Friday, November 7, 2008
Work
mTAIL Tracks Log File Changes
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | Windows only: Actively track changes in your log files with lightweight application mTAIL, a Windows-based emulation of the venerable tail command found in *nix based operating systems. Instead of opening a log file to review the contents, mTAIL keeps the file open and displays it as the system writes to it. Firewall your attention by setting up filters and alerts in mTAIL based on keywords. The app will cull out events in the log you don’t need to see and alert you to the events you’ve pre-flagged. If you’d like a few more flourishes to go with your tail emulation, check out equally as free BareTail. mTAIL is a free download for Windows only. Thanks Michael Kizer! mTAIL More »
Communicate
Over-The-Air Podcasts Coming To iPhone
11:00PM Kevin Purdy | Leaked screenshots of the upcoming iPhone 2.2 firmware update show a cleaned-up interface for the App Store, but, more importantly, the ability to download podcasts directly to your device over Wi-Fi or 3G. Direct downloads will be limited, however, to 10MB or less, so jailbreak-required apps like Podcaster still have a decent half-life. [via] More »
Organise
TaskFive Streamlines Tasks In An Elegant Calendar View
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | The first thing you’ll probably notice, and possibly complain about, in the free online task manager TaskFive is that it limits you to five to-dos for each day. If you see that as more of a creative/realistic constraint than a hindrance, you’ll probably like its other features. TaskFive sports a seriously clean design, with a one-week calendar view and simple click-to-edit tasks. You can set up SMS and email notifications for task due dates and daily agendas, and companies can set up group task calendars for multiple users—though TaskFive charges a per-user fee after more than two are added. For individual task management without too much fuss, though, TaskFive seems like a pretty great solution. TaskFive is a free service, requires a sign-up to use. TaskFive [via Hack the Day] More »
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Battle Of The iPhone Task Managers
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | When the iTunes App Store first opened up to eager iPhone and iPod touch upgraders (and iPhone 3G buyers), one of the first types of applications to show up was the to-do/task manager. From simple check-box lists to voice-transcribing tools, there’s a bewildering number of apps, many of them free, that promise to help you keep track of your necessary actions and projects while you’re away from your computer. Today we’re checking out five of them, all free except for one requiring a “Pro” account, and comparing their features and functionality side-by-side, as well as asking which app you use to keep their busy lives together. Read on for the full show-down. More »
Organise
4:30PM Angus Kidman | Don’t get steamed up — get productive! Here’s some useful Lifehacker tips to follow up over the weekend:
Find some old pics from your mobile phone and combine them to make wallpaper for your PC
Wait until everyone’s left the house and then check out how well Firefox’s porn mode works
Tweak your Ubuntu desktop for maximum productivity
Get a head start on planning for 2009 and print yourself either a compact calendar for your wallet or a custom calendar for the next few months
Decide if it’s a good time to switch banks now that transferring automatic payments is easier
More »
Five Things To Do This Weekend
4:30PM Angus Kidman | Don’t get steamed up — get productive! Here’s some useful Lifehacker tips to follow up over the weekend:
Find some old pics from your mobile phone and combine them to make wallpaper for your PC
Wait until everyone’s left the house and then check out how well Firefox’s porn mode works
Tweak your Ubuntu desktop for maximum productivity
Get a head start on planning for 2009 and print yourself either a compact calendar for your wallet or a custom calendar for the next few months
Decide if it’s a good time to switch banks now that transferring automatic payments is easier
More »
Design
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Ever wondered how you’d look with a moustache or beard? The Schick Manscaping web site lets you upload a digital pic and try out a variety of facial furniture. A quick test suggests that a Fu Manchu mo doesn’t suit me, though it’s hard to tell if the manic fake eyes added by the app are the main reason. Although is hardly a productivity tool, it is a useful reminder that it’s Movember, when men across Australia grow sponsored moustaches to raise money for men’s health issues. Find someone you know on there and sponsor them pronto!
Schick Manscaping
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Schick Manscaping Adds Facial Hair To Your Pics
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Ever wondered how you’d look with a moustache or beard? The Schick Manscaping web site lets you upload a digital pic and try out a variety of facial furniture. A quick test suggests that a Fu Manchu mo doesn’t suit me, though it’s hard to tell if the manic fake eyes added by the app are the main reason. Although is hardly a productivity tool, it is a useful reminder that it’s Movember, when men across Australia grow sponsored moustaches to raise money for men’s health issues. Find someone you know on there and sponsor them pronto!
