Google’s famous for its perks — free gourmet food in the cafeteria, an on-campus climbing wall — but some of the best offerings at the company depend on its employees’ creativity. Take its 20% time, for example. Google employees are encouraged to devote 20% of their work hours to a project within the company but outside of their core area.

Eliana Murillo is using her 20% time reaching out to small business owners, helping them use Google’s tools to grow. Often businesses don’t know how to position their website to show up in Google search, or they aren’t aware of Google’s advertising opportunities and other tools.

The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service is raising rates for its more profitable express mail and priority mail shipping next year, part of its efforts to stave off bankruptcy.

The new prices, which take effect Jan. 22, include the introduction of a new flat rate of $39.95 for overnight express mail boxes weighing up to 70 pounds that are sent domestically; the flat rate for express letters is being increased separately to $18.95. Previously, prices for the overnight service were $13.25 or higher based on package weight and distance.

The prices for priority mail, which promises two-to-three-day delivery, also will increase by an average of 3.1 percent.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin plan to sell off 5 million Google shares each over the next five years, a move that could see them surrender majority voting control over the company they created.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) has an unusual dual-stock structure. “Class A” shares are publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange, while “Class B” shares are reserved for insiders and carry 10 times the voting power of other shares.

(AP) Internet search leader Google will ease its control over millions of copyright-protected books earmarked for its digital library if a court approves a revised lawsuit settlement that addresses objections of antitrust regulators.

The offer comes two months after the U.S. Justice Department balked at Google’s original agreement with authors and publishers, warning the arrangement could do more harm than good in the emerging market for electronic books.

Google Inc. is hoping to keep the deal alive with a series of new provisions. Among other things, the modified agreement provides more flexibility to offer discounts on electronic books and promises to make it easier for others to resell access to a digital index of books covered in the settlement.