The e-mail sent out a couple weeks ago states:
"Moving to Exchange will provide you with many new benefits such as a larger email quota so you can retain more messages, improved spell checking, contact searching to make it easier to find email addresses for other users, and calendaring."

Some RU students are already on the Microsoft Exchange server; most freshman and transfer students coming in for the Fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters were placed on it.

Blu-Ray, HD-DVD Merge Talks End in Failure 
Talks of creating a unified standard between the next-generation DVD technology between the backers of the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technologies has resulted in a failure. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the backer of Blue-Ray, and Toshiba Corp, backers of HD-DVD, have been in talks about merging to quell possible negative affects of competing with two different technologies, which hampered the market back when VHS and Betamax appeared in the '80s. 

Talks started last year in hopes of not reliving the prolonged battle between VHS and Betamax, which dissuaded consumers from buying the technology, something that could appear again and hamper consumers' decisions to switch to the new technology.

Both technologies at the core use a form of blue lasers, which have a shorter wavelength than the current red lasers in DVD drives. This shorter wavelength will allow discs to store data at significantly higher capacities. The increased size capability will make the discs useful for high definition movies and TV recording. With the talks now over, consumers will soon have to choose between a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive for their video players and PCs.

Senate Calls for $100 Gas Rebate Check
Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote Thursday a bill that would entitle every American taxpayer a $100 rebate check to offset the economic burden of higher gasoline prices.

The energy proposal is, however, packaged with other items. One such controversial item in the package includes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil exploration. Other items include repealing tax incentives for oil companies, allowing the Federal Trade Commission the right to prosecute retailers for price gouging and allow the Transportation Department authority a wide range of powers. These powers include: the authority to issue fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, particularly passenger vehicles, expanding tax incentives for hybrid cars, expanding current oil refineries and help in pushing for more research into alternative fuels.

The issue is becoming more political, and Democrats are expected to divulge their own proposal. Both parties are now competing for the public's approval in the gasoline-pricing issue.