What is TLS and SSL?

A good introduction
http://luxsci.com/blog/ssl-versus-tls-whats-the-difference.html

More detail about technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc784450.aspx

256-bit AES
http://luxsci.com/blog/256-bit-aes-encryption-for-ssl-and-tls-maximal-security.html