The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 70,000 lithium-ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook. Apparently, there have been two reported cases where the batteries caught on fire.

Here's one group you won't hear complaining too bitterly about government spending: Tech executives. While they're careful to avoid promoting any particular political ideology, there's a common refrain among them that with the economy in such rough shape and with customers afraid to spend, it's only natural for governments to step up.