Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Great Beta Roundup
10:03AM Gina Trapani | An explosion of public beta releases of our favourite web browsers, operating systems, and webapps recently have made brave testers and curious early adopters very happy. Many of these betas appear fit for full-time use, but they all come with that obligatory disclaimer that things may break. Whether or not you’re willing to test unstable software, here’s a quick roundup of what’s hot on the beta beat. Firefox 3 Beta 4 (direct link) Leaner, meaner, and much more polished than Firefox 2, Firefox 3 may be in beta, but its significantly reduced memory consumption and snappy performance makes it worth the risk of running it full-time. Remember, you can test the Firefox 3 beta safely using the portable version, and make your old extensions compatible with a few about:config tweaks. Mozilla Add-ons preview Along with Firefox 3, Mozilla’s cooking up a new add-ons site that’s cleaner, prettier and easier to use. Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 (direct link)Microsoft is still playing catch-up with Firefox in the features department, and Internet Explorer 8 is a step in that direction, with an interesting non-Firefox-like feature called “Web Slices,” which monitors sections of web pages that change often, similar to Mac OS X Leopard’s Dashboard’s Web Clips. Ubuntu Linux 8.04 “Hardy Heron” Beta (direct link) The next version of Ubuntu Linux, named “Hardy Heron,” is the basis for Ubuntu’s next long term supported release. Check out our exclusive interview with Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth about Hardy Heron and how he gets things done. Bloglines Beta (direct link) Available at least since August of last year, the Bloglines Beta offers a drag and drop interface plus more customisable features. Question is, when does it become official? What’s your current favourite beta? Anything here ready for primetime yet? Let us know in the comments.
How Do You Develop Muscle Mass?
8:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Weblog Ririan Project shares good advice on how to build up muscle mass in no time. Protein consumption is an important part of the mix. Muscle = protein. In order for muscle tissue to repair itself after your weight-training sessions it needs an abundance of protein. Good sources of protein include eggs, chicken, cheese, and seafood. What does your muscle mass buildup diet look like? Share your workout tips and eating habits in the comments. Photo by victoriapeckham. Top 10 Ways to Build Muscle Mass Fast [Ririan Project] More »
Make an Origami Paper Lamp
7:00AM Tamar Weinberg | With heavyweight paper, tape, and fire retardant spray, children of all ages can make a nifty origami paper lantern. Crafts web site Yasutomo runs down how. The trick is in how you fold the paper, and accuracy is crucial. Be sure to find the right size paper—Yasutomo recommends 14″x22″. The result is a super cool-looking lamp that could make a nice homemade gift, too. Paper Lampshade [Yasutomo] More »
Remove Pet Hair from Anything
6:00AM Tamar Weinberg | If you’ve got hairy pets in the house, you know what it’s like to live with a permanent coating of fur on everything. Web site wikiHow suggests ways to clean and remove pet hair—at least until your pet comes around again. One tip is to use water and the palm of your hand: Lightly dampen the palm of your hand. Wipe the pet hair off in a downward motion. The hair will ball up and stick to your damp hand. Rubber gloves or latex gloves are also great pet hair removers, as well as a spare FedEx pouch. Share your pet hair removal tricks in the comments. How to Remove Pet Hair [wikiHow] More »
Watch Shared Folders for Changes with File Alert Monitor
4:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Windows only: Monitor files created in a shared location with freeware application File Alert Monitor. Select the folders you want to monitor and you’ll receive alerts whenever new files get created or updated there. The File Alert Monitor is a lightweight and useful app that lets you keep an eye on a shared drop box or networked folder. One catch: Since it’s built for transcription and dictation services, you’ll need to configure it to monitor for additional file types (.WAV is only file monitored by default). File Alert Monitor can also keep a log of all the files that are created, modified, or deleted for tracking purposes. File Alert Monitor is freeware for Windows only. More »
