MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [January 3rd]” plus 5 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [January 3rd]
- 3 Polite Ways To End Online Relationships Without Getting Stalked
- 5 Killer Optimization Apps To Maximize Your Netbook’s Potential
- 5 Awesome Android Applications That Could Make Life Easier
- UnGoogled: A Week of Discovering Alternatives For Google’s Services
- The 10 Most Popular MakeUseOf Posts in 2009
| Cool Websites and Tools [January 3rd] Posted: 03 Jan 2010 07:31 PM PST Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to MakeUseOf Directory.
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!
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| 3 Polite Ways To End Online Relationships Without Getting Stalked Posted: 03 Jan 2010 05:30 PM PST
Now, when you are in an online relationship, breaking up seems so much easier. Since all means of communication are electronic, you literally just pull the plug. It’s easy to simply ignore someone – out of sight, out of mind. If you’ve ever tried that, you’ll know it is definitely not one of the easiest ways to end relationships. Because what will probably happen is that your ex won’t get it or won’t want to let it go that easily. As a result you will be flooded with questions and messages through eMail, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and whatnot. You’ll be fed up with it quickly and you’ll respond aggressively. That’s when things can get ugly. So are there polite ways to end relationships online? A way without hurting or confusing your ex to the point where they will either hate or stalk you? Yes, there is a polite way to break up. However, there are no guarantees that it will work out the way you’d hoped. But least you will know you tried your best and you won’t have to feel guilty. That’s worth a lot, isn’t it? Once you are 100% sure that you want to break up, prepare. How are you going to tell your ex, what are the reasons, do you have to give all the reasons, can you remain friends? There are three polite means of communication through which you can end an online relationship. BUT you don’t just pick the one that is most convenient for you. Rather, you should pick the one through which the two of you have been communicating the most. It’s like in a traditional relationship, you won’t just text your ex-to-be, but you will sit down and talk (if you’re polite anyways). This is by no means the easiest way to end a relationship as you are not able to foresee their reactions and act accordingly. Thus your eMail will require a lot of thought. Begin with the positive memories, what was gained in the relationship, what did you enjoy, and why did you appreciate being with your ex. Then explain why the relationship is no longer working for you. Although this is the negative part, be polite and don’t point out all the mistakes your ex has made. If there have been things that annoyed you, only mention them if your ex can change anything about it. For example, they cannot change their passions. They can, however, change habits. But whatever you write, don’t leave room for hope. Don’t encourage them to beg you to give them a second chance. You have to be determined to end this relationship and then pull through. Try to find the right moment to send the eMail. Send it when you know they will have time to read your eMail and think about it.
Whichever way you choose to break up, there are three golden rules to follow:
Instant Message / ChatAgain, you must find the right moment to chat. Ask them whether they have some time now because you need to tell them something very important. Reschedule in case they are in a hurry. Basically, conveying your message in chat works the same as writing an eMail, only that it’s an actual conversation. Because of that, you have to prepare very well. You don’t have hours to ponder what you want to say when your ex is glued to the screen. Also, you don’t have time to evaluate possible answers when they interrupt you with questions. In any case, follow the three golden rules from above and be polite. Voice Chat / PhoneBreaking up over the phone is probably the most inconvenient way. However, the rules don’t change. Be prepared, make sure it’s a good time to talk for your ex, be respectful, polite, and determined. When talking, it’s easier for your ex to interrupt you. Ask them nicely to let you finish and say you will listen to them afterwards. Above all, be calm, patient, and positive and express it with your voice. Don’t sound rude, angry or bored. Even if what you say is perfectly polite and respectful, your tone of voice can ruin the message.
