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Lifehacker
The Windows on Mac virtualization arms race continues: On the heels of a new VMware Fusion 2.0 beta, Parallels Desktop issues a software update that adds support for XP Service Pack 3 and Vista Service Pack 1 for Boot Camp partitions. Here's more on how to dual boot and virtualise the same Windows partition with Parallels. [via]
Instead of putting the onus on you to choose the best keyword, just-launched semantic search engine Powerset can find the answers you seek on the Wikipedia using natural language. Type things like "what is a life hack" or "paintings by Salvador Dali" and Powerset extracts those answers from Wikipedia and lays them out on an attractive page. CNET reports:
Powerset's natural language search technology is based on patents licensed exclusively from PARC and its own proprietary indexing. Powerset's engine has read 2.5 million Wikipedia pages and extracted "meaning" from the sentences, creating a navigation and semantic layer on top of the popular Web encyclopaedia.In my tests, Powerset was slow to respond (no doubt suffering from launch overload), but you can check out a video of Powerset in action after the jump.
Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): Phun, a free open-source, cross-platform 2D physics simulator, makes you want to pick up blocks, or maybe crayons, and learn more about the way things fall and move under pressure. Written by a Swedish graduate student, the program teaches concepts of restitution and friction, so it's great to load up with the kids, but you'll probably find yourself sneaking a few turns by yourself at creating, and knocking over, shapes and lines. Phun is a free download for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems; hit the link for instructions on using and having, well, fun in Phun.
For certain projects, even the gargantuan list of pre-installed fonts on your system just won't do. When you want to create your own font but don't want to learn the archaic process for doing so, you want free font designer webapp FontStruct. FontStruct provides simple tools to colour in integrated blocks. You can fill out just one key letter or a whole font, distribute your creation freely or with rights reserved, and offer it up as an easy-to-install TrueType font. Using FontStruct's tools requires a free sign-up—or you could just browse FontStruct's library of original fonts for download.
Most home movies are jammed-together affairs, but anyone can make their videos better with a little schooling in the basics of story-telling. The Wikiversity has a free multi-part "Film School" that focuses on the kinds of tips just as helpful to unofficial wedding videographers as aspiring auteurs. Learn the basics of framing, editing in "L cuts," and when and where to cut a scene. Some of it does get a bit technical for DIY directors, but you'll pick up enough to have real pride in the next set of home-burned DVDs you send out.
Posted by Sarah Stokely at 8:00 AM on May 12, 2008
Sometimes it can seem like every time you answer the phone you get asked for money. Especially when it's a charity collector, some people find it hard to say no (which is why so many charities operate this way).
The Simple Dollar suggests a couple of strategies for people who find that they get easily talked into parting with their cash:
"I've already decided my charitable giving for the year. I'll keep you in mind for next year." Then - hang up!
Posted by Sarah Stokely at 8:00 AM on May 12, 2008
WINE is a piece of software (an emulation layer if you want to get technical) which lets you run certain Windows applications on Linux systems. So it's very handy for penguin lovers who still have one or two (WINE-supported) Windows apps they want to be able to run.
Atomic mag have helpfully published a guide to installing WINE. As a bonus, it also includes instructions on how to get Valve's most excellent Orange Box game running with WINE. Sweet!
Installing WINE [Atomic]
An adventurous Flickr user dug up a file in Leopard's example developer documents called Twitterverse, a screensaver that displays your Twitter world in a circle of thumbnailed activity. To use Twitterverse, find the file (a quick Spotlight search for Twitterverse should do the trick), open your Desktop & Screen Saver preference pane, and then simply drag the Twitterverse.qtz file into the preview window of the Screen Saver preference pane. To get it downloading your friends' tweets, click the Options button, enter your username and password, and try it out. I had trouble seeing results (just a blank screen), but if you have more luck, the screensaver is eye-tastic!
Author of In Defence of Food Michael Pollan explained his "eater's manifesto" at Google last month. Watch the video to hear Pollan discuss his seven word philosopy ("Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.")—or download the hour-long clip to your iPod to watch later.
Next time you stumble into a patch of poison ivy at a picnic, The Daily Green web site suggests pouring a little vodka on the affected area to cure what ails you. In fact, the article offers a total of 10 unusual uses for the popular beverage, from flower preservation and insect repellent to toothache reliever and jellyfish-sting soother. This is completely unverified, but I've also heard it mixes well and can get you really drunk, so be careful!
When it's time to finally clear out that dusty trunk full of home movies on VHS tapes, you have a couple of options: pay someone to transfer all that precious video to DVD, or do it yourself. For several hours of tape, having it done can get expensive, so the Unclutterer blog runs down the steps for capturing and burning VHS videos to disk the DIY way. You'll need a video capture card or external capture device (a camcorder will work), and to import it to a video application like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. From there you can edit the clips, add titles, music, and burn the whole shebang to DVD. The whole process isn't a quick one, depending on how much tape you have and how fast a system and large a hard drive you've got. Have you digitised old VHS tapes? Got any gear or tricks that made it faster or easier? Let us know in the comments.
TimeTube is one of those rare YouTube mashups that make the video-sharing site both fun and functional. Type in a search term, and TimeTube lines up the results on an easily-navigated timeline, letting you trip down memory lane or learn more about a topic as it progresses through the social media jungle. There are alternate views—a list, a flipbook, and geo-located—but the timeline view is what really sells this mashup. Got another tool that stramlines and organises YouTube searches? Let's hear about it in the comments.
Windows only: Freeware application DExposE2 is a clone of Mac OS X's Expose feature for Windows XP and Vista. Aside from the basic Expose features, which we've seen from a lot of clones in the past, DExpose2 features a handful of extra features like interactive previews, hot corners, multi-monitor support, and more. If you like the look and feel of Expose but have never found a good substitute for your Windows PC, the freeware DExpose2 may be the best available. DExposE2 comes in portable and installable flavours, so you can check it out with a quick download and no install. Hit the jump for a video of DExposE2 in action.
