July 16, 2008

work

UnMHT Saves Multiple Tabs as Complete HTML Files

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 11:00 PM on July 16, 2008

Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Free Firefox extension UnMHT gives Firefox the same abilities to save a complete web page as one file—sound, pictures, video, and all—as Internet Explorer and Opera already have, but with a multi-tab bonus. Once installed, Firefox can open any of the MIME HTML (.mht) files saved by another browser, but UnMHT also adds a "Save all tabs as MHT" option, letting you store an entire browsing session as multiple MHT files with two clicks. Great for saving a work session for later restoration, or saving what you're looking at now for complete offline reading later. UnMHT is a free download, works wherever Firefox does.


Read More »

fix

Ramlog Switches Your Linux Logs to RAM to Save Battery, Hard Drive Life

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 10:30 PM on July 16, 2008

Linux only: Linux systems are constantly writing status updates to a variety of different system logs—great news for debugging developer-types, not so great for anyone trying to save battery life on the go or get more life from their hard drives. Ramlog is a straightforward program that has your Linux system write log updates to RAM during a session, then dumps them onto the hard drive when shutting down. Ramlog creates a fixed-size RAM disk, so your memory won't be overrun by over-active processes, and experienced users can still check out their logs. I can't attest to long-term proof of the savings, but the hard drive conservation alone makes it worth running this simple program. Ramlog is a free download for Linux systems only, with a few pre-built packages; otherwise, hit the "via" link for instructions on installing from source.


Read More »

organise

Mocha VNC Lite is Simple Remote Control for iPhones

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 10:00 PM on July 16, 2008

iPhone/iPod touch only: Mocha VNC Lite, the latest free utility added to the iTunes App Store, is one of those great programs that jailbreak enthusiasts probably thought would never appear in official form. Having arrived, however, it's a simple, easy to use tool for remote-controlling a Windows, Mac, or Linux system from your palm, with full keyboard access, double-click abilities, and support for 32-bit colours. You can flip your phone to landscape for widescreen desktops, and zoom in and scroll just like you would with a Safari web page. The only apparent restrictions on this "Lite" version are a lack of support for right clicks, a QWERTY-only keyboard, and no macros, but for controlling your media centre or desktop from another room, Mocha should work just fine. Mocha VNC Lite is a free download for 2.0 iPhones and iPod touches only.


Read More »

communicate

AirRadar Offers Better Wi-Fi Network Management

Posted by Gina Trapani at 9:00 PM on July 16, 2008


Mac only: Leopard's built-in Airport utility doesn't do much except show you what Wi-Fi networks are nearby, and which require a password—but free utility AirRadar does much more. AirRadar detects available Wi-Fi networks (in my case, more networks showed up in AirRadar's list than in Leopard's default menubar drop-down), and displays more information like signal strength, last seen timestamp, channel, signal average, max, and min. Disconnect from networks without turning off your Airport card, get Growl notifications, and set the scan interval with AirRadar too. You can even save networks as favourites, instead of just hopping onto any old open network by default. If you've got a spotty signal you'll appreciate AirRadar's signal to noise line graphs, too. AirRadar is a free download for Mac only. For more Wi-Fi know-how, see our top 10 Wi-Fi boosts, tweaks and apps.




communicate

Vodafone denies iPhone cap plan confusion

Australian Post Posted by Angus Kidman at 6:03 PM on July 16, 2008

iPhone3G.jpgVodafone has denied that any customers have been sold an iPhone and told they can use general cap credits for data -- a stance which contradicts comments heard from many iPhone buyers and Lifehacker readers. Why won't Vodafone acknowledge the confusion over its plans, and what will it do for customers who have signed up on the basis of a contract which it seems Vodafone doesn't want to honour? See after the jump for the full story.


Read More »

organise

Playground Finder helps keep the kids occupied on trips

Australian Post Posted by Angus Kidman at 9:22 AM on July 16, 2008

PlaygroundFinder.jpg
If you're visiting an unfamiliar city or planning a long road trip, finding good playgrounds to keep the kids exercised and entertained can be a challenge. Playground Finder fills the gap with a user-contributed listing of playgrounds throughout Australia, sorted by state and with facilities lists and user reviews. It'd be nice to see some Google Maps integration for easier playground location (currently there are Whereis links), but this still could be a lifesaver when it's time to stretch the family's legs. (Thanks Simon!)  [Playground Finder]



communicate

Use TwitterMail to track replies on Twitter

Posted by Angus Kidman at 9:13 AM on July 16, 2008

TwitterMail.jpg
While Twittermail promotes itself as a means of posting to Twitter via a unique email address, it has a much more useful feature: a daily summary of tweets that have been directed at you (using the @name convention) sent to any email address you specify. If you're following a large number of people or only access Twitter intermittently, it's easy to miss remarks addressed at you in this way; the email digest is a great way of making sure you don't miss vital messages without having to go through screens of older messages. Twittermail is free, requires a Twitter account to sign up. [Twittermail]



fix

Rev up your Allen key

Australian Post Posted by Angus Kidman at 8:57 AM on July 16, 2008

AllenKey.jpg
If you've ever purchased any furniture from Ikea (or similar mass-market retailers), you'll be familiar with the trials and tribulations of the S-shaped Allen keys (known by our US brethren as hex keys) supplied with many items to screw them together. Nate at Ikea Hacker came up with a way to simplify the process of using one to assemble or disassemble an item: cut one end off with a pair of bolt cutters, and then you can fit the remaining piece into an electric drill, giving you a powered Allen key that'll greatly speed up the task. Of course, you can already do this with a commercial L-shaped Allen key, but why pass up a freebie? [Ikea Hacker]


fix

One Hundred Push Ups Takes You from Zero to a Hundred in Six Weeks

Posted by Adam Pash at 8:00 AM on July 16, 2008

Web site One Hundred Push Ups details a training plan for going from 0 to 100 push-ups in a matter of six weeks. We've discussed why the push-up belongs in your fitness routine, but we didn't offer you a good road to push-up bliss. One Hundred Push Ups takes a graduated approach to 100, with a very detailed plan and several levels depending on your fitness going into it. It's sort of like the previously mentioned Couch to 5k for your muscles.

