Thursday, September 4, 2008
Fix
Install a New Hard Drive in a MacBook
11:30PM Gina Trapani | It’s easy to install a new hard drive in your desktop computer, but laptops can be a whole other ball of wax, because the drive is usually wedged deep into the notebook’s innards and it takes a lot more elbow grease to swap out. MacBook owner Dwight Silverman took the plunge when he filled up his drive and doubled his available gigabytage. This process varies from notebook to notebook, so if you’ve successfully installed a bigger hard drive in your laptop, tell us how it went in the comments. A 320-GB birthday: Installing a new hard drive in a MacBook [TechBlog] More »
Fix
Taskix Enables Taskbar Reordering with a Small Footprint
11:00PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: While we’re generally fans of the multi-function Taskbar Shuffle ’round these geeky parts, some users might not want much more than the ability to drag and drop their tasks around the bottom of their Windows desktop—especially if the software that does it has to take up 6MB of memory. Taskix, a tiny, free utility, turns on and off to enable dragging taskbar items around each other, and even move around items if you’ve enabled taskbar grouping. Auto-starting the app with Windows is a one-click affair, and it used only 800KB of RAM on my XP system, so it’s hardly a performance hit. Taskix is a free download for Windows systems only. Thanks, Derek! Taskix More »
Work
Killer Commands for Ubiquity
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | The Tools for Thought blog runs down 15 useful commands you might not have known for Ubiquity, the experimental Firefox extension that acts on your typed requests (which Gina showed us around last week). Among the cooler uses are highlight, which leaves behind a semi-permanent yellow on selected text, and check Friday, which relays your Google Calendar appointments. Ubiquity testers, what commands are using to get things done? Offer up the code in the comments. [Tools For Thought] More »
Fix
Create Separate User Profiles in Google Chrome
10:00PM Kevin Purdy | The Digital Inspiration blog points out that new-browser-on-the-block Google Chrome shares one thing with Firefox 3 not mentioned in many press reports—a history-aware address bar, or “Awesome Bar,” that can create some red-faced moments on a shared computer. If more than one person on your system is switching to Chrome, and you don’t feel like staying in Incognito Mode all the time, creating a new profile in Chrome requires manually creating a folder in Chrome’s application data folder, but that’s all there is to it. Vista and XP users, hit the link below for help finding your Chrome profiles folder, and then creating a custom shortcut to launch your own Chrome without leaving tracks behind on others. Create Separate Profiles in Google Chrome for Family Members and Stay Extra Safe [Digital Inspiration] More »
Work
7:28PM Angus Kidman | The disappearance of HD DVD from the market was expected to give a boost to Blu-ray, but so far it seems we’re are quite happy to stick with DVD and skip any hi-def alternative. Michael Bodey at The Australian reports that on the most recent sales figures, Blu-ray accounts for just 1.35% of the total Australian DVD movie market — despite the healthy sales of the PS3 (which sports built-in Blu-ray support), falling prices on other Blu-ray players, and gangbuster sales for high-def TVs. Why do you think Blu-ray hasn’t taken off? Is the extra resolution not worth it? Are the blanks too expensive? Are you sick of constantly buying movies in new formats? Is it easier just to head to the iTunes store and grab a flick? Share your thoughts in comments.
High-def TVs muscle out their digital rivals [The Australian] More »
Why aren’t we excited by Blu-ray?
7:28PM Angus Kidman | The disappearance of HD DVD from the market was expected to give a boost to Blu-ray, but so far it seems we’re are quite happy to stick with DVD and skip any hi-def alternative. Michael Bodey at The Australian reports that on the most recent sales figures, Blu-ray accounts for just 1.35% of the total Australian DVD movie market — despite the healthy sales of the PS3 (which sports built-in Blu-ray support), falling prices on other Blu-ray players, and gangbuster sales for high-def TVs. Why do you think Blu-ray hasn’t taken off? Is the extra resolution not worth it? Are the blanks too expensive? Are you sick of constantly buying movies in new formats? Is it easier just to head to the iTunes store and grab a flick? Share your thoughts in comments.
High-def TVs muscle out their digital rivals [The Australian] More »
Communicate
6:20PM Angus Kidman | Members of the Australian Senate often seem remote compared to House of Representatives members — in part because they represent a whole state rather than a more tightly-defined area — but in the current Federal Parliament the lack of a dominant party means that the Senate’s review function is more active than ever. Project Democracy makes it easier to track the activities of the Senators that represent you, offering news coverage, extracts from Hansard, electronic contact forms and discussion boards for every member of the Senate. The site is running an email campaign to try and encourage people to “track a senator” (you get a weekly email update, they get told how many people are watching them). I suspect a lot more people will be looking at Senator Nick Xenophon and Senator Barnaby Joyce — but it’s still good to see Internet-era political information sites with a more sophisticated approach than adopting Facebook as a campaign tool but then banning your staff from using it.
[Project Democracy]
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Watch your Senator with Project Democracy
6:20PM Angus Kidman | Members of the Australian Senate often seem remote compared to House of Representatives members — in part because they represent a whole state rather than a more tightly-defined area — but in the current Federal Parliament the lack of a dominant party means that the Senate’s review function is more active than ever. Project Democracy makes it easier to track the activities of the Senators that represent you, offering news coverage, extracts from Hansard, electronic contact forms and discussion boards for every member of the Senate. The site is running an email campaign to try and encourage people to “track a senator” (you get a weekly email update, they get told how many people are watching them). I suspect a lot more people will be looking at Senator Nick Xenophon and Senator Barnaby Joyce — but it’s still good to see Internet-era political information sites with a more sophisticated approach than adopting Facebook as a campaign tool but then banning your staff from using it.
