Boulats Blog

FBI Investigates Webcam Spy Allegations Against School

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:04:51 +0000

The FBI is reportedly investigating a Pennsylvania school district for possible federal law violations in light of a lawsuit filed by the parents of a high school student.

According to multiple media reports, the FBI is probing accusations made against the Lower Merion School District by Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley, Pa. The Robbins family filed a lawsuit alleging the district spied on their son, Blake, who is a student at Harriton High School, using a webcam included on a school-issued laptop. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is looking into the accusations as well.

According to the suit, the district provided laptops to high school students as part of a technology initiative, and did not notify families the laptops were equipped with Webcams that could be turned on remotely. The family alleged in the suit they did not learn of the capability until school officials accused Blake Robbins of “improper behavior in his home” and cited as evidence a photograph from the Webcam embedded in the laptop. Full Story

Microsoft’s Challenge With Windows Phone 7 Is Wooing Developers

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:57:41 +0000

Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers. Recruiting a ton of them to create a rich app experience for Windows Phone 7 Series is going to be Microsoft’s toughest challenge if it wants to get its groove back in the mobile space.

Demonstrated last week, Microsoft’s new mobile operating system Windows Phone 7 Series looks elegant and immaculate compared to its predecessors. The OS blends together Xbox Live gaming, Zune multimedia, personal media (photos and videos), social media utilities, productivity tools and third-party apps, which are organized into categories called “Hubs.” Full Story

Simple brain exercise can boost IQ

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:15:10 +0000

Can mental training improve your intelligence? No video game or mental puzzle has convincingly been shown to work. But now a group of neuropsychologists claims it has found a task that can add points to a person’s IQ – and the harder you train, they say, the more you gain.

So-called “fluid intelligence”, or Gf, is the ability to reason, solve new problems and think in the abstract. It correlates with professional and educational success and it appears to be largely genetic. Read More

No sleep means no new brain cells

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:36:18 +0000

Missing out on sleep may cause the brain to stop producing new cells, a study has suggested.

The work on rats, by a team from Princeton University found a lack of sleep affected the hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories.

The research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed a stress hormone causes the effect.

A UK expert said it would be interesting to see if too little rather than no sleep had the same consequence.

The Adult brain cells stop growing myth

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:34:21 +0000

Since there are still a big number of things we fail to understand about our brain it is somewhat understandable that such theories appear. They turn into myths and thanks to the oh so well documented media everybody thinks that they are true; and such a belief is hard to shatter even when it reffers to something untrue. Read more

Why Men Don’t Talk

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:33:11 +0000

Don’t be so shocked – guys do actually talk, and not just about Tom Brady’s quarterback rating. Most women think their man is the strong, silent type (or maybe the oblivious, silent type), and they wonder why he doesn’t share his feelings. Read more

Keeping a cool profile on Myspace could just cost you your next post

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:31:54 +0000

A leading recruitment firm has cautioned that online social networking could seriously damage your career prospects, and urged those looking for a new job to be careful how much of their personal life was on public view. Read more

Make Yourself Stick With These First Impression Tips

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:30:28 +0000

When you’re interviewing for a job, one of the keys to success is your first impression. If you’re about to go in for an interview, maybe its time to re-evaluate the first impression you give off. Do you come off as likable? Do you exude professionalism and charm? Read more

How to Wreck Your Credit Rating Faster than Bush’s Approval Rating

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:29:14 +0000

Bush wrecked his approval rating by a series of mistakes, errors, and inaccuracies – which is pretty much how you can wreck your credit rating! While Bush took five years, you can wreck your credit rating a whole lot faster if you aren’t careful. Read more

20 Ways to Combat Allergies

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:26:40 +0000

If the drip, sniff, sneeze, and itch of allergies have you thinking of
buying stock in the company that makes Kleenex, dry your eyes
and prepare to take action. Read more