Thursday, September 18, 2008
Work
Ten-Point Manifesto On How To Work Better
11:30PM Gina Trapani | While we’re not much for motivational posters or trite slogans, this ten-point manifesto by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss on how to work better is worth a mention. Artist Ryan Gander has a photocopy hung on the wall of his studio, and writes: I like it quite simply because it acknowledges [Fischli and Weiss'] awareness of the idea of practice rather than production, which indirectly points to the main aspect of what they do that I find really endearing. It’s relatively easy to stumble around making a successful work now and again, sandwiched between disasters that never leave the studio, but it’s hard to attain good practice. Their’s isn’t about making good artworks, but about how to mould the conditions for artworks to be made possible. More »
Design
Use Photoshop Filters In GIMP
11:04PM Kevin Purdy | Are you a Linux lover with a not-so-secret need for Photoshop and its many, many filters? Check out the newly-revived User Filter plug-in, which, combined with download-able filters, makes the free, open-source editor quite a bit more useful. [via] More »
Organise
Eric’s Movie Database Whips Your Collection Into Shape With IMDb
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | Windows only: Free home movie organiser Eric’s Movie Database (EMDb) is a fast and simple solution for those looking to keep tabs on their DVDs, VHS tapes, or other home movies. Using IMDb as its primary data gatherer, you simply type in the name of your film, confirm which flick it is, and you’ve got all the standard information filled out. There’s a powerful seach function for truly substantial collections, and a button to track who you’ve got your flicks loaned out to. Mac users looking to organize more than just DVDs should try Delicious Library; for Windows users just looking to give their friends a list of what they’ve got, EMDb is probably the most time-efficient solution. Eric’s Movie Database is a free download for Windows systems only. Eric’s Movie Database [via gHacks] More »
Fix
StairCASE Stepladder Bookcase
10:00PM Gina Trapani | Conceptual designer Danny Kuo has prototyped an ingenious solution for getting to the topmost levels of a tall bookshelf with his StairCASE design. The bookshelf combines the functionality of drawers to make steps to reach the high shelves, as shown. For small apartments with high ceilings, this is a pretty ingenious space-saver. The StairCASE doesn’t appear to be available for purchase, but a DIY version wouldn’t be too hard for someone out to build a new bookshelf. StairCASE [Unclutterer] More »
Work
What’s New In The Windows Live Wave Betas
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | Microsoft rolled out yesterday a new suite of updated betas for its web-connected Windows Live software, which includes Live Writer, Movie Maker, Mail, Photo Gallery, and three others. Some of the Live apps—-which you can now download as a suite or individually—gained a few notable features and tweaks, while others simply earned a brighter coat of paint. I installed the whole “Live Wave 3,” took notes on what was notable, and grabbed a few screenshots as well: More »
Fix
12:39PM Angus Kidman | Recording one channel while watching another is one of the main advantages of a PVR like Foxtel’s iQ2, and iQ2 owners will shortly be able to double their pleasure. The ‘Four Tuners’ software update, which Foxtel will begin automatically rolling out to subscribers from this week, allows two different programs to be recorded while a third is being watched live. I’ve got to admit there aren’t many occasions when there are three things on that I want to watch, but it’s good to know that the update capabilities on the iQ2 are being exploited early in its life. Can you find a schedule clash that necessitates recording two stations at once? Share it in the comments.
[Foxtel]
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Foxtel To Patch iQ2 Boxes With Extra Tuner Capability
12:39PM Angus Kidman | Recording one channel while watching another is one of the main advantages of a PVR like Foxtel’s iQ2, and iQ2 owners will shortly be able to double their pleasure. The ‘Four Tuners’ software update, which Foxtel will begin automatically rolling out to subscribers from this week, allows two different programs to be recorded while a third is being watched live. I’ve got to admit there aren’t many occasions when there are three things on that I want to watch, but it’s good to know that the update capabilities on the iQ2 are being exploited early in its life. Can you find a schedule clash that necessitates recording two stations at once? Share it in the comments.
[Foxtel]
More »
Organise
11:33AM Angus Kidman | Telstra’s Whereis service has been pretty much trumped for desktop maps searches by Google Maps, but it remains the main provider of mapping information for GPS systems. So the addition of speed limit information for an additional 78,000 kilometres of roads in the just-released Whereis 15.1 is good news for drivers with lead feet traversing an unfamiliar city. The new release also boasts improved phonetic information for pronouncing place name information, though I suspect Gulargambone might still give it pause for thought.
[Whereis]
More »
Whereis Adds More Speed Limit Information To GPS Maps
11:33AM Angus Kidman | Telstra’s Whereis service has been pretty much trumped for desktop maps searches by Google Maps, but it remains the main provider of mapping information for GPS systems. So the addition of speed limit information for an additional 78,000 kilometres of roads in the just-released Whereis 15.1 is good news for drivers with lead feet traversing an unfamiliar city. The new release also boasts improved phonetic information for pronouncing place name information, though I suspect Gulargambone might still give it pause for thought.
[Whereis]
More »
Fix
New Gmail Labs Features Move Labels And Chat To The Right
9:48AM Gina Trapani | Yet more Gmail Labs features arrive in your email account today: the ability to relocate your labels list and Gmail chat box to the right of your inbox instead of the left. If you’ve got a widescreen monitor and a long buddy list and/or label list like the developer, this relocation could cut down on scrolling time to get to your labels or chat. Hit the Labs tab in your Gmail account’s Settings area to enable these and any of the other 22 experimental features now available. More »
Organise
SnackUpon Creates An RSS Feed Tailored To Your Tastes
9:00AM Adam Pash | Yahoo Pipes mashup SnackUpon takes the ideas behind two popular web applications—Delicious and StumbleUpon—and creates a customised RSS feed that delivers content you might like based on your Delicious bookmarks. The idea is brilliant: You already subscribe to sites with your newsreader because they deliver content that you like, but you don’t have much control over what content the publisher of that site covers. With SnackUpon, it’s like you’ve created a blog that publishes content based solely on your likes. Granted, that assumes the SnackUpon works as advertised, but after testing it out on my Delicious account, this is one feed I’m planning to keep in my newsreader. If you plug in your Delicious ID, let’s hear how well SnackUpon matches your taste in the comments. SnackUpon [Yahoo Pipes] More »
Organise
