North Pole Notes
Dear Santa: You've Got E-Mail
Sleighbells & Whistles » Kids from around the world are e-mailing Santa with their holiday wish lists. Some are even getting replies. Steve Kettmann reports from Berlin.

Sign Language Goes Gobbledygeek
Confused tourists may get help from a gadget that promises to translate text on signs from Chinese to English. It's all in your PDA -- if it works. By Louise Knapp.

In Search of a Better MapQuest
For every satisfied customer of online mapping services, there's one who's been steered wrong. MapQuest's Dave Schafer explains what it takes to get better directions. By Tom McNichol from Wired magazine.

EchoStar Wants DirecTV Bad
EchoStar Communications files yet another proposal with federal regulators to buy Hughes Electronics' DirecTV, but analysts feel it's a dead deal.

SingTel Goes Underwater
Singapore Telecommunications signs a deal to build a 620-mile-long underwater cable network linking Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

Massachusetts: Sole MS Holdout
While seven of the states involved in the Microsoft lawsuit accept its recent settlement, Massachusetts carries on with the antitrust battle, asking a U.S. appeals court to reconsider imposing tougher sanctions against the company.

In Case You Missed It

Record the Lens That Records You
Nov. 28, 2002 A poly sci professor wants shoppers to photograph mall surveillance cameras that photograph them. The point is to dramatize how vulnerable we've become to prying eyes. By Patrick Di Justo.

First Baby of 2003 to Be a Clone?
Nov. 28, 2002 A cloning advocate with a checkered reputation announces he's successfully orchestrated a cloned pregnancy, and says the baby is due in January. Other scientists greet the news with raised eyebrows. By Kristen Philipkoski.

Napster's Assets Go for a Song
Nov. 28, 2002 Roxio, maker of CD-burning software, buys Napster's assets for a mere $9 million. Now it faces competition among file-trading services and will no doubt fall under the entertainment industry's watchful eye. By Brad King.

Atomic Lab Cops Do Job, Get Fired
Nov. 27, 2002 Two senior investigators hired to sniff out fraud at Los Alamos National Laboratory receive pink slips just days after revealing employee misconduct. By Noah Shachtman.

The Shake of Things to Come
Nov. 27, 2002 Scientists warn that a recent spate of mild earthquakes in Northern California is another sign that the Big One can't be too far off. By Julia Scheeres.