By Matt Krupnick

". . . a University of California regents panel today approved a 32-percent fee hike, including a midyear increase that will hit students' pocketbooks in January." This blows.

IBM announces advances toward a computer that works like a human brain

"Researchers used an IBM supercomputer at the Lawrence Livermore Lab to model the movement of data through a structure with 1 billion neurons and 10 trillion synapses, which allowed them to see how information "percolates" through a system that's comparable to a feline cerebral cortex." WOOT!

By Tracey Kaplan

Check out the video. Looks like a lot of fun. Oh how I miss Santa Cruz!!

Mtn. View woman kidnapped from apartment, forced to withdraw cash

"The woman woke up about 1:40 a.m. in the darkness of her home in the Meadowood apartment complex to the chilling sight of a man standing over her with a gun." That is just scary!

San Jose Halloween attack renews debate on locking up juveniles for life

Interesting. What are your thoughts? I'm very much opposed to minimum prison sentences but I do also believe some people, especially people with names starting with "K," need to be locked up for good. But juveniles . . . hm . . .

Fisher: Opponents of declawing cats show their claws

"Since confessing that I had my cats declawed, I've been told I don't deserve to live with cats, or to live at all. I'm lazy, stupid, cruel, selfish and disgusting. The only pet I'm fit to have is a stuffed animal." I'm also opposed to declawing cats but you can always count on the animal lovers to be extreme about it.

By Christopher S. Rugaber

"Under the Fed's new rule, which will take effect July 1, banks will be required to notify new and existing customers of their overdraft services and give customers the option of being covered. If customers don't "opt in," any debit or ATM transactions that overdraw their accounts will be denied, Fed officials said."

"Banks earn as much as $25 billion to $38 billion annually from overdraft fees, Fed officials said, but that total includes check overdrafts"

Damn you banks, damn you!