washingtonpost.com - Washtech

Parents Say Math Course Data Don't Compute

Ian Shapira — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The math wars in Prince William County are not over for some parents, but the conflict might be on hiatus.

Dementia Patients Find Comfort in Robot

Fredrick Kunkle — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

One of the hottest therapeutic toys for people with dementia looks like a stray from the North Pole.

Allied Capital Portfolio Company Ciena Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Thomas Heath — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Allied Capital announced yesterday that one of its ailing portfolio companies, Ciena Capital, filed for bankruptcy protection, forcing Allied to use $320 million in capital to guarantee Ciena's line of credit with lenders.

SmarTrip Upgrades Pushed To 2010

Lena H. Sun — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Metro is overhauling the office in charge of the popular SmarTrip electronic fare cards after internal audits found that failures by the main contractor and agency managers have added at least $2 million in costs and three years in delays for long-awaited, customer-friendly features.

Primary Vote Still Doesn't Add Up

Nikita Stewart and Elissa Silverman — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As District officials continue to investigate errors in the early vote tallies from the Sept. 9 primary, one number stands out: 1,542.

After Merger, Sirius XM Shares Falling Sharply

Cecilia Kang — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

After winning a long and tough battle for regulatory approval for its formation, Sirius XM Radio has been more recently faced with another fight: to keep its sinking stock from collapse.

MedImmune's Ex-CEO Joins Investment Firm

Kendra Marr — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

David M. Mott, former chief executive of MedImmune, joined the Chevy Chase venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates yesterday.

Board Sends Message of Frustration

Nelson Hernandez — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Schools Superintendent John E. Deasy and the Prince George's County Board of Education have had the difficult job this year of putting together an austere budget that copes with shrinking revenue during a massive, nationwide economic crisis.

Into the Rolodex for a Bundle

Thomas Heath — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

P. Wesley Foster, the real estate mogul who founded Chantilly-based Long & Foster, is hitting up acquaintances from a lifetime of business deals to help raise money for Sen. John McCain. When he runs out of names, he gets suggestions from the McCain campaign.

Va. Ban On Spam Is Ruled Unlawful

Tom Jackman — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Virginia Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the state's anti-spam law, designed to prevent the sending of masses of unwanted e-mail, violates the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Sirius XM Having Trouble Paying Off Debt

Cecilia Kang — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Newly merged Sirius XM Radio said yesterday that it doesn't have enough cash to pay back the $300 million in debt due early next year but that it has not looked into selling its Northeast Washington building to raise money.

Ciena Shares Sink As Profit Plunges, Outlook Weakens

Jordan Weissmann — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Shares of Ciena took a hammering yesterday, losing nearly a quarter of their value after the Linthicum Heights company announced a decline in third-quarter profit and warned of a sales slowdown.

Going Online for a Splash of Nature

Brigid Schulte — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Tom Hillegass has been called the swami of swimming holes. (Seriously. He has.) A man who "swoons" for a swim out in the middle of nowhere, clad or un-. A guru with a gospel. And his holy book? It's his Web site, actually, http://www.swimmingholes.org, with photos, precise Global Positioning Syst...

Back to the Books (and Laptops)

Theresa Vargas — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

French teacher Normandie Lee stood in front of her class yesterday, face to face with the electronic whiteboard she had just learned how to use, and confessed, "Okay, I'm scared."

GeoEye Hopes for Clear Skies Ahead

Frank Ahrens — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On Thursday at 11:50 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, GeoEye chief executive Matthew O'Connell plans to be at Vandenberg Air Force Base, watching a Boeing Delta II rocket roar into the California sky, carrying GeoEye's new imaging satellite -- and the hopes of his company's future. If all goes well,...

John G. McAfee; Longtime Nuclear Medicine Specialist

Patricia Sullivan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

John G. McAfee, 82, a nuclear medicine specialist whose work led to advances in blood cell labeling and other ways to understand disease, died of respiratory failure July 26 at Stella Maris hospice in Timonium, Md.

Burglaries, Larcenies Lift Fairfax Crime Rate

Tom Jackman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Crime in Fairfax County, which rose for the first time in six years in 2007, increased 12 percent in the first six months of this year, driven largely by big leaps in burglaries and larcenies, Fairfax police said yesterday.

