All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Admit it, we've likely all either succumbed to the temptation or watched someone else do it: check an e-mail or text message or talk on the phone while driving. We've convinced ourselves we're master multi-taskers and can handle any number of distractions from a screaming kid to changing the address in a GPS device to thumb-typing "honeee ill b home l8 2nite."

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll raise my hand as a guilty party, too. But ever since I did a story last year on the serious accidents and even deaths associated with the hazards of talking or texting while driving I've really managed to curb my bad habits. Still, on a larger scale, the problem isn't getting much better. In fact, it might be getting worse.

This week, people from government, car makers, insurance companies, safety groups and more will meet in Washington, DC, at the Distracted Driver Summit. The purpose-- the find ways to educate people about the dangers, better enforce existing laws or create new ones (maybe on a nationwide level that could include banning all handheld use), and discuss technologies that could prevent people from using their devices while driving.

Today, we tagged along with about 40 teenagers as they took part in a safe driving course that put them in the driver's seat while being bombarded by distractions. For 17-year-old Joseph James, it was an eye-opening experience. Before getting in the car he was pretty confident about his performance. But after mowing down more than a few cones he came away humbled.

I hope you'll watch our story tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and maybe generate some discussion with your fellow loved ones (aka drivers). Of course, we can all agree there's a lot to be said for simple common sense in this case, but aren't we all a little guilty of forgetting that sometimes?

Daniel Sieberg is CBS News' science and technology correspondent. He blogs regularly over at Tech Talk.

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Google Earth is getting a facelift. If you're a regular user, then you've noticed that about 70 percent of the Earth's surface has been, well, missing from the exploratory features of Google Earth. But with the latest update, Google Earth 5.0, people will now be able to dive into the deep blue from their desktop.

Google partnered with countless scientists and organizations worldwide from NOAA to the Navy to create a realistic map of the ocean floor using bathymetry (underwater topography), and there are many "hot spots" to click on to get more information like video, photos, and research data. While it's not like you can quite swim with the fishes ...

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Daniel Sieberg is a CBS News correspondent based in New York.

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The ocean's coral reefs are many times more diverse than rainforests and are disappearing four times as fast. Check out this behind-the-scenes look at Daniel Sieberg's report on the effects of climate warming on coral reefs and the researchers that are tackling the problem.

Over at Tech Talk, Science and Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg gives his candid closing thoughts on CES — and highlights a growing problem in the tech world: What on earth to do with all those shiny new gadgets once they grow dusty and old. And it's a big issue, considering there is already two million tons of e-waste in the United States. That's a lot of toxic trash.

Here's a taste:

So, as it turns out the Consumer Electronics Show got the best of us, in some ways. The producer on the shoot got a wicked case of the flu, I caught a minor stomach bug going around and basically we hobbled out of Las Vegas with some story ideas for the future. Overall, a decent show this year, but definitely somewhat subdued compared to previous gatherings. Hard to tell if it was a result of being overshadowed by the New Hampshire primary, our collective illnesses, or a cooling in the gadget world. Food for thought. In any case, we move onto tonight's piece on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric that highlights a growing problem in the technology marketplace — what to do with all the (literally) tons of discarded electronics?

James Burgett, a former drug addict and homeless person, is taking the challenge head on. His motto is: obsolescence is just a lack of imagination. Burgett runs a non-profit re-use operation outside San Francisco. While he's in favor of better recycling options for electronics — and feels more companies need to alter harmful manufacturing methods — he is primarily an outspoken proponent of re-use. He and his team, many of who are convicted felons or former drug addicts, take thousands of pounds of computers, fax machines, printers, PDAs, game consoles, etc. every month and re-furbish them before donating them to schools or charities.

You can see Daniel's full story tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Or in the meantime, check out his entire post over at his blog, Tech Talk.

Daniel Sieberg is science and technology correspondent for CBS News.

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Is it high-tech parenting or old-fashioned prying? For any parent concerned about what their kids are doing in the digital domain, dozens of software programs can log every keystroke, keep track of every Web page, read every e-mail, instant message, etc. Users can even set keyword "alerts," so if a child types or reads something they deem inappropriate an e-mail is sent to the person who installed the software. Sound scary? Orwellian? Handy? If you're under 18 years old then your parents may be reading this blog right now (although I doubt many of you are).

For tonight's Evening News with Katie Couric we talked to a family in the Midwest. They actually asked to be anonymous for fear of tipping their hand to their 15-year-old daughter, who is unaware her parents are spying on her. They say they have good reason to peer into her secret online world since she recently fell into the wrong crowd. They've seen evidence of drinking, drugs, sexual behavior and other activity that has them worried. The parents say they tried discussing everything with their daughter in person, but she shut them out. So, they turned to technology.

I know what the skeptics are saying: how is this any different than when kids used to grow up? Shouldn't kids be left to make occasional mistakes on their own? What about more chatting first? Certainly valid points, and clearly it all comes down to a personal choice for parents...

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Daniel Sieberg is science and technology correspondent for CBS News.

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Ingenious. That’s probably the best word to describe computer programmer John Breen. He’s the man behind Freerice.com, a new Web site with a unique, two-pronged approach to tackling literacy and world hunger. A lofty-sounding goal, I know. But Breen is determined to make it happen, one click at a time.

When you first visit Freerice.com you see the vocabulary quiz that challenges your word wisdom. The game adjusts to your level of skill, giving you increasingly hard words as you progress. And, as a bonus, each time you get a definition right, 10 grains of rice gets donated to the United Nations World Food Program. How does the math work? Stay with me here –- Breen gets money from big-name sponsors like American Express, Fujitsu and Apple. Those companies place banner ads on the page. That money is then sent to the UN, which buys the rice in a particular region. To get the ball rolling, Breen actually sent the UN a check for $100,000 (yes, the UN verified it has his money). He has since collected about that much from the various companies, and the UN says it’s in the process of buying a couple hundreds metric tons of rice to ship to Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. More than 1.8 billion grains of rice (roughly) has been donated through Freerice.com thus far, according to Breen.

His background includes a deep interest in global poverty issues and he actually has another Web site called poverty.com, which collects large donations from the national income of participating countries. His new-age approaches to tackling age-old problems are getting plenty of attention. Freerice.com has become a viral, international sensation with people even posting their thoughts about it on YouTube.com. The general consensus is one of support and encouragement for Breen.

Sure, it’s unlikely that Freerice.com will solve the entire hunger situation, but obviously it’s better than doing nothing...

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Over at Tech Talk, Science and Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg has some background on his Evening News piece for tonight, a special story of when science meets human perseverance — and when man meets machine.

Here's a taste:

It’s not often you meet a researcher looking for a solution to a condition they themselves are dealing with. But when you do their quest has added resonance. Hugh Herr is a double amputee, having lost both his legs below the knee while mountain climbing at age 17. He’s also one of the world’s leading prosthetics innovators through his work at MIT. Herr was recently awarded the $250,000 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment, but more importantly his efforts have resulted in breakthroughs for other amputees like Iraq war veteran, Army Spc. Garth Stewart.

Stewart was the first recipient of Herr’s rather bionic lower leg, which uses a combination of subtle mechanics and delicate robotics to better recreate human muscles and bones. Stewart, who previously had a decent but limited prosthetic, is astounded at the difference. He had part of his lower left leg blown off when he stepped on a landmine. Now, he’s excited about the future possibilities, which include reduced lower back pain, something many amputee wearers suffer. And Stewart should know about fatigue since this is a guy who still practices jujitsu. (Seriously.)

You can see Daniel's full story tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Or in the meantime, check out his entire post at our sister blog, Tech Talk.