Washington, October 2: University of Michigan researchers have come up with a system that can enable computer chips to work around all functional bugs, including the ones that have not been detected as yet.

Their idea is to build a virtual fence that prevents a chip from operating in untested configurations.

The researchers say that their approach keeps track of all the configurations Intel processor may encounter, and loads the information onto a minuscule monitor that would be added to each processor.

London, September 29: With the development of a network of supercomputers, known as the Grid, the speed at which information is downloaded to personal computers would be revolutionized, heralding the dawn of a new internet age.

According to a report in the Times, the power of the Grid is such that downloading films should take only seconds, not hours, and processing music albums just a single second.

Hamburg - Laptop buyers should pay special attention to the amount of RAM installed in the computer. Two gigabytes (GB) is the rock-bottom threshold, recommends Hamburg-based Computerbild magazine, as that is enough to work with Windows Vista.

Those who must satisfy "memory hungry" applications like photo editors are best advised to go for a model with 3 GB of RAM. The magazine tested eight current laptops costing around 500 dollars each.

Oslo - A Norwegian search service has launched the site Kvasir Junior (http://www.kvasir.no/jr/) which targets children aged six to 12 who want to explore the internet.

The aim is to give children a safe option and focuses on learning, information and entertainment.

"The internet offers great opportunities for children and youths, but also contains dangers," Ingrid Stover Jensen of Kvasir said in a statement.

The criteria for sites that can be registered on Kvasir Junior include "varied content" and even if the sites are geared towards adults, they can be accessed by older children if the language and quality is acceptable.

The sites also have to be up and running, and easy to use.

Frankfurt - Relaxing on the couch and browsing through a weighty tome - for many, that sounds like paradise. Trying to drag that book along in your pocket to be read on the train or bus is less fun, though. Digital alternatives to printed books or e-books have been available for a while. But until now they've only enjoyed a niche existence. That might be about to change.

"Reading devices developed especially for e-books should provide a pleasant reading experience," says Gudrun Bolduan from the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. The problem: only a few of the devices have been widely available to date, and with prices of around 500 dollars, they were anything but cheap.

London, Sept. 27 : The personal details of 50,000 current and former RAF servicemen have been stolen from a military base.