Microsoft Study Supports ‘Cyberchondria’

Could the Internet make you sicker? That’s what a study by Ryen White and Eric Horvitz from Microsoft Research says.
White and Horvitz studied the Web browsing of 515 Internet users and found that eight in 10 American adults have searched for healthcare information on the Internet, reports NewsOXY.com.

Despite Demand, Few PCs Reused

Though demand for used computers remains high, few computers begin life with a second owner, according to a Gartner report.
Only 1 in 5 computers makes it to the secondary market and of those, only 44 percent actually get used, according to InformationWeek. The report attributes the problem to tariffs, high transportation costs and environmental legislation

IBM Sues to Keep Exec from Jumping to Apple

IBM is suing to prevent one of its top executives from taking a job with Apple, reports The New York Times.
The lawsuit hinges on a noncompete agreement signed by Mark Papermaster in 2007 preventing him from jumping to a competing company within one year of leaving IBM.
The suit says Papermaster, until last week vice president

Ruling Limits ‘Business Method’ Patents

A federal court has rejected patenting a method to smooth energy costs in a case that could put the brakes on “business method” patents, reports eWEEK.

Network Rift Could Slow Service for Customers

Cogent Communications says Sprint-Nextel has dropped out of its peering agreement, which could cause network slowdown and decreased Web performance for the two networks’ customers.
Under the agreement, the two networks exchange equal amounts of data without actually paying each other, explains GigaOM.
Without it, customers of the two networks cannot directly connect to each other without

Former McAfee Exec Charged With Theft of $3.8 Million

A former McAfee marketing executive and her husband have been charged with stealing $3.8 million from the security software company, reports The San Jose Mercury News.
Former product marketing manager Susan Despinic, 35, of Los Gatos, Calif., and her husband Aurawm Almaneih, 37, were arrested on Wednesday over allegations that she awarded contracts to a firm […]