Technology

WASHINGTON COLLEGE: Matt Ridge, a sophomore from Jarrettsville, recently performed as baritone/bass in the Washington College Chorus' spring concert, "History of Rock Opera," conducted by Lecturer in Music Douglas Byerly. Ridge is majoring in drama. On campus, he is actively involved with E.R.O.S. (Encouraging Respect of Sexuality) and is a member of the Washington College Chamber Singers. Ridge also performed in the college's production of Pterodactyls in the fall 2012 semester. He graduated from John Carroll School in Bel Air. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: The following local residents made the dean's list for winter 2013 quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology: Matthew Fuller of Stewartstown, Pa., a fourth-year student in RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences; and Aaron League of White Hall, a fifth-year student in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

The last time Yasmin and Adil Degani bought a home, they took the traditional route. They went with a commission-based real estate brokerage to show them homes and guide them through the homebuying process. This time around, in an effort to save money and time, they decided to try an emerging path. The Odenton couple went with Redfin, a "technology-powered brokerage" that employs salaried agents and encourages buyers to use online profiles of homes to determine what properties to tour.

Columbia-based technology company Lotame Solutions Inc. has been awarded a $5.5 million venture loan that's expected to help boost sales and marketing. The loan came from Horizon Technology Finance Corp. The Farmington, Conn., finance company provides secured loans to venture capital and private equity-backed companies in the technology, life science, healthcare information and clean-tech industries that are in the development stage. Lotame, which offers data management services to publishers, ad networks and marketers, plans to strengthen its global initiatives and hire new employees on its sales, technology and executive teams.

When today's high school seniors started kindergarten in 2000, there was no iPhone, text messaging was hardly used, and very few K-12 students took online classes. While virtually every other arena has seen rapid change over the past decade, K-12 education has remained virtually the same. However, we cannot successfully educate today's students to succeed in tomorrow's world with yesterday's curriculum and instructional methods. Together, we at the Baltimore County Board of Education and Baltimore County Public Schools propose to propel our school system and students forward with a bold new theory of action.

Stevenson ended last season ranked 10th in Division III in defense, surrendering an average of just 6.1 goals. Opponents are finding it nearly as difficult to dent that unit in 2013. The Mustangs (6-0) - ranked second in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll - are allowing just 7.0 goals per game. Since Rochester Institute of Technology posted 11 goals in a one-goal overtime loss on Feb. 27, opposing offenses have scored just 15 times in three contests.

I agree that distracted driving is a problem ("Pair propose way to stop distracted driving," March 10). However, making cellphones inoperable when they're in a moving car is problematic. Would this mean that in addition to the driver, no one else in the car could use their cell phone either? How would a device that made the driver's phone inoperable distinguish that phone from those carried by the vehicle's passengers? And when the software is part installed on the phone, how does it tell if the user is in a private vehicle or a passenger on a bus or Metro, where there's no reason people shouldn't be able to use their phones?

Inside a classroom at Howard Community College's new health sciences building are computerized mannequin patients, a replica ambulance and other devices that place students in simulated life-and-death situations. The facilities are part of the school's emergency medical service/paramedic program, which trains students to respond to the situations they'll face on emergency calls. But for Cory Boone and Nick Frazier, there's nothing like the real thing. They would know. Early this year, the Ellicott City residents, both students in the program, applied the skills they learned in class and while volunteering with the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue to assist victims of cardiac arrest.

Baltimore County school librarians are worried about their next chapter. New schools Superintendent Dallas Dance wants to eliminate from school system policy a written requirement that each school have a librarian and has shifted library science functions from the instruction and curriculum department to testing and technology. Dance said that neither the reorganization nor the proposed policy revisions are intended as a slight to librarians, and that he doesn't intend to reduce the number of librarians working in county schools.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's technology chief said Friday he's drafting an "alternative plan" to overhaul the city government's outdated, expensive phone system. The strategy? Get out of the phone business. "I'm not convinced, strategically, it makes sense for the city to be in the telephone business," said Chris Tonjes, who heads the Mayor's Office of Information Technology. "We're looking for a lower-cost alternative that has as much infrastructure provided by the vendor as possible.

I just finished reading the My Word segment in the Feb. 28 issue of the Columbia Flier. I don't think that I have ever seen the issue of abortion presented in such an elegant, thoughtful and straight forward manner. For many years, I have watched as medical technology has progressed in virtually every area including pre-natal and premature birth care. I wondered how pro-abortion advocates could possibly oppose the eventual reality of medical advances...