Senator Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president of the U.S. While Obama huddled with advisers to talk about the economy and other policy issues, we began to focus on what his election is likely to mean for IT. And the aftermath of Election Day also brought questions about what it will take to further reduce electronic-voting problems that cropped up yet again. There also was plenty of IT news unrelated to the election, including word that researchers have developed a way to partially crack the WPA encryption standard used on many wireless networks.

1. US voters elect Obama and FAQ: Why Obama may back an H-1B increase even in a recession: Voters this week chose Senator Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat, as the 44th president of the United States and the nation's first African-American president. The BlackBerry-toting Obama didn't focus much on technology issues during his campaign, what with two wars and a messy economy to deal with, but he has in the past released a tech white paper and otherwise voiced his views on such matters. Wasting no time, we also started to prognosticate this week on the positions he is likely to take on matters such as H-1B visas.

2. Voting technology 2008 and E-voting: What will it take for a smooth election?: Although electronic voting didn't present as many problems as had been expected, the various technologies used for e-voting still have issues. Why is that after multiple election cycles using e-voting, and what can we expect will be done in coming months and years to better ensure the reliability of the technologies? We'll keep asking those questions and pushing for answers.

3. Once thought safe, WPA Wi-Fi encryption is hacked: The WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption standard that protects data on many wireless networks can be partly cracked, according to security researchers who plan to discuss what is being called the first practical WPA attack at the PacSec conference next week in Tokyo. Researcher Erik Tews will explain how he cracked WPA encryption to read data sent from a router to a laptop computer.

4. Google calls off Yahoo deal, citing regulatory issues and DOJ opposition scuttled Google deal, Yahoo says: Google bailed out of its advertising deal with Yahoo this week, citing regulatory worries that included the likelihood of "a protracted legal battle" and "damage to Google's relationships with valued partners." The U.S. Department of Justice was going to block the deal, according to Yahoo, which said it "continues to believe in the benefits of the agreement and is disappointed that Google has elected to withdraw from the agreement rather than defend it in court."

5. FCC unanimously approves unlicensed 'white spaces' use : In a move that proponents say will open the door to widespread

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