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Excessive use of them, that is. The study, about the impact of computer use on students' math and reading performance, was huge: It surveyed 175,000 15-year-old students in 31 countries. It found that their performance in reading and math "had suffered significantly among students who have more than one computer at home," the Christian Science Monitor reports. "And while students seemed to benefit … [Read more...] about Computers harm learning: German study

We mentioned Jeeves-the-search-butler's makeover, as he gets increasingly cozy with those he serves. Well, it's a trend, the BBC reports. "Not content with providing access to the millions of Web sites, many [search engines] now offer ways that do a better job of remembering, cataloguing and managing all the information you come across. In addition to Jeeves, there's Blinkx, which builds on the … [Read more...] about Search engines: Getting to know you

More and more parents are turning to the Net for a night out, the Washington Post reports. Pointing to sites like 4Sitters.com, MyNannyCalledInSick.com, Student-Sitters.com, and Chicago-based SitterCity.com (the largest, which boasts a database of 15,000 sitters in 15 cities), the Post says parents pay an average of $10/hour for child care offered by sites like these. That is, $10/hour plus a … [Read more...] about Finding a sitter online

It's actually kind of surprising that the question - about the family PC as the "WMD" of "family values" - hasn't come up much (I think it has been flying under radar because of the other digital divide: kids are just so much more tech-fluent than grownups, and grownups are the ones with "radar detection"). But it's coming up now, and Wall Street Journal columnist Lee Gomes this week asked the … [Read more...] about Family PC: Backlash coming?

You need this latest "critical" patch for your (Windows) PC if you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. A critical flaw in IE could allow malicious hackers to take control of your computer, Reuters reports. You don't need it if you're one of those extra-careful and/or tech-literate folk who have already downloaded Microsoft's comprehensive Service Pack 2 for PC security. Otherwise (or if you … [Read more...] about Get another patch!