone’s
computer you can do interesting things.”
Marti said the worm looks at one’s e-mail address
book and generates random e-mails that includes a
message such as, “The message cannot be represent
ed in a 7-bit ASCII encoding and has been sent as a
binary attachment.”
"The infected e-mail may look like it comes from
you or someone in your address book,” Marti said.
Putnam said the subject line of the e-mail may read
“hi" or “hello” and look like a friendly e-mail.
Computer labs around campus began posting
warning signs telling students not to open attachments
See Worm on page 2A
rtist hosts workshop,
ncourages students’ talents
Dancing on paper
11
phot
DIUilO r i
By Rhiannon Meyers
THE BATTALION
Since 1977, Rita Blitt said she has been dancing
|n paper.
Blitt said she creates her abstract art by attacking
:r canvas with eyes closed, a paintbrush in each
landantlclassic.il music playing in the background,
fhe final result is the kind of art that has made her
ious worldwide.
“1 developed everything myself,” Blitt said. “I
list let lines flow from me. It’s a deep emotional
wing.”
I On Jan. 27-28, Blitt taught Texas A&M students
low to dance on paper themselves. In two work-
Ihops hosted by the Memorial Student Center Visual
^rts Society, Blitt spoke to students about her work
Ind then encouraged them to dance and mark a piece
If drawing paper as it moved them.
I “This was the most exciting moment of my expe-
lience here," Blitt said. “It’s groundbreaking. It’s
Netting dancers to extend their lines to paper."
I Blitt said she applied only three rules to the
workshop: pretend to be the only person in the
loom, let the lines come from deep within and work
Is fast as possible.
I Christine Bergeron, clinical assistant professor of
lance, said she was surprised at how many dancers
inmersed themselves in dancing on paper.
I “I didn’t find one person that didn’t connect,"
Bergeron said.
I Bonnie Bryan, a junior economics major, said the
experience was inspiring.
“It was really like free reign,” Bryan said.
“Dance if you like, draw if you like.”
Although this is the first time Blitt has ever taught
a workshop like this, she said her art reflects the
huge impact of music and dance, especially her
“Caught in the Paint” series, a group of photographs
taken of dancers in midair behind pieces of glass
painted by Bin.
Besides photography, Blitt has dabbled in sculp
ture. painting and drawing. Blitt describes her paint
ings and drawings as doodles that flow spontaneous
ly onto page after page.
“Everyone should let themselves doodle,” Blitt
said. “It reflects who you are.”
Blitt said her unique style of painting and draw
ing with both hands at first scared her.
"I was really shocked and embarrassed and I
kinda hoped that it would go away,” Blitt said. "But
then I realized I needed two hands to feel honest
and whole.”
Blitt has created 40 monumental award-winning
sculptures worldwide that range up to 60 feet. All of
her sculptures- are adapted from her drawings and
paintings.
Pieces of Blitt’s work are now on display at the
MSC Visual Arts Gallery until Feb. 13 along with
two documentary-type videos. Other pieces of work
are featured at www.ritablitt.com.
“My work comes from deep within me, deep
within my subconscious,” Blitt said. “It reflects the
joy of my life. If I'm not creating, there’s something
wrong with my being.”
Kansas City native artist Rita Blitt demonstrates her two-handed drawing technique Wednesday after
noon in the MSC. Blitt's collection of work, 'The Passionate Gesture" will be on display in the MSC Visual
Arts Gallery, room 289 through Feb. 13.
Parking plan halted
|due to many concerns
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
When Texas A&M Vice President for Administration Charles Sippial hired
■Transportation Services Director Rodney Weis, he told him that he wanted
1 A&M to have the best parking system in the nation.
“(Weis) was the best, and still is the best, parking director in the country,”
1 lw i^PP' a ' sa ' < J-
ndersB officials will be regrouping, reconsidering, then reemerging with a
wee^Brevised parking proposal with more specific details in the next couple of
months, Sippial said.
Sippial said he still believes Weis will turn A&M into the model for trans
portation operations in the country, despite the new setbacks.
A&M President Robert M. Gates said in a University-wide e-mail Friday
that he decided to bring implementation of the plan to a standstill due to seri
ous concerns, as well as much misunderstandings and misinformation from a
number of groups and individuals on campus.
