Power up your Flickr account with the Digital Photography School weblog's helpful roundup of 10 Greasemonkey extensions that take some of the irk out of Flickr. A few could be real time-savers, including a Flickr mail manager and a multi-group submission tool—but I'm particularly partial to the Auto Page script, which automatically loads new pages of a photostream Google Reader-style when you scroll to the bottom of the current page—meaning you don't need to click the Next button. All the scripts require Firefox and the Greasemonkey extension. For even more Flickr streamlining through the power of Firefox, check out Gina's Better Flickr extension. Screenshot by steeev.

Windows only: Freeware application SmartJournal archives your Windows Mobile cell phone's call history—including incoming, outgoing, and missed calls—with Outlook's Journal, a lesser-known feature of the popular email client. After you've installed SmartJournal (which is in German—though that shouldn't affect any operation, since its actions are all behind the scenes), the program runs alongside ActiveSync and writes the phone number, the type of call (incoming, outgoing, missed), date, duration, and name of contact (when available) to the Outlook Journal. SmartJournal is freeware, Windows only, requires a Windows Mobile phone. My Windows Mobile device is on the fritz so I was unable to test this, but if you give it a try, let us know how it worked for you in the comments.

Collaborative web search tool StumbleUpon has always helped you avoid unnecessary trips to Google, but now the free browser plug-in can also improve your search results there—along with Wikipedia, Flickr, YouTube, and other sites as well. Starting today, StumbleUpon users should notice star ratings and speech balloons next to their results, indicating the number of thumbs up and overall popularity of the site, as well as the names of StumbleUpon friends who have voted the site up. Links to discussion pages are also provided on the search and results pages.

The new search features come as part of an upgrade package to the StumbleUpon browser add-on that includes a familiar feature to find friends through your e-mail account, Facebook login, and Outlook contacts. Those who want to keep their search results clean can easily disable the new features in the StumbleUpon preferences. For tips on better using StumbleUpon, check out Wendy's guide to getting the most out of your stumbles.

Track your perishable food's expiration dates and receive reminders days before the food goes bad with web site Best When Used By. If you're in a pinch to put those edible treats to good use while you still can, the site also features a recipe search to help you make the most of what's left before the food spoils. On a related note, learn more about food expiration dates to determine which foods you really must toss once the date has passed.

Whether you're looking for a job, wanting to get a promotion or just want to get better at your job, self-promotion can help you get there. Australians are reknown for the 'tall poppy syndrome' which cuts down people who are seen as high flyers, but that doesn't mean you should aim to be well thought of by your colleagues and peers. It's knowing how and when to toot your own horn, and when to acknowledge your peers and boss that is the trick!

There are a number of factors which influence your ability to win jobs or promotions - and it's not just about ability or experience. Elizabeth Freedman has written an article for employement website Engineering Crossing, which highlights how to showcase your abilities to their best advantage - because as she says, often the best jobs and promotions go to those who are great at networking or self promotion,

Her tips are about how to effectively network with colleagues and peers, and how to raise your profile in your chosen profession. I liked the fact that she emphasises taking responsibility for getting better at what you do:

"DON'T assume that opportunity isn't always knocking. In other words, use any chance you get to demonstrate your talents. Don't put the minimal effort into something because "nobody will read it anyway" or show up looking sloppy because you sit in your cubicle all day. Trust me, the one piece of work you decide to blow off will be the one assignment your boss decides to take a close look at. As far as you're concerned, every day is game day, so keep your guard up and be ready for opportunities to shine."

What steps have you taken to help you succeed in the workplace? Please share your tips in comments. :)

Great Careers Don't Happen by Accident: Dos and Don'ts for Self-Promotion on the Job [Engineering Crossing]

Back in August we told you about a new live traffic updating service for GPS navigation systems - Suna Traffic Channel.

Now Mio has become the first manufacturer to bring Suna-compatible products to market. These are the Mio DigiWalker C320 ($449), the DigiWalker C520 ($499), and the DigiWalker C720t ($699). The C520 is available now while the other two are due out in early December. The devices all have a 4.3 inch split screen which shows road information such as directions and places of interest, next to the map.

