Computers
Inslee signs Facebook job password bill
SEATTLE -- Washington became the fifth state this year to sign into law protections of social media passwords at the workplace and job interviews.
Date: 05/21/2013 | Northwest
Cybersecurity education starts in high school
WASHINGTON -- Five dozen teenagers hunched over computers in a hotel conference room near Washington, decrypting codes, cleaning malware and fending off network intrusions to score points in the finals of a national cybersecurity contest.Just hours later, the high-school...
Date: 05/19/2013 | Nation & World
These sites can help in your job search
Although the employment picture is looking a bit brighter, finding the right job for you can remain a challenge. Websites that specialize in employment listings however, can greatly enhance a person's hunt for a new job.
Date: 05/19/2013 | Business
Hackers can scan info from a distance
At some point between the time she disembarked from a recent cruise in Miami and returned to Carmel, Ind., someone decided to go shopping with Jody Tzucker's credit card. She suspects that the criminals may have skimmed her Visa account information while she was filling up...
Date: 05/18/2013 | Life
Lake Stevens schools get quicker Internet
Schools in the Lake Stevens School District are receiving faster connection to the Internet after the nonprofit Northwest Open Access Network helped the district upgrade to broadband over telephone cable lines.
Date: 05/16/2013 | Local News
Online contributors save Shelton drive-in
SHELTON -- A drive-in theater at Shelton has been saved by $40,000 in online donations through the Kickstarter website.The owner-operator of the Skyline Drive-In, Christopher Mayes, said the money will pay for a digital projector that will allow the drive-in to continue to show first-run films.
Date: 05/13/2013 | Northwest
Facebook graffiti photos send tagger to jail
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah tagger who was so proud of his graffiti that he posted photos of his artwork on Facebook has been arrested after police sent him a friend request through a fake online profile.Police say 20-year-old Matthew...
Date: 05/11/2013 | Off the Wire
Target partners with Facebook to draw shoppers
Target just friended Facebook, big time.
Date: 05/09/2013 | Business
Pentagon: Chinese government, military behind cyberspying
WASHINGTON -- Cyber-espionage targeting U.S. government and business entities appears "to be attributable to the Chinese government and military," the Pentagon charged Monday in an annual report to Congress detailing the U.S. assessment of Beijing's military capabilities.
Date: 05/06/2013 | Nation & World
YouTube set to launch pay channels within weeks
LOS ANGELES -- YouTube is set to announce within a few weeks a series of channels that will require payment, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
Date: 05/06/2013 | Business
Analysis: Oregon software jobs are growing quickly
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A new analysis by the Oregon Employment Department has found software jobs are growing quickly, even though the state's economy is still sluggish.
Date: 04/28/2013 | Northwest
Legislature approves social media rules
OLYMPIA -- State lawmakers want to prevent employers from snooping in the social media accounts of workers.
Date: 04/27/2013 | Northwest
Software a bright spot in Oregon jobs picture
The OregonianPORTLAND -- Oregon doesn't grow many big software companies. But software employment is exploding here.
Date: 04/27/2013 | Northwest
App helps daters avoid incest
You meet someone, there's chemistry, and then come the introductory questions: What's your name? Come here often? Are you my cousin?In Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000 where most everyone is distantly related, inadvertently kissing cousins is a real risk.
Date: 04/19/2013 | Off the Wire
Tuning in: Twitter launches music app
LOS ANGELES -- Twitter has launched a service that lets people find music they like and tweet songs from iTunes, Spotify and Rdio.
Date: 04/18/2013 | Business
Twitter introduces ads targeted at words in tweets
NEW YORK -- Twitter is introducing a feature that lets advertisers target ads based on words that appear in users' tweets. Twitter said in a blog post Wednesday that users won't see any difference in their use of Twitter and the change doesn't mean ads will show up more frequently.
Date: 04/17/2013 | Business
Microsoft offers security enhancement for sign-ins
NEW YORK -- Microsoft is offering enhanced security for its email, storage and other services.
