Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Fix
Hide The Sidebar Clutter In Gmail
11:30PM Jason Fitzpatrick | Firefox with Greasemonkey: If you love GMail but you’re not a big fan of all the things cluttering up the sidebar like the chat box and the invite friends button, excise them. The lengthily named Gmail 3: Hide Labels, Chat, Invite Friend & Footer does just what the title implies. Once you install the Greasemonkey script it hides all those elements when you are using GMail. If you don’t use them and want a more spartan interface, the result is quite pleasing. Unfortunately, and I couldn’t tell you if it’s the way that GMail groups the elements or the way the Greasemonkey script is written, there is no easy way to edit the script to remove everything but the labels. Obviously a deal breaker if part of your Gmail-fu revolves around your masterful labelling. Gmail 3: Hide Labels, Chat, Invite Friend & Footer works wherever Firefox does, Greasemonkey required. Thanks Kyle Pott! Gmail 3: Hide Labels, Chat, Invite Friend & Footer [Userscripts.org ] More »
Work
Get A Pre-Built Chromium Browser In Ubuntu
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | Google’s Chrome browser comes from the open-source Chromium project, but it’s not an easy install on Linux. One friendly Ubuntu user makes it much easier with a repository hosting a shaky-but-working Chromium build. Actually, it may not work for everyone, or at least work the first time, as this editor found out. But it does install with a single command and, if it works, browses the basic non-Flash web pretty snappily. The up-top tab bar, crash detection, and a host of other features currently available in Windows aren’t there yet, but it’s a native, non-Wine-based build, and it’s updated daily with the latest code from the Chromium project. Follow the instructions at either link below for help installing and launching Chromium on your system, and tell us what you think (or how far you got, or how you fixed it) in the comments. Screenshot via Tombuntu. Chromium Project [Launchpad via Stefano Forenza] More »
Organise
Beginner’s Guide To Using Gmail Tasks With Your GTD System
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | Gmail can be way more than just a grocery list in your inbox. With the right system, and a few recent tweaks, Gmail Tasks can help someone new to Getting Things Done. Web Worker Daily gets down to nuts and bolts and re-configures the Gmail Labs feature in some really clever ways. You rename your current items list to “Inbox,” then add some key action-oriented lists: “Next actions,” “Deferred,” “Delegated,” and “Someday/maybe,” and then use notes and the “Inbox” list as capture tools. The big drawback to this system, for GTD purists at least, is the lack of a context tagging tool. That’s find for the writer, who only uses this GTD system for work-related material, not as a life processing methodology. But it’s a great tool for anyone who doesn’t need the big-block engine of a total organising system, or who just wants a way to act on what they saw in their email. Hit the link, of course, for a fuller walk-through and explanation. Getting Things Done with Gmail Tasks [WebWorkerDaily] More »
Communicate
3:15PM Angus Kidman | Useful news for expats craving some Aussie TV culture: Channel Ten seems to have bucked the trend of making its online player Australia-only, allowing viewers anywhere in the world to several of the catch-up episodes available via its on-site streaming player. Copyright regulations generally mean that online players are blocked outside their country of origin, a restriction that certainly applies to the ABC’s iView player. Seven takes a similar approach, as does Channel Nine (though Nine maintains that you can distribute its downloads via BitTorrent if you wish). However, while doing some research this morning from the other side of the globe, I discovered that some parts of the Ten feed are viewable — albeit with occasional stuttering and a slightly unpredictable interface. Good news if you fancy a tranche of Good News Week. Unsurprisingly, this largesse doesn’t extend to every program on the site (Neighbours, which Ten sells around the world, is carefully protected, for instance). More »
Ten Not Blocking All Live Video Feeds Overseas
3:15PM Angus Kidman | Useful news for expats craving some Aussie TV culture: Channel Ten seems to have bucked the trend of making its online player Australia-only, allowing viewers anywhere in the world to several of the catch-up episodes available via its on-site streaming player. Copyright regulations generally mean that online players are blocked outside their country of origin, a restriction that certainly applies to the ABC’s iView player. Seven takes a similar approach, as does Channel Nine (though Nine maintains that you can distribute its downloads via BitTorrent if you wish). However, while doing some research this morning from the other side of the globe, I discovered that some parts of the Ten feed are viewable — albeit with occasional stuttering and a slightly unpredictable interface. Good news if you fancy a tranche of Good News Week. Unsurprisingly, this largesse doesn’t extend to every program on the site (Neighbours, which Ten sells around the world, is carefully protected, for instance). More »
Fix
1:30PM Angus Kidman | Updating my home CD and DVD storage with some new kit has been at the foot of my to-do list for some time, but I never envisaged anything as ambitious as the rig-up which blogger Eric built. Using six Benno DVD towers ($69 each) five Grundtal lights ($29 each) and three carefully-chopped Anno Stra curtains ($19 each), he’s come up with an attractive and functional way of storing his DVDs for just over $400. Admittedly, part of me thinks “there’s lots of potential storage space in those curtained areas”, but for aesthetic value it’s pretty impressive.
