Virginia,United States

In the wake of news that Google is introducing behavioral targeting of advertisements, a Democratic congressman from Virginia is renewing his suggestion that new consumer-protection legislation may be needed to rein in data collection.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said he is working with Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), to craft a bill to require online companies to notify consumers of tracking activity. All three congressmen are members of the Internet subcommittee in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Boucher chairs.

A Recycled Proposal

Its discovery that someone in Iran shared online the engineering and avionics data about one of the helicopters in President Barack Obama's fleet has thrust a Cranberry (Pa.] Internet security company into the public eye this week.

Tiversa Inc. had become well-known among national security officials as early as 2004 -- after a meeting among company co-founders Robert Boback and Sam Hopkins and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The auditions are over. The first YouTube Symphony Orchestra -- selected by viewers of the Web site -- will consist of more than 90 musicians from some 30 countries.

More than 3,000 videos were submitted by amateur and professional musicians from 70-plus countries. Musicians from professional orchestras including the London and San Francisco symphonies and the Berlin, Hong Kong and New York philharmonic orchestras picked 200 finalists. The winners were then selected by voters on YouTube.

From Wikipedia:

From Wikipedia:

Stanley Fish in the New York Times:

Winter tests the patience of many iPhone users.

After all, Apple Inc.'s device, like other gadgets with touch-screen technology, will work only with the touch of an uncovered finger. So if you're wearing gloves, you have a dilemma: Bare your hands to use your beloved devices, or let calls, texts and e-mails go unanswered while you're braving the elements?

A fired Fannie Mae contract worker pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal charge he planted a virus designed to destroy all the data on the mortgage giant's 4,000 computer servers nationwide.

Had the virus been released as planned on Saturday, the Justice Department said the disruption could have cost millions of dollars and shut down operations for a week at Fannie Mae, the largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

Big-box technology retailer Circuit City is asking for court approval to liquidate after two failed attempts at acquisition. The Richmond, Va.-based company said Friday that it plans to close its remaining 567 stores in the United States.

Lucky you. Santa delivered a new computer, digital camera, iPod or cell phone under your Christmas tree.

Now for the reality check. How are you going to care for and maintain this shiny -- and expensive -- device to help ensure years of trouble-free use?

We asked the experts at Yahoo! Tech, CNET.com, Geek Squad and the Virginia-based electronics retailer Crutchfield. We also checked the Internet.

We found loads of advice, including general words of wisdom.