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 people subscribe to on-line music-streaming services that are either free or cost money. The benefits are many. People don’t have to transfer their music files onto different devices and they can listen to it anywhere they have access to the Internet.

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

Pandora: Pandora is hardly a surprise choice, but there’s a reason this music-streaming service remains well-liked: It’s easy to use and it can quickly introduce users to new music that they might 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 it will 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 according to your musical tastes. There is no need 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 basically that you are able to enjoy whole albums rather than a station you created. One of the more intriguing features of Grooveshark is that users can add their own music if the Grooveshark database doesn’t have what they are looking for.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody has quickly made a name for itself thanks to its huge database of more than 14 million songs. Users must 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 is a Swedish music-streaming service that was launched in 2008. It has quickly grown to one of the most well-known and widely used services out there. People like the flexibility of Spotify. When you search for an artist, you can listen to a whole album or choose to use the radio function and Spotify will find similar artists for you to enjoy. Another advantage of Spotify is that you can create your own playlists and share them with other users if you so choose.

It’s been some time since Windows was regarded as cool but the Kinect may change all that. The Kinect is a voice and motion-sensing device that was originally developed as a feature for the Xbox gaming console.

A version of the device also works with Windows-operated PCs, and almost immediately after its release in February, people started discovering innovative ways to use 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 create 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 precisely what they’d be viewing 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 several other features.

Microsoft is also encouraging companies to make use of the Kinect creatively by working with them to develop custom Kinect applications. Nearly 350 companies today are working with Microsoft in this manner. For example, Boeing uses the device to create virtual tours of its 737 jets. Medical providers at a hospital in Canada are also using the device’s gesture-recognition to swipe through CT scans, reducing the chance of touching germs on 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 video game console, and they have the Kinect to thank for that. Since November of 2010 Microsoft has sold more than 18 million Kinect devices.

The Kinect has many uses outside of what it was originally developed for. Microsoft actually developed something which is not only useful, but regarded as cool. This change in attitude toward Microsoft could help the company in several ways.

>

There are lots of people looking for jobs today. However, as an employer, you are not looking for just anyone. You want 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 best people? It all starts with the interview.

It’s crucial that you create a job interview strategy that pin points what you are in search of in an employee. If you ask the same cookie cutter questions that everyone else does, you are likely to get cookie cutter answers.

Ask the Right Questions

Rather then asking people what their former positions were, ask them how they positively impacted their positions at their previous employers. Did they create any processes that improved efficiency? Did they help their employers save money, if so, how?

Don’t ask candidates about their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of people have memorized stock answers to these questions. Instead, ask them how they bring their unique individuality to their jobs. Ask them the things 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.

Another simple way to measure a prospective employee’s creativity is to ask them to perform a task. For instance, you could ask them to brainstorm ideas for an ad campaign, or write a brief essay about their ideal work environment. Whatever it is, it is something your interviewee will not expect and it will give you a picture of their creativity.

Today’s job market is such that it’s probable that many competent people will apply to your open position. So, in order to sift through these applicants and find the most creative and inventive individuals, change your interview tactics to hone in on these traits.

Nobody likes traveling for business. Airports are a headache, with all that business of removing your shoes, paying extra to stow bags, and the frequent delays and cancellations. We often overeat on bad fast food or at hotel buffets, also, when we’re traveling for business. Plus there is the lack of sleep. It’s little wonder that so many business people are longing for enhancements in videoconferencing technology. After all, if this technology improves enough – the logic goes – maybe off-site business meetings, and the business travel that accompanies this, will be a thing of the past.

The End of Business Travel?

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

When people across the globe sign on to a videoconference, they typically introduce themselves quickly, if necessary, and then dive into the goal at hand. Brainstorming does not often play a large role in videoconferencing; this is partially due to the worry that their connection may fail. As well, there are many distractions within the individual’s office that can make fluid conversation difficult.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Conversation evolves much more easily with in-person interactions. This is healthy, and as far as business is concerned, can be quite valuable. Having an impromptu brainstorming session can bring about ideas that can lead the business 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 strengthen their interpersonal relationships and improve moral.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

While many companies turn toward videoconferencing due to the cost and ease 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 benefits of face-to-face meetings are enough that savvy business owners won’t eliminate business travel altogether.

>

How many kids grew up anticipating the day when humans would travel the earth with individual jet packs strapped to their backs? How many dreamt of full meals that come in tablet form or teleporters? Those technologies haven’t happened. Yet, in the last 2 decades alone, we’ve seen enough new tech to fill an early 1990s science-fiction flick. With tablet computers we can carry 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 thanks 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 issues are preventing us from making these technological leaps?

Building a Better Battery

As we move into a more mobile world, batteries grow in importance. They are a building block of our technological world these days. As a result, if we are restricted by their power, and capacity to hold a charge, the technology that utilizes them is also limited. For example, you wouldn’t want your jet pack to loose its charge in flight. Recently, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University found a way to make a much more powerful lithium-ion battery than the ones we have today. We explained this more thoroughly in a blog post last week. When these batteries eventually hit the market, we will likely notice a boom in technological advancements.

Improving Internet Access

The second limiting factor has to do with access. Basically, not enough of the world’s population can access high-speed Internet access. It may seem as if every public library, bookstore, and cafe’ provides its clientele with use of high-speed wireless Internet, but this is largely a mirage. The vast majority of humans do not have easy access to the web. Until this occurs, we’ll be needlessly limiting the advancement of technology. The more minds that are linked on the Web, the better the odds are of reaching the next tech breakthrough.

