Password use needs an overhaul that is driven not by guesswork but by actually understanding the real damage that can be done when password security is compromised, according to a Microsoft researcher.

You might think Microsoft’s research centers would be all about software, security, mobile technology and the like, but the company’s New England research group highlights in its year-end wrap-up the work it has done in areas such as economics, biology and maybe less surprisingly, social media.

While managers may anticipate how cloud computing will one day ease IT headaches, the purveyors of cloud services themselves still need to further fine-tune the way their cloud services are metered and managed in order to make truly flexible cloud computing a reality.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has awarded the 2009 A.M. Turing Award to Charles P. Thacker, for his work in pioneering the networked personal computer.

Microsoft yesterday said it would begin shipping early copies of Office 2010 to invite-only users in July, and has begun taking names for possible invitations to the preview.

Innovation is not just about cool new products. In technology, the best ideas require a) really smart people and b) lots of funding. For the past 33 years, Microsoft has had both in spades.