As technology changes cyber-criminals adjust to it. Recently MIT’s Technology Review published an article regarding the biggest technology security threats of 2012. A lot of us spend a lot of our time online: working, surfing the Web, or just chatting with friends via social media. If you spend time online, being aware of these threats can help defend you and your data.

Stolen, Spoofed Certificates

One significant problem the article concentrates on is stole or faked certificates. Certificates are utilized by websites that you log into, like your bank, that prove the site can be trusted. In 2011 the faking of these was a common strategy employed by cyber-criminals and it is thought to be a continuing problem in 2012.

A Common Security Mechanism in Trouble?

Sites use certificates as a security measure more than any other means. If they are no longer considered trustworthy it might affect everyone, from the consumer, to the large company that is responsible for protecting your data.

Another important security challenge that we should become aware of is “hacktivism”. “Hacktivism” is the combination of the words activism and hack. Groups such as Anonymous and LulzSec target corporations that they think are either guilty of wrongdoings or just want to prove the companies have lax security. Whatever the reason, Technology Review says we should anticipate groups like these to continue their “hacktivism” well into the future.

Home Automation

Home automation is a growing trend, and in 2012 this could be a security risk. This means that lights, thermostats, even locks are linked to the Internet so they can be managed remotely. Imagine if hackers got into these systems, they could do some serious damage.

What would existence be like with no computer? It’s tough to imagine but it wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t have them. Now most people carry multiple computers, i.e. laptops, e-readers, and smartphones.

How did computers grow to be such an important appliance in such a short amount of time? This is the question that science historian and writer George Dyson asks, and answers, in his new book, Turing’s Cathedral, a sort of personal history of the computer.

Dyson, the son of scientist Freeman Dyson, has spent a lot of his life at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies. The institute was home to many of the world’s most powerful scientific minds whilst the first digital computer was being created.

After you’ve read Turing’s Cathedral, you’ll discover just how much chance went into creating the machine that brought about the computers we currently take for granted. The personalities at the Princeton Institute didn’t often mesh well, but somehow they managed to create the world’s first digital computer. This machine was created and run from an otherwise nondescript building in New Jersey.

Like all great projects, this one included more than its share of rivalries, fall-outs, and, certainly, salty language. The people behind this project were geniuses. They weren’t saints. The book also covers the important moral issues the creators of the computer faced by the close relationship of their computer work to the U.S. nuclear weapons project.

You might think that history books are dry reads and a history of computers must be crammed with technical jargon. Turing’s Cathedral doesn’t fit that image at all. Anybody who uses a computer will find this book interesting. Which is an awful lot of people nowadays.

As the planet gets to be more connected so do our cars. Cars like the Audi A6, Ford Edge, and the Lincoln MKX allow people to browse the Web while in their front seat. People are able to, stream music, get up-to-date traffic information, but is all this access a good thing while driving? Typically it’s exciting to see technological advancements, but when it comes to our safety on the road can there be such a thing as too much connectivity?

Challenges of the Connected Car

The connected car is a bit troublesome. Everyone knows that drivers become distracted when they text or chat on cell phones while driving. This leads to accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 80 percent of all traffic accidents involve some sort of driver inattention within three seconds of a crash. If texting and cell phones are distracting to drivers, imagine how distracted motorists will be when either they or a passenger is enjoying streaming video of a cat slipping off a table.

Does Tech Distract Drivers?

Anything that takes a driver’s attention from the road could be a hazard. Whether it’s texting, making calls, or simply having a friend in the car. Many states have made it criminal to text while driving due to this. This is the major reason why the news that cars are coming out with 3G connections doesn’t make everybody jump for joy.

Browsing the Web Inside Your Car

Regardless of how we feel about it, unless laws are put into place stopping it, individuals will soon be able to stream YouTube videos, Google an answer to a question, and correspond via social media sites in their cars. Maybe the next step ought to be to improve self-driving aspects to cars; but perhapsthat would disconnect us even more to the world around us.

Once again, this would normally be deemed a positive advancement of technology. The possible negative impacts, though—an increase in the number of distracted drivers on the road—do give pause. It is important for drivers to understand that these tech goodies are nice features. However, it’s equally crucial for them to remain focused on the road, no matter how badly they wish to sneak a peek at the video streaming into their vehicles.

You hear the word “nanotechnology,” and what do you think of? Science fiction, maybe robots, something along those lines? In reality, nanotechnology is making life simpler for everyone. At its core, nanotechnology is the science of dealing with matter on an atomic and molecular scale. The hope is that scientists can use nanotechnology to create new materials and products that boast a wide range of applications.

