Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Organise
aTunes Organizes Your Music Collection
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | All platforms with the Java runtime: aTunes is a robust choice for music cataloging and playback on any operating system that can support Java Runtime 6 such as Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. aTunes has a host of features including tag editing, drag and drop playlist creation, Last.fm Audio Scrobbler integration, playback statistics, CD ripping, podcasts, and a multi-window interface so you can arrange individual components such as playlists, lyrics, and the main library as you see fit. aTunes is compatible with any MP3 player that your computer can mount and recognise, with one caveat: aTunes is currently only able to read iPod data up to the 4th generation iPods and unable to write to any generation of iPods. aTunes is a free download, and requires the Java runtime. aTunes [via Download Squad] More »
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Evernote 3.0 Polishes Interface, Adds Mac Client
11:07PM Kevin Purdy | Windows/Mac: Evernote 3.0, the latest version of the note synchronisation service, has opened up to public beta. Most of the same web, phone, and desktop functionality remains from its previous incarnation is still there, but new to Evernote are a redesigned web interface with drag-and-drop organisation, and software for your smartphone that can automatically send snapshots to your account. Even free users get access to Evernote’s OCR scanners, meaning you can later search for text inside pictures you took. The free version of Evernote offers 40 MB of uploads per month and non-guaranteed OCR access; $45 per year gets you 500 MB/month and better support and features. Evernote is available for Windows and Mac desktops, on the web, and for Windows Mobile phones. Evernote [via Webware] More »
Fix
Make Vista Use Multiple Cores to Speed Boot Time
10:03PM Kevin Purdy | Windows Vista tip: The Hackosis blog points out that Windows Vista uses only one CPU to boot itself by default, regardless of whatever dual- or quad-core hardware you’re using. Enabling multi-core boot might save you a bit of time, and the fix is pretty simple. Run msconfig from the Start Search box (or after hitting Win+R), then head to the “Boot” tab, check “Number of processors,” and change the drop-down box to fit your processor. I haven’t tested this myself, but given how long it takes Vista to gear up to running speed on my dual-core box, it probably couldn’t hurt, either. Let us know if you see any gains in the comments. Quick Way to Boost Vista Boot Time [Hackosis] More »
Communicate
5:11PM Angus Kidman | Apple has quietly added a handful of local TV shows to the Australian iTunes Store. You can pick up some great ABC shows, including Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, and Sleek Geeks; some Nine Network dramas, including Sea Patrol and McLeod’s Daughters; and US series including South Park and Scrubs. At $2.99 an episode, it’s a pricey way to get legal TV — buying the DVD of most of these shows would be much cheaper. But if nothing else, it makes it likely that movie downloads via iTunes, well-established in the US market, might soon finally come down under. (Thanks to Michael Q.)
More »
iTunes Store adds Aussie TV shows
5:11PM Angus Kidman | Apple has quietly added a handful of local TV shows to the Australian iTunes Store. You can pick up some great ABC shows, including Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, and Sleek Geeks; some Nine Network dramas, including Sea Patrol and McLeod’s Daughters; and US series including South Park and Scrubs. At $2.99 an episode, it’s a pricey way to get legal TV — buying the DVD of most of these shows would be much cheaper. But if nothing else, it makes it likely that movie downloads via iTunes, well-established in the US market, might soon finally come down under. (Thanks to Michael Q.)
More »
Fix
4:56PM Angus Kidman | Back in February, we told you about the handy Deobfuscator tool, which made it possible to copy and paste text from the Australian Financial Review (via its sister site MIS). Following reader reports, we can confirm that the original Deobfuscator tool no longer seems to work on MIS pages (presumably there’s been a coding change at the back end).However, all is not lost — as I learnt during the Pubcamp media conference in Melbourne earlier this week, the AFR is making at least some content available on its site the day of publication, and the Deobfuscator still works fine on that. Here it is working its magic on an article about the corporate coming of age of Twitter and LinkedIn by Renai LeMay, well worth passing on to your management if they still insist that social networking should be banned on work computers. The original AFR article is here. (Thanks Sean C for raising the issue!)
More »
Keeping pace with the AFR
4:56PM Angus Kidman | Back in February, we told you about the handy Deobfuscator tool, which made it possible to copy and paste text from the Australian Financial Review (via its sister site MIS). Following reader reports, we can confirm that the original Deobfuscator tool no longer seems to work on MIS pages (presumably there’s been a coding change at the back end).However, all is not lost — as I learnt during the Pubcamp media conference in Melbourne earlier this week, the AFR is making at least some content available on its site the day of publication, and the Deobfuscator still works fine on that. Here it is working its magic on an article about the corporate coming of age of Twitter and LinkedIn by Renai LeMay, well worth passing on to your management if they still insist that social networking should be banned on work computers. The original AFR article is here. (Thanks Sean C for raising the issue!)
