Monday, October 1, 2007
Information overload
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | The Times Online suggests some tricks to overcome information overload, like speed reading, improving your memory and logging your workday activities. More »
Create Outlook Task, Note, Contact and Appointment Shortcuts
11:15PM Gina Trapani | Windows only: Reader Daniel tracks his to-do list using Microsoft Outlook’s Tasks, but hates having to switch into Outlook to create a new one every time. Instead, he added a custom shortcut to his Quick Launch bar that automatically creates a new task that he can fill in and drag and drop files onto. More »Killing Trees
11:00PM Gina Trapani | One of the feature stories in the latest issue of ReadyMade magazine, called “Toolkit for Type A’s,” was all our doing. It’s not online at the moment, but this neato project that turns old pens into cutlery is. More »
Title Bar Browser Timer
10:30PM Gina Trapani | Wanna limit the time you spend goofing off online? Ask MetaFilter user myrrh created a timer that counts down a certain number of minutes in your browser title bar (or background tab) and pops up a browser alert dialog when it’s done. Run a timed work dash or limit your Facebook break without installing any extra software—the magic all happens in this page’s Javascript. Hit the link to give the timer a try. Thanks, Iron! Title bar timer [via Ask MetaFilter] More »
Back Up a Folder with Automator
10:00PM Gina Trapani | Mac only: Add a “Back up this folder” item to Finder’s context menu with a simple Automator workflow suggested by Mac OS X Hints. The workflow archives a selected folder’s contents, renames the zip file with the date and time, and moves the archive to an external drive. While this method has some drawbacks for the power backer-upper, it’s a good starter method for those of you just getting into regular backups. After the jump, see a screenshot of the workflow steps. More »Dumb
4:04PM Gina Trapani | Microsoft readies Office Live Workspace, an online storage space for office documents. The catch? You can only edit the spreadsheet, Word doc or slideshow if you have MS Office installed on your computer. Uh, ok. More »More than 5.5 million Filipinos now use their …
3:48PM Gina Trapani | More than 5.5 million Filipinos now use their cell phones to transfer money via text message using mobile banking. You too can send and receive money via SMS with PayPal. More »September ’07’s Most Popular Posts
9:00AM Gina Trapani | Miss out on the best of Lifehacker this September? Here’s a list of our most-viewed posts of the month: Transform Your Classic Xbox into a Killer Media Center“Don’t ditch your classic Xbox just because you can’t play Halo 3 on it: nowadays it’s easier than ever to transform that old neglected console into a Unix-based media command center.” Find Out If Your Computer Is Secretly Connecting to the Web“If you are trying to track down why your computer is running so slooowwwly, try using this simple DOS command to uncover a possible problem.” Yahoo Mail Innovates, Gmail Stagnates“Less than two years after their beta release, Yahoo Mail has begun rolling out of beta after releasing an onslaught of innovative feature improvements along the way.” Turn Your Windows PC into a Media Center Powerhouse On the Cheap“If you’ve purchased a new Windows computer in the past few years that’s running Windows Media Center Edition or Vista Home Premium or Ultimate and you aren’t taking advantage of its baked-in DVR Media Center software, it’s time we change that.” Top 10 Wikipedia Tricks“Without a doubt, Wikipedia is one of the most useful and amazing sources of information on the internet–but chances are you aren’t using it to its full potential.” Install Third-Party Applications on Your iPhone“In less than two-months time, a persistent and merry band of iPhone hackers have been pushing out application after killer application for the iPhone, and hacking your iPhone to install those applications has become dead simple.” Best Free Software to Unlock Your Favorite Hardware“It sucks that your favourite gadgets have more functionality than their default software exposes, but it rules that several software applications are built to unlock that potential for free.” Top 10 Ways to Put Your Remote Server to Good Use“An always-on server can come in all kinds of handy for running automated tasks, syncing your data, remote controlling downloads and acting as a proxy.” Soup Up Your Xbox Media Center“So you’ve turned your classic Xbox into a full-blown media centre (or you’re thinking about it) and now you want to add the finishing touches–like games, album art and streaming video–to your setup.”
Get Global Calls for Local Rates With Maxroam
8:00AM Wendy Boswell | Good news for anyone who makes global calls on a regular basis. Cubic’s Maxroam, a SIM card that works on any unlocked mobile phone to make drastically discounted (up to 90%) country to country calls. The New York times has more: So get this: For $40, you can buy this card without the phone. Cubic says that you can slip it into any GSM phone — even your regular T-Mobile or AT&T phone, as long as it’s an “unlocked” phone (one that works with other companies’ SIM cards). Then your own cellphone behaves exactly like the Cubic phone described up to this point. You’ll want to read the fine print because there’s a lot of information to digest here, but it looks like the real deal. If you’re familiar with global long-distance rates, you know that $40 is a drop in the bucket compared to what you might normally be paying every month. AU - this needs a GSM phone to work, but could be good for travellers. Maxroam [via New York Times] More »
