Thanks to the Internet, most people pay their bills, seek out entertainment, and get their news on-line. So it is not surprising that music streaming is as popular as it is. Many people stream their music and there are a variety of music-streaming services to choose from. This can be very advantageous as people always have access to their music, as long as they have access to the Internet.
But which music-streaming services are the best? Below are a few recommendations:
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 terrific 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 select the thumbs down symbol on the song. Pandora allows for further customization by allowing you to “seed” your station with different artists. While you can tune in to Pandora without creating an account, it is necessary if you want to save your individualized stations.
Grooveshark: Grooveshark is a lot like Pandora in that it generates a “radio” station based upon your musical tastes. However, you can also enjoy entire albums on Grooveshark and create playlists. One distinctive feature of Grooveshark is the capability to upload your own music to the Grooveshark database if you cannot find what you are searching for. This is a smart and simple opportunity for Grooveshark to grow its library.
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 was introduced in 2008, and since then it has exploded into one of the most widely known and used music-streaming services. Spotify is very simple to use and, like Grooveshark, users can listen to entire albums or choose to use the radio function. One thing that people love about Spotify is its integration with Facebook. If you use 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.
It’s been some time since Windows was thought to be cool but the Kinect may change all that. The Kinect is a voice and motion-sensing device which was originally designed as a feature for the Xbox gaming console.
Microsoft in February launched Kinect for Windows. This version of the device works with, of course, Windows-operated pcs. Now a number of users are putting the device to work in unforeseen ways.
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 an excellent 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 build virtual tours of their jets. Another unique use of the Kinect was discovered by a medical facility in Canada. They are using the Kinect’s gesture-recognition to swipe through CT scans. This greatly decreases, if not eliminates, the chance of spreading germs because you don’t have to touch the computer.
Kinect: A Solid Hit
When Microsoft developed 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.
The Kinect has many uses outside of what it was originally developed for. Microsoft actually designed something which is not only useful, but considered cool. This change in attitude toward Microsoft could help the company in lots of ways.
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There are lots of people searching for jobs today. However, as an employer, you are not looking for just anyone. You want to hire the best, most creative 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 begins with the job interview.
Make certain that your interview questions solicit the data that will help you select the individual with the attributes you want. If you use a cookie cutter approach to the interview, you are likely to get uninspired, cookie cutter answers.
Ask the Right Questions
Rather then asking people what their former positions were, ask them the way 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?
One of the most typical questions to ask a candidate concerns their strengths and weaknesses. Try to avoid asking them to list these; most people have predetermined answers. Instead ask them what they bring to the culture of a company, or ask them what they do to make their job more satisfying. The answers you get to these sorts of questions will help you gauge the actual inventiveness of the person you are evaluating.
Another method you could use to determine creativity is to give them a task to perform. Something simple, for example 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.
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 change the way they carry out their job interviews.
There aren’t many people who look forward to going on business trips. They are a hassle and expensive for the organization. Business travelers often feel rushed, which results in insufficient sleep and poor dietary habits, which exacerbates stress. Not to mention dealing with Airports and long-term parking. Because of this, many businesses decide 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?
But is this something which we should strive for in business? Is it the best thing if videoconferencing replaces face-to-face meetings altogether? Perhaps not, consider the differences between meetings that are face-to-face versus videoconferencing.
When people around the world sign on to a videoconference, they generally introduce themselves quickly, if required, and then dive into the goal at hand. Brainstorming does not often play a big part in videoconferencing; this is partially because of the worry that their connection may fail. As well, there are many distractions within the individual’s office that can make fluid conversation tricky.
The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time
At in-person meetings, however, agendas have a way of falling by the wayside, and that’s a good thing. Meetings may start only after a few minutes of personal chit chat and they might end with participants swapping office stories. Again, this is good. Often, the best business ideas arise from these moments of off-topic discussion.
Business Travel is Here to Stay
Yes, business travel is an inconvenience and videoconferencing is a convenience. However, there are times when meeting face-to-face is the best option for generating the most imaginative business solutions. For this reason, don’t expect savvy business executives to ever entirely replace business travel with videoconferencing.
Doesn’t it seem like we should currently have jetpacks? Teleporters? Or meals in tablet form? We already have some impressive technology, like tablets, which are small computers that we can carry around. We can utilize the GPS in our cars to get around around town. We can post an update to our social media sites and reach countless people at once.
So, why don’t we have teleporters and hovercrafts? What is preventing us from taking these leaps in technology?
Building a Better Battery
Batteries power nearly all of our technology, particularly as we move into a more mobile world. For that reason, the more limited our batteries are, the more limitations we have technologically. They are a fundamental part of our technology, so we need to focus 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 could solve this limitation in the next few years.
