Senior research scientist Dr Teresa Ching says research shows many listeners are setting earphones to levels that place them at risk of hearing loss.

One in seven Australian adults already have some degree of hearing impairment.

"Extensive research now exists that shows exposure to excessive noise can cause premature hearing loss and is the most common cause of hearing damage - and the most easily prevented," she says.

"The message is not to stop using portable music players and attending live concerts, and to turn the players down and limit their listening to loud music to about an hour a day."

Teachers avenge blogs

STUDENTS in Singapore schools face suspension if they are caught insulting teachers on websites.

Last month, five junior college students who posted derogatory remarks about their teachers and vice-principal on blogs were suspended for three days.

Blogging has become popular among the young in tech-savvy Singapore, where more than 65 per cent of the city-state's 4.2 million people are wired to the internet.

Lawyers say students could be sued for defamation, even if a teacher is not named.

Mobile for the faithful

FOR Muslims it's a hi-tech call to prayer. The Ilkone i800 mobile telephone generates five automated reminders a day at prayer time, points Muslims in the direction of Mecca and contains a complete, authorised version of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, in Arabic and English.

Last week, Ilkone, Arabic for universe, went on sale in the Netherlands for its European debut.

Made by the Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based startup Samcom, Ilkone's entry into the European market follows a successful introduction in the Middle East and Asia, where it is available in 23 countries.

Advertised as "the first and only Islamic phone that gives you access to your beliefs wherever you are", it retails in Dutch telecommunications outlets for E289 ($454), excluding a mobile phone subscription.

One young Muslim, 15-year-old Mohammed Bouyeri, who sat outside Rotterdam's largest mosque, the Mevlana, waiting for prayers to end looked sceptically at the phone and asked: "Does it have a camera?"

The answer, unfortunately for trendy young Muslim buyers, is no.

From The Australian IT