Social Networking Booming in Egypt, Russia, Survey Finds

"People in poorer countries send text messages more often than those in wealthier countries. Men in Spain and Germany access the Internet on their phones twice as much as women do. . ."

Online Holiday Sales Hit $31B, 15% Over Last Year So Far

"Shoppers have spent $30.9 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, up from $26.9 billion at the same point last year, said the Reston, Va.-based company, which tracks Web use."

The Top 10 Tech Trends for 2012

"From the continuing rise of tablet devices to the daily-deals craze and the return of the Internet IPO, 2011 has been a transformative year for technology. . ."

eCheating: Students Find High-Tech Ways to Deceive Teachers

"Everything's going digital these days — including cheating. As students gain access to sophisticated gadgets both at school and at home, educators are on the lookout for new kinds of cheating."

Colleges' Latest Thrust in Learning: Video Games

"Around the country, pockets of faculty have been adding games to their courses as a way to stimulate learning."

Think Virtual Meetings are Hard? You're Right

"A communications coach explains how to make sure people get what you're trying to say, even if they're also checking their BlackBerrys."

AT&T Still Worst Carrier, Consumer Reports Says

"AT&T remains the worst carrier in the United States, according to an annual customer satisfaction survey compiled by Consumer Reports and released on Tuesday."

U.S. Power Grid Needs Cybersecurity Protection: Panel

"The threat of cyberattacks on the U.S. power grid should be dealt with by a single federal agency, not the welter of groups now charged with the electric system's security, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported on Monday."

Most People Go Online 'for No Particular Reason,' Survey Finds

"Americans are going online to pass the time more than they were just a few years ago, according to a new study."

Study: Cyber Monday was Biggest Online Shopping Day Ever in U.S.

"Monday was the highest-grossing online shopping day in U.S. history, with spending reaching $1.25 billion, according to market research firm comScore. That's up 22% from the previous record, which was last year's Cyber Monday."

New Version of Google Maps

"Google Maps 6.0 for Android launched Tuesday with a bold initiative: indoor mapping. Partnering at launch with a selection of businesses and public service structures, the new mobile Maps version allows users to see the entire layout of a mapped building, switch between floor plans if the structure has multiple levels, and locate indoor points of interest like retail stores, bathrooms and ATMs."

Many Colleges Use Facebook to Recruit Students, Survey Finds

"Almost 80 percent of respondents said they used the social-networking site as an admissions tool."

In Online Dating, Beauty Is in The Profile

"Women are able to spot less-attractive men just by their online profiles without even looking at their pictures, a new study finds."

Study: Android is Half of All Smartphone Sales

"Gartner says Android had more than half of the worldwide smartphone market in the third quarter, up from 25 percent a year ago."

Survey: Most Kids are as Social Media Savvy as Adults by 13

"The survey, conducted by AVG for the fourth installation of its Digital Diaries study, revealed 53 percent of those polled in the U.S. said their kids were already on Facebook and Twitter as early tweens: 11. By the time they're 13, they're old hands at posting status updates, tweeting and uploading pictures for their friends."

Feds: Seven Charged in Alleged Worldwide Internet Scheme

"Seven men were charged Wednesday for their alleged roles in a worldwide Internet scheme that used a computer virus to infect more than 4 million computers in over 100 countries, according to federal prosecutors."

Online-Course Enrollments Grow, but at a Slower Pace

"The Sloan Consortium reports that as substantial as recent growth has been, this year's enrollment rise of 2 percent paled beside last year's reported rate of 21 percent."

Half Of Young Professionals Value Facebook Access, Smartphone Options Over Salary

Cisco surveyed 1,400 college students aged 18 to 23, and 1,400 young professionals under the age of 30 across 14 countries. HR and IT managers take note: 'The growing use of the Internet and mobile devices in the workplace is creating a significant impact on job decisions, hiring and work-life balance.'"

How Cellphones Shape the Lives of College Students

"The majority of college students today use smartphones -- although three-quarters don't foot their own bills. Not surprisingly, this has changed the classroom dynamic. Some 88% text during class; 40% use their phones for last-minute test prep; and a quarter take their devices out during each class."

Amazon.com Launches Digital Book Library Service

"Online retailer Amazon.com said Kindle owners with an Amazon Prime membership will now get access to the company's new digital book library service."

Students Push Their Facebook Use Further Into Course Work

"College students are taking social media to a new level, using Web sites like Facebook to communicate with other students about their coursework, according to results of a new survey on student technology use."

Tablets Finally Overtaking e-Readers, Says Pew Report

"One in every 10 American adults now has an iPad or something like it, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. But what's more interesting is that in the time period between May 2011 and now, e-reader ownership appears to have declined among adults."

Research: Video Games Help With Creativity in Boys and Girls

"That finding, thought to be the first demonstration of a relationship between technology use and creativity, comes from a new study of nearly 500 12-year-olds in Michigan, conducted by researchers at Michigan State University's Children and Technology Project."

Asia-Based Computers Spread Half World's Spam

"Sophos' latest research reveals that even as the U.S. remains the single worst offender with 11.3 percent, Asian nations now contribute 'more than half of all spam messages now being relayed via the continent' at 50.1 percent."

Netflix Takes Up 32.7% of Internet Bandwidth

Despite recent troubles, Netflix is a major force on the Internet, accounting for 32.7% of peak U.S. downstream traffic, according to a new report.

Report: Facebook Dominates Display Ads

"Facebook accounts for 15 percent of total spent online, beating Google and Yahoo sites, which are tied with 10 percent each. Facebook also is responsible for 28 percent of all display ads seen online in the U.S., up from 23 percent in the same quarter last year."

Study: Tablet Users are Rich, Educated, News-Loving

"Owners of iPads and other tablet devices tend to be news junkies who are wealthier and more highly educated than than the general population, according to a new report."

The Emergence of E-Mentoring

"Over the past 10 years, 25,000 struggling students from poverty-stricken schools have gotten guidance, encouragement and advice from volunteer mentors. And they haven't met face-to-face even once."

Google Earth Reveals Ancient Stories

"A pair of studies in the Journal of Archaelogical Science this year suggest these views are revealing a vast and ancient story, one only starting to emerge from the fabled desert of Arabia."

How Colleges Use, Misuse Social Media to Reach Students

"For universities competing to attract top students, it's no longer enough to have a glossy brochure and a sleek website. Schools like Johns Hopkins are reaching out to engage with applicants on Facebook and Twitter."

Study: No Negative Impact From E-Readers

"A comparison of reading texts on paper with reading from an e-book found no disadvantages associated with the electronic version, European researchers say."

Largest Study on Cell Phones and Cancer Finds No Link

"The biggest study to look for any connection has found no link. It followed more than 350,000 people for about a decade and says heavy cell phone users have the same cancer rates as people who don't use cell phones."

LJ's Placements & Salaries Survey 2011

"A total 1,789 LIS graduates responded to LJ’s annual Placements & Salaries Survey, representing a solid 37.3% of the approximately 4790 2010 graduates from the 38 participating schools."

The PC is Dying, But Very, Very Slowly

"The trend is clear: Personal computer sales are slumping, and smartphone and tablet sales are booming. But Intel proved late Tuesday that the PC isn't going away anytime soon."

The Great Tech War Of 2012

Subtitle: "Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon battle for the future of the innovation economy."

In Victory for Open-Education Movement, Blackboard Embraces Sharing

"Professors who use Blackboard’s software have long been forced to lock their course materials in an area effectively marked, 'For Registered Students Only,' while using the system. Today the company announced plans to add a 'Share' button that will let professors make those learning materials free and open online."

Pearson and Google Jump Into Learning Management With a New, Free System

"One of the world’s biggest education publishers has joined with one of the most dominant and iconic software companies on the planet to bring colleges a new—and free—learning-management system with the hopes of upending services that affect just about every instructor, student, and college in the country."

Use of Mobile Apps Grows on Campus, But 'Cloud' Services Are Slow to Catch On

"This year has seen a substantial increase in the number of colleges offering mobile apps for campus resources and services. But the use of Web-based services, known as 'the cloud,' for administrative services is growing slowly, according to a national survey of campus-technology leaders."

