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Generally, these haven't been good times for science fairs -- budget cuts at schools and tough family finances have meant that fewer kids get the opportunity to hypothesize, test and conclude; to beg their mom to neatly stencil their work onto a large poster display (at the last minute, for maximum dramatic effect); and, if they're lucky, to win a ribbon or trophy for their (her?) work. But this year, budding scientists around the world will get a chance to submit science projects electronically to Google's online science fair , set to take place in May. The company called for entries on Tuesday, and will accept submissions until April 4.  Kids interested in the health sciences can submit projects in biology, food science or several other applicable categories.

Tropical Storm Isaac appears to be making a beeline for New Orleans and the southern coast of Louisiana. And the National Weather service warns that by the time the storm makes landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday, it will no longer be a tropical storm, but a Category 1 hurricane. Many across the nation are crossing their fingers that those in the projected path of the storm will stay safe. Google however, has done something more concrete: The company's crisis response team has created a map that provides information about, among other things, where the storm is headed, wind-speed probabilities, locations of and live feeds from webcams, current traffic conditions, active shelters and evacuation routes.

Before Michael Chabon's novel "Telegraph Avenue" goes on sale, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author will join us for a video chat to talk about the book. Come watch the video interview Monday at 11 a.m. PST. "Telegraph Avenue" is the a story of a struggling record store -- Brokeland Records -- on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. In our review , Carolyn Kellogg writes, "' Telegraph Avenue' is so exuberant, it's as if Michael Chabon has pulled joy from the air and squeezed it into the shape of words.

Fortune has come out with its list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For," and California-based firms claim six out of the top 20 spots, including No. 1, Google. Notably, one of the reasons Google made it into the top spot was because "everything was up at Google last year," including revenue, profits and hiring, the magazine said. Still, revenue reportedly was lower than expected in the fourth quarter, and on Thursday Google's stock fell nearly 60 points in after-hours trading.

Google's plan to build an ultra-fast broadband service is so appealing, it defies credulity. The speed -- 1 gigabit per second -- is about 200 times faster than the fastest connections available in the U.S. today. Alas, for the vast majority of Internet users, Google's gambit is is too good to be true. The new fiber-optic lines will be deployed in only a handful of communities, reaching no more than half a million people. But the point for Google isn't to go head to head with the broadband services already offered by AT&T, Comcast and other phone and cable TV companies.

Continuing a recent tradition, Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt held court with the press Thursday at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, where he called the current economy "the new normal." Companies need to "figure out how to be happy and get our lives together in this new configuration," Schmidt said, adding, "You can't waste money, credit is tight." Schmidt, who was joined by Google co-founder Larry Page, spoke on a variety of topics, including Apple Inc.

Before you pledge allegiance to one hotel search engine, you might want to run Google's new hotel finder up your flagpole. Deals are flying high. Name: Google.com/hotelfinder What it does: Provides an easy-to-use hotel search feature. It looks a lot like the one for Kayak Hotels, but with no ads. What's hot: Allows you to adjust your location search area by manipulating the Google map. So, instead of searching the entire city, you can fine-tune your search by manipulating flexible mapping lines and search just an area around a convention center, or museum, for example.

Even the U.S. government can't rein in Google Inc.'s dominance of online search. Federal regulators ended a 19-month antitrust investigation into the Mountain View, Calif., search engine giant without imposing any major sanctions. The probe focused on complaints that Google skews its search results to favor its own products and services, which unfairly hurt competitors. It was a bitter decision for Microsoft Inc. and a cadre of other small and large rivals that feel Google remains unchecked in its dominance of the Internet search business.

For two years, Microsoft Corp. has urged antitrust regulators to crack down on arch rival Google Inc. Now that the Federal Trade Commission is poised to allow Google to emerge from the antitrust probe without having to make major changes, Microsoft is crying foul. Google is set to resolve a 20-month antitrust probe with a voluntary agreement and a consent decree on the company's use of patents, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. That means Google will voluntarily change some of its business practices, including how it uses content from other websites and allows advertisers to export data.

Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online. Google Instant, which is being launched Wednesday in the United States, delivers search results on a Web page before a user finishes typing in a query. The search results displayed on the page refresh and change as the user continues typing additional letters of the search term. Google said the new technology can shave two seconds to five seconds from every search.