Internet

Alas, the only way I’ll get my shirtless photo on the Net is as the “before” image in a Fitness Celebrity John Basedow ad. And I need to clarify — I should have said “former” representative Christopher Lee, who vanished from Congress faster than if his campaign manager had been David Copperfield. Lee was caught fishing for females on Craigslist, even though — this almost goes without saying — he is a pro-family values Republican.

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say I would like to give you a private peek into the world of a newspaper opinion writer, just to show you -- lest you think this is a gravy job -- what I have to put up with on a routine basis. At some point Tuesday morning, I received a "breaking news" alert from the Washington Post, which indicated that the courts had sided with a cable provider over the FCC on the issue of "net neutrality.

Whew, that was close. For a second there, I thought that my favorite porn site was going to be blacked out in solidarity with the political protest of pending SOPA regulations. That's all I need, to get up in the morning to find that the technology I count on daily has been suspended in order to make some kind of political statement. What good is the Internet if you can't check your stocks, take a look at the long-range forecast and log a little face time with Chesty LaJostle? But if the porn sites are concerned that the line between politics and entertainment is becoming blurred, they didn't bite.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerrys, The New York Times reported Monday. The newspaper said the White House plans to submit a bill next year that would require all online services that enable communications to be technically equipped to comply with a wiretap order.

Internet simplifies job hunt MONT ALTO, Pa. - Until a couple of years ago, finding a job could be a long, tedious process. Today, the Internet is changing the way people find work. "You had to write a letter of application, put together a resume, find the names and addresses of potential employers, send the letter and resume, then wait for an answer," said Jerome Curry, an English professor at Penn State Mont Alto who specializes in business writing. "It was effective, but time-consuming.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer, Waynesboro WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Nine Penn State Mont Alto students who are taking an art course through the anonymity of the Internet had to face a bunch of elementary school kids Thursday and lecture on what they've learned about art on their computers. The Penn State students used Notre Dame Cathedral and its timeless artwork as the basis for their lesson to third-, fourth- and sixth-graders at St. Andrew School in Waynesboro. The college students used a large computer screen to portray images to the youngsters.

HANCOCK - The Hancock Town Council on Wednesday voted to partner with the Washington County Board of Education to bring high-speed Internet access to the town, Hancock schools and the Hancock Library. Last month, school board employees asked the town council to consider using the Taliaferro Avenue Water Tower as a possible site for a wireless antenna that would provide the high-speed service. Hancock Mayor Daniel A. Murphy said he thought the town council believed that the request was a good idea.

The Internet and the services offered on it have really changed our lives. Examples of the way we can use the Internet include researching and purchasing almost anything related to outdoors recreation. A good example occurred this past New Year's Eve, when I needed to find a license agent in order to go goose hunting in West Virginia on New Year's Day. (The hunting license in West Virginia runs on a calendar-year basis). The answer was on the Internet. In a matter of five-to-10 minutes, I was on the West Virginia DNR Web site and purchased a 2005 hunting and fishing combo license along with the needed tags.

A Hagerstown-based Internet technology company is enlarging its facility and adding workers, according to John Howard, executive director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission. NameEngine, formerly VoTiV Systems, plans to add 20 more people by the end of the year and expand into a larger space in the Technical Innovation Center at Hagerstown Community College, according to Howard. The company plans to create 10 new positions and increase its leased space from 2,000 square feet to about 3,300 square feet in the Technical Innovation Center, a high-tech business incubator facility, according to Alan Sullivan, chief technical officer of NameEngine.

Janice Stephens of Smithsburg said that although she understands the federal government needs to combat terrorism, there is a “fine line” between that and invading people's privacy. “I kind of feel that part of it is necessary, and part of it isn't necessary,” Stephens said. “I think possibly they've crossed the line with invading people's privacy, but I understand that in some instances, it's necessary.” A National Security Agency program that tracks the telephone and Internet records of Americans has been under nationwide scrutiny since Edward Snowden, an employee of government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked details last week of the program to British and American newspapers.