More Facebook Friends Linked to Bigger Brain Areas

"Scientists have found a direct link between the number of "friends" a person has on Facebook and the size of certain brain regions, raising the possibility that using online social networks might change our brains."

Computers May 'Re-wire' Themselves

"U.S. scientists say a new nanomaterial that 'steers' electricity could lead to computers that would adapt their own circuitry based on changing needs."

Research Librarians Consider the Risks and Rewards of Collaboration

"Big-scale collaborations and digital-era collection strategies took center stage at the Association of Research Libraries’ membership meeting, held here last week."

Study Links Swearing on TV to Teen Aggression

"Swearing on television during prime time will most likely get a show fined by the Federal Communication Commission, and new research suggests it might be for good reasons."

Websites Leak More Info Than Most Know: Study

"Consumers are less anonymous than they think while surfing the Web, according to a study released on Tuesday that triggered new calls for 'do not track' rules."

U.S. Wireless Subscriptions Top Population

"The number of wireless phone subscribers in the United States is greater than the nation's population, the wireless industry's trade association said Tuesday."

10 Ways Mobile Gadgets Have Changed our Lives

"With an estimated 5 billion mobile phone connections in the world, not to mention the emerging number of tablet computers and other on-the-go connectivity gadgets, mobile technology has altered the way we live."

Cloud Computing Disappoints Early Adopters: Survey

"Few organizations have moved to cloud computing -- the delivery of computing as a service from remote centers -- and of those that have, many are disappointed with the results, a survey published on Tuesday found."

Decoding Our Chatter

"Want to monitor an earthquake, track political activity or predict the ups and downs of the stock market? Researchers have found a bonanza of real-time data in the torrential flow of Twitter feeds."

Google Chrome on Track to Overtake Firefox in 2011

"According to data provided by StatCounter, Google Chrome is currently in position to rise above Mozilla’s Firefox and become the second most popular Web browser by December 2011."

Cellphone Carriers Keep Personal Data Up to 7 Years, Report Says

"A document obtained by the ACLU shows for the first time how the four largest cellphone companies in the U.S. treat data about their subscribers' calls, text messages, Web surfing and approximate locations."

To Hover Over Schoolwork, Parents Go Online

"More public and private school systems are wiring up parent-accessible data-management systems that keep track of schoolwork, grades and attendance. There are opportunities for overuse."

Nielsen: Android Share of U.S. Smartphone Market Hits 43%

"The share of smartphones running Google's (GOOG) Android OS hit 43% in August, but of those who bought smartphones in the past 3 months, 56% bought Androids."

One in Three Texters Would Rather Text Than Talk

"Nearly three out of four Americans send text messages on the phone and among those who do, 31 percent prefer texting to talking, according to a study released Monday by the Pew Research Center."

Skype CEO: Our Goal Is to Connect 1 Million Classrooms

"What is perhaps Skype in the Classroom's most useful feature is a 'project' tab that helps teachers find partner classrooms for projects and ideas. One teacher, for instance, used the platform to coordinate a 'weather around the world' unit."

The iPad and Special Needs Students

"Districts that launched pilot programs last school year now are stepping up their iPad use for special-needs students after seeing results, some school officials say."

E-Book Readers Comparison Chart

E-Book Readers Comparison Chart

Twitter Now Has 100 Million Active Users

"More than 100 million users are 'active' and log onto Twitter daily, or about half its registered members, and a growing number are doing so from a plethora of mobile devices, Chief Executive Dick Costolo told reporters on Thursday."

Avoiding the Path to Obsolescence

Interesting American Libraries article

Global Cybercrimes Cost $114 Billion Annually: Symantec

"A study by Symantec Corp, the maker of Norton computer security software, estimates the cost of global cybercrimes at $114 billion annually."

In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores

". . .to many education experts, something is not adding up — here and across the country. In a nutshell: schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning."

What Will School Look Like in 10 Years?

"Computers, electronic whiteboards and other interactive technologies are fundamentally changing American education. That is the view of the experts whom The Times spoke with about what the classroom will look like 10 years from now."

America's Top 10 Least Secure Cities to be Online

"Conducted by the security firm AVG between Aug. 5 and Aug. 22, the survey polled 8,000 consumers in 35 U.S. cities who own an Internet-connected device and have Internet access at home."

Many U.S. Schools Adding iPads, Trimming Textbooks

"Apple officials say they know of more than 600 districts that have launched what are called 'one-to-one' programs, in which at least one classroom of students is getting iPads for each student to use throughout the school day."

Colleges Turn to Microsites to Attract Prospective Students

"Microsites are not new to higher ed Web strategy. But as the creeping aesthetics of the app world make traditional college websites appear tedious, some institutions have begun experimenting with more offbeat microsites to collect information from prospective students and alumni."

E-books' Popularity is Rewriting the Sales Story

"Random House, the USA's largest publisher, says more than 20% of U.S. revenue in the first half of this year were from digital sales. . .Eight of the top 20 titles on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list this week are e-books."

College Presidents Are Bullish on Online Education but Face Skeptical Public

"Delivering courses in cyberclassrooms has gained broad acceptance among top college leaders, but the general public is far less convinced of online education's quality, according to new survey data released this week by the Pew Research Center, in association with The Chronicle."

Internet Advertisers Begin Offering New Do Not Track Icon

"The IAB is calling on its members to display this innocuous icon on Web pages that are actually embedded with tracking cookies, Web beacons and other stealthy tools that help advertising networks track precisely where you go and with whom you associate on the Internet."

Report: Young Women are 'Power Users' of Social Media Sites

"People keep on flocking to sites like Facebook and Twitter, and young women are leading the way. The percentage of Internet users who are on social-networking sites continues to climb, according to a survey released Friday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project."

Pew: Half of U.S. Adults Now Use Social Networks

"A new study says half of all American adults are now on social networks, and use among Baby Boomers is growing."

Major Libraries Join Controversial Project to Publish ‘Orphan’ Books Online

"Several libraries today pledged to follow the University of Michigan’s lead in making available on their campuses digital copies of books whose copyright holders cannot be found to ask for permission."

Facebook Has Officially Hit 1 Trillion Page Views

"Facebook has officially hit 1 trillion page views, according to figures released for web traffic in June, Time magazine’s TechLand column reports."

Report Shows Increased Need for Academic Libraries

"The need for libraries on college and university campuses has increased, according to a new study released by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics."

Study: Social Sites Raise Risky Behavior

"U.S. teenagers who spend time on Internet social networking sites are at an increased risk of smoking, drinking and drug use, a Columbia University study says."

Android: Most Attacked Mobile Operating System

"U.S. computer security software maker McAfee said the number of malware targeted at Android devices jumped 76 percent since last quarter, making Android the most attacked mobile operating system."

Google Targets Apple With Motorola Buy

"Setting its sights on rival Apple, Google announced its biggest deal ever, a $12.5 billion cash acquisition of mobile phone maker Motorola Mobility."

How Americans Really Use Cell Phones

"In its report, the Pew Internet and American Life Project also explores the pros and cons of having a cell phone. Cell phones are great for quick information retrieval, Pew found. But not having fast mobile access to info can cause problems."

Wikipedia, the Online Encyclopedia, Scrambling to Keep Contributors on Board

"Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that is written entirely by volunteers and allows anyone to edit its entries, is losing contributors, its founder complained Thursday."

E-Book Sales Rise More than 1,000% Since 2008

"According to a new survey of sales revenue provided by more than 2,000 publishers in the U.S., book sales are rising, with e-book revenue growing a surprising 1,274% between 2008 and 2010."

Search Engines Outrank Porn for Malware

A recent report found: "Almost 40 percent of malware hijackings start at search engines, especially within image results strewn with malware mines, what Blue Coat calls 'Search Engine Poisoning.'"

Newspaper Giant Tribune Co. Developing Tablet Device

"Hoping to take a small slice from Apple's big pie, newspaper publishers are developing tablet computers of their own. The Tribune Co., one of the largest U.S. news enterprises, is working on a touchscreen tablet that it plans to offer to newspaper subscribers, according to people briefed on the plans.

