Screwing around on the Internet is the new Solitaire; it’s what you do at the office when the boss isn’t hovering over your shoulder.  But is all the secrecy really necessary? A new study doesn’t seem to think so. In fact, the researchers behind the report say that blowing off some steam on Facebook or YouTube makes workers more productive than any other type of break.

So how do you spend your typical day on the Internet? If you spend most of your time trying out new Chrome extensions, trolling forums or debating the pros and cons of one computer chassis over another, congratulations; you've taking the Maximum PC ethos to heart. Even so, you're probably forgetting just how often you shoot off emails or sift through Google search results. A new report says that those two activities are still the most popular time-sucks online. Shocker, huh?

Just ask Lightning McQueen; it's all about speed. Pure, unadulterated, untapped Internets, flowing through your mouse finger and delivering all the Netflix, MOG and MaximumPC.com you could ever want, before you know you even wanted it. We just told you yesterday that some folks in Britain have just begun to drink deep from the broadband well. How are we holding up here in the US? Are our connected tubes more Speed Racer or Red Racer? Akamai's newly released "State of the Internet Q1 2011" spells it out for us. Be forewarned, Americans; the news ain't pretty.

Your mom may have warned you not to judge a book by its cover, but if Jersey Shore has taught us anything, it's that people will eat up anything as long its wrapped in an attractive package. As it turns out, shiny objects trap the attention of computer users, too. A new study published by Australia's University of Melbourne suggests that even though malware and botnets rear their ugly heads more and more frequently these days, computer users are more likely than ever to trust websites – as long as they look pretty.