It has been a busy week in technology news. AOL's purchase of Time-Warner and the U.S. Government's wish to break up Microsoft are both important stories. However, the Center's attempt to maintain a sense of perspective relegates those stories to the margins.
More important things are afoot.
The biggest story this week came from the White House, with its announcement of a plan to protect American's critical infrastructure. The long-awaited plan explains how the U.S. will try to safeguard itself against cyberwarfare, terrorism and other threats posed by widely disseminated technology. We examine their claim, and consider the possible effects of patenting the human genome. The government's latest study on distance education finds no real surprises. See Education .