This month the American Library Association updated its list of frequently challenged books for the 2011 year, and one wildly popular novel is making its way up the rankings of this infamous list. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which first appeared at number five of Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books in 2010, is now third on the list for attempts to remove its contents from school curriculum and library bookshelves. The complaints against the books include text that is anti-ethnic and anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult scenes, and violence.

Despite First Amendment protection, banning or attempting to challenge books has a long history, with many cases even making it to the US Supreme Court. As the American Library Association explains: "books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Science fiction and fantasy books often contain these themes that some find questionable, whether it's alien life forms, magical powers, or mystical worlds. In honor of Banned Books week, we're rounding up the most challenged science fiction and fantasy books according to the ALA. Browse the list below!

• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling — The stories of the wizarding world are seen by challengers to have occult and violent themes.
• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer — Its movie stars may provoke pandemonium, but critics of the book say it's too sexually explicit.
• His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman — The series beginning with The Golden Compass is often decried for its anti-religious viewpoints.
• The Giver by Lois Lowry — Despite the book's message of freedom of choice, criticisms are made for the fictional dystopia's bleak family outlook.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — Offensive language, racism, and insensitivity are often cited in challenges to the future dystopian novel.
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury — The tale of a future world where the printed word is banned and systemically burned was criticized for offensive language.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle — Children's search through space and time for their vanished father is often challenged for the inclusion of supposed witches.

Follow the break for more challenged books of the last 20 years.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the new iPad in San Francisco today. At just 9.4 mm thin and weighing just 1.4 pounds, the new iPad is slightly heavier than its predecessor and comes with improved features over the iPad 2. Let's check them out, one by one below:

• Improved display — The next iPad will come with an amazing 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 Retina display that contains 3.1 million pixels, 264 pixels per inch — that's more than your HDTV screen at home. The new screen is definitely the conversation point here, as it also has better color saturation as well (44 percent better to be exact).
• Better processor — The iPad will be stocked with an Apple A5X processor that offers four times the performance as a Tegra 3 processor that you'd find in other devices, which means the next-gen iPad will be blazingly fast when watching movies, surfing the web, and flipping through photos.
• Better camera — There will be a 5MP iSight cam with an illuminated sensor that offers auto exposure and auto focus.
• High-def video recording — The iPad will be capable of 1080p recording with footage stabilization that helps shaky hands capture great videos on the fly.
• Voice dictation — Not quite Siri, but the iPad will offer voice dictation for notes, texts, and other applications and support US English, British, Australian, French, German, and Japanese languages.
• 4G LTE — The next iPad will come with 4G LTE speeds, capable of 21, 42, and 73Mbps download speeds (depending on band — HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, or LTE), which is a huge improvement compared to the iPad 2's 3.1Mbps download speeds. LTE partners will be AT&T, Verizon, Rogers, Bell, and Telus, while 3G connectivity will be world-ready. Additionally, the new iPad can be used as a personal hotspot if the carriers support it.

The next iPad will be available on March 16 with preorders starting today. Prices start at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB WiFi-only iPads. WiFi+ 4G-capable iPads will go for $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

This week, the White House announced a framework to protect consumer privacy in the digital age of smartphones and constant Internet access. The voluntary corporate guidelines called the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights "give consumers clear guidance on what they should expect from those who handle their personal information, and set expectations for companies that use personal data."

For now, the Federal Trade Commission will monitor those companies who voluntarily agree to these terms, though President Obama stresses in the document that he hopes to see Congress pass official legislation protecting the public's online privacy and personal data. We may be months away from seeing the real-world implications of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, but here's what you need to know about how each principle outlined by the president may affect your future online presence.

Individual Control

"Consumers have a right to exercise control over what personal data companies collect from them and how they use it."
Companies should offer clear options for the public to make decisions about the personal information collected and used for business purposes. The tools for later withdrawing or limiting consent should be as easily accessible as were the methods of initial sign-up and granting of private data use.

How This Effects You: For example, there's no obvious deletion button for those who want to remove Facebook. With this principle, a data deletion feature would be easily accessible.

Transparency

"Consumers have a right to easily understandable and accessible information about privacy and security practices."
Companies should ensure all privacy practices are understandable by the public. Clear descriptions of exactly what data is collected, why it's used, for how long, when it will be deleted, and whether it's shared with outside parties should be provided to customers.

