South Carolina

From MSNBC:

One thing, and one thing only, got Jim Stritzinger to take up running. It wasn't new running shoes or a desire to trim down or get away from the computer, he says.

It was a small sensor in his shoe that he is not even aware of anymore.

Stritzinger, 45, belongs to a growing number of fitness fanatics who rely on wireless technology to monitor workouts, offering them real-time coaching and a social network. Where pedometers once ruled exercise gadgets, these virtual workout buddies are taking off and adding more capabilities (prices range from $50 to $700).

Abigail Ticker in Smithsonian Magazine:

When report cards went out for students in the Clarksville-Montgomery County school district in October, most of the 29,000-plus students did not have a printed version for their parents to sign.

That's because the district went largely paperless with its report cards for the first time, making grades available to parents with secure accounts online, says communications manager Michelle Newell.

A growing number of districts nationwide are making the change says Ann Flynn, director of education technology with the National School Boards Association.

The latest novel from best-selling romance author Jude Deveraux isn't exactly a book. "Promises" is a reading and viewing experience, a digital text in which videos not only complement the narrative but add to it.

"Promises" is one of four online video books being published Thursday by Simon & Schuster Inc. in collaboration with Vook, an Emeryville, Calif.-based startup that integrates text, video and social networking.

From Salon: