Thursday, November 27, 2008
Fix
Where Do You Go For Tech Support Online?
9:00AM Adam Pash | You could head back to the big box store and wait in long lines to get support for the new gadget you unwrapped yesterday, but you can save time and frustration troubleshooting it yourself online. It should come as no surprise to Lifehacker readers that some of the best tech support you can find is available through web sites and online forums that tap into the wisdom of the crowd, but the New York Times is coming around to the same idea, rounding up their favourite online tech support sites for Windows, Macs, and smartphones. We’ve covered many of their suggestions in the past (like previously mentioned FixYa), but if you’re looking for a good forum or web site to handle your troubleshooting needs while you get to know your new gadgets, the article has some good suggestions. That said, our readers are some of the savviest troubleshooters around, so why don’t you tell us: Where do you go for tech support online? Let’s hear your favourite spots in the comments. Photo by makelessnoise. There’s Lots of Tech Help, Yes, on the Internet [NYT] More »
Design
How To Use Your New Digital Camera
8:00AM Adam Pash | If Santa left a new digital camera under your tree this year, our gadget-crazed sister blog Gizmodo offers several great tips for getting the most from your new digital camera. The tips range from extremely simple to some more advanced advice, but every tip is worth its salt, especially if your photography know-how is limited to: 1) Point and 2) Shoot. If you’re a seasoned snapper, share your best tips for digicam beginners in the comments. More »
Fix
Stalled Printer Repair Purges Stuck Print Jobs
7:00AM Adam Pash | Windows only: Stalled Printer Repair is a portable application that detects and effectively removes stuck print jobs that are backing up your printer queue. For whatever reason, Windows can be finicky when you try deleting a print job from the queue. Often that means you’re stuck staring at the queue, trying to delete the same job over and over again, and wondering if your efforts are actually helping anything. Stalled Printer Repair hunts down stalled print jobs and removes them with the force necessary so that it actually works. It’s portable, so you can stick it on your thumb drive, it’s freeware, and it works on most versions of Windows. Stalled Printer Repair [FantasticFreeware via gHacks] More »
Work
Capture.NET Is A Windows Swiss Army Knife
6:00AM Adam Pash | Windows only: Free application Capture.NET calls itself “the Swiss Army knife of PC tools,” and while it does offer a wide array of functionality, calling it a kitchen-sink style tool may be more accurate. Capture.NET is a calendar and clock widget, screenshot application, colour picker, crap cleaner, font viewer, image converter, backup tool, and more. They may not all seem like they go well together (and let’s be honest, they don’t), but to be fair, Capture.NET’s tools are all well thought-out, and the meager 8MB memory footprint for all the functionality it offers isn’t all that bad. Here’s a closer look at all the tools in action: More »
Fix
Useful Ways To Recycle That Fruitcake
5:00AM Gina Trapani | Actually eating that Christmas fruitcake is out of the question. But instead of tossing it check out some of the creations at the Great Fruitcake Recycling Project. You can turn that traditional holiday treat into a dart board (pictured), knife rack, door stop, or Christmas wreath. Ok, so most of these projects are more about poking fun at the indestructible, preserved-forever nature of ye olde fruitcake instead of actually recycling, but there are some fun ideas here. Did you get a fruitcake this year? What will become of it? Let us know in the comments. Use your holiday fruitcake to make handy crafts More »
Work
Firefox And Chrome Run Gmail Twice As Fast As IE, Says Google
4:00AM Adam Pash | Google has taken a more aggressive approach to moving users away from Internet Explorer, recommending that Gmail users install Firefox or Chrome if they want to see Gmail run “an average of twice as fast.” When you log into Gmail using Internet Explorer, you’ll see a “Get faster Gmail” link in the set of links across the top of the page. If you follow the link in IE7, you’ll find yourself at this page (pictured above), which claims that Gmail runs an average of twice as fast on Firefox 3 or Chrome than it does IE. Strangely enough, that same link in IE6 takes you to this page, which recommends upgrading to IE7—so you’re in for a bit of a rollercoaster if you follow their suggestions. We practically never open up IE unless we have to around here, so we certainly can’t say from experience that IE runs Gmail that much more slowly, so if you’ve got more experience switching between browsers with Gmail, share your experience in the comments. Get faster Gmail with a faster browser [Google Support via Digital Inspiration] More »
Fix
Lifehacker’s Most Popular Repurposing Posts Of 2008
12:12AM Gina Trapani | From empty CD spindles to canvas tote bags to popped-off keyboard keys, do-it-yourselfers find clever ways to modify and reuse common household items. Check out the most popular repurposing posts we published in 2008. More »
Organise
Linux.conf.au Wiki Now Open For Content
5:30PM Angus Kidman | Linux.conf.au in Hobart is less than two months away, so it’s good news that the conference wiki is now up and running. If Hobart locals could add information on dining, entertainment and public transport, offshore visitors like me would really appreciate it! Linux.conf.au Wiki More »
Money
4:37PM Angus Kidman | In troubled economic times, being organised with your finances is more crucial than ever — and there’s plenty of sites that can lend a helping hand. Here’s some Lifehacker favourites worth considering. More »
Useful Sites To Get Your Money Under Control
4:37PM Angus Kidman | In troubled economic times, being organised with your finances is more crucial than ever — and there’s plenty of sites that can lend a helping hand. Here’s some Lifehacker favourites worth considering. More »
Work
