Hot Topic
You Drink, You Drive, You Get Watched
dealing with drunk driversLose your license for drunk driving in Maryland and a new law says you won't get it back unless you let technology monitor what you're doing behind the wheel. Tonight's "Tech Live" reports on the ignition interlocks that are keeping Maryland drunks off the road.


More From This Episode
Firefighters Turn to Biometrics
biometricsHundreds of firefighters responded to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Many off-duty firefighters went straight to the site to respond in any way they could, but as they rushed off to help, there was no way of knowing who was on the scene and who wasn't. To avoid similar confusion in the future, officials are turning to biometrics. Since September 11, biometric technology has become increasingly important. While not new, the idea of biometrics has been pushed to the forefront since last year's attacks -- for accountability on the job, and of course, in an effort to increase security by using unique, personal identifiers like fingerprints, or imprints of the hand or iris.


Online Gaming is for All Ages
senior surfware Huddled over a computer in the corner of her bedroom, Betty Strandberg busily types on her keyboard, chatting to herself and online. "So we are behind, shame," said Strandberg as she gazes at a series of playing cards on the screen. "I hope I get a more exciting hand than this sometime." She never thought she could sit at home and play bridge with people all over the world at the same pace as if they were sitting across from each other. It's quite a change from when she first started playing bridge 75 years ago. Strandberg is 90 years old and will be 91 in December.


Robot Explores Great Pyramid
The 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, will have a robotic visitor on September 17. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and scientists at the Giza Plateau Mapping Project at the University of Chicago have collaborated on a pyramid rover. The rover is a rectangular robot that will travel 200 feet up a shaft in Pharaoh Khufu's pyramid to see what lies behind a mysterious door or blocking stone. It will send back video pictures to the remote-control team inside the pyramid. The Great Pyramid is 145 meters tall. It's the largest pyramid ever built.


Sony CLIE PEG-SJ30
Sony CLIE' PEG-SJ30When first introduced nearly 10 years ago, the Palm (then PalmPilot) was a small, easy-to-use monochrome handheld device. As the years went on, features were added, including better displays, and finally color. Sony has taken the lead in creating Palm devices with improved features. The latest CLIE, the PEG SJ30, is marketed to the beginning handheld user, and it's hit the nail squarely on the head.


Preventing Train Derailments
Last year there were 2,212 train derailments in the United States. These derailments disrupted the nation's transportation system and caused $234 million in damage, not to mention a number of casualties. "Tech Live" takes you aboard Union Pacific's EC-4, a very special vehicle designed to keep trains on track.


Security Alert
Hackers Outwit Outlook Express
Antivirus firm Beyond Security revealed a vulnerability in Outlook Express that lets virus writers send their malicious code in segmented form. The pieces of virus could outwit antivirus programs, getting past scans and blocks. Once on a victim's computer, the virus could then reassemble itself and execute. So far, no virus has capitalized on the weakness. The vulnerability allows a virus writer to bypass the SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) filtering engines used by virus scanners and firewalls. Both Symantec and TrendMicro have confirmed the vulnerability's existence. Symantec says it plans to issue a patch.


Cutting-Edge Entertainment
'BattleBots' Coming to an End?
Could this be the death of Comedy Central's techno hit BattleBots? Some fans are crushed after learning that the cable network won't back the next bot tournament, scheduled for November. The comedy network says the show has had a nice run, but recently ratings have begun to slip and it will not fund the next battle, which draws a live audience of hundreds. Previously recorded episodes are scheduled through the early part of 2003. An online grassroots effort has begun in an attempt to get the network to overturn the decision.


Save 'Farscape' Petitions Begin
Fans of the Sci-Fi channel's Farscape have launched their own online petitions in an effort to save that recently cancelled show. According to fans, it was the stars and producers who made the announcement in chat rooms. They claim the cast and crew continue to make regular appearances in chat rooms to support the efforts to save the show.


De Niro Looks for New Scripts
Robert De Niro's Tribeca Entertainment is holding a rare open call for script submissions. De Niro and his partner are looking for two scripts with a scientific or technological theme. Each script will be given financial support and at least one will be read at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, with a screening of the completed work the following year. Script submissions are due November 1.

Scripts should be sent to the Tribeca Film Institute, 375 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013, Attention: Tribeca/Sloan Film Program.


News From Our Bureaus
AMD Delays Release of Processors, Adult Media Group Interested in Napster Name, West Nile Linked to Bioterrorism?


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