To increase productivity during this time of year and stay away from those to summer doldrums, take advantage of that wireless network card in your 'mobile workstation' and leave the cubical behind.

Changing the location of a workspace has been shown to sharpen our mind by presenting us with new stimuli and ideas. A little bit of change can jump-start our brain and give us the ability to tackle problems and discover solutions from a new perspective. Sunlight and fresh air also dramatically affects mental alertness and productivity as well. But really, we all know that. There is a reason why we all live in California, and not Alaska, right?

Google fiber and the FCC broadband plan have been pretty exciting topics for us ‘geeks’ these past few months, but we understand how for most Internet users it might not seem important. There are tons of issues at hand today, many of which, have a higher priority in our daily lives. Still, that no excuse to let the current debate about the internet policy and speed go unnoticed. Decisions about the internet that are being made today will have big long term effects on how we will use the internet in the future.

A startling amount of tech businesses are migrating to, or already use, ‘Internet technologies’ to provide the services paired with their products. Consquently, the future health of our business economy will be paired with the quality of our internet access in the upcoming years.

“As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from government intrusion.”

-Adjudication on Motions for Preliminary Injunction, American Civil Liberties Union et al. V. Janet Reno (No. 96-963) and American Library Association et al. V. United States Dept. of Justice (No. 96-1458)

On January 21, 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech at the The Newseum in Washington, DC on the importance of the freedom of information.

The Internet provides us with an amazing real-time news tool, where we can learn exactly what is happening, when it's happening, and where it's happening. In an analogy between the Cold War and today, Clinton compared web 2.0 tools like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to the “Samizdat” of the modern age, and said that Internet censorship is the “new information curtain descending across much of the world.”

It has been a difficult couple of quarters for business around the world. I don't need to tell you that. We’ve seen the price of nearly everything rise, while at the same time, many of our project lists have declined. With more expense and less work, it just makes sense that business owners are looking for ways to save money and reduce their operating costs wherever possible. A good place to start looking for your future savings is within your own computer network. Here are a few tips from the "computer guy’s" perspective: