The Internet has changed the way we get our news, watch movies, and pay our bills. It’s no wonder, 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.

So we thought we would share with you some information about some of the more common streaming services:

Pandora: Pandora is hardly a surprise choice, but there is 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 may not experience otherwise. The idea 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 which you might also like.

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

Rhapsody: Rhapsody has remained fairly popular due to its huge database of music. It has more then 14 million songs. Unfortunately, while many of the services we have talked about offer a free version, Rhapsody does not. 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 simple to use interface. You can enjoy 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 appealing to individuals who enjoy the nostalgia of making mix tapes. A lot of people love Spotify’s integration with Facebook. By utilizing the Facebook app, Spotify generates a running list of what you are enjoying day by day. You can also see what your Facebook friends are listening too, in real-time.

It’s been a little while 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 created as a feature for the Xbox gaming console.

Microsoft in February introduced Kinect for Windows. This version of the device works with, of course, Windows-operated personal computers. Now a number of users are putting the device to work in unforeseen ways.

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 upgraded interior on a large screen using the Kinect.

Microsoft is also encouraging companies to use the Kinect imaginatively by working with them to create custom Kinect applications. Nearly 350 companies today are working with Microsoft in this way. 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, eliminating the danger of touching germs on a keyboard or mouse.

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 changing the way that the consumer views Microsoft products.

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

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When you dig through the potential candidates for the position you’re hiring for, you want to find the super stars. You want to find the most imaginative, enthusiastic, and motivated people you can. But you can only find out who fits the bill through an interview. And if you don’t ask the correct questions you may misjudge your applicants.

If you hold the conventional job interview, asking the same tedious questions, the odds are you won’t be able to tell the top applicants 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 prospects what their job titles were at past positions. Don’t ask them what their responsibilities were. Instead, ask them to list any imaginative ideas that they created 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. Rather, ask them how they bring their unique personalities to their jobs. Ask them what they do to make their jobs more interesting and fulfilling. Truly creative workers can 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 simple way to gauge a prospective employee’s creativity is to ask them to carry out a task. For example, you could ask them to brainstorm ideas for an ad campaign, or write a short essay about their ideal work environment. Whatever it is, it is something your interviewee will not expect and it will give you a snapshot of their creativity.

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

No one likes traveling for business. Airports are a headache, with all of that business of removing your shoes, having to pay extra to stow bags, as well as the constant delays and cancellations. We are likely to 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 no wonder that so many business people are longing for advancements in videoconferencing technology. After all, if this technology improves sufficiently – the logic goes – maybe off-site business meetings, and the business travel that goes with this, might be a thing of the past.

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.

When people around the world sign on to a videoconference, they generally 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 because of the worry that the connection may fail. Also, there are many distractions within the individual’s office that can make fluid conversation difficult.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Face-to-face interactions tend to be more personal and allow conversation to develop easily. Meetings may last longer if this happens, but the advantages of it can be excellent. New ideas come from the creative progression of conversation. While it’s true that every meeting may not turn into a positive brainstorming session, it can be a great opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships in the office.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

Humans are a social species. Due to this, it’s doubtful that business travel will disappear altogether. However, in today’s economy, many small business owners just can’t afford to send their sales people away every time the need to meet a customer. For this reason, developments in videoconferencing are necessary but the benefits of in-person meetings are so great that the savvy business owner will not abandon them for videoconferencing all together.

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Remember watching sci-fi movies as a child and thinking we would have jetpacks at some point? Or teleporters? We don’t have these technologies yet but we do have many remarkable technologies that seem straight out of a science fiction movie. Our cars can guide us around a city, via GPS. We can carry tablet computers around with us that hold our data. And we can speak with associates all over the world at the push of a button.

So, with all of this technology, why don’t we have jet packs yet? What factors are preventing 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. As a result, the more limited our batteries are, the greater limitations we have technologically. They are an integral part of our technology, so we need to concentrate on improving them before we can really make jumps in technology. Fortunately, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University are designing a more efficient lithium-ion battery, which we discussed in a blog post last week. This may solve this issue in the next few years.

