Sunday, August 3, 2008

iPhone comparison calculator matches plans to your needs

5:50PM Angus Kidman | While there’s virtue in choice, the range of telcos offering the iPhone in Australia (more than anywhere else in the world as far as we can see) makes choosing the right plan tricky. There’s some obvious basic principles you should follow, but sifting through the dozens of options on offer can be exhausting. Enter the Australian iPhone Plan Comparison Calculator, which lets you enter some key metrics — calls and SMSes each day, plus voicemail volume, typical call lengths and anticipated data needs — and matches those to the most suitable plans. It’d be nice to see a more nuanced approach to data downloads (factoring in key elements like email volumes), but if you’re not forced onto a single carrier by geographic or other considerations, this is a great way of narrowing the field. [Australian iPhone Plan Comparison Calculator] More »

Store Paint in Water Bottles with Marbles

7:00AM Gina Trapani | You painted a room or two in your house, and now you’ve got a few half-full cans of paint left over. Save space and paint with home improvement guy Ron Hazelton’s advice: The key to paint storage is to minimize the amount of air in the container. So plastic water bottles of all different sizes are perfect for keeping leftover paint in good condition. Simply match the size of the bottle with the amount of leftover paint that you have. A roll of masking tape keeps the bottle from tipping and a paper towel will catch any drips. If the paint has a lot of loose debris, you may want to put a paint filter inside the funnel. Once the paint is in the bottle, remove the funnel and drop about six marbles into the paint. When it’s time for a touch-up next year, you can shake up the bottle (and let those marbles do the work of mixing up the leftovers) and go. This technique will also save space in the garage. Paint Storage [Ron Hazelton's HouseCalls via Unclutterer] org More »

How to Make a Skateboard Sail

5:00AM Gina Trapani | Sailors without a boat (but with a skateboard) can put together their own skateboard sail using PVC pipe, clear plastic, hot glue, and duct tape. Do-it-yourselfer Magnelectrostatic posts the step-by-step for his skateboard sail over at Instructables. A video is forthcoming, but turns out you actually need wind for this thing to go. Cool! How to Make a Skateboard Sail [Instructables via Make] More »

Snag That Job Interview with a Video Resume

4:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Get an edge on that super-competitive job by creating a video resume instead of boring, templated dead-tree version. Student resource Education Portal claims that the video approach can get potential employers to want face time with you—as long as you still consider the basics for interview etiquette. Dress appropriately, keep it brief, practice your speech, and prepare by looking at other professional videos for encouragement and tips. Whatever you do, don’t do what this guy did. While video resumes are becoming more popular, they may not work for everyone; check with the human resources department of the company you’re applying for to make sure that your hard work isn’t going to waste. Photo by airgap. Job Resumes 2.0: Creating a Video Resume [Education Portal] More »

Shine Your Shoes Like a Military Cadet

3:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Maintain your leather shoes with the occasional military-style deep shine. The Art of Manliness blog runs down how. First, spread newspaper underneath the pair of shoes you’re working on. With a horsehair shine brush, remove all dirt from the sides and toes of the shoes. Add a liberal amount of polish to the shoe but be sure to match the colour of the polish to your shoe as closely as possible. Let the polish dry, and then focus on giving the toes and heels that extra shine using cotton. Rinse and repeat until your shoes look brand new. The article suggests practical gear to build a solid shoe shine kit, which could come in handy before that big wedding or formal event. Photo by abchbum. How to Shine Men’s Dress Shoes [The Art of Manliness] More »

Cleepr Finds Music Videos

2:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Searching YouTube for music videos from your favourite artists can be a bit of a crap shoot. If you’ve ever loaded a video expecting Billy Corgan rocking out against a surreal production set and instead got a kid in mascara rocking karaoke against a sheet in his grandma’s basement, music video search engine Cleepr is for you. While an occasional karaoke fest slips in, the vast majority of searches return only legitimate footage of your favourite musicians in music videos, public performances, and collaborations with other artists. Cleepr [via MakeUseOf] More »