Linux users: You can embed a screensaver as the destop background with two terminal commands. Tech blogger Prashanth Ellina demonstrates how you can create a “video wallpaper” by temporarily removing the nautilus desktop and replacing it with an xscreensaver. An embedded screensaver is light on memory usage, but won’t play nice with Compiz Fusion.
Modifying a special user page on Wikipedia can make your browsing session more informative with dynamic tooltips that preload relevant bits when you mouse over article links. There’s no bookmarklet, extension or third party web site required: simply add some code to your monobook.js (a special Wikipedia user page you must be logged in to access), and voila! You’ve got killer tooltips wherever you log in to browse the ‘pedia. Thanks, JackHynes!
Tools/Navigation Popups [Wikipedia]The Pixar love-in continues here at Lifehacker AU with our second giveaway – tickets to see the Pixar: 20 years of animation exhibition at ACMI (the Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Melbourne. The exhibition, made up of artwork and digital media borrowed from the Pixar Animation Studios archives, originated at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and makes its only Australian appearance at ACMI. The exhibition features over 500 sketches, paintings, sculptures and storyboards revealing how Pixar’s characters and worlds are brought to life. In addition to these one-of-a-kind works by artists and sculptors, the exhibition includes spectacular immersive environments and interactive experiences developed by Pixar to extend the magic of their films. ACMI has more information on the exhibition here. We have five double passes to giveway to the exhibition, which runs until Sunday, 14 October. So if you live in Melbourne (or you’ll be visiting Melbourne between now and then, and promise you’ll go to the exhibition while you’re in town!), then submit your best tip to be in a chance to win a double pass! We’ll be giving the free passes to readers who submit the top five tips on anything to do with digital video, photo or animation. Could be a tip on editing, could be a tip on taking good photos – it’s up to you how high or low tech you go. To enter, leave your best tips here in the comments section. If you have multiple tips, leave multiple comments – go mad! Entries close at 7.59am AEST next Friday – the 21st of September. See here for the official terms and conditions.
And thanks to our friends at ACMI for donating the prizes! :)
Keep your pockets lined with the AARP’s guide to avoiding money traps. Not just for the 50+ set, these tips can be applied broadly to all working folk. The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) simplifies commonly misunderstand financial concepts like the 401K match, variable annuities, investment fees and home equity. AU – some of this is US-centric, like the 401K stuff, but there are other more general pieces of advice suitable for Aussies too. Avoid These Money Traps [AARP]
FileZilla 3 – FTP client for Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, and Windows. Linux.com reports that FileZilla 3 is a ground-up rewrite of this FTP client software which brings it to Linux for the first time. Nathan Willis’ article talks you through how it works as well as providing a roundup of how he thought it performs compared to some other open source FTP alternatives.
Several Digg-sters point out that Mozilla’s had the FireFTP Firefox addon out for some time.
