Sunday, November 30, 2008

Sunday, November 30, 2008
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Scoop Syncs Google Reader To Your Desktop

10:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Adobe Air: Sure you can export your RSS feeds from Google Reader and import the feed file into desktop RSS reader for offline browsing. Scoop takes offline browsing a step further by allowing you to not only read your feeds but have them remain synced to your Google Reader account. Removing and tagging items in Scoop modifies the feeds in your Reader account as well. The interface is easy to use and includes most of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts from Google Reader. On the downside images are not currently downloaded for offline browsing, so if you’ve synced and now no longer have internet access you’re out of luck until you’re jacked back in. Scoop can be used independently of Google Reader, with manually added feeds, but it’s Google integration is where it shines. Scoop is freeware, cross platform, and requires Adobe Air to run. Scoop [via Digital Inspiration] More »
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Sharpen Your Chess Game

9:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Whether you’d like to increase your mental health or just relax after a stressful holiday visit, there aren’t many games more classic than chess. Over at tips and tricks blog MakeUseOf, they have rounded up a variety of ways you can both play and sharpen your chess game. The screenshot above is from FlashChessIII, a beautifully rendered flash-based and free for download chess game. If you’re concerned that all the playing in the world won’t make you any better, they have a variety of resources listed for helping you not just play but increase your grasp of the game. My favourite was Chess Problems, a site which generates “puzzles” based on chess board setups ranging from simple to extremely complicated. After some practice at Chess Problems you won’t find yourself often staring down a chess board without a clue what your next move will be. The Best Online Sources to Learn and Play Chess [MakeUseOf] More »
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Make Your Own Bath Bombs

8:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Bath bombs, for the unfamiliar, are chalky feeling balls about the size of a small orange that you throw into a bath tub. They don’t explode but they do react with the water fizzing and spinning, filling the water with fragrance and moisturizers. Bath bombs are a project ripe for DIYing, as they often run $6 or higher at stores. SoapyHollow, a contributor at the DIYer blog Instructables has a top rated guide on how to create your own bath bombs. The ingredients are all cheap and readily available in most locales: corn starch, essential oil, vegetable oil, and so on. If you’re looking for a side project to go with your bath bombs, make a matching scented candle or set up a bathroom spa on the cheap. How To: Make Bath Bombs [Instructables] More »
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WindizUpdate Lets You Update Windows Through Firefox

7:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | Windows only: If you’re not particularly fond of the official Windows Update system provided through Internet Explorer, whether your reason being a distaste for the Windows Genuine Advantage software or the insistence that the next upgrade of Internet Explorer really is a mission critical system update, there is an alternative way to update your system. WindizUpdater is a Firefox plugin which mimics the official Windows Update application. The key advantage of using WindizUpdater is that you have complete control over what gets installed and what doesn’t. The system never forces you to install an update you don’t want and will skip updates that aren’t necessary for your system. More »
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Learn How To Pronounce Names Correctly

6:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | We’ve all been there. You look at a list of names for a meeting or at a new business card and you have absolutely no idea there was a last name with that many vowels. HowToSayThatName.com is a web site devoted to cataloguing both first and last names, spoken by native speakers. No idea how to pronounce last names like “Nyugen” or “Dokht”? Look the name up and play the embedded audio file to hear it. While a mispronounced name here and there is unavoidable, saying someone’s name correctly when they are accustomed to it being butchered goes a long way whether in a boardroom or at a barbecue. How to Say that Name [via Ian's Messy Desk] More »
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Most Popular Top 10’s Of 2008

2:00AM Lifehacker US Edition | The weekly Lifehacker Top 10 continues to be one of the most popular posts on-site. Since our top-10-making bot is off this weekend, take a gander at some of the most popular Top 10’s that have published in 2008 so far. Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks“Dozens of Google search guides detail the tips you already know, but today we’re skipping the obvious and highlighting our favourite obscure Google web search tricks.” Top 10 Harmless Geek Pranks“Since the dawn of time, geeks have been playing harmless pranks on their beloved (but unsuspecting) associates, and it’s up to all of us to carry the torch forward.” Top 10 Ways to Stay Energised“You can overcome a late night of net surfing, a rough morning, or just the post-lunch stupor without becoming an over-wired mess.” Top 10 Software Easter Eggs“The best easter eggs aren’t painted pink and stuffed with jelly beans–they’re the undocumented and unexpected fun features hidden deep inside various software apps.” Top 10 BitTorrent Tools and Tricks“BitTorrent is the go-to resource for downloading everything from music and movies to software and operating systems, but as its popularity continues to grow, so do the number of tools available for making the most of it.” Top 10 Firefox 3 Features“The newest version of our favourite open source web browser, Mozilla Firefox 3, offers dozens of new features and fixes, but only a handful will make the most dramatic difference in your everyday browsing.” Top 10 How To Videos“Your crafty older relatives used to have to mail-order their video tutorials or wait for “This Old House” reruns to get their DIY on, but the age of streaming video has been good to those who like to tinker and try out neat tricks.” Top 10 Things You Forgot Your Mac Can Do“From pure eye candy to outright productivity-boosters, read on to get reminded of some of the more obscure things you can do with your Mac, fresh out of the box.” Top 10 Telephone Tricks“When getting things done involves making phone calls, you want to spend the least amount of time and money on the horn as possible–and several tricks and services can help you do just that.” Top 10 Computer Annoyances and How to Fix Them“Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but too much of the time they can be frustrating, time-wasting, stubborn machines.” Top 10 Ways to Get Cables Under Control“When you finally decide it’s time to do something about that rat’s nest of cables that’s spreading like kudzu, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to get it under control.” Top 10 Ways to Trick Out Your Desktop“For something that you look at every day of your working life, your computer desktop doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves.” Top 10 Conversation Hacks“A whole lot more than just words passes between people who are talking, so a few simple conversational skills can help you recognise what’s really being said and help you lead the discussion your way.” Top 10 YouTube Hacks“Summer’s ending, and with it goes a certain sense of taking it easier, relaxing a bit at the office–you know, caching up on all that YouTube browsing you skip when there’s real work to be done.” Top 10 Office Supply Hacks“Given some spare time and a few neglected items in the office supply closet, anyone can make their workspace more functional, create a cool tools for their home and office, and even rescue seemingly ruined stuff.” Top 10 Easy Ways to Look Sharp“In a perfect world, it wouldn’t matter what a genius JavaScript programmer or top-flight professional looked like. In this world, though, coming across as an unkempt schlub won’t do anything good for your career, your social life, or your luck with that cute guy or gal from marketing.” Top 10 Apps Worth Installing Adobe AIR For“While many of them are simply desktop translations of web interfaces that were easy to use already, a handful of AIR apps truly make work and play easier, or just more interesting.” Top 10 Underhyped Webapps“Even in this golden age of Big Internet Companies Acquiring Everything In Sight, there are still a few independent, small webapps out there that don’t get the attention they should for their useful functionality.” Top 10 Things to Look Forward to in Windows 7“While the next iteration of the ubiquitous Microsoft desktop operating system, Windows 7, isn’t a dramatic overhaul of its predecessor Windows Vista, it does fix several sore spots and add a few welcome features.”
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