Saturday, January 12, 2008 - Page 2
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Facebook has announced that users will soon …

Facebook has announced that users will soon be able to shove profile-cluttering apps into a collapsible “extended” section. Until then, you can still pare down app-heavy profiles with the Facebook Profile Cleaner Greasemonkey script. [via]


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Reboot Your GTD System to Make It Work

Are you desperately holding onto a failing Getting Things Done system that worked perfectly for someone you know? Do you find yourself trying out every single new productivity app that … some blog or another points you toward? The Cranking Widgets Blog recommends starting over for both those GTD types (the “copycats” and the “fiddlers”) and getting back to the bare essentials to see what works: Get rid of the fancy notebook, the expensive software and the pen made from the carcass of some endangered species. Go buy a couple boxes of crappy manila folders, a box of bic pens, a few reams of plain white printer paper and a pocket dayrunner-style calendar … Force yourself to live in the GTD wilderness for awhile (which is paradise to some, by them way) and you’ll start to appreciate the way some of the higher-tech setups work.

Or, as the writer suggets, you may just fall in love with the joys of paper. Have you ever realized your productivity system was failing you? How did you get back on track? Share your stories of rebirth in the comments.

Your GTD System Isn’t the Problem [The Cranking Widgets Blog]


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Print Public Domain Books Cheaply

Ever feel supremely stiffed after paying good money for a textbook or paperback copy of a book that’s been in the public domain for decades? The Public Domain Books Reprints Service acts as a go-between for sites like Project Gutenberg, Google Books’ public works, and other copyright-free sites and self-publishing service Lulu.com, which charges fairly decent prices to print nice-looking tomes. It’s not free, but it could save you a bit of cash on textbooks, or help you find a paper copy of any obscure works you’re looking for.

Public Domain Books Reprints Service [via The Red Ferret Journal]


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Change a Computer Name in Linux

How-to site Tech-Recipes.com offers up a simple but helpful tip for changing a computer name after a Linux system is already installed. To make the change, open up a terminal and punch in the following: gksudo gedit /etc/hostname

Type in your administrator password and you should get a file that contains the computer name. Change it, save it, done. I had to search this out myself when I organised my home network with a naming scheme, and some people may need to make the change if an office network requires certain names to log in. Note that while the article claims it’s an “Ubuntu” tip, most Linux systems store the computer name in the same file.

Ubuntu: How to Change the Computer Name [Tech-Recipes.com]


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Scrobble and Listen on the Go with Last.fm Mobile

Windows Mobile 5 and 6: An early version of a Last.fm client for Windows Mobile has been released in the wild, giving Pocket PC and Smartphone users access to the social music service’s streaming radio (on Pocket PC at least) and custom recommendation tools through “scrobbling.” The client isn’t exactly streamlined or hugely pretty at the moment, but having access to user-generated radio streams is a pretty nifty app for any phone. You’ll need to download the client onto a computer and upload it to your device, and further installation instructions are at the link below. Last.fm Mobile requires Windows Mobile 5 or 6 and the .NET Compact Framework 2.0. iPhone and iPod Touch users can check out MobileScrobbler for a wider-screen webapp version.

Where to download and how to use last.fm Mobile [Last.fm Mobile Forum via Download Squad]


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See Real Recent Car Sale Prices at PriceHub

US-centric: No car, new or used, has just one price—there’s a “published invoice” price, an MSRP listing, the “Blue Book value,” and many more to weigh when haggling with a dealer or private party. PriceHub, a price-tracking web site for new and used cars, serves up real and recent transaction prices submitted by users. Enter your car’s make and model into the search and see what cars like it went for. It seems, at a glance, like cars suited for auto enthusiasts (Porsches, BMWs and the like) get the most listings, but I was able to see what my Nissan Sentra, with less mileage, is going for—and now I’m suitably depressed. For more automotive backup, see how to buy a car without getting screwed and learn how to protect yourself from used car scams.

PriceHub [via eHub]


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Backup

Two years ago, you learned how to automatically back up your PC’s hard drive.


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Send Files of Unlimited Size Directly with PipeBytes

Ever need to transfer a large file, only to find out your friend doesn’t use the same chat client or the connection doesn’t work? PipeBytes, a free online file transfer web app, is like a private BitTorrent for temporary transfers of unlimited size files. The sender heads to PipeBytes and gets a code to upload a file, and once the recipient enters the code, the site serves as the connector. While that unfortunately means PipeBytes has to be kept open in a browser window, you can, of course, open new tabs around it and ignore the ad-enabled YouTube videos that play. Those concerned about sites like YouSendIt or Mailbigfile holding onto your files or email may have found a somewhat more discrete solution.

PipeBytes