Welcome to Study Hall! The Internet can be a great resource as long as you know how to use it. Here you will find tips for effective web research to help you get the most out of the Internet.
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Maya
Cyber Defender & Databank Supervisor
Because of her unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Maya started out as a librarian. While she loved her job, she wanted to do more to help protect people.
Since Cyber Villains such as Ms. Information and Elvirus can corrupt websites and the information on them, Maya teaches people to protect themselves by using caution when visiting websites and avoiding sites that are not trustworthy.
Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime
- Chinese Proverb
Anything chocolate
Interests:Browsing bookstores, baking
June 5 2009
Summer Sabbatical
I'm going to be taking a break from Cyber Defense this summer to help out my old co-workers at the library. Because they can't hire a new tech person, I'm helping them create a new Web database for their books and digitize their collection to make it available online.
It should be a nice break from all the fast-paced craziness of cyberspace. As much as I love the Internet, nothing beats curling up with a good book.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 22 2009
Databank assistant
Despite a few stumbles at the beginning of the semester, Alexi has been an invaluable assistant to me this semester. With Erika's help she's come up with a time management system that's flexible enough to allow her to explore but still allows her to get things done. I'm very impressed by the change in her.
She's expressed interest in continuing as my assistant next year, but I think there's another job for her that would be a perfect fit. I need to talk to Betty about it first though.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
April 3 2009
Alexi in combat mode
Because I was at the Academy during the attack, I got the chance to witness a whole new side of Alexi. She was phenomenal, especially when handling some of the more panicked cadets like Dana and a few of the first-year cadets. I think she's struggling with her assistant position because her talents clearly lie elsewhere.
According to Betty and Ward, the cadets who were trapped in cyberspace actually performed the best. While they were confused and frightened, they were also able to overcome that pretty quickly to focus on what needed to be done.
This was not quite the case with the cadets at the Academy. Omni and I had our hands full trying to hold down the fort. Without Alexi and Yoko's help we couldn't have done it. We will have to discuss a solution at the seminar today.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
March 27 2009
Misinformation no more
Congratulations, Cyber Defenders! Job well done!
I'm hoping, now that Ms. Information has been captured, that our job of filtering through Web sites will be a little easier now. She won't be making any fake Web sites and false information in the near future, so we should just have to clean up the mess she's already made. Alexi will still need to be on her toes, but it's one step in the right direction.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 16 2009
Judging the costume contest
I was extremely impressed by the creativity the cadets showed at the costume contest. There were some truly wonderful and clever costumes, but it was clear to everyone who deserved the prize. Dana's thoroughness in both researching the history of her fictional figures and creating them accurately was very evident in hers and Alan's costumes.
Second place went to Yoko and Richard for their striking resemblance to John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Although Alexi and Carlo's Pocahontas and John Smith costumes were great, I had to give them third place because technically Pocahontas married John Rolfe, not John Smith. In truth I think Alexi ran out of time. She’d been in the Databank every day that week. She might learn a thing or two from Dana about focus.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 5 2009
The Databank
One of the biggest challenges working at the Databank is just trying to keep up with the ever-evolving Internet. We archive the current status of the Web sites in cyberspace, so that cadets can easily access the most up-to-date content, but every day there are thousands of new Web sites and updates to existing sites. It's just impossible for one person to go through it all, so we've developed bots to do the work automatically.
But our bots are not doing as well as they used to. Certain types of new sites are getting mislabeled and the few things we still do by hand need to be automated, so I decided this semester to bring the bots up-to-date. We're giving Alexi a chance to redeem herself as my assistant with this task, but I think she's still going to find it to be quite a challenge.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
June 27 2008
Helping Betty
I've been watching Betty struggle through repairing the Clubhouse for a while now. I'm starting to feel sad for her. I know she volunteered to sacrifice her beloved Clubhouse to capture Nils, but we've left her to deal with the damage herself. From now on I'm going to do what I can to help her restore the place.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
June 20 2008
My Summer Reading List
After I wrote the tracking program that hasn’t been much left for me to do but check it occasionally. I’ve dug though my personal library to find books I want to read this summer.
Jane Eyre has been a long time favorite of mine. And I like to read Moby Dick in the summer. Tales of whales and the sea. It is unexpectedly funny if you know how to look at it.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous, Summer Reading
June 13 2008
Tracking Cyber Villains
I can't believe the Cyber Villains got away, even after Ward and I checked each of the traps to make sure they couldn't.
I'm getting tired of being under constant attack, I want to bring the fight to their doorstep. But Commander Omni is forcing a couple months of rest on everyone. She can't stop me from trying to track them though. Maybe we'll finally be able to trace them back to their real identities.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 30 2008
Pulling Through
We won. With everyone's help we were able to do it. The Master Hacker is back behind bars. A lot of the cyberspace section of campus was wrecked during the attacks. We have a lot to do to rebuild the place.
