October 2010

President Barack Obama has proclaimed October 2010 as .

I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the importance of cybersecurity and to observe this month with activities, events, and trainings that will enhance our national security and resilience. America's digital infrastructure is critical to laying the foundation for our economic prosperity, government efficiency, and national security. We stand at a transformational moment in history, when our technologically interconnected world presents both immense promise and potential risks. The same technology that provides new opportunities for economic growth and the free exchange of information around the world also makes possible new threats. During , we recognize the risk of cyber attacks and the important steps we can take to strengthen our digital literacy and cybersecurity.

The House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing to discuss the integration of information technology (IT) with health care as a means to improve patient care and lower escalating health care costs.

The use of electronic health records has the potential to prevent some of the medical mistakes that lead to the deaths of over 98,000 patients annually. Enabling physician access to electronic health records could reduce duplicate medical tests and adverse drug interactions, while providing instant access to a patient's medical history in emergency situations.

"The health care industry is still surprisingly paper-based and largely unaided by information technology. Medical treatment in this country often involves state-of-the-art equipment. However, physicians and other health care providers have been slow to adopt health IT systems and electronic health records—instead, they're still keeping track of our medical information the same way they were 50 years ago," stated Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR). "Our current health care system relies on the patient to be the record keeper. The quality of care a patient receives may depend on the person's ability to recall detailed information about drug names and dosages. As our population ages, the importance of maintaining a comprehensive record of all medications a patient is taking and the treatments they have received will only increase. Replacing paper medical records with secure electronic records will improve care as multiple doctors treating the same patient will have accurate and timely information," Wu continued.

In addition, the development of health IT would allow physicians to share test results with colleagues across the country for consultation, reducing the need for costly repeat tests and the miscommunication that can cause numerous medical errors. Studies suggest that eliminating inaccuracies related to paperwork and enabling better communication between health care providers could improve treatment and lower health care costs significantly. Witnesses discussed progress made by the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and non-governmental health IT stakeholders to establish standards that will ensure the privacy and security of electronic health care information, as well as enable interoperability among products developed by different vendors.

The panel discussed how a lack of established standards for health IT has been a key challenge hindering wider adoption of this technology. Without standards to ensure that information can be exchanged seamlessly between software and hardware devices from different manufacturers, doctors and hospitals are reasonably reticent to make initial investments in health IT systems.

It's a larger world for U.S. entertainment consumers: People are buying bigger TVs, more DVR machines, faster Wi-Fi services and newer mobile devices. In its second-quarter home-technology report, The Nielsen Company says TV sets with screens 41 inches and larger continue to be big sellers.

Sales of HDTV sets have grown 26.9% and LCD flat-screen TVs are up 48.2% in the second quarter this year versus two years ago. Home Internet-broadband access is 3.8% higher in the second quarter of 2010 versus the first quarter of the year. Nielsen says 85.3% of Americans have some kind of Internet access. Wireless (Wi-Fi) home technology has grown by 24% in the last two years. Time-shifting TV machines are now in 40% of U.S. homes, with the rate of growth still strong, up 14.5% in the second quarter of this year from the first quarter. Mobile entertainment players -- MP3 units -- are now in almost 50% of U.S. homes. Apple's array of iPod units has a 63% share. Apple's iPad is now in 3.6% of U.S. homes. But not all entertainment products/services are posting increases.

Technology leaders representing the City of Philadelphia have announced the winners of the $10,000 Gigabit Genius Grant.

The grant was created and funded by Philadelphia's startup and technology communities to encourage gigabit innovation worldwide. It was awarded by a panel of expert judges selected by the city government's Division of Technology. The judges were instructed to choose the most promising projects from anywhere in the world. Most of the prize, $7,500, was awarded to a team from Baltimore who will develop teleradiology technology that will enable specialists to transmit and review radiology scans in real-time, making the experience identical whether the specialists are in the next room or the next continent. The remainder of the prize, $2,500, was awarded to Israeli entrepreneur Daniel Dobroszklanka for a remote education project that would enable students anywhere in the world to participate in a world-class live classroom experience.