Many of us get our entertainment, news, and pay our bills via the Internet. So, it’s not a big 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 advantages are many. People don’t have to move their music files onto different devices and they can listen to it anywhere they have access to the Internet.

If you are curious about the differences in these services, we have highlighted a few below.

Pandora: Pandora is very widely used because of its simple user interface. After navigating to the website, you are able to input a song or artist you want to hear and Pandora will create a “radio” station determined by that information. This is a wonderful way to learn about new artists with similar sounds. The stations that Pandora creates are easily customizable as well. If Pandora chooses an artist that you don’t like, you can click the thumbs down symbol on the song. Pandora provides further customization by allowing you to “seed” your station with various artists. While you can listen to Pandora without creating an account, it is crucial if you want to save your customized stations.

Grooveshark: Grooveshark is similar to Pandora. But you can also create your own playlists manually, all without creating an account. However, those who want to save their play lists will have to sign up for a free account. Like Pandora, Grooveshark also provides suggestions for songs that you might like based upon your past musical choices. Grooveshark also has an interesting feature: You can help build the service’s database of music by adding your own favorite songs and artists if you cannot find them in Grooveshark’s existing collection.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody has stayed fairly popular because of its huge database of music. It has more then 14 million songs. Unfortunately, while many of the services we have discussed offer a free version, Rhapsody does not. It is $10 a month for unlimited music.

Spotify: Spotify is a Swedish music-streaming service that was launched in 2008. It has rapidly 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 full 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 may create your own playlists and share them with other users if you so choose.

Remember when Windows was regarded as cool? It’s been a long time. Nevertheless, the Kinect – a motion and voice-sensing device initially meant as a nifty feature for the Xbox gaming system – may help Windows recapture 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 launched in February, companies started devising creative, out-of-the-box uses for it.

Innovative Uses for the Kinect

At the Chicago Auto Show the Chief Marketing Manager for Nissan North America used the Kinect in an interesting way, by creating a virtual tour of the enhanced interior of the Pathfinder. This worked out well as they only had the outer shell of the Pathfinder to actually display. By using the Kinect, participants could actually “see” what the interior looked liked.

Microsoft is encouraging companies to find different uses for the Kinect and even cooperating with them to create applications for it. This is a good move on their part, as it not only promotes ingenuity but it also puts a Microsoft product at the center of the creative development. One company that has worked with Microsoft in this way is Boeing. They’ve used the Kinect to develop virtual tours of their jets. Another exciting use of the Kinect was discovered by a hospital in Canada. They are utilizing the Kinect’s gesture-recognition to swipe through CT scans. This greatly lowers, if not eradicates, the risk of spreading germs as you don’t have to touch the computer.

Kinect: A Solid Hit

When Microsoft created the Kinect for Windows they hit a home run. Last year the Xbox 360 was the best selling gaming console. In fact, since November 2010, more then 18 million Kinect devices have been sold. This is definitely transforming the way that the consumer views Microsoft products.

It might seem hard to believe, but Windows and its creator could have actually found something that is not only useful, but cool, which can do nothing but good for their reputation.

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 inventive 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 interview.

Make sure that your interview questions solicit the data that will help you find the individual with the traits you want. If you use a cookie cutter approach to the interview, you’ll probably get uninspired, cookie cutter answers.

Ask the Right Questions

A common approach to the job interview is to ask about past positions the individual held. What their obligations were, etc. These are not the most effective questions as you only end up getting information that may be easily read from their resume. This doesn’t help you much if you are looking for specific qualities. Consider asking them how they improved their positions, were there any processes that they changed, or ways in which 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 gratifying. Truly creative workers are able to tell you of new innovations they developed and new programs that they created, all in the effort of adding that imaginative spark to their positions.

Another method you could use to gauge creativity is to give them a task to complete. Something simple, for instance have them write their ideas about what their ideal work environment would be like. Or they could brainstorm products and services for a company of your choosing. You could keep it light and fun; the goal is to get a snapshot of their brainstorming abilities, and imagination.

In today’s job market, employers have the benefit of choosing amongst many accomplished people. So to be able to find 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 are an inconvenience and expensive for the company. Business travelers often feel hurried, which results in insufficient sleep and poor eating habits, which exacerbates stress. Not to mention dealing with Airports and long-term parking. Because of this, many businesses choose to use videoconferencing whenever 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 something which we ought to strive for in business? Is it a good thing if videoconferencing replaces face-to-face meetings completely? Perhaps not, consider the differences between meetings that are face-to-face versus videoconferencing.

Fluid conversation tends to be less frequent when videoconferencing. It’s hard to identify precisely why. It may be due, in part, to office disruptions, and also to any lag that the videoconference has. These issues could be resolved with technological advancements. But generally, when people are videoconferencing they have a tendency to stick to the primary task of the meeting instead of allow discussion to flow naturally, which can lead to creative ideas.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Face-to-face interactions are more intimate and allow conversation to develop easily. Meetings may last longer should this happen, but the advantages of it can be great. New ideas come from the creative evolution of conversation. While it’s true that every meeting may not become a positive brainstorming session, it can be a great opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships in the office.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

Yes, business travel is a hassle and videoconferencing is a convenience. However, there are occassions when meeting face-to-face is the best option for generating the most imaginative business solutions. Due to this, don’t expect savvy business executives to ever totally replace business travel with videoconferencing.

