The Internet has changed the way we get our news, watch movies, and pay our bills. It’s no surprise, then, that it has also changed the way we listen to music. Today, the web is home to many top music-streaming services – online services that allow users to listen to their favorite music on their laptops, desktops, and mobile devices.

But which music-streaming services are the best? Here are some suggestions:

Pandora: Pandora has been around awhile, and it is very popular. It’s easy to see why: it is simple. After navigating to the website, enter the name of a song or artist you want and Pandora will create a radio station determined by that information. It chooses songs by artists with a similar sound. As you tune in to your station you can click the thumbs up or thumbs down symbol on the songs and Pandora will tailor your station based on this new information. Moreover, you can “seed” you station with different artists to even further personalize it. You can tune in to Pandora without creating an account but in order to save your stations, you need to create an account.

Grooveshark: This streaming service is much like Pandora, in that it creates a personalized “radio” station based on your musical tastes. You don’t need to create an account to enjoy Grooveshark, or to make your own playlists. However, if you wish to save your information, you will have to create one. One advantage to Grooveshark is that you are able to enjoy whole albums rather than a station you built. 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’re seeking.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody has quickly made a name for itself thanks to its huge database of more than 14 million songs. Users be required to pay for the service – $10 a month – but by doing so, they’ll be able to stream any song from the service’s huge collection.

Spotify: Spotify was launched in 2008, and since then it has grown into one of the most widely known and used music-streaming services. Spotify is very user friendly and, like Grooveshark, users can listen to entire albums or choose to use the radio function.  One of the things that people love about Spotify is its integration with Facebook. By using the Spotify app, it keeps a running list of the songs you have heard on Facebook. Additionally, users can see what their Facebook friends are currently listening to on a real-time feed. This is great for those who are in search of new music if one of their friends has similar tastes.

Remember when Windows was considered cool? It’s been a long time. Nevertheless, the Kinect – a motion and voice-sensing device originally meant as a clever feature for the Xbox gaming console – may help Windows regain its long-lost coolness quotient.

Not surprisingly, a version of the Kinect is compatible with Windows-operated PCs. So shortly after this new version was released in February, companies started discovering creative, out-of-the-box uses for it.

Innovative Uses for the Kinect

For instance, at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, the chief marketing manager for Nissan North America used Kinect for Windows to generate a virtual tour of the Pathfinder’s upgraded interior. This turned out to be especially beneficial since the marketing manager only had the Pathfinder’s empty shell to exhibit at the Auto Show. A large screen powered by Kinect showed visitors just what they’d be seeing if they were actually sitting within the completed body of the new Pathfinder. The screen, for example, displayed the car’s dual moon roofs and many other features.

Microsoft is working with companies to produce applications for the Kinect. This not only motivates creativity but it puts the Kinect at the center of some of the most recent innovations. An example of a company that is working closely with Microsoft in this manner is Boeing. Boeing used the Kinect to create virtual tours of its jets. Another example is a medical facility in Canada. They are using the Kinect’s gesture-recognition capability to swipe through CT scans. This eradicates the danger of getting germs on their hands from a keyboard or mouse.

Kinect: A Solid Hit

Microsoft hit a home run when they created 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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These days, whenever you post an open position on the Internet, countless people reply. Many of these people are eligible candidates for the position, so you call them in for an interview. But how do you dig through them to find the truly impressive and passionate people? Since the interview is essentially all you can go on, your interview questions are essential.

If you hold the conventional job interview, asking the same dull questions, chances are you won’t be able to tell the top applicants from the so-so ones. That’s why it is critical to craft a unique job interview strategy.

Ask the Right Questions

A common approach to the job interview is to ask about past positions the individual held. What their duties were, etc. These are not the most effective questions as you only end up with information that may be easily read from their resume. This doesn’t help you much if you’re looking for specific characteristics. Think about asking them how they enhanced their positions, were there any processes that they changed, or ways that they saved their company money.

