Chip Implants Approved for Medical Use
An electronic chip that helps doctors learn about patients' medical histories has been approved by the FDA for implantation into patients. The chip, which is surgically placed in your forearm, contains an ID that doctors can use to access a person's medical history from a centralized database. Doctors access the chip by using a handheld scanner. The company that makes the chips hopes it will help doctors treat unconscious patients.

Jamming Cell Phone Signals
Two Israeli men are achieving some success by selling cell phone "jammers"-- devices that prevent cell phone signals from being transmitted. Their technology can be used for everything from preventing cell phone calls during movies to preventing terrorist attacks when a bomber uses a cell phone to detonate their device. These same men have technology that can track the location of cell phones, even when they are turned off. This is useful in sensitive meetings where phones should not be present, or in prisons, where phones are not allowed but are sometimes smuggled in. Currently, it is illegal in the U.S. for private companies to use the devices, but the government is already using them.

Stalled Passenger Tracking Program Goes Abroad
The U.S. government's plan to amass large quantities of passenger information was stalled due to privacy and security concerns. Now the choreographer of the U.S.'s passenger watch program has taken his ideas and technology to the Bahamas, where he will be free of U.S. regulators. He is planning on gathering large quantities of information on people all over the globe, and analyzing this information for corporations and government agencies. Ben H. Bell III, the man who is now the chief executive of Global Information, says he only has informal contracts with the U.S. government to provide them with information.

Detect Republicans by Using Your Mobile
A New Jersey businessman and a web site that posts political contributions have created a way for your cell phone or Blackberry to point in any direction and get a feel for how many Democrats or Republicans live in the area, and how many have made contributions to political parties. This might some day be used as a tool for politicians, telling them where they need to campaign the most.

Using Your Laser Printer's Fingerprints
Every printer has a fingerprint. Students and professors at Purdue see the value in this fingerprint, and hope that it will help users print secure and trackable documents from home.

Legality of Service Providers Reading Your Email
A bookseller who offered e-mail service to his customers copied all mails they received from Amazon.com and sent them to his personal inbox. A court decision made in June stated that it is legal for e-mail service providers to read user's email without restriction, but the case is going to be re-heard.

Phishers Face Criminal Charges
Four Eastern European phishers were charged last week in a London court. The suspects are accused of taking credit card numbers from unsuspecting consumers and are the first phishers in the world to face criminal charges.

Alphabetize Your Programs
If you are using Microsoft Windows, when you add new programs to your computer, they don't appear in alphabetical order. To alphabetize the items in your All Programs list, click Start, All Programs. Then right-click on any item in the list and choose Sort by Name. All of the items that have sub-items will sort first, followed by all of the rest of the items.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Access Your Desktop
You may have learned keyboard shortcuts for opening files or directories, or for cutting and pasting. But you can also use shortcuts to access the files on your desktop. To begin, press the Windows key. The Start menu appears. Press ESC. Then press SHIFT+TAB. You can now use the arrow keys to navigate the icons on your desktop. When you get to the file, folder, or application you want to open, simply press ENTER. Press SHIFT+F10 to see the context menu for the item.

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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding this newsletter, email suzanne@surfsecret.com.