Tech blogger Amit Agarwal has been receiving suspicious, spam-like alerts from his Google Calendar lately reminding him to collect millions from an ATM, among other things. If you’ve seen similar GCal spam, your first instinct may be that your account has been hacked. On the contrary, clever spammers are taking advantage of a Google Calendar feature that automatically adds events to your calendar as soon as you’re invited—which means all a spammer needs to do is send his spam via GCal’s Add Guests feature. To fix this, head to your GCal settings and find the entry labelled, “Automatically add invitations to my calendar,” then switch from the default (Yes) to “No, only show invitations to which I have responded.” Google should probably switch the default to No, but in the meantime, this tweak will do the trick.
US-centric: Windows Live Maps has added a new feature called Clearflow, which suggests routes based on traffic conditions with the intention of getting you where you need to go quickly and with a minimum of traffic congestion. Rather than suggesting routes based solely on real-time data, Clearflow also factors in time of day, weather, and even things like nearby sporting events likely to cause congestion. I’ve been testing it on some local routes, and while I’m not sure if its suggestions are accurate, I can say that it does drastically change its suggestions when I tick the “Choose route based on traffic” option. The Clearflow feature is available in 72 cities starting today, so if you give it a try, let’s hear what kind of results you’re seeing in the comments. Live Search Maps [via NYT]
On Tuesday we put out our call for the best applications that help you practice the Getting Things Done productivity system, and from a mighty list of viable contenders, we’ve taken your votes and determined the five most popular of the bunch. Your choices span a wide range—you’ll be surprised by some of the tools many of your peers are using to boost their productivity and get things done. Let’s take a closer look at the five most popular GTD tools, then you can cast your ballot for the single best GTD app to rule them all.
Our productivity blogging pal Merlin Mann says that when you find yourself whining about working on a task or project, take it as a signal to stop and figure out why. Whining is the white smoke in your tailpipe that lets you know you’re burning mental oil. It means you’re unconsciously devoting cycles to something that you can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t be spending time thinking about.
We’ve all whined and moaned about that job, relationship, project, and annoying to-do that just sits on our list for weeks pointing and laughing at us. That’s when it’s time to hit the mechanic instead of, as Merlin says, adding oil to feed the smoke. Whining, White Smoke & the Mechanics of Getting Unstuck [43 Folders]
Trent at The Simple Dollar blog would rarely recommend getting into debt, but since financing a car is sometimes a necessary evil, he recommends taking a good look at your finances, and the market, before signing those dealership papers. He walks through familiarising yourself with your credit report, shopping around for loans, and, of course, saving early, but his key advice on how much to put down is summed up in one sentence: Have at least a 20% down payment (unless you’re buying an old car, then 10% is the bare minimum), but if the interest rate is over 7%, save for a bigger down payment and wait until you absolutely need the car.
Anyone’s mileage will vary, depending on their finances, but Trent’s advice seems pretty solid. How have you determined what you should and shouldn’t put down on a new or used car? Share your own advice, and other car-buying tips, in the comments. How Big Should My Car Down Payment Be? [The Simple Dollar]
If you use Windows’ built-in feature that groups similar program windows on the taskbar, you’ve noticed it only works when you’ve launched enough windows to fill the taskbar. The CyberNet blog offers up a customisable registry tweak that activates the grouping with just two or more windows open. Not everyone enjoys the grouping function, as it was downgraded to a non-default setting in Vista, but for those who do, the hack can be a real helper. You can download a registry fix file at the link below, or make the change yourself at the following key:
