News.com Extra

The 2010 census was supposed to be the first truly high-tech headcount, with workers going door-to-door with handheld computers to collect and transmit data and to verify every address.

Now, despite billions of dollars earmarked for what would also be the most expensive census to date, technology problems have officials considering a return to pencil and paper counting, according to the Associated Press.

Read the AP story on CNN: "Fancy computers spell trouble for 2010 census"

As the virtual watercooler remains abuzz about the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, it was a bit of a twist to come across this National Public Radio piece on a Toronto-based Web site that's making millions by helping people have affairs.

AshleyMadison.com is apparently the largest dating service of its kind--its kind being those that hook people up who are already taken, sans the stigma of being a cheater. The site's tagline: "Life is short, have an affair," according to NPR.

It's also worth noting the question NPR put out there for discussion: "Is it more ethical for a married person to find someone to cheat with on a Web site specifically for cheaters or is it all equally despicable?" Interesting times...

Read the full story or follow the link to the radio piece at NPR.org: "Web site makes millions by connecting cheaters"

A Kentucky lawmaker is pushing for a Web free of anonymous posts through a bill he filed that would require anyone who contributes to a Web site to register his or her real name, address, and e-mail. Under the proposed law, the site operator would be fined for violations, according to a Kentucky TV news site.

The story is from last week, but it was posted on the Drudge Report on Monday and, as a result, is still creating some noise in the blogosphere, particularly given the related First Amendment issues.

Read more from WTVQ.com: "Kentucky lawmaker wants to make anonymous Internet posting illegal"

The Canadian military is warning soldiers about the dangers of posting personal photos and information on social-networking sites like Facebook, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report.

CBC News obtained a memo advising soldiers not to appear in uniform in online photos and not to disclose military connections because Al Qaeda operatives are watching.

Read the full story on CBCNews: "Military warns soldiers not to post info on Facebook"

In response to a survey of 2,000 Britons conducted by electronics retailer Comet, almost half of the men polled said they would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV, according to Reuters.

That compared with just over a third of women who were willing to make the same sacrifice for the big-screen television.

Read the full Reuters story: "Half of UK men would swap sex for 50-inch TV"