More »
Work
3:58PM Angus Kidman | The Internet has seemingly gotten a long way with top-level domains — the last bits after the dot in any Internet domain name, usually abbreviated to TLDs — essentially limited to country codes (such as .au) and a handful of “global” options (such as .com). However, this week ICANN (which controls domain name policy) is voting on a proposal that would allow a much wider range of TLDs, including company names and trademarks. As the BBC reports, one of the first cabs off the rank if the proposal goes through will probably be .xxx for adult content, which ICANN has rejected previously. An approval committee will block any offensive choices, and in the event that several organisations want to create a new top-level domain, there’ll be an auction. If nothing else, that’s a good way for ICANN to get funding.Porn frenzy aside, what new top-level domains would you find useful? Do we need .social for social networking? .hack for code listings? .nsw and .qld, with every other state getting a go as well? Or is a healthy dose of creativity and a dirt-cheap .com domain name still the best choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
More »
Picking the best new top-level domains
3:58PM Angus Kidman | The Internet has seemingly gotten a long way with top-level domains — the last bits after the dot in any Internet domain name, usually abbreviated to TLDs — essentially limited to country codes (such as .au) and a handful of “global” options (such as .com). However, this week ICANN (which controls domain name policy) is voting on a proposal that would allow a much wider range of TLDs, including company names and trademarks. As the BBC reports, one of the first cabs off the rank if the proposal goes through will probably be .xxx for adult content, which ICANN has rejected previously. An approval committee will block any offensive choices, and in the event that several organisations want to create a new top-level domain, there’ll be an auction. If nothing else, that’s a good way for ICANN to get funding.Porn frenzy aside, what new top-level domains would you find useful? Do we need .social for social networking? .hack for code listings? .nsw and .qld, with every other state getting a go as well? Or is a healthy dose of creativity and a dirt-cheap .com domain name still the best choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
More »
Organise
11:32AM Angus Kidman | In an article for The Courier Mail
about new housing developments, writer John McCarthy laments the fact
that Australian houses are getting smaller:
NO real backyard, no laundry, smaller
and fewer rooms, the end of the two-car family and probably the
backyard cricket match – welcome to the future of affordable housing.
I’ll be honest — when I read this, I
thought a serious dose of urban realism was required. Although I’ve
got my own laundry and only two bedrooms, my own Sydney apartment largely
matches the description of this “bare necessities” home,
and I’ve got no complaints. If I lived in any other major global
city, I’d probably think the amount of space I had was spectacularly
generous. A bigger backyard would be nice, but that’s what the local park is for (mine even has a BBQ). And as for the two-car family, the rising cost of petrol
and its environmental impact should be making people rethink that
strategy anyway.
Do our homes need to be as big as they
have been in the past? What strategies do you use to live effectively
in less space? Let us know in the comments.
Houses shrinking as mortgage costs bite [Courier Mail]
More »
The Aussie home is shrinking, apparently
11:32AM Angus Kidman | In an article for The Courier Mail
about new housing developments, writer John McCarthy laments the fact
that Australian houses are getting smaller:
NO real backyard, no laundry, smaller
and fewer rooms, the end of the two-car family and probably the
backyard cricket match – welcome to the future of affordable housing.
I’ll be honest — when I read this, I
thought a serious dose of urban realism was required. Although I’ve
got my own laundry and only two bedrooms, my own Sydney apartment largely
matches the description of this “bare necessities” home,
and I’ve got no complaints. If I lived in any other major global
city, I’d probably think the amount of space I had was spectacularly
generous. A bigger backyard would be nice, but that’s what the local park is for (mine even has a BBQ). And as for the two-car family, the rising cost of petrol
and its environmental impact should be making people rethink that
strategy anyway.
Do our homes need to be as big as they
have been in the past? What strategies do you use to live effectively
in less space? Let us know in the comments.
Houses shrinking as mortgage costs bite [Courier Mail]
More »
Fix
11:14AM Angus Kidman | A recent survey of 300 IT professionals
by security software firm Cyber-Ark revealed that
one-third had used administrative passwords to access confidential
information, and a whopping 47% had looked at information that wasn’t
relevant to their role. While you may be restricted in what you can
do on a work PC, and the extent to which you can stop snooping, you
aren’t completely powerless. Gina’s classic guide to surviving IT
lockdown
can help you get stuff done even when IT holds all the keys.
Remember that your work machine is just
that — a work machine — so save really confidential stuff for when
you get home. Check our security archive for more tips on
protecting your personal data and possessions, and let us know of any
other privacy-protecting tactics you’ve deployed at work in the
comments.
More »
Is your IT manager spying on you?
11:14AM Angus Kidman | A recent survey of 300 IT professionals
by security software firm Cyber-Ark revealed that
one-third had used administrative passwords to access confidential
information, and a whopping 47% had looked at information that wasn’t
relevant to their role. While you may be restricted in what you can
do on a work PC, and the extent to which you can stop snooping, you
aren’t completely powerless. Gina’s classic guide to surviving IT
lockdown
can help you get stuff done even when IT holds all the keys.
Remember that your work machine is just
that — a work machine — so save really confidential stuff for when
you get home. Check our security archive for more tips on
protecting your personal data and possessions, and let us know of any
other privacy-protecting tactics you’ve deployed at work in the
comments.
More »
Organise
Boxee Is XBMC with Newer Look and Social Flair
9:00AM Adam Pash | Free, open source application Boxee is a new media centre application for the Mac (and soon to be Linux and Windows). Based on the open source media centre application Xbox Media Centre, aka XBMC, which we’ve covered from it’s humble beginnings on the Xbox classic to its move to your Mac and your thumb drive, Boxee completely reskins XBMC and adds a new social element. With Boxee, your local content seamlessly integrates with web content from sites like Last.fm and YouTube, and Boxee shares what you’re watching, listening to, and liking with all of your friends. More »
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