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A couple of my students have asked why TurnItIn.com won’t accept their documents. Their files were written in the brand-new Microsoft Word 2007.

Students who use Office 2007 are going to encounter problems whenever they share files with students who use older software packages. As part of Office 2007, Microsoft has deployed new document formats based upon XML. In Word, this new 2007 file format has the extension .docx

TurnItIn.com has not updated their submission page to accept Word 2007 documents. One of two things is happening when TurnItIn.com receives a docx file. The site may be rejecting files when it sees the docx extension. This is an example of data validation, a task that computers perform to check hand-entered data. If you’ve miskeyed a postal address or telephone number into a web form, and received an error message, you’ve encountered data validation.

It seems more likely that TurnItIn.com’s server-based system simply can’t read the new XML format that Microsoft has used in docx files.

TurnItIn.com can easily fix this problem when they write and test a new docx filter. Because TurnItIn.com is an application service provider (ASP), it’s easy to deploy this change. TurnItIn.com doesn’t have to compile and release software for personal computers.

I’m not brave enough to try Word 2007 yet. I usually wait until Microsoft releases Service Pack 1 before I’ll try a new software version. I’ve heard reports from colleagues and friends that Word 2007 breaks macros, templates and documents that worked just fine in Word 2003.

The quick fix for Windows users is to use File, Save As and choose the Word 2003 DOC format. Upload that new DOC file to TurnItIn.com and all is well.

TurnItIn.com will also accept RTF and PDF documents.

File, Save As does have an RTF file type choice. RTF is an file format that Microsoft used in early versions of Micorsoft Word. For a simple document without graphics or macros, it should work well enough.

There are several free programs like CutePDF Writer that will allow Windows users to save documents directly to PDF format. I’ve used that program for years. Sometimes I get better results with CutePDF Writer than I do with Acrobat Professional.

Mac users can save any printable file to PDF format by opening the application’s Print dialog, pressing the PDF button in the lower left corner of the dialog box, and choosing Save as PDF…

According to yesterday’s Star-Bulletin, Sirius will start offering its satellite radio service in Honolulu. However, the service will be transmitted from downtown Honolulu using regular radio, not a satellite signal.Sirius uses terrestrial radio in several other markets, because the satellite signal doesn’t propagate well in areas with tall buildings.

Sirius programming has been available in Hawaii through online subscriptions. Of course, this doesn’t help commuters.

Because XM and Sirius satellites use signal patterns that concentrate on the continental United States, Hawaii residents had to work hard to hear satellite programming on XM or Sirius devices, even when these devices were preinstalled in new automobiles.

XM and Sirius announced their merger plan yesterday. The companies still need FCC approval, which is not a sure thing. The FCC rejected a merger attempt by EchoStar and DirecTV several years ago. Industry insiders believe that the merger may be approved if the FCC considers iTunes, HD radio, and other services as competitive rivals to satellite radio.

Traditional radio broadcasters are lining up against this merger. Companies like Clear Channel, which dominates the Honolulu radio market, do not want new competition from satellite radio. Honolulu’s radio stations, for the most part, cannot compete with several hundred specialized channels from satellites.
The merged company would also have to help current subscribers receive satellite and terrestrial radio signals from both services. XM devices are not compatible with Sirius signals, and vice versa. As the New York Times pointed out yesterday, both companies have had an intense competitive rivalry. In some cases each company may have overpaid to hire on-air personalities (Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, Snoop Doog) and get exclusive programming deals (MLB, NFL, Nascar, college sports). (more…)