Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Wired-Marker permanently highlights text on web pages. Unlike web-based highlighters or offline options like previously-mentioned Scrapbook, Wired-Highligher is a hybrid of online and offline highlighting. So while you can’t send highlighted content to someone else or view your content offline, you can see your highlighted content automatically any time you browse to the original web page. You can highlight content in a variety of colours and customise what your highlights mean to better categorize your highlighted content. Syncing capabilities would be killer, but as-is Wired-Highlighter is a great extension for highlighter junkies who feel left out in their browser.
Wired-Marker [Firefox Add-ons via Digital Inspiration]Part 2 of the Aurora future browser video concept series is now online. If you’re new to Aurora, check out yesterday’s coverage of Part 1. [via]
Windows only: Free application XnView Shell Extension adds several image tools to your right-click menu so you can preview, resize, edit, upload, and convert images in just a couple of clicks. Made by the same people who brought your previously mentioned XnView—the lightning fast image editor and viewer—XnView Shell Extension brings many of the same great tools of XnView to your right-click menu. If you do a lot of work with photos but don’t want to fire up a full-fledged editor for some quick resizing or converting, this context menu add-on looks like a winner. XnView Shell Extension is freeware, Windows only. XnView Shell Extension [via FreewareGenius]
A whole lot more than just words passes between people who are talking, so a few simple conversational skills can help you recognise what’s really being said and help you lead the discussion your way. Learn how to read body language and facial expressions, de-code euphemisms, ask sensitive questions, criticize constructively, get what you want in negotiations, cut off chatterboxes, and more with our top 10 conversation hacks. Photo by PhillipC.
Geared mostly towards advertisers (but interesting to anyone into trends), Google launches a Trends spin-off called Google Insights, which charts a search term’s popularity across the web and the world. For example, things are looking up for the search term Lifehacker. [via]
Windows and Mac: Remember the Milk users, you can access your RTM lists from your desktop in two ways: The Remember the Moof Dashboard widget for Mac users, and the Remember the Milk Tool for Windows users. Remember the Moof brings your list to your Mac’s Dashboard, where you can add items, check off items, or sort by list or tag. The Windows RTM tool just lets you quick add to your list from your desktop. Both are free downloads. What are your favourite ways to interact with RTM (besides, you know, the web site)? Let us know in the comments. Both the Remember the Moof Dashboard widget and RTM tool for Windows are free downloads. Thanks, How-To Geek! Remember the Moof [Shrugsoft via RTM blog] New development: Remember the Milk Tool [Timo Pijnappel - TheBlog!]
Conventional wisdom says quality, not quantity counts, but programmer Jeff Atwood disagrees. He says practice—great quantities of practice—bring quality. Quantity always trumps quality. That’s why the one bit of advice I always give aspiring bloggers is to pick a schedule and stick with it. It’s the only advice that matters, because until you’ve mentally committed to doing it over and over, you will not improve. You can’t. When it comes to software, the same rule applies. If you aren’t building, you aren’t learning. Rather than agonising over whether you’re building the right thing, just build it. And if that one doesn’t work, keep building until you get one that does.
Atwood’s advice applies to making anything—from software to ceramics to paintings to screenplays. Thanks, Peter! Quantity Always Trumps Quality [Coding Horror]