The Beloit Mindset List for the Class of 2014

The Beloit Mindset List for the Class of 2014

Cellphones Don't Increase Cancer Risk in Kids, Study Says

"Using cellphones doesn't increase children's cancer risk, according to the latest in a series of studies that find no relationship between the phones and brain tumors."

Smartphones: 28 Percent of Global Market This Year

"More than 420 million smartphones will be sold worldwide this year, and will account for 28 percent of all cellphone sales, IMS Research says."

Google+ Pulls In 20 Million in 3 Weeks

"On Wednesday, Web-traffic watcher comScore Inc. estimated Google+ has had 20 million unique visitors since its launch, including five million visitors from the U.S."

Study: Fewer than 50% of Smartphone Users Make Calls

"A new survey from social communications company CloudTalk has found that making calls is only the fourth most popular activity for smartphone owners. . .and one that only 43% of Americans actually engage in."

Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived

Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived

College Students Lead in Internet Use and Tech Gadgets, Study Finds

"A study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project confirms the idea that young adults—particularly undergraduate and graduate students—are more likely to use the Internet and own tech devices than is the rest of the general population."

Judge Warns Google, Publishers to Settle Library Case

"A judge warned lawyers for authors and publishers and Google Tuesday that he will decide whether snippets of books can be sold online without the permission of copyright holders if the sides do not settle their 6-year-old case soon with an agreement to create a massive online library."

Microsoft Wants to Make It Easy for Academics to Analyze ‘Big Data’

"The company offers free software that lets scholars analyze giant data sets" without difficulty.

Community-College Students Perform Worse Online Than Face to Face

"Among students who took courses online, those with the most Web-based credits were least likely to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution, a study found."

Blackboard Partners With 4 Major Textbook Publishers

"Cengage, Macmillan, Pearson, and John Wiley & Sons will build tighter links between their advanced e-textbook platforms and Blackboard’s popular course-management system."

Pandora Reaches 100 Million Listeners

"Pandora, the Internet radio station, announced Tuesday it has reached 100 million listeners. According to a news release on Pandora's blog, 36 million of those consumers are 'monthly active users.' It also said that in the past six months, Pandora has upped its market share of radio listening from 2.3% to 3.6%."

China: 1.3 Million Websites Shut in 2010

"Some 1.3 million websites closed down in China during 2010, a report from a state-run think tank says."

No Link Seen Between Cell Phones, Brain Tumor

"People who have used a cell phone for more than a decade do not appear to be at increased risk of a type of non-cancerous brain tumor, a large study suggests."

Twitter Gears Up Auto-Ads for Big Clients: Sources

"Twitter is courting big time advertisers and will soon allow them to tailor, automate and publish ads in bulk directly onto the Internet microblogging service, according to two people with knowledge of the matter."

A College Education for All, Free and Online

"To date, UoPeople has enrolled just over 1,000 students in more than 115 countries. Reshef says he believes that the very act of putting students from different cultures in close collaboration is a step toward peace. He believes the university will grow to 10,000 students in five years. At that point, he says, it will be financially sustainable."

Google+ About To Hit 10 Million Users

"Google’s social network, Google+, might be one of the fastest-growing networks ever, having already reached 10 million users according to one estimate."

More Than a Third of US Adults Own Smartphones: Study

"A Pew Research Center study released on Monday indicated that 35 percent of US adults own smartphones as the Internet is increasingly being accessed using gadgets on the go."

South Korea Commits to Digital Textbooks

"South Korea says it wants to transition the country's education system to all-digital textbooks by 2015 so students can study anytime and anywhere."

Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?

"We've been hearing about it for years, but the bookless library has finally arrived, making a beachhead on college campuses. At Drexel University's new Library Learning Terrace, which opened just last month, there is nary a bound volume, just rows of computers and plenty of seating offering access to the Philadelphia university's 170 million electronic items. . ."

Facebook Says Membership Has Grown to 750 Million

". . .the company broke its silence and announced it had passed 750 million worldwide members who post billions of messages each day."

Top 10 YouTube Videos Posted by Colleges, and What They Mean

"More than 400 colleges and universities have set up channels on YouTube as part of the YouTube EDU section of the popular video site, but university officials admit they are still experimenting with the service and learning what types of videos resonate with off-campus audiences."

Apple iPads Generate 1% of World's Web Traffic

"Apple's iPad is responsible for 1% of the world's Web traffic, as well as 2.1% of Web traffic in the U.S., according to the latest numbers from NetMarketShare."

Private-Equity Firm to Buy Blackboard for $1.64-Billion

"Blackboard Inc., maker of the popular college course-management software, announced on Friday that it had agreed to a $1.64-billion buyout by a private-equity firm, Providence Equity Partners."

Discounted Kindle Points to Future of Ad-Supported Electronics

"Amazon's recent ad-supported Kindle isn't just the future of e-readers. It may also be a look at the future of how people buy electronic gadgets: with a reduced price, subsidized by advertising."

Netflix Expands to 43 New Countries

"Netflix is rapidly expanding its international service, with plans to launch in 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean later this year."

Twitter Hits 200 Million Tweets a Day

"In June 2010, Twitter users sent about 65 million tweets per day. One year later, 200 million tweets are sent per day. According to the Twitter blog, it would take more than 31 years to read all 200 million tweets."

Researchers Discover "Indestructible" Botnet

"The botnet software that security researchers at Kapersky Labs found 'uses a range of techniques to remain undetected, making it 'practically indestructible,'' according to NewScientist."

Study Finds Kids Who Surf Internet Are Better Readers

"Parents might label it a waste of time but the hours spent surfing the internet, chatting online, and even on the dreaded Facebook appear to improve children's reading skills, The Australian reported Wednesday."

Survey Says 80 Percent of Faculty Use Social Media in Their Teaching

"More than 80 percent of college faculty use some form of social media in their teaching, with online video by far the most popular application, according to a new survey from the Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson."

As Mobile Devices Multiply, Some Colleges Turn Away From Building Campus Apps

"Technology officials are shifting their attention from stand-alone applications to mobile-optimized versions of their Web sites."

Study: 12 Percent of US Households Own e-Reader

"A study finds that 12 percent of U.S. households now own a reading device for electronic books, such as Amazon's Kindle. That's three times the number of households that owned an e-reader just a year ago, pointing to rapid acceptance."

Google Gets 1 Billion 'Unique' Visitors

"The market research firm ComScore says that with its search page, Gmail and YouTube, this is the first time any web company's user base has hit 10 digits. Actually, the number was 1 billion, 9 million, 699 thousand."

Survey: Data Breaches Have Almost Become 'A Statistical Certainty'

"In a survey of 583 U.S. companies, 90 percent of them said they had been hacked in the past year."

LinkedIn Study: Men Are Better at Social Networking than Women

"According to a new study by the career networking site, there are more men than women on LinkedIn, and the women that are on there have fewer connections then their male counterparts."

Medicine on the Move

"Mobile-health technology is booming. In the words of one doctor, smartphone apps, wireless sensors and other innovative tools hold 'transformative potential.'"

U. of Michigan Offering Digital Access to Some 'Orphan' Books

"After failing to find copyright owners for certain books, known as “orphans,” the library will add them to its digital collection for campus users."

Mobile Ads to be $4B Industry by 2015

"The mobile advertising industry is projected to reach $4 billion in revenues in 2015 according to a report from research firm BIA/Kelsey."

Demand for Video Driving Mobile Data Traffic-Report

"Up to 60 percent of mobile data traffic is generated by consumers watching video, with owners of Apple's iPhone driving the demand, according to a company that specialises in traffic management."

Google Signs up British Library to Books Project

"Google plans to digitize a quarter of a million books from the British Library's collections covering a period from the French Revolution to the end of slavery as part of its ambitious books project."

Tablets Make Digital Textbooks Cool on Campus

"Students with tablets overwhelmingly prefer digital texts, one study shows, a sign students are now embracing e-books."

Average YouTube User Watches Five Hours of Video Per Month

"On average, a YouTube user will spend five hours out of each month watching videos."