Janice Stephens of Smithsburg said that although she understands the federal government needs to combat terrorism, there is a “fine line” between that and invading people's privacy. “I kind of feel that part of it is necessary, and part of it isn't necessary,” Stephens said. “I think possibly they've crossed the line with invading people's privacy, but I understand that in some instances, it's necessary.” A National Security Agency program that tracks the telephone and Internet records of Americans has been under nationwide scrutiny since Edward Snowden, an employee of government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked details last week of the program to British and American newspapers.

The last video-rental store in Boonsboro is closing its doors. Boonsboro Video, which has been at 7 Potomac St. since 1989, is closing and selling all of its videos and games at discounted prices, store owner Kathryn Hartle said recently. “There's too many resources with DISH Network, the Internet, cable television and DirecTV,” as well as Redbox, she said. “It just got to where I couldn't do it anymore.” Hartle said the way people watch movies now has been causing video-rental stores to go out of business for a while.

Ratings help, but parental intervention is the key to protecting children from the effects of playing violent video games, watching violence in movies and on television and seeing what's widely available on the Internet, according to participants in a round-table discussion on the issue Monday. The panel of 10, including parents, Jefferson High School students, a teacher, pediatrician and representative of the Entertainment Software Rating Board was convened by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at 2500 Foundation Way. The 25 members in the audience were invited by Rockefeller to ask questions.

U.S. Cellular, in conjunction with its partner, King Street Wireless, launched a 4G LTE network in more than 30 new markets Monday, including Hagerstown, Cumberland and Oakland in Maryland. The November rollout expands the 4G LTE footprint in select cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Oklahoma, and brings 4G LTE coverage to some of U.S. Cellular's leading markets in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. The next wave of market launches will follow shortly in Rockford, Ill., Medford, Ore., Yakima, Wash., and Knoxville, Tenn.

An 18-year-old man who is accused of cheering and encouraging a boy to kick a cat off the porch of a home in Berkeley County in July was charged with one felony count of animal cruelty, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. Naim Robert Carter, of 561 Good Drive in Martinsburg, was arraigned on the charge Thursday by Magistrate Jim Humphrey, according to court documents. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25, according to court documents. The alleged incident surfaced after a woman and her daughter told police on July 28 that they saw a video posted on the Internet, according to court documents.

It's no secret that the number of video stores in the United States is diminishing. The culprit? The World Wide Web. The big shot players of video streaming like Netflix, YouTube and Hulu are the top spot holders when it comes to viewing movies and TV episodes online. In 1992, there were about nine video rental stores in Hagerstown. Today, there is only one. More people are choosing convenience instead of driving to brick-and-mortar stores. But not everyone feels that the Internet is killing the video store.

Beginning in March, Antietam Cable will be phasing out analog delivery of some channels, meaning customers with older televisions will need digital converters or adapters, Antietam Cable President and General Manager Brian Lynch said Thursday. The change will free up capacity to add additional channels and offer faster broadband Internet service, Lynch said. Televisions with built-in digital tuners - called QAM tuners - and those already connected to the company's digital converter boxes will not be affected, Lynch said.

Whew, that was close. For a second there, I thought that my favorite porn site was going to be blacked out in solidarity with the political protest of pending SOPA regulations. That's all I need, to get up in the morning to find that the technology I count on daily has been suspended in order to make some kind of political statement. What good is the Internet if you can't check your stocks, take a look at the long-range forecast and log a little face time with Chesty LaJostle? But if the porn sites are concerned that the line between politics and entertainment is becoming blurred, they didn't bite.

Berkeley County school officials Tuesday sought to reassure parents of Musselman High School students that the campus was safe after rumors circulated via the Internet and social media that students might be in danger. “These rumors are unfounded, and no incidents have occurred,” the school system said in a news release, but did not indicate any specifics. “The school administration and the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department have taken the necessary and appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our students and staff.” The county school district also discouraged parents of students from relying on any information other than official announcements or statements from Musselman High's administration.

A state project to link schools and government buildings to a statewide broadband network also will open the door to wider high-speed Internet availability for homes and businesses, Maryland Deputy Chief Information Officer Gregory Urban said Thursday during a visit to Hagerstown. Urban met in the Elizabeth Hager Center with officials from Washington County, the city of Hagerstown and other community groups and institutions to provide an update on the One Maryland Broadband Network, a 1,294-mile fiber-optic broadband network that will link 1,006 government facilities and community "anchor institutions" in every county in the state.