RSS Feeds
communicate
HitMeLater Re-Sends Email When You Want It
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 11:04 PM on August 14, 2008
Managing your email through a follow-up system (like our own Trusted Trio) is the best way to stem the endless tide, but sometimes you might not trust yourself to get back to something on time. HitMeLater, a free email service, will re-send any emails you forward to it, based on when you said to send it. So when mum emails to ask you for an answer Friday on the gift you're getting your sister, forward it to friday@hitmelater.com, and it appears at the top of your inbox Friday. The author says the site's "secure" and "spamless," but I don't see a visible privacy policy. It shouldn't be a primary mail manager, but HitMeLater could be handy when you're checking mobile email or need double-assurance that you'll follow up on a message. No registration required.
Webapp Resnooze sends timed email reminders to yourself and friends and gives you the option to "hit the snooze button" on the reminder to get it again later. Select either a text message or a URL for Resnooze to email you and the frequency—daily, weekly or monthly. Delete or repeat the reminder using a link in the incoming email—good for "read it later" bookmarks, tasks due at a later date, or email messages you want to follow up on in a week.
Web site Sendible schedules sending messages to contacts in the future over email, text message, or social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Not only can you send messages to anyone on a schedule, but you can also update your status on sites like Facebook and Twitter on a schedule too (you know, to set up an alibi for that perfect murder). The site also has special tools for setting up reminders for sending messages to yourself, options for recurring messages, and a great calendar tool that lists all your scheduled messages. Aside from message sending, Sendible features a robust contact management you'll probably never use. Sendible is free to use but will cost you an email address to register.
Web-based information manager MyGADs lets you create, share, and retrieve important bits of information like flight confirmation numbers, birthdays, phone numbers, and more. Store address books, calendars, tasks, and notes in personal or public "GADs" with text messages, instant messages, or using the web site. Need to remember Uncle Billy's birthday? Instant message it to your GAD. Forgot when it was? Ask your GAD. The interface is easy and conversational. Set GADs permissions so friends and family can edit and/or view your GAD (i.e., Mum sets the schedule, kids can check it.) Kind of like a lo-fi cross between 
Kwiry, the text-yourself-a-reminder service, has added a potentially neat feature for shoppers, urban adventurers, and anyone who wants a visual element to their memory-activators. Snap a picture on your smart phone or standard set, email or text it to Kwiry with some explaining text (i.e. "Must check out this restaurant soon"), and it'll come up with your reminder when you head to Kwiry's renovated mobile site to dig through reminders. There's a lot of uses here if you buy into Kwiry's system of forget-me-nots, and it's a free place to store phone pics for any reason.
No matter how meticulous your programming, or how smart you might think your TiVo is, random scheduling changes can cause you to miss an episode of your favourite series and not realise it until your co-workers give away the plot. mytvrss, a free no-subscribe RSS generator, provides an aggregate feed of air date announcements for the shows you choose, which can be edited later. It's not for those suffering from an acute case of feed overload, but it could make for a pretty helpful iGoogle gadget or other embeddable feed.
Here's a silly but fun download to kill some time on a Friday - by writing in burning letters on your desktop. Napalm (Windows XP or Vista only) is a little program inspired by the Linux-based Compiz window manager. Once you've downloaded it, Napalm has a pretty simple user interface which lets you write in big scary, fiery writing, all over your desktop. That's about all it does - although if you go to the Files tab and hit "Load" you'll see a few different variations on the fiery theme for you to play with. I reckon it's fiery wrath of god effect might be good for putting reminders on your desktop too (see left). :)
Linux only: BillReminder might seem like an unnecessary tool in the age of ubiquitous calendars, but the free Linux app lets you determine exactly when and how you get reminded about your monthly obligations, and helps you visualise and keep notes on each one. Once you've set up your bills into colour-coded categories, you can set the amount due, leave yourself notes on how (or maybe why) they should be paid, and then have BillReminder tell you about them at specific intervals—in case you only need a day or two for electricity, but would like a week's warning on that hefty cable charge. BillReminder is a free download for Linux systems only.
