Like it or not, Facebook has become almost ubiquitous in today's world. Most people you know, both young and old, are on there. Worse, some folks keep memories of their lives stored on the service, including precious photos that, in some cases, may not be backed up in any way. It feels safe, after all, Facebook wouldn't lose them, right? Not so fast.

This is less about Facebook losing them, I'm sure it has backups, but more about a third-party taking them away. That sounds scary, but a security researcher has proven it's possible. Laxman Muthiyah posted his findings along with details of how the exploit works.

Managing networks is a tedious, time-consuming business, and if your needs are simple then it might be best not to bother. If a network device goes offline, so what? You can just deal with any problems as they crop up.

If several others are using your network, though, you might want to take a more proactive approach, and keep an eye on your hardware. Enter PingView, a free tool for monitoring selected devices -- or domains -- and checking they’re still online.

With Radio Shack having declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with hundreds of stores closing and others possibly becoming Sprint locations, let’s take a moment to look back at the important contributions the company made in the early days of personal computing.

Charles Tandy started the Tandy Leather Company which opened hundreds of little shops in the 1950s selling kits for consumers to make their own tooled leather belts, for example. I made one in 1959, burning my name into the belt with a soldering iron. As leather craft faded as a hobby and electronics boomed many of those Tandy Leather stores became Radio Shacks (but not all -- a few leather stores survive even today). Radio Shack stores always had the advantage of proximity balanced by higher prices. If you needed a part or two you drove down to Radio Shack but if you had a bunch of electronic parts to buy there was generally some cheaper store across town.

Smartphone theft in some of the major cities in the US and the UK has declined dramatically, so say the authorities.

But it's not because of improved law enforcement, it's actually down to manufacturers implementing a kill switch option, allowing smartphones to be deactivated remotely.

The most romantic day of the year is almost upon us, but there's no reason for any man or woman to tackle Valentine's Day alone, as there are a whole host of apps to help you safely navigate the swathes of balloons, chocolates and rose petals.

So, without further ado, here are 10 of the best apps for Valentine's Day.

The Windows Phone Windows Insider App was recently updated, indicating that a mobile build of Windows 10 is imminent -- but when? Answering questions from eager users on Twitter, Microsoft's Gabriel Aul has given some cryptic hints about when the first preview of the successor to Windows Phone 8.1 will be launched.

Over the last few months Microsoft has been popping out new builds of Windows 10 left, right and center. While we now have a pretty good idea of how things are going to look and feel on the desktop, the same cannot be said of mobiles and tablets.

Sports fans can rejoice, providing they prefer Cricket at least. The event may seem foreign to US viewers, but to much of the world it is a big deal, and the world cup is something special. If you are looking to catch all of the action then Roku has your back covered.

The tournament kicks off on February 13th and runs through most of March. The event is being held in Australia and New Zealand, but teams from around the world will compete. Things start with Sri Lanka pitted against New Zealand, a match that takes place at 5pm ET on opening day.

Task management software should be all about making you more productive, saving you time, but it doesn't always work out that way. Especially if the software is so complex that you waste most of your time just trying to figure out how it works.

SChecklist isn't that kind of package. You won't spend an age figuring out how to set up sub-tasks, time requirements, dependencies or web sync because it can't do any of that. It's just about creating lists of item names, with checkboxes, and there's absolutely nothing else.

I'm going to let you in on a secret. Ever hear of Microsoft Office? Of course you have. Well, learning it is essential for success in a business environment. I'm not just talking about word processing, but spreadsheets, presentations and more -- Microsoft's software is the best. Sure, the average student can get by with Google Docs on a Chromebook or Libreoffice, but guess what? Formal education ends eventually. Software that is "good enough" just won't cut it in the working world.

Today, all New York City Public School students and teachers gain access to this important software, as Microsoft Office 365 is being given to them for free. Yes, you are reading that right -- every teacher and student for free. This is a huge win for Microsoft, the students and the teachers. More importantly, however, it is a win for society, as future members of the workforce will be better prepared for success.

That is the only takeaway from today's brutal bias assault against Android Wear. Canalys reports half-year 2014 shipments of 720,000, and the Apple-loving free press categorizes the number as a failure. Meanwhile, the analyst firm boasts that "All eyes are now on Apple, which will reveal further details about the Apple Watch prior to its release in April". Not mine. Are yours?

Over at Wall Street Journal, Rolfe Winkler begins his hatchet piece with: "It's been a slow start for Google’s smartwatches". The search and information giant doesn't sell any of the devices, developing the underlying platform. Nitpicking aside, he ridiculously writes: "Apple sold roughly 114 million iPhones over the same period. That means Apple sold almost as many iPhones each day as makers of Android smartwaches sold over the six months". Oh yeah?

Every "smart" security device in your home is vulnerable, a new study suggests.

Results of a security testing study conducted by tech giant HP show that 100 percent of the studied devices used in home security contain significant vulnerabilities, including password security, encryption and authentication issues.

Following on from the rumors that surfaced a week ago, Microsoft has confirmed its acquisition of calendar app Sunrise. The Android and iOS calendar app is widely recognized as one of the best that's available, and the announcement marks the latest move in Microsoft's recent productivity focus.

This is the second big acquisition Microsoft has made recently -- just a couple of months ago, the company snapped up email firm Acompli. It also sees Microsoft adopting rather Apple-esque language, referring to "meaningful, beautiful experiences in mobile email and calendaring".

For both software and data, there is a relentless move to the cloud. But with so many different cloud services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one is best. To help make things a little easier, Google today launches PerfKit Benchmarker.

The open-source tool makes it possible to run benchmarks across a variety of cloud platforms, and a dedicated visualization tool, Perfkit Explorer, has been created to help with the interpretation of results. The tool provides essential data to developers who are creating applications in the cloud.

You might poke some innocent fun at your Native American friend Sitting Bull while he's on the toilet, but if you're that Native American, you wouldn’t want to be trolled by, let's say, Facebook.

That's exactly what happened to Shane Creepingbear, a Native American who, Facebook thinks, is using a fake name.

If you or a family member suffers a stroke, it can be a life-changing event. While some people do not have lasting effects, many face paralysis and weakness in different parts of their body. In other words, someone who is very active and mobile, can be relegated to a more sedentary lifestyle. This change can have psychological impacts too.

Luckily, there are therapies for victims of stroke, that can return the patient's strength and mobility. While this therapy is normally a boring affair, the Ohio State University has devised a new technique that is beneficial to recovery, while also being fun too. You see, it uses Microsoft's Kinect device.