One of the major benefits of cloud computing is that it allows you to access your data from practically any location with an Internet connection. Instead of storing your information locally by way of internal hard drives, external hard drives and USB storage devices, your information is stored online. There has been perhaps no greater indication of the impact and continued growth of this type of service than the convergence of the Windows 8 operating system and the cloud.

For the uninitiated, Baidu is the primary search engine available throughout China and surrounding regions. In recent years, like many technology companies throughout China, Baidu has incorporated cloud-computing technology with their search engine. It was recently announced that they would offer cloud-powered storage to processing abilities for interested developers. The goal is offer a development environment free of servers and dedicated processing technology. This expected to open a whole new world of opportunities for web developers and general search engine users alike.

Since the advent of mainstream use for social media on smartphones and other devices, it has gotten easier to find and report missing people. It's faster and more efficient to pass a picture around a favorite social network, than it is to put it on a milk carton. As users are checking messages and accepting friend requests, they are also pausing long enough to look at that missing person picture their friends shared. Within seconds, their entire network of friends, family and co-workers can receive that picture and share it within their own networks. This method is thought to be so much more efficient, that missing persons organizations are now establishing a presence on global social sites such as Facebook.

Search Engines are the quick and easy way to get to where you want to go online no matter what you may be looking for. The majority of internet traffic is initiated right from a user's search engine of choice. At the same time, internet advertising has changed into an ocean of ways to promote services, products, and businesses many times over and more effectively than ever before.

Before you can start a website or a blog, it is necessary to find a quality web hosting service. These companies will allow you to register a domain name and upload files to start building your website. Since not all web hosting is created equal and companies can vary in terms of their packages, it's important to take a few key factors into consideration before making your selection.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it will serve as the lead federal agency for a White House Initiative called US Ignite, which aims to realize the potential of fast, open, next-generation networks.

You might have a brilliant new website with lots of features, videos, an online shop, testimonials, and image galleries, with a good design, but unless your website can be found by potential customers, your website is effectively useless.

In recent years, virtualization has become a key component of business operation. As virtual machines have become widely used throughout the business community, companies like VMware have come center-stage as leading providers of virtualization environments. There are several reasons for this, but the main causes have to do with the versatility of resource management within the virtualization environment. 

A web hosting company plays a significant role in the functioning of a website. There are many factors that go into choosing the right web hosting company. Here are 5 of the most important attributes one should look for when choosing a provider:

Speed and Reliability

It is crucial that websites stay online as much as possible. Hosting companies that frequently shut down websites for maintenance or other technical issues can detract visitors from ever attempting to access the site again. A site that loads too slowly can also greatly diminish the number of visitors.

Security

Online security is becoming far more important. Hackers are devising new ways to access sensitive web content and steal personal information. Reputable web hosting companies should always use the best website protection. It is best to pay close attention to the security features a company offers when choosing a web hosting provider.

Researchers in the UK have made what they say is a significant breakthrough in building computer chips for use in quantum computers.

Unlike computers in wide use today, the promise of quantum computers is that they will be able to carry out computations using effects described by quantum physics, the physics that describes the universe at the atomic and sub-atomic levels, making them faster and smaller than any current computer could ever be. The problem, unsurprisingly, is actually working at the quantum level.

Still, the immense promise of the quantum computer makes the difficulty of working at that level a worthwhile challenge that physicists are keen to explore, especially since existing computer technology is likely to reach the point of diminishing returns in the near future.

It is the public airwaves and television broadcasters that the Obama Administration is after.

President Obama has proposed an expansion of America’s high-speed broadband system with the aim that it reach almost 100 percent of households in the U.S. The president promotes a WiMAX broadband wireless internet system as the future standard for Internet users.

WiMAX services are considered cost effective and those that support the legislation think that revamping the scope of technology for the country with the WiMAX system would create needed jobs and boost industry stock.

Deranged mass murderer Anders Breivik claimed to enjoy violent video games and wrote in his manifesto that playing those games was a good way to train for real world violence.

His statements seem to some to verify a link between violence and video games that critics of the popular software titles have long alleged. Following Breivik’s killing spree, retailers in Norway reacted by removing violent games from store shelves.

Norwegian retailer Coop Norway said it was removing 51 titles from its shelves. Included among those that will no longer be sold are titles in the Call of Duty series as well as Sniper Ghost Warrior, Counter-Strike Source, World of Warcraft, and Homefront.

Geir Inge Stokke, retail director for Coop Norway, said it was the right thing to do.

“At the moment it’s [appropriate] for us to take them down,” Stokke said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if others do the same. We have to think very carefully about when to bring these goods back. The economy involved is of no importance.”

Users of Apple’s iPhone mobile devices may not be able to use their gadgets to capture footage when attending live events in the future.

A patent filed by the company describes a method of disabling the iPhone’s camera when at a live event. According to London’s Daily Mail, if and when the technology comes to the iPhone, “Anybody holding up their iPhone [at a live event] will find it triggers infra-red sensors installed at the venue.” The paper continues: “These sensors would then automatically instruct the iPhone to shut down its camera function, preventing … footage from being recorded.”

The apparent reason for the camera disabling technology is to prevent amateurs attending events from getting a scoop on “authorized” media outlets who have paid for licenses to broadcast footage from concerts, sports, and other live events.

Beginning in July, it will be illegal for residents of Tennessee to post pictures online, on social networking sites like Facebook and photo sharing sites like Flickr, that might frighten or disturb another person.

According to technology and social networking news blog mashable.com, "The state of Tennessee amended Tennessee Code Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3 of it's harassment law, which was previously focused on malicious person-to-person communication, to apply to anyone transmitting potentially offensive images on the web."

For those concerned about basic fundamental rights, this is a stunning and disturbing state level assault on freedom of speech.

On his popular blog "Volokh Conspiracy," UCLA legal scholar Eugene Volokh described some of the ramifications of the new law.

Increasingly, solid-state drives (SSDs) appear to be the future of data storage in the computer industry. Currently, SSDs make innovative new products like Apple’s iPad and other tablet computers possible. Small in physical size, fast and reliable, they allow the performance improvements manufacturers depend on in bringing tablets to market.

SSDs are also increasingly available in traditional computing platforms. Apple offers SSDs as the storage technology in the popular MacBook Air and and MacBook Pro laptop computers, with the latter available with SSD drives up to 512 GB in size. Of course, that size comes with a price. The inclusion of a 512 GB SSD in a MacBook Pro adds a whopping $1,200 to the base price.

Development of the technology, however, continues. Now, Intel Corp. has announced the availability of its next generation SSD drives.

On March 28, Intel announced its third-generation SSD, the 320 Series available in configurations up to 600 GB in storage capacity. The new design also features the company’s 25 nanometer (nm) technology which the company claims will lead to performance and reliability improvements.