Consumer Reports Prefers Nook Over Kindle

"Consumer Reports announced that recent testing showed the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader to be 'more than merely a worthy competitor to the Kindle.'"

Google Launches Tool for Online Reputation Management

"The tool, 'Me on the Web,' is now included on the Google dashboard in between account information and analytics. It is not intended to be another privacy setting."

Report: Facebook Users More Trusting, Engaged

"A new survey is countering views that social networks isolate people."

Speaking Up in Class, Silently, via Social Media

"A small but growing cadre of educators is trying to exploit Twitter-like technology to enhance classroom discussion and get students to shed inhibitions about voicing opinions."

Myspace Users are More Open-Minded, Study Says

"People who regularly visit Myspace tend to be more open-minded, according to a study released Thursday."

Library E-Book Checkouts Get a Major Boost

"OverDrive says it will become platform agnostic and 'eliminate the need for librarians and readers to deal with various e-book file formats.' In addition to supporting multiple file formats, OverDrive says that it's launching 'Open E-Book,' a DRM-free collection. These formatting options will make it much easier for libraries and for patrons to be able to access content across devices and platforms."

MIT’s Goal: Reach 1 Billion With Open Courseware

"The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s free course content has reached 100 million people worldwide, and as U.S. campuses experiment with open class material to varying degrees, MIT hopes to increase OpenCourseWare’s reach to 1 billion learners by 2021."

Most Tumors Not Within Cell Phone Radiation Range

"Brain tumors among cell phone users are not clustered within range of most of the radiation emitted from the devices, a new report finds - suggesting that mobile phones do not cause cancer."

Internet Calls to Generate $40 Billion by 2015: Report

"The market for making phone calls over the Internet is set to more than double to $40 billion within five years, researchers said."

Google Announces Host of Search Improvements

"Google held a special search event in San Francisco this morning to discuss several improvements to its Web and mobile search products."

Google Finds Ways to Search Faster and Without Typing

"Google announced ways to search by voice or image and said it would save two to five seconds loading Web pages."

Entertainment, Media Spending Hits $433B in 2010

"Advances in digital entertainment and advertising helped push U.S. entertainment and media spending in 2010 to $433 billion, up 3% from 2009, says a PricewaterhouseCoopers report out today. That's the first increase in three years."

Wiping Away Whistle-Blowers' Online Fingerprints

"In the post-WikiLeaks era, news organizations and other groups are launching spinoff websites in hopes a catching the next big scoop."

UJam: Be a Composer, No Musical Skills Required

"What if you could turn that tune in your head into a studio-quality piece of music, without any musical training, skills or even talent? Enter UJam, a startup that wants to give everyday people that opportunity."

Cellphones 'Possibly Carcinogenic,' Report Suggests

"An international panel of experts says cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of published studies."

College Library Directors on Libraries' Digital Direction

"Most college library directors would order print books removed from the library if there was a robust and trustworthy way to provide access to electronic versions, according to a new study released today by the nonprofit Ithaka S+R."

4 Globally Oriented Tips on Using Social Media

Here is social media guidance with a global focus.

A Hole Lot of Books

"The University of Chicago library, running out of shelf space, devises a solution that doesn't involve shipping books off campus."

Digital Textbooks Slow to Catch On

"While autobiographies and murder mysteries, romance novels and self-help books have enjoyed a smooth transition from print to pixels, the college textbook has met resistance in its digital form."

Twitter CEO: 80% of Advertisers Renew

"More than 80 percent of the companies that advertise on Twitter renew their marketing efforts on the microblogging service, the company's chief executive said on Wednesday."

Most Twitter Users Access Service From Their Phones, Study Says

"Among U.S. adults who go online, 13% use Twitter -- and more than half (54%) of these people access the popular social media service with their mobile phone, according to new research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project."

Study Reveals Changing Role of iPads, Tablet PCs

A new Nielson study shows that "70 percent of tablet owners and 68 percent of smartphone owners use their devices while watching television."

Textbooks Go the iTunes Route, but Buying by Chapters Might Not Save Students Money

"Now textbook publishers are offering an experimental form of price relief: The option to buy book chapters instead of the whole thing, in electronic versions with lower prices."

Google Ends Project to Digitize Newspaper Archives

"?Google is stopping the scanners on its ambitious project to build an archive of the world’s newspapers."

Why Are So Many Students Still Failing Online?

"Not all students should take online courses, and our collective failure to recognize that explains their high failure rate."

IBM Passes Microsoft's Market Cap After 15 Years

"International Business Machines surged past old rival Microsoft Corp in market value for the first time since April 1996, marking the latest twist in the fluctuating fortunes of two of the world's most storied technology companies."

How People Really Use The Internet For Health

"Eighty percent of adults who use the Internet have looked online for health info. Two-thirds have looked up a specific disease or medical problem. More than half have checked for info on a particular treatment, drug or procedure."

Hispanics Lead U.S. Embrace of Mobile Technology

"The report points out that Hispanics have been leading the U.S. population in terms of embracing mobile technology. For example, last summer Pew found that more than 87 percent of English-speaking U.S. Hispanics owned a cell phone, vs. 80 percent of non-Hispanic whites."

Study: Netflix is Biggest Source of Internet Traffic

"Move over, Web surfing. Netflix movies now take up more of the Internet pipes going into North American homes."

Apps Make College Easier to Access

"No time for class? Pull out your iPhone. A small but growing cadre of online universities is developing mobile apps to help students pursue their studies whenever and wherever they want."

Distance Education Teaching and Burnout

"Online faculty burnout may have more to do with a professor's personality than with the medium itself."

U. of Michigan Copyright Sleuths Start New Project to Investigate Orphan Works

"The University of Michigan on Monday announced a new project to identify orphan works among the millions of volumes in the HathiTrust Digital Library. The investigation is important because it may be a step on the path to broader access to these orphan books—copyrighted volumes whose owners can’t be identified or found."

Online Degrees Come of Age in Asia

"Open universities, or institutions that specialize in distance education, have long been part of Asia’s higher education landscape, but the number has grown rapidly in recent years, especially in China and India. . ."

Facebook Can Serve as Personality Test

"Companies who want to know more about prospective employees can learn a lot by checking their Facebook profiles, according to a new study that compares the ubiquitous social media site to users' scores on a standard personality test."

Speaking Up in Class, Silently, via Social Media

"A small but growing cadre of educators is trying to exploit Twitter-like technology to enhance classroom discussion and get students to shed inhibitions about voicing opinions."

PayPal is Top Brand for Mobile Payments: GfK Survey

"PayPal, the eBay-owned online payment system, could be set for a major boost as mobile payment systems start to take off over the next year, a survey by market research firm GfK suggests."

The Library of Congress Adds a Jukebox

"The new National Jukebox makes more than 10,000 early-20th-century recordings available for free streaming online."

Google's Stealth Multi-Billion-Dollar Business

"Google became a $30 billion company on the back of search advertising -- but the company thinks its other multi-billion-dollar advertising business will be its growth engine of the future. That other business is "display" advertising, which includes banner ads, video ads and in-app mobile ads."

The Rise of Teaching Machines

"Adaptive learning, the hot new concept in online education, is getting ready for its close-up at several colleges."

The Slow-Motion Mobile Campus

"Getting iPads and iPhones in the hands of college students is the easy part; rebuilding campus infrastructure to support mobile devices is expensive. And as Stanford's experience shows, getting professors, students, and staff to work together to explore the educational potential of mobile devices is a slow, uneven process, more suitable in some fields than others."

New Tech Could Power Cell Phones Through Sound

"Kim and his colleagues at Sungkyunkwan University's Institute of Nanotechnology in Seoul say they have developed a new method of converting sound into electricity. They say a cell phone could be charged simply by talking into it. . ."

YouTube Finally Admits It: They're Renting Movies

"After months of hints, YouTube has launched a movie-rental service that will make about 3000 titles available to rent online and on mobile devices."

Apple Usurps Google as World's Most Valuable Brand

"Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the Internet search leader, according to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown."

