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- Cool Websites and Tools [ September 1 ]
- How To Rip & Convert A DVD Movie For Your iPod (Mac Only)
- Dr.Web LinkChecker – Scan Files Before Download (Firefox)
- 3 Websites To Publish & Share Your PDFs Online
- August Roundup : MakeUseOf Authors
- 6 Most Hilarious & Fun Science Websites
- Use S4ve.as to Store and Share Your Files For Free & Auto-Delete Them Afterwards
| Cool Websites and Tools [ September 1 ] Posted: 01 Sep 2009 06:01 PM PDT
(1) PhysicsGames – If you are one of those who likes to mix leisure time with brain exercise, check out PhysicsGames.net. It is a website that hosts a cool online collection of physics based games. All games can be played online, and embedded into your website or blog. Read more: PhysicsGames – Play Physics Based Games Online
(2) ResumeRace – Resume rating website which helps a job seeker get his resume rated by a community of members and hence get feedback on what's good and what needs to be improved in his/her resume. Read more: ResumeRace – Resume Rating & Sharing Online (3) SmartWikiSearch – New Wikipedia similarity search tool that makes it easy to find related pages on Wikipedia. When you perform a search it finds the actual page and also lists other related pages, giving you a summary overview of all pages around the same or similar topic. Read more: SmartWikiSearch – Wikipedia Similarity Search Engine (4) GoogleListen – Recently launched app that allows Android phone users to easily subscribe to web podcasts, search them, download them onto their phone or stream online. By subscribing to programs and search terms, you can create a listen queue so that you can get a continuous flow of new audio stories which are relevant to your interest. Read more: GoogleListen – Get Podcasts On Your Android Phone (5) Screenr – Online screencasting tool developed specifically for Twitter users so that they can quickly create and share a screencast with their followers. You can sign in using your Twitter credentials, click the record button, record a screencast of upto 5 mins and send it to Twitter. Read more: Screenr – Quickly Create Screencasts For Twitter
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section! New on Twitter ? Now you can follow MakeUseOf on Twitter too. Related posts
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| How To Rip & Convert A DVD Movie For Your iPod (Mac Only) Posted: 01 Sep 2009 03:01 PM PDT
So, instead of buying a new DVD copy every time the old one has been scratched to bits; a better solution would be to convert the movie inside the fragile physical disc into a digital file, store it inside a computer hard drive or portable media player, and watch the copy as many times as you want. Apple has succesfully made the iPod the most well known name of portable media players, thanks to the great design, intuitive interface, and the high quality of the product. This makes the iPod the perfect home for the converted DVD movies. This article will help you effortlessly put a DVD movie onto your iPod.
The missing ripper
But there are many online discussions mentioning that converting the DVD directly using Handbrake doesn’t always give users the best result. To keep the result as good as possible, the DVD has to be ripped first to the hard drive before being converted by Handbrake.
This is a free app, but you actually have to do a little web searching to get the download link. There’s a story behind these extra steps : MacTheRipper is developed in a country where ripping DVD’s (even the ones that you legally own) is forbidden by law, so the developer had to take the down the link. To honor the developer’s goodwill, I will not include any link here either. But worry not, finding the app is not that difficult. -cough-torrent-cough- ahem. ‘Scuse me.
Rip the DVD into a VIDEO_TS folder, then open the folder as a source from Handbrake.
Choose Your Configurations | ||
| Dr.Web LinkChecker – Scan Files Before Download (Firefox) Posted: 01 Sep 2009 01:01 PM PDT
It's true that a good anti-virus is designed to stop a malware in its tracks before it gets triggered. A firewall and a good anti-virus form the first line of defense. But wouldn't you surf more peacefully if you had a few more deterrents on your hard disk?
When it comes to protection against virus or Trojan attacks, there's nothing like too much defense. The more the merrier. So here's one more for the merry bunch – Dr.Web LinkChecker. Dr.Web LinkChecker is a browser add-on for Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer. It is a small tool for a big task; a way to scan files before download in order to protect yourself from potential virus threats. How often do we visit not-so-above board sites, torrents and file sharing sites for a juicy download? I get especially suspicious when the download size doesn't quite match up with the nature of the software. Usually suspicion wins. These days a lot many anti-virus solutions scan files on the fly without saving them locally. For instance, avast! has its Web Shield and AVG comes with its proprietary AVG LinkScanner. Using Dr.Web LinkChecker, you can actively (but manually) scan files before download begins with just a right click. The added protection integrates with the browser's right click menu and scans the link on Dr. Web’s servers with the most up-to-date version of the Dr.Web scanner and the latest updates of the virus definitions database. Here's how it works in Mozilla Firefox (and Thunderbird)…
Here's how it works in Opera.
