Brian Fagioli

In the grand scheme of things, we aren't far removed from a time when most people thought the Earth was flat. Yes, we went from thinking a boat could sail off of the edge of the world, to landing a spacecraft on a comet -- crazy, right?

When Google Earth was first released, it was a mind-boggling program. It allowed users to easily navigate a virtual Earth; a high-tech globe, if you will. While people take it for granted, the search-giant's offering remains wonderful. Unfortunately for developers, Google is killing the Earth API.

A company's brand is something very important. Quite frankly, once a brand is blemished or diluted, it can be very hard to recover. If a restaurant has a food-poisoning incident, foodies are not quick to forget. Dilution though, is a bigger issue, as brands often lose focus on their DNA. What do I mean by this? A good example is Polaroid. The brand used to be synonymous with photography, but now, after a series of business calamities, the name brand is essentially rented out to the highest bidder. The result is you see low-end televisions and tablets with the name Polaroid, and the brand is diluted and cheapened.

True, there is nothing wrong with a company looking to expand its offerings, as long as it stays true to the brand image. Today, PC-gaming hardware manufacturer Razer announces a slight diversion from its typical brand focus, with a new studio-grade microphone, called the Seirēn. Can it be used for gaming? Sure, I suppose so, but it is not designed for it. Instead the focus is on music recording and audio streaming. The question for me is, why?

As a system-builder, I take great pride in building my own machines. Quite frankly, selecting all of your components, one by one, can be very rewarding. Unfortunately, buying piece by piece can be rather costly, adding up to more than many pre-built systems. Not to mention, it can be time and labor intensive, and many people, including myself, are very busy. It is for these reasons that I am considering forgoing a new build next year, and instead, opting for a pre-built desktop.

Let's be honest though, it can be confusing to pick a manufacturer for your new PC -- there are so many companies to choose from. Today, one such company, Digital Storm, announces the ECLIPSE -- a PC that it calls "Slim Gaming Tower of Power". Not only is the computer powerful and sexy, but starts at a very low $699. Hey, this is just in time for Christmas -- this will surely make the gamer in your life happy.

People that know me, know that I am socially awkward. I am useless at a party, and overall, face-to-face human interaction just escapes me. Suffice to say, computers give me an outlet -- I am rather suave on IRC, you see. As a result, I don't have many friends, but regarding the ones I do have, I refuse to give them my Wi-Fi password. These aren't new friends either; I have known some more than 20 years. Quite frankly, I share the password with the family members in my home under protest.

While not everyone is as odd as me, I know I am not alone. Surely there are other nerds that view friends and family with access to the network as weak-links in the security chain. In other words, I don't want some malware-infested machine touching my precious home network. Apparently, Google knows of my woes, as today, the search-giant announces guest mode for Chromecast.

Fans of Linux-based operating systems have been experiencing a deluge of quality releases in the last quarter of 2014 -- Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora to name a few. While I still think there are too many distros nowadays, the lesser-quality releases can be tuned-out as noise.

Today, one of the most significant enterprise Linux distributions, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), reaches Beta for the upcoming 7.1 version.

Home automation and the "Internet of Things" are the next frontiers for the technology world. Now that Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, the landscape is set for smart homes more than ever before. What used to seem like science fiction has become a reality. You can now turn on lights with products like Belkin's WeMo switch or monitor your pets with a Dropcam Pro camera. Heck, with products like the Nest thermometer, your home can actually learn from your behaviors.

Today, Betabound by Centercode is offering BetaNews readers an exclusive opportunity to apply for a beta test of an exciting new smart home system. Will you be selected?

Health care can be very expensive. Sadly, some people must choose between going to the doctor and food, or between getting medicine and heating their homes. It is a tragedy really, that in a country like the USA, health care is not universally available to all. Even if you can afford health insurance, getting off from work to go the doctor can be an issue, not to mention, increasingly large co-pays.

Luckily, the Internet makes more of the world available to people, including health care. Yes, you can interact with medical professionals over video chat. Today, a company called Doctor On Demand announces that it is now offering video chat to lactating mothers and those in need of psychological help.

Even though we are in a golden age of television, with shows like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, more and more people are turning to YouTube for their video watching. It is hard to blame them, as the online videos are usually concise, entertaining and more importantly, the stars are oftentimes more accessible. In other words, while getting a tweet from a Hollywood celebrity like Jim Carrey is rare, getting one from iJustine or Chris Pirillo is not so far-fetched. Not everyone gets tweets from Jay Z like I do.

