| Byte-size classes growing
With 10 minutes to kill before another class, Aaron McPhall cracks out a video iPod. But instead of "Family Guy" or "Futurama," the Michigan Technological University student watches "Physics 1600." Since the school partnered with Apple to make college lectures as easily downloadable as Britney Spears' "Gimme More," students like McPhall can watch or listen to lectures on their own time. .
Researchers: iPod can derail heart pacemakers
In only six years, the small, plastic device that can hold your entire record collection has revolutionised the way we listen to music, changed society and turned the ailing Apple computer company into the dominant force in the download music industry. But researchers are so concerned about the potential effects of MP3 players on heart pacemakers that a major clinical investigation is starting this month. The trial comes in the wake of a report this year that iPods may cause pacemaker interference in up to half of patients. A study in Michigan in the US found that when an iPod was held 5cm from a patient's chest for five to 10 seconds, it interfered with pacemakers in half the 100 patients, whose average age was 77. Now researchers want to test the possible dangers with other types of player and different ages of patients.
Stock market plunges on bank news
NEW YORK -- Wall Street finished a turbulent week with another huge drop Friday after major banks warned of further losses on their debt portfolios, raising investor concerns that the credit market slump shows no sign of abating. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 220 points. .
Stocks tumble after Fed remarks
U.S. stocks fell Thursday for a second consecutive session after the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, said the economy would probably "slow noticeably" by end of the year. Cisco Systems also reported weakening demand from financial and car companies. Along with a plummeting Cisco shares, Oracle and International Business Machines led technology shares to the biggest two-session decline since January 2003. Wal-Mart Stores and Macy's dropped to the lowest points in two months on October sales that trailed analysts' estimates. American International Group, the world's largest insurer, declined to a two-year low after saying that third-quarter profit slumped on losses linked to mortgages. At the close of trading, the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 0.85 point to 1,474.77, sending the gauge to its steepest two-day decline in four years.
NASA to Announce Work Assignments to Enable Lunar Exploration
On Tuesday, Oct. 30, NASA will take another important step toward returning astronauts to the moon by assigning key future Constellation Program work to its field centers. The agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate will host a media roundtable at 1 p.m. EDT at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St., S.W., Washington. Briefers will be: Rick Gilbrech, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems Doug Cooke, NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration systems Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager A phone bridge will be available for reporters unable to attend the roundtable. Reporters who want to participate in person or on the phone should contact Melissa Mathews at 1-202-358-1272 or Beth Dickey at 1-202-358-2087 for details. Audio of the event will be streamed live on the Web at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio Shortly after the news conference, most NASA centers will hold a media event to discuss the local work assignments in more detail.
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