Saturday, January 26, 2008
Hide Your Inappropriate Computing with Magic Boss Key
12:00PM Adam Pash | Windows only: Freeware application Magic Boss Key hides your open windows (and desktop icons and taskbar, if you want) with a deft stroke of your keyboard or mouse. Magic Boss Key is sort of like the Windows-D/M keyboard shortcut except that it doesn’t just minimize the windows—it hides them entirely so that they don’t even show up in the taskbar. Hit the shortcut a second time and every window is restored to its previous state. The software could improve tremendously if you could selectively choose which applications to hide (like Mac-only Show Desktop), since the only thing more conspicuous than a monitor full of non-work-related windows is one devoid of anything, but if your boss ain’t too quick on the uptake, this could do the trick. If enough people are interested in an improved implementation, let me know in the comments and I’ll see about putting it in the Lifehacker Code queue. Magic Boss Key is freeware, Windows only. Magic Boss Key More »
Dual Toilet Paper Roll Holder
11:00AM Gina Trapani | My favourite kinds of household gadgets are those that preemptively solve problems: like hooks by the door that keep you from having to search yesterday’s jean pockets for the car keys, or the dishwasher magnet that tells you if its contents are dirty or clean. The Cool Tools blog features a similar problem-solver: the double toilet paper roll holder. You don’t want to get caught with your pants down and an inadequate length of TP; this thing makes sure you’ve always got a spare roll on hand. It’ll also keep your guests from canvassing your bathroom cabinets looking for replacement roll, too. The Double Paper Holder will only set you back $US17. Double Paper Holder [Cool Tools] More »
Create Custom Web Clips for your 1.1.3 iPhone or iPod Touch
10:00AM Adam Pash | Web site Clipalizer creates custom Web Clip icons for your iPhone or iPod touch for any web page. But Web Clips lets you define your own image, so why would you want to use it? Well, either 1) the image you want isn’t on the web page or 2) the page defines their own Web Clip icon, which overrides any image you try to define. For example, I prefer my Clipalizer icon for Lifehacker to the default icon assigned by our site. The trick is that the Clipalizer site is sort of like a TinyURL redirect service, so it turns the image you upload into the default web clip for that URL. After you add it to the homescreen, it redirects you to your bookmark page every time you launch it. Clever. If you haven’t jailbroken and upgraded to the 1.1.3 firmware yet, here’s how. Clipalizer More »
Google Reader Now Includes the Published Timestamp
9:48AM Gina Trapani | Wanna know how long it took Google Reader to show you that post? Hover over the time stamp on the upper right hand side to get a tool tip that displays the published timestamp and the time GReader received the item. Recently Adam made a good case for using a desktop newsreader over a web-based one, and the lack of delay was the biggest advantage. (On the desktop, you hit refresh and you get the latest content on the spot). To Google Reader’s credit, right now Lifehacker posts seem less than an hour behind. Google Reader Shows the Published Date [Google Operating System] More »You installed Microsoft Office 2007, but …
9:30AM Tamar Weinberg | You installed Microsoft Office 2007, but do you use the mouse or the keyboard to navigate? One year ago, Adam showed you a beautiful screenshot gallery of many of the keyboard shortcuts you can do within Office 2k7. More »Best Non-Obvious Tip for Setting Up a Home Office?
9:00AM Gina Trapani | The Productivity 501 weblog asked several work-at-homers what the most important, non-intuitive piece of advice they had for anyone setting up a home office. Their points ranged from making sure you have a door you can close, investing in a comfortable chair, and keeping an egg timer on hand to remind yourself to take breaks. Having set up a few home offices in my career, I’d add this: store stuff in a way that makes it easy to use (put stamps with envelopes, paper by the printer, fresh folders on or in the filing cabinet, pens and paper within reach, etc.) What’s your best tip for making your workspace (at home or at the office) better? Let us know in the comments. Advice for Setting up a Home Office – Group Interview [Productivity 501] More »
Bring Flickr to Your Desktop with 1001
8:00AM Adam Pash | Mac OS X only: Freeware application 1001 is a desktop Flickr client that handles Flickr uploads, image viewing, and notifies you whenever new pics are uploaded (whether from your contacts or a tag you’re following). In essence, 1001 is an attempt to take Flickr out of your browser and make it into a much more desktop-oriented affair. You can either browse 1001 actively or leave it running in the background, ready to notify you anytime a new picture is uploaded to an area of interest (it even follows the entire Flickr stream, if you’re looking to waste a lot of time). The application is still young and a little rough around the edges, but it looks promising, especially for die-hard Flickr fanatics. It also comes with a screensaver app that displays the latest images on Flickr. 1001 is freeware, Mac OS X only. 1001 [via Cool OSX Apps] More »
Get Quick System Stats from the Command Line
6:00AM Adam Pash | Whether you want to find how much bandwidth you’ve used in your current Windows session or you’re the type who loves wearing your system uptime like a badge, you can get a quick look at some interesting system statistics with the net stats command. By firing up your command prompt and typing either net stats svr or net stats workstation, the first thing you’ll see is a “Statistics since…” statement, which tells you how long your system’s been running. Below that you’ll get a look at network stats, like bytes sent and received during your uptime. It’s no fancy bandwidth monitor, but it is a good method to get a couple of quick stats. Got your own favorite methods to check out your system stats? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments. Thanks Alex! More »
