If you’re trying to get some PC-related work done on a long-distance flight, it can be a real nuisance when the person in front tries to maximally recline their seat. Blogger Angus Logan came up with a slightly tongue-in-cheek but workable suggestion: brace the seat in front of you using a bottle to reduce the possible reclining angle. As he points out, the bottle in question needs to have straight sides, and there’s no guarantee an officious airline staffer won’t tell you to move said bottle, but if you have to get some work done, it’s presumably worth a try. (Make sure the bottle’s empty when you clear security to avoid liquids dramas.) Check out Logan’s post for other suggestions on how to deal with the reclining challenge. Last 4769 mile innovation : approaches to in-plane productivity
Windows only: PhotoPerfect Express is a free, powerful image optimization tool that covers a wide range of photo enhancement scenarios, and can provide casual photographers with great results. While nothing can compare to getting your hands dirty with a detailed photo editing application like Photoshop, the majority of casual digi-cam shooters won’t need or want to invest that kind of time into snazzing up their snap shots. PhotoPerfect Express comes bundled with five pre-set photo enhancement methods—each of which can be further fine-tuned if you desire. There’s batch processing options, especially handy if you realise after tweaking the first few photos in a series that you’re seeing the same issues throughout the set. If you’re having trouble deciding which optimization is yielding the most pleasing result, press the A key while tweaking to display the original next to all five optimization algorithms for easy comparison—a nice fix for those with photo-fixing self-doubt. PhotoPerfect Express is freeware, Windows only.
PhotoPerfect Express [via Life Rocks 2.0]Windows only: Portable utility File & Folder Unlocker makes quick work of unlocking in-use files—so they can be moved or deleted without those pesky “being used by another process” errors. Using the application, which requires no installation, is as simple as searching for the file or folder and choosing Unlock Object from the context menu. You can alternatively kill the offending process, or double-click on the process in the list to see which other files it’s holding open. This utility will come in seriously handy the next time you encounter an error copying files and don’t know what process is holding your file open—unless you are using Windows 7, which actually tells you. File & Folder Unlocker is a free download for Windows users and makes a handy addition to your flash drive toolkit.
File & Folder UnlockerYahoo has announced a new feature in the works called Search Pad, a tool designed to organise online research—like all that work you did researching a new HDTV—through a smart and simple interface. The video walkthrough demonstrates how the service works, and since Search Pad is “currently only in testing and is not visible to all users,” that may be all the closer you can look for now (especially in Oz). Search Pad automatically detects when you start researching a topic and keeps track of the sites you’ve visited. You can add to and edit the items in your Search Pad within your Yahoo search results, and when you’ve finished your research, Search Pad can save the results to your Yahoo account, email them to someone else, or print them off. If the service is available to you (it’s not to us), let’s hear what you think in the comments.
Search Pad: Making Online Research Easier [Yahoo Search Blog]Windows only: WizMouse is a handy little application that enables scrolling of non-focused application windows with your mouse wheel. It’s as straightforward as it sounds. When WizMouse is running in the background, you can scroll any window by putting the mouse cursor over the application and spinning your mousewheel (instead of having to click on it and redirect the focus to that application). One bonus over similar utilities, like KatMouse, is that for the odd or vintage program that doesn’t support mouse based scrolling, WizMouse converts the commands from the mouse wheel into scroll commands. Although at first glance it may seem trivial to have to click on a window before scrolling in it, after a short period of testing the application I’m amazed the feature isn’t built right into Windows—it’s a godsend for dual monitors, or anyone monitoring a vertically-focused website. WizMouse is freeware, Windows only. WizMouse [via EliteFreeware]
One of the niftiest Firefox add-ons to come out of Mozilla Labs is Ubiquity, a natural language commander that adds killer functionality on-page in Firefox. Let’s take a closer look.
Mozilla is pushing out Firefox 3.0.6, addressing a laundry list of bugs, several security issues, and improvements for scripted commands necessary for plug-ins like the very popular Adblock Plus. To upgrade, head on over to Mozilla and grab Firefox 3.0.6 or just go to Help -> Check for Updates in your browser.
A recent report listing operating system usage by web browsers highlighted one strange quirk—Mac OS X users with “no version reported” at 1 percent. Could the Hackintosh be more popular than Linux? Well, that depends on how you look at the numbers. The statistics are drawn from the 160 million users that web analytics firm Net Applications states are looking at its clients’ sites, and whether they’d be more or less prone to Linux traffic. Still, the idea that Hackintosh owners make up one percent of any site network’s traffic is pretty intriguing. [via]
If the axe is about to fall at your office, the chief career officer at temp/HR franchise Adecco says now is the time to get all Ed Koch and ask everyone how you’re doing. Wired’s How-To Wiki has a collaborative post up on how to lower the odds of your name being selected in the next round of layoffs. While a little sparse at the moment, the wiki-post does point out the two sides of keeping a high/low profile. You want to be seeking feedback and direction from as many people as you can, and be seen involved in projects, especially new ones, whenever you can. But you don’t your theoretically on-the-sly job-hunting to be seen by anybody, anywhere, inside your firm, or your likelihood of being considered for a layoff shoots up exponentially. Other than that, it’s the same kind of advice—upgrade your skills, network, look outside your field—that we’ve previously explored in tips on recession-proofing your career (on paper and on the web). Got a good (and anonymous) tip on putting your best feedback-hungry face forward around the office? Drop it in the comments. Keep Your Job [Wired How-To Wiki]