Facebook Now Pays Users 10 Cents To Watch Certain Ads

"Facebook will now reward users who watch certain ads with Facebook Credits, which can be redeemed to purchase goods on Facebook Deals, the company’s new Groupon-like daily deals service. The incentive, however, is not huge. Initially, the average ad will yield one credit, which is equivalent to 10 cents."

Tablet Sales Could Beat Laptops in U.S. By 2012

"The tablet computer has altered the PC world and tablet sales could outpace laptops in the United States as early as 2012, retailers and manufacturers say."

Archiving the Web for Scholars

"As the Internet becomes an increasingly important source of material for academic research, librarians try to preserve 'ephemera of the Web.'"

Apple to Capture 76% of 2011 Mobile App Revenue

Apple will capture 76% of all mobile app revenues in 2011, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli.

Sony Declines to Testify Before Congress as $1 Billion Lawsuit Filed

"A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee is demanding answers from Sony after private information from some 102 million personal accounts was taken by hackers."

AT&T Starts Capping Broadband

"The days of all-you-can-surf broadband are vanishing. AT&T this week began capping its Internet delivery service for broadband and DSL customers. The move comes 11 months after it placed similar caps on its mobile customers."

Google Named Most Reputable Company in U.S.

"Google has topped a list of the most reputable companies in the U.S., according to a Harris Interactive poll."

Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Set Up Shop on Facebook, and Hope Students Will 'Like' It

"Using a new social-commerce platform, the more than 500 Barnes & Noble college bookstores across the country will be able to sell books and other merchandise through their Facebook pages, and allow students to 'like' books and other merchandise available at the bookstore."

Plagiarism Goes Social

"Social and user-generated Web sites are the most popular sources for student copying, says a report by the creator of a plagiarism-detection service."

Facebook's $600 Million Virtual Economy

"With more than 500 million active users, the population of Facebook exceeds that of many countries. And like any empire, Facebook has its own currency -- one that got a big boost with this week's launch of Facebook Deals."

Study: Social Media Has Little Impact on Online Retail Purchases

"All those marketers who are rushing to increase their social media spend take note: A new study says social media has almost no influence on online purchasing behavior."

To Profs, YouTube Tops Twitter

"Think Twitter is a great professional and teaching tool for professors? You're not alone. But according to a new study, you're in a very slim minority."

No Room for Books

"U. of Denver's plan to remove 80 percent of volumes from its library upsets some professors and renews debate over how best to store and share information."

Yahoo Sells Delicious to YouTube Founders

"After months of limbo, the fate of Web bookmarking service Delicious has been decided: YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen are buying it from Yahoo."

Video-Game Rooms Become the Newest Library Space Invaders

"As the study of video games becomes more widespread in academe, a handful of libraries have video-game collections and gaming facilities to support related scholarship."

7% of Americans Subscribe to Netflix

"Netflix knocked over a new milestone Monday: It now has more subscribers than the largest cable TV operator in the U.S. Netflix's global subscriber base grew almost 70% over the past year, to 23.6 million users."

More Media Sites Customizing News for You

"Tech and media companies are in a race to sap the serendipity from news consumption and distill readers' interests into an algorithm."

Nook Color Update Turns the e-Reader into a Tablet

"Barnes & Noble has released a major update to its e-reader, Nook Color, which pushes the device far into tablet territory."

Librarians Talk Google Books, Orphan Works, and What’s Next

"The discussion was led by Corey Williams, the associate director of the American Library Association’s Washington office."

Librarians in Texas Community College District Deemed Faculty No Longer

"Librarians at a Texas community college district chafe as new hires are deemed professional staff instead of faculty."

With Google Settlement in Limbo, Universities Press Ahead With Research on Digitized Books

"Indiana University and the University of Illinois plan to establish a center for computational research on millions of digitized texts, many of them scanned by Google."

Republicans Sharpening Online Tools for 2012

"Republicans are better prepared to compete on Facebook, Twitter and other online tools in this presidential contest than they were in 2008."

Survey: Frequent Twitter Users Have Shorter Relationships

"Is someone you know tweeting a great deal? According to a recent survey, he or she might be prone to having shorter relationships."

Amazon Announces e-Book Loans for the Kindle

"Want to check out e-books from the library and read them on your Kindle? That will be possible later this year as Amazon announced Wednesday that it would join a library loan program for electronic books. More than 11,000 libraries in the United States participate in this electronic-book-loaning program, managed by a company called OverDrive."

Librarians Talk Google Books, Orphan Works, and What’s Next

"Like a lot of other people, academic librarians are wondering what happens now that a federal judge has tossed out the proposed settlement in the lawsuit over Google’s book-scanning project. Some of them got together for an informal roundtable discussion of the ruling at the Association of College and Research Libraries’ conference, which runs here through Saturday."

Librarians Put Increasing Value on Their Role in Support of Student Learning

"Supporting undergraduate education and teaching information literacy to students are chief priorities for academic libraries, trumping their traditional emphasis on collection-building and the preservation and discovery of research materials."

AI Project Funded by Google Wants to Teach Computers Regret

"Computer researchers at Tel Aviv University are working on a project funded by Google that aims to teach computers how to minimize 'regret' or, in other words, to learn from their decisions and make better ones next time."

How Google is Teaching Computers to See

"Computers used to be blind, and now they can see. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated algorithms, computers today can recognize and identify the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa or a can of Budweiser. Still, despite huge technological strides in the last decade or so, visual search has plenty more hurdles to clear."

PC Market Takes Beating From iPads

"Apple’s iPad and the tablet revolution are beating at the gates of the traditional PC sector, biting into the category and bringing uncertainty about the future of the industry."

US Internet Ad Revenue Hit Record in 2010

"U.S. Internet advertising revenue hit a record $26 billion in 2010, boosted by the popularity of online videos and social media."

US Lagging Other Nations in Using Technology, Study Shows

"The United States continues to lag other nations in its use of computing and communications technology, according to an annual study issued Tuesday by the World Economic Forum."

Amazon to Sell Cheaper Kindle with Built-in Ads

"Amazon.com Inc is now offering a version of its Kindle device for $25 less, but that electronic book reader will include advertising, the company said on Monday."

Report: Bing Comprised 30% of Web Searches in March

"Micrsoft's Bing powered 30% of Internet searches during the month of March, says a report from online research firm Experian Hitwise."

Librarians: Masters of the Info Universe

"Librarians, information specialists, knowledge managers or whatever title a librarian might have -- their skills are in high demand. And, though you might not know it, they are everywhere. And so in their honor during National Library Week, we enjoy the following tidbits of information."

Multitasking Gets Harder With Age

"A new study suggests that older brains behave differently when it comes to switching between two tasks."

Students Worldwide Addicted to Media

"It doesn't matter if a college student lives in the United States, Chile, China, Slovakia, Mexico or Lebanon -- many are addicted to media, researchers say."

Tajik Muslims to Ban Text Message Divorces

"Tajik religious authorities say divorce by text message will soon be banned, as they seek to stamp out the practice in the mainly Muslim Central Asian nation."

Lost in Translation? Comparing Smartphone Language Apps

"Thanks to advances in speech-recognition technology, several apps let you skip typing and instead dictate a sentence to have the translation spoken back to you immediately — or to the person you're talking to — in a natural human voice. And best of all, many are free."

Gartner: Apple to Top Tablet Market Through 2015

"Apple's iOS -- the operating system behind the iPad -- will remain the top platform in the tablet market through 2015, says tech analysts at Gartner."

More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality

"Nationwide, an estimated 1.03 million students at the K-12 level took an online course in 2007-8, up 47 percent from two years earlier, according to the Sloan Consortium, an advocacy group for online education. About 200,000 students attend online schools full time, often charter schools that appeal to home-schooling families, according to another report."

Cameraphone Sales Seen Topping 1 Billion in 2011

"Sales of cameraphones will grow to more than 1 billion handsets this year, helped by fast growth at the high end of the market, research firm Strategy Analytics said on Thursday."

