Many of us get our entertainment, news, and pay our bills online. So, it’s not a surprise that we access our music over the Internet as well. Many individuals subscribe to on-line music-streaming services that are either free or cost money. The advantages are many. People don’t have to move their music files onto different devices and they can listen to it anywhere they have internet access.

But which music-streaming services are the best? Below are a few suggestions:

Pandora: Pandora is hardly a surprise choice, but there’s a reason this music-streaming service remains popular: It is not difficult to use and it can quickly introduce users to new music that they may not experience otherwise. The concept behind Pandora is simple: After logging onto the service, type in the name of a favorite artist, say “David Bowie.” Pandora will then play songs by Bowie and will also play songs from similar artists. This gives you a taste of other tunes that you might also like.

Grooveshark: This streaming service is much like Pandora, in that it creates a customized “radio” station based upon your musical tastes. You do not have to create an account to listen to Grooveshark, or to create your own playlists. However, in order to save your information, you will need to create one. One benefit to Grooveshark is that you are able to enjoy whole albums instead of a station you created. One of the most interesting features of Grooveshark is that users can add their own music if the Grooveshark database doesn’t have what they are searching for.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody’s appeal is based on its huge database of music: more the 14 million songs. Sadly, this service is not free, it is $10 a month for unlimited music.

Spotify: Spotify is one of the most widely known music-streaming services out there. After its introduction in 2008, it expanded rapidly. Spotify has a user friendly interface. You can listen to entire albums, choose to create a “radio” station based on your tastes, or create playlists that you can share with other Spotify users. This is attractive to individuals who enjoy the nostalgia of making mix tapes. Many people love Spotify’s integration with Facebook. By utilizing the Facebook app, Spotify creates a running list of what you are playing day by day. You can also see what your Facebook friends are listening too, in real-time.

When was the last time we saw a Windows product which captured the essence of “cool”? Before recently it had been a while, but when Microsoft created the Kinect for Windows that all changed. The Kinect is a motion and voice-sensing device that was initially developed for the Xbox gaming console.

A version of the device also works with Windows-operated PCs, and shortly after its release in February, people started coming up with innovative ways to use it.

Innovative Uses for the Kinect

Earlier this year the Chief Marketing Manager for Nissan North America created a virtual tour of the Pathfinder’s interior at the Chicago Auto Show. The only thing that was actually displayed was the outer shell of the Pathfinder, but participants could see the improved interior on a large screen using the Kinect.

Microsoft is working with companies to produce applications for the Kinect. This not only motivates ingenuity but it puts the Kinect at the center of many of the most recent innovations. One example of a company that is working closely with Microsoft in this way is Boeing. Boeing used the Kinect to make virtual tours of its jets. Another example is a medical facility in Canada. They’re using the Kinect’s gesture-recognition capability to swipe through CT scans. This removes the risk of getting germs on their hands from a keyboard or mouse.

Kinect: A Solid Hit

Microsoft hit a home run when they developed the Kinect. The Xbox 360 was last year’s best-selling gaming console, and they have the Kinect to thank for that. Since November of 2010 Microsoft has sold more than 18 million Kinect devices.

The excitement surrounding the Kinect and its many uses can only improve Microsoft’s reputation. They may be on their way to moving into the “cool” tech company category.

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There are lots of people seeking jobs today. However, as an employer, you are not trying to find just anyone. You would like to hire the best, most innovative employees to work at your business. You recognize that your company is only as strong as your workers. How do you hire the most suitable people? It all begins with the job interview.

If you hold the standard job interview, asking the same dull questions, the odds are you won’t be able to tell the top candidates from the so-so ones. That’s why it’s important to craft a unique job interview strategy.

Ask the Right Questions

Start by asking the right questions. Don’t ask applicants what their job titles were at past positions. Don’t ask them what their duties were. Instead, ask them to list any innovative ideas that they came up with for their previous employers. Ask them if these ideas helped their employers earn more money, run more effectively, or lower expenses.

Don’t ask candidates about their strengths and weaknesses. Too many people have memorized stock answers to these questions. Instead, ask them how they bring their unique personalities to their jobs. Ask them what they do to make their jobs more interesting and satisfying. Truly creative workers should be able to tell you of new innovations they developed and new programs they created, all in the effort of adding that imaginative spark to their positions.

If you truly want to see which of your candidates are the most creative, give them a simple task to perform. It doesn’t have to be complicated; you can ask them to write an essay detailing how they would approach their job if hired. You could ask them to write down their ideas on what their perfect workspace would look like. Ask them to come up with new names for company services or products. Basically, ask them anything that will get their creative juices flowing.

In today’s marketplace, employers have the advantage of choosing amongst many talented people. So to be able to pick the very best, they need to alter the types of questions they ask in job interviews.

There aren’t many people who look forward to going on business trips. They’re a hassle and expensive for the company. Business travelers often feel rushed, which results in lack of sleep and poor eating habits, which exacerbates stress. Not to mention dealing with Airports and long-term parking. For this reason, many businesses choose to use videoconferencing as much as possible. But do you think that business travel is on its way out? Will Videoconferencing replace it completely?

