Internet

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. -- Chambersburg was one of two communities selected by Comcast to experiment with a new method of controlling network congestion by placing limits on the heaviest Internet users. Comcast officials argue that slowing the network connection of users hogging bandwidth will benefit the greater majority of their customers. Users expected to experience delays with their connection primarily will be those who utilize P2P (peer-to-peer) programs like BitTorrent, commonly used to download full-length movies, according to corporate news releases.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - In an effort to save money, Washington County will stop soliciting project bids by mail next year. Instead, the county will advertise new projects on the Internet, using its Web site and a state-run procurement Web site. The change, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2009, will save the county more than $1,800 per year, Purchasing Agent Karen R. Luther said last month. Purchasing and engineering department bids will be affected by the change. "We've been headed in this direction for a while now. Mail is costly," Luther said.

ANNAPOLIS - Purposely surfing the Internet on someone else's wireless connection, without permission, would be a crime under a bill Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. presented Tuesday. Myers, R-Washington/Allegany, said his bill is meant to clarify intentional theft vs. accidental use. He told the House Judiciary Committee that one of his neighbors, after buying a new laptop computer, got onto the Internet, thinking it was through a cable TV hookup. Actually, the connection was through Myers' home wireless Internet system.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Brian Hamilton goes to the Washington County Free Library's central branch on South Potomac Street almost every day after work. The 34-year-old construction worker from Hagerstown uses the library's public computers to check e-mail, pay bills online and browse Internet sites such as YouTube and ESPN.com. Hamilton, who does not have Internet access at home, said he appreciates the service, but often spends more time waiting in line for a computer than he does using it. "It can be a long wait, especially after work," he said.

Every time you search the Internet or shop online you can help the Humane Society of Washington County by using a new Yahoo-powered search engine at www.good search.com . GoodSearch.com donates 50 percent of its revenue, approximately one cent per search, to the charities designated by its users. Users search the Internet as they would with any other search engine and the pennies add up. Internet shoppers also can help the humane society by using Goodshop.com, www.goodsearch.

Analysis: Too much office Internet use BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. Getting tax information to Charleston's tax department via the Internet has become difficult, and the county's tax assessor, John Allen Swaim, brought the reason to the attention of the Morgan County Commission on Friday. The county Internet system was recently monitored for two weeks by Global Science & Technology, and GST engineer Brian Clem said the analysis showed the system gets overloaded and becomes sluggish because there is increased Web use and e-mail traffic.

As 21st-century teenagers, we are constantly using technology - cell phones, computers, iPods, etc. And apparently, none of us take the time to read a book. At least, that is the stereotype. But is this assumption based on truth? A recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) showed that the reading scores of 17-year-olds who took standard tests have steadily decreased since 1999. Also, nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 do not read books for pleasure.

HAGERSTOWN ? Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler on Friday discussed two relatively new public safety initiatives within his office: tracking gang activity and teaching adults how to warn children about Internet dangers. Speaking at a Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Gansler said his office can be a clearinghouse for local law enforcement agencies seeking information about gangs in their area. When he was a state's attorney in Montgomery County, Md., Gansler had a gang prosecution division.

Parents are a child's first teacher, but when a child is having trouble at school, parents don't always know where to turn. "That's part of the challenge," said Duane McNairn, principal at E. Russell Hicks Middle School in Hagerstown. McNairn said schools are trying to come up with better ways to provide resources for parents to help students outside the classroom. Parents will soon be getting an idea of how well their children are performing, as report cards will be handed out during the next few weeks.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - A 32-year-old Greencastle-area man has been charged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office in connection with an undercover operation in Internet chat rooms. Daniel Diaz, of 3300 Waynecastle Road, has been charged with one count each of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer, Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a news release. Both are third-degree felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, according to the news release.