The Man Behind The Man

Thomas Heath — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

It's early on a spring morning and Peter Kirsch is busily overseeing the fast-moving life of AOL founder James V. Kimsey. Seemingly everything that touches the mogul finds its way to Kirsch's desk in his ninth-floor penthouse office overlooking the White House, from philanthropy to investments, from...

Marketing Moves to the Blogosphere

Sarah Halzack — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Jason Calacanis, who got into blogging early and big, has quit.

Businesses Find Room To Grow In County

Jennifer Buske — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

James Bounds said he saw something special in Prince William County almost 10 years ago.

V. Orville Wright; MCI Chief Instrumental in Breakup of AT& T

Adam Bernstein — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

V. Orville Wright, 87, president and chief executive of MCI Communications during its transformation from a start-up into the leading challenger of AT&T in the 1970s and 1980s, has died.

Potential for Conflict Grows With Government's Use of Contractors

Robert O'Harrow Jr. — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

For years, Science Applications International Corp. served as an adviser to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the development of rules for when radioactive materials could be released from nuclear facilities for recycling.

Six Area Counties Praised for E-Government Programs

Kristen Mack — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Six Washington area jurisdictions made it onto a list of "top digital" counties, according to a nationwide study.

Police Turn to Secret Weapon: GPS Device

Ben Hubbard — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Someone was attacking women in Fairfax County and Alexandria, grabbing them from behind and sometimes punching and molesting them before running away. After logging 11 cases in six months, police finally identified a suspect.

LaunchBox Cultivates the Scene for Start-Ups

Jordan Weissmann — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Awake on an hour of sleep, the 20-year-old stood in a parchment-colored suit before dozens of investors, trying to convince them that his six-month-old Web company was worth their money.

Companies Take Lead in Assimilation Efforts

Pamela Constable and N.C. Aizenman — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Jose Trivelli, a graying engineer from Peru, spends his days fixing Internet connections at a Tysons Corner hotel and his evenings listening to a laptop computer program with cartoon characters and a chirpy voice that helps him pronounce such phrases as, "I'd like to open an account" and "Let me ...

Government Asserts Ivins Acted Alone

Carrie Johnson, Del Quentin Wilber and Dan Eggen — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Government officials asserted yesterday that a troubled bioweapons scientist acted alone to perpetrate a terrorism scheme that killed five people, a case that centered on a near-perfect match of anthrax spores in his custody and a record of his late-night laboratory work just before the toxic let...

Tales of Addiction, Anxiety, Ranting

Amy Goldstein, Nelson Hernandez and Anne Hull — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Late last fall, Bruce E. Ivins was drinking a liter of vodka some nights, taking large doses of sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs, and typing out rambling e-mails into the early morning hours, according to a fellow scientist who helped him through this period.

Satellite Firms Return After Failure to Launch

Zachary A. Goldfarb and Kim Hart — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In the 1990s, a bevy of local companies promised a new era of satellite-based services, providing cheap mobile calls, high-speed Internet connectivity, streaming video and more. Companies such as Bethesda-based Iridium and Reston-based American Mobile Satellite spent billions launching satellites...

Innovator in Artificial Intelligence Created 'Pleasing' Pastel Portraits

Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As a teenager, Louis Hodes studied computers at a math and science honors high school in New York. Fascinated by the subject, he decided to build his own device.

Scientist Set to Discuss Plea Bargain In Deadly Attacks Commits Suicide

Carrie Johnson, Carol D. Leonnig and Del Quentin Wilber — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Authorities investigating the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings used previously unavailable techniques to trace the lethal powder to the office where scientist Bruce E. Ivins worked at the sprawling Army biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick, Md., according to sources briefed on the investigation.

Clay Whitehead, 69; Changed TV Landscape

Adam Bernstein — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Clay T. "Tom" Whitehead, 69, who helped the cable industry flourish by bringing competition to the domestic satellite market in the early 1970s, died July 23 at Georgetown University Hospital. He had prostate cancer.

Venture Capital Funding Slips, Slowing Business Development

Zachary A. Goldfarb — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

It is going to be an adventure for venture capital -- that's for sure.

