Friday, May 23, 2008
Tag Galaxy Browses Flickr Photos in Space
9:00PM Gina Trapani | New Flickr photo browser TagGalaxy explores the Flickr tag-o-verse using a planet metaphor. Type in a tag you’re interested in, and TagGalaxy will instantly assemble a system of planets that represent those tags. Click on a planet to browse and zoom photos. Words don’t do TagGalaxy’s beautiful visualisation justice, so check out the screencast above for a quick demo if you’re too lazy to head on over there yourself. (Sorry for the herky-jerkiness of the video, in reality it’s smooth as silk on-page.) Tag Galaxy [via Download Squad] More »
UltimateDefrag Moves Apps and Files for Quicker Access
5:30PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: Put your high-priority programs and files in the most easily-accessed parts of your hard drive with UltimateDefrag, a free Windows utility. The program does all the normal data-ordering of a standard defragmenting app (and probably runs at roughly the same speeds), but lets you choose which data to place on the outer, or faster, portions of your disk. You can also ask UltimateDefrag to analyse your drive and see which files have been most recently accessed, which works best for drives or partitions set aside for data, or automatically try to improve ease of access. UltimateDefrag can also run as your default defrag tool, and run only when a screensaver is active. UltimateDefrag is a free download for Windows systems only. UltimateDefrag Freeware Edition [FreewareGeeks via gHacks] More »
Check Outlook Messages for Fakes Without Opening Them
5:00PM Kevin Purdy | Most spam and phish-bait emails are easy to spot, but once in a while, some creative subject can leave you guessing whether a message is legitimate or not. If you’re an Outlook user, the Productivity Portfolio blog recommends never opening those messages (and potentially proving your existence to said spammers); instead, use the “Message Options” dialogue, available with a right-click on any message, and check the reply-to address and header information for signs of fakery, such as slightly-spoofed email addresses (wa1mart.com, paypaI.com, and the like) and odd entries in the To: and X-Mailer field. You’ll get a better chance of stopping the spam flow, and the satisfaction of not getting fooled again. Using Outlook Message Options [Productivity Portfolio] More »
Better GReader Now Firefox 3-Ready
3:44PM Gina Trapani | On the heels of Better Gmail 2, the Better GReader Firefox extension is now fully compatible with Firefox 3. The latest compilation of the best Greasemonkey scripts for Reader got an update to the nifty Preview Item inside Reader feature, too. Download it here. More »
New York Times Reader Now Available for Mac
1:31PM Gina Trapani | Windows and now Mac OS X only: The beta NY Times reader application which Adam gave the full screenshot walk-through treatment is now available for your Mac. The application definitely provides a better reading experience than the web site only; there are fewer ads, more ways to customise the page’s layout (headlines only, headlines with excerpts, different photo sizes), and it helpfully grays out articles you’ve already read. (Click the image to see a full-size screenshot, where the American Idol article I read is grayed out.) The NY Times beta reader is a free download, and it requires (ugh) Silverlight to run on your Mac, as well as login details to NYTimes.com (free registration). Times Reader Beta for the Mac Now Available [First Look Blog via steverubel] More »
What’s in Your Office Survival Kit?
9:00AM Adam Pash | A lot of unexpected things can happen in the course of a day at the office, so the SimpleProductivityBlog recommends putting together an office survival kit in preparation for the unforeseen. The author’s must-have tools include a sewing kit to mitigate a popped button or tear and a stain remover for those times you bring lunch back with your clothes. The author’s toolkit is rather small, so let’s hear what you would add to the ultimate office survival kit in the comments. While you’re at it, you’ll never be unprepared with a solid go bag. Photo by aokettun. The Office Survival Kit [SimpleProductivityBlog] More »
HomeCamera Turns Your Webcam into a Surveillance Camera
8:30AM Adam Pash | Windows only: Web site and software HomeCamera turns your desktop webcam into a web-enabled surveillance camera. Just sign up and download their desktop software to get started. In just a few minutes, you can check an image or video from your webcam in real-time from any browser. Even better, you can set up motion-detecting alerts that will email you with a shot or short clip of what triggered the alert. The Windows-only HomeCamera is completely free during their beta and will remain free with limitations once they leave beta. HomeCamera [via MakeUseOf] More »
Google Docs Adds Fixed-Width Page View
8:05AM Gina Trapani | Google Docs adds a new choice to the document editor’s View menu: Fixed-width Page View. While not quite true-to-life Print Preview (which is difficult to achieve in-browser), it’s as close to a true representation of the printed page as an online office suite’s gotten so far. [via] Update: I stand corrected: Zoho Writer offers a Page View that includes breaks and page numbers, unlike Google Docs. More »
Best Application Launchers
8:00AM Adam Pash | Your Start menu and Applications folder are growing larger and harder to navigate every day, but with a solid application launcher at your side, you’ll never notice. On Tuesday we put a call out for your favourite application launchers, and over 400 spirited comments later, we’ve pulled out the five most popular. Take a look at the time-saving app launchers that made the list, and then cast your vote for the one app launcher to rule them all. More »
