Google announced this month that it will join five other companies in funding a new $300 million "Unity" trans-pacific internet cable, connecting Los Angels to Japan. The cable is expected to increase the available bandwidth between North America and Asia by 20%, in addition to providing some redundancy in the event of sabotage. Google's move to own some of their own pipe will significantly decrease their overhead costs, while allowing Google to counter "traffic shaping" by ISPs and telecom providers as a method of business warfare.

According to Google Network acquisitions manager Francois Sterlin, "If you're wondering whether we're going into the undersea cable business, the answer is no," Sterlin wrote on the Official Google Blog. "We're not competing with telecom providers, but the volume of data we need to move around the world has grown to the point where in some cases we've exceeded the ability traditional players can offer." The cable will stretch 6,000 miles, from Chikura, Japan, to Los Angeles, and other "network points of presence".

Microsoft has begin shipping Windows Server 2008, replacing Windows Server 2003 after a five year lull. The new version includes a lot of significant upgrades, including a new, totally redesigned IIS web server, and virtualization support through their Hyper-V software.

Windows Server 2008 is based on the Windows Vista core code, but also provides several specialized installation options for single-purpose servers, such as running as a print, DNS, or web server. Individual processes, like IIS, are also modular, allowing the server to only run what it needs to, for extremely fast responsiveness and lower exploit vulnerability. Because Windows Server 2008 is Vista compatible, it will allow power users to take advantage of Vista without having to deal with the same kind of sluggishness that Vista exhibits.

Hyper-V (64-bit only) is Microsoft's solution for running multiple operating systems simultaneously, similar to VirtualPC, but with an increased layer of security. It will be available as an add-on for Windows Server 2008 ($28), and as a standalone application. The software will allow Windows users to run Linux and possibly OSX on their desktop, in addition to supporting "snapshots" for instant backup of virtual machines.

Two new companies, Vilingo of Cambridge, Mass., and Yap Inc. of Charlotte, NC, are releasing software for qualified phones to use voice recognition in ways that were previously impossible. Vilingo has a search application in development where a user can ask for "Pizza places in Chicago" and get a Google map of pizza joints in the area. Vilingo has agreements with AT&T and Sprint to provide their software to end users. Yap Inc.'s offering currently also includes speech-to-text recognition, so people can text message each other by speaking. The potential demand for speech-to-text is extremely high. Microsoft has also entered the market by acquiring TellMe Inc., which is offering similar software for AT&T customers.

Many users have upgraded their operating system from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Many folders used by earlier versions of Windows have been moved to a new location or given a new name in Windows Vista. However, the old folders can still be seen if you have enabled Show Hidden Files. If you are still having problems locating your previous folders, here are the new locations. Here is a quick reference for all of the folders that have been moved in Windows Vista, along with their new location: