I remember when I was a child that every Saturday was shopping day. My mum would take my brother and I to this huge shopping center where we would get what we needed and then go for lunch before heading home. This was the 1980′s, a time when there was no Internet and the only way you could buy what you wanted was to go out to the shops and get it yourself. Fast forward 30 years and the situation has completely changed.

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Google may be the dominant search engine on the web but when it comes to finding something specific, many people have no idea how to look and what to type into that search box. Many people I know just plug in random words and phrases and hope, with crossed fingers, that what they need will magically pop up. Well as I like to say to them, it doesn’t work that way.

When it comes to starting up a tech company, what matters more to investors? A degree from an actual university or a degree from the University of Life? The popular myth is that you can build a huge Internet empire from your parents garage after school in the evenings and by the time you’re in your teens, you’re ready to match Mark Zuckerberg’s bank balance.

Everyone here at MakeUseOf would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading the site and we hope you enjoyed the posts and manuals that we brought to you in 2011. Here’s to the next 12 great months of more cool web apps, software, news and tips on your favourite tech blog.

Ever since the Internet began, online piracy has been a big problem with the two biggest casualties being the music industry (RIAA) and the movie industry (MPAA). The Internet made it extremely easy to download whatever people wanted and the music & movie industries responded with copy protection measures, including the infamous and universally hated Digital Rights Management (DRM).

This infographic made me take a good long hard look at my own keyboard. Especially after I read that a keyboard has about 60 times more germs than a toilet seat. Excuse me while I go and disinfect my hands thoroughly several times as well as go out and buy a replacement keyboard and a new toilet seat. It seems the germs are everywhere and are running rampant around all our houses.

If there’s one thing which must really piss off Bill Gates to no end, it must be the enduring popularity of Linux and other free software, as it undercuts his “if you want good software, you have to pay for it” attitude. As Linux has shown, it is indeed possible to produce good software and a good operating system, then give it away for nothing to anyone that wants to use it.

Everyone wants to feel more productive on the computer and there are certainly plenty of ways to achieve that. Whether it’s using a program launcher, keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures, there’s something for everyone to shave off that extra mouseclick or tap of the keyboard which in turn leads to time saved every day. As an online worker, I am always looking for something that will enable me to complete my tasks faster.

For some people, their reputation is everything and they will do anything to preserve it and maintain it. In business, having a bad reputation can mean bankruptcy or perpetual unemployment. So it has always been considered good practice to remain polite, professional and reliable so people think highly of you.