TECH BYTES: ‘Stim-novation’ needed for 2009

Published: December 2, 2008

NATION

WASHINGTON — When Congress drafts an economic stimulus plan for 2009, it should focus its spending on technological innovation, economists and academics said Monday. Congress’s goal should be "stim-novation,” that is, using government funds and clout to stimulate a more innovative U.S. economy, University of California Davis professor Fred Block said at a seminar on the importance of government support for high-tech industries.

NEW YORK — Verizon’s FiOS TV service doesn’t make for a brighter picture, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body said, urging the company to drop some of the claims it makes in its advertising. National Advertising Division Council of Better Business Bureaus made the recommendation last week after it examined the ads because of a challenge by Verizon competitor Cablevision Systems Corp. Claims in question included statements about the service’s speed, picture quality, and color, and the testimony that FiOS is "so much more bright.” The brightness of a TV picture depends on the settings of the TV, not on the signal.

NEW YORK — The U.S. Army plans to invest $50 million over five years to develop video games for use in training soldiers for combat, according to a report in Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper. The money will fund a "games in training” program beginning in 2010. It will watch trends in commercial video games and look for technologies that can be used in training — but it does not plan to compete with the industry. The Army’s gaming unit also plans to buy a "state-of-the-art” commercial game it can modify for use in training. Video games are already widely used in recruiting and training soldiers.

WORLD

ZAGREB, Croatia — In Croatia, a man who launched a Facebook group critical of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has been detained and questioned by police. Some in the country are crying foul, sensing a move to quash cyber-debate. Political analyst Jelena Lovric called the detention a "notorious abuse of police for political purposes.” And the leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Zoran Milanovic, said Monday the police action endangered freedom of expression.

From Wire Reports

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