Technology

For me, one very practical result has come out of the Apple vs. Samsung smartphone technology smackdown. I could never keep it straight in my head whether pinching made the screen bigger or smaller. So I'd try to track the path of a thunderstorm by focusing in on Washington County, and wind up with a map showing the weather from Hilton Head to Manitoba. And, take it from me, without being able to figure out the zoom technology, porn on a smartphone is all but worthless. But now that “pinch to zoom” has become part of the lexicon, I'll never forget it again.

When my son recently put his glasses on for the first time, all he could say was "Whoa!" It was the same reaction I had in seventh grade when the world was transformed from somewhat blurry to dizzyingly clear. I told him I remembered riding in the front passenger seat of my mom's car on the way home from the optician's office and feeling like I was seeing a 3-D movie. That struck a chord with him, as the world in which he has sprouted is so multidimensional. The only things that are "flat" to him are the ground on which he walks and the screen of the television that provides my husband with all the high-definition sports he can stand.

When it comes to technology, I would have called myself commitment shy. Oh, I loved to spend time with technology. Take a new Mac out for a spin. Get to know the latest cellphone. But when it came to closing the deal, I was always hesitant. It's not that I didn't like technology. I didn't think the spark of interest I had in it would last. This has been a problem of mine for years. When I went off to college, I schlepped my portable Tandy word processor  -  which was basically an electric typewriter with a computer disk - while others brought their Apples or PCs. After college, I worked part time for an organization called i-Station, which was a stand inside of Waxie Maxies.

It was a cinematic short of a loved one's life - photos and videos that told the story of a man and his accomplishments. There were snapshots of his childhood, old footage of his wedding day, a portrait of a proud father with his family and videos of vacations and holiday celebrations. It could have been a retirement or birthday party. Instead, it was a memorial service. In an age of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter, it's inevitable that funerals - one of the oldest human rituals - would embrace the newest of technologies.

At Western Heights Middle School, a student took her turn at the front of the class figuring out a math problem on the board. She used an electronic pen, but could just as easily have used her finger to write her math solution on the electronic board. In another classroom, teams of students were calculating average speed using data gathered with carts on tracks, motion sensors and computer graphics. Later, seventh-grade students sat on desks or stood up, their arms stretched toward the front of the classroom.

A Boonsboro engineering firm is pioneering research that uses radio waves to disable improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Joe Foley, an electrical engineer and president of Emerging Science & Technologies Group Inc., said the basic concept involves disabling IEDs by using radio waves to split or severely damage wires that lead to the blasting cap. “It duds the device,” said Foley, whose company works on the technology at a building in...

Name of business: Fast-Teks On-Site Computer Services, Central Mason-Dixon Region Owner: Mark R. Bierman Address: 8992 Grape Creek Road, Walkersville, Md. Opening date: April 1, 2011 Products and services: Fast-Teks is a national company offering on-site computer services for business and residential clients. The company services all major brands and types of computer equipment; provides software support, including email, security solutions and virus protection; offers networking installation and support (traditional and wireless)

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Small Business Development Center at Shepherd College will offer the video session, "Using Technology to Build Your Business" today at James Rumsey Technical Institute in Martinsburg. "The Business of Customers and More Time, More Money: Getting it All Done" will be shown at 9 a.m. The two, 30-minute videos discuss the use of customer lists in a database and marketing, keeping up with customer trends through computerized transactions, and how computers can save time and control schedules.

The following area students were named to the dean's list for the fall quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology: Meghan Boehman of Frederick, Md., a third-year student in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. Jennifer Buckley of Mount Airy, Md., a third-year student in the College of Health Sciences and Technology. Michael Conrad of Frederick, a first-year student in RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Andrew Donald of Middletown, Md., a fourth-year student in the College of Health Sciences and Technology.

Technology is moving faster than lightning, and Grace Academy is trying hard to keep up with the challenge. The 2011-12 school year ended with a bang and school officials are excited to start the 2012 - 13 year with enriched technology opportunities. The school has moved ahead with its technology integration vision in many ways. It has upgraded its wireless capability to handle the many laptops supplied by the Government Surplus Agency.  In the next school year, Grace will pilot its Bring Your Own Device program in grades 11 and 12.   It will also be rolling out Google Apps accounts for students in grades six through 12.  With this new project, the world of teacher and student collaboration is increasing.

