Windows Vista only: Vista’s thumbnail taskbar preview feature is attractive, but unless you’ve got superhuman vision, the very small thumbnails aren’t all that useful. Freeware application Thumbnail Sizer manually adjusts the size of the thumbnail so you can super-size those previews for a much closer look at the window contents via a simple width and height slider. With some simple tweaking, your taskbar previews can be large enough for you to even be able to read text in the preview, which means you’ll be able to understand what window you’re seeing at a glance. While you’re at it, you might want to enlarge your Alt-Tab thumbnails, too. XP users, you can add Vista-like taskbar previews with freeware application Visual Tooltip.
Thumbnail Sizer [via TweakVista]DIY web site Instructables details how to make a free iPod touch dock with the MP3 player’s slick packaging. As any iPod aficionado knows, iPods used to come bundled with docks. Now it seems only the iPod shuffle and iPhone get the privilege of free dockdom, which is why we’ve seen tonnes of DIY docks. Well, now we can add this DIY iPod touch dock to that list. Luckily its box is a fairly attractive starting point.
Free iPod Touch Dock [Instructables]Google Maps Mobile is now available on Symbian smartphones in addition to the already supported Windows Mobile and Palm OS. Even better, GMaps Mobile supports GPS on Nokia’s N95 (as well as these other phones).
We all know how to use Google for quick spelling lookups, but weblog Google Operating System suggests you can use the same method for quick URL “spell checks” when the address you’re trying isn’t working. The “similar addresses” suggestion you see in the screenshot doesn’t always show up, but I found that when it doesn’t you’ll still often receive the classic “Did you mean” correction—both of which should work to find the correct address.
Google Tries to Fix Broken Links [Google Operating System]Apple’s DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks are dropping in price from $1.29 to $.99—most likely to stay competitive with the often cheaper Amazon MP3 store.
Not only can a nap itself improve your day, the mere expectation of an afternoon snooze can reduce blood pressure, Science Daily reports. While you’re looking forward to counting sheep, check out our top 10 ways to sleep better.
Windows only: Quickly upload any file directly from Windows Explorer via your right-click menu with freeware application RightLoad. After you’ve installed and set up your FTP server, uploading any file to your FTP is as simple as right-clicking the file(s), choosing the server, and selecting the directory you want to upload the file(s) into; RightLoad takes care of the rest. Once the files are uploaded, this brilliant little utility generates links to the files or markup for linking to or embedding the file you’ve uploaded so it’s easy to share the link with a friend or add it to a web site. It can even automatically create thumbnails for images or rename duplicate files. RightLoad is freeware, Windows only.
RightLoad [via NoHeat]The holiday travel season is just around the bend, meaning if you’re planning to fly the friendly skies this Thanksgiving or Chrismukkah, you’ve either already bought your tickets or you’re about to. But instead of following the time-honoured holiday tradition of spending an arm and a leg on pricey tickets or frantically running through the airline terminal to catch your flight this year, follow these simple steps to ensure your trip is as inexpensive and relaxing as it is streamlined.
Congratulations to reader Jeri for submitting the most popular Blog Action Day green hack as voted by readers and snagging the (recycled, eco-friendly) prize!
