Friday, February 1, 2008
OLPC XO laptops to be sold in Australia
4:51PM Sarah Stokely | There’s been a lot of talk about the OLPC’s cute little mesh networking laptop at Linux.conf.au this week. The foundation is taking its low-cost, robust laptop the XO to underprivileged kids around the world, but it’s also funding its work by selling XO laptops to the public. The cool news from the LCA conference was that a local OLPC group is setting up in Australia to help get computers to kids across Australia. This means that we’ll now have a local supplier to buy the XO laptop from. You can read the full story at The Open Source Report - but the group is so new that its website at www.olpc.org.au isn’t live yet – check back in about 2 weeks. More » 
Belvedere Automated File Manager Gets New Features, New Look
3:01PM Adam Pash | Windows only: Lifehacker’s very own automated file manager, Belvedere, has hit its second release. Among various bug fixes, Belvedere can now set up rules to match multiple requirements and you can now edit your existing rules. Also, HUGE thanks to John from What Cheer for the excellent new Belvedere icon. It’s oh so lovable. Hit the jump for a closer look Belvedere’s latest and greatest features. More »
Boost Your Morning Alertness Without Caffeine
3:00PM Adam Pash | Blogger Scott Young’s not a morning person, but he gets up early every day without caffeine by opting for energy boosters that don’t come with the post-caffeine crash. Some of his tips help him take that initial step of getting out of bed, while others keep him awake during the early work hours. If you want to stick with a consistent wake-up time, practice the ten-minute rule. This means you commit to staying awake for at least the next ten minutes. Once you get over that initial period, the temptation to go back to bed is usually gone. Do you rely on caffeine to get up and going in the morning, or have you got your own special set of caffeine-free energy boosts that get you up and keep you going? Let’s hear about it in the comments. 7 Tips for Morning Alertness Without the Caffeine [Scott H Young] More »
Track and Visualise Your Work with PTM
2:00PM Adam Pash | Windows only: Free, open source application Personal Task Manager (PTM) tracks how you spend your time at the computer. The application is developed to look and feel a bit like the Windows Task Manager, but it’s goal is to help you manage a completely different breed of tasks. As soon as you run PTM, it starts tracking what applications you’re using and when you’re not using your computer and logs all of that data to your database. Once it’s been running for a bit, take a look at the mile-high stats and charts to get a better idea of how and where you’re spending your computing time. PTM is basically an open source version of previously mentioned trackers like Slife and RescueTime, so if those looked useful to you, this one might be worth a glance. Thanks Manuel! PTM, Personal Task Manager [SourceForge] More »January 2008’s Most Popular Posts
1:00PM Gina Trapani | What, you didn’t spend every day of this month refreshing Lifehacker every hour? We forgive you. Here, have a recap of January’s most popular posts. Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks“Dozens of Google search guides detail the tips you already know, but today we’re skipping the obvious and highlighting our favourite obscure Google web search tricks.” Turn Your $60 Router into a User-Friendly Super-Router with Tomato“There’s been a lot of development of open source firmwares, and today we’re taking a look at my new favourite, a firmware called Tomato.” Install OS X on Your Hackintosh PC, No Hacking Required“Now you can install Leopard on your computer about as easily as installing Leopard on a Mac–no command line hacking required.” Download and Listen to Free Music on the Web“RIAA lawsuits have scared you off P2P, but the iTunes DRM is both too expensive and too restrictive for your tastes, right? Then it’s time you head to the web.” Top 10 BitTorrent Tools and Tricks“BitTorrent is the go-to resource for downloading everything from music and movies to software and operating systems, but as its popularity continues to grow, so do the number of tools available for making the most of it.” Top 10 Underhyped Webapps“Even in this golden age of Big Internet Companies Acquiring Everything In Sight, there are still a few independent, small webapps out there that don’t get the attention they should for their useful functionality.” The 20 Best iPhone and iPod touch Applications“Last week we showed you how to install third party apps on your iPhone or iPod touch, and since then a new firmware preview has leaked its way to the ‘nets with saucy new features that–once released–may tempt you to abandon your jailbreak for the newly introduced features.”
Remember Your Important Points with a Prep Card
12:00PM Adam Pash | When the pressure’s on, it can be difficult to remember to hit every talking point highlighting why you deserve that big raise or pitch a new client in just a few minutes. To ensure you don’t forget, weblog LifeClever recommends getting used to putting together a prep card. Take a 3″ x 5″ index card and write down 3 key points you want to mention in simple clear language, nouns and verbs. At the bottom, give yourself 2 reminders to avoid your bad habits. By making the prep card as integral to your life as your wallet or mobile phone, you’ll be taking huge strides toward eliminating missed opportunities during important interactions. Your Prep Card: Don’t Leave Home Without It [LifeClever] More »
Make a Best Music of ‘07 List with Smart Playlists
11:00AM Adam Pash | Weblog Internet Duct Tape has put together a clever iTunes Smart Playlist to build a Best of 2007 playlist. The idea is simple—just create a Smart Playlist matching all tracks added in 2007. I also narrowed down this list by filtering by songs I played most often. For my list I used over 20 plays, but you may want to tweak that number depending on the results. If you use the iTunes ratings, you could also throw number of stars into the mix. The Best of 2007 list is a great way to look back and round up what you listened to most in ‘07. Keep in mind that it will only include songs you added in ‘07, so it won’t include songs you added pre-07 but listened to a ton during the year. My Favorite Albums of 2007 [Internet Duct Tape] More »
Last Chance to Vote in the 2008 Bloggies!
9:30AM Gina Trapani | Voting closes today on the 2008 Bloggies, that venerable weblogs award show we’ll be attending in March with hopeful bells on. See, Lifehacker was nominated for four Bloggies—Best Computers or Technology Weblog, Best American Weblog, Best Group Weblog and Weblog of the Year—and while we’re feeling a bit shy about outright begging for you to go vote for us right now, it would be the best birthday gift we could hope for. Even if you’re not voting for us, put in a good word for our sibling sites like Gizmodo, Consumerist, Jezebel, and the rest of the incredible nominees. Thanks. Eighth Annual Weblog Awards: The 2008 Bloggies More »Check in with your New Year’s resolutions
9:00AM Sarah Stokely | We’re one month into the new year, and the first day of February seems like a good time to see how our new year’s resolutions are proceeding.
If you’ve been wavering or having a hard time sticking to your resolution, now’s the time to honestly evaluate what is making it hard to stick to your plan.
Here are some of the tools and tips which have helped me stay on track so far this year. One is that I set two different goal tracker gadgets on my iGoogle home page. One is Don’t Break the Chain, which I’ve found to be a really helpful motivator. Getting to tick off each day has helped me stay motivated to achieve my exercise goal every day. The other is a simple weight loss tracker. I’d stress that the weight tracker is working is because I set myself very low and achievable weight loss goals of around 2kg a month. So far I’m ahead of schedule which is a great feeling.
So how are you tracking with your goals for 2008? If you have any tips on how to keep on track, please share in comments. More » 