As a pre-emptive bullet quick online scanner which can be used with three popular browsers, Dr. Web is a handy add-on. Dr. Web's anti-virus solutions have existed since 2003. So it is fair to assume that they follow the products with constant virus definition updates as the site itself claims. Maybe, the main chink is that the anti-virus scans files limited to a maximum of 12MB. As a featherweight solution, it could fill an important role of the third line of defense after the firewall and the principal anti-virus. But a real test of an anti-virus solution comes with detection rates and that too over a long period. Do you use Dr.Web to scan files before you download them? Do you think that this can add-on to your main anti-virus solution? Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section! New on Twitter ? Now you can follow MakeUseOf on Twitter too. Related posts
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| 3 Websites To Publish & Share Your PDFs Online Posted: 01 Sep 2009 11:01 AM PDT
Although these tools are highly similar in concept, they show differences in overall functionality and abilities. Today we'll review the most prominent of these sites for you, so you may find the one that ultimately fits your every need. Here they are, in no specific order.
IssuuWhat Issuu currently lacks in word of mouth, it makes up for in raw style. You won’t encounter anytime soon a more beautiful and fine-tuned site to publish PDFs online than Issuu – especially graphically. With slick looks, this player will continue to conquer the hearts of many nerds.
You can browse Issuu’s ‘collection’ based on category, rating and overall popularity. The level of Issuu content is very high, and you’ll encounter many professional magazine publications. If you’re looking for a good eBook read, Issuu can help you a long way.
In terms of interface, Issuu heads a more experimental path. Away with the well-known PDF reading set-up, hello eye-candy intuitive experimentation. Issuu allows you to read your PDFs like a real magazine, two by two. You can click the page to zoom in and have a more detailed view. Intuitively flip the pages, or use the OSX-doc-like index at the bottom of the page. The design, as well as the revolutionary interface makes Issuu my new personal favourite. Check out a MakeUseOf PDF example on Issuu here. ScribdIf Issuu is my ‘new’ personal favourite, whose throne did it take? Reader, meet Scribd, another wonderful PDF publishing site. If you think Issuu is too much mumbo-jumbo, this might be what you’re looking for to publish PDFs online.
The Scribd online reader once again deviates from the conventional interface – although not as extreme. Scribd also allows you to read your PDFs per page, or in a two-by-two ‘book’ format. The ’scroll’ view is the more interesting part of the interface. Simply move your mouse towards the bottom of the page and click to gently scroll down your page. Although you can summon a graphical index of pages, this mode is more aimed to userswho are off to read instead of scan the documents, and makes a great interface for reading eBooks. Last month we used Scribd to promote the online viewing of one of our MakeUseOf manuals – The iPhone Guide. The pilot proved a success, with the document even making the Scribd hotlist. Check out a MakeUseOf PDF example on Scribd here. Google DocsGoogle Docs – for those of you who've been living under a rock in the past few years – is the cloud computing office application by internet and software giant Google. This free and online suite covers all bases – word processing, spreadsheets, and so on. Not everyone knows this, but besides functionality for txt and doc files, Google Docs perfectly integrates with PDF files. Strictly following the definition we gave at the start of the article, this site might not be allowed a place in this list. However, because Google Docs allows you to not only 'view' your PDF files, but also gives you a (1.0) platform for spreading them, I personally think it should be given the benefit of the doubt.
Alas, a 2.0 platform is not included, but the basic functionality for this application allows you to pretty much do what you want with it – upload your files and make them public. Next, you can share the link with pretty much everyone you know. Embedding the document is sadly not possible. Incredibly simple and easy to use, albeit limited in functionality. Check out a MakeUseOf PDF example on Google Docs here. Have you ever published a PDF online? It’s easier than you think! Tell us which site(s) you used and why you did(n’t) like them in the comments section below. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section! New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/ Related posts
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| August Roundup : MakeUseOf Authors Posted: 01 Sep 2009 09:01 AM PDT
If that’s the case, here is a complete list of everything that came out during August. Why not see if there’s something you haven’t read yet? You may have missed a gem or two. Please also take a moment to visit each writer’s website to find even more posts for you to read and subscribe to. Simon was on summer break this month so unfortunately there were no published manuals during August. But he is back to work starting today so look out for some new MakeUseOf manuals coming soon!
