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Even doctors love Twitter. Last week surgeons from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan sent short updates while removing a cancerous tumor from a man’s kidney. Sent by the chief resident, the messages were watched by medical students, doctors and perhaps fans of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Four months ago, Robert Hendrick, while under local anesthesia, tweeted his varicose vein removal surgery while the event was taking place. He claimed that it not only took his mind off it and lessened his nervousness, but family and friends were there to support him.
Read More 
| CNN
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Have a question about your career, girl/boyfriend, money matters, or perhaps something trivial? Dearinter.net claims to have the answer. The beta site calls itself “the ultimate tool for rapidly expressing opinions.” There is no charge for participating but you need to register if you want to ask a specific question. Dearinter has answer-o-matic voting with sections such as “what’s hot,” “most answered’ and “best of.” Before they finalize the site, we hope they go a little heavier on the ink.
Read More | Dearinter
Cuba launched Linux Nova last week at a Havana computer conference on “technological sovereignty.” The government feels that Microsoft systems are a potential threat to their country because they say U.S. security agents have access to codes. Besides that, they say that the trade embargo makes it difficult to get the software legally and update it. Dean of the School of Free Software, Hector Rodriguez, claims that about 20% of the computers are currently using Linux but feels that that figure could climb to more than 50% in 5 years.
Read More | Reuters
Latest Gear Live Videos
Facebook Returns to Original TOS After Complaints
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
After an entire Facebook group complained about their new policy change that inferred that the site would have control of their users information “forever” as opposed to until closing an account, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that they would return to their previous terms of use, at least until they work out the semantics. He said that subscribers will continue to own their information unless it has already been given out. Over 100,000 joined the People Against the new Terms of Service (TOS) Group to make their views heard.
Read More | Facebook
Want to track what the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act means to you? Recovery.gov is now available and you can see exactly which states, congressional districts and Federal contractors will be receiving the funds. There will be maps, charts and graphics to make it even simpler, but for now there is only general information as well as daily updates. There is also a link to a full copy of the Act online in case you want to read all about it and a place to leave comments.
Read More | Recovery.gov
Google Tests PowerMeter Monitoring
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Smart Home, Internet,
Google has a new tool that they are testing. PowerMeter will show home energy usage in real time on your PC. You set the rate of your electricity charge, plug in your appliance and a monitor will calculate the cost. Forty million trackers are already in use and Google predicts that another 100 million will be bought in the next few years. Studies show that those who have access to home energy information can save up to 15% of their electricity bills. PowerMeter is not yet available but should be soon.
Read More | CNN
Microsoft Offers $250,000 to Find Virus Source
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Internet, Microsoft, PC / Laptop,
Use your computer skills and earn enough to retire. Microsoft is offering $250,000 to find the person behind the Downadup/Conficker virus. Released in October, millions of Windows computers have been affected. The Conficker worm can infect computers or hide in USB flash drives. Downadup, as we previously told you to watch out for, can turn your PC into a botnet. The reward has been offered because the company views the virus as a criminal attack, so go out there and catch the bad guys.
Read More | BBC
YouTube Testing Pay Per Download Videos
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies,
YouTube has begun testing a sub-set of their partners with a charge for download. Most of them are available for about $.99 but only as MP4 files. They can be purchased through Google Checkout. This may put an end to the problems that site has had with studios like Warner. If the program is successful, look for them to allow all of its partners to charge for movies and TV shows on the site.
Read More | Read Write Web
Mobile Connections Hit 4 Billion Mark
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Broadband, Smartphones, Internet,
The first cellular network was launched in Japan in 1979 by NTT. Twenty three years later the planet passed its 4th billion mobile connection. Mobile broadband accounts for about a quarter of that figure. Other connections in such countries as China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan added to unconnected devices gives us an estimate that by 2013, this figure will hit 6 billion. Considering there only 6.7 billion humans on the planet now, this definitely proves it’s a mobile world out there.
Read More | Gizmag
Another virus has reared its cute
ugly head, this time in the guise of puppies for Valentine’s Day. Known as the Valentine Devkit, click on it and you will see the pooches and but also download lloveexe.exe, start.exe.or something similar. Be very careful if you decide to create an e-card for the holiday as there are those above as well as fake Hallmark cards that will infect your computer with malware.
Read More | McAfee Avert Labs