How This Effects You: Forget complicated, 20-page-long privacy policies; companies adhering to these standards would explain where your information is being used in normal, nontechnical-jargon language.

Follow the break to learn how the five other points on the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights will affect you.

Valentine's Day doesn't just have to be about giving affection to your significant other. It can be about showing your appreciation for the people and things that make your life awesome. Take your laptop, for example. Your window to the vast Internet, your laptop works really hard for you without asking much in return. Give your laptop a little TLC this Valentine's Day with these tips that will keep it happy and healthy all year long.

• Clean it up — Giving your laptop (or desktop) a thorough cleaning is essential to extending its life. Back up any data you may already have stored (on an external hard drive or a portable flash drive), organize your desktop icons, empty your computer's trash on a regular basis, and clear out any programs you don't use. This will help free up space and keep you on the fast track to productivity.
• Practice proper shutdown habits — Shutting down all open programs and putting your laptop to sleep instead of just closing the lid will help your computer stay cool and safe while in transport. But if you've had your laptop in a cold environment, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning it on. This will keep condensation and dew at bay, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
• Protect your investment — If you're going to be lugging a laptop around, make sure it's protected in a padded case!

See the rest of my tips after the jump.

Visiting your family over the holidays is a joyous occasion . . . even if you do spend half of your time setting up your parents' WiFi, teaching them about Twitter, and schooling them on the ins and outs of Facebook. Fact is, Facebook is filled with hackers just waiting to get their hands on your parent's information in order to spam their friends, or worse — get a hold of their private info to aid in identity theft. Help your parents stay on the safe side by emphasizing these safety and privacy rules on Facebook.

Privacy Controls

Walk your parents through Facebook's new privacy controls so they can keep private information on lockdown, and to learn how they can decide which of their friends, colleagues, and acquaintances sees which posts.

Backing Up Their Data

Just in case their Facebook accounts are compromised, or to keep copies of their many Facebook pics, help your parents figure out how to back up their Facebook data just in case.

Removing Contact Phone Numbers

Did you know that when you connect your Facebook account with mobile Facebook, all of your phone contact phone numbers are automatically imported into your Facebook account? Teach your parents how to clear out those numbers and spread the word so their friends can do the same.

Suspicious Links and Status Updates

You know your friends, and should have an inkling as to what kind of links they share on Facebook. If one of your friends posts a status update that says something along the lines of "OMG This is so amazing! Click here!" or "There's a rumor going around about you. Click here to see what it is," it's probably spam. Additionally, if you see the same message popping up on multiple friends' accounts, do not click it. It could turn your account into a spamming machine.

Change Passwords Often

If your parents have one password for multiple accounts and websites, it's your duty to alert them to the dangers of this practice. Help them create hacker-proof passwords for each of their online accounts so if one site gets hacked, the perpetrators won't be able to then sign into your parents' online banking, credit cards, and email accounts, keeping the possibility of identity theft to a minimum.

What Not to Post

Even though your parents enjoy sharing information about their daily lives with their friends, there are some things you shouldn't post on Facebook. Most importantly, a public status update explaining that they're out of town for an extended period of time. Sharing these deets with close friends only is fine, but announcing to the world that their house will be empty for the next week is a no-no.

Alongside Apple's Tuesday unveiling of the iPhone 4S, the new mobile operating system iOS 5 was revealed, which adds 200 new features to compatible Apple devices. Many of the new additions will look familiar to Android users (like the Notification center) or could have been a download from the App Store. Apple's inclusion of the embedded features creates what it considers to be the "world's most advanced mobile operating system." The iOS 5 software will be available on Oct. 12 as a free software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

What's so great about this new operating system? Here are six cool features that will make the upgrade worth your while.

1. iMessage — Integration of a messaging service in iOS 5 gives all users text message capabilities via WiFi or 3G. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can now send unlimited text messages to other devices using iOS 5. It includes group messaging and automated synching across all your iOS devices. Hopefully this will be the end of pricey texting plans.
2. Notification Center — Android users are already familiar with a similar Notification Center feature, which sends all push notifications into one central location on your device. Any new notification appears as an animation at the top of the screen and can be swiped down for more details. Notification Center even shows up on the lock screen so you're always in the know.

Four more cool features of iOS 5 after the break.

