January 2008
41 posts
Cheeseburger in a Can is Both the Best and Worst... →
This is a cheeseburger. In a can. It’s a cheeseburger in a can.
shared an item on Google Shared Stuff →
11 Power Tips for Gmail 40 minutes ago - Comment
Google’s Experimental Views Improve Perfection →
We’ve talked before here about the sameness of standarized search results. As we’ve pointed out in the past, and Google pointed out today, “the appearance of results themselves have been pretty constant — 10 or so web pages in a vertical list.” There’s obviously something right about this standard format. It works (although some Mashable commenters argue against my terming of it as intuitive).
...
Pretend You're Important With The Buffalo Skype... →
Technology is supposed to make life better, right? So in a world where most computers have a built in microphone, built-in speakers, Bluetooth and god knows how many other ways to communicate over VoIP, why would anybody want a keyboard with a phone built in? Not only that, but the phone is tiny. Look at it - it makes me think of small children and oompa loompas. We’ve seen Skype-enabled...
Psychedelic iTube Speaker With Built-In Viagra... →
Hokay: the iTube looks like it is the 21st-century version of the Lava Lamp. A 30-inch-tall iPod speaker with 360º speakers and special effects that react to your tunes, the iTube connects up to either an MP3 player or your stereo, and you can control the psychedelic levels of its LED lights and bubble blower via remote control. Video and more info below.
Google Docs in Firefox Sidebar →
Google Docs Bar is a Firefox extension that shows the list of documents from Google Docs in the sidebar. The extension has many features from Google’s file explorer: you can search for a file, restrict the list to documents, spreadsheets or presentations and view a certain folder (the subfolders aren’t yet supported). A great feature that makes this extension more valuable is uploading...
Mobile YouTube Application →
YouTube updated its mobile site available at m.youtube.com to include all the videos from the desktop version and to provide access to your account, the option to rate videos and post meaningful comments. To use the mobile interface, you need a phone that is able to stream 3GP files over RTSP. But there’s a better way to play YouTube videos from your mobile phone: a Java midlet currently...
Google Health Login Page →
Want to get a first live glimpse of Google Health, which Google’s Marissa Mayer announced will be rolled out in early 2008? Point your browser to: www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=health However, I didn’t get past the login screen, so all we see at the moment is the intro page. It reads: «With Google Health, you can:
* Build online health profiles that belong to you
* Download...
Set Your Online Status for Multiple Apps with... →
Mac OS X only: One very annoying aspect of status update applications—from Twitter to Facebook to IM—is that there are so many places to update your status, and if you’re not diligent you’ll end up “out to lunch” for weeks on end. Freeware application MoodBlast updates your status on chat apps, Facebook, Twitter, and more through one universal interface. That means you can...
Foxtel's New HD iQ Box — TiVo eat your heart out →
This year’s shaping up to be the year Australian TV fans finally gets treated like mature, responsible adults. For example, after years of negotiations, we now have our very own free-to-air EPG that works with pretty much and PVR to let you record the shows you want to watch at the click of a single button. We’ll also see TiVo launching in time for the Beijing Olympics, and Foxtel is...
Lifehacker's Exclusive Line of Productivity... →
Not only do the editors here at Lifehacker feed your head with a feast of posts every day, every once in awhile we put our programming chops to good use and build custom software for our readers. If you’ve missed any of the Lifehacker Code line of applications, scripts, and plug-ins, here’s your chance to get caught up. All of the Lifehacker Code projects listed below are free to...
Snag Popular Mac Shareware On-the-Cheap at... →
Mac only: Web site MacHeist’s second annual shareware bundle sale, which offers nearly $500 worth of software for the relatively low price of $49, is underway. This year’s bundle includes popular Mac shareware like previously mentioned Cha-Ching, AppZapper, TaskPaper, and other killer apps like 1Password. Our focus is almost always on freeware around these parts because—frankly—no one...
Associate Email Addresses With Your Google Account →
Google has just recently added an option to associate additional email addresses with your Google Account. If you sign in to manage your Google Account and click the “Edit” link next to “Personal information” you should see this new option: It’s not possible to add a Gmail address to your account. If you try, you’ll get an error explaining, “You can not associate a Gmail address with your Google...
Google To Become Open Source Science Repository →
Google is said to be preparing to launch a massive repository of science data at research.google.com.
The project, known internally as “Palimpsest” will become a home for terabytes of open-source scientific datasets built on the data visualization technology from Trendalyzer.
According to a Wired report, the storage will be free to all scientists, access to the data will be free for all and the...
Maintain Good Posture [Ergonomics] →
Make it a goal this year to improve your posture by making changes to your approach towards ergonomics. If you feel any back pain, don’t ignore it; address it. Every so often, stretch your tired muscles. When standing, distribute your weight evenly. Wear supportive footwear. Increase your awareness of your posture, even if you’re not seated, so that you can instill good posture...
Learn to Profile People [Psychology] →
Machiavellian psychology suggests that if you profile people around you, you’ll be less inclined to be involved in personal conflicts. How do you achieve this? First, you need to be receptive to the act of reading people and focus your energy on the task. Once you’ve reached this awareness, understand what you are looking for and master the act of listening. Keep the conversation...
