FBI director Robert Mueller: "It's important not to go too far too fast."

When given a map of the United States, 1 in 3 fourth-graders could not identify the state in which they lived and 16% of eighth-graders could not locate the Mississippi River. 40% of eighth-graders did not know that Florida is a peninsula.

Only 61% of fourth-graders and 71% of eighth-graders knew that the Pacific Ocean is the world's largest. 50% of eighth-graders and 61% of seniors knew that Hinduism is the most widely practiced religion in India.

It's the year 2054 ... in Steven Spielberg's atmospheric new thriller, "Minority Report," a muscular and dense exercise of skill and verve. Although a few things remain the same in 2054, much has changed.

Pre-Crime chief John Anderston (Tom Cruise) buys the motto "That which keeps us safe also keeps us free," until he becomes a fugitive himself. Accused of a crime predicted for the future, he is soon on the run.

"Minority Report" may be the most adult film Mr. Spielberg has made in some time. It's about the bloody blurring of passion and violence: a compassionate noir. As Anderton, it may be one of [Cruise's] best performances yet.

Many of the suspenseful beats are also sick jokes. ... The movie is filled with fictional commercials and the onslaught is presented as intrusive.

Two significant advances in cell therapy, the notion of treating diseases with human cells instead of drugs, have been made by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Minnesota.

One advance shows how embryonic stem cells can be converted into copious quantities of the exact type of brain cell that is lost in Parkinson's disease, a technique that might have possible use in therapy.

Carabella is a modern girl. She's hip. She's wired. And she loves music. Join Carabella as she explores the vast world of online music. But be wary! As Carabella surfs, her privacy is in peril, and her ability to use and enjoy the music she has bought is in danger!

Privacyactivism and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are proud to release version 1.0 of the Carabella video game. This interactive video game highlights the ways that consumers' privacy and fair use rights are being whittled away by digital rights management technologies, online spyware and data profiling services.

Is Richard C. Notebaert the right man for the job at Qwest Communications International? And just what is that job, anyway?

Analyst: "Reading between the lines, the board's strategy is to sell the company."

Qwest has described its 190,000 miles of fiber networks as the envy of the industry, enabling it to offer unmatched voice and data packages to customers.

But much of that network is underused. Qwest has to offer discounts of 50 percent or more ...

The turmoil continues in telecommunications, making the long-awaited turnaround increasingly difficult to call. Indeed, in light of a wave of bad news last week and through the weekend, some analysts say the industry's problems could actually become worse before they become better.

Joe Nacchio leaves Qwest; XO files for bankruptcy; Lucent's sales decline 15% in a single quarter; Sprint's debt is nearly junk.

Analyst: "I foresee a near total collapse as the endgame."

Another: "The magnitude of the problem is enormous." 24 of 29 top US telecom companies that have not yet filed for bankruptcy are at risk of doing so in coming months.

Joseph P. Nacchio, the chairman and chief executive of Qwest Communications International, was forced to resign last night by the company's board, executives involved in the decision said.

Nacchio, who has been criticized for often being combative with the company's shareholders, is the latest chief executive of a large corporation to resign amid questions over accounting practices and corporate governance procedures.

Nacchio: "After criss-crossing the globe for five and one-half grueling years to build Qwest, living in two different cities, and having achieved our major goals, I have expressed my desire to spend more time with my family and pursue other opportunities."

Shares of Qwest marched higher in pre-open trading on Monday. Shares crossed at $4.30 in London, and were last around $4.22 in Frankfurt, building on a $4.15 close.

Science is a cumulative, fairly collegial venture. But every so often a maverick, working in self-imposed solitude, bursts forth with a book that aims to set straight the world with a new idea. Some of these grand schemes spring from biology, some from physics, some from mathematics. But what they share is the same unnerving message: everything you know is wrong.

... By short-circuiting the traditional formalities of scientific publication, Stephen Wolfram has managed to offend not just scientists who think he is wrong but also some who think he is right.

... Interesting ideas rarely spring up in isolation.

... Last year, MIT's Dr. Seth Lloyd created a stir on Edge.org when he proposed "Lloyd's hypothesis": "Everything that's worth understanding about a complex system can be understood in terms of how it processes information."

Steven Spielberg decided that there was no better time to release his latest film, "Minority Report," a dark, complex, futuristic whodunit.

Spielberg: "I wanted a movie with layers and with a little more substance. ... The question is, Where do you draw the line? How much freedom are you willing to give up? That is what this movie is about. ... We decided to put the film through a process called bleach bypass. Then we shot some of the scenes on 800 ASA film stock, which creates a kind of graininess that makes it feel more like old film noir."