Posted 11/17/09 at 03:30:42 PM by Bart Salisbury

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was diagnosed earlier this month with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The news was disclosed by his sister, Jody Allen, in an e-mail to employees of Vulcan, Allen’s holding company. The cancer is similar to one Allen suffered from that lead to his retirement from Microsoft in 1983.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that occurs in the cells of the immune system. Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, becomes abnormal, and multiply rapidly. Because these abnormal cells don’t die when they should the body is less protected from infection and disease. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can occur at any age. Nearly 66,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with this form of cancer.

Allen, who is 56, is on a bit of an unlucky streak. News of his cancer follows close on the heels of a bout with heart disease, which required a heart-value replacement. Allen is currently undergoing chemotherapy. According to his sister: "Paul is feeling OK and remains upbeat. He continues to work and he has no plans to change his role at Vulcan. His health comes first, though, and we'll be sure that nothing intrudes on that."

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Posted 04/13/09 at 08:36:38 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Teachers in UK are demanding the removal of WiFi from schools lest it may jeopardize the health and fertility of kids. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has become alarmed after a few studies claimed WiFi may cause loss of short-term memory, lack of concentration, cancer and sterility.

The issue was brought up by Colin Kinney at ATL’s annual meeting. He referenced a Swedish research and the findings of some other European experts to justify his sense of alarm. “Have we the right to avoid the moral warnings simply for access to a few more computers?” he asked the attendees at ATL’s annual meeting.

He wants a long-time study to probe WiFi’s impact on heath. The teacher’s body has espoused Kinney’s concerns and resolved to prod the government into action.

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Posted 12/12/08 at 11:00:00 AM by David Murphy

Remember this quote?  "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."  It was uttered by none other than Microsoft frontman Steve Ballmer himself, in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times in 2001.  It's no secret that Microsoft has put itself right in the center of the proprietary versus open-source war.  But the software giant is now starting to dabble in the dark side of open-source projects itself.  We're getting nothing but mixed-signals from Redmond.  So what is it, Microsoft?  Cancer, or cash-cow?

Read on to find out about Microsoft's newest open-source initiatives!

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