However, we know that the vision of the Carnegie Cyber Academy lives on. If it wasn't for the cadets spreading what they know, we would never have reached victory. The heart of the Academy lies with them.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 19 2008
Plans Come to Fruition
Five villains immobilized! The Dis Guys were almost successful at disguising themselves as part of the chat program Dana and Erika used to capture them. When I finally ferreted them out, they attacked me and tried to run. Thankfully, Ward was there to back me up this time, and he was able to halt them both.
Getting through to Elvirus was like playing a mutating chess game. I suggested some moves to Alan, and then used her distraction to sneak through her defenses and capture her king. She's now fuming from her trap in cyberspace.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 14 2008
First Taste of Battle
My first two villains were easy. M.C. Spammer was in complete shock when the denial of service attack rebounded on him. It wasn't very difficult to make sure he stayed that way.
Ms. Information was half crazy from Alexi's maze. The poor girl had started to lose track of reality. Unfortunately she'll probably be back to her snooty self once the effects wear off, but she won't cause any trouble for us now when we go after Nils.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 8 2008
Providing Support
Commander Omni has asked that I provide support for all the operations here. Mainly that means helping the cadets secure the Cyber Villains in our traps so that we can have a clear shot at capturing The Master Hacker. It's pretty scary. Usually I only take part in the planning phase, providing information on the villain and how best to capture them. I'm not sure I'm ready to do all of this field work.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
April 30 2008
Splitting Nils' Team
The majority of my simulations showed me how weak the bond between the Cyber Villains really is. With a slight push, the Cyber Villains will stop working as a team. This is the main goal of our current set of tactics. We can't face the combined might of Nils and his Cyber Villains, but separated we can beat them.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
April 21 2008
Researching Tactics
One way I thought to be useful is to perform simulations on possible outcomes of the battles. Basically, I'm testing our tactics based on the information we've gathered. The tactics that work the best I bring to Commander Omni. Some of those tactics are already in use as we try to lure Nils into attacking us prematurely.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
April 15 2008
How to Help Best?
I'm not the strongest of Cyber Defenders nor the cleverest. Most of what I do is administrative. I organize files and data, so that other people can find what they need. I wasn't able to do much of anything when the previous Cyber Villains attacked. I want to do more now. But the only thing I can think of is my Master Hacker database. I have to remember the bravery of Alan, Jax and Sparky and make sure none of their information goes to waste.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
April 7 2008
Master Hacker Database
I've been putting the information we've gathered about Ex-Commander Nils and his forces into a database for all the cadets and faculty to access. Alan's crisis made me realize I need to be doing more to protect the cadets. And the best way I know how to protect someone is through knowledge.
If you know anything about Ex-Commander Nils, the Master Hacker, and his merry band of Cyber Villains, stop by the Databank and I'll add it to the database. Even the smallest things are important. It could be the difference between getting Nils behind bars again and letting him go free.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
March 26 2008
Collecting Intel
Alan brought back with him a ton of new information on the Cyber Villains. I am still entering it into our Databank. With this we should finally be able to defend ourselves against Cyber Villain attacks. Everyone, when you get the chance, be sure to thank Alan for what he did for us.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
March 20 2008
Location Verified!
After that latest round of inputs, the Databank finally kicked out a location for where they are keeping Alan. There is even a note from Alan saying, 'Come get me!' I forwarded all of the relevant information to Officer Ward, so he could finalize his plans for the rescue. Hang in there Alan. We'll have you back soon!
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
March 6 2008
Finding Alan
The full resources of the Databank are now devoted to finding Alan. Please, if anyone has any information that might be useful please use the closest computer kiosk to enter it into the Databank. If we get enough information we will be able to start seeing the patterns and those will point us to where the Cyber Villains are keeping Alan.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 29 2008
Poor Alan
Poor Alan, out there all alone. We've been warning the cadets for years that meeting strangers from the Internet in person often leads to nasty surprises. I guess Alan had to learn that on his own.
All of the instructors are doing their best to find him. I've been coordinating with Betty and Officer Ward to organize a search party to locate him. Once we set our minds to something we will never give up. Alan, you'll be coming home soon.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 21 2008
Building Confidence
I know the school has suffered from some grievous events recently. I want the cadets to know that if they need to talk to someone about what they are feeling my door is open. The recent Cyber Villain attacks have shaken much of our school's confidence. Everyone needs to talk at some point. Don't keep your worries inside. All of us instructors will do our utmost to protect our cadets.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 11 2008
Online Rehab with Carlo
I've been working with Carlo to get him back to his old cyberspace fighting form. I've been using a trick though. Carlo believes he is helping me file various references in my database. This is mostly true. However, I've been manipulating the data he's been filing for me, so that he's continually challenged.
