Thursday, April 24, 2008
Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” Released
11:20PM Kevin Purdy | The latest release of the popular Linux Distribution Ubuntu, numbered 8.04 and code-named “Hardy Heron,” is available for download and upgrading. We pointed out most of the new features and improvements in our screenshot tour of Hardy, including a nifty Windows-based installer, file-handling improvements and upgraded applications, but you can check it all out for yourself hassle-free with a live CD. Ubuntu 8.04 is a free download for any system with a 32- or 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, but you can also request to have free CDs shipped to you. How stable and smooth have you found Hardy Heron to be? What feature or change are you still waiting to see included? Let’s hear it in the comments. More »
ceSnipURL Makes URL Shortening Mobile-Friendly
10:44PM Kevin Purdy | Windows Mobile only: Windows Mobile and PDA devices may have a copy/paste function, but selecting and copying can be a serious click-click-click pain. ceSnipURL, a free link-shortening app for Windows Mobile-compatible devices, does the same kind of work as SnipURL, TinyURL and all the rest, but much more conveniently. Load the app and paste in a URL, and it’s automatically converted (using snipr.com) and copied to your clipboard for texting, emailing, or any other use. ceSnipURL is a free download for Windows Mobile 6 and compatible devices only. ceSnipURL [via Download Squad] More »
Put Facebook Chat in Firefox’s Sidebar
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | The Digital Inspiration blog suggests that Facebook’s new browser-based chat system, which we stood up against Gmail’s web chat yesterday, works well running inside a Firefox sidebar. To anchor it there, simply add this Facebook Chat popout URL from Bookmarks->Organize Bookmarks, and make sure “Load this bookmark in the sidebar” is checked. The intended two-column layout can make the sidebar a little intrusive into your actual browsing, but you can resize to a narrow strip and still get chat functionality, simply by clicking inside the sidebar to re-order things. Put Facebook Chat in Firefox Sidebar & Talk from Any Web Page [Digital Inspiration] More »
Max Out Your Brain’s Performance with Distractions
12:00PM Adam Pash | Next time you need to quickly memorise a small piece of information, Wired suggests that you may actually have better luck retaining the information if you distract yourself. In 2007, researchers asked UCLA students to try to memorize a set of 48 word pairs (country: Russia, fruit: lemon, flower: lily, etc.). After studying the list, some students then had to sit through a slide show and view closely related material (flower: rose). Guess what? The distracted students performed better on subsequent recall tests. Photo by Gaetan Lee. More »Ask MetaFilter Roundup
11:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | How do I find lectures on YouTube fit for watching while I’m at the gym? What are some good questions to ask my elderly parents to get them started talking for my family video documentary? How can I get better at remembering new names? Is there someplace that a hopeless romantic can go to find true love? What can the colour, smell, composition of your urine in the mornings tell you about yourself? More »
Create Encrypted, Real-Time Backups of Your Outlook Data
10:01AM Adam Pash | Blogger Vinod Ponmanadiyil has years of email communication and documents in Microsoft Outlook at work, so keeping backups of his PST file (the file in which Outlook stores all your email) is very important to him. Unfortunately Outlook isn’t great about backing up your PST file while Outlook is running, but Vinod has found a simple solution: Set a rule in Outlook to keep a separate copy of your incoming email in a separate PST file on an encrypted, external thumb drive. The encrypted part is optional, but it’s a smart move if you want to keep that data secure (check out our guide to encrypting data with TrueCrypt for details on how to set up an encrypted drive). Head to the post for specifics on what seems like a perfect Outlook backup solution. For a different approach, check out previously mentioned Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool. HOT backup your Outlook data securely and automatically with TrueCrypt [VinodLive] More »
RegToy Tweaks Your PC Every Which Way
8:45AM Gina Trapani | Windows only: Free PC tweaking utility RegToy exposes all sorts of Windows settings that you’d normally have to dig into the registry to get to. Change the way Windows looks and behaves with RegToy, which is similar to the TweakUI PowerToy. It offers dozens of system-wide to user-specific settings—most of which will only matter to the most anal of Windows tweakers. After the jump, get a look-see at some of RegToy’s many panes, tabs, checkboxes, and other settings areas.Adjust advanced System settings: More »
Create or Browse Timelines at Dipity
8:00AM Adam Pash | Create or browse interactive timelines with webapp Dipity. The service can create any sort of timeline you want, but it really shines when creating a personal timeline; that’s because Dipity integrates with tonnes of popular webapps, like Flickr, Twitter, Last.fm, or any RSS feed, so that all you have to do is provide Dipity with a few usernames or URLs and it’ll automatically build your beginning timeline for you. After items are added, click on any item on your timeline or zoom in for a closer look. If you’re using it in the personal timeline manner, Dipity is essentially another lifestreaming app along the lines of previously mentioned FriendFeed—it just has a different way of presenting your stream. Dipity also supports manually creating timelines on any subject, but if you want total control over your timeline, check out how to roll your own hosted timeline. Dipity More »
XP Service Pack 3 Final Release Unofficially Available for Download
6:31AM Gina Trapani | We’re going to wait until Microsoft offers it for download from their site come Monday, but if you just cannot wait to get your paws on Windows XP Service Pack 3, the final release is available for download from MajorGeeks and Softpedia. We haven’t tested these for ourselves, so proceed with caution (or wait till next week). [via] More »
