Word: celling
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...turns out that despite all their strengths, computers and cell phones are lousy timekeepers. Most computers carry an on-board clock powered by a separate battery. As the battery drains over time, the computer's timekeeping becomes less accurate. To sidestep this problem, most computers use the Internet to sync with an external server. (Both Microsoft and Apple operate external time servers synced to the atomic clocks carrying the official U.S. time.) But if a computer doesn't have an active Internet connection, or if time-synching is somehow turned off, a computer's clock can run askew. In addition...
Mobile devices are beset by timekeeping problems of their own. Most phones receive the time from cell-phone towers. But there's no guarantee the time servers sync up between different providers. Smart devices receive time information in a number of different ways. For a BlackBerry, the time is synched with the data network when activated, but it receives a second time feed when it's connected to a computer - so if the computer's time is off, the BlackBerry's clock gets distorted...
...fear and fetishize them over more likely but duller threats; that's a common flaw of risk assessment. Ideally, the media should help us place our worries in perspective. But often they encourage the disaster mentality by focusing on the trendy menace--the sleeper cell, the Obama-conspiracy e-mails, the pandemic, the shark--jumping on hot-button distractions and rushing to label every new crisis the worst ever...
...Pakistan Still a Valley Of Death Despite official claims that a three-month military assault had rid the Swat Valley of Taliban fighters, residents are leery of returning as violence continues to plague the region. In recent days, the discovery of an active Taliban recruitment cell and the beheaded body of a kidnapped policeman have fed fears that militants remain in control. Some 2 million people were displaced during the offensive in April...
...this buyer's market, any item is now fair game. Shoppers are scoring deals on cell-phone plans, meat, furniture, even nursing homes. One Florida woman knocked off nearly half the price of a $3,875-per-month room for her father, who suffers from dementia. (See 10 things to buy during the recession...