Find out how to say a word you’re unfamiliar with at web site Forvo. Aiming to one day have “all the words in the world pronounced”—including words in 23 languages—Forvo relies on users to generate both words in demand and the proper pronunciations of those words. So you could, for example, check out the pronunciation of different cities, and if you can’t find the city whose pronunciation you’re uncertain of, just head to the add a word page and put in a request for the word you want. Alternately, you can head to the pronounce page to record pronunciations of words you know. Forvo has a simple aim, but it’s a great idea for harnessing a bit of social web power. Forvo
Windows only: Freeware utility IdleBackup automatically backs up your files while you’re not using your computer. Choose the folder you want to back up and the destination—whether it’s a thumb drive, network drive, or big external drive—and the amount of time that your computer should be idle before the backup runs. Hide IdleBackup to the system tray, and it will back up your data quietly in the background while you’re at lunch, in a meeting, or sleeping soundly. IdleBackup performs incremental backups, so it only copies files that have changed since the last time. After the jump, see a full screenshot of IdleBackup in action.
Video DIYer extraordinaire Kipkay details 5 smart tips for the budding videographer in the video above. Some are better than others, but the tip that stands out for the cord organiser in me is the last, in which Kipkay details how he saves plastic bread clips and repurposes them as labels for his cords. It’s a very quick and simple tip, but the result is a great method for keeping your cords organised on-the-cheap—sort of like the power plug ID labels with a DIY flair. Kipkay’s Video Tips & Tricks 2 [Instructables]
Have you thought about tackling some of the niftier crafts projects we’ve posted at Lifehacker, but the thought of picking up a needle and thread brings phantom stabbing pains to your fingers? Instructables posts a pretty handy guide to the basics of putting thread through a needle and working with it, including a guide to what kind of equipment you’ll need and an explanation of the most common terms used in how-to guides. It goes a little beyond the scope of, say, sewing a button back on, but it could help you down the path toward paint chip wallets, T-shirt laptop cases, and other DIY goodies. Hit the link to get your thread on. How to Sew [Instructables]
On Tuesday we asked for your favourite instant messaging applications, and over 550 comments later, we’ve culled it down to the most popular five. From web-based chat to desktop clients to tools that combine IM, email, and social networking, your nominations spanned a wide range of instant messaging applications. Let’s take a closer look at the five most voted-for apps, and face them off against each other in a final showdown to crown the ultimate favourite.
US-centric: Real estate scouting site Zillow launches their new “Mortgage Marketplace”, where you can submit a loan request without entering any personal information. Lenders offer quotes, and YOU contact THEM if you’re interested in following up. [via]
Readers are submitting their best life hack for a chance to win an autographed copy of our new book, Upgrade Your Life. Here’s our latest winner. Reader Jill carries her life on a thumb drive and if she loses it, she wants to make it as easy on the person who finds it as possible to return the drive. Jill writes in: I’ve been messing around with a way to mark my thumb drive so it will (maybe) be returned if I lose it. Chances are, I won’t actually “lose” it; I will leave it at the house of a friend or at work. But I want to get it back—ASAP—without having to call all over the universe to find it. Of course, the drive is encrypted so i don’t need to worry about data falling into the wrong hands. I only worry about having to rebuild EVERYTHING because I carry my life on my thumb drive.
Your risk-free means of trying out Firefox 3 Beta 5 is already available, courtesy of the fast-moving folks at PortableApps. Here’s a quick guide to running FF3 without messing up FF2. [via]
Does watching TV news or checking business news sites give you cold sweats as you ponder how your investments are doing? Are you logging into your financial site every day but still feel your money slipping away? Just ignore your money, J.D. at Get Rich Slowly says—stocks pay off in the long term, not day-to-day, and worrying about it is the easiest way to make a money-losing mistake: In Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes, the authors note that it’s dangerous to watch your investments every day. When you pay close attention, you tend to become emotionally invested in even small movements. You lose sight of the long-term and make decisions based on short-term events. Peek in every month or so, but don’t constantly check your investments.
Windows only: Easy Microsoft Word Properties is a helpful tool for anyone who uses Word documents’ details listings—Author, Subject, Title, and the like—to keep their work organised or incorporate Word files into databases and spreadsheets. Install and run the application, point it to a folder and tell it which files to search for. In the next tab, all the standard properties of the documents returned can be edited in batch fashion, no right-clicking required. If nothing else, editing the “key words” line can be helpful in guiding along Windows and other search tools. Easy Microsoft Word Properties is a free download for Windows systems only. Easy Microsoft Word Properties [Easy HR via Simple Help]
