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Lifehacker
Wired's helping you knock down the drabness of your cubicle, highlighting nine different, somewhat drastic ways to decorate the same cubicle. The designs are taken from a book called Cube Chic, which covers 22 takes on the same cubicle setup. Think of it as inspiration for your Coolest Cubicle submission—we've still got plenty of room for entries, which means that $500 Amazon gift card is up for grabs.
Posted by Sarah Stokely at 2:22 PM on February 26, 2008
Dan Warne writes he's found a solution to the annoying tendency some websites (especially bank sites) have of forcing open 'naked' windows stripped of your preferences. For example bank websites often pop up small and unresizable windows without your toolbars on them.
He points to a solution at MozillaZine, which explains how to prevent websites from disabling new window features.
1. Open a new tab in Firefox and type about:config into the address bar.
2. Copy and paste this text into the filter box: dom.disable_window_open_feature.
3. Double click each of the items that appears in the list to change the default behaviour. There is a list of the different features and what they do in the MozillaZine article.
Stop websites disabling your browser address bar, toolbar, bookmarks etc [Dan Warne]
Mac OS X only: Freeware Safari plug-in Keywurl brings the time-saving convenience of keyword searches to Safari, allowing users to type something like imdb Semi-Pro into the address bar to search IMDB rather than first going to the home page. Granted, this functionality comes built in to Firefox, and with a few tweaks to Firefox you can really supercharge your address bar with keyword bookmarks and searches, but for anyone who sticks with Safari for its raw speed and Mac-ness, Keywurl is a must-have. Keywurl is freeware, Mac OS X only.
Posted by Sarah Stokely at 1:51 PM on February 26, 2008
HubSpot's Website Grader is a web-based tool which analyses and scores your website against a number of criteria, and provides you with a report card flagging areas you may wish to improve. By filling out a web form which asks for your URL, keywords related to your blog and optionally any websites you compete against, it generates a report on your site. You need to supply an email address as it mails the link to you.
The score it generates grades your website against a number of things including website traffic, search engine optimisation, social
popularity (via social bookmarking and sites like Digg) and a wide range of other factors. It also provides some very basic
advice on how you can improve your website's performance.
One thing which tickled me is that it rated Lifehacker's readability as "advanced/doctoral" level. I had no idea we were so rarified! I'd better duck back to uni and get that PhD. :)
What's Your Website Score? [Dipping into the Blogpond]
If you've got a "someday" to-do list full of large, vague project ideas but the day you tackle even one of those projects just doesn't seem to be coming, weblog LifeClever details how to start making incremental progress on your someday projects with a method the author calls triangulation. The idea is simple: block out just five minutes daily to your project, during which time you make three choices about the project. Each day you'll be whittling your amorphous idea of a project into something with a definite form, which will hopefully make the project more immediately doable in turn. Got your own favorite methods for tackling those low priority someday projects? Let's hear about 'em in the comments.
Linux only: Expand OpenOffice.org's document opening, saving, and conversion powers to Office 2007 documents with the OpenXML Translator, a free plug-in intended for Ubuntu systems (although other Debian-based systems might be able to use it as well). Grab a package for your 32- or 64-bit system, install it (hitting the via link if you need help with that) and OpenOffice will be able to read and save files to the .docx format. Conversion from Microsoft Office-authored files remains hit-and-miss, but it's a nice step forward for the free and open-source office suite. The OpenXML translator is a free download for Linux systems only.
Weblog LifeRemix suggests 10 ways to transform yourself from a hopeless couch potato to a devoted exerciser with a few simple guidelines for sticking with your routine when you're getting started. For example:
Any work-out "counts." Give yourself credit for the least effort. My father, a runner, always said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him. Why does this work? Because if I know I can quit after five minutes, I get started—and once I start, I usually follow through with my usual routine. Getting out the door is by FAR the toughest part.
Dear Lifehacker,
When I minimise programs to the dock, how can I restore those minimised programs from the keyboard? For example, if I minimise Firefox but then want it back, when I Cmd-Tab through the programs, I can select Firefox, but when I release, I'm only in the Firefox program—the window remains minimised. So, I have to drop everything, get the mouse, and restore the window from the dock. There has to be a better way!
Signed,
Frustrated from the Keyboard
The Digital Inspiration blog points out a Gmail trick that's been just under the surface all along (not that our commenters haven't noticed). Everyone who has an "name@gmail.com" address can also receive mail sent to "name@googlemail.com." What's the big deal? Well, knowing this gives you a stronger hand when you fight against spam, bacn, and all that other not-so-important but distracting email. Try giving out one or the other addresses to important, close contacts, while using the other for all the other stuff. What uses can you think of (or have used already) for this trick? Offer up the goods in the comments.
