If you’re suffering from a bad case of Monday-itis and already feel the need to fling the BlackBerry at your nearest co-worker, maybe you need to spend some time getting rural. The BBC reports on research that found people reported notably reduced levels of anxiety and stress after visiting a farm. Now personally, cow dung doesn’t do much for me, and it’s perhaps sensible to be suspicious of a study sponsored by an organisation called LEAF, but your mileage may vary. And at least with the variable state of Australian phone coverage, your BlackBerry might well be out of range if you do opt for some quality farm time come Saturday.
Pre-election, PM Kevin Rudd was extremely Facebook-friendly; you could even be one of his friends if you got in quick enough. However, a quick visit to his Facebook profile notes “no recent activity”, and now it emerges that he’s even banned his staff from having Facebook profiles of their own, after pictures from his executive assistant John Fisher’s profile were grabbed by newspapers (which annoyingly persist in using the phrase “Facebook site”).
Fisher presumably has no choice but to comply if he wants to keep his job, but for the more common workplace Facebook blocks, there are still ways to get your Facebook fix from your desk. Indeed, there’s a handy Facebook group listing loads of alternate access options (yeah, we know, if you’re blocked you can’t access it, but hey, it’s a start). Access via your mobile is also an option, though that lacks the satisfaction of making the boss pay for it. If you’ve got any other strategies for avoiding workplace Facebook blocks, let us know in the comments.
Windows/Mac/Linux: Freeware application Phantasmagoria adds effects to your digital photos through a slick, simple-to-use interface. The program provides an impressive range of effects and can upload the results to photo-sharing site Flickr or easily share your results over Twitter. You can snap and annotate screenshots, and take webcam photos and go straight to adding effects, similar to OS X’s Photo Booth. Phantasmagoria is freeware, cross-platform, requires Java. Check out the sample page for a closer look at Phantasmagoria in action.
As per several readers’ requests, I just updated the Gmail Always Show CC: user script (and its BCC sibling.) Now the scripts can show the CC or BCC fields using a key combination; and they work when replying to messages, too. Go download the updated version of your choice.
Apart from being the most useful application on my Mac, Quicksilver is also one of the most attractive. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, either, and weblog MacApper has rounded up a few of the sexiest Quicksilver interfaces on the block. Aside from the eye candy, the other great thing about alternate interfaces is that many of them change the way you interact with Quicksilver—meaning that if you’ve never quite gotten the hang of Quicksilver, a new interface may be just the ticket. If you’ve got a favourite Quicksilver interface that you’ve been using, let’s hear about it in the comments. If a new interface has you aching to dive into Quicksilver, check out our beginner’s guide along with our many other Quicksilver guides. Spruce Up Quicksilver With New Interfaces [MacApper]
Evite seems to be the standard for sending event invitations by email, but it has its annoyances. Mobaganda makes invites dead simple. Head to the site and type in the basics of your event. You’ll get a unique page thrown together for you, which you send as a link to guests via email (or Twitter, or text, or whatever you prefer). They arrive, answer yes or no, and you keep track of replies via RSS, or just checking the page. It’s an elegant alternative to sending sometimes goofy themed emails with no information in them. Mobaganda [via TechCrunch]
