Problems seen in e-voting overseas

Election ballots could be safely distributed electronically to Americans overseas, but getting their votes back securely could present problems, says a new study.
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Washington state starts free PC, TV recycling

Washington state residents looking to safely get rid of old computers and TVs can do so for free when a new statewide recycling program begins next year.
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2009 to arrive not a second too soon

Time will stand still for one second on New Year’s Eve, as we ring in the New Year on Wednesday night. As a result, you’ll have an extra second to celebrate because a “Leap Second” will be added to 2008 to let a lagging Earth catch up to super-accurate clocks.

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On the Net: ‘Tis the season for year-end lists

As the traditional critical epicenters have dispersed across the democratic Net, so, too, have the top 10 lists everyone loves to make at the end of the year. Everyone’s a critic and everyone has a list. There are so many niche year-end lists that there are now lists of lists.
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Vietnam imposes new blogging restrictions

Vietnam has approved new regulations banning bloggers from discussing subjects the government deems sensitive or inappropriate and requiring them to limit their writings to personal issues.
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Death Valley works to preserve night sky

Acclaimed for its ink black skies, Death Valley, the hottest place in North America, also ranks among the nation’s unspoiled stargazing spots. But the vista in recent years has grown blurry. The glitzy neon glow from Las Vegas and its burgeoning bedroom communities is stealing stars from the park’s eastern fringe.

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Hobbyists try genetic engineering at home

The Apple computer was invented in a garage. Same with the Google search engine. Now, tinkerers are working at home with the basic building blocks of life itself.

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Cosmic Log: The year in space

Science editor Alan Boyle’s Weblog: The questions outnumber the answers when it comes to our future in space, but 2008’s developments hint at the shape of things to come in 2009.

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Pandamania claims zoo Web site as victim

A wave of pandamania sweeping Taiwan has claimed its first victim: the Web site of the Taipei Zoo, home to two giant pandas that arrived there this week as a gift from China.

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Cosmic Log: Vote for the weirdest science

Science editor Alan Boyle’s Weblog: This year’s finalists for the Weird Science Awards include real-life Furbys and the world’s oldest pot stash. But which is weirdest? We report, you decide.