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SARS and Webcam Singapore took drastic measures to enforce quarantine orders on hundreds of persons suspected of exposure to SARS, including mounting Webcams at homes and threatening to use electronic wrist bands. Singapore, which has the world’s fourth-highest number of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infections, said as the size of its home quarantine more than doubled to 490, the government said a private security company would install Internet-linked Webcams in homes to ensure persons suspected of catching SARS stayed inside. An electronic wristband would be slapped on offenders, designed to send a signal if anyone tried to leave their home. Bid online, get germs by post Fans of former-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney have been invited to bid for a tiny piece of musical history — germs from a bout of flu that caused him to cancel a recent gig. After two days on the ebay.co.uk Website, the germs have received two bids, the highest for 1.20 pounds (about $2) and come from British fan Ian Mears who claims he caught the bug from McCartney when he met him earlier this month. Successful bidders will receive their germs by post. "The highest bidder will receive a resealable bag that I will cough into," he said. "Or if preferred, they can have a plastic container full of mucus." Pak blocks porn sites Pakistani telecommunication authorities have blocked more than 1,800 pornographic Websites in an attempt to protect Internet users from what they call their corrupting and evil influence. More than 60 per cent of an estimated one million Internet users in Islamic Pakistan visit pornographic sites, said Zahir Mohammed Khan, a senior official of the state-run Pakistan Telecommunication Co Ltd (PTCL). The PTCL was also identifying what Khan called anti-Islamic and blasphemous sites. "They too are being blocked," he said, without giving details. PTCL officials say the blocking of sites had slowed down the system. Mental health monitor Currently in the process of development, a new computer software package will give the term personal digital assistant (PDA) a new meaning, helping users quickly and easily evaluate if they are operating at their mental best. The package is designed for astronauts who often have sleep disruptions, but will be applicable to surgeons and long-distance truck drivers as well. Designed for use on the newest-generation PDA, MiniCog is a new software package being developed and tested by Kosslyn’s research team. It contains nine cognitive tasks that evaluate attention, working memory, problem-solving ability, motor control and ability to switch thinking among cognitive sets. Chinese girl held A 17-year-old girl has
been arrested for posting "harmful information" in a central
Chinese Internet chatroom. The girl, only identified as Zheng, posted
the messages at an Internet cafe in Xinmi city, Henan |
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