Web site Kwiry is an SMS-based reminder service for keeping track of to-dos and reminder on-the-go. Just text your reminder to k-w-i-r-y (59479), then head to your Kwiry homepage or open the email Kwiry automatically sends you next time you’re at your computer. From the Kwiry web site, you can quickly search for your Kwiry content on sites like Google, Amazon, or iTunes, which could come in very handy depending on the type of reminder (e.g., download alicia keys from iTunes). With a handful of social features, Kwiry feels ever-so-slightly like Twitter, but with an emphasis on remembering things on the go. If you give it a try, let’s hear how you like it in the comments. kwiry
AU – International SMS charges will probably apply from Oz.
Windows only: Google Talk is, as weblog Digital Inspiration puts it, an extremely honest application, inasmuch as it will only display your status as idle when you truly are idle. But if you aren’t keen on your IM buddies being aware of what you’re doing, Google Talk’s fidelity to the truth can be irritating. Freeware application gAlwaysIdle allows you to set your idle status on Google Talk, either to always idle or never idle. If you don’t want to sign out of IM but you want to discourage random IMs, gAlwaysIdle may be a good solution. gAlwaysIdle (which we’ve mentioned once before in passing) is freeware, Windows only. gAlwaysIdle [via Digital Inspiration]
Funny-man Photoshopper Donnie Hoyle introduces how to use two Photoshop tools—the spot healing brush tool and the patch tool—to touch up photos and smooth out features. Like the rest of the videos in this series, this one is probably best watched with headphones plugged in, but the tutorial (though a bit harsh) knows how to make learning Photoshop interesting. If you liked what you learned, check out Donnie’s previous video demonstrations. You Suck at Photoshop #7 [My Damn Channel]
All-things-Apple weblog TUAW details how to set up your iPhone to “phone home” with its faux-GPS location on a regular basis so you always know approximately where your phone is (particularly handy if it turns up stolen). The final setup works like this: the findme command line program (developed by former Lifehacker editor Erica Sadun) grabs your location, the results of which are sent to a private Twitter account you set up exclusively for this purpose. From start to finish this process takes some doing (it’s not a simple install-and-use), but if you’re willing to take the plunge, the results could be well worth the effort. TUAW Responds: iPhone LoJack [TUAW]
You’ve seen our Coolest Workspace Contest, and sure, the entries were incredible. But a lot of you aren’t lucky enough to roll our own workspace; some of you plug in day after day in a standard, company-issue cubicle. What’s more—given the limitations of a cubicle—it takes a good deal more planning and creativity to turn that cubicle into something special. That’s why this time around, we want to reward those of you who’ve taken your cubicle from drab to fab. We’re looking for the coolest cubicle on the block, and over the next few weeks we’ll feature our favourite submissions every Thursday on Lifehacker. Once the submissions are exhausted, your fellow readers will vote for the cubicle they think is the coolest, and the winner will take home a $500 Amazon Gift Card! Think that gift card could be yours? Hit the jump for submission guidelines.
The SpaceStation cord organiser coils all of your various laptop cords beneath a clean, flat rubberized pad for giving your desk that minimalist look without abandoning your peripherals. The pad on top is for laying out any electronics, like your charging/syncing iPod, and underneath it all the SpaceStation has a USB hub for plugging in your peripherals so you don’t have to string all those cords to your laptop. The SpaceStation setup in the picture, for example, may look a touch cluttered due to all the peripherals, but considering what it would look like without the cord hiding action from SpaceStation, it’s a marked improvement. Granted, a little ingenuity and you could roll your own SpaceStation for gobs cheaper than it’s $79 price tag, but the idea and execution are certainly strong. SpaceStation [via Gizmodo]
Like a famed race horse or a classic book, you don’t just throw away a laptop because it’s banged up a little. Even if it seems outdated and underpowered, most any laptop is still small, quiet, and relatively low on power consumption, making it a seriously valuable spare to keep handy—even without a working screen. With some free software, a little know-how and some creative thinking about your home network, nearly any old laptop can find its second wind, and today I’ll run through some of the best ways to get it there.Photo by daveynin.
So your friend popped the question at a concert last week, and your only evidence is a pixellated, under-lit cell phone video? Free webapp FixMyMovie won’t get you up to HD-quality, but it can cure many of digital video’s common ailments. Upload a video (original files are best), compare the “before” and “after” segments, then give FixMyVideo the job and preview your smoothed-over video in full screen, with the option to grab still screenshots at any point. I didn’t have a video file of the tossed-off kind FixMyMovie can best help, but the MakeUseOf.com folks seem to vouch for this free service. FixMyMovie [via MakeUseOf.com]
Budget blog Wise Bread discusses financial products and deals that almost everyone should avoid, and at least one of them has been offered to likely every single reader of this blog—store-branded credit cards, often with a same-day savings pitch. But even if you pay off that purchase the minute you arrive home, it’s generally a bad idea: Do not be enticed to sign up for these cards even if the store gives you 30% off on the day you sign up … These are different from a cobranded credit card that can be used anywhere. An example of a co-branded credit card is the Costco Amex Card, which can be used outside of Costco. Co-branded cards generally have better rates and better internal controls than store specific cards.
As noted by BankRate.com, each store card opened automatically knocks 20 points off your credit score, making a discount on one sweater not as appealing. Hit the link for five more items to keep your distance from. Six Horrible Financial Products You Should Avoid [Wise Bread]
Tech blogger Phil Windley grew tired of trying to eject his external back up disk, first the suggested Apple+E way and then by yanking a cord, just to see that ominous red stop sign of warning every day, even when he knew his disk operations were (or should have been, at least) done. His suggestion for others suffering from clingy back up drives: Parse together a terminal command similar to the one below (substituting name and other portions for whatever fits your system):
