Friday, April 11, 2008
Perpetual Web Coupon Saves 10 Percent at Best Buy
11:50PM Kevin Purdy | US-centric: Coupons—they’re never around when you get that sudden urge to splurge on electronics. Not so with a 10-percent-off printable discount at Best Buy, which is posted as an image at a U.S. Postal Service “Mover’s Guide” site with an easily-anticipated URL. Tech blog CyberNet points out that the coupon can be found by slotting the appropriate month and year in, so this month’s coupon, for example, is: https://moversguide.usps.com/img/coupon/bestbuy/200804_clientarea.gif More »
PulseAudio Volume Control Handles Individual App Levels
11:22PM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Control the volume of individual Linux applications and other sound-producing items with PulseAudio Volume Control, a free download for Linux systems. That in itself is a pretty handy feature, given how often many of us watch and listen to streaming, Flash-based media, but PulseAudio’s volume control applet remembers your settings when you log in, lets you kill sound support to particular apps, and control microphone and other input volumes in a similar manner .The Volume Control applet requires use of the PulseAudio sound driver, enabled by default in Ubuntu 8.04 (now in beta) but installable in nearly any Linux distro. PulseAudio Volume Control is a free download, available in source packages and in some repositories; hit the via link for the Ubuntu installation line. PulseAudio Volume Control [via Tombuntu] More »
Rate Songs from the Status Menu with Funes
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | Mac OS X only: Funes is a one-purpose app for OS X that just might inspire you to start rating songs and getting creative with smart playlists. That’s because it puts a drop-down menu in a Mac’s status area that displays the song title and offers those familiar ratings stars to click on. If you’re not rating songs through Quicksilver, you probably have to do it (and don’t do it) by bringing up the main iTunes window and clicking through to rate the song, and Funes is the low-key (and low-memory) way around that bother. Funes is a free download for Mac OS X only. Screenshot via Fousa.be Funes [via Simple Help] More »
How Do You Maximise Your Lunch Hour?
12:00PM Adam Pash | Reader’s Digest online lists 15 ways to maximise your lunch hour—aside from eating lunch—that could help you make the most of your midday break. Daydream for 15 minutes — and then eat, run errands, or return to work. “Creative daydreaming is not only a way to get out of the daily lunch hour grind, but also a way to put your creative juices to work,” explains Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D. If you’re feeling particularly stressed about a project, spend your 15 minutes mentally exploring ways you can tackle it. If you feel mentally stale and burned out, spend the 15 minutes in la-la land, on a mini vacation. Naturally there’s something to be said about using your lunch break for just that, but since most of us take advantage of that hour to relax or get things done outside of the work context, why don’t your share how you get the most from your lunch hour in the comments. Photo by Claudecf. 15 Ways to Maximize Your Lunch Hour [Reader's Digest] More »
Find the Perfect Cell Phone Plan at BillShrink
10:05AM Adam Pash | US-centric: Compare mobile phone plans and find the perfect plan to fit your usage needs at web site BillShrink. Just enter some information about how you use your phone along with your current monthly bills, and BillShrink will offer you an alternative plan that could save you a tonne of cash. Currently BillShrink is focused on mobile plans only, but they appear to be working towards offering more comparisons for cable and internet bills in the future. BillShrink doesn’t take phone availability into account, so if you want an iPhone, for example, you’re stuck with AT&T (unless you unlock it). Let’s hear if BillShrink helped you find a better plan in the comments. More »
Work
Convince the Boss to Let You Telework
9:00AM Gina Trapani | Dying to join the ranks of pajama-clad work-at-homers? The boss doesn’t want you to telecommute for several reasons, but the Web Worker Daily blog offers a few talking points that can build your case. First, use the term “telework” instead of “telecommute” to emphasise that your time at home wouldn’t be time off. Second, show that teleworking would help you get more done. If your manager doesn’t focus on results, it’s up to you to help him start. Start reporting simple management numbers that focus on your productivity. Productivity numbers don’t just show how much you’ve completed, but shows how quickly or efficiently you tackled them. That generally means including a time component to your statistics such as tasks competed per hour, income generated per day, or product per week. More »
Share Google Gadget Data
8:46AM Gina Trapani | You’ve been able to share gadgets on your iGoogle homepage for some time now, but now you can share the information stored in them—like sticky notes. Set the content of your gadget as read-only or editable by your invitees. Handy! More »
Improve Your Social Brain by Taking Notes
8:00AM Adam Pash | If you’ve ever forgotten the details of a recent conversation with a friend or family member, weblog Parent Hacks suggests taking notes during personal calls to improve your social brain. When I forget enough of these details, the next time I talk to that person it sounds a lot like I wasn’t listening, or worse, don’t care…. At first it seemed odd to rely on tools to remind me about details I thought I should just be able to just keep in mind. I felt slightly guilty about even needing reminding about the most important people in my life. But it’s better than forgetting. If your brain is crammed to the point that you’re forgetting important details from your personal life, taking notes could be the kick in the pants you need. It may seem a bit strange, but in the end you could end up with a better social brain than you’ve ever had. Take notes during phone calls with friends and family [Parent Hacks] More »
