Linux.conf.au, Australia’s annual get-together for Linux hackers, coders and enthusiasts, is shifting to Hobart in January 2009 (I’ll definitely be attending). The call for papers has just opened, so if you’ve got a nifty Linux project you’re keen to publicise or some technical knowledge to share, get over to the official site, register and get your suggestions in.
Mac OS X only: Free, open-source tool Precipitate indexes your Google Docs and Google Bookmarks, making them searchable from either Spotlight or Google Desktop for Mac. Precipitate provides full search on the entire content of your Google Docs documents, while on Google Bookmarks Precipitate only indexes your bookmark title and any other metadata you added when you created the bookmark (though bookmark content search could be awesome). Precipitate may also support indexing of other Google cloud apps in the future, like Picasa web albums, but the initial Docs and Bookmarks support is a great start. Precipitate is free, Mac OS X only. Thanks Nicholas! Precipitate [Google Code]
If you’re signed into your Gmail account from several computers at once, a note at the bottom of your inbox will tell you that, Google announces. Gmail’s new Remote Signout and Info feature is getting rolled out to Gmail accounts slowly, and will display the IP addresses of all the computers where you’re currently signed into Gmail below your inbox (shown above). You can also sign out of Gmail from a remote computer using the new feature—check out a screenshot of that, after the jump.
Last week we introduced you to Dropbox, a freeware application that instantaneously syncs files between computers and backs them up online through the Dropbox web interface. The Dropbox iGoogle gadget provides quick access to any of your Dropbox files through the comfort and convenience of your iGoogle dashboard. Off the bat the Dropbox gadget is a little funky, but if you install the Fix Dropbox Width Greasemonkey script in addition to the iGoogle gadget, it fits perfectly among your other iGoogle gadgets. Dropbox Gadget [iGoogle] My Dropbox Gadget (with Greasemonkey Script) [Spanish Gringo]
Windows only: Freeware application 360desktop turns your Windows desktop into a 360-degree virtual desktop. Using the application’s unobtrusive slider, 360desktop scrolls around a cylindrical, widget-enabled desktop until it returns back to the start. As you can see in the video, some of the application’s features are a touch frivolous, and unfortunately you can’t yet use your own panoramic photos as your 360desktop wallpaper. That said, if you’ve always been interested in organizing your workspaces with virtual desktops or extending the size of your desktop but haven’t found an application that fits your likes, 360desktop might be worth a look. 360desktop is freeware, Windows only. 360desktop
Firefox only: Save time shopping at Amazon.com with the new Better Amazon Firefox extension, which adds helpful tweaks and features to Amazon’s pages. Better Amazon highlights which products the big A offers Super Saver free shipping for in search results, automatically enlarges product images, shortens Amazon URLs for easy emailing, and collapses superfluous junk on the page when you just need to get simple tasks done. After the jump, download Better Amazon and get your (stateside) online shopping done more efficiently.
Everyone hates the dreaded “Where do you see yourself in five years?” question, but it’s a lot easier to answer when you’ve got written goals and a plan to achieve them. CEO Michael Hyatt blogs about how he put together his life plan, which he reviews with a coach every three months. This process of creating and regularly reviewing my plan has been transformational. As my family, friends, career, and other interests have grown, this document has kept me on track, ensuring that I keep everything in balance (more or less). When things get chaotic, it serves as a map, telling me where I am and how to get back on the path to my intended destination.
Hyatt runs down the three key components in his plan: outcomes, priorities, and action plans. While it sounds like a lot of expensive executive coach-speak for people who wear suits to work, have a personal secretary, and a corner office, if you can get past the stiff terminology, there’s something here for anyone wondering how the heck to plot out their career and life path. Creating a Life Plan [From Where I Sit]
Windows only: There’s never been an elegant or efficient way to create new folders in Windows without getting the mouse involved. Alt+F+W+F? Definitely not quick. But lightweight application mdAxel can assign a keyboard shortcut to the act of creating a new folder. The shortcut triggers a folder creation dialog box which includes a pull-down menu of previous names you’ve used for easy reuse or editing. After mdAxel made making new folders easier from the keyboard, my weekend task of organising a mountain of media into a neat folder structure became much more bearable. MdAxel is a free download for Windows only. mdAxel [via Skyrocket Concepts]
Windows only: Free Windows utility DesktopOnTop adds an icon to your system tray that provides quick access to the files and shortcuts on your desktop, in either a pop-up list or a mini-desktop view. The right-click list isn’t all that much more convenient than the “Desktop” toolbar that Windows itself provides, but the ordered desktop view is a boon for those who stack and filter their files on their background. The major drawback to DesktopOnTop is that its mini-desktop’s wallpaper won’t match yours (unless you cede your wallpaper to one of its designs), but color-picking and transparency settings can make it unobtrusive. DesktopOnTop is a free download for Windows systems only. DesktopOnTop [via Download Squad]
