Study: Working from home is more productive

The economy is in a phase of change and this has brought a major shift in how people find ways of earning money. The biggest resulting change has occurred in how people are now doing their work from the comfort of their homes.

A recent study carried out by Stanford has indicated that if most Americans are doing their office work from home, and are managing to be more productive than their office working counterparts.

There is still some concern among the top management specifically to allow more freedom to employees so that they could get their work done from their homes. Take for example the airline industry, where JetBlue are comfortable with their call center employees working from home but on the other Southwest have no such initiative.

Some interesting facts found during the study include:

• An overall average of 12 percent increase was seen in productive from home
• A much greater level of work satisfaction was seen in employees when working from home
• Workers were much less affected by tiredness and lack of energy when working from home.

So guys, what is your opinion of an employee working from home? Would you want a job which will allow you to do that?

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Microsoft Logo Change: A beginning of a new era?

Unless you've been hiding in a cave, you might have seen the brand spanking new Microsoft Logo announced public yesterday. The change marks the first since 1987 that such a major change in the Logo has been seen.

Microsoft states that with the change in Logo and Corporate identity, comes a new era of innovation and creative technology that hopefully will put the software giant back to where it used to be; on the very top.

The new Microsoft Logo seems different, with a hint towards shifting their focus from PC to mobiles. The traditional 4 colors are still there, but they now appear in a flat square of 4.

The change also announces Microsoft's intention to experiment with new technologies and to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity. That is of course in junction with the release of Windows 8 platform due October 26th.

The company's general manager from branding and strategic spoke of the change...

The change in Logo brings 'one of the most significant waves of product launches in Microsoft's history,'

In total, this is Microsoft's 5th Logo change since the company was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates, some 37 years ago.

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3 most useful tips and tricks in Windows 7

Windows 7 is by far the most complete operating system creating by Microsoft as yet. The release of Microsoft Windows 8 might change that fact but as with all previous operating system releases, that might take a lot of time.

Users generally prefer the Windows 7 interface due to its ease of use and very high level of reliability. Those days of operating systems experiencing total failures are gone, and Windows 7 has played a very important role in achieving that.

So it is imperative that you have a good grip on your system to extract the maximum benefit from it. We are laying down the 3 most useful tips and tricks in Windows 7.

1. Remember your shortcuts!

- Windows + Left / Windows + Right

This combo will shift your open window to either left or right, covering half part of your screen. It's a nice thing to have when you need to organize all your windows quickly.

- Windows + (Number)

This combo will open up the particular window in your taskbar. So if you press the number 1, the first window on your taskbar will open up. It's a neat option to have if you don't want to scroll around with mouse.

- Windows + E

Opens up your My Computer window. Good to remember this if you don't want to minimize all of those active windows to get to your My Computer icon on the desktop.

2. Reveal hidden drives in your system

Windows 7 generally doesn't show drives such as the floppy disk, or any micro card reader you might have. If you want them to be displayed on your My Computer screen, you can easily do that. Just head over to Folder Options (Organize ---> Folder and Search options), and select View.

Uncheck the option for 'Hide empty drives in My Computer folder'. Done!

3. Arrange your files by artists, songs, date, and various other methods

There are a variety of ways you can arrange your files in folders, and Windows 7 allows you to easily do that. For songs, it allows many options like authors, track rating, and so on. Other options include track length, artists etc.

There are various other very helpful tricks that you can learn to maximize your operating system's experience. We'll be covering more in another article soon.

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Apple officially the most valuable company in the world

Today, Apple's stock reached a record high, valuing at a whopping $623 billion, surpassing the record set by Microsoft Corporation in the previous decade.

The rise in Apple's stock is believed to be charged by the extremely high expectations of the upcoming iPhone 5 launch and a new iPad.

The important thing here to note is that analysts actually believe that this trend is set to continue and Apple's stock will continue to grow. This might very well be possible as Apple is rumored to be working on the Apple TV technology, thereby completing it's consumer products category of offerings.

If Apple can actually continue to grow beyond this gigantic feat will be an interesting thing to see, but one thing is for sure. We are witnessing history in the making and achievements like these are very rare.

Apple is a company that has already transformed lives of billions of people with it's unique array of technologically advanced products. Steve Jobs up there in heavens must be proud!

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Google + Introduces Vanity (Custom) URLs For Pages

Google + users have long been awaiting this announcement and it's finally been made. Officials at Google have announced that Vanity URLs or Custom URLs will soon be available for user's profile and pages. 

This means that users could set their own personalized usernames instead of the long chain of vague numbers and characters that come up with the G + URL of a page. 

It is interesting to note that some famous celebrities like Britney Spears, David Beckham and top brands like Toyota and Hugo Boss have already acquired custom URLs. Google's own official page also has a custom URL. 

Another update regarding this announcement is that the feature of Vanity URL's will currently be only available for verified Google + users. Verification can be done through submitting a formal request with your name, address and G+ page/profile that you want a Vanity/Custom URL for. 

Before this, Google + users had to use third party applications like Gplus.to for making custom URL's for their Google + pages.

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Facebook Promoted Posts Being Tested To Reach Users Beyond Fans

Facebook is yet again trying to experiment with another feature through which advertisers could promote a single post beyond their own fans on a particular page.

This means, that all you have to do is pay and your post will be seen to millions of people who have not yet liked your page. The 'promoted post' will look exactly like a normal post on a user's feed, but with a 'Sponsored' title to help users distinguish it from their normal posts.

The reach will of course depend on the number of dollars you decide to put in the advertising, but it's clear that Facebook is now going all out to fully monetize each and every feature of it's social network.

