Parents Monitor Young Drivers
New technology affords parents some peace of mind by letting them monitor their children in their cars. Technology companies are developing gadgets that allow parents to see where their fledgling driver is on the road and how fast they are going.
Some of these devices also have parental controls, allowing the parent to set a vehicle's maximum speed, how far it can travel and even a curfew - after a certain hour, the car automatically shuts off and cannot be driven.
Insurance companies are starting to give discounts to parents who agree to have devices installed in their cars.
Teenagers are upset about the prospect of more parental control, especially in the car.
Electronic Arts promises big holiday season
Shares of Electronic Arts, the video game publishing studio best known for publishing the "SimCity" and "Medal of Honor" series, experienced stock market growth as shares rose $1.72, or almost 3 percent, on Friday.
EA has bounced back after severe financial losses in recent years and told The New York Times that it expected a "great" holiday season this year.
EA has published many commercially successful games but has been criticized for a decline in the quality of its games and shutting down online game servers. Most recently, EA has been slammed by video game journalists for releasing relatively few games for the Nintendo Wii.
Warren Jenson, the chief financial officer for EA, told The New York Times that EA is changing its lineup and will have seven games for the Wii this holiday season. Jenson has also promised an unspecified number of games for the Nintendo Dual Screen, Nintendo's successful handheld console.
Illegal Device SILENCES Cell Phones
A handy but illegal device that forcibly silences cell phones is on the rise. Cell phone jammers, as they are called but have no official name, are easy to use. By simply pressing a button, the user sends out a radio signal powerful enough that cell phones become unable to communicate with cell towers. The range varies from feet to yards, and the price can go as low as $50 or as high as hundreds of dollars. According to The New York Times, small models are often bought by disgruntled commuters who are always on trains with cell phone users, and larger models are used to prevent people from using cell phones at their workplaces.
Investigators from cell phone companies have found that discovering culprits is difficult. People who use jammers need only turn them off to avoid arousing suspicion.
-MICHAEL CARUSI
