"Cell", the new novel by horror writer Stephen King, paints an all too plausible scenario where our addiction to cell phones enables a malicious virus to be pulsed to every phone in the world turning all who take the call into a flock of murderously mad zombies.

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Robin Good comments on research by both Russell Research and Raindance Communications, Inc., showing that online meetings fail to engage anything like the full concentration of the participants who utilise their spare brainpower bandwidth to multi-task and do other things. We should have a prize for the person who has done the most unusual thing whilst "technically present" at an online meeting?

Supercomputing Online, July 6, reports that virtual research collaboration can now move to a new level where real-world applications can be delivered on an international basis with the establishment of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUNgrid) which distributes computing power from five sites in three countries (US, UK and Norway).

David Goldes COO of Basex in A Wake-Up Call For Collaboration comments on the New York City's transit strike which although it only lasted 60 hours is estimated to have cost the city's economy $1 billion even though many were able to continue working virtually.