Date: 04/17/2013 | Business
No more telephone white pages — unless you ask
The state Utilities and Transportation Commission today announced that landline telephone providers will no longer be required to provide customers with printed "white...
Date: 04/16/2013 | Bizblog
Where to find financial advice for women
Financial information targeted specifically for women is just a few clicks away. Here's a sampling of websites that cater to the financial interests of women.BlueSuitMom.com: Touches on a variety of financial subjects important to women.
Date: 04/14/2013 | Business
Windows 8 getting blame for PC sales plunge of 14%
SAN FRANCISCO -- The ailing personal computer market is getting weaker, and it's starting to look like it will never fully recover as a new generation of mobile devices reshapes the way people use technology.
Date: 04/10/2013 | Business
Searching and saving
Online brokerage services can help home buyers save money
Date: 04/07/2013 | Business
Facebook unveils 'Home' for Android phones
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- With its new "Home" on Android gadgets, Facebook aims to put its social network at the center of people's mobile experiences.
Date: 04/04/2013 | Business
Apple to release updated phone this summer
NEW YORK -- The Wall Street Journal says Apple is set for a possible summer launch of the next iPhone, rather than a fall launch like the last two models.
Date: 04/02/2013 | Business
Bill would allow bosses to get Facebook passwords
SEATTLE -- A bill amendment proposed Tuesday could allow employers to ask for a worker's Facebook or other social media password during company investigations.The provision was proposed for a bill that safeguards social network passwords of workers...
Date: 04/02/2013 | Northwest
Newest baby monitors work on wi-fi
Long gone are the days when Mom and Dad had to lie sleepless, wondering whether they heard a cry or whimper from baby's room down the hall. Today's parents have a variety of technology to keep an eye -- and an ear -- on baby from the next room or even from the office across...
Date: 04/02/2013 | Life
AT&T to take orders for Galaxy S 4 on April 16
NEW YORK -- AT&T says it will start taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the season's most eagerly awaited smartphone, on April 16 for $250.The amount is $50 above the usual introductory price for high-end smartphones.
Date: 03/31/2013 | Business
Online higher education may be where credit is due
"There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."
Date: 03/29/2013 | Business
Publisher speeds up e-book access for libraries
NEW YORK -- The publisher of Khaled Hosseini, Harlan Coben and other popular authors has decided that it's comfortable with letting libraries offer e-book editions of brand new releases.
Date: 03/27/2013 | Business
Record-breaking cyberattack hits anti-spam group
LONDON -- A record-breaking cyberattack targeting an anti-spam watchdog group has sent ripples of disruption coursing across the Web, experts said Wednesday.
Date: 03/27/2013 | Business
Gay marriage icon spreads online in show of support
NEW YORK -- Bud Light said it with beer cans and Martha Stewart with red velvet cake as companies and celebrities from Beyonce to George Takei joined millions of social media users in posting and tweaking a simple red logo in support of gay marriage.
Date: 03/27/2013 | Business
Review: Z10 is a great BlackBerry, but no match for Apple, Samsung phones
The BlackBerry Z10 went on sale Friday in the U.S., and BlackBerry loyalists will like the improvements that come with the new smartphone and operating system.But for consumers who are looking for an alternative to Apple's iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S 3, the Blackberry Z10 is not it.
Date: 03/27/2013 | Business
Is a smart watch next for Apple?
With Apple's stock hobbling and questions lingering about its ability to innovate in the post-Steve Jobs era, investors and fans are latching on to hopes that the tech giant's next big thing will be the iWatch.
Date: 03/24/2013 | Business
Vatican's communications site, Twitter feed hacked
VATICAN CITY -- One of the Vatican's main Twitter accounts and the website of its communications office have apparently been hacked.The website of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications on Thursday was running a fabricated lead story with the headline "Holy...
Date: 03/21/2013 | Off the Wire
14 ways to loosen cellphone's grip on your life
Cellphones, for many people, have morphed into an extra appendage, always within reach except for that time you accidentally left it at home and suffered a minor panic attack.
