Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Friday, Feb. 1, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

Web Traffic Disruption Raises Internet Infrastructure Vulnerability Concerns

NetworkWorld

The Internet disruption in the Middle East and parts of Asia this week caused by damage to two underwater cables in the Mediterranean Sea has raised concerns about future incidents in which a greater number of cables could experience more significant levels of destruction.

Feds Score Lower in Use of Travel IT

Government Computer News

The Bush administration and Congress are doing a lackluster job of using technology to improve business travel, according to a recent report from the National Business Travel Association. NTBA’s “Business Travel Government Affairs Report Card” noted that only marginal progress has been made and significant work remains to improve business travel with new government technology initiatives.

Online Schooling Grows, Setting Off a Debate

The New York Times

Half a million American children take classes online, with a significant group getting all their schooling from virtual public schools. The rapid growth of these schools has provoked debates in courtrooms and legislatures over money, as the schools compete with local districts for millions in public dollars, and over issues like whether online learning is appropriate for young children.

TSA Launches Blog, Gets An Earful From Weary Travelers

InformationWeek

TSA's hopes to start a dialog between travelers and officials has been realized. The new blog's premiere entry has more than 330 comments. Those posting range from enthusiastic TSA employees who think the blog is "a great idea" to aggrieved travelers who want their civil liberties restored to an inventor who believes he has the answer to fungal infections arising from checkpoint shoe removal.

Ohio County to Lease New Voting Equipment

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cuyahoga County will lease its new voting equipment for the March 4 presidential primary for $1.5 million, despite disagreement on the deal within county leadership. The contract expires in May, and the county then must decide on voting equipment for the November presidential election.

IG: DHS Suffers from Poor Management

Federal Computer Week

The Homeland Security Department continues to face major management challenges across the board, according to a new report from Richard Skinner, the department’s inspector general. Even though DHS has improved management in some areas, it still needs to make additional improvements in acquisitions, finances, information technology and grants.

The World of Spyware Evolves

Government Computer News

The spyware community has polarized, a panel of security experts said Thursday at a Washington workshop hosted by the Anti-Spyware Coalition. Adware distributors, under pressure from the Federal Trade Commission and anti-spyware technology, have mostly quit the business or are going legit. But the really bad players are getting worse, producing more stealthy and sophisticated malware.

Analysts Give CIOs Advice on Weathering Recession

InfoWorld

A pair of Forrester Research analysts gave CIOs a passel of advice Thursday on how to deal with the possibility of a U.S. economic recession. Their recommendations boiled down to a number of main themes: The right ways to cut costs, to work closely with CFOs, and to plan not only for the lean times but for the good ones that inevitably follow.

California Registrars Predict a Long Vote Count

The San Jose Mercury News

Days ahead of an election without precedent, California officials are scrambling to cope with record absentee ballots, voting machine changes and logistical headaches. Myriad complications arising from California's earliest-ever statewide election have left registrars worried that they will end Election Night with up to 2 million ballots left uncounted, about 22 percent of the expected vote total.