Don’t ask candidates about their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of people have memorized stock answers to these questions. Rather, ask them how they bring their unique individuality 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 are interested in which of your candidates are the most innovative, give them a simple task to complete. 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 think of new names for company services or products. Essentially, ask them anything that will get their creative juices flowing.

Employers have an edge in today’s job market. They can choose from among some of the top job seekers available, but to find the best people, employers have to first alter the way they conduct their job interviews.

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

The End of Business Travel?

But is this a thing that we ought to strive for in business? Is it a good thing if videoconferencing replaces face-to-face meetings altogether? Possibly not, think about the differences between meetings that are face-to-face versus videoconferencing.

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

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

At in-person meetings, however, agendas have a way of falling by the wayside, and that is a good thing. Meetings may start only after a couple of minutes of personal chit chat and they might end with attendees swapping office stories. Again, this can be good. Often, the best business ideas arise from these moments of off-topic discussion.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

While many companies turn toward videoconferencing because of the cost and simplicity of it, it is doubtful that business travel will disappear completely. When we develop business relationships, just like any relationships, we want to meet face-to-face because we are a social species. The advantages of face-to-face meetings are enough that savvy business owners won’t get rid of business travel altogether.

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Remember enjoying sci-fi movies as a kid and thinking we would have jetpacks in the future? Or teleporters? We don’t have these technologies yet but we do have many amazing technologies that seem straight out of a sci-fi movie. Our cars can direct us around a city, via GPS. We can carry tablet computers around with us that hold our data. And we can contact associates all over the world at the push of a button.

So, why don’t we have teleporters and hovercrafts? What is preventing us from taking these leaps in technology?

Building a Better Battery

First, there is battery power. The bottomline is, the batteries powering 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 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

It may seem like most people are linked to the Internet, but this is a misconception. Most of the world doesn’t have access to the Internet. While this may not seem like it could suppress technological advancements, it does. The idea is that by limiting the amount of people who can contribute to the interconnectedness the Internet provides, we are limiting the amount of individuals who can collaborate. Until the majority of people are connected, technological breakthroughs will not happen as fast as they could.

The Business of New Tech

Last but not least there is the bureaucracy. Business matters, like patent laws, can hamper technological progress. Individuals and companies that come up with revolutionary things have to first traverse these waters. But if government regulations are clear and simple to understand, it could reduce some of this.

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

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Adobe Photoshop is a fantastic photo manipulation tool. With it, businesses can produce professional looking marketing materials fairly easily. The largest issue with Photoshop is the cost. A person looking to purchase it can spend more then $600 for newer versions. This is not practical for many small business owners, and they probably don’t need all of the features that a $600 photo-editing program comes with. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to Photoshop that are inexpensive or free.

These programs may not contain all the components that Photoshop boasts, but they have more than enough photo-editing features for most small business owners. Here are three of the highest quality free photo-editing programs available today:

GIMP

GIMP means GNU image manipulation program. It is extremely easy to use and contains the most used features of Photoshop. There are numerous versions of GIMP and best of all it’s totally free.

Paint.NET

Do you recall MSPaint? It came standard with the Windows operating system. Paint.NET is its successor and is a really powerful and free photo editor. It comes with its own special effects and an limitless undo; this is ideal for people who want to experiment with the effects. The one negative of this program is it only works with Windows.

Picnik

Picnik is fast, free, and easy to use. It works on the Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems and you don’t need to download files to use it. It has some exciting special effects as well, making it a very popular photo-editing program.

There is no need to purchase the costly Photoshop program to produce professional looking pamphlets. For the small business owner on a budget, any of these programs will do the trick while keeping standards high.

The more we depend on mobile devices the more we rely on one small technology. Batteries. Have you ever reached for your smartphone to look something up or to get directions and found that it has died? Well, in a few years, that may be something you don’t have 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 ought to be grateful.