Schick Manscaping
More »
Organise
1:30PM Angus Kidman | If you fall into the category of people who prefer dealing with staff when you hit the airport, it looks like you’re out of luck. A new survey from airline IT specialist SITA suggests that check-in kiosks — already the default option for the major Australian airlines — will continue to flourish. The press release boasts:
Nearly 49% of airports believe that self-service could become the primary means for passenger check-in in two to five years and only 27% stated that they would not have self-service as their primary channel in the check-in area.
For myself, I’d rather check-in online and skip as much of the process as possible, but that does rather presume you have access to a printer. Failing that, I’d rather use a kiosk than stand in a queue, presuming there’s enough of them around (Australian airports are relatively generous in this department compared to some in the US). What’s your preferred check-in approach? Tell us in the comments.
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Airport Check-In Kiosks On The Rise
1:30PM Angus Kidman | If you fall into the category of people who prefer dealing with staff when you hit the airport, it looks like you’re out of luck. A new survey from airline IT specialist SITA suggests that check-in kiosks — already the default option for the major Australian airlines — will continue to flourish. The press release boasts:
Nearly 49% of airports believe that self-service could become the primary means for passenger check-in in two to five years and only 27% stated that they would not have self-service as their primary channel in the check-in area.
For myself, I’d rather check-in online and skip as much of the process as possible, but that does rather presume you have access to a printer. Failing that, I’d rather use a kiosk than stand in a queue, presuming there’s enough of them around (Australian airports are relatively generous in this department compared to some in the US). What’s your preferred check-in approach? Tell us in the comments.
More »
Work
12:00PM Angus Kidman |
Getting home or car insurance online is pretty standard these days, but more specialised insurance categories can be harder work. If you’re self-employed and work as a contractor in many fields (including IT), professional indemnity insurance is a key requirement. Comparison site BizCover generates custom quotes based on your business size and activity, and will sell you the insurance directly if you find a deal that suits. Indemnity insurance is hardly glamorous, but better to hunt it down online than suffer from an unexpected lawsuit later.
BizCover
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BizCover Quotes, Sells Professional Indemnity Insurance
12:00PM Angus Kidman |
Getting home or car insurance online is pretty standard these days, but more specialised insurance categories can be harder work. If you’re self-employed and work as a contractor in many fields (including IT), professional indemnity insurance is a key requirement. Comparison site BizCover generates custom quotes based on your business size and activity, and will sell you the insurance directly if you find a deal that suits. Indemnity insurance is hardly glamorous, but better to hunt it down online than suffer from an unexpected lawsuit later.
BizCover
More »
Organise
BonkEnc Manages And Converts Your Digital Music
11:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Windows only: For ripping CDs or changing the format of your digital music collection, try downloading open-source BonkEnc. It supports a number of popular encoding formats, including LAME for MP3 and the eponymous Bonk audio, and by installing WinAmp’s decoding libraries you can convert files from any format supported by the popular player. It will interface with CDDB to make sure album and track information is included in the output files when ripping CDs, assuming you’re online, and will even create playlists from discs and folders. It supports all sorts of advanced options to optimise encoding quality in a small, light package — and is another option to rescue your music from Windows Media Player. BonkEnc is a free download for Windows. Thanks, nicholassimon! BonkEnc More »
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10:30AM Angus Kidman | The Google Reader Blog offers up one enthusiast’s handy technique for using RSS feeds to keep track of recipe ideas. Ann Verbin, a dedicated reader of cooking blogs, using Google Reader’s stars to identify recipe ideas she likes, then tags them with meal categories and key ingredients so she can easily find new meal ideas. She also uses “cooked” and “cooked-good” tags While you could just star items and then use Reader’s general search, the discipline of tagging helps find ideas “when you don’t have anything too specific in mind”, Verbin writes.
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Organise Your Recipe Ideas With Google Reader
10:30AM Angus Kidman | The Google Reader Blog offers up one enthusiast’s handy technique for using RSS feeds to keep track of recipe ideas. Ann Verbin, a dedicated reader of cooking blogs, using Google Reader’s stars to identify recipe ideas she likes, then tags them with meal categories and key ingredients so she can easily find new meal ideas. She also uses “cooked” and “cooked-good” tags While you could just star items and then use Reader’s general search, the discipline of tagging helps find ideas “when you don’t have anything too specific in mind”, Verbin writes.
More » 
