How To Find And Get Involved With A Hackerspace 
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What Do You Do With Your Gadgets When You Move Overseas? 
The Lifehacker Total Security Guide 
Spotify And Its Rivals: Subscription Music Services In Australia Compared 
The Stupid Things You Do On Facebook (And How To Fix Them) Windows only: Microsoft has released the first public beta of Internet Explorer 8 for download by willing testers, which debuted this week at the Mix conference in Las Vegas. Intended for developers and designers only, IE8′s most intriguing new feature so far is “Web Slices,” which lets you monitor a single section of a web page, like an eBay auction (similar to Leopard’s Web Clips.) Web developers will be excited about better standards compliance. I’m just downloading and installing IE8 myself, so no word yet on anything else exciting (perhaps better tab support, MS? Pretty please?) Check out some setup screens, including a Firefox settings import wizard that detects your ‘fox extensions, after the jump.
Windows only: When you’re in a shady internet cafe in Bangkok and you’re worried about rogue software logging your passwords as you type them, you need a USB drive with Neo’s SafeKeys on it. Neo’s SafeKeys is a small, mouse-based keyboard that shows up on your screen in different places each time you run it from your drive. You click the SafeKeys keyboard to enter your password, then select it and drag and drop it to the password field to bypass keylogging AND clipboard logging software. A great addition to your portable apps collection, Neo’s SafeKeys is a free download for Windows only. Neo’s SafeKeys [Neoblog via foXnoMad]
When you finally decide it’s time to do something about that rat’s nest of cables that’s spreading like kudzu, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to get it under control. Whether you’re looking to stow your headphone wires tangle-free in your gym bag, hide the ugly wire spaghetti you keep kicking further under your desk, or organise your gadget chargers and power plugs, we’ve got some cord management tricks for you. Hit the jump for photos and videos of our top 10 favourite ways to get cables under control.
Clear off your computer desk but still have easy access to pens, CDs, and other supplies with the Keyboard Organizer—a fully-working keyboard that flips up for storage. Haven’t typed on one of these myself so I’m not sure what the height is like on this bad boy, but the two-in-one organiser/keyboard action is a nifty idea. The Keyboard Organizer will set you back about 50 bucks (£24.99). Keyboard Organizer Makes You Envy of Computer Lab [Gizmodo]
Wired writer Clive Thompson has a thought-provoking piece in this month’s issue on the general decline in fixing and tinkering and how it affects our ingenuity, our thinking, and even our spending habits: You see this on a personal level. If you can’t get under the hood of the gadgets you buy, you’re far more liable to believe the marketing hype of the corporations that sell them. When things break, you toss them and buy new ones; you accept your role as a mere consumer. “I think it makes you more passive as an individual,” says Matthew Crawford, a former motorcycle repair-shop owner (and postdoctoral fellow in cultural studies) who’s writing a book on the demise of mechanical aptitude in America.
Hit the link for a few upbeat signs about the growing resurgence in around-the-house aptitude, fostered by magazines like MAKE and *ahem* DIY-friendly websites. What are you comfortable trying yourself, what would you rather just buy/re-buy, and what do you wish you knew how to do? Share your thoughts in the comments. Clive Thompson on How DIYers Just Might Revive American Innovation [Wired]
Windows only: Open OpenDocument Format (ODF) files in Microsoft Office using the OpenXML/ODF Translator, a free plug-in for Microsoft Word. One of the most obvious benefits is being able to open OpenOffice.org-created word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, although other apps (like Google Docs) are starting to hop on the OpenDocument bandwagon as well. Users of Office 2007 should be able to install the plug-in and get right-click access to ODF files; those with earlier copies may have to install the Compatibility Pack and .NET 2.0 to get it working. The OpenXML/ODF Translator is a free download for Windows systems only; make sure to grab the right language version of the plug-in at the SourceForge link below. OpenXML/ODF Translator Add-in for Office [SourceForge.net via Office Tweaks]
The Dumb Little Man blog posts up a healthy portion of tips for those with flexible schedules and a desire to fly for free by booking themselves on overbooked flights. Along with pointing to a web site that details how many seats are left on certain flights, guest blogger Clay Collins suggests keeping your luggage light to up your chances at scoring a free flight voucher: Sometimes finding volunteers is like pulling teeth, but if the competition is fierce, airlines tend to prefer volunteers who don’t have checked baggage. On a similar note, one of the few downsides to getting bumped is the extra opportunity for the airline to lose your checked luggage. Try to stick to carry-on bags. If you can leave the turbo deluxe hair dryer and extra set of golf clubs at home, do so.
Linux only: BillReminder might seem like an unnecessary tool in the age of ubiquitous calendars, but the free Linux app lets you determine exactly when and how you get reminded about your monthly obligations, and helps you visualise and keep notes on each one. Once you’ve set up your bills into colour-coded categories, you can set the amount due, leave yourself notes on how (or maybe why) they should be paid, and then have BillReminder tell you about them at specific intervals—in case you only need a day or two for electricity, but would like a week’s warning on that hefty cable charge. BillReminder is a free download for Linux systems only. BillReminder [via New Linux User]
Firefox with Greasemonkey: The Writing Room 4 Google Documents Greasemonkey script makes it possible to toggle and hide the logo and whitespace above the functional toolbar on a writing and editing page in Google Documents. Those with smaller screens and lesser resolutions will appreciate the extra writing space this little script grants them, but it could help anyone looking for a more distraction-free screen—especially combined with Firefox’s full-screen mode. The toolbar toggle doesn’t work with spreadsheets or slideshow editing, but an intrepid JavaScript hacker can probably fix that in a few minutes. Writing Room 4 Google Documents is a free download, requires Firefox with Greasemonkey (or Safari with Greasekit) to use. Writing Room 4 Google Documents
Lifehacker reader Rodrigo writes in with advice on how to do one better than the very literal word-to-word translators available out there. What’s the problem, you might ask? Well, you might want the Spanish word for “foundation,” as in the base of a building, but most translators will give you “fundación,” as in charitable organizations, when you really want “cimentación.” In these cases, Rodrigo says:
