1. : Other stories were splashier (the Kindle DX, to name but one), but we're giving this one top billing anyway. A U.S. Department of Transportation audit found a high risk of cyberattacks on U.S. air traffic control systems because those systems link to insecure Web applications used by aviation authorities across the nation. Penetration testers found 763 high-risk vulnerabilities in 70 Web applications for a range of aviation functions, including those that distribute communications frequencies for pilots. They also found 504 medium-risk and 2,590 low-risk vulnerabilities.

2. : Well, we don't know about the fantastic claims that Amazon's larger-screen Kindle, the DX, is going to be the salvation of the newspaper industry (although any help would be most appreciated), but the e-reader sure has captured a lot of attention. And early reviews were positive.

3. : This story, with more details, will undoubtedly make next week's list as well -- the European Commission is expected next Wednesday to announce its decision in its ongoing antitrust investigation of Intel. The decision will be one of the Commission's most significant antitrust rulings in its history. That wasn't the only big news out of the European Union this week. (see number 7)

4. : Lately, the overwhelming, and depressing, majority of money-related news has been dismal, so we are overjoyed to report that General Electric plans to pump US$6 billion to a health-care initiative over the next six years, with the aim of improving the quality of health care and decreasing its costs. The initiative has a strong health-IT component.

5. : A specification for short-range, gigabit-speed wireless networking will be out by the end of the year as part of a WiGig Alliance plan. That sort of networking could be useful for any number of applications, not to mention that it will be another step in getting rid of the clutter of cables.