Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

IT Services Fall Short of Greatness, CIOs Say

NetworkWorld

In a January survey conducted by Omniboss, nearly 80 percent of 125 CIOs and senior IT directors polled said a lack of senior representation at the board level had a direct impact on their ability to deliver great -- rather than just good -- IT services.

'Cold Boot' Encryption Hack Unlikely, Says Microsoft

ComputerWorld

In light of research conducted by Princeton University showing cooling down a computer's memory offers thieves a larger window of time in which to steal data, a Microsoft product manager said the vulnerability can be minimized by changing some settings in Windows.

Bush's Double-Edged Cyber-Security Plan

Forbes

To keep cyber-spies and hackers away from sensitive government information, the Bush administration may have to do some spying on the private sector, such as military contractors, according to former federal employees.

Healthcare CIOs Worry About Medicare Cuts Hurting IT Budgets ComputerWorld

Since President Bush proposed reductions in federal healthcare programs, healthcare IT executives worry hospitals will fear pressue to make cuts in programs creating electronic medical record systems and computerized orders that can reduce medical errors.

FBI Says To Ignore E-mail Death Threats

InformationWeek

The FBI says emails purportedly from a hired assassin requiring recipients to pay $20,000 or face death are a hoax. While jaded Internet veterans might scoff that anyone would take such a threat seriously, the scheme appears more credible than it might otherwise because of its use of personal information to make the message more intimidating.

D.C. Special-Ed Getting New Computer System, Staff

The Washington Post

D.C. State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist announced the school system plans to purchase a computer system designed to keep track of special education students' academic life, replacing several systems plagued by bad data and an inability to communicate with one another.

Bill Shifts Votes to Paper Ballots in Colorado

The Denver Post

A bill filed on Tuesday sponsored by the majority and minority leaders in both chambers calls for a return to paper ballots in Colorado. While admitting it's low-tech, one state senator said, "But low-tech means it's less likely there will be computer problems." The bill also has Gov. Bill Ritter's backing.

Wireless Broadband Mesh Network Test Launched in San Carlos, Calif.

Government Technology

Convad Communications Inc. Wireless Unit will deploy a wireless broadband test network in San Carlos, Calif., as part of the 'Concept City' phase of Wireless Silicon Valley. Convad, which already serves business customers in the San Carlos area, will layer a new wireless broadband mesh capability onto its existing fixed wireless broadband service.

Los Angeles County to Count Flawed 'Double Bubble' Ballots

San Diego Union-Tribune

The Los Angeles County Registrar's office will try to count about 50,000 improperly marked nonpartisan ballots from this month's presidential primary election. The ballots of Independent voters who did fill in a bubble for both the party they were voting for and the candidate they were supporting could not be read by the scanning machines.

Tech Group: Increase US Gov't Research Funding

InfoWorld

The Technology CEO Council sent a letter to congressional leaders Monday, urging congress to keep the promises it made in the America Competes Act of 2007, legislation that focuses on improving U.S. science and technology programs. Three federal agencies combined fiscal 2008 budgets were $918 million short of targets promised in the legislation.