Health Net loses 1.5 million medical records
Health Net waited six months to report a missing unencrypted hard drive. It contains records on 1.5 million patients. It also includes Social Security numbers. It will provide credit monitoring to those affected. These types of breeches are increasingly common. Protect yourself now.

California pulls plug on energy-guzzling TVs
California has approved new legislation on television. By 2011, new televisions must use 33 percent less power. By 2013, energy usage must be cut by 49 percent. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2011. Lower your energy usage. My free download helps you cut back on your PC's power consumption.

AOL to make massive job cuts
AOL will spin off from Time Warner on Dec. 9. And it will cut 2,500 jobs, one-third of its employees. It is seeking voluntary resignations; layoffs will follow, if necessary. If you're job hunting, think of your online reputation. My must-read column will help you clean it up.

Project offers free legal help to bloggers
The Citizen Media Law Project will provide legal help to bloggers. Small news sites also qualify for the program. The One Media Legal Network aims to level the playing field for independent content providers. Are you in search of a good attorney? The Internet is a great place to research lawyers—and doctors.

Chase crowdsources charitable giving
JPMorgan Chase is looking for help from Facebook users. Users can vote on their favorite charities. The top 100 charities will receive a cut of $5 million. Chase may increase the amount if the program is successful. 'Tis the season for charitable giving! Just make sure you're giving to a legitimate charity.

Sony e-reader may not arrive by Christmas
Sony began pre-selling its Reader Daily Edition e-reader this week. It hopes to deliver pre-orders by Christmas. But it says it can't guarantee orders will be shipped before the holidays. Get free e-books for your e-reader. I have a site where you can choose from thousands of titles.

Microsoft launches Office 2010 beta
Microsoft has released a beta version of Office 2010. The suite offers a bevy of new features. For example, Outlook now synchronizes with social-networking sites. A free online version of Office 2010 will be offered. Until then, the Office 2010 beta works for a limited time. But OpenOffice is free all of the time. Get it now.

Parents confiscate Xbox; son calls 911
A 15-year-old called 911 to report a confiscated Xbox 360. It isn't clear why his parents took it. The police admonished him about listening to his parents. Apparently, the parents didn't know about the Xbox 360's built-in parental controls.

Should you install 64-bit Windows 7?
Retail editions of Windows 7 include both 32- and 64-bit versions. Which one is right for your machine? Get this answer and more in this week's Q&A column. It's up now at USAToday!

Digital Minute, on your radio: The Christmas shopping season, sales clerks will be pushing extended warranties for gadgets. Should you bite?