Creating a DVD wall with lighting [IKEA Hacker]
More »
DIY Illuminated IKEA DVD Wall
1:30PM Angus Kidman | Updating my home CD and DVD storage with some new kit has been at the foot of my to-do list for some time, but I never envisaged anything as ambitious as the rig-up which blogger Eric built. Using six Benno DVD towers ($69 each) five Grundtal lights ($29 each) and three carefully-chopped Anno Stra curtains ($19 each), he’s come up with an attractive and functional way of storing his DVDs for just over $400. Admittedly, part of me thinks “there’s lots of potential storage space in those curtained areas”, but for aesthetic value it’s pretty impressive.
Creating a DVD wall with lighting [IKEA Hacker]
More »
Communicate
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Next week, Channel Ten will finally roll out its new digital channel, ONE, which will be exclusively devoted to sport. It’s good to see a commercial network finally making good on delivering digital TV, with all of them having
One Continues The Digital TV Rollout Confusion
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Next week, Channel Ten will finally roll out its new digital channel, ONE, which will be exclusively devoted to sport. It’s good to see a commercial network finally making good on delivering digital TV, with all of them having
Travel
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Our roundup of A380 routes around the globe wasn’t even a day old before it needed updating, with Emirates announcing flights three times a week between Dubai and Canada. While that might not make much difference to the average Australian traveller (it’s much faster to go to Canada by flying east), I’ve also noted that the Auckland-Sydney-Dubai route will be running daily from May 1. Check the full list in the original post. More »
Emirates Expanding A380 Routes
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Our roundup of A380 routes around the globe wasn’t even a day old before it needed updating, with Emirates announcing flights three times a week between Dubai and Canada. While that might not make much difference to the average Australian traveller (it’s much faster to go to Canada by flying east), I’ve also noted that the Auckland-Sydney-Dubai route will be running daily from May 1. Check the full list in the original post. More »
Fix
The Five-Minute Prison Workout Keeps You Fit In Any Space
9:15AM Adam Pash | Mike Rowe from Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs demonstrates how to get a great workout in any space by performing several sets of descending repetitions of the classic “burpie.” The burpie is by no means a new exercise routine, but if you’re looking for a little variety in your fitness routine or you don’t have space for a treadmill or other exercise equipment, burpies are a great option for staying fit. [via Kyle Pott] More »
Communicate
9:00AM Angus Kidman | The ABC’s mobile phone site, which we first told you about back in December, has now exited beta and been officially released. No major changes for the basic site, but what is new are specific applications for the iPhone and Android handsets. A Java application (to cover other phones) is also due later this year — though it’s a pity there’s not a specific BlackBerry version forthcoming. The ABC has also promised to eventually add video to the site. ABC Mobile
More »
ABC Mobile Service Officially Launches With iPhone And Android Add-Ons
9:00AM Angus Kidman | The ABC’s mobile phone site, which we first told you about back in December, has now exited beta and been officially released. No major changes for the basic site, but what is new are specific applications for the iPhone and Android handsets. A Java application (to cover other phones) is also due later this year — though it’s a pity there’s not a specific BlackBerry version forthcoming. The ABC has also promised to eventually add video to the site. ABC Mobile
More »
Work