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. Although this may not seem like it could hold back technological advancements, it does. The reasoning is that by limiting the number of people who can contribute to the interconnectedness the Internet provides, we are reducing the amount of individuals who can collaborate. Until the majority of individuals are connected, technological advancements will not happen as fast as they could.

The Business of New Tech

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

The great news is that none of these limitations can truly stop technology from improving. Just think ahead to the holiday season of 2020. You never know what innovations will be awaiting us.

Adobe Photoshop is an excellent photo manipulation tool. With it, businesses can produce professional looking marketing materials fairly easily. The biggest issue with Photoshop is the cost. A person looking to purchase it can spend more then $600 for newer versions. This is not feasible for many small business owners, plus they probably don’t need all of the features that a $600 photo-editing program comes equipped with. Luckily, there are many alternatives to Photoshop that are low-cost 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 best free photo-editing programs available today:

GIMP

GIMP is very simple to use and possesses most of the features from Photoshop that a business owner would need to create marketing material. The best thing about GIMP is that it’s absolutely 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 predecessor. One great feature for designers is an unlimited undo button. Paint.NET is a free program; the only negative regarding 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 very popular 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 bit of online hunting, even the most frugal of business owners will find a wonderful alternative.

Have you ever needed your smartphone only to find that the battery has died and you’re nowhere near an outlet? It’s frustrating, but in a few 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, 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 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 way to prolong the charge of lithium-ion batteries by more then 10 times the present lithium-ion battery life. They’re 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 effective than batteries at this time.

A Charged Battery for a Week

This might be hard to believe, especially with all the apps we run on our devices, but this new battery could stay charged for an entire week. And the charging time could be less then 15 minutes. That will certainly make life easier but this technology may have a even more significant impact then that. It could be applied to the batteries utilized in electric cars, making them far more efficient, and radically decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

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

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 get more information about your search results then you do with Google. Bing includes a navigation panel on the left that allows users to focus their search easily. Additionally, it organizes search results into logical categories, making it simpler to find 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 relevant to your search. While Google has this function, Bing makes the navigation a bit more user friendly. Another helpful feature is what they call Farecast Technology. This is part of the Bing Travel site and it allows users to locate the cheapest airfare quickly.

Bing Video Search Shines

Bing stands apart 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 would like, and what screen size they’d prefer. Additionally, to get a preview of the video, users only need to hover their cursor over the video to play a portion of it without clicking on it.

These are a few reasons why Bing shouldn’t be overlooked. Google might be the current king of search engines, but Bing has a lot to deliver surfers of the Web.

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly more common. A very basic definition of the cloud is: a group of remote servers where people can store and access their data. One benefit of utilizing the cloud is that powerful programs and files may be stored at a remote location so they don’t burn up memory on personal computers and bog down operating systems.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, that isn’t all that you should understand about the cloud. There is the public cloud, 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 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 can also use the public cloud to store very large software programs while keeping confidential information in-house.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

This frees up space on the in-house servers while guaranteeing certain data is highly protected. The hybrid cloud is an excellent strategy to provide businesses with high security cloud services while cutting costs and saving space.

Because of this it’s not surprising that the hybrid cloud is so widely used. Businesses today have too much data to store on their own servers but they don’t want the security risk that can come with the public cloud. Using the hybrid cloud they are able to keep space in their systems free while protecting their data.

A growing number of employees today 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 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

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 employees are pounding away at their keyboards or playing Angry Birds on their smartphones all day?

By setting sensible deadlines employers can monitor their remote workers effectively. This is a change in managerial strategy; it puts the focus on the goal rather then the hours that the employee works. In the end, employees are the only ones who know when they work most effectively, even if it is from midnight to 4am.

Setting Remote Worker Deadlines

Employers might tell their remote workers that they must turn in a specified amount of work every Wednesday and Friday. This makes 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 particular tasks. Some employers may prefer to require that their remote workers spend at least 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. People who are chronic procrastinators may not work 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 needs to hit their deadlines and the employer needs to be focused on the results.