Date: 03/19/2013 | Life
Time for a digital spring cleaning
Ask friends how many emails they have sitting in their inbox or how many photos are saved to their laptop, and don't be surprised if the numbers tally in the thousands.
Date: 03/19/2013 | Life
Teach kids to be kind in online world
Erin Mantz lets her two boys, Max, 11, and Zack, 8, use Instagram to keep up with their friends. She sees it as a normal part of social life for today's tweens."I hate to say, 'Everybody is doing it, so it's OK,' but if I block them from using it, I feel like it would be...
Date: 03/18/2013 | Life
N. Korea accuses S. Korea, U.S. of cyberattacks
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Friday blamed South Korea and the United States for cyberattacks that temporarily shut down websites this week at a time of elevated tensions over the North's nuclear ambitions. Experts, however, indicated it could take months to determine what...
Date: 03/15/2013 | Nation & World
China hacker opens window into cyber-espionage
BEIJING -- For a 25-year-old computer whiz enlisted in a People's Liberation Army hacking unit, life was all about low pay, drudgery and social isolation.
Date: 03/14/2013 | Nation & World
Social media throws up new hurdles in student privacy
It can be a difficult task: Protecting student safety without violating student privacy.Teachers, principals and other school staff have been empowered by policies that allow them to search students' backpacks, cellphones and other communication devices if there's reason to...
Date: 03/14/2013 | Local News
BlackBerry gets biggest order ever
BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd., says it has received an order for one million of its new smartphones, marking the largest ever single purchase in the company's history.
Date: 03/13/2013 | Business
State Senate seeks to safeguard Facebook passwords
OLYMPIA -- Washington state senators are looking to safeguard the social media passwords of workers and job applicants.
Date: 03/13/2013 | Northwest
German-made spyware found across globe
LONDON — The discovery of a group of servers linked to an elusive espionage campaign is providing new details about a high-tech piece of spy software that some fear may be targeting dissidents living under oppressive regimes.A Canadian...
Date: 03/13/2013 | Nation & World
Facebook search criticized
Student told to open page to aid official's bullying probe
Date: 03/13/2013 | Local News
Facebook getting ready to change News Feed
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Facebook is trying to breathe new life into its social network with a redesign of its News Feed.
Date: 03/07/2013 | Business
Woman, 104, forced to lie about age on Facebook
GROSSE POINTE SHORES, Mich. — Facebook is apologizing for a problem that makes a 104-year-old Michigan woman lie about her age on the social media website.Marguerite Joseph's granddaughter says Facebook won't let Joseph list her real age.
Date: 02/21/2013 | Off the Wire
Man denies charges he offered toddler for sex
BOISE, Idaho -- A 39-year-old Boise man has denied federal charges that he produced child pornography and posted a Craigslist ad offering a 3-year-old for sex.
Date: 02/20/2013 | Northwest
Idaho man indicted in federal court on sex charges
BOISE, Idaho -- A Boise man has been indicted in federal court on 23 charges after prosecutors say he sexually abused a toddler and posted a Craigslist advertisement offering the 3-year-old for sex.
Date: 02/15/2013 | Northwest
Seattle barista fired over snarky blog
SEATTLE -- A Seattle barista says it was all satire, but his anonymous blog that made snarky comments about his boss and the customers he didn't like got him fired.
Date: 02/12/2013 | Northwest
Five apps to help you get in shape
Going for a run, losing a few pounds or finally exorcising a bad habit? Of course, there are apps for all of that and more, Juice: An energy and activity tracker by Mindbloom that helps you connect daily routine to energy level by keeping track of sleep,...
Date: 02/12/2013 | Life
Samsung’s Google Chromebook a low-cost laptop alternative
Looking for an affordable replacement for your laptop? The Samsung Google Chromebook might fit the bill -- if you spend all of your time online.It's a Samsung netbook running Google's Chrome operating system. Netbooks are often legacy-free, meaning they lack older...
