If you’ve ever had suspicions that someone may be reading your email but you’ve never seen proof, weblog MakeUseOf details how to set up an “electronic tripwire” in your email account to keep you aware of email break-ins. The trick uses a web utility called OneStatFree to track file requests, and depends on the email snoop reading this email. Since OneStatFree will let you know if anyone tries downloading the file (and will log the time, IP address, and approximate location of the snoop), you’ll know the snoop was there even if the he tries covering his tracks by marking the message as unread. If you’re even slightly suspicious that someone’s reading your email, the first thing you should do is change your password, but if you’re still not feeling safe, this is a decent trick for finding out for sure. Are you Sure your Email isn’t being Hacked? [MakeUseOf]
National Public Radio’s All Things Considered takes a look at David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophy, offering an overview of what makes GTD so appealing to the tech crowd. While the cult of GTD likely isn’t new to anyone around these parts, the segment offers a nice introduction for people who might not be familiar to GTD but are interested in learning a bit more. Tech Junkies Crazy About ‘Getting Things Done’ [NPR]
The Oz reports that “famed” hacker DVD Jon has co-founded a startup company called doubleTwist. Their self-titled product removes the DRM from legally purchased media (including the Apples iTunes store) so it can be shared on other devices. They’ve said they expect no legal “pushback” from Apple over their software. We’ll see. More »
Firefox only: Somewhere between web-based email and a standalone desktop client there’s Simple Mail, a Firefox extension that embeds an email client right inside a Firefox tab. Manage all your messages in Simple Mail, which can notify you of new incoming messages at a rate you define for any number of POP or IMAP email accounts. Simple Mail lists your messages in a familiar three-paned view where you can read, compose, and send messages, as well as maintain an address book. I had trouble getting Simple Mail to work with Gmail and IMAP in Firefox 3 on the Mac, but all went well in Firefox 2/Windows, so Mac users, proceed with caution. Simple Mail is missing features you’d expect in a full-blown client—in fact, I couldn’t get it to see the folders on Gmail’s IMAP server. However, it does give you that desktop feel without having to run or switch to a separate application. Simple Mail is a free download for Firefox only. Thanks, Masa! Simple Mail [Firefox Add-ons]
The BBC will make paid downloads of its shows available through the iTunes store in the UK – which is plenty exciting if you’re a Spooks fan (or Life on Mars, or Torchwood) like me. It’s possible that a UK mailing address will be needed to shop at iTunes UK. More »
Dustin Wax over at Lifehack.org has a thought provoking article on how to apply GTD principles to having a weekly relationship review with your partner.Though I do *not* suggest treating your relationship like a work challenge (no-one wants to feel like a project on someone’s to do list!) he suggests approaching it as a regular meeting with your partner to go over plans and processes and see what need work. This can help nip problems or disagreements in the bud, and help you be ready to respond to any unexpected challenges life throws your way.This is a time to gather and process the household’s in box (it could be bills, shopping lists and so forth). And, importantly, it’s a time to share thoughts and come up with a game plan together. Dustin suggests the following list of topics to cover off:
What went wrong over the past week? What did you particularly enjoy that you’d like to do more of? (meals, activities, TV shows, trips out, etc.) How are you each handling your respective household duties? What is coming up that you need to be prepared for? What kind of help do you need from your partner? What issues in the house have been occupying your thoughts lately? (problems with kids, repairs needed, messiness) What’s going on at work, or coming up at work, that could affect your family life?Pick a time and place which will be comfortable for both of you. And remember to keep it constructive – there’s no point whinging if you aren’t working towards fixing whatever the problem is. Got any other ideas for relationship GTD? Share in comments please.
How to improve your relationship with a weekly review [Lifehack.org] More »
Previously mentioned document sharing application Scribd has updated its embeddable document reader to iPaper, a fast, efficient tool for embedding any document, from PDFs to PowerPoint to Word documents. We’re seeing more and more web-based PDF viewers, like the recently posted PdfMeNot, which is a great thing for anyone who’s sick of wrangling with offline PDF viewers when all they want is a quick look at a document. iPaper offers a much more functional experience than PdfMeNot, so hit the jump for a look.
He already showed us how to declutter the web using Greasemonkey, and now Lifehacker tipster Paul Fenwick has turned his attention to how to hack the best seat on an airplane. You probably already like to use the check-in kiosk at the airport to try to get a better seat. Paul has some ideas on what the best seat is, and how to get it – whether you’re travelling solo or in a couple.
“The “ideal” seat is one where you have either your preference of aisle or window, nobody sitting next to you, and near an exit so you can get on and off relatively quickly. My super-ideal seat is an aisle with an empty seat on my right, since I can then use that seat (or its tray) as a mouse-mat.”Paul suggests you need to avoid the trap of selecting a seat in an empty row of seats, and instead suggests going for a window or aisle seat where there’s already a person on the other end of the row. It’s then unlikely that anyone will chose to sit between the two of you, and you’ll have an empty seat next to you.
And for couples?
“The trick is to find an empty segment, and to take both the desirable seats, leaving an empty one in the middle. With luck (if your flight isn’t too full), you end up sitting together, but in much more comfort. If you’re unlucky, there’ll be some poor soul stuck between you, although they’ll usually eagerly agree to swap for an aisle or window seat, so your failure condition is the same as what you would have had if you sat together to begin with.”
Thanks for the tip, Paul! Got any other optimal airplane seating hacks? Share in comments please!
Optimise your aircraft seat [PJF's Pages] More »
The Prime Minister is inviting 1,000 experts to attend the Australia 2020 Summit in April to discuss the direction we want our country to go in. Blogger Jim Rettew decided that “working stiffs, tradies and bloggers” probably have better ideas for this country than the appointed experts so he set up a Wiki to collect ideas from “the rest of the 20,699,000 people in Oz”.
Jim hopes to present the top 50 ideas (as voted on by visitors to the site) at the Summit. There’s a petition on the site which he’ll use to try to cadge an invite to present the ideas at the Summit.
Jim also emailed me today to say he’s created a YouTube video of Kevin Rudd breakdancing to help promote the Wiki. I’ve been too scared to check it out, but it’s there if you’re curious. More »
If you use Google Calendar, chances are you’ve ignored the little “Print” button on the left side of the tabs at the top. It just pops a print dialog box, right? Wrong! Hit that Print link to customize the look and feel of your calendar on paper: enlarge or reduce the font size, opt to go black and white only, switch between portrait and landscape orientation, and when you hit Print, your browser doesn’t send the page to your printer. Instead, you get a PDF document fit to print, save, or email. Handy! Google Calendar: Save Your Calendar as a PDF [Digital Streets via Of Zen and Computing]