Be prepared for questions and be open! Answer as nicely and honest as you can once, as in one eMail or one chat session. Then terminate the conversation. If you want to remain friends, at least ask for a break. If you don’t, tell them that you are going to delete all of their information and ask them to do the same. Finally, tell them that you do not wish to be contacted again. Stick to it. The title of this article contains the conclusion “without getting stalked”. As I said in the introduction, there are no guarantees things will go your way. Maybe you are ending the relationship because your ex has been way too attached to you and you barely had room to breathe. Chances are they won’t take it lightly. When you follow the advice in this article, you’ll reduce the chances of your ex-lover becoming your stalker. However, if it happens anyways, know that you are no longer dealing with a friend. You are now dealing with someone who is obsessed with you. In other words, handle them like a stalker, not like someone you once cared for. That means you may never encourage them in any way. Do not feel tempted to comfort them. Never ever respond! Change your contact information, block or ignore the person, delete their information from all your accounts, turn off your “online status” report, lock them out by making accounts private or shared with friends only. If ignoring them doesn’t help, report them. Stalking is a crime. You will receive further help through the Stalking self-help page. For any future online relationships, know that this could happen with anyone, anytime. Hence, limit the amount of information you share about yourself. At least until you fully trust that person. Has someone broken up with you? Do you want to respond, but don’t know how to do it right? You might find this article on How to Write a Goodbye Letter helpful. What was the worst way someone has broken up with you? Image credits: spekulator, naraosga, ba1969 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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| 5 Killer Optimization Apps To Maximize Your Netbook’s Potential Posted: 03 Jan 2010 02:30 PM PST
There are a few downsides to netbooks, though. Their light weight and portability is mostly due to a very small display. Just because you can run all of your favorite applications on your netbook doesn’t mean they will render correctly on an 8″ or 10″ screen. Netbooks also typically lack some hardware (like an optical drive) that a normal computer would have. In this article, I'll show you some great Netbook optimization applications that will help fix these inherent downsides and allow you to make the best use of your netbook. Winsupermaximize (Windows)Winsupermaximize is a tiny application that allows you to put folders and applications into full screen mode just like your browser. After launching the Netbook optimization application (no installation required) just press WIN + F11 to enter and exit full screen mode.
Winsupermaximize works by removing the title bar of your folders or applications and maximizing the window. For ideal results, the program creator recommends setting the Windows taskbar to auto-hide. Before:
After:
Dropbox (Windows, Mac, and Linux)Using a netbook means you'll typically be separated from your files and documents on your main computer. Maintaining your files on USB flash drives can be cumbersome (and I typically misplace them anyway), but Dropbox provides a free and easy way to keep your netbook optimized and synchronized with your other computers.
To use Dropbox, just register for a free 2GB account and install the client on any computers you want to synchronize. Any files and folders you place in your Dropbox will immediately be synchronized across all folders. A web interface is also available so you can access your files anywhere you have an internet connection. If you like Dropbox, check out the many other ways you can use it. VirtuaWin (Windows)Managing multiple folders and applications on a netbook can be difficult because of their limited screen size. VirtuaWin gives you multiple virtual desktops (Linux users will recognize these as workspaces) so you can spread your work out across multiple "screens".
It can take a little time to get accustomed to using virtual desktops, but they can greatly increase your productivity and serve as yet another method of Netbook optimization. VirtuaWin is highly customizable and allows you to use convenient hotkeys to switch between your workspaces. Daemon Tools Lite (Windows)Since most netbooks don't include optical drives, many people are forced to purchase an external CD or DVD drive to install their favorite software. Daemon Tools lets you ditch the external drives and mount disc images from CDs, DVDs, and Blu Rays instead. When you mount a disc image you can use the software just as if the disc was inserted in your computer.
Another great perk of mounting discs from a file is that the access speeds are much faster than from an optical drive. That means when you use software from a virtual CD it can install up to 50x faster. Check out these articles for more information about ripping and mounting disc images. Google Chrome (Windows, Mac, Linux)Google's web browser was created with netbooks in mind. Besides being really fast, Chrome has a great user interface that maximizes web content and keeps the browser bits to a minimum. Now that Chrome supports extensions, Firefox users can install many of their favorite add-ons so to get the same browsing experience.
