Monday, July 7, 2008
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PIM Backup Backs Up Windows Mobile Data
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | Windows Mobile only: The free PIM Backup utility makes backup copies of your appointments, call logs, contacts, messages, speed dials, tasks, and even folders and file types you specify. PIM Backup jobs run manually or on a schedule you set. While travelling and far away from my home computer, PIM Backup saved me from a big headache when I had to hard reset my Windows Mobile phone: with all my personal data backed up on the removable mini SD card in the phone, the time from hard reset to restored data was less than 10 minutes. We’ve covered how to back up your Windows Mobile device’s content to the web with DashWire, but PIM Backup comes in handy for file backup without using your handheld’s data connection. PIM Backup is a free download for Windows Mobile 6/5/2003SE. PIM Backup [via Eten Blog dot Com] More »
Fix
TrueCrypt 6.0 Cranks Up Multi-Core Speed, Adds OS X/Linux Features
11:00PM Kevin Purdy | Windows/Mac/Linux: TrueCrypt 6.0, the latest and improved version of the powerful software encryption tool, has been released. New to this version are the additions of hidden volume tools—the ability to create virtual, encrypted drives only viewable by yourself—to the OS X and Linux versions, and to hide an entire operating system behind encryption in Windows. Systems with multi-core CPUs will see improved encrypt/decrypt performance boosted by 100% for each CPU (important when hibernating/suspending with encrypted drives), and “backup headers” which provide last-chance recovery for encrypted drives and files that get damaged. Want to put TrueCrypt to work on your rig? Check out Gina’s guide to encrypting your data. TrueCrypt 6.0 is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. TrueCrypt More »
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Print to PDF in Windows Vista
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | The go-to Vista fix-it guy, The How-To Geek, offers a much-needed tutorial and walk-through on installing print-to-PDF functionality in Windows Vista. To start saving paper and creating PDFs, you’ll need to install a copy of previously mentioned PDFCreator, but with the trick of turning off User Account Control while you install to enable its direct PDF-creating capabilities. For a simpler but much more restricted and feature-lacking solution, you could also try installing doPDF. Hit the link for some how-to wisdom. (Original doPDF post). How to Print to a PDF File on Windows Vista [The How-To Geek] More »
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gAttach Fully Integrates Gmail into the Windows Desktop
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: Free Windows utility gAttach tightly integrates your web-based Gmail account into your operating system, fixing nearly every “Mail to” or “Send to” button and option to use a small Gmail window instead of Outlook or another desktop mail client. In other words, XP users can say goodbye to accidental Outlook Express pop-ups. The small app works with right-clicks on files, “Email this file” in Windows Explorer, email links in your default web browser, and tons of other spots where web-mailing normally wouldn’t work. If you’ve got a Google Apps account for a domain, gAttach can work with that as well. The big fix needed is a better memory for your login details (and for switching between Gmail/Google Apps accounts), but it otherwise seems to work as advertised. Yahoo Mail users, the same author makes a yAttach program that covers the same ground. gAttach is a free download for Windows systems only. gAttach [via FreewareGenius.com] More »
Fix
5:20PM Angus Kidman | It’s easy to post something stupid to Twitter in the heat of the moment, but how can you get rid of it? In theory, you can delete any unwanted Twitter posts you’ve created by clicking on the delete icon next to them, but sometimes Twitter’s notoriously picky API gets moody and doesn’t want to help. If that happens, don’t despair.
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How to delete recalcitrant tweets from Twitter
5:20PM Angus Kidman | It’s easy to post something stupid to Twitter in the heat of the moment, but how can you get rid of it? In theory, you can delete any unwanted Twitter posts you’ve created by clicking on the delete icon next to them, but sometimes Twitter’s notoriously picky API gets moody and doesn’t want to help. If that happens, don’t despair.
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Work
4:27PM Angus Kidman | A recent discussion at Whirlpool looks at an issue for auction sellers that’s become more significant with eBay’s prominent (albeit unsuccessful) attempts to push PayPal: what should you do if someone has paid you for postage but you work out that it’s easier to deliver the item in person? While the ethical answer is obvious (ask the buyer if they mind a personal delivery), the problem becomes more complicated if the buyer has already paid for the postage via PayPal (eBay’s preferred approach) and then decides to ask for a refund, leaving you stuck with the fees. And is it worth risking personal delivery anyway, since in a dispute PayPal will invariably side with the buyer, not the seller, and you won’t have much formal evidence of delivery? The best strategy would seem to be not having a fixed postage fee and waiting to get a delivery address before receiving any payment, but that makes the process of selling more time consuming. Tell us how you’d approach such a problem in the comments.