Date: 02/10/2013 | Business
Hacker intercepts Bush family email
The Secret Service is investigating a hacker's apparent theft of a trove of personal emails and photos belonging to the Bush family after they were posted late Thursday by the Smoking Gun Web site.A report by the Smoking Gun said...
Date: 02/09/2013 | Nation & World
Watson’s medical expertise offered commercially
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Dr. Watson is accepting new patients.The Watson supercomputer is graduating from its medical residency and is being offered commercially to doctors and health insurance companies, IBM said Friday.
Date: 02/08/2013 | Business
Feds may use education reforms to gain more control
It's not a new law, just a clarification of an old one, but as clarifications go, it could certainly be very interesting. The U.S. Department of Education recently issued some guidance on the 1973 law that spells out the rights of disabled persons participating in, or...
Date: 02/08/2013 | Business
Get healthy with help from these 12 apps
I once heard a man say we should change our thinking from what we want "to do" to what we want "to become." I like that.For example, in my quest to "become" a few pounds lighter, I can choose to try some new foods. I can also choose to become healthier with these...
Date: 02/05/2013 | Life
Tech review: Microsoft Office pricey, but a good value
NEW YORK -- As much as I like Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets, I find the online software clunky at times. So I was skeptical when I heard Microsoft is trying to sell its new version of Office as an online subscription.
Date: 02/01/2013 | Business
Higher ed will look different as online learning advances
Colleges and universities have a big impact on the lives of every American, and on the U.S. economy … even without football. Football, though, is the quintessential college sport. More than any other, it evokes the imagery, imagination and tradition of the ivy-covered...
Date: 01/31/2013 | Business
NY Times says Chinese hacked its computers
BEIJING — Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated The New York Times' computer systems over the past four months, stealing reporters' passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of a top Chinese leader, the newspaper reported...
Date: 01/31/2013 | Nation & World
Investors give cool reception to new BlackBerrys
NEW YORK -- The long-awaited debut of new BlackBerry smartphones flopped on Wall Street.
Date: 01/30/2013 | Business
BlackBerry stays 'in game' with revamped handset, reviewers say
NEW YORK -- BlackBerry, the device maker formerly known as Research In Motion, may have bought itself time in the smartphone market with revamped handsets and software, based on the earliest reviews of the new wares.
Date: 01/30/2013 | Business
Sno-Isle 1st libraries in state with new e-book system
Slick and simple, it adds nearly 2,000 titles available as e-books for users of Sno-Isle Libraries. It's the 3M Cloud Library, and Sno-Isle is the first...
Date: 01/30/2013 | Local News
Microsoft retools Office for touch screen, Web
SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft is aiming its redesigned Office software at the growing number of people who expect their favorite applications to be at their fingertips, wherever there's an Internet connection.
Date: 01/29/2013 | Business
Child's doodle could earn a $30,000 college scholarship
Mike Dutton remembers the first time he got real encouragement from an art teacher. He was in third grade, and he had made a tiger sculpture.
Date: 01/28/2013 | Life
Microsoft, Google will never kill annoying software
For a few years now, I've been expecting to write an obituary for annoying software.
Date: 01/25/2013 | Business
Athlete's father accused of Facebook rant
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Police are investigating a Vancouver-area father accused of a Facebook rant in which he reportedly hoped for a shooting at the nearby school of an opposing prep basketball team.The Tuesday night post coincided with a game between Camas High School players...
Date: 01/24/2013 | Northwest
Five apps that will help you become more physically fit
Charity Miles(free, iPhone and Android) awards 25 cents per mile to walkers and runners and 10 cents per mile to cyclists, which can be donated to a choice of nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and Autism Speaks.Plus 3 (free, iPhone)...
Date: 01/22/2013 | Life
Lynnwood man charged in counterfeit-goods case
The owner and executives of a Lynnwood networking-hardware reseller were indicted last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle, charged with conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Date: 01/21/2013 | Business
New online gift registries can group many stores
Here comes the gifts!Wedding couples no longer have to arm wrestle over where to register.With centralized online gift registries, they can put items from hundreds of stores around the world on one list. It's an easy click-and-ship process.Gifts can...