He may be frustrated by his apparent lack of progress. He still has to quit early. But in a few weeks he'll be in even better shape than he was before the accident.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
January 29 2008
Tracking Down Master Hacker
Commander Omni asked me to help her in the search for the Master Hacker. Finding someone is pretty similar to using the Internet to find information about a given topic. If you ask the right questions and know how to interpret the information that you find, you can often find valuable clues on where a person might be hiding. I've been looking for Ex-Commander Nils, but the man is good. I can only find breadcrumbs, and he seems to be moving around a lot. But he can't hide forever. Eventually I'll find him.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
January 22 2008
Hugs Congratulations Party
I helped Dana host the Hugs Congratulations party today. All the cadets are starting to become worried after everything that's happened, so I wanted to help do something that would take their minds off things. I got the cook at the cafeteria to make a cake for us. I got some cards and board games and turned the Library into a game room for the evening.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time, but the guest of honor never bothered to show! I'm going to have to talk with Alan about his recent behavior.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
January 16 2008
Everyone to Blame
I've been talking with Keen and tying it to the disturbing trends I've seen. It appears that the most recent attack on our firewalls is the result of Ms. Information misleading students and faculty alike into revealing our system's vulnerabilities. We are all to blame for what happened. Even I carry part of it. A new program I was using to organize our library was embedded with a virus that fed information to the worm eating through our firewall.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
December 17 2007
Too Many Secrets
I've noticed a disturbing trend among the cadets. Outside of class it seems that everybody has been keeping to their rooms, chatting with online friends. While online friends are good, you shouldn't forget your real friends. Come out of your rooms sometime and join me for a game of chess in the Cafeteria.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
December 11 2007
Scavenger Hunt
I asked Alexi to keep quiet about this until we were ready, but I guess the cat is out of the bag. Yes, I agreed to help Alexi transfer her scavenger hunt to the Web site. It is going to take some time to get a working version up, but look for it in the next few months.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
December 5 2007
Recovering from the Attack
Many of us were shaken up by M.C. Spammer's attack, myself included. I want to let everyone know they can feel free come to me with their fears. Sometimes it helps just to talk.
I have the feeling that this is only the beginning. But I know, too, that we are stronger than whatever the Cyber Villains can throw at us.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
November 19 2007
Data Recovery
M.C. Spammer's attack left our servers a mess. I've been working with Dr. Keen to construct a program that will help me recover the data that was lost in the assault. It makes me so sad to see everything in such disarray. To be honest, this is the real reason why we are holding off on exams until after the break. I need the time to recover the tests we were going to use!
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
October 12 2007
Reading for Pleasure
The weather is changing. We are starting to see more rainy days, and this morning I woke to a touch of frost on the lawn. It is the perfect time of year to curl up with a good book.
Read about pirates and hidden treasure or about a monster constructed by a mad scientist. Ask your parents or a trusted adult for an appropriate book and have them help you find it at the local library today.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
October 3 2007
Academy Library
I want to invite everyone back to the library. Over the summer I spent some time working with the card catalogue system to create an easier way of organizing and looking up books. I've just finished putting the finishing touches on our new computer look-up system. It is similar to using a Web search engine like the one at the Databank. Just type in what you are looking for and the system will look for matches based on title, author and a short description of subject matter.
Come visit the library today!
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
September 7 2007
DigiBoard Death
I must say I was rather disappointed that Alan and Carlo managed to crash and burn the DigiBoard system over the summer. When it was working, I found it to be an effective teaching tool for conducting proper searches for information. It had information that all the students wanted to know anyway. I do hope they manage to fix the problem soon.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
August 29 2007
Scavenger Hunt Review
I took a peek at what Alexi has planned for the scavenger hunt. I'm afraid she might have made it a bit too complex for most students. However it is well researched and you will learn a lot if you dare to attempt it. Alexi should walk away from this knowing she could have constructed it better.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
July 9 2007
Alexi
I've been working with Alexi on her scavenger hunt by showing her how to properly research her subject. Alexi is a bright and curious girl. I often find her looking at some spin-off from her primary research. She's gradually becoming more interested in the spin-offs than in her research on the butterflies themselves. What am I going to do with that girl?
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
June 11 2007
Summer Projects
I see Omni has finally put the list up. I would like to congratulate you who had a project chosen for this summer. And good luck next time to those who didn't.
It looks like I'll be helping Alexi design her scavenger hunt. She's a clever girl, so I expect next year's orientation game is going to be quite the challenge!
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
May 25 2007
Greetings
My name is Maya. I work at the Databank in cyberspace and am responsible for teaching students how to properly conduct web searches, validate data and avoid plagiarism. I have plenty of tips and tricks I'd like to share with you as well as stories of some of the pitfalls that happen if you aren't very careful about your sources.