Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Kana Launcher Triggers Floating Shortcuts with a Hotkey
11:40PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: Free menu and icon launcher Kana Launcher won’t be a boon to those who’ve given Launchy or another app-finder a home on their desktop, but it might just fit the bill for those looking to reduce desktop clutter and stop digging through Start menus. Sitting in the system tray, Kana lets you assign the folders, files, and programs you want to access to a floating tray of icons, a collapsible menu list, or all-in-one system tray icons. You can assign multiple programs to a single “Group Launch” list, and set a delay between opening each app to save your memory the strain. Kana Launchers is a free download for Windows systems only. Kana Launcher [Example Source via Freeware Genius] More »
Prioritise GE-Style by Writing the Purpose of Calendar Items
10:50PM Kevin Purdy | Feel like you’re spending far too much time on less-than-important meetings, phone calls, and other daily drudgery? Take a tip or two from the prioritising managers at General Electric. An editor at Harvard Business Review sat in on one of their training sessions and walked away with a few practical tips. One simple idea in particular can help overcome burdens you didn’t even know you were shouldering. Compare your calendar with the priorities. Label the purpose of every regular or recurring activity on your quarterly calendar and highlight those activities that are connected with your top five priorities. This simple exercise will reveal where you’re squandering your time. More »
Ease the Transition to Ubuntu with a Cheat Sheet
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | The open-source-friendly folks at the FOSSwire blog have posted a PDF “Ubuntu Cheat Sheet,” covering the basic terminal commands one might have to use and, just as importantly, naming important programs and packages so you don’t end up deleting or messing with something that’ll cause headaches down the line. WIth the release of Hardy Heron one day away, adventurous newcomers might want to keep FOSSwire’s cheat sheet printed and handy for reference. Ubuntu Cheat Sheet [FOSSwire] More »
Search for hotels and tourist attractions in Google Maps using Expedia
2:50PM Sarah Stokely | Travel website Expedia has launched a Hotels and Attractions Mapplet for Google Maps which lets you search for accommodation and tourist attractions in the area you’re visiting.
When you look up a location in Google Maps, click on My Maps and you’ll see Expedia Hotels and Attractions – click on that and it brings up a search box (see image, left).
Red pins denote a hotel (and there’s a ‘book now’ button which will take you straight to the Expedia site), while blue pins denote a tourist attraction. The hotel listings include independent traveler reviews from TripAdvisor.
Map your way to your next trip [Official Google Australia Blog] More » 
Best Contact Management Tools?
12:00PM Adam Pash | In the 21st century, the majority of our correspondence takes place digitally, which means easier, faster, and more efficient communication with our contacts. But the proliferation of digital communication also means we’re faced with more contacts, email addresses, phone numbers, and instant messaging handles to remember; even more difficult is keeping all of this information up-to-date and available wherever and whenever you need it. Countless contact management solutions are available on the web and for your desktop, but among all that choice, it’s difficult to narrow down the best. So for this week’s Hive Five, we want you to tell us all about your favourite contact management tool. Hit the jump for more details and to nominate your favorite. More »US airport security retains right to search laptops
11:46AM Sarah Stokely | Frequent international flyers will be interested to hear that a US legal decision last week has confirmed that border security at their international airports have carte blanche to search people’s laptops, without the need for any specific evidence of criminal activity.
I remember reading a while back that the EFF was campaiging against this policy on the grounds that it was a violation of people’s privacy and would put international travellers off coming to the US. Guess that campaign hasn’t worked so well.
In the meantime, if you’re planning a trip to the US anytime soon, might want to check out our previously mentioned guide to Customs-proofing your laptop and how to save time and stress at airport security. Good luck traveller!
Prepare for your laptop to be searched [APC] More » Beta of new Folding@home client now available
11:34AM Sarah Stokely | If you’re a fan of donating your computer downtime to distributed computing projects like SETI@home (the search for extra terrestrial intelligence) you’ll be interested to know that the Folding@home project has released a beta version of its new client software.
Folding@home help Stanford Uni in its medical research into protein folding – which is hoped will lead to cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Extreme Tech has published an interesting interview with the Folding@home Director, Dr. Vijay Pande talking about the new client. You can download the GPUT client here – bearing in mind that it’s only in beta at the moment, so handle with care. More » Ubuntu release party
11:01AM Sarah Stokely | Ubuntu hacker Peter Baker dropped me a line to ask me to publicise the Ubuntu AU release party for Hardy Heron being held at in Melbourne tomorrow night at Horse Bazaar. I can highly recommend the venue as an elegant geek hangout (after being dragged along there post OSDC for drinks last year), so if you’re a fan of things Ubuntu, head along and say hi. Further details here. More » 
DIY Gorillapod, the Anywhere Tripod
10:01AM Adam Pash | A savvy photographer at DIY web site Instructables details how he built his own anywhere tripod mimicking previously mentioned Gorillapod on-the-cheap. Using a few bucks worth of materials ranging from segmented hose to a couple nuts and bolts, the DIY Gorillapod is well within the reach of the beginning DIYer. It’s still unclear whether or not the DIY version can handle the true gorilla functionality of the original, like wrapping around objects, but it’s a promising start. For a slightly different take, check out this DIY wire Gorillapod, or use practically the same materials to build a third hand for your tinkering needs. Make your own Gorilla Pod [Instructables] More »
