From Codswallop:

Running a business for yourself means you have to be inventive and always on the lookout for a new and better way to get things done. Innovation junkies, take note: the Internet has a lot to offer. From invoicing to marketing, these are tools that freelancers need to know about.

Codswallop » The Freelancer's Toolset: 100 Web Apps for Everything You Will Possibly Need

Many small business owners assume that getting listed, or "indexed", by Google's search engine is a matter of flipping a switch or two, or simply submitting your site to Google. I'm here to tell you that it's a whole lot more complicated than that.

The most important thing to understand is that it will take time for your site to gain legitimacy in the eyes of Google, but there are some things you can start to do to help.  Whatever you do, don't follow any suggestions of over-zealous marketers who claim to get you to the top of Google.  They are scam artists and are likely to get you banned from the Google index for trying to scam the system.

Above all, remember that Google's interest lies not in publicizing your business through its search results, but rather providing the most relevant and worthy results to searchers. This is precisely why Google has garnered such great success as a search engine.

The million dollar question is: how do you make sure that Google thinks your site is relevant and worthy? Well, it's not an easy question to answer- a whole industry called SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has been built around improving search engine rankings for businesses. Unfortunately, many of these companies are unscrupulous.  The truth of it is, there's no one magic factor that can pop you up to the top of Google's search results overnight, but over time, if you are building a worthwhile site, you are sure to be noticed.

Making sure to include articles and interesting content on your site- and submitting that content to other sites as well, is one great way to improve your Google ranking.

Digital cameras are fantastic, but frequently they suffer from "shutter lag"- like when you're trying to take a picture of your nephew whizzing by on a bike, and all you seem to get is asphalt.  There's a significant delay in some cameras between when you press the button, and when the picture is taken- even a quarter of a second makes a huge difference between getting the perfect shot and ending up with a dud.

This Times article explains the phenomenon, and suggests some models which have a more responsive shutter time.

Digital cameras that minimize shutter lag - New York Times

Evidently, there are a large number of Americans who are still not up to speed with cell phone and Internet technologies.  This comes as no big surprise to me, having seen how awful software and cell phone companies treat their customers.

Stunningly, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has suggested in their report on 'Technology and Media Usage' that nearly half of US citizens have a "distant or non-existent relationship to modern information technology", with 15% of Americans disconnected from cell phones or an Internet connection.

iTWire - 15% of Americans are off the network!

I didn't even get a chance to write about this story which broke on Friday, and it's already old news:

Microsoft and Yahoo discussed a possible merger or other matchup that would pair their respective strengths, say people familiar with the situation. The merger discussions are no longer active, these people say, but that doesn't preclude the two companies from some other form of cooperation.

Microsoft, Yahoo Discussed Deal - WSJ.com

A small software company, apparently comprised of the clinically insane, has made a program that runs on your computer and flashes motivational message at you at super high speeds throughout the day as you work.  The theory being that these subliminal messages can make you smarter, richer, and better-looking.

This quote from the site pretty much gives you a taste for the craziness that awaits if you follow the link below.

If you're like most people, you may be skeptical. After all, it does sound too good to be true. What could be more marvelous than changing your life for the better with no effort?

follow the link for a good giggle: subliminal messages

A new Apple store is opening in NYC- on the corner of 14th Street and 9th Avenue:

The store will have nearly 125 feet of storefront visibility along 14th Street and an additional 108 feet along 9th Avenue. More impressive, however, is the size of the store in comparison to its two older sisters in the city. The space will easily outsize both the 21,577 square feet of Apple's SoHo location and the yet-larger 25,000 square feet of the underground Fifth Avenue location.

The Underwire - Wired Blogs

Apple has been taking some heat lately for being behind the ball in reducing carbon emissions and harmful chemicals in their manufacturing process.  In a posting by Steve Jobs on the Apple Website, Apple is refuting this:

Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products. Upon investigating Apple's current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well.

Apple - A Greener Apple