Date: 01/20/2013 | Life
Amazon makes MP3 catalog available to iPhone users
SEATTLE -- Amazon says iPhone and iPod Touch users will be able to buy music from its digital store for the first time as of Thursday.Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that its MP3 library has 22 million songs available.
Date: 01/17/2013 | Business
Russian lab reports major malware discovery
MOSCOW -- In what is being called a new hunt for Red October, a Russian cyber-security company says it has found a major international malware system that has attacked and compromised the computers of government agencies, diplomatic consulates, research centers and defense installations, among...
Date: 01/17/2013 | Nation & World
Who's your Daddy? Pennsylvania gets it wrong
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — About 500 new Pennsylvanians will get the wrong answer to the question "Who's your Daddy?" if they rely on their misprinted birth certificates.
Date: 01/16/2013 | Off the Wire
Apps can help flu sufferers cope with illness
The flu's running rampant, but should you consult your doctor or your smartphone? Here are a couple of apps that may help. If you are really sick, consult a health professional.
Date: 01/15/2013 | Life
UW, PNNL form advanced computing institute
RICHLAND -- The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at Richland and the University of Washington are forming the Northwest Institute for Advanced Computing, which will be based at the Seattle campus.
Date: 01/10/2013 | Northwest
Gadget Watch: Electronic fork nags you on eating
LAS VEGAS -- If you've always wanted a fork that spies on your eating habits, you're in luck: A company has developed a utensil that records when you lift it to the mouth.
Date: 01/09/2013 | Business
Apple may build less expensive iPhone, newspaper reports
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple is trying to decide whether it makes sense to offer a cheaper iPhone as it tries to boost sales in less-affluent countries and reclaim some of the market share lost to cheaper phones running Google's Android software, according to a published report.
Date: 01/09/2013 | Business
Federal employee arrested at Seattle office
SEATTLE -- The U.S. attorney's office says a Social Security employee was arrested Wednesday at his Seattle office and accused of looking at child pornography on his computer at work.The 44-year-old Lynnwood man was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
Date: 01/09/2013 | Northwest
TV-over-Internet service expands despite lawsuits
NEW YORK -- The Barry Diller-backed Internet company that challenged cable and satellite TV services by offering inexpensive live television online plans to expand beyond New York City this spring.
Date: 01/08/2013 | Business
Library classes will teach you how to access free eBooks
Did you get a new eReader, tablet or smartphone for Christmas? The Everett Public Library is offering two classes Saturday to show you how to download free eBooks using the library's OverDrive service.
Date: 01/08/2013 | Life
Barnes & Noble Nook sales falter amid tablet competition
NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble posted a decline in retail sales in the holiday season as the largest U.S. bookstore chain's efforts to take on Apple's iPad with tablet-style Nooks fell flat with shoppers.
Date: 01/05/2013 | Business
Tablets get own search engine
SAN FRANCISCO -- The makers of Blekko believe they've built a great alternative to Google, but they're also realistic. They know their two-year-old Internet search engine won't ever supplant Google as the most popular place to search on laptop and desktop computers.
Date: 01/05/2013 | Business
Vegas gadget show’s focus on the big screen
Think your high-definition TV is hot stuff -- as sharp as it gets? At the biggest trade show in the Americas, which kicks off next week in Las Vegas, TV makers will be doing their best to convince you that HDTVs are old hat, and should make room for "Ultra HDTV."
Date: 01/04/2013 | Business
Facebook reunion ends with murder, crab feed
BALTIMORE — Kenneth Todd Brunetti and Lois Jean Vance Smyth rekindled a high school friendship after finding each other on Facebook two years ago. Just a few months later, Brunetti shot Smyth in the head and left her for dead in Leakin Park.