In addition to some of the already-known iOS 5 features, citizens of Japan will get a potentially life-saving inclusion: earthquake warnings. Apple has included a built-in feature that connects Japanese iPhones to the national earthquake warning system and will allow users to opt in to push notifications that alert them of an upcoming earthquake within minutes or seconds before it hits.

Since Japan sits on three different tectonic plates, it sees an average of 1,500 earthquakes annually. And as we saw earlier this year, Japan's warning system can help save lives.

Need to catch up on the other features coming with iOS 5? Check them out after the break.

Between work, play, and home, your life can get a little cluttered. Though some are in the camp that gadgets cause us more stress than we need, tech can actually help simplify and streamline our lives, even — dare we say it — make it a little more fun. Check out these 11 tips on how tech can help you breathe a little easier every day.

1. Set up autopay for your bills — Writing checks seems so outdated these days, especially when a majority of creditors and even landlords have an autopay option. By setting up your bills to automatically withdraw from your checking account, you save cash on stamps and envelopes and could even save a few trees in the process. Plus, you'll never be late on a credit card payment again!
2. Stop getting paper bills — In addition to setting up autopay, you should cancel your paper bills in favor of an electronic version if possible. This will cut down on mail clutter, and you'll have a digital copy of your monthly statement whenever you need it.
3. Use a social media aggregator — I like to use Hootsuite for my Twitter and Facebook needs, but you can also sync Hootsuite to see your LinkedIn, Wordpress, Foursquare, Ping, and Mixi accounts all in one place. No more jumping around to different social media accounts!
4. Try Spotify premium — Seriously, who has time to sync, drag, and drop files anymore in this day of fast moving tech? By paying just $10 a month, music fanatics can listen to all the music they want (whether they own it or not) on their computers, mobile devices (via an app), or even offline when they're out of reach. It's one of our favorite things.
5. Use an RSS reader — There are plenty of good reasons to use an RSS reader (like Google Reader), but the main one is that it saves you time. By subscribing to the RSS feeds of your favorite websites, you no longer have to jump around from site to site to get the latest news. The news comes to you! Plus, you can get access from the web at home or on your smartphone to catch up while you're waiting for the bus or sweating it on the bike at the gym.

See the rest of our tips after the break.

If your laptop is still in working order, you probably don't need to spring for that brand-new MacBook Air this season before you head back to class. Nonetheless, the start of a new school year (or just Fall in general) is a good time to spruce up your trusty laptop and get it ready for the long nights of studying ahead. Here, a few tips on how to get your machine in tip-top shape before the first bell rings, and how to care for a brand new investment so it serves you well for the next four years.

Clean it Up

Giving your laptop (or desktop) a thorough cleaning is essential to extending its life. Back up any data you may already have stored (on an external hard drive or portable flash drive), organize your desktop icons, empty your computer's trash on a regular basis, and clear out any programs you don't use. This will help free up space and keep you on the fast track to productivity.

Practice proper shut-down habits

Shutting down all open programs, and putting your laptop to sleep instead of just closing the lid will help your computer stay cool and safe while in transport.

Protect your investment

If you're going to be lugging a laptop around campus, make sure it's protected in a padded case!

See the rest of my tips after the jump.

In my social circle, there are more than a few gals asking themselves "Where are all the single geeks?" If you find yourself pondering this question as well, don't fret. We've rounded up six places you're likely to find some geeky love online and in the real world.

1. Online — According to new research, 66 percent of Gen-Y daters know someone who found love online, and there are lots of places to look. From Cupidtino to DateCraft (the insanely popular World of Warcraft dating site), you're sure to find that special geek wandering the Internet. You may even stumble upon a geek worth talking to in forums and comment sections on your favorite websites. Keep your eyes peeled — they're out there.
2. Sunnyvale, CA — OKCupid's recent Valentine's Day poll shows that there are more eligible geeky bachelors in Sunnyvale, CA, than anywhere else in the country. It's in the heart of the sunny, Silicon Valley, so if you're ready to settle down with a hard-working software engineer, tech expert, or entrepreneur, then head west my friends. You may also get a good tan in the process.
3. Google+ — The piping hot social network from Google is fresh out of the kitchen and already has over 10 million members under its belt. According to new research, 66.4 percent of Google+ members are male, so while there's no "looking for love" relationship status to select on your Google+ profile, chances are, you'll come across plenty of single geeks on this social network.

See the rest of the list when you read more.