Wrinkled and skinny at first, the translucent, jellyfish-shaped balloons that Google released this week from a frozen field in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island hardened into shiny pumpkins as they rose into the blue winter skies above Lake Tekapo, passing the first big test of a lofty goal to get the entire planet online. It was the culmination of 18 months’ work on what Google calls Project Loon, in recognition of how wacky the idea may sound

Avoid search engine penalties by following these simple tips. If Google’s Penguin update earlier this year proved anything, it was that search giant cares about the quality of the backlinks pointing at a website. Furthermore, it has the tools necessary to detect and penalize low-value links that have been created to manipulate page rankings.

What if your wireless provider gave you Internet access and search results according to what it decided was a “priority”? As a Verizon Wireless customer, I’m furious at the idea that it would “pick favorites” over what I was actually looking for — especially if it was an emergency. But that’s just what Verizon is fighting in court to do right now.