Study: Android Will Rule Half of Smartphone Market By Next Year

"Gartner predicts worldwide smartphone sales will reach 468 million units in 2011 and Android will command 38.5% of the smartphone market. By 2012, that rate will increase to 49.9%, but it will drop slightly to 48.8% by 2015."

Why Cloud Storage is the Future of Music

"Amazon this week became the first big internet company to offer something called 'cloud music.' To the unfamiliar, that term may seem off-putting, like a new soft-rock genre that leans heavily on harp solos. But it's possible many of us will be using cloud music systems in the not-far-off future."

Social-Media Tools Used to Target Corporate Secrets

"Such so-called spear-phishing attacks, which often enlist social-media tools to meticulously wedge into corporate networks, are increasingly used in computer thefts that pinpoint valuable corporate data, according to a report released today by IBM’s X-Force cybersecurity team."

Google, Eyeing Facebook, Adds Social Search Button

"Google Inc will allow people to personally endorse search results and Web pages, an important step in its efforts to add social networking capabilities to its products amid increasing competition from Facebook."

Other Digital Book Projects Impacting Academic Libraries

"...a pair of library services scheduled to be announced today show that even as the world’s most high-profile digital search-and-retrieval effort has been set back, smaller, academically oriented projects are hoping to continue making electronic texts more discoverable."

Nearly 50% of Tweets Consumed are From Tiny Fraction of Twitter Users

"A mere 20,000 Twitter users steal almost half of the spotlight on Twitter, which now ropes in a billion tweets every week."

Mobile Banking is Booming, Survey Shows

"Despite online security concerns, the number of Americans who use mobile devices to access financial services is growing fast, according to new data from comScore."

Europe and U.S. Converging on Internet Privacy

"For years the United States and Europe, with around 700 million Internet users between them, have diverged in their approach to policing the Web. But the two sides are converging in their Web privacy positions, partly through intensive meetings in recent months between regulators from Washington and Brussels."

U.S. Internet Piracy Is on the Decline

"Internet piracy is on the decline in the U.S., according to new research from NPD Group."

Barnes & Noble: eBooks Will Pass Print -- Fast

"The book industry thinks its digital transformation is happening even faster than it did with music and movies."

The E-Book Era Is Here: Best Sellers Go Digital

"E-books are by far the fastest-growing segment of the otherwise sluggish, recession-plagued publishing business. In 2010 e-book sales jumped 164%, to $441 million."

Spammers Sought After Botnet Takedown

"The Rustock botnet, which sent up to 30 billion spam messages per day, might have been run by two or three people."

MySpace Loses Millions of Users in a Few Weeks

"Tech industry analysts comScore say figures show MySpace lost more than 10 million unique users worldwide between January and February."

Oxford English Dictionary Adds New Words

"Oxford English Dictionary Adds New Words"

Firefox 4 Downloads: 10 Million and Counting

"Mozilla's new Firefox 4 Web browser has been downloaded 10 million times since debuting Tuesday."

Say Hello to Google's Online Magazine

"Google has quietly launched its own full-length online magazine, a quarterly publication whose aim is to create a 'breathing space in a busy world.'"

Only One in Four Mobile Apps Engages User, Study Says

"The best mobile apps are not merely interesting, fun or useful, but they're engaging. And new research from the mobile metrics firm Localytics indicates that only about one in four mobile apps succeed at being engaging."

Firefox 4 downloaded 5 million times in first day

"Firefox 4, the latest version of Mozilla's free, open-source Web browser, was downloaded around 5 million times in its first 24 hours."

Judge Rejects Settlement in Google Books Case, Saying It Goes Too Far

"The proposed settlement in the long-standing class-action lawsuit over Google's vast book-scanning project is dead, at least in its current form."

LinkedIn Hits 100 Million Members Worldwide

"LinkedIn, the online social network for professionals and job seekers, now has 100 million members worldwide and more than half are from outside the United States."

For Libraries, Merged University Press Group Becomes Big Player in E-Book Sales

"The new partnership will require participating presses to sell collections of their e-books exclusively through it."

Study: Facebook “Likes” More Profitable Than Tweets

Eventbrite "announced Wednesday that an average tweet about an event drove 80 cents in ticket sales during the past six months, whereas an average Facebook Like drove $1.34."

Internet Users Turned to Social Networks in Elections, Survey Finds

"One in five adults who use the Internet, including a growing number of older, conservative Republicans, turned to social networks during last year’s elections, according to study published Thursday."

E-Book Sales Jump at the Start of 2011

"Sales of electronic books in January increased by more than 115 percent compared to the same time the year before, a report released by the Association of American Publishers said on Thursday."

Local News, Information are Going Mobile Big Time, Pew Survey Says

"According to new research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, nearly half (47%) of all U.S. adults get at least some local news and information on their phone or tablet."

Google's People Finder for Japan Crisis

"Google famously gives its engineers '20% time,' allowing them one day a week to work on side projects that interest them. That arrangement launched one of the most critical online tools in the Japanese relief effort: Google's Person Finder, which allows people to search for and post information about missing loved ones."

New York Times Paywall Coming March 28

"The New York Times announced 'digital subscriptions' on Thursday, revealing the long-awaited details of its paywall plan. Starting March 28, non-subscribers will be able to read only 20 online articles for free each month."

Kindle Adding Page Numbers for e-Books

"Amazon has added a virtual page number feature on new Kindles that let users pull up numbers that match up with print editions of the book they're reading."

Horizon Report 2011

"Each year, the Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education and creative expression over the next one to five years."

Study: 80 Percent of Children Under 5 Use Internet Weekly

"Nearly 80% of children between the ages of 0 and 5 use the Internet on at least a weekly basis in the United States, according to a report released Monday from education non-profit organizations Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop."

Facebook Lands Six on Forbes Billionaires List

"As Facebook’s value has surged, so have the fortunes of its founders. On the 2011 Forbes 'World’s Billionaires' list, six of Facebook’s early architects have made the cut."

Number of Malware-Infected Sites Has Doubled Since Last Year, Study Says

"According to new statistics from security firm Dasient, the number of websites infected with malware has doubled since last year, with more than one million sites compromised during the fourth quarter of 2010."

Librarians Boycott HarperCollins Over E-Books

"In what is shaping up to be a major battle over e-book lending, librarians across the country have banded together to boycott HarperCollins after the publisher decided it would limit the number of times an e-book can be checked out."

More U.S. Consumers Buying Android Phones Than iPhones, BlackBerrys

"New data from Nielsen shows that slightly more U.S. consumers are buying Android phones than any other type of smartphone. Currently Android holds 29% of the US smartphone market; while the iPhone and BlackBerry hold 27% each."

Apple Unveils Thinner, Faster, Camera-Packing iPad 2

"A year after revitalizing the once-sleepy, now red-hot tablet market with the original iPad, Apple surprised absolutely no one Wednesday by taking the wrapper off a slimmer, trimmer version of the wildly popular slate, complete with a front-facing camera for video chat (finally!) and a souped-up processor."

Collaboration Seeks to Provide Easier Access to E-Books

"Some 150 public and academic libraries are trying to respond to that challenge through a new collaboration with the Internet Archive and Open Library. The arrangement will allow library patrons at participating institutions to access e-books owned and stored at libraries other than their home libraries."

iPad Makes a Splash with Businesses

"The iPad tablet computer has been tested or deployed at 80% of Fortune 100 companies, according to Apple. And now the company is boosting its sales support for businesses to address that growing demand, Bloomberg News reported last week."

Fury Over 'Stupid' Restrictions to Library eBook Loans

"Furious librarians are calling for a boycott of publisher HarperCollins over its decision to put a limit on the number of times its ebooks can be loaned."

Google Enters the E-Book Fray. What Does It Mean?

"When one of the country's biggest technology companies--a company that has already digitized more than 15 million volumes as part of a mission to make humanity's literary treasures available to all--decides to sell e-books, it's easy to see the move as a defining moment. . ."

Study: Facebook Helps Your Self-Esteem

"A new study suggests that spending time with the online you -- the one with the hundreds of friends, the witty status updates and all the unflattering photos untagged -- might help your self-esteem."

The Science of Making Decisions

"The Twitterization of our culture has revolutionized our lives, but with an unintended consequence—our overloaded brains freeze when we have to make decisions."