With these applications, you should find that you can maximize your productivity and get a lot more out of your netbook. Have any suggestions that would be a good addition to this list? Share them with us in the comments. Image credit: zieak / CC BY 2.0 Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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| 5 Awesome Android Applications That Could Make Life Easier Posted: 03 Jan 2010 11:30 AM PST
I actually found that even though the app store is smaller in comparison to the iPhone app store, I really didn't notice a difference or even a deficiency of applications. In fact, I found quite a few Android applications that I now consider indispensable. Let me note that this is not a “top list” or my “very favorite Android applications” because if it was, I would overlap severely with Mark’s article detailing 10 Free Android Apps For Your New Android Mobile. That said, I absolutely love the programs mentioned in this article and use each of them on a weekly basis at least. Shazam
I actually tried using Shazam to detect a song playing on a stereo at a party over the past weekend, and even with considerable background noise it retrieved the CD and Track name perfectly. Once a song is found, Shazam will give you a quick link to the Artist's MySpace, a YouTube search for the song (yes!), or a link to buy it on Amazon MP3. You can also view songs you’ve tagged in the past with Shazam, along with all the information availible for that track. Overall, this must have for music enthusiasts, or anyone who’s ever wondered what song was playing on the radio. PDANet Free Edition
The catch is that the free version does not allow access to secure (https) websites. If you'd really like to access sites that use https, there is usually a 'secure login' setting you can disable on the service (Facebook or Gmail for instance) Keep in mind that some service providers will charge you an extra $30 a month to tether your phone line, so using this application as a permanent desktop connection probably wouldn't fly. From what I've read and tested however, don't worry about using PDANet on a car ride or in a pinch! Ringdroid
After you finish this very intuitive process and save your ringtone, Ringdroid even asks you if you want to set that ringtone as your default, or as the ringtone for a specific contact. This is one of my favorite aspects of the program; everything is very intuitive and well thought out for convenience and ease of use. In addition to the previously stated functions, Ringdroid also allows you to record your own audio for use. More importantly, a recording can be saved for use. Even more importantly, a recording can be saved as an alarm, music clip, or notification as well. This means that Ringdroid can be useful in basically everything audio on your Android device. Key Ring Reward Cards
This app scans the barcodes from your card using your phone's camera, and stores them in your phone so that you always have them. In fact, the image that Key Ring stores is far better than the one on the card in most cases because it re-generates the card on the device. If it sounds risky to you, give it a try and see what I mean. I had actually mangled my Blockbuster membership card so much that while testing this application I couldn't scan it—but all I had to do was type in the numbers under the barcode and Key Ring generated the barcode for me! Actually, it came up with 3 versions of the barcode and told me to pick the one matching the one on the card (which was easy and accurate). Overall, Key Ring ensures that you at least have a reliable backup if you're ever in need of a card. Dolphin BrowserI know what you're thinking—doesn't my phone already have a browser? Yeah, but if you're like me and you own a Droid, your phone has multitouch capability that the browser never utilizes. Dolphin Browser presents an excellent free solution to this problem by providing the user with not only multitouch capability, but also multiple tabs, a very social interface, and quite a bit more. I'm still exploring this app, but from what I've seen so far it's better than the stock browser on my Droid (which is excellent as well). There are even rumors of flash support to watch sites like YouTube directly in the browser! I could go on telling you about this application, or you could watch a short video about it instead. (Bonus) Waze
The driver's driving speed is relayed to Waze servers and depending on the speed, the quality of traffic is judged. If the traffic is clogged, then that information could be given to other users. All automated and anonymous. The user only has to launch the Waze app and leave it open while driving. The apps like Waze are fully dependent on its community, the more people use it the better it gets. And though it’s a relatively new app I already found it rather useful. Check it out. Thanks to the Android applications I’ve listed in this article, my Android phone has become far more than just a phone for me–and I hope it helps you as well. I’m going to write an additional article about Android applications I’ve found useful, so if you have an app to throw out there or something you’d like to see included, let me know in the comments box and I’ll see what I can do. Related posts
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| UnGoogled: A Week of Discovering Alternatives For Google’s Services Posted: 03 Jan 2010 11:30 AM PST
The first day started with me hunting for a decent replacement for Gmail. I knew the task wouldn’t be easy. Gmail, after all, does offer a whole load of awesome features. After tons of digging through a gazillion search engines, directories and forums; I finally decided to settle for Zoho Mail. It’s snappy, “offers ample storage for your emails”, POP access, threading, labelling (folders also an option), a good anti-spam system, and even Offline access. IMAP is also supported, but not out of the box. IMAP support is a private beta, but you can easily get in by dropping a request on the support forums. The devs generally approve IMAP requests very quickly. I made the switch, and although I get hit by Gmail nostalgia every now and then, I'm pretty happy with Zoho Mail.
Day two dawned, and I wanted an alternative for Google Calendar (I tend to be quite the lazy dog on most days). I was actually surprised with the number of options that I had. However, I didn't want a plain-vanilla, zero-fun calendar, and finally decided to settle for Mixin. Mixin does a really good job of making event scheduling a more social activity. You can post to Mixin using your calendar application, SMS, email, IM, and wait for it… Twitter! Once you've uploaded your agenda, you can head over to the Twitter-esque interface and compare your agenda with those of your friends and colleagues, collaborate agendas and make plans to rock your day!
