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Choppy Waters Ahead for the Federal IT Market, Part 1 November 21, 2011 The big number always seems to be there. The big number is the amount of money the U.S. federal government invests in information technology. In constant dollars, that number has hovered slightly above or slightly below $80 billion per year since 2007, according to TechAmerica. That funding level is an inviting target for vendors and is frequently cited as the size of the federal IT market.

Turkey 2.0: New Ways to Get Help With the Bird November 16, 2011 Turkey hotlines revolutionized the way home cooks dealt with kitchen emergencies during Thanksgiving. Now, hotlines are being joined by social media, videos, apps and other twenty-first century ways of solving bird problems. The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line women -- and they are all women -- have been helping people cook their turkeys for years.

Mobile Apps to Keep Your Mind on Your Money November 09, 2011 Managing personal finances once involved lots of paper. Then computer programs came along that helped simplify the process. Now a multitude of mobile apps are available to help people attend to money matters on the go. "It's very convenient to have it in your pocket on your phone," said Garth Scrivner, senior investment counselor with StanCorp Investment Advisers.

Quantum Computers, Part 3: A Whole New World November 04, 2011 At universities and companies around the globe, there are people plugging away trying to solve the myriad technological challenges of quantum computers. But that doesn't mean practical applications of quantum computing are some futuristic fantasy. Already, quantum technology is trickling into the real world.

Quantum Computers, Part 2: Zeros and Ones, Both and Neither November 03, 2011 Comparing an atom to a coin is like comparing a human heart to a repeatedly clinching fist. The analogy is woefully simplistic in relation to what is actually going on. But someone with a layman's understanding of the human body is unlikely to grasp the nuances of the human heart. Similarly, someone whose understanding of physics is derived from high school science class is unlikely to grasp the quantum world.

Ecology and Technology: Jobs in the Green IT Industry November 02, 2011 Green IT is not one industry. Instead, it refers to a number of interrelated fields that focus on designing, manufacturing, installing, using and recycling computers, data centers, electronics and other parts and pieces of information systems. And because of its broad reach, it means the possibility of many different kinds of jobs.

Quantum Computers, Part 1: A Simple Understanding November 02, 2011 Good luck finding a nice, clean entry point to discuss quantum computers. It should come as no surprise, of course, that something called "quantum computers" would be tricky to talk about. The inner workings of computers are plenty complex to begin with.

Recycle, Reuse and Employ: Jobs in the Recycling Industry October 26, 2011 It might not be as glamorous as some industries, but recycling is booming. The industry supports more than 450,000 jobs for Americans and generates $10.3 billion in revenue for federal, state and local governments -- making it larger than the forestry and fishing industries combined.

Roasting in California: Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Fans Can't Order Online October 21, 2011 When consumers in California visit the Dunkin' Donuts website hoping to order a bag of their favorite java, they are met with the following message: "Important Notice: We are temporarily suspending the shipment of orders to California while we work to comply with Proposition 65 ... ." Bloggers, commenters, and reviewers have been lighting up the Web with their frustration.

Heating Up: Jobs in the Geothermal Industry October 19, 2011 Compared to solar and wind, geothermal energy is still a small fraction of the renewable energy market. It's holding its own, however, and it's likely to become a much bigger player in the not-so-distant future. "The resource is enormous," said Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association. "We're looking for how to solve our energy problems, and this is a huge resource we're only starting to tap."

How Linuxy Is Android? October 18, 2011 The Kindle Fire, the Android-based tablet Amazon revealed in late September, could well be the next step in the ongoing metamorphosis of Google's Linux derivative into a proprietary operating system. Even if Amazon does not lock down its altered Android platform, it clearly has created a major fork in the Linux road.

Blowing in the Wind: Jobs in the Wind Industry October 12, 2011 Like other renewable energy resources, wind energy is taking off. The second quarter of 2011 saw more than 1,003 megawatts of wind power capacity installed, and the wind industry has contributed upwards of 35 percent of all new generating capacity during the past four years, second only to natural gas, according to the America Wind Energy Association.

A Place in the Sun: Jobs in the Solar Industry October 05, 2011 Solar is no longer on the back burner; it's right there at the front of the stove, demanding that economists and job seekers alike take notice. "It's a tough environment, but I think it will continue to grow," said Gerald Kelly, communications director for Third Sun Solar. "As we move forward as a nation, more people will see that it makes sense to develop renewables."

Online Ad Scams, Part 2: Fighting Back September 23, 2011 Victims bilked of their money by fake online ads are not the only ones hurt. "Blatant fraud, like the fake-news diet promotions and other online scams that have sprouted in recent years, only serves to undermine consumer confidence and eventually marketers and business as a whole," said attorney Bill Rothbard.

In-Your-Face Advertising That Consumers Might Love September 21, 2011 3D marketing is powerful -- and even more so, when it's delivered to the palm of your hand. Mobile 3D is becoming an increasingly common way of grabbing, holding, and entertaining consumers. From using current mobile technologies to create a sense of 3D, to creating actual images that seem to pop off the screen and into the air, mobile marketers are using the power of interactivity.

Online Ad Scams, Part 1: Tip for a Tiny Belly and Other Snake Oil September 16, 2011 You've seen the ad a thousand times on the Internet: "1 Tip for a Tiny Belly" says the hand-lettered headline above the crudely drawn swelling-and-shrinking belly. "Cut down a bit of your belly everyday following this one weird tip," it goes on to say. If starvation caused by having funds continuously siphoned from your bank account counts as a weight loss program, then maybe the ad lives up to its claim.

Location-Based Marketing: X Marks the Sweet Spot September 14, 2011 You might not care about your friend's innumerable Foursquare updates detailing his stops at a bank, a bookstore, and finally a local Italian restaurant, where he's having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. You can bet, however, that marketers do. After all, the more businesses know about where their potential customers are, the more they can send them highly personalized marketing messages.

Behind the Paywall, Part 3: A Breed Apart September 09, 2011 Fan sites are immune from many of the Achilles' heels that plague other media outlets. Indeed, people don't need fan sites to be in the know. When news breaks about a player, it will within moments be splattered all over the Web. But even if fans don't need these sites for news, they need them for camaraderie. This is one of the things that insulates fan sites from the paywall pitfalls that have ravaged other media outlets.

Behind the Paywall, Part 2: You Gotta Have a Gimmick September 08, 2011 If recruiting followed porn's lead into the world of 900 numbers, it did the same on the Internet. Porn was among the first and most successful industries to charge for content online, supplying a different type of fix for an equally zealous audience. However, like so many others, the porn industry's ability to charge for content has eroded over time. News is another commodity that people have been devoutly unwilling to pay for.

When Salaried Employees Leave the Office Nest September 07, 2011 Of the nearly 6 million people who consider home their primary place of work, 2.8 million -- slightly more than 2 percent of the population -- are employed by someone else, not "self-employed," according to the U.S. Census Bureau. When accounting for those working at least one day from home, these figures shoot up to 20 to 30 million employees, reported the Telework Research Network.