Date: 01/04/2013 | Nation & World
Will the Internet spoil 'Downton Abbey'?
LOS ANGELES — There are many delicious reasons to watch the returning "Downton Abbey" and an exasperating one to skip it: The cover's been blown on major plot twists.
Date: 01/03/2013 | Nation & World
L.A. County Jail gets Yelp review
Ruben Switzer wasn't happy with his accommodations at a well-known Los Angeles establishment, so he went online to vent."Service sucks," he wrote. "Food sucks."
Date: 01/02/2013 | Off the Wire
NORAD Santa trackers draw record calls
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- NORAD says it drew a record number of phone calls and social media followers during its NORAD Tracks Santa operation on Christmas Eve.
Date: 12/29/2012 | Nation & World
'Gaping security holes' found in health databases
As the health-care industry rushed onto the Internet in search of efficiencies and improved care in recent years, it has exposed a wide array of vulnerable hospital computers and medical devices to hacking, according to documents and interviews.
Date: 12/27/2012 | Nation & World
Private picture of Mark Zuckerberg's family leaked
SEATTLE -- Even Mark Zuckerberg's family can get tripped up by Facebook's privacy settings.A picture that Zuckerberg's sister posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director, who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers Wednesday.
Date: 12/26/2012 | Business
'Beam' into work with a robot
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Engineer Dallas Goecker attends meetings, jokes with colleagues and roams the office building just like other employees at his company in Silicon Valley.But Goecker isn't in California. He's more than 2,300 miles away, working at home in Seymour, Indiana.
Date: 12/26/2012 | Business
Sno-Isle Libraries offer workshops on e-readers, e-books
So you think there's a Kindle or Nook under the tree? The Sno-Isle Libraries are offering classes to help you learn how to use your new e-reader and how to download free e-books and audiobooks.
Date: 12/24/2012 | Life
Twitter offers users scrapbook of past tweets
SAN FRANCISCO -- Twitter is offering its more than 200 million users a chance to keep a digital scrapbook of all their tweets.The tool, announced this week, is designed to make it easier for people to review all their activity on Twitter's trend-setting messaging service.
Date: 12/21/2012 | Business
GPS makes finding nativity Jesus doll a snap
Believers ask, "What would Jesus do?"In the little city of Frostproof, Fla., however, people are asking, "Where would Jesus go?"A plastic baby Jesus, accompanied by a plywood donkey, vanished from his manger sometime after the annual Christmas parade Dec. 1.
Date: 12/16/2012 | Nation & World
Gifts from $20 to $499 for your furry companion
Technology is having an impact in every area of the pet world, including food, toys and care products, said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association.
Date: 12/16/2012 | Life
Tech review: Google Maps benefitted from its time away from iPhone
NEW YORK -- Like a lot of people, I was happy and relieved to see Google Maps return to the iPhone.
Date: 12/14/2012 | Business
Don’t toddlers deserve toys free of high-tech stress?
At Teri's Toybox in Edmonds, shoppers sometimes ask Teri Soelter about the hottest new toy."I don't know," the store owner said Wednesday. "We don't carry the hottest new toys."
Date: 12/14/2012 | Local News
Sprint offers $2.1B for the rest of Clearwire
NEW YORK -- Sprint Nextel has offered to buy out the minority shareholders of Clearwire for $2.1 billion in a deal that would give it total control of the flailing company and also more space on the airwaves for data services.
Date: 12/13/2012 | Business
Man charged, arranged to meet 13-year-old for sex
BOISE, Idaho -- A 31-year-old Boise man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual enticement of a minor over the Internet after arriving at a convenience store to meet someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
Date: 12/13/2012 | Northwest
Seattle adds partner to develop computing network
SEATTLE -- Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says the city has reached an agreement with a broadband developer to build out its fiber network for high-speed computing for homes, businesses and services.
Date: 12/13/2012 | Northwest
Google Maps return to iPhone with new mobile app
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Maps has found its way back to the iPhone.
Date: 12/13/2012 | Business
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