Today, YouTube is sharing its "YouTubeRewind 2014" -- a mashup video that celebrates the best of 2014 (seen above). In addition, the search giant is listing the overall top videos, plus filtered categories for music and advertisements. Did your favorite videos make the cut?

4K video is a runaway train at this point -- it is no longer a fad. It is looking like it will definitely become the next widely-adopted standard. While many people say 1080p is "good enough", that type of mindset stops progress. In the technology world, nothing is ever good enough; we must always push for more.

Unfortunately, 4K content is a bit rare at the moment, but growing every day. Today, Amazon announces that Prime members can watch 4K content for free. While this is very exciting news, there is a catch.

There are so many Linux distributions nowadays -- arguably too many -- that it often feels like resources are being spread thin. After all, many Linux contributors don't get paid for their work -- they do it for love. With that said, it is a bit silly that this free labor is not being maximized to its potential. It is reminiscent of Android ROMs, where much of the work is duplicated, and everyone wants to offer their own for Internet fame. The Linux community has become like a vomit-bucket, where developers puke up distros that come and go; a trip to Distrowatch can make you dizzy.

Luckily, not all Linux distributions are fly-by-night operating systems; quite the contrary actually. There are still dependable distros like Ubuntu and Fedora, with the latter being my personal favorite (Linus Torvalds' favorite too). Today, Fedora 21 reaches final release. Yes, the wait has been long, but good things come to those that do so.

I consider myself to be a bit of a world traveler, having been to Canada, Europe, Mexico and more. Sadly, I have not yet visited the Middle East. While I can't currently afford a trip there, I also don't go due to my own trepidation. Whether misguided or not, the US Government does issue travel warnings, so it is understandable to be hesitant to travel there.

With that said, some of the area has a good reputation; Dubai for example, besides being beautiful, is supposedly safer than other cities. Still, the US Government does warn about travelling there too. Luckily, if you are fearful of going there, or just can't afford it, Google is bringing the city to you. Yes, Dubai is the first city in an Arab country to get Google Maps Street View.

When it comes to computer building and upgrades, one of the most important components is a solid state drive. Sadly, many computer manufacturers still utilize spinning hard disk drives in their machines -- a shame, really. Yes, a HDD may be a more cost-effective way to achieve greater storage, but from a performance standpoint, an SSD is far better.

There are many great manufacturers of solid state drives, but Samsung is one of the best. Not only are its offerings reliable, but fast too. Today, the company announces the 850 EVO SSD, featuring a 3-bit 3D V-NAND.

This holiday shopping season, 4K televisions are all the rage. With that said, buying a 4K TV is arguably silly, as there is not much content, and prices will only go down. Sure, if you need a TV, it might make sense from a future-proofing perspective, but replacing a perfectly good 1080p set is probably wasteful. Currently, the best case for 4K technology is computer monitors, where the ultra-high resolution can be put to immediate use.

Of course, 4K content will be growing more and more in 2015, and DirecTV is aiming to be on the forefront of the Ultra HD game. You see, the television provider has fired a satellite into space to bolster its future 4K capability. In other words, we may soon get to see "Crazy Hairy Rob Lowe" in 4K.

I'm a big proponent of smartwatches, but it wasn't always this way. At first, I thought the concept was stupid; after all, it duplicates existing smartphone functionality. When I finally tried one, the Samsung Gear Live running Android Wear, I became hooked. Sure, it is not a need-based product, but instead, convenience-based.

Unfortunately, while Android Wear is useful, it is also a bit limited in its functionality. Luckily, third-party developers can add apps, and believe it or not, an unlikely developer, Microsoft, had delivered one of the best -- Torque. Today, the company releases version 2.0 of that app, and not only does it further improve the Android Wear platform, but it can now be used with Android smartphones too.

When I first heard the song "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, I assumed that the singer would be a one-hit-wonder. Little did I know that the artist, Katy Perry, would become a worldwide phenomenon. While I may not be her target audience, I love all of her hits. You can often find me singing "Roar", "Firework" and my favorite, "Hot N Cold".

While Ms. Perry is big on the radio, her YouTube views are astronomical too; in the billions. Heck, the number of people following her on Twitter is insane at a mind-boggling 60.9 million. In other words, she is a mega superstar who shows no sign of slowing down. Today, Intel announces that Katy Perry is launching her first 3D avatar for Pocket Avatars! For fellow super fans like me -- also called 'KatyCats' -- this is huge.