Thursday, June 5, 2008
Work
Wikia Search Offers User-Edited Results
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is trying out the technique that succeeded in putting together an online encyclopedia—opening it up so that anyone can edit it—to improving search results. Wales’ user-edited search engine Wikia Search is now out of alpha and open to the public for edits. Search for a term on Wikia Search and rate the results to change their ranking, edit link titles and descriptions, and add links to results. To see what’s perhaps Wikia Search’s best feature, click the Annotate link. This lets you select a section of text on the web page to clip and add to the result. More »
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Create Shortcuts to Turn Vista’s Firewall On/Off
11:09PM Kevin Purdy | Certain networking or file-sharing programs will always bump up against Windows Vista’s super-finicky firewall, and turning it off is no one-click affair. The How-To Geek has a useful addition to what, by now, might be a collection of Vista shortcuts: Turning the firewall on and off with a quick double-click. Hit the link below for a guide on making on and off shortcuts, complete with icons that make it clear what you’re doing. Create a Shortcut Icon or Hotkey to Turn Windows Vista Firewall On or Off [The How-To Geek] More »
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Browser Plugin Allows PayPal Payments at Any Site
10:42PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: Online payment service PayPal rolled out a service a few months back that lets you generate and use single-use credit cards in order to make PayPal payments at sites you might not want to give your credit card information to. The PayPal Plug-In, for Internet Explorer 7 and (at the moment) Firefox 2, makes using “Secure Cards” much easier. When you’re at a site you want to pay with, you can create a card, fill a payment form with the card’s details, and even check your PayPal balance, all from a drop-down menu. For regular auction buyers or those venturing into unfamiliar web territory, it could be convenient peace of mind. The PayPal Plug-In is a free download for Windows systems only. PayPal Plug-In [via Download Squad] More »
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Google Gadgets Adds Widgets, Sidebar to Linux Desktop
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Google Gadgets, an open-source, stand-alone app that runs gadgets from Google Desktop and the Universal iGoogle repository, closes the widest gap between Google Desktop’s Linux version and its Mac and Windows cousins. Users of Screenlets already can use iGoogle and other widgets on the desktop, but this release adds the sidebar and desktop search integration that make Google Desktop a greater sum than its individual parts. Installing Google Gadgets requires compiling from source at this point, and I had trouble completing the process in Ubuntu 8.04, so let’s hear about any simplified instructions or scripts you run across. Google Gadgets is a free download for Linux systems only. Google Gadgets for Linux [via Google Open Source Blog] More »
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Flock 1.2 Bakes Social Networking into Everyday Browsing
9:00PM Lifehacker US Edition | All platforms: Based on the open source Firefox code base, social web browser Flock adds heavy integration into popular social and media web sites to your regular web surfing. We haven’t mentioned Flock in ages, but the recent 1.2 release is worth another look. Much like Digsby bakes social networking into your instant messenger, Flock offers easy access to your favourite social services built into the browser. Let’s take a closer look at what you get with Flock. More »
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5:12PM Angus Kidman | We suspect the lurking threat of OpenOffice is as big a motivation as educational altruism, but Microsoft has decided to extend “indefinitely” the It’s Not Cheating scheme, which lets students and staff registered at a tertiary institution in Australia (and with an email address to prove it) purchase a heavily discounted copy of Office 2007. How discounted? Think $75 for a full copy. (There’s also an option to pay $25 for 12 months access, but that sounds stupidly fiddly to us.) Check the narky fine print to see if you’re eligible. More »
Microsoft extends cheap offer for students
5:12PM Angus Kidman | We suspect the lurking threat of OpenOffice is as big a motivation as educational altruism, but Microsoft has decided to extend “indefinitely” the It’s Not Cheating scheme, which lets students and staff registered at a tertiary institution in Australia (and with an email address to prove it) purchase a heavily discounted copy of Office 2007. How discounted? Think $75 for a full copy. (There’s also an option to pay $25 for 12 months access, but that sounds stupidly fiddly to us.) Check the narky fine print to see if you’re eligible. More »
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2:59PM Angus Kidman | When we noted the $327 Eee PC earlier in the week, the offer ran out before many readers saw it — so we’re pleased to report that Catch Of The Day is reprising the deal. Clearly the original Eee is now in runout mode, so even after this offer runs out, shop around online to look for a deal — there’s no logic in paying $499 any more. More Aussie Eee tip goodness coming soon too.
More »
Cheap Eee PC rides again
2:59PM Angus Kidman | When we noted the $327 Eee PC earlier in the week, the offer ran out before many readers saw it — so we’re pleased to report that Catch Of The Day is reprising the deal. Clearly the original Eee is now in runout mode, so even after this offer runs out, shop around online to look for a deal — there’s no logic in paying $499 any more. More Aussie Eee tip goodness coming soon too.
More »
Fix
11:47AM Angus Kidman | Clearly mindful that Vista is still yet to set the market on fire, Microsoft this week published a white paper explaining why businesses — and by extension, everybody — shouldn’t hold back from adopting Vista, despite its promises that Windows 7 is only a couple of years away. Here’s the five reasons in a nutshell, along with some suggestions for ways you could get the same results without installing Vista.
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Ways to sidestep Microsoft’s five Vista reasons
11:47AM Angus Kidman | Clearly mindful that Vista is still yet to set the market on fire, Microsoft this week published a white paper explaining why businesses — and by extension, everybody — shouldn’t hold back from adopting Vista, despite its promises that Windows 7 is only a couple of years away. Here’s the five reasons in a nutshell, along with some suggestions for ways you could get the same results without installing Vista.
More »
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11:03AM Angus Kidman | While last week’s Qantas strike may not have had a major impact, continued fog in Melbourne has delayed flights across all airlines throughout this week, making our tips for how to deal with flight cancellations more relevant than ever, especially as the long weekend approaches. Here’s another tip: if you suspect your flight may be on the danger list, try checking your airline’s arrival and departure site for information. Waiting at Sydney Airport this morning, my flight showed up as cancelled on the site 15 minutes before it appeared on the airport’s own information board and customers were told to rebook. Definitely worth checking if you’ve got a wireless notebook or Web-enabled phone to hand. Here’s some useful links for airline departure pages (Tiger doesn’t seem to have one):JetstarQantasRexVirgin Blue
More »
The Web’s your best bet when flights get cancelled
11:03AM Angus Kidman | While last week’s Qantas strike may not have had a major impact, continued fog in Melbourne has delayed flights across all airlines throughout this week, making our tips for how to deal with flight cancellations more relevant than ever, especially as the long weekend approaches. Here’s another tip: if you suspect your flight may be on the danger list, try checking your airline’s arrival and departure site for information. Waiting at Sydney Airport this morning, my flight showed up as cancelled on the site 15 minutes before it appeared on the airport’s own information board and customers were told to rebook. Definitely worth checking if you’ve got a wireless notebook or Web-enabled phone to hand. Here’s some useful links for airline departure pages (Tiger doesn’t seem to have one):JetstarQantasRexVirgin Blue
More »
Fix
