Electronic voting hiccough

A pre-election test of electronic voting machines in the US state of Florida has been delayed by a computer crash, reports Wired News.

Although it did not directly involve the touch-screen terminals on which nearly one in three US voters will cast ballots on 2 November, critics say the incident proves how unreliable any computer-based voting system can be.

Elections officials said the test was postponed until today because a computer server that tabulates data from the touch-screen machines crashed, probably due to high temperatures in the server room caused by power failures after Hurricane Jeanne in September.

IBM and Cisco Systems have announced product updates that will tie technology from the two companies more closely together in an effort to secure networks from worms and viruses.

A Computerworld report says updates to IBM`s Tivoli software will enable it to work with Cisco network gear to scan devices that are attempting to connect to a network to ensure compliance with network security policies.

US domestic flights could soon become WiFi hotspots, despite concerns that low prices may be favoured above reliable service, reports USA Today.

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to decide next month how to auction spectrum to wireless carriers to bring high-speed Internet service to US airlines as early as next year. Supporters of the plan say the new service will be more economical than satellite-based in-flight broadband.