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Features

• Top tech stories of 2013: Big Brother, wearables, and the struggles of aging tech giants

  Politics collided with the world of technology this year as stories about U.S. government spying stirred angst both among the country's citizens and foreign governments, and the flawed HeathCare.gov site got American health-care reform off to a rocky start. Meanwhile, the post-PC era put aging tech giants under pressure to reinvent themselves. Here in no particular order are IDG News Service's picks for the top 10 tech stories of the year.

• The year in tech quotes

  With 2013 coming to an end, we took our annual look back at quotes from news stories over the last 12 months. Here are a handful that stuck with us through the year:

• Why Are So Many IT Projects Failing?

  A recent study reports that 50 percent of companies had an IT project fail in the last 12 months. Business leaders who blame IT are missing the real project management issues.

• CIOs and CMOs: Feuding in the C-Suite

  Survey finds that CIOs and marketing chiefs don't see eye-to-eye on much at all.

• Wall Street Beat: Does Twitter IPO signal a tech bubble?

  Despite the frothy headlines stirred by Twitter's initial public offering, tech is not in a bubble of the sort that arose before the 2000 dot-com crash.

• 12 recent technologies that have yet to live up to their hype

  Sony Betamax ... the Apple Newton... push technology... Web TV... electric vehicles.... What do all these things have in common? They were all heavily promoted technologies that didn't live up to the hype surrounding them. And they are not alone.

• 10 Job Search Tips for Introverts

  Being introverted doesn't have to slow your progress when it comes time to ramp up your career. In fact, introverts have many characteristics that help them succeed in the IT world. However, it's important you understand your characteristics and can control - and even take advantage of - them.

• Are CIOs Destined to Work for the CMO?

  As marketing departments becoming more reliant on technology, a strong relationship with the CMO will be necessary for the survival of CIOs. In fact, don't be surprised to see CEOs siding marketing when there's a conflict.

• 5 Millennials-in-the-Workplace Myths Busted

  Forget what you think you know about Generation Y. A recent survey dispels many of the myths surrounding millennials and the digital culture. Turns out age may be nothing but a number.

• How to Improve Your IT Job Prospects by Volunteering

  Unemployed? Don't sit at home and wait (and hope) for an opportunity. Volunteering your IT skills is a way to keep current and show potential employers your business and technical acumen, your character and your drive.

• Ballmer: Three-layered plan will lead to 'One Microsoft'

  It's been two months since Steve Ballmer unfurled his plan to restructure Microsoft's operations, and inquiring minds would like to know what stage the process is at.

• Demand for Cloud Skills Still Outpaces Supply of Workers

  Cloud technology is a 'must-have' for organisations building out or replacing their data center architecture, but there's still a major cloud skills gap that's impeding faster adoption and growth

• Oracle to put on its innovation game face at OpenWorld

  Oracle's annual OpenWorld conference is less than a week away, and as usual the vendor is expected to make a slew of new product and strategy announcements.

• Have we reached gadget fatigue?

  Smartphones are everywhere, and smartwatches are poised to follow. Techies are eying Google Glass. And we now wear our technology on our sleeve. Have we finally reached gadget overload?

• Salesforce.com's Benioff lays out future strategies

  Salesforce.com's second-quarter earnings conference call featured the usual dose of chest-thumping by CEO Marc Benioff as the company posted US$957 million in revenue and raised its full fiscal year forecast to at least $4 billion.