The Business of New Tech

This may not come as a surprise, but business matters impede technological advancements as well. For instance, patent laws, and government regulations. If these things aren’t clear, innovations can sit in red tape limbo for some time. To prevent this last step bottleneck of the creation process, laws ought to be clear and easy to comprehend.

While these are a few of the issues that prevent technology from advancing, it still is progressing at a rapid pace. So who knows what is waiting for us in the next year or two.

>

Businesses can use Adobe Photoshop to generate professional marketing material easily. It is a very robust program with many features so it’s no surprise that it can cost over $600, depending on the version. Many small business owners do not want to spend this much, and they don’t require all the features that come with it. However, there are a few alternatives to Photoshop that are inexpensive or free.

Not surprisingly, these programs are not as robust as Photoshop. But they have adequate photo-editing features for small business owners to easily create professional looking material. Below is a list of the top free photo-manipulation programs currently available.

GIMP

GIMP, which stands for GNU image manipulation program, is the pick of many a cost-conscious designer. That’s because this free program contains 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’s a virtual twin of Photoshop’s.

Paint.NET

Do you recall MSPaint? It came standard with the Windows operating system. Paint.NET is its successor and is a very powerful and free photo editor. It includes its own special effects and an unlimited undo; this is perfect for people who want to play around with the effects. The one negative of this program is that it only works with Windows.

Picnik

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

There is no need to purchase the pricey Photoshop program to create professional looking pamphlets. For the small business owner on a budget, any of these programs will do the trick and keep standards high.

Have you ever needed your smartphone only to realize that the battery has died and you’re nowhere near an outlet? It’s annoying, but in a couple of years, it could be a thing of the past.

A Better Battery on the Way?

Thankfully, a better battery might soon be on the way, due 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 attempting to make a battery that lasts longer and can recharge itself within minutes. Smartphone users across the country should be thankful.

Northwestern’s researchers have found a method to increase the charge of lithium-ion batteries by more then 10 times the present lithium-ion battery life. They are even boasting that after 150 charges, which they believe represents about a year of operation, the new lithium-ion battery will be 5 times more efficient than batteries at present.

A Charged Battery for a Week

This may be hard to believe, especially with all the apps we run on our devices, but this new battery may stay charged for a whole week. And the charging time could be less then 15 minutes. Which will obviously make life easier but this technology may have a even more important impact then that. It can be applied to the batteries utilized in electric cars, causing them to be a lot more efficient, and dramatically decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

The new battery technology isn’t available yet for consumers, however the Northwestern researchers claim that it could hit the market in 3 to 5 years. This is a big step. When we look at developments in technology, we tend to ignore the batteries that power our latest gadgets. Battery constraints are one of the factors holding back an even greater technology revolution. The hope is that the research done at Northwestern University can change this.

When searching for something on the Internet, most people automatically go to Google. We even use it as a verb when we “Google” something. However, a lesser-used yet powerful 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 can 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 looking for. 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

When you search in Bing, you get more then just search results. Bing pulls up images, and videos that are relevant to your search. While Google has this function, Bing makes the navigation a bit more user friendly. Another useful feature is what they call Farecast Technology. This is part of the Bing Travel site and it allows users to locate the cheapest airfare easily.

Bing Video Search Shines

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

These are just some of the reasons why computer users shouldn’t be so quick to discount Bing. Yes, Google continues to be the go-to player when it comes to search engines. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only choice today.

Cloud computing has undoubtedly caught on. People can access data that is stored in the cloud—databases located far away from their own computer drives. They are able to store their favorite songs, access powerful word-processing software, and send their business proposals to the cloud. This conserves a lot of computer memory, as everything that’s stored in the cloud isn’t stored on a personal computer. The effect is a faster computing experience, as less programs gum up the running speed of home computers.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, that isn’t all that you should know about the cloud. There is the public cloud, which is the one most of us use, the private cloud, and the hybrid cloud. The hybrid cloud, as the name suggests, is a combination of using the public and private cloud.

To provide a hybrid cloud, a business may store some of their client’s more important or current data in-house and store older, archived, and less crucial files in the public cloud. They might also use the public cloud to store very large software programs and keep confidential information in-house.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

The hybrid cloud is a great way for companies to both reduce costs and save space. It takes advantage of the less expensive public cloud while guaranteeing that highly sensitive data is secured.

It’s not surprising that lots of businesses use the hybrid cloud. There is too much data storage needed today for a business to store it all and not slow down their systems. Furthermore, in this competitive climate, businesses need to make sure their sensitive data is protected. The hybrid cloud is often the best way businesses can accomplish these two things.

A growing number of employees today work remotely. This is possible due to advancements in technology. The rewards are many for both employee and employer. Employers can spend less money as they have less people that need space in the workplace. 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 cause burnout.

Remote Worker Challenges

A major concern for a lot of managers when deciding to have remote workers is, how do you monitor their work? How do you know that they’re actually working and not just watching movies all day?

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

Setting Remote Worker Deadlines

Employers might tell their remote workers that they must turn in a certain 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 that helps everyone stay focused on upcoming deadlines and goals.

Off-Site Not a Permanent Condition

Employers need to remember, as well, that remote workers do not have to stay that way. If employers discover that their off-site employees are not meeting deadlines or are delivering sub-par work, they can require that these workers return to the office on a full-time basis. Trust remains the key element of a remote working relationship. Companies must place some trust in their workers that they will finish their jobs on time. Workers must demonstrate that they are deserving of this trust by hitting their deadlines, turning in quality work, and replying quickly to phone calls or email messages.