The practical side of nanotechnology

As an illustration, Science Daily ran a feature story about scientists developing a way to use nanotechnology to lessen the level of friction in car engines and machines. If this technology becomes widespread, it will help prolong the lives of machines and engines and help them operate more proficiently. According to the Science Daily story, a team of scientists created tiny polymer particles which were distributed in automobile engine base oils. When tested under conditions that simulated those found in car engines, these tiny particles were found to have an amazing capability to reduce friction.

More efficient motors

The story noted that even when these particles were distributed at a low concentration, they boasted more effective friction-reducing abilities than the friction reducing additives used by many industries today. The scientists learned that these particles, measuring just nanometers in size, made it possible to reduce friction by 55 percent more than additives presently can. Expect more discoveries similar to this down the road. The field of nanotechnology keeps growing. It’s growing so quickly, in fact, that the United States recently launched a national strategy for making sure that environmental, health, and safety research needs are determined and addressed in the field.

The emerging world of nanotechnology

If you think, then, that nanotechnology is only good for Hollywood special effects blockbusters; simply take a close look at your car’s engine. Eventually, nanotechnology could leave you with an engine that uses less gas. That, of course, can give you a fatter wallet, and you will be able to thank nanotechnology for this.

We all know there are big issues in the world today; debt crises, illiteracy, climate change, are only a few. Google has created a team to generate radical ideas to find solutions to the world’s biggest problems, and they call the project “Solve for X“.

Tackling the biggest global issues

Of course, it’s not that simple. The “Solve for X” brain trust will be taking on concerns that have long befuddled world leaders. However, the individuals behind this project are nothing if not enthusiastic. They assert the work occurring here is akin to the revolutionary thinking that was necessary to send humans to the moon. On the “Solve for X” website, Google talks about it this way: “This combination of things—a huge problem to solve, a radical solution for solving it and the breakthrough technology to make it happen—is the essence of a moonshot.”

Tackling water scarcity

An article about the “Solve for X” project appeared on Mashable.com last month. Mashable reported the account of an individual who took part in a “Solve for X” retreat. He said the minds involved discussed the challenge of global water scarcity. What types of solutions do you think this brain trust produced? How about forward osmosis with recycled ammonium salts. While we may not be clear about what that means, the individuals at “Solve for X” do.

The need for technology brain trusts

“Solve for X” may not create any real, practical, solutions for the world’s problems nonetheless the brain trust idea undoubtedly has possibilities. Technology has, and can, alter the world for the better; we merely need outside the box thinking to generate ideas. So we shall see if “Solve for X” comes up with revolutionary ways to use technologies we currently have.

Do you manage a workplace in which personnel feel free to communicate new ideas? Do your employees come to you with new plans or solutions about how to run company meetings more efficiently? Have your employees ever introduced ideas for a new marketing plan or recommended topics for the company’s blog?

If the answer is no, the creativity of your staff may be stifled. Today’s business world is very aggressive, so if your company does not have creativity and innovation, it could put you at a disadvantage.

Creative employees often come up with critical ideas for better marketing your products, increasing the functionality of the company website, improving production efficiencies, and shaving dollars off your monthly expenses. However, employees won’t exercise their creativity if you do not first inspire them to do so.

One of the best ways to motivate fresh thinking is to merely listen to your employees when they share new ideas. Most employees are worried when approaching their superiors with new ideas, particularly when it’s a notion that falls “outside of the box.” So make sure you give them an open forum to present their ideas and give them the respect to listen closely to them. One more way is to ask your employees, if you are struggling to think of a way to improve the company’s blog, or products, send out an email asking for ideas. Not all of your employee’s ideas will impress you, but, so as not to single anyone out, listen to them all.

If you disregard employee suggestions or disregard them without listening to them, you’ll only encourage your employees to do their jobs as rapidly as possible. Instead of thinking about ways to increase the company’s performance, these individuals will worry only about doing their work and getting paid.

To truly encourage creativity, reward those employees who do come up with powerful ideas. This could mean paying a small bonus to those employees whose ideas you use. It could mean praising employees in company newsletters or memos. It could even mean an in-person “thank you.”

Most employees want to be innovative. Most have ideas on how to enhance their places of employment. Nevertheless, in too many work environments, creativity just isn’t emphasized. Break this trend, and encourage your staff to really think about their company. The rewards you receive could be astounding.