Windows only: Freeware application LogonStudio brings full login screen customisation to your Windows XP or Vista PC. Last week we showed Mac users how they can match their desktop and login images, so if you were a Windows user looking for similar functionality, LogonStudio can do that for you and so much more. The app comes with several built-in login screens and images, but you can customise practically ever section of your login screen to your heart's content. LogonStudio is freeware, Windows only. Thanks cavelierex!
For those among us who just can't seem to keep on top of their plants' watering schedules, web site Botanicalls details how to create a piece of equipment that will send Twitter status updates to let you know whenever your plant needs water. Making the gadget in this very detailed tutorial won't cost you much, but it does require the odd bit of soldering skills every now and then, which is a showstopper for some (unless you wanted to learn how). If you prefer automation to this somewhat convoluted (but fun) solution, check out this DIY automated drip system.
US-centric: If you've been dying to try out the one-number-to-rule-them-all phone service GrandCentral, but have been stymied by their move to a closed, invite-only beta following Google's acquisition of the service, you'll be glad to know that GrandCentral has... Read More »
Are you happy with the results people get back when they Google your name? If not, there are easy ways to monitor and guide what information is published about you online. Two years ago we covered how to have a say in what Google says about you, and more recently, and how to track down anyone online. But a rash of social media sites have arisen that give you more tools to help you manage your online reputation and become more findable. Let's take a look.
Want an easy way to share DRM-free music from your iTunes library to your friends? Twist me!, a Facebook app developed alongside the DRM-stripping DoubleTwist application, offers a fairly convenient way to do just that. You and anyone you share with have to have the desktop client installed, unfortunately, but files up to 10 MB in size can be passed back and forth from the Facebook app, or even from inside iTunes itself. Luckily, Wired's How-To Wiki has just posted a helpful guide for getting started with both the desktop client and Facebook sharing. Both DoubleTwist and Twist me! are free, but still Windows only at this point.
Does waking up in the morning always feel like lining up for a race you'll never finish? If so, Trent at The Simple Dollar finance blog has a suggestion for both your mood and your daily tasks. First off, make a list of every goal you're trying to reach, ranging from "Clean the fridge" to "Start long-term investment plan." Then ...
Go through that list and eliminate a lot of them. Eliminate the ones that don't leave you yearning to achieve them. Keep them only if you absolutely must do them. Try really hard to winnow the list down as small as you can.
Windows only: Ryan at the CyberNet blog has posted up a shortcut written in AutoHotKey but running on any system, that lets you make a "roll click"—or holding down the left mouse button, then hitting the right—to activate Windows window-switching interface, usually accessed through the Alt+Tab key combination. Actually, Ryan's script uses the Ctrl+Alt+Tab combo, which keeps the window options open until you click one to switch. We're usually more fond of keeping our hands on the keys here at Lifehacker, but for those comfortable with their laptop trackpads or just handier with a mouse, this script—and others like it found at CyberNet—are nice tweaks. The basic AltTab Mouse Shortcut program requires Windows Vista, since XP and earlier lack the Ctrl+Alt+Tab function, but XP-friendly versions are available at the link below.
Windows only: Get a find-as-you-type page search function in Internet Explorer that's almost identical to Firefox's long-touted feature with a free download from programmer Sven Groot. The IE add-on doesn't have much in the way of configuration options, but it adds an inline search bar in-between your address bar and tabs, jumping to words and phrases as you find them and turning red if it can't find the next letter. We've previously featured a similar add-on, but Groot's tool is updated for Vista support, as well as 64-bit downloaders. Find As You Type is a free download for Windows systems only.
US-centric: Tired of getting phone calls from the same 800-type phone number, but have no idea who's calling? 800Notes, a free user-submitted reverse phone directory, lets you see who might be ringing, whether it's a sales firm, debt collection... Read More »
The built-in Google Talk client in Gmail has added an "Invisible" option to the status dialog, letting you appear offline or unavailable to other Gchat users, but able to see who's online and start a conversation under the radar. The feature doesn't appear to be available in Google Talk's standalone client, and, in fact, signing into Talk will nix your stealthy status if you've got Gmail open simultaneously. Seems like a good way to keep distractions at bay (or at least be distracted only when you choose). The "Invisible" feature is only available to users of the new Gmail interface. For more chat-when-you-want-to control, check out a tool to auto-set your status to idle when busy.
Fix Up Your Sad, Pathetic Cubicle
Add Keyword Search to Safari with Keywurl
Customise Your Login Screen with LogonStudio
