Distracted Driving a ‘Menace to Society’
October 1, 2009
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called distracted driving a “menace to society” Wednesday, kicking off a two-day meeting on preventing drivers from using mobile devices behind the wheel.
The Obama administration reported that nearly 6,000 folks were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, including drivers talking on cell phones and text…
U.S. To Share Web Review Amid Worldwide Growth
October 1, 2009
As Net use expands worldwide, the United States said Wednesday it will give other governments and the private sector a greater oversight role in an organization whose decisions affect how computers relay traffic such as e-mail and Twitter posts.
The move comes after European regulators and other critics have said the U.S. government could wield too much influence by a system used by hundreds of m…
Oops! Mizzou Sells Phones Without Wiping Memory
October 1, 2009
Mike Bellman got more than he bargained for when he purchased a box of old cell phones from the University of Missouri athletics agency.
Bellman bought the cell phones earlier that year at a university surplus sale with the intent of reselling them for parts. He paid $190 for 25 old cell phones, figuring he’d sell the parts for around $1,000.
Turned out the info on the phones might be worth more…
Work Begins on National E-Health Record Network
October 1, 2009
Dr. James E. Sanders is a big believer of switching patient records from old paper files to sophisticated computer databases.
The electronic medical records system at the branch of Veterans Affairs’ Kansas City Medical Center gives Sanders and his staff nearly instant access to medical histories, allowing them to seamlessly treat veterans from other states. But when patients aren’t in the VA’s sy…
Analyst Sees Little Effect on HP from Xerox Deal
October 1, 2009
Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu doesn’t think the combination of Xerox Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services Inc. will be much of a competitive threat against Hewlett-Packard Co.
Xerox agreed to buy ACS on Monday for about $6.4 billion in cash and stock. The deal came a week after Dell Inc. said it would buy Perot Systems Corp. for $3.9 billion and a year after HP snapped up Electronic goods Syste…
Will HelloWallet convert Online Financial Advice?
October 1, 2009
Even in good times, it can be tricky to navigate the waters of personal finance. And yet, amid the devastation wrought by the Great Recession to investment and college-savings accounts — not to mention dashed vacation dreams and retirement goals — only a lucky minority of Americans with substantial incomes have access to a trusted financial adviser.
Despite the popularity of online financial si…
Will Net Neutrality Go Wireless?
October 1, 2009
After moving to a new building on the corner of 11th Street and New York Avenue, Google’s Washington office got a face lift that made it as hip and colorful as the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters. But Google’s top Washington lobbyist, Richard Whitt, won’t be spending much duration amid the bouncy balls, LEGO bricks, and foosball tables that autumn. Come October, Whitt expects three times the…