Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been out since April, but it’s only now being widely pushed out onto Australian desktops via Windows Update, meaning that pretty much everyone is going to have to deal with it regardless of their geek status. For most people, that means a hefty download (60MB or more) and the usual delays and reboots to have a fully-patched PC. But what if the service pack doesn’t install? Read on for our guide to fixing some common SP3 problems. More »
Stained glass adds a hard-to-replicate ambiance to any room, but the stuff sure isn’t cheap. One Instructables user has detailed a method for making faux stained glass with a hot glue gun, acrylic glass (also known by its trademark Plexiglas), and whatever paint colours you plan to use. As the commenters at Instructables have noted, it’s not a perfect simulation, but the faux stuff can serve as a stand-in for frames missing some glass, or for trying out rough sketches (or goofier ideas) to see how they look as stained glass. While you’re at the store, consider adding your own $16 DIY privacy frosting. Faux Stained Glass [Instructables]
Our recent discussion of innovations that should be added to email included the notion of “snoozing” individual emails. Microsoft’s Office Labs research division has come up with a different “snooze” concept in its experimental Email Prioritizer add-on prototype, which lets you specify a time period when you don’t want to deal with incoming mail, and doesn’t deliver it until after that point. There’s also an auto-rating system to identify high-priority mails when you do get back to your inbox. Sadly, the software only works with Exchange-enabled Outlook, so home office warriors can’t test it out, but it’s an indication of how future versions of Microsoft’s mail client might evolve. [Microsoft Office Labs via Microsoft Office Outlook Team Blog]
The gang at IKEA Hacker have come up with another esoteric tech hack, this time using a Söt Barnslig soft toy to create a novelty USB drive. You could easily adapt this plan for other soft toys, though you might have to hunt around to get one for less than 95 cents. [IKEA Hacker]
Blogger Mediamum shares the experience of planning and executing a family move from Sydney to Colorado in just eight weeks, including how to get rid of your excess possessions and choose what to ship, store and take in your luggage. One particularly notable point that often catches out travellers to the US:
We had three different estimates of how much we could take on board our flight to the USA. Syd-LA with Qantas said 32kg each bag was fine. What most of the Qantas people didn’t tell us was that for our connecting domestic flight from LA to Denver, the limit is just 23kg. It sucked to find that out two days before leaving.
Got any tips of your own for shifting continents? Share them in the comments. Moving to Colorado in 5 Easy Steps [Mediamum]
The whole reason why you spend time streamlining, automating, and speeding up your workflow isn’t to work more—it’s to make time for important things computers can’t do, like thinking. Professor David Levy argues, however, that our fast-paced world doesn’t allow for time to think deeply, the time when we come up with our best ideas and most important insights. Levy’s talk at Google last year is a cannot-miss for any lifehacker; at almost an hour in length, you might want to load it up on your media centre in the living room or on your iPod for the gym. No Time to Think [YouTube]
Weblog mental_floss rounds up 10 short and sweet words for getting rid of your tough-to-unload but point-heavy letters at your rousing weekend game of Scrabble. We’re talking words like Aa, Qat, Zax, Cwm, Xu, and five others that are short enough to fit anywhere and will hold up to a dictionary inquest. Got your own favourites? Expand our vocabulary in the comments. Photo by allyrose18. Quick 10: 10 Words That Will Help You Win at Scrabble [mental_floss]
Trying to find videos from some of your favourite video mega sites like YouTube and Daily Motion can be a pain on a phone. Web site VuClip provides a mobile-friendly search engine for a large pool of video sites, delivering those videos seamlessly to your phone. In my tests with a Windows Mobile phone and a Blackberry, watching YouTube videos via VuClip was a much more enjoyable experience than trying to use YouTube itself. VuClip [via StartupMeme]
When you learned to play an instrument online, you found out that teaching yourself to read tablature was a must for the aspiring guitarist. (If you’ve ever tried to learn a song on the internet, you’ve without a doubt seen tab before.) One major problem with reading tab and translating it to your guitar is that it can be difficult to find the rhythm in the notation. Web site Songsterr solves this problem by creating tabs you can play back and play along with in real time. As the song progresses, Songsterr indicates where you should be in the tab. You can slow down the playback to half speed while you’re learning, then crank it up to normal once you’ve got the hang of it. Looks like a great site to add to your arsenal of free instrument-learning tools.
SongsterrWhile sprucing up our place earlier this year, we decided the wall above our mantle could use some art. Rather than pony up for frames, artwork, or blown up photographs, I decided to take advantage of the cheap albums in the dollar bin of my local record store to add beautiful artwork to my living room. With just a few bucks and about 30 minutes, I built an album art wall to display some of my favourite album art—both for albums I love and for albums that I love to look at. The best part: You can easily switch out the albums on display any time. Here’s how I did it.