Preschool Online Games That Are Fun For Children Ryan – BetterContent Make a Personal Budget on Excel in 4 Easy Steps Saikat – The Things I Do How to Set Up Microsoft Outlook to Schedule Email Delivery Simon – Wombat Labs Jinni Recommends You Movies You Should Enjoy (500 Invites!) Guy – Extreme IT Internet Security: How Criminals Hack Other Peoples Computers Varun – Tech Crazy 5 Excellent Downloadable eBooks To Teach Yourself Linux Dean – Ten Amp Talk How To Use Google Maps On Your Basic Mobile Phone Stefan – The Tux Geek How To Move Your Music Library Online with Moof Tina 15 Best Mozilla Firefox Skins To Customize Your Browser Jeffry – Super Subconscious The 7 Simple & Great Tricks to Tweak Your Dock on Mac OS X John Faux News: 10 Best Websites for Fake News & Satire David – The 2.0 Life 7 Tips to Make Gmail The Best Free Email Service For Productive People Tobias – Tobias Verhoog How to Make Your Blog Truly Interactive with Wibiya (Invites!) Jack – Jack Cola How To Use Your Domain Name As An OpenID Login Sharninder – Geeky Ninja How To Play DOS Games Under Windows XP Eyal – ProductiveWise Excel Printing Tips – 6 Steps For Perfect Printing Jim – Different Perspective How To Use Styles In Microsoft Word To Save A Lot Of Work Prasanth How To Make A WiFi Antenna Out of A Pringles Can Ellie – Ultimate Geek Girl 10 Great Google Gadgets For Your Gmail Sidebar Tim L – timmyjohnboy 4 Ways To Use a USB or External Drive Like Your Own Mobile Computer Angelina – Nothing Major 9 Sites With The Latest Fashion Trends For Fashion Maniacs Will – Piccdrop 3 Ways To Track Tour Dates Of Your Favorite Rock Bands Mahendra – Skeptic Geek The Ultimate Guide To Speeding Up Firefox 3.5 Leon Download & Play a MMORPG Called Ragnarok for Free Tim W – Twenty Ounce How To Install LimeWire & Use it Without Getting a Virus Israel How to Set Privacy Settings to Make Skype Safe Against Snoopers Wez – The Tutorial Blog How To Use Automator To Batch Rename Images on Mac Related posts
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| 6 Most Hilarious & Fun Science Websites Posted: 01 Sep 2009 07:01 AM PDT
Like anywhere else, you will find all sorts of characters among scientists. Think about this: everything humans have created is so complex and diverse because it reflects the minds behind it. Just think of relationships or laws. And basically, that’s the same in science. So let’s inspect the surprising, puzzling and fun side of science, the one you may not have expected or the one you never really took seriously. You may find that at a few of these fun science websites, there are some odd things going on. Seriously. PhD ComicsIn this case PhD stands for Piled Higher and Deeper and it’s “a comic strip about life (or the lack thereof) in academia.” The mind behind the comic is Jorge Cham, who holds a real PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Most comic strips are actual cartoons, giving you a glimpse into the crazy life of a PhD student or PostDoc. Some comics, however, reveal the frustrating reality of life in academia.
Science Tattoo EmporiumThe science tattoo emporium is a fun science website project hosted by Discover Magazine. As you may have guessed it features scientists with their scientific tattoos. Today, tattoos are quite average, aren’t they? It’s not all about analysis in science and this projects reveals the creative and playful side of scientists. Of course it’s also crazy to have the main subject of your job tattooed onto your body. But it’s not surprising because it takes a lot of passion to do science. The image below shows “The Tree of Life – carbon, glucose, light, DNA, and the golden rectangle. A tattoo by Kevin Riley. On the chest of a PhD student in molecular biology.”
NeatoramaNeatorama is a blog that features interesting stories from the world of science in its broadest sense. It’s a very good read. However, Neatorama is not your average blog, the creator had some ingenious ideas. The blog works a little like Digg. The difference is that you are required to submit your own work, rather than that by others. Literally anyone can write for Neatorama and add themselves to the site’s “upcoming Queue”. Readers vote on the posts in the queue and the best ones make it to the front page. This awesome concept guarantees that you’ll only read about genuinely interesting stuff. Thankfully, the voters seem to have a healthy sense of humor and so most posts are hilarious. Isn’t the finding that drinking beer improves bone density one of the best news ever?
