Share photos, reviews and auction tips with like-minded users in eBay Neighborhoods, a new user group service unveiled today on eBay. The main benefit for users actually looking to buy something at this point seems to be in the graphical search results returned (pictured above), although the links to relevant guides and reviews could be handy as well.

If you want to chat on several networks—like AIM, Yahoo Messenger and MSN—using one instant messenger client, on the Mac side you've got Adium and on Windows side you've got Trillian (and the open source Pidgin.) However, Macworld reports that the makers of Trillian are putting together an OS X version of Trillian's upcoming version 4 release. Cross-platform users, which multi-protocol IM client do you think is better?

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Linux only: View processes running from in Linux interactively—complete with full command lines and arguments—with free application htop. Beyond providing detailed information about processes, htop displays a progress meter that fluctuates based on CPU usage, memory usage, and swap space. Easily terminate one or more processes without remembering the PID. View processes by user or sort by memory usage, processor usage, and more. htop is a command-line application that loads a lot faster than the traditional top application as well as other benefits over top; htop's a free download for Linux.

You're working on document on the laptop in the living room and you want to print—except the printer's in the home office. Sharing a printer connected to a PC on your home network and printing to it from any other computer, even over a wireless connection, is a breeze. Whether you want to print from a Mac or another PC, here's how to share a single printer for use by any computer on your home network.

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A lot of people are drawn to freelancing because it means they get to decide the terms of their work/life balance, but I think anyone who works for a  living can relate to the pressure of needing to juggle work and home life. A post on Freelance Switch today helped remind me that I'm in the enviable position of being able to decide how and when I work. I felt inspired to be a bit more proactive about building my client base instead of just reacting to offers of work (I'm so lazy about pitching story ideas to people!):

"What do you want to change about your work life? For me, I want to get better-paying clients and stop rushing so much. I’ve cut down on other work to make way for new projects. And when I feel myself getting rushed or overwhelmed, I stop and remind myself that I don’t have to work that way. You can change anything you want about your work life—the key is to identify what you want to change and take small steps in order to change it."

The post offers several tips for 'reformatting' your relationship to work - and pushy clients! It was nice to be reminded that it's ok to make small changes gradually too.

Making Definitive Work Life Changes [Freelance Switch]

The news that a government-commissioned report has called for a ban on the sale of large plasma screen TVs because of their power consumption has got a lot of tech geeks atwitter today. Asher Moses wrote the story for the Sydney Morning Herald today.

The story says consultant firm Digital CEnergy recommended "onerous" mandatory energy requirements which would mean that most current plasma TV models would be banned from sale in Australia as early as October 2009.

The report, prepared for the Government's Australian Greenhouse Office, also recommended a tougher second tier of restrictions which would ban almost all current LCD models from the market in 2011.

I'm in favour of reducing power consumption, but realistically can manufacturers turn around lower power usage models in a 12 month timeframe? Somehow I don't see the government signing off on these recommendations anyway so it's probably a moot point.

Gah, I hate it when someone writes the exact same article I wanted to write - but it's happened.
Coding Horror has written an article on geek diet and exercise programs. He takes the famous Hacker's Diet as the starting point and looks at some fairly odd geek exercise techniques (see image to the left!) as well as more popular ones like Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Sports (and a World of Warcraft exercise bike!)
On a more practical note, he also links to a weight loss guide called "How to lose weight with a spreadsheet and a website" which has some useful tips. Certainly I can attest to the notion that the first month of habit changing is the hardest, but on the flipside, it gets easier after that.

Geek diet and exercise programs [Coding Horror]

The Brazen Careerist has sounded off about unproductive workplace practices including voicemail, the 'reply all' email, and having lollies available in the office.

I'm kind of relieved to hear I'm not alone in using voicemail messages as a pager - rather than dialling in to get the message, these days I tend to delete it and call the person back directly.

I think the Australian equivalent of the office candy vending machine is the office charity chocolate box. She's totally right - it encourages bad snacking which can make you tired at work (and eventually overweight).

Five workplace practices that should be over. Now. [Brazen Careerist]

Savvy buyers of tech online will probably already be familiar with StaticICE - probably the price comparison search engine of choice for antipodean geeks shopping for tech products.

But did you know that there are also Firefox and IE7 search plug-ins for the StaticICE price comparison engine at http://www.staticice.com.au/tools.html? I didn't know - thanks David F. for the tip. :)

If you've got a drawer full of photographs you'd love to preserve digitally but don't feel like going through the work of scanning every one yourself, send them to web site ScanCafe for cheap and professional scanning. The service charges $0.19 for each negative and $0.24 for each slide you accept (you can reject up to 50% for whatever reason, whether you don't like the quality or you just don't want the image). The door-to-door round trip will take approximately seven to eight weeks, but the quality is excellent and price is very competitive. If you've ever used ScanCafe, let us know how it worked out for you in the comments. If you've got another preferred digitising method, we'd love to hear about that, too.