Improving Internet Access
The second limiting factor has to do with access. Simply put, 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 patrons with access to high-speed wireless Internet, but this is mostly a mirage. The vast majority of humans do not have easy access to the web. Until this occurs, we’ll be needlessly limiting the development of technology. The more minds that are connected on the Web, the better the possibilities are of reaching the next tech breakthrough.
The Business of New Tech
Finally, there’s the business end of things. Technological progress is slowed by arcane things such as patent law. Businesses take their time releasing new gadgets and services because they must first traverse a minefield of laws and government regulations. These laws are important. However, they must be clear and easy to comprehend so new technology isn’t bottled up needlessly.
Even though there are a few things that are holding technology back, it is still developing 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 an amazing tool. It lets organizations edit the images they need to create professional-looking brochures, pamphlets, and marketing materials. However, 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 just is not practical. This doesn’t mean, though, that these small business owners do not have photo-editing options. In fact, businesses can select from a host of alternatives that are not only cheaper but are actually free.
Of course, these programs are not as powerful as Photoshop. But they have enough photo-editing features for small business owners to effortlessly create professional looking material. Below is a list of the best free photo-manipulation programs now available.
GIMP is very easy to use and possesses most of the features from Photoshop that a business owner would need to create marketing material. The beauty of GIMP is that it’s completely free!
Do you remember 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 great for people who want to experiment with the effects. The one negative of this program is it only works with Windows.
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.
In the end, if you are looking for a program that lets you create professional marketing material, there is no need to spend a lot. These programs will let you accomplish this task at no cost.
Your smartphone is fantastic. It can steer 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?
Luckily, a better battery might soon be on the way, due to the efforts of a team of engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University. A recent story reports that researchers at this Big 10 university are attempting to develop a battery that lasts longer and can recharge itself in mere minutes. Smartphone users across the country ought to be grateful.
Northwestern’s researchers have found a way to increase the charge of lithium-ion batteries by more then 10 times the current 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
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? Less than 15 minutes. That 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 therefore, have a dramatic effect on our reliance on fossil fuels.
Batteries Powering Technological Change
While this new battery technology will have a significant 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 innovative technologies, but the more we depend upon mobile devices the more important they become. Breakthroughs in battery technology may in fact hold the key to an even greater technological movement.
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 should not be dismissed. Although many Internet users still use Google as their primary search engine, Bing has numerous features that make for a robust searching experience.
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. There’s also 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 newest videos. For users looking 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 lets users quickly locate the most affordable airfare to specific destinations.
Bing Video Search Shines
Bing shines, too, when it comes to searching for videos. Before searching, users can tell Bing how long they would like their videos to be, what screen size they’d like them to be, and what image resolution they’d prefer. Users can start their videos merely by hovering their cursors over a screen capture.
These are some reasons why computer users shouldn’t disregard 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 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 tons 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; there are different types of clouds. You have the public cloud, the private cloud, and the hybrid cloud. Most of us use the public cloud, businesses that want to use cloud services to store very private data can choose to use a private cloud, and the hybrid cloud is a combination of the two.
For a business to provide a hybrid cloud, they store a client’s most confidential data on their in-house private cloud, and data that requires less defense on a public cloud. For example, archived files and large programs.
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 protection, cost-savings, and efficiency.
Because of this it’s not surprising that the hybrid cloud is so popular. Businesses these days 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. Utilizing the hybrid cloud they can keep space in their systems free while protecting their data.
A growing number of employees these days work remotely. This is possible on account 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 instead of working 9 hours straight, which can lead to burnout.
Remote Worker Challenges
One worry that lots of employers have when deciding to hire remote workers is, how can they monitor the volume of work they do? How do they know they are really working and not just playing games on their computer all day long?
By setting sensible deadlines employers can monitor their remote workers successfully. This is a change in managerial strategy; it puts the focus on the goal rather then the amount of time that the employee works. In the end, employees are the only ones who know when they perform most optimally, 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 may also schedule regular updates by phone, video chat, or through instant messaging, in which workers can explain how far along they are with certain 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
Employers need to remember, too, that remote workers don’t have to stay that way. If employers see that their off-site workers are not meeting deadlines or are turning in sub-par work, they can require that these workers return to the office on a full-time basis. Trust continues to be the key element of a remote working relationship. Organisations must place some trust in their workers that they’ll complete their jobs on time. Workers must demonstrate that they are deserving of this trust by hitting their deadlines, turning in quality work, and responding quickly to phone calls or email messages.