NCBI ROFLNCBI is the National Center for Biotechnology Information and NCBI’s PubMed is a standard database where scientists across the globe search for research articles. ROFL is an internet acronym for Rolling On Floor Laughing. NCBI ROFL presents funny articles found on NCBI’s PubMed. The blog is run by two Molecular and Cell Biology graduate students who procrastinate a lot. At least they remain productive and we can enjoy the result. May I remind you that all this published research is or was officially funded? Someone decided we needed to find out about things such as the nature of injuries caused by falling coconuts, what type of people enjoy playing bingo in later life, whether accidental anal intercourse really happens, and whether garlic protects against vampires. Before you start worrying about your tax money, calm down. The studies may not be as ridiculous as they sound. After all scientists know how to catch your attention, too.
Null HypothesisIt’s The Journal of Unlikely Science and it’s all about the tough questions in science. The kind that drive scientists and parents crazy. You’ll find the most interesting, weird and ridiculous stories on this website. One article deals with the question “What would happen, if we all dropped down dead?“, how would a world without men look like? Another addresses taste buds and how to trick them. In a recent story, the author recapitulates how people in the past predicted what would never be possible and how the future proved them wrong. And didn’t you ever want to know whether the early bird really catches worms?
Improbable ResearchImprobable Research covers “research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.” The organization publishes the magazine “Annals of Improbable Research” and they administer the infamous Ig Nobel Prizes. Each year the most incredible and imaginative research projects in the categories nutrition, peace, archaeology, biology, medicine, cognitive science, economics, physics, chemistry, and literature are awarded with this prize. Year-round the blog features scientific studies that entertain, spark public interest, make people curious, and get them interested in science. Are you prepared for some mind boggling questions from the world of science?
If you would like to discover the scientist in yourself, how about trying some fun experiments at home? Sara has covered 6 fun science websites that will help to unleash the mad scientist within yourself. Who would have thought that science can be fun? Did we change your mind? I hope I could give you a new perspective and make you laugh. Image Credit: clix Related posts
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| Use S4ve.as to Store and Share Your Files For Free & Auto-Delete Them Afterwards Posted: 01 Sep 2009 05:01 AM PDT
This web application is called S4ve.as and if you need to say it out loud it would be “Save As”. OK ready class let’s say it together now…. Save As. Sorry I have been watching WAY TOO much children’s programing nowadays! When I say no restrictions on uploading I mean that you can upload any file type or file size. But please note that the files are only saved for 24 hours and then they will be deleted. Also the files are temporarily stored on S4ve As's servers and there is no security on who can or cannot download. So obviously this is not the place to upload your tax return files for your accountant to download. Keep that in mind. Let's see how Save As works. We will start by shooting on over to S4ve.as and we will see a simple dialogue box in the center of the screen. It wants to know what you want to upload.
Simply click on the box or the select file button. That will launch your built in Windows find dialogue box or another if you are on another operating system like Mac or Linux. I have not tried it with either of these operating systems but in theory it should work. If you try it out let us know in the comments.
After you hit Open the file name will appear in the box with an X next to it. Hit that X if you want to remove it and start again. The file's size will appear below the box in a sentence that says press upload to being transferring x MB.
When you are ready hit the magic upload button and your file will start transferring into the clouds. The transfer speed I got was pretty awesome for a free service. I was uploading at almost 4 Megabits Per Second.
My upload was done in about 15 seconds. When it was complete I saw a new screen. It looked like this:
This window shows me a bitl.ly link to the file, a direct download link, a created date, expiration date and the type of file it is. Very, very nicely done. Once you have uploaded the file you can send the links on to who ever needs to download the file. Once they click the link they will get a file download dialogue box like this one below.
Again the download process just like the upload process should work on any platform. If you try it on something other than a PC shoot us a note in the comments to let us know if it worked, didn't work or blew up your computer (just kidding…) Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section! New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/ Related posts
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Some people love a movie so much that they watch it time and time again. But spinning a disc over and over will surely wear it down to the point that it’s not watchable anymore.
No doubt the best free tool to extract the content of a DVD as a video file is 
There’s only one name that keeps popping up as the best free tool to rip DVD: MacTheRipper.
We are all familiar with the common idiom – closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Or, crying over spilled milk. Both accurately describe a virus cleanup operation after the virus has run amok.
Last week we gave you 
It’s been a busy month for the MakeUseOf writers. All in all, we published 174 stories during August. So it’s only natural for you to have missed one or two along the way. Who can read everything, right?
Are you still searching for the fun in science? Maybe you need to take a look at its other side, the less serious and factual one. Let me tell you it exists, after all science is made by humans.
Have you ever wanted a ridiculously easy way to save and share files for free, with no limitations? How about throwing in that your computer does not have to remain on after you are finished uploading your file? And for an extra bit of an added bonus let's throw in a upload speed cap of about 4 Mbits/sec!
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