Dear Lifehacker,I want to run Windows on my new Intel Mac, and I know I can either dual boot Windows with Boot Camp, or run Windows on my desktop with virtualization software like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop. Which is the best method?Signed,Can’t Let Go of Windows
Windows only: Freeware application CloseWin is a single-use app that instantly closes either every window on your desktop or any window matching specific criteria. That makes CloseWin a perfect tool for setting up a Boss Key or something similar; just create a list of apps you’d want to get rid of at the click of a button, add them to CloseWin’s profile, then choose the Close all windows in list option when you want to quickly close everything. On the other hand, the Close All Windows button is a perfect last-ditch tool for not just hiding, but getting rid of all of your open windows at once. CloseWin is freeware, Windows only. CloseWin [via FreewareGenius]
Photography web site Photojojo details how to get crisp, beautiful prints from your digital photos with Photoshop’s Unsharp Mask. What’s the point of sharpening, you ask? Digital cameras have a fixed grid of pixels, each of which can only capture one colour or shade at a time. Say you take a picture that has a sharp edge between black and white… The single pixel that records that hairline edge can only record one colour, so it renders it as grey. What we think of as sharpness is actually the contrast we see between different colours. A quick transition from black to white looks sharp. A gradual transition from black to grey to white looks blurry.
We’ve already shown you how to turn your point-and-shoot into a super camera with the open-source CHDK software, but if you followed our instructions and hit a “Now what?” wall, the Hack a Day blog offers an excellent guide to finding and using CHDK’s best features. It includes details for taking long exposures, ultra-fast exposures, running time-lapse and other scripts, taking HDR photos, and even how to write your own scripts. Hit the jump for a look at a great time-lapse taken with CHDK and to head to the Hack a Day post.
If you bought a new computer with Windows pre-installed but prefer living the Linux life, Linux.com details how to get a refund of the “Windows tax”. It’s not always easy, but the author saw a $US52 refund from Dell for his effort. If you’ve done the same, let’s hear about it in the comments.
Mac OS X only: Donationware application Status Screen Saver adds status notification badges for popular Mac apps like Mail, NetNewsWire, and Twitteriffic, to the bottom of your monitor while your screensaver is playing. Considering the number of times we shake our mouse to exit screensavers just to see if we’ve received a new email, Status Screen Saver is a brilliant idea. Your screensaver continues running while you stay abreast of those updates. Status Screen Saver is donationware, Mac OS X only, works with any already-installed screensaver. Status Screen Saver [Logan Rockmore Design via Download Squad]
The webcam that came packaged with your computer system can do a whole lot more than just let you video chat. With the right tools, you can turn your webcam into a watchful surveillance tool, a face recognition-enabled computer login utility, a time-lapse movie-maker, and more. Let’s take a look at some ways you can get more out of your underutilised webcam.
All platforms with Firefox: Just published an update to the Better GReader Firefox extension, which now includes the excellent Show Feed Favicons user script. Make your feed subscription list more colorful and fun to look at with the user script or the full-on extension. Also added support for our friends in the Great White North hitting Reader at the google.ca address. Download it from the homepage or existing users can grab the update from Firefox’s Add-ons dialog. Trick out Google Reader with Better GReader
Linux only: Organise your music, videos, podcasts, and other media through a slick-looking portal with Banshee, a free download for Linux systems. Looking more than a little like Lifehacker favourite Amarok, Banshee’s 1.0 beta 2 release adds a lot of great features, including integrated audio and video podcast support with play-as-it-downloads capability, a video organiser and player that uses the same backend as GNOME’s built-in Totem media player, extensive Last.fm tools, and an overall interface overhaul. Banshee 1.0 beta 2 is a free download for Linux systems only; installation guides are provided for Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE distributions.
You’ve synced your email, address book, and calendar to your fancy smartphone, which has internet access, photos, and videos on it, too—but how do you keep a thief from ringing up your bill, or worse, stealing your identity using your phone? Tutorial site WikiHow runs down several steps you can take to protect your phone and disable it if it’s stolen, like locking the handset with a PIN code. Register your phone with your carrier so that you can disable it the moment you realise it’s stolen, wikiHow recommends, and mark the phone with ultra-violet pen so you can prove it’s yours.
