Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Work
JetBytes Transfers Files Directly Via The Web
11:30PM Jason Fitzpatrick | JetBytes is a web based file-transfer service that skips the whole remote storage model and shares files directly between users. The interface is dead simple. You go to the website and use the browse dialogue to select a file from your computer. JetBytes generates a random URL for your transaction. You then share the URL with the person you’d like to send the file to. As long as you keep your browser open your friend can use that URL to download the file from you—once you navigate away from the JetBytes page even if the transfer is under way it will close the connection. When they load the URL they’ll be given a save dialogue for the file you’re transferring and from there the only limitation is the speed of your two connections. JetBytes does nothing more than route the file transfer through their web server, allowing you to share large files easily others even if one or both of you are behind restrictive firewalls. There is no restriction on the size or type of the files. JetBytes is a free service and requires no registration or personal information. JetBytes [via MakeUseOf] More »
Organise
Fizy Finds And Plays MP3s On The Web Quickly
11:00PM Kevin Purdy | Free music search engine and player Fizy doesn’t do playlists, offer downloads, or fancy looks. What it does have is more than 75 billion MP3s in its index (supposedly), and a really fast search function. For those moments when you’re just looking to dig up a certain song and play it for friends or your nagging memory, Fizy is just about perfect. If there’s a video to be found on YouTube or other sites, you can pop it open to play alongside the song, or close it down without skipping a beat. It’s small, simple, fast, and it covers a lot of MP3s floating around on the web. For a more robust interface to queue up and play the web’s MP3s, try Adam’s own Mixtape.me. Fizy is free to use, no sign-up required. fizy More »
Fix
Create A Quick Infused Olive Oil Before Dinner
9:30PM Kevin Purdy | If you’re looking to impress the folks, the significant other, or your friends with a fancy-pants dinner, you only need a few hours to whip up a quick-infused olive oil that seriously boosts your offerings. Search around the web for recipes to infuse olive oil with herbs, citrus peel, garlic, or other flavors, and you’ll typically be looking at a mash-bottle-wait-and-wait affair. An Atlantic magazine food blogger, however, suggests that mashing up your flavors in a bowl a few hours before serving, then adding just enough olive oil to use, pays off well: Coarsely chop herbs, zest and/or garlic, and place in mortar or an unbreakable bowl with a with a pinch of salt; pound to a coarse mash with a pestle or a rounded rock. Stir and mash the flavorings with the pestle as you slowly drizzle in the oil. Set aside to infuse one hour before using; if too strong, add more oil to taste. Hit the Atlantic link for a few flavoring ideas, and note the commenter’s simple tip for speeding up the process even further with a microwave. What kind of olive oil could you imagine making for your own hoity-toity dinner ordeal? Spill the inspiration in the comments. Photo by fdecomite.Making Your Own Flavored Oils [The Atlantic Food Channel] More »
Fix
Better Gmail For Google Chrome
5:00PM Lifehacker US Edition | Windows only: Better Gmail for Google Chrome is a compilation of user scripts designed to enhance your Gmail experience—and to make it easy, we’ve tested and bundled them together in one easy download. More »
Work
4:30PM Angus Kidman | There’s few options more appealing to the uber-geek than getting to work with Google — so if you’re a student looking to beef up your programming resume and demonstrate some open source mojo in these tough times, Google’s annual Summer of Code program should be right up your street. Google is accepting applications until April 3 for the 2009 scheme. If the thought of writing a proposal submission and resume makes you go weak at the non-virtual knees, check out some of our previous hints on writing winning applications and resumes.
Google Summer of Code 2009
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Google Seeks Students For Summer Of Code 2009
4:30PM Angus Kidman | There’s few options more appealing to the uber-geek than getting to work with Google — so if you’re a student looking to beef up your programming resume and demonstrate some open source mojo in these tough times, Google’s annual Summer of Code program should be right up your street. Google is accepting applications until April 3 for the 2009 scheme. If the thought of writing a proposal submission and resume makes you go weak at the non-virtual knees, check out some of our previous hints on writing winning applications and resumes.