Sippial said one misunderstanding is that there will be no 24-7 reserved
H jri spots, when in fact they would be reduced in number, but not eliminated,
i “We can’t eliminate them all; there are people who need access 24-hours a
. Hday. Maybe not every day, but the times they need them, they need them.”
<- Sippial said a frequent question asked of him that he couldn’t answer was
how much reserved spaces would cost. He said they haven't run the analysis
on the costs yet.
“We borrow money to build parking garages and surface lots on a 20-year
basis,” he said. “We have to look at a fair and reasonable price to charge, but
also consider we have visitors' revenue, but the folks who want it 24-7 will
have to pay the bulk of those charges.”
Sippial said people have been concerned or confused about who would
assign the parking, about how the assignments would be made for the 400
expected faculty members and about the process of grandfathering.
Sippial said poor communication is a major problem that has occurred.
“We’re going to go forward and try to make sure when we come back out
with this program that it’s one that's clear and concise and we can answer
all the questions, and we can get support of all our customers throughout the
campus.”
Speaker of the Student Senate Matthew Wilkins said the Senate supported
the original plan under the condition that on-campus residents received park
ing priorities near their dormitories.
He said he would speculate that the new plan would give more concessions
to faculty members, but hopefully not to the disadvantage of students.
“We’d have to reevaluate it with the student government to find out what
our position is on it,” he said.
Weis said he knew there would be a lot of resistance to the plan, especially
from faculty members.
“We'll keep moving forward.,” Weis said. “ It’s kind of like dancing: three
steps forward and two back..”
Aggie dies after battle with cancer
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By Joaquin Salcedo
THE BATTALION
Jennifer Wood did not have to be a teacher to be involved in
children’s lives.
She has dedicated her life to children by helping out in a
group called the “glitter gliders,” in which she and her fianed
Travis Gober coached fourth- and fifth-grade students.
All of her dreams and aspirations were never put on
standby, and she lived her dreams and acted in the present,
Gober said.
“One of the glitter gliders who was kind of shy and
reserved wrote that Jennifer made her a braver person. She real
ly did make an impact on her,” he said.
However, Wood, a junior education major, died in Dallas,
Jan. 2 from Hodgkin’s disease, which she was diagnosed with
in December.
“We didn’t think she was dying or
anything; the doctors didn't expect
it,” Gober said.
The diagnosis came as a tremen
dous shock to Wood's friends and
family as there was never a time
when she had shown any visible signs
of grave illness.
She became sick after
Thanksgiving when she contracted a
viral infection that seemed to never
go away, said Jared Briggs, a child
hood friend.
“We thought maybe she just had a
bad case of the flu,” he said.
WOOD
See Aggie on page 2A
‘Bubba-taf raises more than $157,000
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION
The local chapter of Habitat for Humanity raised more than $157,000 with its lat
est project “Bubba-tat.”
Bubba Moore, owner of TV Facts magazine, came up with the idea of living inside
a glass house inside Post Oak Mall in order to raise money to build five homes for
low-income families.
The Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity had been thinking of a new way
to raise money for its cause a few months before Moore came up with this idea,
Moore said.
“I was sitting at home one night and I was watching a reality show on a magician
being locked in a glass house,” he said. “The idea had to go to Habitat for Humanity
because it was a house and it was only natural to go to them.”
Moore moved into the house Nov. 3 and stayed 46 days. Moore said initially his
goal was to raise $150,000. He agreed to stay in the house until he reached his goal.
“I did not mind being on display,” Moore said. “The intimidating part was not
knowing when I would make it.”
Trish Burk, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, said the Bryan-College
Station area supported Moore and the cause.
“The whole community came together and all saw Bubba’s sacrifice as a way they
could provide homes for low-income families,” she said.
Moore said his time in the glass house was not always fun.
His aunt and a close friend passed away while he was living in the house.
See Bubba-tat on page 2A
JP Beato III • THE BATTALION
W.F. Bubba Moore works on publishing his
TV Facts magazine from inside his 16 x 20
plexiglass house in front of JC Penney in
Post Oak Mall Thursday afternoon. Moore,
who was locked inside since Nov. 3, 2003,
raised more than $157,000 for Habitat
for Humanity.