Working around the clock for six weeks, sifting through thousands of agent reports, spy-satellite photos and signal intercepts, the task force finally pinpointed the 31-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian in a villa near Faisalabad, Pakistan.

CNN: At the crossroads of terror

Rectifying a signal sounds like an altogether humbler task than amplifying it.

ECONOMIST: The middle age of the transistor

Officials feared the brackish storm water that poured into tunnels could corrode vulnerable signal and switching systems, complicating the task of reopening a bus and rail system that ferries 8.5 million passengers on a typical workday.

WSJ: Superstorm Sandy Cuts Wide Swath of Damage

Rather than helping England settle to their task, the goal was simply the signal for Mexico to emphasise their superiority in possession and demonstrate a sharpness that exposed Capello's reshuffled rearguard.

BBC: England 3-1 Mexico

Contrary to what the critics of speculation suppose, the main task of futures markets has been to signal these fundamentals to firms and households, speeding up their adjustment to the changing balance of supply and demand for physical commodities.

ECONOMIST: The real lesson from volatile commodity prices

Was the leak that the Biden task force is debating big gun restrictions a signal of a fight to come?

WSJ: Strassel: The Real Gun-Control Consensus