Computer Networks

Over the last year, the technology world has been enamored of the possibilities of moving into the cloud. That's the latest trend in computing that enables consumers to forget about storing their software and data on local hard drives -- where it can be zapped by electrical surges and soft-drink spillage -- and let companies such as Amazon .com Inc., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. worry about keeping it safe on a network of remote servers. The cloud computing concept is so appealing that the city of Los Angeles is considering scrapping its current e-mail system and replacing it with a cloud-based offering from Google, joining more than 2 million businesses already using that company's system.

China in the last year has developed ways to infiltrate and manipulate computer networks around the world in what U.S. defense officials conclude is a new and potentially dangerous military capability, according to a Pentagon report issued Monday. Computer network intrusions at the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, think tanks and government contractors last year "appeared to originate" in China, according to the report.

The U.S. military is embarking on a new effort in Africa to help thwart the rise of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and as a first step has launched a $500-million program to train African battalions in desert warfare. And when Uncle Sam commits to a project, contracts for U.S. technology firms are not far beyond. One of the first is a $300,000 deal with Sentek Consulting of San Diego to work with African governments on building an information-sharing system to connect far-flung nations.

Having bungled its first attempt, the FBI is proposing to build a computer system that is as much as three times more expensive than its ill-fated predecessor and might not allow the bureau to communicate with other agencies, a Justice Department watchdog said Monday. The bureau is proposing to spend $400 million to $500 million on the network, code-named Sentinel, and expects to name a contractor to oversee the project soon, Glenn A.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and Mississippi, thousands of evacuees with health problems faced double jeopardy because their medical records had been lost -- forcing doctors in evacuation centers to rely on educated guesswork in treating patients they'd never seen before. One group was spared that risk: former members of the armed forces whose records were available electronically from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

When Jiang Dabao lost his right hand to a molding machine three years ago, his factory boss said he wasn't eligible for workers' compensation. Unemployable, Jiang whiled away his days in the Internet bars that thrive here in China's manufacturing heartland. Eventually he tapped into an online forum on QQ, a popular social networking service, where he found a workers advocacy group that helped him win a $30,000 settlement. "Before I got hurt, I had no idea how to use a computer or even the Internet," said Jiang, who identified himself by his childhood nickname for fear of official reprisal.

A new FBI computer program designed to help agents share information to ward off terrorist attacks may have to be scrapped, the agency has concluded, forcing a further delay in a four-year, half-billion-dollar overhaul of its antiquated computer system. The bureau is so convinced that the software, known as Virtual Case File, will not work as planned that it has taken steps to begin soliciting proposals from outside contractors for new software, officials said.

Lawmakers criticized FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III on Thursday for continued problems with a costly computer project that was supposed to dramatically improve management of terrorism and other criminal cases. Mueller acknowledged he did not know how much the FBI's Virtual Case File would cost beyond the $170 million already budgeted and largely spent, or when FBI agents and analysts would have it on their computers. After the attacks of Sept.

The recording industry has filed lawsuits against 753 more people as part of its ongoing legal fight against individuals who swap music over the Internet. The suits include complaints against people at USC and 10 other universities suspected of using the colleges' computer networks to send music over the Internet.