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Lifehacker
Mozilla pushed out the first release candidate of Firefox 3 early this evening, so if you're already field testing Firefox 3, now's the time to go to Help -> Check for Updates to download the latest and greatest build. If you're wondering what to expect, check out the RC1 release notes. Looks like we're getting close! Thanks Owen!
Wrap your Friday with a quick recap of our most popular posts this week:
If you take a lot of digital photos but are frustrated with the strange yellow glow or green hue to your results, weblog Of Zen and Computing's guide to adjusting the white balance of digital photos is for you. Taking you step-by-step through adjusting the colour temperature in Photoshop, the guide makes it easy to understand how to fix these imbalances and give your pictures the more natural look they deserve. We've covered this territory once in the past, but this post's screenshots and detailed instructions are worth another look if you're new to correcting colour.
Tim from the Daily Cup of Tech weblog has transitioned to an almost all BitTorrent TV diet, but the resulting disorganisation of files left him with an unsettled stomach. He prefers to archive everything he downloads to a system of folders, but while some video files he downloads hit his hard drive as plain AVI files, others are archived RARs, and manually organising it all became to much of a hassle. The solution: a saucy Windows batch script that automatically extracts RARs and sends all of his files off to the proper, well-organised folders. If you've got your own method of automating your file organisation, let's hear about it in the comments.
This week's release of the Fedora 9 Linux distribution makes putting a full-fledged desktop on a portable USB thumb drive a three-click affair. Even better, you don't need Linux installed to create it, you can leave the data on your thumb drive untouched, and any files you create or settings you tweak remain in place the next time you boot up. After the jump, let's create a fully-functional desktop-to-go using a simple Windows program and a 1GB or larger thumb drive.
Windows only: Freeware application Lebendig adds snazzy, lightweight animations to your windows—like spinning a window as you launch it or fading out when you close it. Apps like Lebendig aren't uncommon, but Lebendig does set itself apart by using very little memory while still adding a little snap to your daily computing. It's not the eye candy of Aero, but it's a good way to avoid some of that UI jealousy that you're bound to have using XP every day. Then again, if you're really getting jealous of some of Vista's better features, check out how to get Vista's best features in XP.
Windows only: Freeware application Elevator disables the User Account Control prompt for specific applications through your right-click menu, getting rid of the UAC annoyance for apps that require administrator privileges every time they run. We've shown you how to disable UAC entirely and how to disable UAC for specific apps before, but it required a little more sleeve-rolling than this simple right-click solution. Elevator is freeware, Windows Vista only; installation requires a little finesse, so be sure to read the instructions.
Macworld contributor Brian Jepson isn't content with just connecting external drives, mice, scanners, and printers to his Mac—he wants to control custom hardware. He explains how to do just that with a microcontroller. Jepson writes:
To show you what's possible with microcontrollers and the Mac, I came up with a demonstration project that I call BreakTimer. This system enables your Mac to detect whether you're sitting in your chair and, if you've been sitting too long, to tell you it's time to get up and take a break.Jepson uses the Arduino microcontroller board, which plays nice with the Mac and comes with software that lets you program it. Hit the link to see how he hooked up a seat sensor and the microcontroller to his Mac to issue break reminders.
Windows only: Adam already walked you through how to download music from your friends' iTunes libraries over the internet using Mojo on the Mac, and now Windows users can get in on the fun. Install the Mojo 2.0 beta for Windows, set up an account, and swap Mojo usernames with your friends to populate your buddy list. From there you can browse their playlists, search their libraries, play and download any songs to your computer. The Mojo Windows beta is a free download; upgrade to Mojo Pro to get an unlimited buddy list. Thanks Matt and Jack!
We love screencasts because they can teach you how to get things done on your computer, but one creative filmmaker went beyond the howto and choreographed a full music video to Mac application actions. The result is the mesmerising video above, which will hopefully add a little fun (if not productivity) to your day. To find out more about the video, hit the link below for an interview with the creator. There's also a shortened Windows XP version. Got a screencast you want to share? Our system automatically embeds YouTube videos, so just drop 'em into the comments below.
Mint, the web-based financial management application that took us by storm a few months back, is adding investment tracking to their already impressive feature set. Mint's investments, currently in beta, tracks everything from the performance of your Roth IRA to the value of your 401k, all from its attractive, easy-to-understand interface. As with Mint in general, you'll need to be comfortable trusting your data in their hands (if you're curious, you can read more about their security measures here). Mint investments is currently in private beta, but if you follow the link, they've set up a page for Lifehacker readers to sign up. You should get access to Mint's investments sometime next week, and we've been assured that there's no limits on signups. In the meantime, hit the jump for a closer look at Mint's investments interface.
Windows only: Need to pull an email address from a file you can't open, or a message folder from an ancient mail client? Point Email Address Extract, a free Windows utility, at the folder or specific files, and let it do its text-parsing thing. The old-school-looking app comes with some basic file filters enabled (like HTML pages and .dat files), but you can direct it to pull any type of file you'd like from any folder. The app dumps any found addresses into an ordered text file, which makes exporting them elsewhere a bit easier. It's the kind of tool you're glad to find, but hope you don't have to use too often. Email Address Extract is a free download for Windows systems only.
Visiting New York and wondering whether a crosstown cab is any faster than the subway? Mobile|Traffic, a free web service for mobile phones (and standard browsers as well) offers updates from more than 4,600 traffic cameras in seven countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Simply navigate from country to state/province to city, and you'll get a recent shot of the intersection. Using Mobile|Traffic from a phone requires a data plan, as you'd imagine, and, as MakeUseOf points out, it's in serious need of map and search functions. But it's simple, free, and pretty useful if you don't always trust vague traffic reports of "moving steadily" and the like.
Linux only: One intrepid Ubuntu user has written up a nifty tutorial on using a webcam tool available in the standard repositories, motion, to turn a standard webcam into a motion-detecting security system. Once the camera sees something large enough move as to be suspicious, a custom script written by the blogger sends a notification to you through your Twitter account. It might not be the most reliable theft or home invasion prevention tool, but it could offer insight into when your roommates are invading your space or whether someone's using your laptop when they shouldn't be. The tutorial requires some command line work, but it's spelled out and explained pretty thoroughly. Photo by MShades.
If you're a veteran Windows XP user, you're familiar with the "helpful" count of your unread email messages you'll find at the login screen—which is usually wrong or overstated (my screenshot came from a fresh install of Thunderbird). The Online Tech Tips blog shows how to eliminate this stress-inducing reminder through a registry hack. Readers comfortable tweaking in regedit can find the values and instructions at the link below; those who don't mind installing a free (and very handy) power-user program can accomplish the same thing using TweakUI (here's where to look once you've busted out this power tool).
A steady stream of preview releases have kept our typing fingers especially busy covering the beta beat the last several weeks. From Mac virtualization software to Microsoft Office add-ons to iTunes sharing apps, there are lots of new features for eager testers to preview and try out. Beyond the most obvious best public preview out there right now—Firefox 3—which beta has your heart? Cast your vote, after the jump. Photo by arriba.
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.
