Facebook's Success Hinges On How Much More It Can Learn About Us

As Facebook prepares to sell stock to the public, perhaps valuing the company at nearly $100 billion, investors will be betting that the firm won't make its users so uncomfortable over privacy that they quit. Meanwhile, Yahoo, another company that also once had a bright future, continues to undergo upheaval as it struggles to define its mission. - READ MORE

Algorithms: The Ever-Growing, All-Knowing Way Of The Future

Companies are using algorithms to guess your favorite film, track the development of the Occupy movement and predict insurgencies Iraq and Afghanistan, among other things. But with great power also comes great responsibility. - READ MORE

For Steve Jobs, Patents Kept Beauty Of Design Alive

Steve Jobs had his name on more than 300 patents for products developed and designed by the computer giant. Those patents are now on display at a new Smithsonian exhibit, and Jobs' biographer says the late Apple CEO belongs in the company of great American inventors like Edison, Ford and even Walt Disney. - READ MORE

Cybersecurity Firms Ditch Defense, Learn To 'Hunt'

It's boom time for cybersecurity companies that specialize in going after Chinese hackers. The top competitors in the sector have been taking an nontraditional approach. Instead of focusing on protecting clients from malware, these firms are learning more about the attackers — and going after them. - READ MORE

Cyber Briefings 'Scare The Bejeezus' Out Of CEOs

For the top brass of companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, talk of cyberweapons and cyberwar could be abstract. But at a classified security briefing in spring 2010, it suddenly became quite real. "We can turn your computer into a brick," government officials reportedly told the startled executives. - READ MORE

Bill Would Have Businesses Foot Cost Of Cyber War

With a raft of cybersecurity proposals under consideration in Congress, the U.S. business community is making increasingly clear that it opposes new regulations that would require private companies to adhere to minimum performance standards or report all cyber intrusions they experience to the government. - READ MORE

These Apps Are Going To The Birds — And People Who Watch Them

Technology is finally catching up to the ancient pastime of bird watching. Cell phones are already helping bird watchers get the word out on rare sightings and, soon, watchers will also have apps that forecast bird migration and identify birds by their songs. - READ MORE

Have You Friended Your Favorite Cause?

What Facebook did for organ donation this week underscores the power of social media in promoting a cause. No doubt social media can help charities make a quick splash, but more nonprofits are looking to harness its potential in a longer-lasting way. - READ MORE

Gazing Into The Cloud, From Storage to Servers

Apple and Amazon want to store your music in 'the cloud,' while companies from Google to Microsoft to Zoho offer ways to wrangle your office documents there. But what exactly is the cloud, and is the time right to start using it? Technology experts Tony Bradley and Nicholas Carr look at the switch away from traditional desktop computing. - READ MORE

Reports: Facebook Will Set IPO Pricing After Markets Close

The social network is expected to value itself between $85 billion and $100 billion. - READ MORE