Quora is a simple premise beautifully realized. It’s an online knowledge depository where people can ask or answer questions. And it’s populated by a mix of ordinary, everyday folk like you and me, as well as some famous faces eager to share their wisdom with others. Internet entrepreneurs are no exception. It’s safe to say that Internet entrepreneurs are easy to come by.

Microsoft took its time getting into the tablet market, primarily because it had to work on building an operating system that would offer a positive experience on the touchscreen form factor, which Windows 7 most certainly doesn’t. With Windows 8 just around the corner, so is Surface, the new Microsoft-branded tablet.

When I was a young child I loved watching magic being performed on television. It didn’t matter what kind of tricks they were, or who was doing them, just that something mysterious, unexplainable, and, well, magic, was on display. I loved it then for one simple reason: I believed magic was real, and that magicians had special powers. Then I grew up and realized they didn’t. In fact, I discovered that magic was made up of illusions, of sleight of hands, of misdirection.

The word science essentially means knowledge, and it is this quest for learning and understanding that has driven mankind to the height of its power. The Web offers ample opportunity to disperse that knowledge to greater numbers of people, and YouTube has many great science channels. Listed below are 10 of the best that we feel you should not miss.

Assuming you play online then you’re guaranteed to have met certain types of online gamer. It’s unavoidable. There are a wide range of them out there, but they can all be pared down to just five main types (and their opposites). You can try and ignore them, but they’re there regardless, plying their trade as an annoying n00b, an incessant talker, a quiet quitter, a tiresome cheat, or an unwilling team player.

Earlier this week Microsoft finally revealed how the Microsoft Surface shaped up against the competition, and, crucially, how much one would cost to buy. The results are mixed, with many people expressing surprise and/or disappointment at the relatively high price point. But a Windows 8 tablet with Office pre-installed on it could still be a winner. It’s time to poll you, the MakeUseOf readership, for your views on the product.

While owning the right equipment, and knowing how to use that equipment successfully, can help anyone take good quality photographs, more important is the knowledge of how to take a good shot. Some people are naturally gifted with an eye for the angle, the lighting, and the correct moment to press the shutter button, but the rest of us have to take heed of photography tips and tricks from those in the know.

1 billion people must be doing something on Facebook, otherwise there are a lot of inactive accounts sitting there going to waste. Luckily we have the MakeUseOf readership – an attractive, intelligent bunch if ever I saw one – to poll on this topic. And we did just that for last week’s We Ask You column.

Do you remember the thrill you experienced the first time you heard about Google Street View? The fact that you could zoom in on a map right down to street level and travel around a town or city just about blew my mind when it made its debut in 2007. Now, it’s standard, and I rarely even bother using it. Sorry, Google, but all that effort has been wasted.

It is very important to keep your brain occupied and working hard. Not constantly, of course, as we all need time off from thinking, from calculating, from forming ideas. But exercising it on a regular basis can help keep your mind focused and sharp. Which is especially crucial as we get older and hopefully wiser. There are several ways to achieve this.

Facebook recently announced it had smashed through the 1 billion users barrier. That’s 1 billion people around the world who are actively using Facebook each month. Of course it would be foolish to believe every single one of those users was an individual, legitimate, and human….but it’s an impressive achievement nonetheless. There is just one question that needs to be asked.

Video gaming is now a mainstream hobby, with people of all ages taking part. As the industry has matured, so has the audience, and so have the commercials that are created to try and sell systems and titles to us. Over the years there have been amazing video game commercials that have stood out above all others. Often because they’re brilliantly conceived and masterfully delivered, but sometimes because they’re so weird to be eye-catching and memorable.

Having established a long time ago how great the Web is as a learning tool – packed full of information that is now all available right at your fingertips – it’s time to remind ourselves that there is a dark side to this dissemination of facts and figures. Because, as it turns out, not all facts and figures are created equal.

You may have noticed that there is a huge appetite for Apple news, views, and rumors on the Web. No other company comes close to having as many headlines written about it or as many articles penned about it and its products as Apple does. While not everyone is a fan of Tim Cook and his merry band of Cupertino geniuses, even those who don’t own a single Apple product cannot help themselves getting drawn in.

Gaming can be an expensive hobby, whatever your system of choice may be. The games are cheaper on PC, but keeping your rig up to speed in order to play the latest titles can burn through cash quickly. With consoles you have to buy the system, and then pay $60 a pop for each new game. If only there was a way of playing games for free.