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Technology

How to control spam and other computer questions

Spam, the mark of fly-by-night companies, increasingly is being deployed by much more established firms. Geek Squad® chief Robert Stephens stops by Midmorning to offer tips on countering unwanted email and answer your other digital questions.

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What you can do to feel more secure

Security measures at airports, in our offices and on the internet are supposed to protect us from harm, but do they really? An expert in security technology says we all need to understand the limits of elaborate measures and look to simple solutions.

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The Voice on the Wire: Internet telephone calls create regulatory confusion

A small but growing number of Minnesotans are ditching their telephone company to make calls over the Internet. "Voice Over I.P." technology, known as "VoIP", is most popular on the east and west coasts, but its use is spreading. The rapid growth is partly because VoIP is largely unregulated. Minnesota regulators are the first to try to rein in the new technology.

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Teenage hacker says government exaggerated case

A Minnesota teenager charged with modifying a version of the Internet worm that crippled computer networks worldwide returned to high school this week, and said the government has exaggerated its case against him.

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Feds make an example of teenage hacker

A Hopkins high school student faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for re-working and spreading a copy-cat computer worm. Jeffrey Lee Parson, 18, was arrested Friday morning and made an initial appearance in federal court that afternoon. At the hearing, a judge ordered Parson released on $25,000 bond. He's restricted to his parents' home and cannot have access to computers or the Internet.

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The Blaster worm explained

The computer worm Jeffrey Parson is accused of releasing represents just one of several attacks Internet users have been alerted to in recent weeks. Parson's creation wasn't even an original. But computer security experts say even as a variant of the Blaster worm, it had plenty of potential to frustrate computer users.

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Teen who launched Internet virus mostly kept to himself

Neighbors of 18-year-old Jeffrey Lee Parson say the high school student in federal custody for launching a worldwide computer virus was a loner who drove too fast and idolized Bill Gates.

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Power blackout: weakness in the grid?

Power outtages in major cities in the U.S. and Canada sent waves of people into the streets, paralyzed transportation and left people wondering what happened.

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Animal rights and the food industry

Fast food chains are pressuring farmers to treat their livestock more humanely and cut down on the antibiotics they are fed, and in the process changing the animal rights debate.

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The cost of phones in the forest

Dozens of lake home owners will have to wait for phone lines in the woods north of Tofte. The phone company Qwest says phone lines could cost up to $45,000 for some homes. State regulators say that's too much.

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