Brian Ansel and Kris Pearl thought they were going to spend Tuesday morning observing and helping another teacher work with her students at Bester Elementary School, but the pair was surprised when a group of people walked into the classroom with balloons. Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox and officials from the Washington County Public Schools Education Foundation then presented Ansel and Pearl with a large ceremonial check for $1,000. “I was amazed. I was astonished. I was overwhelmed.

Grants to teachers in Franklin County public schools will be awarded to encourage the innovative use of technology in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Greater Chambersburg Chamber Foundation, an affiliate of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, is offering the Innovative Technology Challenge Grants to educators in all six school districts. The deadline for applications is June 28. Applicants will be evaluated based on three key criteria: innovation, value added to curriculum and advanced academics.

The Waynesboro Area School Board on Tuesday became the second board to reject the Franklin County (Pa.) Career and Technology Center's 2013-14 operating budget, sending the career center back to the drawing board as it hammers out a spending plan. Waynesboro's school board voted 8-0 to reject the proposal because of increased expenditures. Board President Chris Lind specifically pointed to a proposed 3.5 percent salary hike for career center staff. “It's not right we vote for something there that is more than our teachers, administrators and support staff are getting,” he said.

What is the advantage of having a pet microchipped and how does it work? As warmer weather approaches, the risks of animals running away or getting lost can increase. But a relatively new and quick procedure is available that can offer some peace of mind for pet owners. It's called microchipping, and Michael Lausen of the Washington County Humane Society said the tiny radio frequency identification chip has saved the lives of many lost animals. “By us being able to reunite the animal, we can find out who the owner is and get them back home, and they're less likely to be euthanized as an unwanted pet,” he said.

Chambersburg Area Middle School South was buzzing with activity Friday afternoon as students and parents lugged display boards to the Franklin Science and Technology Fair in time for their projects to be judged. Now in its 31st year, the annual fair offers Franklin County students in kindergarten through 12th grade a chance to show off their scientific talents. There are about 360 entries in this year's fair, according to event organizers. Catherine Hade, treasurer of the Franklin Science Council, said the fair gives students a chance to showcase their scientific abilities.

The following area students were named to the dean's list for the winter quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology: Jeffrey Zielinski of Fayetteville, Pa., a third-year student in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Michael Plante of Mount Airy, Md., a second-year student in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Zachary Pfister of Mt. Airy, a fourth-year student in the College of Health Sciences and Technology.

Two Franklin County Career and Technology Center students will compete against students from across the country next month for more than $3 million in prizes and scholarships. Brandon Clever, a senior in the Greencastle-Antrim School District, and Josh Long, a senior who is home-schooled from Greencastle-Antrim, are third-semester students in Bobby Bard's automotive technology class at the center. Bard is a big believer in Brandon and Josh's talents after seeing them roll over the competition at the state level on Feb. 21 in Hershey, Pa. These are the guys you want working on your cars, Bard said about his “winning team.” Brandon and Josh faced teams from nine other Pennsylvania schools in a three-hour, hands-on test of diagnostic skills.

In 1996, we were just beginning to understand the power of the Internet and the world of opportunity it would open for students. We knew businesses and communities relied on it - and we knew it was important to give students access to technology, no matter where they live, so they could thrive in this new economy. That's when I decided to come up with a way every West Virginia school could get online. I sat down and wrote a bill that created what we call the E-rate program - a funny name that basically means schools and libraries have the ability, at a discounted rate, to purchase technology and connect to the Internet.

For more than six months, Nancy McClain thought her abdominal cramps and low back pain were the result of a bladder infection. But when the discomfort wouldn't disappear, she headed to her gynecologist, who performed a pelvic ultrasound, revealing a large benign uterine tumor. McClain, who was 50 at the time, began considering a hysterectomy. The Hagerstown woman eventually elected to have the surgery, but her decision didn't come easily, she said. "In fact, I was a bit apprehensive.