Serial Rape Suspect's Trail Of Clues Leads to Violent End

Aaron C. Davis — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Maj. Daniel Dusseau's head throbbed. It was 9 p.m. and nine months into the pursuit of a rapist whose attacks had haunted nearly a dozen of his detectives, sergeants and lieutenants. Only they and nine female victims knew all of the sadistic signatures of the serial rapist the police had been cha...

Teleworkers Say It's A Gas-Gas-Gas Saver

Matt Zapotosky — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Even in her 47-miles-to-the-gallon Toyota Prius, budget analyst Christina Tolson said, she knew she was spending too much on gas driving to and from the District every day. She also knew that the 90 minutes each way she spent commuting from and to Charles County could be used for other things, su...

As Boy Sank in Pool, a Number of Calls to 911 Went Unanswered

Ben Hubbard — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A 14-year-old boy had passed out in a Prince William County swimming pool and was sinking to the bottom of the deep end. A nearby swimmer yelled for help, and a lifeguard dived in to save him. Two people grabbed phones and called 911. Then called again. And again.

Subscribers' Options to Change With Merger

Frank Ahrens — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies raises a number of questions for subscribers of the two services and for Washington, which has been the home of XM for more than a decade.

Satellite Radio Merger Approved

Kim Hart — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The government has approved the long-delayed merger of the nation's only satellite radio companies, combining Sirius and XM into a single entity with 18 million subscribers.

XM, Sirius Deal Nears Finality As Companies Agree to Fines

Kim Hart and Cecilia Kang — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio yesterday agreed to pay nearly $20 million in fines for past technical violations, paving the way for federal approval of a merger between the nation's only satellite radio providers.

The Odd World of E-School Teachers

Ian Shapira — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

For Trinity Wilbourn, teaching high school via the Internet offers a heartening and maddening prism into the teenage mind-set.

FCC Close To Backing XM-Sirius Merger

Cecilia Kang — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A merger of the nation's two satellite radio operators moved closer to conclusion yesterday with the deciding vote said to be leaning toward the deal, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

Pr. William 911 Failures Cited

Ben Hubbard — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Prince William County residents were without reliable 911 emergency service during four periods in the past two months, Fire Chief Kevin J. McGee told county leaders yesterday.

Right Click

Jose Antonio Vargas — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On the Twittering, Facebooking, widgety frontier of politics, one of the webbiest sites this campaign season was born just a few days ago: a 24/7 online town hall, where voters, via text or video, can help craft their party's platform.

XM Radio Predicts Quarterly Loss Even as Its Customer Base Grows

Cecilia Kang — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

XM Satellite Radio Holdings said yesterday that it expects losses of as much as $38 million in the second quarter and would have to refinance debt as it waits for final regulatory approval of its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio.

Liberal Bloggers Brace for Victory

Jose Antonio Vargas — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

AUSTIN, July 20 -- "Yep, the way it's looking, we might actually win this thing . . ."

Seeking a Cure, Patients Find a Dose of Conversation Online

Zachary A. Goldfarb — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When you walk do you walk with a jerky motion? My whole body jerks at times. When I wake up and I open my eyes I feel this jerkyness in my body. Now at times it is worse than other times...

In Texas, the Right Boots Up to Gain Strength Online

Jose Antonio Vargas — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

AUSTIN, July 17 -- Now this is some serious smackdown, blogger style.

County Wins Award for Government on the Web

Kameel Stanley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Loudoun County's Web site might not be the sexiest in the world, but when compared with other local governments', it's near the top.

Controlling A Hole in The Ground

Karin Brulliard — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A Fairfax County supervisor wants power at the local level to regulate projects such as Verizon Communications' dig to lay a fiber-optic network, which county officials say has been badly managed and has resulted in a flood of customer complaints.

Espresso, Extra Bitter

Joe Heim — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Who knew a cup of coffee could create such a tempest in a teapot?

Charles, St. Mary's Share Data On Crime

Matt Zapotosky — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Enter a location. Click a mouse. See an interactive map of crime in an area.

Metro Posts Alerts for Bus Riders

Lena H. Sun — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Metro has begun posting service-disruption information for Metrobus on its Web site as a way to improve communication with riders on its more than 350 bus routes. The agency has been posting such information for rail riders for years.