Some people are obviously taking this announcement negatively, as many still remember the news regarding Facebook using fake bots to pump up your advertising campaign likes etc.

The reality is that Facebook is loosing it's credibility and such new 'features' only damage it's image further and make it look like it's only interest is in raking money off its user base. Some people are going as far as to say it's just a professional way of having 'paid spam' on your Facebook.

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iPhone 5 Rumors: Apple working on a larger battery unit

We are still a couple of months away from the official release of the new iPhone 5, but rumors and news regarding it's specifications are all over the place. Apple fanatics want to get all the news they can get which can help them on what to expect to expect from the new release.

Various credible sources are suggesting that the iPhone 5 will definitely have a larger battery to support a much longer battery life. This will be made possible with the help of 1440mAh non-removable cell batteries.

It's important to note that this upgrade is not really that significant, in fact it's pretty much just 10mAh greater than what the battery of the iPhone 4S gave in terms of capacity. However, if Apple churns out a chipset that is more power efficient, only then can we it's real benefits.

Apple's announcement regarding the release date of the iPhone 5 is expected on 12th of September, with many putting the release sometime in October 2012.

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Miley Cyrus New Hairstyle: It's shorter, bolder and different!

Wandering who the stylish girl in the picture is? That's Miley Cyrus. Yes, she's got a new hairstyle and she's gone  for blonde, bold and aggressive.

How it happened? According to Miley herself, she went for the overhaul during this weekend, and dyed her locks a bright yellow blonde.

But fans of Miley Cyrus must have seen this change coming as the star had recently tweeted 'Change is coming'.

After the 'procedure', Miley told her fans that she 'never felt more me in her whole life' and was proud of her new look. And with this new hairstyle, Miley is looking forward to playing her upcoming role in Two and Half Men as a guest-star. 

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Blizzard network's security 'compromised'

The creators of World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo games, Blizzard Entertainment have issued a worrying statement regarding a breach in their networks which 'might' have compromised the security of their user's passwords and other sensitive details.

The actual word of 'hacked' wasn't really used in the official press release but things did look pretty worrying.

“This week our security team found an unauthorized and illegal access into our internal network here at Blizzard. We quickly took steps to close off this access and began working with law enforcement and security experts to investigate what happened”.

Looks like they do have taken back control of the situation but it's always a good thing to change your password  after such an event. The company was also quick to say that financial information of their user-base wasn't infected, like credit card details and security numbers. 

The attack was specific on the email addresses of Battle.net users from the North American region. 

Blizzard has formally apologized for this breach and has assured their users that their accounts are safe. The recommendation to change passwords is a safety precaution. 

Source

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Pinterest is now open to everyone; no more an 'Invite Only' social network

If you want to create an account on Pinterest and start pinning your favorite pins, then you won't be needing an invite anymore from any of your friend.

Pinterest made an official announcement on Wednesday this week that registration on the popular image sharing network is now open for everyone.

Previously, users had the option of inviting their friends and only then could one sign up for an account. Now, users can easily sign with either their personal email address or using the Facebook/Twitter connect features.

“We’re really excited to have the capacity to offer Pinterest to more people and if you’re a Pinner with friends who’ve been waiting on the sidelines, we hope you’ll let them know", said the official Pinterest blog

Among other announcements, Pinterest also revealed a few new categories of Pins, namely 'Quotes', 'Weddings' and 'Tattoos' among many others.

Recent studies suggest that Pinterest is still one of the fastest growing social networks out there, and arguably stands 3rd behind giants like Facebook and Twitter.

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Crysis 3 trailer reveals all out action

It's bigger and better than ever, and the new Crysis 3 interactive trailer confirms what the fans were hoping for.

The previous installments of Crysis games have all been about giving the players the choice to decide their course for the game, and Crysis 3 retains the same type of gameplay etiquette.

The game developers have confirmed that with the help of the nanosuit's incredible powers and abilities, the players will have a lot more freedom in the game than ever before.

As seen in the new trailer, combat can be done either in stealth mode or with all out crazy gun slinging action. It's all upto the players.

Crysis 3 is expected to hit the stores for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in February 2013.

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First 3D images of Mars from Curiosity Rover!

Get your 3D glasses ready, because NASA has just released the first 3D images of the Mars landscape from it's Curiosity rover.

Copyright NASA

The mars rover has also sent out other very clear pictures this time, which show the barren landscape of the martian planet. The pictures before this had all been covered with a lot of dust on the cameras. That apparently has been fixed now.

These pictures are the first in dozen of planned uploads that NASA intends while the Mars rover continues to explore the planet surface. A total of 17 cameras will gradually be activated on the rover, thus revealing a lot more detail and various camera angles over time. However, it will take a few weeks for the robot to actually move around and explore.

Copright NASA

People interested in more pictures will have to wait a few days. But the good news is that the robot is 'top condition' after it's landing and scientists at NASA are optimistic about its health and overall structure.

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Doctor Who Series 7 Official Trailer: It's Here!

The long awaited trailer for the brand new series 7 of Doctor Who is here!. The BBC has released the trailer approximately a month before the first episode titled 'Asylum of the Daleks' hit the TV screens all across UK and US.

The trailer is too epic for words. It shows The Doctor travelling around alone before re-connecting with the Ponds (Amy and Rory). We can see the Wild West, Space Ships, lots of Daleks and... Dinosaurs, in a space ship!

Stefen Moffat (executive producer) has definitely outdone himself this time. This series promises to be the best one yet and of course the last one for Amy and Rory Pond.

Right then, here's the trailer. Enjoy!

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