Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Wednesday, Nov. 21

Compiled by Melanie Bender

Telecommuting Found to Boost Morale, Cut Stress, Researcher Says

Computer World

In an analysis of 46 studies on telecommuting, researchers found that working away from the office by using computers, cell phones or other electronic equipment can have more pluses than negatives for people and the companies that employ them.

Lack of Black Tech Professionals Hurts U.S., Bill Gates Says

InformationWeek

A recent study says that less than 10% of graduates of computer science programs in the U.S. are black -- a fact that will contribute to a shortage of technology professionals in the years ahead, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said.

Pa. County Ends Name Search Function on Property Web Site

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a 9-6 vote, Allegheny County Council members yesterday approved county Chief Executive Dan Onorato's proposal to change the county's real estate Web site so that computerized searches by property owners' names will no longer be possible, saying safety trumps transparency in this case.

'Operational Failure' Misplaced Records for 25 Million Children

Computer World

U.K. banks could be forced to close the accounts of all child benefit claimants affected by an HMRC "operational failure" that resulted in the loss of 25 million records stored on discs, a Gartner analyst has warned. Its loss, moreover, proves to at least one fraud expert that that the British government can't be trusted with biometric information, and that the U.K. national ID scheme is untenable.

Electronic Trash Sent Overseas

The Baltimore Sun

Most Americans think they're helping the Earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas.

E-Mailers Send a Message: Please Don't Leave a Paper Trail

The Los Angeles Times

In March, popular environmental Web site TreeHugger.com encouraged readers to add a don't-print plea to their automatic e-mail signatures. Since then, the message has spread beyond the granola-and-Birkenstock crowd to the cubicle armies of Corporate America. Architects, airline employees and even button-down accountants have gotten in on the act.

Spam-Spitting Storm Virus, Now a Year Old, as Tricky as Ever

USA Today

Since it touched down in e-mail inboxes, the Storm virus has infected at least 1 million PCs worldwide and is responsible for billions of spam messages. Since July, e-mail management company Postini alone has blocked nearly 1.5 billion copies of Storm. The virus is expected to crank out 500 million messages during the holiday season.