[Project Democracy]
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Fix
5:49PM Angus Kidman | Flash support was always going to be critical to Google’s much-discussed new Chrome browser – if only to get YouTube working — but reported user experiences so far have varied (especially if you don’t already have the Firefox Flash plug-in installed). Blog Hypernation outlines a method for getting Flash to work if your PC is locked down and you can’t use the regular install method. I haven’t tested this myself, and some lockdown environments likely won’t let you set up Chrome in the first place, but it’s a technique to try out if you do find yourself with a less-than-optimal Chrome experience on a PC where your admin rights are limited or non-existent.
[Hypernation]
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Get Flash working in Google Chrome on a locked-down PC
5:49PM Angus Kidman | Flash support was always going to be critical to Google’s much-discussed new Chrome browser – if only to get YouTube working — but reported user experiences so far have varied (especially if you don’t already have the Firefox Flash plug-in installed). Blog Hypernation outlines a method for getting Flash to work if your PC is locked down and you can’t use the regular install method. I haven’t tested this myself, and some lockdown environments likely won’t let you set up Chrome in the first place, but it’s a technique to try out if you do find yourself with a less-than-optimal Chrome experience on a PC where your admin rights are limited or non-existent.
[Hypernation]
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Work
3:08PM Angus Kidman | Microsoft’s DreamSpark program, which offers free copies of its developer software to students, has been extended to Australia. Registered university and TAFE students (there’s a verification process) can download free copies of numerous MS developer tools, including the big hitters Visual Studio and Expression Studio. Of course there’s a not-so-hidden agenda here — encouraging students to develop skills with MS platforms help ensure a corporate appetite for those tools. Nonetheless, those are good skills to have on your resume. (Those tools aren’t small, so download them on campus or near the end of your ISP billing month to avoid chewing up too much of your cap.)
[DreamSpark]
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Free Microsoft developer tools for Aussie university students
3:08PM Angus Kidman | Microsoft’s DreamSpark program, which offers free copies of its developer software to students, has been extended to Australia. Registered university and TAFE students (there’s a verification process) can download free copies of numerous MS developer tools, including the big hitters Visual Studio and Expression Studio. Of course there’s a not-so-hidden agenda here — encouraging students to develop skills with MS platforms help ensure a corporate appetite for those tools. Nonetheless, those are good skills to have on your resume. (Those tools aren’t small, so download them on campus or near the end of your ISP billing month to avoid chewing up too much of your cap.)
[DreamSpark]
More »
Communicate
12:14PM Angus Kidman | You might not think shaking hands is a vital business skill, but communications consultant Mark Jeffries used it as the basis for an entire book (called, predictably enough, What’s Up With Your Handshake? Speaking at the Cognos Forum on the Gold Coast today, Jeffries argued that the handshake creates a vital first impression: “We notice handshakes that go wrong. If your first impression is off a little bit, you’ll feel it and your game goes down, and they’ll feel it and your perception goes down.”
A damp handshake is always unpleasant, and people who shake for too long might be better avoided, warns Jeffries: “They don’t care that you’ve finished shaking hands. They have no interest in your agenda. This means potentially that this person likes to do business their way. They may not be a good partner for your business.”
So how do you get it right? Here’s Jeffries’ simple advice; “What is the ideal duration of a normal handshake? The answer: Two seconds. One, two, then let go.” And have a firm grip that extends fully into the other person’s hand, but don’t inflict injury in the process. If you constantly sweat, wash your hands with cold water in the bathroom before hitting a networking event — the lower temperature will reduce clamminess.
More »
How to shake hands properly
12:14PM Angus Kidman | You might not think shaking hands is a vital business skill, but communications consultant Mark Jeffries used it as the basis for an entire book (called, predictably enough, What’s Up With Your Handshake? Speaking at the Cognos Forum on the Gold Coast today, Jeffries argued that the handshake creates a vital first impression: “We notice handshakes that go wrong. If your first impression is off a little bit, you’ll feel it and your game goes down, and they’ll feel it and your perception goes down.”
A damp handshake is always unpleasant, and people who shake for too long might be better avoided, warns Jeffries: “They don’t care that you’ve finished shaking hands. They have no interest in your agenda. This means potentially that this person likes to do business their way. They may not be a good partner for your business.”
So how do you get it right? Here’s Jeffries’ simple advice; “What is the ideal duration of a normal handshake? The answer: Two seconds. One, two, then let go.” And have a firm grip that extends fully into the other person’s hand, but don’t inflict injury in the process. If you constantly sweat, wash your hands with cold water in the bathroom before hitting a networking event — the lower temperature will reduce clamminess.
More »
Fix
12:05PM Angus Kidman | Mark Gladding (who created previously mentioned Text2Go as his day job) blogs about the ways in which you can use an iPod for in-car entertainment, covering all the options from the extremely low-tech (listening through the supplied earbuds) Like Mark, I’d concur that it’s a waste of money to buy an in-car FM transmitter; you’re better off getting a replacement car stereo that supports audio input. If you want to keep your iPod in place, check out this DIY car iPod dock. Got any other tricks to get your iPod rockin’ roadside? Share them in the comments. [8 Ways to iPod your Car]
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Rigging up your car to use an iPod
12:05PM Angus Kidman | Mark Gladding (who created previously mentioned Text2Go as his day job) blogs about the ways in which you can use an iPod for in-car entertainment, covering all the options from the extremely low-tech (listening through the supplied earbuds) Like Mark, I’d concur that it’s a waste of money to buy an in-car FM transmitter; you’re better off getting a replacement car stereo that supports audio input. If you want to keep your iPod in place, check out this DIY car iPod dock. Got any other tricks to get your iPod rockin’ roadside? Share them in the comments. [8 Ways to iPod your Car]
More » 