You'll need to buy a TMC (traffic message channel) cradle kit to get the Suna Traffic Channel on the lower model Mio models, while the top of the line C720t comes with the gear so you just need to buy the license. Prices on these have yet to be confirmed. The kits will be sold at Harvey Norman and JB Hi Fi, while the licenses will be sold online by Mio from December.

Suna's Traffic Channel service will be available in Melbourne from December, with Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide coming online over the course of next year.

 

 

 

The release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 is coming up, and APC magazine has published a guide on how to create a bootable XP SP3 CD. The tutorial uses Bart's Boot Image Extractor and Nero Burning Rom, but emphasises that you should wait for the official release of SP3 - as the beta's product activation code is bugged and won't accept any key you type in. Oh, and - it'll be a while - SP3 has no official release date yet, but is expected in the first half of 2008. Anyone out there using the beta of SP3? Let us know how you're finding it in comments.

HOW TO: create a bootable XP SP3 CD [APC]

We all face productivity killers each day when we're trying to get work done. The Lifehack.org blog lists seven common ones - including procrastinating instead of making decisions and moving on, web surfing disguised as 'research', disorganised meetings, and team members not meeting their commitments on time. Chatting with colleagues and IM are a couple more.

I've tackled a couple of these, particularly the distractions offered by the internet. I read a lot of blogs and news sites as part of my research each day, but I've put in a couple of mechanisms to keep my browsing on track.  Keeping your work goal consciously in mind as you browse really helps. I have set up a few bookmark folders to help me. If I come across a story I'm tempted to read but know isn't 'on topic' I add it to my bookmark folder called 'read later' and move on. I've also got a 'work in progress' bookmark folder for links which might develop into a story later - bingo, I've got a whole folder of story ideas.

So what are the productivity killers which conspire to keep you working late? And how do you deal with them? Leave your ideas in comments please!

Seven Things That Keep Us From Getting Home on Time [Lifehack.org]

Here's one for the kids (or your inner child). New York's Bronx Zoo has a flash game on their website which lets you create an avatar of yourself, then add different animal body parts to create your 'wild self'. Each body part is labelled with the name of the animal it comes from, and there are even sound effects to let you hear what the animal sounds like. Educational and much more fun than creating a Mii on Nintendo's Wii - after all, the Wii doesn't let you try on a peacock tail or penguin's feet. :)

Build Your Wild Self [via Geekdad]

 

Rely on AIM as your nerve centre of workplace communication? You can forward instant messages to your cell phone whenever you're not signed on using the Mobile AIM Service. All it takes is an AIM username and password (that is, you don't have to use the AOL Instant Messenger program as your chat client; you just need an account). After you register, your AIM profile will change to "On JiveTalk" whenever you log out of AIM on your computer and all new IMs will be forwarded to your phone via SMS (that means you'd better have a good SMS plan if you expect to receive a lot of mobile IMs). To unregister your phone, just send a dummy SMS message to 265021. For more details, check out their IM Forwarding Users Guide (PDF alert).

Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Keep an eye on the price of any item on Amazon and get alerts when prices fall with the PriceDrop Firefox extension. After it's installed, PriceDrop automatically adds a link to any Amazon product listing that—when clicked—starts tracking the item for drops in price and alerts you via a pop-up notification window when it does. You can manage all of your tracked products in a simple in-browser interface, but it's all local, so there's no third party looking at what products you're tracking. Not only is PriceDrop a handy extension for finding a great deal, but it's also perfect for tracking Amazon's 30-day refund guarantee.

We've heard plenty about Stacks in the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard, but what you may not know is that Windows Vista users have their own Stacks worth checking out. Weblog CyberNet takes a look at the new groups and stacks features in Vista, highlighting how the new Explorer features can improve your file organisation.

If I were to stack files by name, they would appear almost like they would with a group, except none of the file names are actually shown [see screenshot]. Instead you'd double click on the stack that you want and it will open up all of the corresponding files. The more files that correspond with a particular stack, the larger the "stack icon" will be.

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Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): Freeware Voice-over-IP (VoIP) application Gizmo Project makes phone calls from your PC similar to the popular Skype. Like when we first mentioned Gizmo Project, it still boasts several excellent features like voice integration with other Gizmo Project users as well as Google Talk, Windows Live and Yahoo Messenger users, support for AIM and MSN chat, and a free call-in number—making it sort of a kitchen sink version of Skype.

