Windows only: See how much time you spend instant messaging friends and crafting PowerPoint presentations with time tracker app JournalLive. JournalLive logs everything you do on a computer, from gaming to email, including who you communicate with and what documents you’re working on in applications. It automatically generates all sorts of reports for tracking productivity on the web site, including timesheets—perfect for keeping recording billable hours. The pro edition allows managers to track employees, presumably so hard workers can be recognised and shirkers sent to human resources for a stern lecture. The personal edition is free, the professional edition costs €10 per user, for Windows only. Thanks, owenconnor666!
JournalLiveThe number of exceptions to the national Do Not Call register can sometimes make it feel like a toothless tiger, but it showed some teeth this week. Brett Winterford at ZDNet reports that Dodo has been slapped with a $147,000 fine for telemarketing activities for its services originating from a Philippines call centre. It hasn’t been a great week for Dodo, which is also the third-most-complained-about ISP in the country.
Dodo’s Philippines call centre cops fine [ZDNet]In our recent roundup of wireless broadband services, we left out iBurst because it wasn’t 3G, but even if we’ve spread our net wider, it might not have made much difference. Whirlpool reports that iBurst will shut down by the end of the year, following a failed attempt by BigAir to buy its assets. Since iBurst’s debut, the range of broadband options has increased dramatically, and its coverage never spread in a meaningful way outside east coast capitals, but it’s always annoying to see competition in this space reduced.
R.I.P. iBurst [Whirlpool]Stuck with a PDF file and no application that will let you edit it? PDF UNdo Online is easy, free, works on any computer and there’s no registration required. Click to browse your computer for an Adobe PDF document, click to convert it into a Microsoft Word document, then click to download the converted file. Now you can edit it to your heart’s content in any application that supports Word documents. A perfect complement for PDF Online, which can convert your edited file right back to PDF. Thanks, PauletteDandoo! Free Online PDF to Word Conversions [pdfundo.net]
Windows only: Free application Tiny Watcher monitors your system for changes to your registry, drivers, and first-time programs and provides you with options to undo any unwanted changes. The application’s site judiciously provides a list of pros and cons that are spot on. Pros: It’s lightweight and only runs when you need it, it detects most important changes that can happen on your system, and it’s configurable. Cons: It’s not a real-time monitor, so you’ll only be alerted of changes after the fact, and it doesn’t automatically clean up messes for you—you still have to identify and tell it what you want to reverse. Tiny Watcher is freeware, Windows only. Tiny Watcher [Donation Coders via FreewareGenius]
Brazilian developers Daniel Antonio and Alexandre Kremer have a nifty application for the iPhone, iBlacklist, which allows you to send particular callers directly to voicemail. And by “particular callers,” I mean “your ex.” Also: collection agencies, micromanager bosses, your mother who just doesn’t approve. You get the picture. At only $US12, it’s a lot cheaper than an hour with a shrink to maintain your sanity. Other features include the ability to filter out SMS notfications from certain number, and even set up scheduled times when calls won’t be let through (particularly useful for keeping your weekends boss-free). But what about those of us who don’t have an iPhone?
OpenOffice.org only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The Sun PDF Import extension imports and edits PDFs with the free Microsoft Office alternative OO.org. Rather than import the PDFs into the Writer program, the extension works with OO.org’s Draw application. Once imported, you can still edit text or other portions of the document. The extension isn’t perfect, but it appears to be under active development and could come in really handy under the right circumstances. The Sun PDF Import extension is free, works wherever OpenOffice.org 3.0 does. Want to learn more about whether OO.org can replace Office? Check out our first look at the latest release. Sun PDF Import Extension [OpenOffice.org via MakeUseOf]
Linux only: Conky is a free, open-source system monitor, but pegging it as just a CPU/memory/process watcher is a bit unfair. Conky can keep track of your unread IMAP mail, show what music’s playing right now, and pull off more than 250 other data stunts using its built-in variables. It’s not a new app—in fact, it’s pre-packaged for most Linux distros by now—but we’ve (surprisingly) never given Conky a featured post before, and it well deserves one. Conky is a free download for Linux systems only; Windows and Mac users can get similar stats with Samurize and GeekTool, respectively. Got a favourite Conky config trick or script to share? Post it in the comments. Screen cap by LH reader Regac. Conky
The Firefox extension that adds a smart keyboard interface to Firefox—Ubiquity—now supports bookmarklets. Developer Aza Raskin describes, step by step in the video above, how to set them up. In short, you can add any bookmarklet to Ubiquity’s command set, and invoke the Ubiquity prompt to execute them from anywhere using only your keyboard. Of course, you can do something similar (but not as good-looking) using Firefox keyword bookmarks, too. Still, Ubiquity has that lovely Quicksilver/Launchy-like suggest-as-you-type command window going on. Ubiquity Tutorial: Turn Bookmarklets Into Commands [Aza's Thoughts via Mozilla DevNews]
Mac OS X only: Hyperspaces adds several simple but useful customisation features to OS X Leopard’s built-in virtual desktop tool, Spaces. With Hyperspaces, you can set different wallpapers to different desktops, name you desktops, create a handful of keyboard shortcuts (including shortcuts to jump directly to a specific space), and much more. If you’re already a fan of Spaces, Hyperspaces is a must-have addition. The program is developed by the same guy who created previously mentioned VirtueDesktops—an incredible virtual desktop app that pre-dated Spaces—so you can bet this one will continue to add great features. Hyperspaces is currently a free download (you’ll need to pony up $US13 if you want to customise more than two spaces), requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 or higher. Hyperspaces [via Switching To Mac