According to the article, Northwestern’s researchers have found a way to extend the charge-life of a new lithium-ion battery by a factor of 10. Even after 150 charges—which researchers say represents a year or more of operation—this new battery would still be five times more efficient than the today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A Charged Battery for a Week

Ultimately, this new cell phone battery could stay charged for a whole week, despite 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 may lead to smaller and more efficient batteries for electric cars.  This could therefore, have a dramatic effect on our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

Advancements in battery technology are not something we usually pay attention to. But this one may have a huge positive affect our lives, and not just where convenience is concerned. This new lithium-ion battery may provide the key to a greater technological shift.

When searching for something on the web, the majority of people automatically go to Google. We even use it as a verb when we “Google” something. However, a lesser-used yet robust search engine is Microsoft’s Bing. While Bing may be often overlooked, it actually has a lot to offer surfers of the Web.

Taking Another Look at Bing

When searching on Bing you may get more information about your search results then you do from Google. There is a navigation panel on the left that features 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 so that you can 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 latest videos. For users hunting for a flight out of town, Bing beats Google easily. The search engine employs something it calls Farecast Technology in its Bing Travel site. This lets users quickly locate the cheapest airfare to specific destinations.

Bing Video Search Shines

Bing stands out from Google with regards to searching for videos as well. Bing allows users to specify how long they would like videos to be, what resolution they want, and what screen size they’d prefer. Additionally, to get a preview of the video, users only have to hover their cursor over the video to play a portion of it without clicking on it.

These are some of the reasons why computer users should not be so quick to discount Bing. Yes, Google remains the go-to player with regards to search engines. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only good option today.

Cloud computing is quite common these days. The cloud is basically 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 stored in the cloud isn’t stored on personal computers this saves lots of computer memory. The outcome of this is that people gain access to more data without having to use up space on their computer, which may slow it down.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, that is not all you need to understand about the cloud. You have the public cloud, which is the one most of us use, the private cloud, and the hybrid cloud. The hybrid cloud, as the name implies, is a combination of using both the public and private cloud.

The hybrid cloud generally works like this: A company provides some resources in-house. For example, it might store current consumer data on its private in-house cloud. It might also store employee information, new marketing campaigns, and current proposals to new clients on its in-house storage. That same business, though, might store older, archived data on a public cloud service. This frees up space on the business’ servers, and allows its in-house computers to perform more efficiently.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

Taking a hybrid cloud approach to data storage allows businesses to take advantage of the space-saving features of the public cloud without also exposing their sensitive current data to third-party providers. To paraphrase, the hybrid cloud provides businesses with security, cost-savings, and efficiency.

It’s little wonder, then, that so many organizations today are moving toward a hybrid cloud approach. There is way too much data floating around today for small enterprises to adequately store. At the same time, businesses in the present competitive environment do not want to expose company secrets and sensitive consumer data to either their competition or hackers. The hybrid cloud could enable businesses to accomplish both feats.

A growing number of employees these days work remotely. This is possible due to advancements in technology. The benefits are many for both employee and employer. Employers can spend less money as they have less people that need space in the office. Employees that work remotely are often more productive; they spend less time commuting, and they have the flexibility to adjust their work around their life rather than working 9 hours straight, which can lead to burnout.

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?

Employers can resolve this dilemma by setting realistic deadlines for their remote employees and expecting these workers to meet them. What should matter for employers is that work is done on time. It shouldn’t matter if workers finish their tasks from midnight to four in the morning.

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 will make sure that remote employees are doing their work. Employers might also schedule regular updates by phone, video chat, or through instant messaging, in which workers can explain how far along they are with specific tasks. Some employers may opt 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

While many people may have the personal discipline and time management skills to effectively work remotely, some don’t. So, if an employee doesn’t work well remotely, and that has become clear, remote working doesn’t have to stay permanent, it can easily be revoked. Ultimately, trust within the employee/employer relationship is one of the key components of a successful remote working relationship. The employee needs to preserve that trust by hitting deadlines and delivering top quality work.