The latest version of Gizmo Project supports video chat (though it's not as high quality as Skype), an improved interface, and several worthwhile fixes. If you've tried Skype but you're looking for more functionality and integration with other communication standards, Gizmo Project is worth a go. If you've been using Gizmo Project since we first mentioned it, let us know how it's working for you in the comments. The current beta is Windows only, but will presumably support Mac and Linux soon.

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As you type a web site address into Firefox's location bar, by default a dropdown with suggestions based on your history expands, and you can use the down arrow key to select one. For more aggressive URL auto-completion, head on into Firefox's about:config area and set the browser.urlbar.autoFill value to true. The result takes away the arrow key step for the first hit. Check out the How-To Geek's full explanation if you're new to about:config, and see also our top Firefox 2 config tweaks.

From foobar2000 and Media Monkey to Winamp and beyond, there are tonnes of killer media players available with an emphasis on customisation. For this Thursday's screenshot show and tell, we want to get a closer look at your tweaked-out media players. Interested in sharing your jaw-dropping media player application—be it Windows, Mac, or Linux? Hit the jump for submission details.

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Mac users, that file you're trying to copy might actually be a bundle of multiple files—which is why your copying isn't working. The Pain in the Tech weblog schools us on Mac OS X bundles, how to browse inside them and manipulate them, using GarageBand and Pages files as examples, but remember: applications like Firefox.app and Mail.app are bundles as well.

Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): There are tonnes of great instant messaging applications available, but one nagging problem in the IM world is that there's no great, fully cross-platform chat app (unless you count Meebo). Free, open source application Instantbird aims to do for chat what Firefox does for the browser. Based on the same tools used to create Firefox and Thunderbird, Instantbird should ultimately be just as extensible as the former—which means IM customisation will be as simple as installing a Firefox extension. Right now Instantbird connects to virtually any IM network and supports a tabbed chat interface. Beyond that, the application is still very barebones, but its upcoming features are very exciting.

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The web makes it possible to search for documents written in every conceivable language, but what if you don't actually know the language you find that special somethin' written in? No worries—there are plenty of online translation services that can give you anything from just a good idea to a complete translation of what you're looking at.

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Career advice columnist Penelope Trunk lists five workplace practices she'd like to see gone forever, like office parties, charity donation solicitations, the vending machine, the email reply-to-all button, and my Alleluia! item, voicemail. [Lifehacker AU mentioned this a little while ago]

It will come as news to most people over 30 that most people under 30 do not leave voicemail messages. Think about it: Voicemail takes a long time to retrieve and it's almost never earth-shattering, so it's not worth the time it requires. Microsoft is such a big believer in this that all voicemails you leave at the company go straight to email. And you can do the same if you use eVoice. Young people treat their list of missed calls as a page system. And they call the person back. No extra step for listening to the message.

I'd add the mandatory Monday-morning meeting for the sake of a meeting to this list. What other workplace practices would you like to see over and done with? Let us know in the comments.

Blogger kortina describes how to set up gcalcli—Google Calendar's command line interface—on the Mac for quick access from the Terminal. You'll need to install Python along with gcalcli and an alias.

With all this stuff set up, creating a reminder for myself is super easy: I just hit Cmd+Shift+i to open iTerm (see Setup Global Keyboard Shortcuts to Open Any App with Quicksilver), then type q '9pm write blog post about gcal' and I have captured the thought and can get it out of my mind and focus on whatever task is at hand.

Of course, if you're already running Quicksilver you can just use the GCal Quick Add plugin. Since we last mentioned gcalcli, it's been updated to include a remind-link monthly calendar layout. Here, have a screenshot.

Just noticed a useful feature in previously mentioned document scanner service, Qipit: the ability to fax your document scans, effectively turning your camera (or cameraphone!) into an outgoing fax machine. After you register for an account at Qipit, you snap a photo of a document, and email it or upload it to the web site. Once Qipit does its thing, converting your document into a PDF, select the "Fax" button below it to send it off. Qipit supports multi-page documents too. Looks like an interesting alternative to FaxZero. How do you send and receive faxes over the web? Let us know in the comments.