TECHNOLOGY NEWS

• Wyoming lawmakers to mull digital product taxes 11/21/2009, 1:37 p.m. EST
(AP) — CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A Wyoming legislative committee has voted to sponsor a bill to generate taxes on such things as music, video and software sold through the Internet and other multi-state electronic systems.

• Bio-fuel growth raises concerns about forests 11/21/2009, 11:29 a.m. EST
(AP) — PARK FALLS, Wis. - The quest for alternative energy is raising fears that too much logging debris such as limbs and bark will be removed from the nation's forests.

• West Virginia newspapers speak 11/21/2009, 10:37 a.m. EST
(AP) — The Herald-Dispatch

• Gift Guide: Touch and Windows 7 in fresh PC lineup 11/20/2009, 1:45 p.m. EST
(AP) — This holiday season is a great time to buy a PC. There's a nice new version of Windows out, and computer manufacturers are adding interesting new technologies. Here's a guide to what's fresh in PCs, ranging from "netbooks" to super-sized "all-in-one" desktop computers.

• Gift Guide: Touch and Windows 7 in fresh PC lineup 11/20/2009, 1:42 p.m. EST
(AP) — This holiday season is a great time to buy a PC. There's a nice new version of Windows out, and computer manufacturers are adding interesting new technologies. Here's a guide to what's fresh in PCs, ranging from "netbooks" to super-sized "all-in-one" desktop computers.

• Astronauts gear up for 2nd spacewalk of mission 11/20/2009, 11:56 a.m. EST
(AP) — CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - An astronaut is gearing up for the first spacewalk of his career while awaiting the imminent birth of his daughter.

• Astronauts gear up for 2nd spacewalk of mission 11/20/2009, 11:30 a.m. EST
(AP) — CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An astronaut is gearing up for the first spacewalk of his career while awaiting the imminent birth of his daughter.

• Gift Guide: Tech books that enlighten, entertain 11/19/2009, 4:26 p.m. EST
(AP) — SAN FRANCISCO - Your holiday shopping list probably includes gadgets, games and gizmos that illustrate how technology is changing the way we work, play and communicate. So why not throw in a few books about the people and services causing the delight and disruption? Here are a few suggestions:

• Gift Guide: Tech books that enlighten, entertain 11/19/2009, 4:20 p.m. EST
(AP) — SAN FRANCISCO - Your holiday shopping list probably includes gadgets, games and gizmos that illustrate how technology is changing the way we work, play and communicate. So why not throw in a few books about the people and services causing the delight and disruption? Here are a few suggestions:

• Hand of Shame sparks debate on cheating, replays 11/19/2009, 1:31 p.m. EST
(AP) — LONDON - Irish football officials accused Thierry Henry on Thursday of damaging the integrity of the game when he blatantly handled the ball to set up the goal that booked France's place at next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

• Intel leads big retreat in world markets 11/19/2009, 12:56 a.m. EST
(AP) — LONDON - World stocks slid Thursday after analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch reportedly downgraded their recommendations on a series of U.S. technology stocks, including Intel Corp. That feeded mounting concerns that current valuations are not justified by the pace of the global economic recovery.

• Gift Guide: A focus on HD video, at many prices 11/18/2009, 4:49 p.m. EST
(AP) — It's easier than ever to shoot high-definition video. You can do it with traditional-style camcorders, of course, but also with cameras that also are designed to take still photos-from high-end "digital SLRs" to cameras that slip into your shirt pocket.

• Gift Guide: A focus on HD video, at many prices 11/18/2009, 3:29 p.m. EST
(AP) — It's easier than ever to shoot high-definition video. You can do it with traditional-style camcorders, of course, but also with cameras that also are designed to take still photos-from high-end "digital SLRs" to cameras that slip into your shirt pocket.

• Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go 11/18/2009, 2:59 p.m. EST
(AP) — NEW YORK - You might call him the Mickey Mouse of video games. He's reminiscent of a doughnut, round and sweet and comforting. He's also a vessel, devoid of a real personality so you can live vicariously through him.

• UK police make 2 Trojan computer virus arrests 11/18/2009, 9:49 a.m. EST
(AP) — LONDON - A couple suspected of helping spread some of the Internet's most aggressive computer viruses has been arrested in the English city of Manchester, police said Wednesday.

• 'Fringe' star John Noble celebrates weird science 11/18/2009, 7:07 a.m. EST
(AP) — NEW YORK - Dr. Walter Bishop follows in a long line of mad scientists. An unbalanced genius like Bishop going at it in his lab is a pop-culture staple. Or even, some would say, a cliche.

• Microsoft told to stop some Windows sales in China 11/18/2009, 5:03 a.m. EST
(AP) — BEIJING - A Beijing court has ordered Microsoft Corp. to stop selling some versions of its Windows operating system in China in a licensing dispute with a local supplier.

• House lawmakers push ban on peer-to-peer software 11/17/2009, 6:28 p.m. EST
(AP) — WASHINGTON - Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak last month revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved Tuesday to prohibit federal employees from using the same type of Internet file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.

• Gift Guide: Adventures in the video game aisle 11/17/2009, 1:20 p.m. EST
(AP) — The video game aisle can be intimidating for aspiring Santas who haven't touched a joystick since "Pong." But it has something for everyone: riveting solo adventures, online multiplayer battles and fun-for-the-whole-family social games. Here are some of the best picks for this holiday season.

• Led by China, carbon pollution up despite economy 11/17/2009, 1:04 p.m. EST
(AP) — WASHINGTON - Pollution typically declines during a recession. Not this time.

• Led by China, carbon pollution up despite economy 11/17/2009, 1:00 p.m. EST
(AP) — WASHINGTON - Pollution typically declines during a recession. Not this time.

• Job prospects drawing students to ag schools 11/17/2009, 3:00 a.m. EST
(AP) — CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Tristesse Jones will probably never drive a tractor or guide a combine through rows of soybeans at harvest time.

• Job prospects drawing students to ag schools 11/17/2009, 3:00 a.m. EST
(AP) — CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Enrollment at the nation's largest agriculture schools is increasing, but most of the graduates seem focused more on science and environmental issues than harvesting crops.

• Clicker.com aims to become Internet video usher 11/16/2009, 11:58 a.m. EST
(AP) — SAN FRANCISCO - Web surfing is becoming more like channel surfing as television shows, movies and music videos pour onto the Internet.

• NASA to try to free stuck Mars rover Spirit 11/16/2009, 11:16 a.m. EST
(AP) — LOS ANGELES - NASA on Thursday outlined a rescue plan to try to free the Mars rover Spirit, which has been bogged in a sand trap on the red planet for half a year. The risky operation is expected to last several months.