Doesn’t it seem like we should already have jetpacks? Teleporters? Or meals in capsule form? We already have some amazing technology, like tablets, which are small computers that we can carry around. We can take advantage of the GPS in our cars to find the way around town. We can post an update to our social media sites and reach countless people at once.

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

Batteries power nearly all of our technology, particularly as we move into a more mobile world. Consequently, the more limited our batteries are, the greater limitations we have technologically. They are a fundamental part of our technology, so we need to concentrate on improving them before we can really make jumps in technology. Luckily, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University are creating a more powerful lithium-ion battery, which we discussed in a blog post last week. This could solve this issue in the coming years.

Improving Internet Access

The second limiting factor has to do with access. Basically, not enough of the world’s population has access to high-speed Internet access. It might seem like every public library, bookstore, and cafe’ provides its customers with access to high-speed wireless Internet, but this is mostly a mirage. The vast majority of humans don’t have quick 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 might not come as a surprise, but business matters impede technological advancements as well. For example, patent laws, and government regulations. If these things aren’t clear, inventions can sit in red tape limbo for a long time. To avoid this last step bottleneck of the creation process, laws need to be clear and easy to understand.

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

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Adobe Photoshop is an amazing tool. It lets organizations edit the images they need to make 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 with limited funds, this program isn’t practical. This doesn’t mean, though, that these small business owners don’t have photo-editing options. In fact, businesses can select 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 offer enough of the elements to be useful to the small business owner. This is a list of three that make photo-manipulation easy, without straining the wallet.

GIMP

GIMP is very easy to use and possesses most of the features from Photoshop that a business owner might need to create marketing material. The best thing about GIMP is that it’s completely free!

Paint.NET

Did you ever use MSPiant? It came with your Windows operating system and was very basic. Paint.NET is its successor and is considerably more powerful then its forerunner. One great feature for designers is an unlimited undo button. Paint.NET is a free program; the only negative about it is that it only works on Windows machines.

Picnik

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

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 an ideal alternative.

Your smartphone is remarkable. It can guide you to that trendy new fusion restaurant if you are lost. It can play your favorite sitcom as you head to work on the train. It can play your favorite song at the touch of a button. But it can’t do any of this if its battery is dead.

A Better Battery on the Way?

Engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University have been working on advancements in battery technology and may have found a way to make batteries charge in minutes and last considerably longer.

What they are concentrating on is a new lithium-ion battery that has more then 10 times the life of present batteries. Moreover, 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

In the end, this new cell phone battery could stay charged for a full week, even with all the apps we use daily. And the charging time? Under 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 impact on our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

The new battery technology isn’t available yet for consumers, but the Northwestern researchers say that it could hit the market in 3 to 5 years. This is a big step. When we look at advancements in technology, we often forget about the batteries that power our latest gadgets. Battery limitations are one of the factors holding back an even greater technology revolution. The hope is that the research done at Northwestern University changes this.

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 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 get more information about your search results then you do with Google. Bing features a navigation panel on the left that allows users to focus their search effortlessly. In addition, it organizes search results into logical categories, making it easier to get quick answers.

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 associated with your search. While Google has this feature, Bing makes the navigation a little more user friendly. Another valuable 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

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

These are a few of the reasons why computer users should not be so quick to ignore 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 data. People can store music, powerful programs, and essential files in the cloud. As information stored in the cloud isn’t stored on personal computers this saves lots of computer memory. The result of this is that people have access to more data without having to use up 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’re most familiarized. 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.

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

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

This frees up space on the in-house servers while making sure certain data is highly safeguarded. The hybrid cloud is a good way to provide businesses with high security cloud services while reducing costs and saving space.

It’s not surprising that many businesses use the hybrid cloud. There is too much data storage needed these days for a business to store it all and not bog down their systems. Additionally, in this competitive climate, organizations need to make sure their sensitive information is safeguarded. The hybrid cloud is often the best way businesses can accomplish both of these things.

A growing number of employees nowadays work remotely. This is possible as a result of 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 lead to burnout.

Remote Worker Challenges

One worry that many employers have when deciding to hire remote workers is, how can they monitor the amount of work they do? How do they know they are really working and not just playing games on their computer all day long?

Employers can take care of this dilemma by setting reasonable 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

This could be the simplest way to monitor your remote workers. Employers could decide that a certain amount of work needs to be completed by Friday. One other way would be to set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings via phone or video chat. To resolve any feelings of disconnect some employers may ask that a remote worker spend one day a week in the office. This can help keep everyone on course and informed.

Off-Site Not a Permanent Condition

While many people may have the personal discipline and time management skills to successfully 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 elements of a effective remote working relationship. The employee needs to maintain that trust by hitting deadlines and delivering excellent work.