Whether you’re missing a crucial file at work or home, or you just need to tweak one little setting to get Mom’s email working again, having remote control of another desktop can be seriously handy. But not everybody can walk the less-tech-inclined through installing a VNC server and opening up their router ports, or have the time to create their own SingleClick tech support tool (cool as it may be). Today, we’re looking at the best solutions for getting into a computer remotely, whether you’re helping out Uncle Bif, grabbing files from home, or controlling your media server from the lounger. Photo by miguelb.
iTunes users who aren’t heavy checkbox users, selecting songs by checking them off is an easy way to make playlists on the fly (by selecting “Match only checked items” in the Smart Playlist dialog). Macworld points out that you can check or uncheck a list of songs (from a search, or in a playlist, or in your entire library) by Cmd+clicking on any song checkbox in the collection (Ctrl+Click for Windows users). Are you an iTunes checkbox checker-offer? How do you put iTunes checkboxes to good use? Let us know in the comments. For more playlist fun, see our top 10 iTunes Smart Playlists. Checking on iTunes’ unchecked items [Macworld]
Our naughty brother site Fleshbot asks readers how they organise their, uh, adult-only media collection (NSFW) when it grows to over a few gigabytes. (NSFW=Don’t click on that link at the office. Really!)
Macworld points out a handy Firefox tabbing keyboard shortcut: Hit Alt+Enter (Opt+Enter for Mac users) to open a URL you’ve typed into the address bar in a new tab. This way, instead of hitting Ctrl+T to open a new tab, then the address, then Enter, you can skip one step. For more useful Firefox keyboard shortcuts, see our mouse-less Firefox feature. Open typed URLs in new tabs [Macworld]
Career columnist Marci Alboher offers up advice on how to perform a controlled slide out of a lay-off situation and into your next job ASAP, using nothing more complicated than email (or a pen and paper, if you’re all about sincerity). While most workers start cutting their ties to the shop that did them wrong, Alboher says focusing on the positives of your employment, while also working your farthest-out contacts, can net results: While it may feel like an odd time for gratitude, you may make some good impressions by composing a few handwritten thank you notes to those who have helped you in your career. Similarly, if you can craft a graceful departure e-mail thanking colleagues for their support, providing your personal contact information and saying you are open to any leads or introductions, again you may be pleased with the results.