The End of Business Travel?

Do we want to strive for the termination of business travel? Maybe not, think about the differences between in-person meeting and videoconferencing.

During a videoconference, individuals from around the world sign on, say their hellos, and get to the business at hand. The level of brainstorming is usually limited because people worry about the stability of their connections or give in to the distractions of the offices in which they sit.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Conversation evolves considerably more easily with in-person interactions. This is healthy, and as far as business is concerned, can be extremely advantageous. Having an impromptu brainstorming session can bring about ideas that can lead the organization down a path that wasn’t previously anticipated. This is not to say that every face-to-face meeting turns into a game-changing brainstorming session. But if a meeting degenerates into story telling, this is an opportunity for co-workers to bolster their interpersonal relationships and increase moral.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

Yes, business travel is an inconvenience and videoconferencing is convenient. However, there are occassions when meeting face-to-face is the best option for generating the most innovative business solutions. Due to this, don’t expect savvy business executives to ever completely replace business travel with videoconferencing.

How many kids grew up waiting for the day when humans would travel the planet with individual jet packs strapped to their backs? How many dreamt of full meals that come in pill form or teleporters? Those technologies haven’t happened. However, in the last two decades alone, we’ve seen enough new tech to fill an early 1990s science-fiction flick. With tablet computers we can transport all the computing power of a bulky desktop computer in our hands. With smartphones we are able to instantly send text messages to our friends and due to GPS, we never have to get lost while driving again.

So, with all of this technology, why don’t we have jet packs yet? What variables are keeping us from making these technological leaps?

Building a Better Battery

First, there is battery power. To put it simply, the batteries running our smartphones and tablets must be recharged too often. A more powerful battery would allow us to run our gadgets for weeks at a time and then charge them again within minutes. This battery does not exist yet. However, it might be coming: researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University are designing a far more powerful lithium-ion battery. If their prototype becomes commercially viable, it will probably be a game-changer.

Improving Internet Access

Another hurdle to overcome is that not enough people have access to the Internet. In reality, most of the globe doesn’t have access to it. This is naturally restricting breakthroughs in technology. It goes back to the essential idea of the more minds we have working on a problem, the faster we will solve it.

The Business of New Tech

Last but not least there is the red tape. Business matters, like patent laws, can impede technological progress. Individuals and companies that develop innovative things have to first navigate these waters. But if government regulations are clear and simple to comprehend, it could reduce some of this.

Even though there are several things that are holding technology back, it is still evolving at a rapid pace. Maybe we’ll finally get hover boards when battery technology catches up to our imaginations.

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Adobe Photoshop is an incredible tool. It lets organizations edit the images they need to produce professional-looking brochures, pamphlets, and marketing materials. The problem is that Photoshop is far from inexpensive. A quick online scan will show that newer versions of this image-editing program can run higher then $600. For small business owners on a budget, this program isn’t feasible. This doesn’t mean, however, that these small business owners don’t have photo-editing options. In fact, businesses can choose from a number of alternatives that are not only cheaper but are actually free.

These alternatives are not quite as dynamic as Photoshop but they provide enough of the elements to be useful to the small business owner. Here is a list of three that make photo-manipulation easy, without straining the wallet.

GIMP

GIMP, which stands for GNU image manipulation program, is the choice of many a cost-conscious designer. That is because this free program contains many of the most important features of Photoshop. The GIMP website even offers a version of the program—cleverly named GIMPShop—that features a screen layout that is a virtual twin of Photoshop’s.

Paint.NET

Remember that old MSPaint program that came with your Windows program? Paint.NET is the successor to this, and it’s a unexpectedly powerful—and free—photo editor. Paint.NET comes with its own special effects, an unlimited undo (a nice feature for those designers who are far from perfect), and an online forum full of users who aren’t shy about sharing their favorite tips and strategies for using this program. The only negative of Paint.NET? It only works with Windows-based systems.

Picnik

Picnik is a free program that works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. This program has some really fun effects such as blurring, darkening, and lightening images. It’s probably the most popular free editing programs, as you don’t have to download files to use it.

Business owners needn’t let Photoshop’s high price keep them from inserting professionally edited photos into their marketing materials. With only a little bit of online hunting, even the most frugal of business owners will find the perfect alternative.

The more we depend on mobile devices the more we rely upon one little technology. Batteries. Have you ever reached for your smartphone to look something up or to get directions and discovered that it has died? Well, in a few years, that might be something you don’t need to worry about.

A Better Battery on the Way?

Fortunately, a better battery might soon be on the way, thanks to the work of a team of engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University. A recent story reports that researchers at this Big 10 university are trying to produce a battery that lasts longer and can recharge itself in just minutes. Smartphone users across the country should be grateful.