communicate

Bug Shooting Does Advanced Screen Capture and Annotation

Posted by Adam Pash at 7:00 AM on July 16, 2008

Windows only: Free application Bug Shooting is a simple but powerful screenshot application designed to make sharing screenshots via email or with bug tracking applications a cinch. In fact, the application is set up to work with several popular bug tracking applications out of the box, but it also integrates with your default email client, Skype, or any other application on your desktop with the right setup. The application supports several markup options and advanced screenshot features—like screen magnification—that we've primarily seen in commercial apps like SnagIt in the past. Bug Shooting is freeware, Windows only, requires .NET 2.0.


Read More »

fix

DIY Retractable Headphones

Posted by Adam Pash at 6:30 AM on July 16, 2008

DIY web site Instructables details how to transform your favourite set of earbuds into retractable headphones. The guide requires your headphones of choice and some sort of retractable cable, like a USB sync cable or something of the sort. Retractable headphones are certainly available to buy, but as the author points out, if you've got a favourite or specialised set of headphones—like iPhone headphones with a built-in speaker—the DIY route is the best option. Overall the guide is detailed and is simple to follow along with, so it may be worth a go if you're sick of tangled headphone cords. On the other head, you may also just want to use our favourite headphone-wrapping technique.


Read More »

organise

Gmail Contacts Get Selective

Posted by Adam Pash at 6:00 AM on July 16, 2008


Gmail appears to be slowly rolling out a new feature in their Contacts application that allows the user to selectively determine whether or not you want to automatically add everyone you email to your contact list. You're likely to send and receive a lot of email in the course of a day, but if you would prefer to keep the people in your contacts list limited only to the people you add—which means a much cleaner, more streamlined list of real contacts as opposed to all 5000 you've accumulated with the old system—looks like you can now do that through the My Contacts pane. Like most things Gmail-related, Google appears to be rolling this out slowly. If you're seeing this new functionality in your account (we aren't yet), let's hear more about it in the comments. Thanks Matthew!


Read More »

work

Go Laptop-Battery Only This Weekend

Posted by Gina Trapani at 5:15 AM on July 16, 2008

Blogger Erin Doland wanted to cut down work time on the computer over the weekend without going cold turkey, so she did it by limiting herself to only as much time as her laptop battery lasted. The self-imposed limitation forced her to only do the stuff on the computer she absolutely had to, and had her checking the battery charge throughout, and closing the lid as soon as she was done. (The editor at Lifehacker AU had a similar experience recently.)
If you're a laptop user who finds yourself getting sucked into checking email or mindlessly working on days you're supposed to be off, hiding the cord might be a good way to trick yourself into stepping away faster. Photo by airgap.


Read More »

organise

CRP Keeps Your Important Apps Running

Posted by Adam Pash at 4:00 AM on July 16, 2008


Windows only: Free application CRP (Control Running Programs) performs two related but separate functions: First, it keeps important applications running no matter what, so if a program unexpectedly shuts down, CRP fires it back up. Second, it sets a user-defined limit on the number of running instances of an application. If you've ever unknowingly shut down your IM application, for example, but you need to always be available for your job, the automatic relaunching of specified apps can come in really handy. The second bit of functionality—limiting instances of an application—can be useful when you launch an application intending to restore the currently running instance but you get another instance instead. CRP is freeware, Windows only, requires .NET 2.0.




communicate

Set Up Push Email, Contacts, and Calendar on Your iPhone for Free

Posted by Adam Pash at 2:00 AM on July 16, 2008


One of the coolest features available in the new iPhone 2.0 software update is the ability to get new email messages, contacts, and calendar events pushed to your device automatically. The catch: If you don't want to shell out $US100 for MobileMe and you don't have a Microsoft Exchange server lying around, you're stuck pulling data or manually syncing it to your computer. But, if you're willing to roll up your sleeves, you can set up push email and wireless contact and calendar syncing using the free Microsoft Exchange service Mail2Web.


Read More »

organise

Firefly Turns Firefox into a Local File Manager

Posted by Gina Trapani at 12:42 AM on July 16, 2008


All platforms with Firefox: Even though Firefox 3 has decent file and FTP browsing built-in, the Firefly extension aims to turn the 'fox into a robust file manager. Browse your local drives and folders in Firefox using Firefly, which offers tabs, can split your screen to view several folders, preview images, open, rename, copy, and delete files, and display a hierarchical folder tree in the sidebar. Not sure Firefly is quite as polished as it could be, but if you're dying for a Windows Explorer alternative and Xplorer 2 and others like it aren't cutting it, Firefly is an option. See this Firefly tutorial for more of what it can do. Firefly is a free download which works (almost) wherever Firefox does—the developer says definitely Windows and Linux, but less testing's been done on the Mac.