Google Gadget Center Launched →
Google quietly launched a Gadget Center for its gadget developers that would “guide you through all the steps needed to make your gadget a success”.
A Romantic Picnik →
(view original)
Our Christmas shapes and fonts were a staggering success. But now, it’s time for Picnik to doff that heavy winter gear, and slip into something a little more comfortable.
We’ve just added a bevy of new Valentine’s Day shapes, from lipstick-smothered kisses to candy hearts to chilled champagne, and fonts from cute and curly to romantic and elegant. Sure, Hello Kitty Valentine’s...
Google Sites Closer to Launch? →
Since October 2006 when Google announced they had acquired Jotspot – the wiki hosting service which allows you to create “rich web-based spreadsheets, calendars, documents and photo galleries” by using their wiki applications – people have been waiting for Google to do something with it. Just over four months ago, in September 2007, I reported that JotSpot was coming to Google Apps after clues...
loved two songs on Last.fm →
Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion – Air 1 hour ago - Comment Afterlife – BLue Bar 1 hour ago - Comment
favorited a video on YouTube →
Onions Make You Cry 32 minutes ago - Comment
View Google Presentations Slideshow in Google... →
Last January, Google Reader introduced a feature that enabled showing embedded Flash video player in blog posts from selected video sites. Since then, Google Reader opened itself to more multimedia contents (mostly from Google), like displaying photo slideshows from Picasa Web Albums, Yahoo! Video, Blip.tv, and more recently, Google Presentations slideshow.
I remember seeing a Flash Yahoo! logo...
New feature: Blogger as OpenID provider →
As we hinted before, we’ve been working on making Blogger an OpenID provider. With our latest Blogger in Draft release, we’ve done just that. You can now use your blog’s URL as an OpenID URL on any website that accepts OpenID 1.1 authentication. To enable OpenID for your blogs, just edit your profile on draft.blogger.com and enable the checkbox which says Enable OpenID for Blogs and you are all...
Extend the Life of Your iTunes Movie Rentals [How... →
Our brothers-in-tech at Gizmodo were stoked to rent movies from iTunes but less excited about the 24-hour expiration clock iTunes places on the rentals. After a bit of time in the think tank, they discovered you can trick iTunes into extending a movie’s rental period for years with a little Marty McFly finesse. In essence the method is very simple: Just set your system clock ahead a year or...
Better Gmail 2 Gets Four New Features Plus Skins... →
Gmail users with Firefox: Just uploaded a new release of our Better Gmail 2 Firefox extension for Gmail. This latest version includes four new user scripts: One Click Conversations, Hide Invites Box, Google Reader Integration, and Message Rollover Highlights. Plus, the Skins tab is back, with two nice-looking Gmail skins: Gmail Blue and Grays and Blues. Check out screenshots of the new features...
Better Gmail 2 0.3 →
A compilation of the best Greasemonkey enhancements for the NEW Gmail interface, compiled into one extension.
Gmail Adds New Shortcut, Archive from Inbox Every... →
Gmail has added a spanking-new keyboard shortcut, ‘e’, which archives the current conversation in the inbox every time, whether you’re viewing the message from the inbox or not. If you’re a big Gmail shortcut user, you’re no doubt familiar that the ‘y’ key already does archive, so what’s the difference? Well, if you think of everything in Gmail as...
Many hands make light work →
Have you ever tagged someone else’s photo? I know I have. A describing word, or perhaps even two joined together; a ‘lasso’ to group photos together from an event; identification of a subject in the photo; a colour; a season… All that work that we’ve put in has contributed to making something greater than the sum of its parts: an organic information system, derived of descriptive words and...
Evolve Your User Interface To Educate Your Users →
by Dave Shepard
The Web has changed. This isn’t your neighbor’s nerdy kid’s internet anymore. Now the Web is home to your mom, your grandma and your technophobe sister. With computers as common a household appliance as televisions now, who might be using your web-application has expanded beyond the realm of just the power user.
Complicated menu systems, alert dialog messages that lock you out...
Store Coffee for Maximum Freshness [How To] →
The Unclutterer blog rounds up the advice of some pretty knowledgeable minds (including go-to food science guru Harold McGee) on the best ways to store coffee, whether as whole beans or ground. The take-away is to never put coffee in your refrigerator, and only store your coffee in the freezer if you can’t use it within two weeks. Otherwise:
From the Joy of Cooking: “The best way to...
2 tags
Google to Launch Picasa for Mac →
TechCrunch found from a Google employee that we should expect to see a version of Picasa for Mac later this year. “I asked if Picasa for Mac was coming, and as luck would have it I managed to pick the Google employee with the least amount of media training and immediately put her on the spot. Her response: Picasa for Mac is under-development and will be launched later this year.” For...
Isn’t it sweet? Mascots in Modern Web Design →
The more emotional a site design is, the more likely it is to evoke positive feelings within its visitors. To achieve a lasting impression, designers tend to use visual cues and offer some eye candy for hurried and hectic users. E.g. vibrant color schemes, photos and illustrations can be used to draw user’s attention to some specific site section.
But are there any further options? Yes, there...