‘Embedded Librarian’ on Twitter Served as Information Concierge for Class

"What if a reference librarian was assigned to a college course, to be on hand to suggest books, online links, or other resources based on class discussion? A media-studies course at Baylor University tried the idea last semester, with an 'embedded librarian' following the class discussion via Twitter."

Four of Five Colleges Check Applicants' Facebook Profiles

"Applying to college? Purge your Facebook profile a bit first because four out of five college admissions offices are checking out prospective students on the social network."

Google Cuts its Content Farm Subsidy

"An algorithm change in Google's search will affect almost 12% of searches by cutting out low quality content, or 'content farms.'"

Amazon Challenges Netflix and Hulu With Free Streaming for Prime Members

"Anticipated for more than a month, Amazon today announced that it is offering free streaming of movies and television shows to any of its Prime members, those who pay $79 per year to receive expedited shipping. More than 5,000 movies and TV shows are available to Amazon Prime members to stream on Mac and Windows PCs as well as almost 200 connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes."

10 Profound Innovations Ahead

"Here, we examine some of the hottest areas where researchers hope to forge a better tomorrow."

Cell Phone Radiation Alters Brain Activity, Study Shows

"Spending 50 minutes with a cell phone plastered to your ear is enough to change brain cell activity in the part of the brain closest to the antenna. But whether that causes any harm is not clear, scientists at the National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday, adding that the study will likely not settle recurring concerns of a link between cell phones and brain cancer."

Grading Essays: Humans vs. Machine

"At George Mason University Saturday, at the Fourth International Conference on Writing Research, the Educational Testing Service presented evidence that a pilot test of automated grading of freshman writing placement tests at the New Jersey Institute of Technology showed that computer programs can be trusted with the job."

Women, Young People Most Active Users of Social Media

"Women and young people are the most active users of social media today, and women in their 30s make up more than half of heavy contributors — that is, they engage in six or more social media activities."

One-Third of U.S. Households Lack Broadband Web Access

". . .a new telecommunications administration report, Digital Nation 2010, says that about one-third of U.S. households still lack a broadband internet connection. Furthermore, 5% to 10% of Americans only have access to internet services that are too slow to even support a basic set of online functions, such as downloading Web pages, photos or video." See also the Interactive National Broadband Map.

Website a Window into John F. Kennedy's Oval Office

"The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston has launched 'The President's Desk,' an interactive website that seats users at Kennedy's desk and displays multimedia presentations of aspects of his life and administration."

Broadband Map Shows Up to 10% in U.S. Lack Good Internet

"As many as one in 10 Americans can't get Internet connections that are fast enough for common tasks such as viewing photos, video and Web pages, and two thirds of schools have broadband connections that are too slow to meet their needs."

Apple, Google Make it Easier to Subscribe to Digital Media

"Apple and Google are making it easier for consumers to subscribe to digital media on an array of devices."

Global Data Storage Calculated at 295 Exabytes

"The study, published in the journal Science, calculates the amount of data stored in the world by 2007 as 295 exabytes. That is the equivalent of 1.2 billion average hard drives."

Internet Creators Ask Hackers for Help

"The military's technology research arm -- the same group that helped create the Internet in the early 70s -- is asking hackers for help keeping it secure."

Google Earth Reveals Lost Tombs in Saudi Arabian Desert

"Satellite images available via the Web-based 3-D map program show that large portions of the country hold a wealth of archaeological remains that predate Islam and may be several thousand years old."

'Kill Switch' Internet Bill Alarms Privacy Experts

"Just as the Egyptian government recently forced the Internet to go dark, U.S. officials could flip the switch if the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset legislation becomes law, say its critics."

Snow Days Virtually Eliminated with Web Tools

"Despite winter storms that forced schools and colleges across the nation to cancel classes, tech-savvy educators are turning to Facebook, podcasts and other Web tools to keep students on track."

2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal

"Technologist Raymond Kurzweil has a radical vision for humanity's immortal future."

Gartner: 1.6 Billion Mobile Device Sales in 2010, Smartphones up 72 Percent

"A recent report released by technology research and business insight company Gartner revealed worldwide mobile device sales to end users grew to 1.6 billion units in 2010, up 31.8 percent from 2009. Furthermore, smartphone sales increased by 72.1 percent from 2009 and accounted for 19 percent of all mobile device sales in 2010."

Study: Latinos Trail in the Digital Divide

"Latinos are the United States' fastest growing minority, but they trail in the digital divide because of lower income and educational levels, according to a study released on Wednesday."

7 Best Apps for Filing Taxes on SmartPhones

"Tax season is upon us, and these 7 smartphone apps will make doing Uncle Sam's paperwork a little less ... taxing."

Disruption, Delivery and Degrees

"Author who popularized idea that technological innovation disrupts industries' established powers applies theory to higher education -- with warning to traditional colleges."

Cellphone Security Threats Rise Sharply: McAfee

"Cellphone security threats rose sharply last year as a proliferation of Internet-enabled mobile devices like smartphones and tablets provided new opportunities for cybercriminals, security software maker McAfee (MFE.N) said."

ID Theft Down 28 Percent U.S. in 2010 - Survey

"The number of victims of identity theft dropped by more than a quarter in the United States last year, the largest annual fall on record, but individual victims lost more money on average than ever before."

U.S. Catholic Church Blesses iPhone App for Confession

"The U.S. Catholic Church has apparently given its blessing to an iPhone app aimed at helping Catholics with confession, Reuters reports."

Higher Education Teaching and Learning Portal

"More than 6,000 participants from around the world seek and share advice about best classroom practices."

Super Bowl Ads Live On at YouTube and Facebook

"This year, though, there are some new wrinkles. YouTube will run its Ad Blitz contest for the fourth year, but for the first time, it will have a mobile Ad Blitz site. People can vote on ads immediately after the game, and the winning ad will appear on YouTube’s home page a week later."

Survey: 44% of Verizon Android Users Likely to Switch to iPhone

"Drawing from a pool of 4.7 million panelists, uSamp asked a sample of 700 AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) smartphone owners how likely they were to switch to Verizon's version of Apple's (AAPL) iPhone next Thursday, Feb. 10, the first day it goes on sale."

Calibre: Open Source Software for Managing eBook Collections

"Calibre allows you to convert content from various internet sources such as Project Gutenberg into the appropriate format for your e-reader, whether it is a Kindle, a Nook, a Sony, or something else."

'The Daily' Launches on iPad for 99 Cents a Week

"News Corp. launched its most ambitious effort yet to re-invent the way news is delivered and consumed with the introduction Wednesday of The Daily— the first national news publication designed specifically for Apple's iPad."

Hulu Plus Set to Hit 1 Million Subscribers

"Hulu Plus, the video subscription plan that charges $8 a month to watch a range of TV shows online, will have 1 million paying customers this year and post annual revenue of more than $200 million, according to Hulu's chief executive Jason Kilar."

85 Percent of US Adults Own Cellphone: Survey

"Mobile phones are the most popular gadget among adult Americans followed by computers, digital music players, game consoles and electronic book readers, according to a new survey."

Depletion of Internet Addresses Reflects Wired World

"Thirty years after the first Internet addresses were created, the supply of addresses officially ran dry on Thursday."

Report: 90% of Americans own a Computerized Gadget

"According to a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life project, nearly 90% of Americans now own a cell phone, computer, MP3 player, game console, e-book reader or tablet computer."

Video Will Dominate Mobile Data Traffic by 2015, Forecast Says

"According to a new Cisco forecast, in just four years two-thirds of the world's mobile data traffic will be video."

Wiikileaks: The Next Generation

"All across Europe, from Brussels to the Balkans, a new generation of WikiLeaks-style websites is sprouting."

Is Quora the Next Red-Hot Web Start-Up?

"Today, there's Quora. Founded by two former Facebook bigwigs and opened to the public in June 2010, the Q&A site isn't yet a household name. But it has a feeling of hip exclusivity and impending greatness that's reminiscent of early Twitter and Facebook."