Google Summer of Code 2009
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Communicate
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Skype this week has added SIP support, essentially meaning that it’s possible to integrate Skype calling with a business PABX. Potential VOIP call rates aside, a big selling point being pushed by Skype that companies can add a “dial us” link to their sites and allow customers to call them (for free) while maintaining their given telephone infrastructure. Personally, I hate this kind of click-to-call feature — my first step after a Skype install is to disable the Skype Firefox extension, which otherwise mangles phone numbers every time you encounter them online. But I’m frequently not a representative human being. Would you like the ability to call companies via Skype direct from their site, or would you prefer a focus on other modes of communication? Share your preferences in the comments. More »
Would You Make A Skype Call From Your Browser?
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Skype this week has added SIP support, essentially meaning that it’s possible to integrate Skype calling with a business PABX. Potential VOIP call rates aside, a big selling point being pushed by Skype that companies can add a “dial us” link to their sites and allow customers to call them (for free) while maintaining their given telephone infrastructure. Personally, I hate this kind of click-to-call feature — my first step after a Skype install is to disable the Skype Firefox extension, which otherwise mangles phone numbers every time you encounter them online. But I’m frequently not a representative human being. Would you like the ability to call companies via Skype direct from their site, or would you prefer a focus on other modes of communication? Share your preferences in the comments. More »
Money
1:30PM Angus Kidman | The experience of accessing banking sites on a mobile phone is often highly variable, so we’ll be interested to see how the Commonwealth Bank’s new mobile banking site, which claims to work on “any internet enabled mobile phone”, works in practice. One minor restriction: you have to be registered for the bank’s SMS security system before you’re allowed to use the mobile platform. Aside from the expected balance checking and funds transfer features, one sensible option is to search for the nearest ATM (driven by Google Maps).
NetBank Mobile
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Commonwealth NetBank Swarms Onto Mobile Phones, Still Needs SMS
1:30PM Angus Kidman | The experience of accessing banking sites on a mobile phone is often highly variable, so we’ll be interested to see how the Commonwealth Bank’s new mobile banking site, which claims to work on “any internet enabled mobile phone”, works in practice. One minor restriction: you have to be registered for the bank’s SMS security system before you’re allowed to use the mobile platform. Aside from the expected balance checking and funds transfer features, one sensible option is to search for the nearest ATM (driven by Google Maps).
NetBank Mobile
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Communicate
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Further details on the Internode/Tivo unmetered downloads arrangement, which we first reported on at the beginning of the month, have finally emerged. The good news is that the deal isn’t just restricted to new accounts: any existing Internode customer with a Tivo can access the Tivo EPG software updates and the ‘Blockbuster Movie Of The Week’ without it counting against monthly cap totals, and with no special setup required. Internode has also said that further unmetered content will be offered later in the year; there’s no details, but with iView already on its list, unmetered iTunes would probably be top of most people’s lists.
Internode
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Internode Officially Allowing Unmetered Tivo Downloads
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Further details on the Internode/Tivo unmetered downloads arrangement, which we first reported on at the beginning of the month, have finally emerged. The good news is that the deal isn’t just restricted to new accounts: any existing Internode customer with a Tivo can access the Tivo EPG software updates and the ‘Blockbuster Movie Of The Week’ without it counting against monthly cap totals, and with no special setup required. Internode has also said that further unmetered content will be offered later in the year; there’s no details, but with iView already on its list, unmetered iTunes would probably be top of most people’s lists.
Internode
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Communicate
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Offering online access to mobile phone bills is pretty commonplace, but Vodafone is taking things a step further by beta testing a desktop application which lets you check phone usage and set bill payment reminders. The Windows-only package can be downloaded for free, though it’s being limited to 25,000 customers during the beta phase. I don’t have a Vodafone account to meaningfully test it with; if you’ve given it a try, share your experiences in the comments.
MyVodafoneXpress
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Vodafone Beta Testing Xpress Phone Account Management Software
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Offering online access to mobile phone bills is pretty commonplace, but Vodafone is taking things a step further by beta testing a desktop application which lets you check phone usage and set bill payment reminders. The Windows-only package can be downloaded for free, though it’s being limited to 25,000 customers during the beta phase. I don’t have a Vodafone account to meaningfully test it with; if you’ve given it a try, share your experiences in the comments.
MyVodafoneXpress
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Work
