Mac OS X only: Manage your FTP connections for free with Cyberduck. If you hate the idea of paying $30 for Transmit, give Cyberduck a whirl. Although not quite as advanced as Transmit, Cyberduck is nothing to scoff at. In addition to having an easy to use interface, Cyberduck also integrates with Growl and has a dashboard widget for easy drag-and-drop uploading. I’ve been using Cyberduck to manage my websites for about six months without any trouble. Cyberduck is a free download for Mac OS X only. Thanks, sgodun!
CyberduckOpen Source Web Design (OSWD) collects web site templates from amateurs and professionals and makes them available to download free of charge. If you don’t have the time (or the chops) to create a sharp looking web site, you can download a high quality template from OSWD instead. There are over 2000 superb designs that can be modified for your upcoming class reunion, wedding, block party, etc. If you’ve never tried to create a web site, a download from OSWD coupled with a free graphical editor like Nvu should be enough to get you started.
Open Source Web DesignWindows only: Measure photos, graphics and other digital media directly on your monitor with freeware app JR Screen Ruler. JR Screen Ruler comes as a stand-alone executable that can be used to measure inches, centimeters, pixels or picas (a unit of measurement corresponding to 1/6 of an inch). You certainly won’t need to use the ruler everyday, but it’s nice to have in your pocket when the occasional screen measurement is called for. I would recommend dropping a shortcut to JR Screen Ruler in the same folder that houses GIMP and/or Photoshop so you don’t forget about it. JR Screen Ruler is a free download for Windows XP and Vista.
JR Screen Ruler [via mikeduncan.com]Translate words and phrases easily with online dictionary Definr. The dictionary attempts to autocomplete your word as you type and pumps out results quickly with synonyms and antonyms (if applicable). While Definr is missing some translations, it performs very well (and fast, as promised) and has potential to become a handy alternative for the Google define search operator.
DefinrCommunication begins with good listening skills. Strong listeners are more empathetic and are better at solving problems. If you’re looking to better your listening skills, consider the following: wait for the person to open up, ask empowering questions, be patient, and remove all distractions. It helps to reiterate what is said:
Summarise and restate: It is also very useful to summarise what the speaker is saying and restate it in your own words. This is a form of reassuring the speaker that you have truly been listening to what he or she is saying. It also provides the speaker with an opportunity to correct any mistaken assumptions or misconceptions that have may have arisen during the course of the conversation..
Everyone has different ways of listening and expressing themselves. Try what works best for you. What are your best listening strategies? Share them with us in the comments.
How to Be a Good Listener [wikiHow]The Mayo Clinic writes that it is better to forgive and forget than to hold grudges. Beyond the personal anger and resentment that grudges cause, it’s also bad for your health: it causes high levels of stress, high blood pressure, more anxiety, and poor anger-management skills. Instead, commit to forgive and find compassion, even if forgiveness does not yield reconciliation. Recognize the value moving forward adds to the quality of life. One who has finally forgiven someone will be more at peace, even if it is necessary to forgive again and again when memories trigger unhappiness. Ultimately, looking beyond the bad will bring much joy, and that is why it helps to achieve that much-needed closure.
Forgiveness: How to Let Go of Grudges and Bitterness [Mayo Clinic]Darren Barefoot, who has been giving presentations for several years, writes in his blog that much of his success with presentations comes from attending theatre school. Instead of encouraging us to hit the books (and to return to classes) to pick up the tricks and tips he’s learned, he explains how his theatre lessons are applicable to public speaking. For example, he recommends presentations that involve storytelling and include slides with eye candy as they capture the audience’s attention. Jokes are great where appropriate, and it’s nice to add a surprise or two. Of course, it also helps to be articulate and to pause to give your listeners the opportunity to absorb what has already been said. What are your best presentation tips? Let’s hear about them in the comments.
Everything I Know About Presentations, I Learned in Theatre School [Darren Barefoot]Web-clipping service Google Notebook now has two helpful organisation features, labels and bookmark integration, that should make life easier for those who store lots of ideas away for later. Labels make sorting through your clips easier, of course, and web links stored inside the “unfiled” notebook are automatically added to Google Bookmarks. The Google Notebook Firefox extension has also been updated to make adding text notes or bookmarks as easy as clicking on a star button. Looking to get started with Google Notebook? Check out Gina’s guide to getting things done with Google Notebook.
Google Notebook [via Google Operating System]Watch edits to the English Wikipedia happen almost real-time on a map with Wikipediavision, a neat dynamically-updating Google Maps mashup. As Wikipedia users make anonymous edits, Wikipediavision maps their location based on IP address and links the article and type of edit. But you better click fast, because edits stream by quickly, and the map updates while you watch. Want to get yourself on the map? Here’s how to contribute to the Wikipedia.
WikipediaVision (beta)Considering digitising that crate of classic records you unearthed in the attic? Windows Vista Magazine has some pointers on how to do so. Here’s why it’s worth the trouble: There’s an unmistakable warmth in the sound a record produces that simply isn’t there on CDs. To get technical, this warmth is caused by the way the record is cut-louder sounds create deeper ridges, leading to light distortion. As the warmth is created through the turntable and not in the amplification stage, no matter what the turntable is connected to, you’ll still preserve that vinyl sound.
The guide recommends purchasing a preamp to plug into your PC’s line in to preserve the sound equalisation used on vinyl records. Finally, if Windows sound recorder isn’t your thing, you can also digitise your cassette tapes with the free, open source LH favorite, Audacity. Photo by Spacepleb.
How to convert your vinyl into mp3s [Windows Vista Magazine]