Study: Virtual Reality Personas Influence How You Act In The Real World

"Some people create virtual characters to escape reality, but a new study is showing that your virtual persona might have more influence on your real life than you think."

Amazon's e-Book Sales Beat Paperbacks; Profit Up 8%

"Amazon.com (AMZN) is now selling more Kindle e-books than paperbacks, the world's biggest online retailer reported. But Amazon's fourth-quarter financial results were mixed. Amazon says net income for the quarter climbed 8%, which surpasses Wall Street expectations."

In U.S. Courts, Facebook Posts Become Less Private

"It's the latest litigation tactic in the online age: U.S. lawyers are trying to mine the private zones of Facebook and other social-media sites for photos, comments, status updates and other tidbits that might contradict what their opponents are saying in court. And increasingly, judges in civil cases are granting access to online caches that had formerly been considered off-limits."

Study: Kids Master Technology Before All Else

"Kids these days may know their way around the family computer or how to use their parents' cell phones, but a new survey says they're more likely to master those high-tech tasks than basic life skills like riding a bike or tying their shoelaces."

Twitter Now Worth $4 Billion

"Twitter’s market value has reached $4 billion just a month after it raised $200 million in funding."

Google to Hire More Than 6,200 Workers This Year

"Google Inc. plans to hire more than 6,200 workers this year in the biggest expansion yet by the Internet's most profitable company."

Google Widens Access to Israel's Holocaust Archives

Search engine giant Google launched a massive archive retrieval project with Israel's national Holocaust museum on Wednesday with the aim of easing public access to Nazi-era documents and photographs.

Apple App Store Hits 10 Billion Downloads

"The store now boasts more than 300,000 different programs that can be used on the iPhone or the iPad."

How Mobile Technology is Behind Kenya's Banking Revolution

"The use of mobile technology to reach the unbanked has made Africa an innovation hot spot."

Online Paid News Service Launched for Big Papers

"A personalized news service funded by New York Times Co., Washington Post Co., and Gannett Co launched on Tuesday in an attempt to get readers to pay for online news."

$2-Billion Federal Program Could Be 'Windfall' for Open Online Learning

"Any online courses developed using program grants must be free to all, but it is unknown what share of grants will go to such efforts."

Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community

"OCLC's newest membership report, Perceptions of Libraries, 2010, a sequel to the 2005 Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, is now available. The new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions."

Social-Networking Site Quora Has Answers to Your Questions

"There are often smart responses on Quora, a much buzzed about Silicon Valley social start-up that you'll be hearing a lot more about in the weeks ahead. Quora aims to build a constantly evolving collection of questions and answers that are created, edited and organized by the very people who use the free service."

More Church Websites Invite Posting of Prayers

"More than four in 10 Protestant churches with websites now invite people to post pleas to the Lord right on the main church website."

The Invisible Computer Lab

"In the future, campus computer labs will be invisible, personal computers will be shapeshifters, and colleges will have to spend much less to make sure students have access to the software they need for certain courses."

Study: iPhone Most Satisfying To Use Smartphone, But Android Users Most Loyal

"...now a new study has come out from Zokem, finding that while iPhone owners are most loyal to their existing smartphone, Android owners are the more likely to upgrade to a new Android phone than even iPhone customers."

Study: Internet Users More Likely to Volunteer for Groups

"The stigma that heavy internet usage creates lonely, reclusive people blogging in a dark room may require rethinking. Internet users, and especially social networkers, are more likely to be active in volunteer organizations than those who don't go online, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center."

Facebook New Frontier in Parent-Teen Relationship

"Roughly two thirds of American teenagers are comfortable enough with their parents to have them as Facebook friends, according to a new study."

Firms to Buy 10 Million Tablets in 2011: Deloitte

"Companies will buy more than 10 million tablet computers this year, consultancy Deloitte said on Tuesday supporting recent research from Gartner which sees the global market for Apple's iPad, rising to 55 million devices this year from 19.5 million in 2010."

With Google Translate, Nothing's Lost in Translation

"Simply put, the new Google Translate app will let you have a conversation with someone speaking another language. They say something to you in Spanish and the phone will translate that aloud to you in English. You reply in English and it’ll translate to them in Spanish. It’s like hiring a professional translator -- except it’s built right into your phone."

Oklahoma Church's Popular Bible App Takes Faith to Phones

"The world's most popular Bible program for mobile phones was developed by an Oklahoma church."

Schools Ill Equipped for Cyberbullies

"A U.S. researcher cautions only one in five school social workers surveyed felt their school has an effective policy on cyberbullying."

PCs Sales in 2010: Tale of the Tablet

"The story of the personal computer industry in the second half of 2010 could well be called 'The Tale of the Tablet.'"

Humans vs. Automated Search: Why People Power is Cool Again

"Wadhwa, meanwhile, points to new search engine contender Blekko, which searches within sets of websites defined by human editors."

Upload and View Videos in Google Docs

"Google Docs is becoming a more robust cloud-based productivity suite, and the addition of uploading, storing and viewing videos is a boon for sharing corporate presentations and the like."

"Q&A: Jimmy Wales on 10 years of Wikipedia"

"In a wide-ranging interview with Wired.co.uk, founder Jimmy Wales talks about censorship, staying relevant, and why nothing keeps him awake at night."

Ten Years on, Wikipedia Eyes a Better World

"Ten years after its debut as a geeky online encyclopedia, Wikipedia today wants to use its huge, growing popularity and spirit to spread knowledge across the world."

State of Washington to Offer Online Materials, Instead of Textbooks, for 2-Year Colleges

"The state is building 81 community-college courses from online materials—and learning that adapting content for students takes more than a mouse click."

Cheaters Find an Adversary in Technology

"As tests are increasingly important in education — used to determine graduation, graduate school admission and, the latest, merit pay and tenure for teachers — business has been good for Caveon, a company that uses 'data forensics' to catch cheats, billing itself as the only independent test security outfit in the country."

For Minorities, New 'Digital Divide' Seen

"But now some see a new 'digital divide' emerging — with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cellphone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment."

Twitter is Full of Regional 'Accents,' Study Finds

"Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University examined 380,000 messages from Twitter during one week in March 2010 and found that the social networking site is full of its own kinds of geographical dialects."

U.S. Spam Now Top of Global List

"Malware, phishing scams and malicious spam originating from the United States has put the U.S. top of a global list of countries most responsible for cybercrime activity, IT security and data protection firm Sophos said in a report."

MySpace Laying Off Nearly Half of its Global Staff

"Struggling entertainment site MySpace says it is cutting 47 percent of its staff worldwide, or about 500 people."

ARL Report: Uncertainty About 'Fair Use' Is Hurting Academic and Research Libraries

"A lack of consensus about how to apply the fair use provision of copyright law is consistently impairing the mission of academic and research libraries, according to a new report."

Expert Predicts a Deluge of Tablet Computers on Campuses

"Cloud computing will also be a major trend in higher education, says the influential “Wall Street Journal” technology columnist Walt Mossberg."

Study: Internet Surpasses TV as Main News Source for Young Adults

"In 2010, 65% of people younger than 30 cited the Internet as their go-to source for news, nearly doubling from 34% in 2007. The number who consider television as their main news source dropped from 68% to 52% during that time."

Global Tablet Sales May Triple By End of 2014

"A research group says the global market for tablet computers such as the iPad will almost triple by the end of 2014."

Math That Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad

"A growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the iPad as the latest tool to teach Kafka in multimedia, history through “Jeopardy”-like games and math with step-by-step animation of complex problems."

6 Top Smartphone Apps to Improve Teaching, Research, and Your Life

"Academics describe going mobile to plan lectures, keep up with scholarship, and run classes."

Academic Library Autopsy Report, 2050

"The academic library has died. Despite early diagnosis, audacious denial in the face of its increasingly severe symptoms led to its deterioration and demise..."

Most-Popular Education-Technology Articles of 2010

"We thought we’d begin a new year of Wired Campus with a quick look back at the biggest tech stories of 2010, as voted by you. Items concerning Facebook, iPads, and cheating ranked high in page views. Here are the top 10 headlines from our tech blog."