What they are working on is a new lithium-ion battery that has more then 10 times the life of present batteries. Additionally, after a year of operation, which the researchers estimate to be about 150 charges, these new lithium-ion batteries would continue to be 5 times more effective then today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A Charged Battery for a Week

Ultimately, this new cell phone battery could stay charged for a whole week, even with all the apps we use daily. And the charging time? Below 15 minutes. Which will sure make our lives easier, but more than that, this new battery technology could lead to smaller and more efficient batteries for electric cars.  This could consequently, have a dramatic impact on our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

While this new battery technology will have a massive impact on many aspects of our life, it will not be offered to the general public for three to five years, says Northwestern researchers. Batteries tend to be over looked when we think of advanced technologies, but the more we rely on mobile devices the more important they become.  Breakthroughs in battery technology may in reality hold the key to an even greater technological revolution.

Google is the household name with regards to searching the Web. However, it might not be the greatest search engine out there. Microsoft introduced Bing, a competitor, in 2009 and it shouldn’t be dismissed. Although many Internet users still use Google as their primary search engine, Bing has many features that make for a robust searching experience.

Taking Another Look at Bing

When searching on Bing you can get more information about your search results then you do from Google. There is a navigation panel on the left that includes related searches; this can help you refine your search if you didn’t get the information you were seeking. Additionally there is a “search history” navigation panel to help you easily navigate to past pages if needed. This feature can be toggled off and on.

Bing Goes Beyond Search Results

Bing also brings more than just search results. Say users search for websites about pop star Lady Gaga. Bing will also bring up Lady Gaga’s most recent videos. For users hunting for a flight out of town, Bing beats Google easily. The search engine utilizes something it calls Farecast Technology in its Bing Travel site. This allows users quickly locate the most affordable airfare to specific destinations.

Bing Video Search Shines

When you are searching for videos, Bing is ahead of the game. Users can specify their desired length, size, and resolution. One other impressive feature is that simply by hovering over a video, you can enjoy a preview of it.

These are some reasons why computer users should not ignore Bing. While Google is a household name, it’s not the only search engine available.

Cloud computing is very popular these days. The cloud is essentially a group of remote servers where people can store and access their information. People can store music, powerful programs, and important files in the cloud. As information kept in the cloud isn’t stored on personal computers this saves tons of computer memory. The outcome of this is that people gain access to more data without having to waste space on their computer, which could slow it down.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, not all clouds are the same. There is the public cloud, the one with which we are most accustomed. But then there’s the hybrid cloud as well. As its name indicates, the hybrid cloud is a combination of two different types of clouds, the public cloud and a private cloud.

For an organization to provide a hybrid cloud, they store a client’s most sensitive data on their in-house private cloud, and data that requires less defense on a public cloud. For instance, archived files and large software programs.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

This frees up space on the in-house servers while ensuring that certain information is highly protected. The hybrid cloud is a good method to provide businesses with high security cloud services while decreasing costs and saving space.

It’s little wonder, then, that a great number of organizations today are moving toward a hybrid cloud approach. There is way too much data floating around today for small enterprises to properly store. At the same time, businesses in the present competitive environment don’t want to reveal company secrets and sensitive consumer data to either their competition or hackers. The hybrid cloud could allow businesses to accomplish both feats.

Thanks to improved technology, an increasing number of employees have the ability to complete most or all of their work from home. Smartphones, tablet computers, teleconferencing, and WiFi-equipped bookstores and coffee shops have made this achievable. This presents a huge advantage for employers: the more employees that work from their home, the less money companies need to spend. Many companies, for instance, do not have assigned computers and desks for all of their workers because so much of their workforce is working remotely. In addition, employees working remotely are frequently more productive; they’re not wasting time and energy driving to work every day. And they are not exchanging office gossip in front of the water cooler when in the office.

Remote Worker Challenges

Remote workers and contractors do present at least one significant challenge to employers: It can be difficult for employers to effectively monitor the hours that their workers are putting in. How do employers know, after all, if their remote personnel are pounding away at their keyboards or playing Angry Birds on their smartphones all day?

One easy way to keep track of the amount of work being completed by remote workers is to set reasonable goals that they must hit. This puts the emphasis on the results and prevents the manager from worrying about it, as long as the goals are being met. This also gives the employee flexibility to work inside the hours they are most fruitful.

Setting Remote Worker Deadlines

Employers might tell their remote workers that they have to turn in a specified amount of work every Wednesday and Friday. This makes sure that remote employees are carrying out their work. Employers might also schedule regular updates by phone, video chat, or through instant messaging, during which workers can explain how far along they are with particular tasks. Some employers may choose to require that their remote workers spend a minimum of one day a week, or two days a month, on site. This gives these workers face time with their managers, something which helps everyone stay focused on upcoming deadlines and goals.

Off-Site Not a Permanent Condition

Working remotely requires personal discipline and good time-management skills. Individuals who are chronic procrastinators may not perform best remotely. If employees aren’t hitting deadlines, or are turning in sub-par work then off-site working doesn’t have to be a permanent privilege. For remote working to be successful there must be trust between the employee and the employer. To preserve this trust the employee must hit their deadlines and the employer needs to be focused on the results.