The MacApper weblog details how to clean out Finder's Open With menu so that uninstalled and duplicate applications don't bog down the list of apps you want to use.

1. Go to your Home/Library/Preferences folder
2. Find "com.apple.LaunchServices" file and trash it (you can back it up if you want)
3. Test it out!

The list is generated by your Mac based on programs you install, but it doesn't update that regularly, so if you try out a lot of applications on you Mac, this list can get pretty bloated with apps you no longer need. If that describes you, MacApper's simple steps should do the trick. If you want to get even more granular with your Open With Menu, check out the Mac OS X Hints post below.

Windows only: Selectively enable or disable the automatic system restart that's applied after certain Windows Updates with freeware application Auto Reboot Remover. While I'm sure Microsoft had good intentions when they pushed out the automatic update reboot, good intentions don't make you feel any better when you return to your computer after grabbing a bite to find out Windows decided to reboot and—naturally—did not happen to save the important files you were working on before it did so. We've covered this idea in more roundabout ways in the past, but Auto Reboot Remover is the quickest, easiest way to disable the auto reboot process. Auto Reboot Remover is freeware, Windows only. The download page is kind of a pain, but you'll find the right link about halfway down the freeware section.

Get frequent, accurate status updates for your next flight via email or SMS—from gate changes and delays to takeoff and landing alerts—with web site FlightStats. FlightStats is a perfect tool for both the traveler and the picker-upper, and according to the Wall Street Journal it's the best status tracker available (even when compared with status tools provided by specific airlines). FlightStats does require you to create a free account to take advantage of its alerts, but it's a simple process in exchange for accurate information. It even does real-time flight tracking (though you can quickly track flights in 3D with Google Earth, which is decidedly cooler). Thanks Jason!

• What are some affordable, non-permanent ways we can winterize our apartment?
• How can I maximize fuel economy in a car with an automatic transmission?
• What are some good headphones that don't leak sound so I can crank it without annoying my coworkers?
• What's worse, being at a job for too long or not long enough?
• How much money would I need to live in the U.S. without having to work for the rest of my life?

Windows only: Windows Media Center can play back virtually any video file you've installed a codec for, but if you're rocking a Windows Media Center extender—like your Xbox 360, for example—you can only play back a few supported Windows Media video types by default. Freeware application Transcode 360 runs on your Media Center computer and transcodes and streams movies encoded in the popular DivX and XviD formats to your Media Center extender so can still watch your BitTorrent videos on your extender just like you can on your regular Media Center. If you've turned your Windows PC into a Media Center powerhouse, the freeware, Windows-only Transcode 360 is a must-have.

With the fall television schedule in full swing, many of us are back in the habit of plopping down in front of the tube at night to catch the latest installment of our favourite show when it's scheduled to air. That means clearing your schedule to watch the show and then sitting in front of the TV for a whole hour just for 43 minutes' worth of programming. That doesn't seem very productive, does it? Luckily, this viewing season there are more ways than ever to catch the latest episodes of your best-loved shows without becoming a slave to the prime-time television schedule. So forget the fall lineup as you know it, because this year you're going to watch TV on your terms.

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Is your desk cluttered with lists and notes you jotted months ago? The Happiness Project proposes a way to declutter your desk by keeping a single piece of paper for notes every day and throwing it away after the day is over.

Now I have a "scratch paper for the day." I keep a pad of paper by the phone, and anytime I have the urge to make a note to myself, I discipline myself only to use that pad of paper. At the end of the day, I toss the piece of paper, after copying anything I need to keep.

Nice way to weed out the daily cruft and keep only what's critical. How do you manage your daily scribbles? Let us know in the comments.

Mac users: you're most likely not running any virus scanners or spyware killers, but you're just as vulnerable to careless computing habits that could compromise your system as anyone else. Macworld lists five ways you can secure your Mac, including:

• Use admin accounts for administration only

• Don't share user accounts

• Turn on password prompts

• Encrypt sensitive files (Ed: more on that)

• Attach a security cable

While most people probably have never used that lock slot for a security cable (have you?), the rest of these are just good habits to get into regardless of operating system.

Webapp a Calorie Counter searches the USDA food nutrition database and provides instant nutritional information for thousands of generic or prepared food products. It's a lot more exhaustive than previously mentioned Calorie Calculator and the information is a lot more comprehensive. See what 200 calorie and 300 and 400 calorie meals look like, or follow other reader recommended weight-loss tips.

AU - Australian site Calorie King does a similar job. If you're using it as a food tracker, it has a lot of local supermarket brand foods preloaded so it can give you the exact calorie/kJ count for them.

Google Maps' controversial Street View feature has ground-level, 360-degree views of six more cities today: Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore. and Tucson, Ariz. That makes 15 cities total where residents can dodge parking tickets and wait to see the funny/crazy sights around town.