Many of us are familiar with Google Docs as a tool for quick and easy document creation. What a lot of people don’t know is how great of a collaboration tool it can be, especially due to its recent updates.

Google Docs’ commenting feature just received a big overhaul and the results seem promising. Some of the most significant changes include:

• Timestamps and profile pictures on comments
• The ability to edit and resolve comments
• Implementation of email notifications via @mentions

The addition of email notifications is the thing that businesses will likely benefit from the most. These notifications allow users to bring new people into the discussion whenever they’re needed.

Since the notification will contain the text of the comment, the team member does not need to have immediate access to Google Docs. He or she can simply reply to the email notification, and it will show up in the conversation.

In addition to the email notifications, the ability to edit and resolve comments will likely be very useful. Before, Google only allowed you to remove comments once an issue had been resolved. Now, you can “resolve” the comment and it will still be available for review. Now, you can check back and make sure that everything has been completed properly.

If distributed teams are working on a project, it can sometimes be difficult to make sure everyone is on the same page. Collaboration tools like Google Docs make it much simpler. The email alerts will let your team members know as soon as you need their help on a project and keep everyone in sync.

Passing a document back and forth via email can be quite messy. If multiple people are editing at once, monitoring all of those edits and ensuring that they show up on the final version gets difficult. With these tools, since everybody’s version of the document is identical there is far less confusion around changes. For distributed teams, and remote workers, tools like this are quite valuable.

For more insight into the recent changes to Google Docs check out this article.

Whether we realize it or not, many of us use flash storage frequently. Flash memory is built into many gadgets that some of us use daily such as MP3 players, laptops and mobile phones.

What is flash storage?

Flash storage devices make it quite simple to store data and transport it from one machine to another. Flash memory qualifies as a solid storage device, meaning it is electronic, not mechanical like data CDs.

Other typical features of flash storage are:

• A non-volatile storage chip, meaning it doesn’t need a constant flow of power to maintain the information stored in the chip
• There are no moving parts
• Allows for easy electronic storage
• Data can be easily erased and the device can be reprogrammed
• Allows for quick access to data
• Extreme durability, especially when coming in the form of a memory card

Flash storage is so popular because of the convenience of all of these features. This type of storage is particularly convenient for mobile devices such as cell phones and MP3 players, since it is so durable. Most MP3 players and smartphones can even serve as external hard drives just by plugging them into a computer.

For more information on flash storage and how it works, check out this HowStuffWorks article.

The TED Conference takes place twice a year, and brings together people from the technology, entertainment, and design fields. TED gives these people a platform to demonstrate their knowledge and ideas in an 18-minute time span.

The conference, happening this week, is full of great presenters and ideas. These are just a few of them.

Ford Motor Company

Since the global population is expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2044, the people at Ford are looking for a way to prevent the constant gridlock that is seemingly inevitable on our nation’s highways and streets.

Ford predicts that cars in the future will “talk to each other.” Ford’s SYNC technology is the first iteration of the connected car technology and it is already used in 3 million vehicles. SYNC performs many functions. Among them: 911 Assist, real-time traffic updates, and Vehicle Health Reports.

Ford sees the future iterations being even more robust, with cars being able to re-route you based on real-time traffic information being transmitted from other cars.

Bluefin Labs

Deb Roy, co-founder of Bluefin Labs, recorded the first 90,000 hours of his son’s life by installing surveillance cameras in his home. His team then created machine-learning systems that analyzed the video and tracked the evolution of his son’s learning.

Roy wants to use the technology to analyze things such as an online audience’s reaction to programming and advertisements. This technology, when combined with social media, can potentially analyze real-time responses to ads, making it invaluable to big agencies.

This system could be a great way for businesses to better understand their audiences’ impressions of them.

These are just two of the many innovative ideas that were showcased at TED 2011. For even more interesting ideas, check out this Inc. article.

Spam in the form of email has seen a radical decline in the last few months. One report shows a fall from 200 billion spam messages being sent each day in August to only 50 billion per day in December. It’s difficult to say exactly why this has happened, but there are several theories.

Inactive botnets

Botnets are simply networks of infected computers that account for the vast majority of global spam. Just one botnet, known as Rustock, accounted for nearly 50% of the world’s spam at its peak. Rustock, along with 2 other major botnets saw a huge decrease in activity at the end of 2010.

Normally, when a decline so significant occurs, it is due to a disruption in the network, which is fairly easy to repair. In Rustock’s case, there seems to have been no disruption. So, the people who run the network must have just chosen to stop spamming, for whatever reason.

Anti-spam campaigns

Spammers like to see profit as the primary result of their efforts. When their profits start to decline, their motivation seems to disappear.

It seems that a number of recent anti-spam campaigns have caused several spammers to lose profitability and shut down. One of the biggest spammers, Spamit, closed in September due to increased attention caused by these campaigns.

Other outlets

Twitter and Facebook have become huge outlets for spammers, which could be one explanation for the decline of traditional spam in the form of email. Social media networks generally spread spam quickly, making them ideal for spammers.

These are all logical theories behind the decline of email spam. However, nobody can be certain as to what specifically is causing it. For more information on the topic, check out this BBC News article.

Most of us spend a good chunk of the day sitting at a desk. So, choosing desks that fit our bodies is an essential part of our everyday comfort. There is one factor, however, that many people don’t consider when looking for a desk, and that’s height.

Ergonomically correct office furniture can prevent chronic strain. Not to mention, the added comfort can help cause you to be more productive.

In order to make sure a desk is the ideal height for you, you should:

• Sit down in the position you’d be in while using the desk
• Rest your arms at your sides
• Bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle keeping your upper arms in line with your torso

If the desk is a good fit, your arms should rest comfortably on the surface. Another solution, if the desk still doesn’t fit quite right, is to adjust your chair height or try a desk with a pullout keyboard drawer.

Picking the right desk is a simple way to help eliminate discomfort and potentially serious back problems, which should make the effort you put into finding a desk well worth it.

For additional information relating to ideal desk height, check out this Lifehacker article.