Dear silicon.com... Surfing at home, 'Big Brother' IT and batteries on planes…

What's got silicon.com readers reaching for their keyboards this week? Reader Comments of the Week showcases how our users are responding to the latest tech news and views on the site...

Do your homework
Plan to give all school kids broadband access

The basic flaw in this argument is the presumption that the use of IT and the internet improves academic attainment.

Let's not forget that while the UK government has spent the past 10 years installing computers and internet in schools, the UK has been slipping down the international league of academic performance by schoolchildren.
-- Anonymous, London

Why do the likes of Canonical never get a mention in the list of consultants, whereas Microsoft seems to always get a mention?

If we want to make IT affordable for all, it's obvious that costs need to be reduced. Therefore the use of free software is sensible.
-- David Fletcher, UK

Let's not get too excited, it's just another bright idea that will fade away like all the other ideas the government have had.
-- Kimberleigh Foster, Nottingham

Editor's choice

silicon.com editor Steve Ranger flags up his picks on the site this week...

♦ Bill Gates Q&A: On why 'it's all about software'
♦ Cheat Sheet: CRM
♦ Peter Cochrane's Blog: Aerial bombardment
♦ IT at your service
♦ Video: Bill Gates' last call at CES

BB IT
'Big Brother IT' fuels workplace stress

It is not too late (yet) to reverse this trend but it requires more people to understand and take some pretty direct action.

A good starting point would be a healthy debate about privacy in a technology-enabled world - leading to some rather tough constraints on what employers and government may do - rolling back the frontiers of some current (often carefully concealed) practices.
-- Anonymous, South

I consider private and personal use of employer's time, and using employer's equipment and electricity/bandwidth - unless specifically and contractually agreed in employment terms - is theft!

People are employed to work to the best of their ability and produce the best possible throughput, not to waste time for personal purpose.
-- Chris Goodman, Fareham

If you don't trust your staff to do the job you've given them, you have given the jobs to the wrong people.
-- Karen Challinor, UK

Flying power
US plane security turns on batteries

It is another example of over-reaction on the part of the Health and Safety lobby that is taking over the world. OK, in my opinion, only a fool would let spare batteries of any size roll around loose in a bag with unknown ways of gradually discharging them - but the risk of anything other than finding the battery is discharged when you need it is negligible.
-- Jeremy Wickins, Sheffield, UK

Any moderately high capacity battery presents significant fire risk if discharged catastrophically through an inappropriate medium. A PP3 discharging through steel wool is a recognised fire risk in the home. A hair pin shorted across the terminals of a laptop battery will glow red hot and melt in a few seconds, time enough to set fire to your hand luggage.

All batteries, no matter what size, should be transported individually in sealed containers to minimise any fire risk.
-- Mark Hosey, West central Scotland

Please note, comments may be edited for clarity, grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. The views expressed are not necessarily the views of silicon.com. You can write to silicon.com by posting a Reader Comment below, or emailing editorial@silicon.com.