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Determining eBay delivery etiquette
4:27PM Angus Kidman | A recent discussion at Whirlpool looks at an issue for auction sellers that’s become more significant with eBay’s prominent (albeit unsuccessful) attempts to push PayPal: what should you do if someone has paid you for postage but you work out that it’s easier to deliver the item in person? While the ethical answer is obvious (ask the buyer if they mind a personal delivery), the problem becomes more complicated if the buyer has already paid for the postage via PayPal (eBay’s preferred approach) and then decides to ask for a refund, leaving you stuck with the fees. And is it worth risking personal delivery anyway, since in a dispute PayPal will invariably side with the buyer, not the seller, and you won’t have much formal evidence of delivery? The best strategy would seem to be not having a fixed postage fee and waiting to get a delivery address before receiving any payment, but that makes the process of selling more time consuming. Tell us how you’d approach such a problem in the comments.
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Fix
‘Better’ Firefox Extension Updates Now Available
10:00AM Gina Trapani | Firefox only: Spent the long weekend posting a rash of “Better” extension updates that add features, fix bugs, and offer full Firefox 3 compatibility. If you haven’t already, download your favourite “Better” Firefox extensions now: Better Gmail 2 Version 0.5.2: Updates and fixes the Redesigned skin; Adds Hide Gmail chat script. Better Flickr Version 0.3: Adds Firefox 3 support, Rich Edit, Photo Page Enhancer, and Thumbnail Page Enhancer. Better GCalVersion 0.3: Adds the Redesigned skin beta by Globex Designs. Better GReaderVersion 0.3: Adds Colorful List View; Updates the Minimalistic skin; Adds international domain support including google.co.uk, google.es, google.de, and others. Better LifehackerVersion 0.2: Adds HTML Helper and Nested comment replies. Better YouTubeVersion 0.4.3: Adds Firefox 3 compatibility; Fixes FlowPlayer (alternate, non-autoplaying player) and YouTube Theatre view. More »
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9:37AM Angus Kidman | If you get the feeling that the annual fee for your credit card has been rising in recent years, you’re not wrong. An analysis by MWE Consulting reported by Lisa Macnamara in the Australian notes that fees have gone up by 170% in the past five years.Of course, annual fees are only part of the story. If you’re paying extra in order to have a longer interest-free period, then the savings might be worth it, and the report notes that the biggest shift has been to low-rate cards with fewer features and a higher up-front fee. Those cards have an annual average fee of $48; if you’re paying more than that, it could well be time to migrate to a new provider.Consumers hit by credit card fees [The Australian]
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Watch out for rising credit card fees
9:37AM Angus Kidman | If you get the feeling that the annual fee for your credit card has been rising in recent years, you’re not wrong. An analysis by MWE Consulting reported by Lisa Macnamara in the Australian notes that fees have gone up by 170% in the past five years.Of course, annual fees are only part of the story. If you’re paying extra in order to have a longer interest-free period, then the savings might be worth it, and the report notes that the biggest shift has been to low-rate cards with fewer features and a higher up-front fee. Those cards have an annual average fee of $48; if you’re paying more than that, it could well be time to migrate to a new provider.Consumers hit by credit card fees [The Australian]
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8:58AM Angus Kidman | Even if you’re tech-savvy enough to minimise their exposure to dodgy sites, defining reasonable limits on when your children use the PC can be difficult. Jeff Opdyke at the Wall Street Journal discusses an approach that’s worked well with his 11-year-old son: a contract which controls computer usage in return for strict behavioural conditions. As Opdyke explains:
We’re finding that a handful of written sentences can change his behaviour more powerfully than any of the dozens of threats we can conjure up at the spur of the moment.
Has setting a contract worked with your kids, or do you prefer another approach? Let us know in the comments. If you’re more concerned with ensuring your young ‘uns don’t trash your existing machine, check out our recent guide to kid-proofing your PC with SteadyState.Bad Behavior? What Does The Contract Say? [WSJ]
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Making a computer contract with your kids
8:58AM Angus Kidman | Even if you’re tech-savvy enough to minimise their exposure to dodgy sites, defining reasonable limits on when your children use the PC can be difficult. Jeff Opdyke at the Wall Street Journal discusses an approach that’s worked well with his 11-year-old son: a contract which controls computer usage in return for strict behavioural conditions. As Opdyke explains:
We’re finding that a handful of written sentences can change his behaviour more powerfully than any of the dozens of threats we can conjure up at the spur of the moment.
Has setting a contract worked with your kids, or do you prefer another approach? Let us know in the comments. If you’re more concerned with ensuring your young ‘uns don’t trash your existing machine, check out our recent guide to kid-proofing your PC with SteadyState.Bad Behavior? What Does The Contract Say? [WSJ]
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