While online privacy bills make their long and perilous journeys through the U.S. House and Senate, it’s important to consider what precautions users can take themselves to protect their online reputations.

That's the goal of the 2011 What’s Your Story contest, sponsored by Trend Micro. (There's likely a second, advertising-related goal to the contest: Trend Micro makes it's money selling software that protects against spam, viruses and spyware.) Aspiring filmmakers, age 13 and up, can win a grand prize of $10,000 for a short educational video about digital privacy. 

Last year's winning video (below) depicts a job interview sabotaged by the young applicant's Facebook page. This kid's predicament could have been prevented if he had simply turned on his privacy settings. There's an old saying: “If you don’t want anyone to know about it don’t do it.”

During the breakthrough of hip music in the early ‘80’s, hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa decided to try a new digital feel to his music. He and his band, Soulsonic Force, ditched the live band and went high tech with their first album, Planet Rock. Planet Rock became hit and gave birth to a new genre of hip hop, dubbed Electro hop, which combines the lead synthesizers of house music with the booming drum sequences of hip hop. After the success of Planet Rock, we would see more of an electronic feel to hip hop. Read more...

By: Emily Beaver

If you dozed off during the endless debate over health care reform, it's time to perk up. Members of Congress are planning to make a decision on a health reform bill this week.

So what's happening now? After political changes in January stalled Democrats' efforts to overhaul our health care system, President Obama stepped in. After February's televised health care summit, Obama said it was time for Congress to stop the endless debate on health care reform and take action. Democrats are worried that if they don't pass a health reform bill soon, reform will lose momentum as members of Congress break for Easter recess.

Obama has gone on the road to push for health reform, making his first stop at Arcadia University to rally support for reform. The Democratic party's leadership is counting votes (they need 216 votes in the House and 51 in the Senate to pass reform) and trying to convince members of their party who haven't agreed to vote for reform. Obama even took Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic Congressman from Ohio, for a ride on Air Force One to persuade him to vote for the health care reform. Republicans are mounting their own campaign to get lawmakers to vote against healthcare reform. Interest groups are dropping millions on advertisements to pressure lawmakers into voting against (or for) the bill.

While this is a big moment for health care reform, what actually happens in Congress this week may not be dramatic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suggested that members of the House of Representatives may try to approve the bill without technically voting on it, using a legislative tactic called the "self-executing rule." If Congress passes reform, the way Americans access and pay for health care could change drastically. But this isn't our country's first attempt at changing our health care system. If Democrats can't get the votes they need --or find another legislative maneuver to pass reform--it's quite possible that we'll still have the same health care system we've been complaining about for years.

At times, the health reform debate has reminded me of the noise a refrigerator makes -- after a while, you get so used to the monotonous hum in the background you automatically tune it out. If Congress doesn't pass reform now, the health care debate won't vanish. It will just keep humming in the background.

I have a new genre for those rock bands that are more disco than heavy metal... electronirock & boogie

Fenech Soler, the UK's new electronirock & boogie band is not a dime a dozen group perse, but the lead singer kind of sounds like Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin and the confetti scene reminds me of rising stars Passion Pit permiere video.

Dope video never the less.

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Before she was old enough to legally drink alcohol, Denise Tejada bought a house in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. Her brother Wilmer bought his first house when he was 21 and now he’s planning to invest in a second property soon.

Watch the video to find out how they did it.

When it's time to put the moves on that girl you met at the Flosstradamus concert after a Friday night of raging with your friends, play this atmospheric boogie tune by Swedish disco-belle/dj Sally Shapiro.

Meleka is a 21 year old singer/ songwriter from north-west London. She sounds like a mix between Ahsanti and Monica. Her debut single "Go" is produced by Crazy Cousinz.

By Sayre Quevedo

According to spokesman.com a group of squatters have made their home in the garage of an elderly couple, don and Peggy Bain of Spokane Valley, Washington. Weeks before they had been partying it up till all hours of the night that lead to more than one complaint from Skippy’s parents, and multiple disputes ending in vandalism. When Don and Peggy allowed their son, Skippy Ray Davis, to move in to their garage they never imagined they would be inviting a whole gang of squatters to live with them as well. Unfortunately, even after Skippy was arrested and booked on April 1st for drug-related charges his girlfriend and group of friends still did not leave. So finally the police were called in ultimately leading to, the Bain’s surprise, absolutely nothing. Read more...