By day three, I wanted to ditch my time-tested and oh-so-reliable Google Search. I shed a tear as I went looking for a fresh search experience. I didn't want to stick with the giants (Bing, Yahoo!, etc.), and after much mouse-bashing and keyboard-whacking, I came across Kartoo. It's a metasearch engine with a new take on how results should be displayed. There's the traditional row list of results and you can also switch to a columnar view. But it was the third view which provided me with great value. You can actually look at the results as a map of websites. The websites themselves are linked by additional keywords. These keywords can be clicked to broaden/narrow your search. I was surprised at how relevant the results were.
Google Wave has lately taken the world by storm. And it was exactly for this reason that I was itching to find a worthy alternative for Google Wave. I stumbled upon Scribblar. It basically aims to be a real-time whiteboard. It includes most of what Wave lets you do, and does it, IMHO, more efficiently than Wave. I almost used up an entire day loving Scribblar.
Being a blogger, I admonished myself for not having found a good news reader yet. Hence, I spent the fifth day looking for a good replacement for Google Reader. Amongst the web-based readers, nothing really matched up to Google Reader (apart from, maybe, Netvibes Wasabi). But I did come across a very powerful desktop reader. It's a free, cross-platform client called BlogBridge. It requires the Java Runtime Environment to run and supports OPML import/export, tagging and pinning individual news items, apart from the usual set of reader features. I also needed a good Docs and Spreadsheet alternative and came across EyeOS Public Server, which is actually an entire browser-based OS and contains a decent document and spreadsheet editor.
For my location hunting needs, I fixed my crosshairs upon Map24, a service by Navteq. The whole interface was slightly too cluttered for my liking, but I totally liked the functionality it provided. At times I couldn’t pick between Google Maps and Map24. Points of Interests are called “Channels” and can be dynamically added to/removed from the maps. The only downside to Map24 is that it has a bit of a bias towards the detail in which UK, and Europe are covered.
To round up my search for alternatives, I wanted something with which to replace Google Image Search. I found a pretty neat service, PicFindr, which let me query close to ten websites for free stock images. However, I did get the feeling that the interface wasn't very sleek and left a lot to be desired.
Then there was Free-Translator (to replace Google Translate), which did a pretty OK job of translating blocks of texts, as well as websites into the usual languages.
I also found a pretty cool replacement for Google Notebook (I'm an information-junkie and keep snipping things to share with the world). While Evernote works for me perfectly, I came across something that is absolutely brilliant in its simplicity. Justpaste.It encourages you to do exactly what the name suggests. Once you have pasted your info, it hands you a URL which lets you share your snippets with the world.
By the end of the seventh day, I had settled down into my new online routine. One, where getting my work done didn't involve going to a Google subdomain. I could happily email, search, collaborate and organise, not really missing the Google life that I'd clung to for many, many years. Sure, the occasional twinge of nostalgia hit me pretty hard, but I'd moved on from being a Googaholic! What are your favourite alternatives to Google’s services? Could YOU live without Google? 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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| The 10 Most Popular MakeUseOf Posts in 2009 Posted: 03 Jan 2010 08:15 AM PST Now that 2009 is over, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look back over the last 12 months and see which of MakeUseOf posts were the most popular with our readers. Read on for the Top 10.
Runner-ups:- Top 8 Sites to Identify The Owner Of A Phone Number – (by) Tina Which MakeUseOf post did you enjoy the most in 2009? One of these or a totally different one? Let us know in the comments. 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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Let’s be honest: ending a 
On Christmas day, I became the excited owner of a Motorola Droid, one of the best phones currently on the market running the 
Shazam is one of the most useful apps a music fanatic can have for their phone. Just hold up your phone to the audio source, and Shazam will figure out what song is playing—for free. Many iPhone users have enjoyed this application for a while, and now a free (ad supported—not intrusive don't worry) version has made its way to the Android OS.
If you have an Android phone, it's likely that you have a data plan to go with it. This plan supposedly gives your phone unlimited access to the internet for a monthly fee (though phone companies are beginning to slap boundaries on it). The PDANet Android application allows you to tether your Android phone's internet to a Windows or Mac computer for free via Bluetooth or USB.
I remember that for the longest time, decent ringtones had to be purchased either online, or directly from a cell phone. This is all in the past with wonderful apps like Ringdroid. This program allows you to go through a list of songs already on your device, and cut out a clip to set as your recording.
I once worked at Best Buy and the number 1 thing I noticed quite often was the, "Ohh crap, where's that card" problem. This is the common occurrence that plagues many of us when we reach the register and fumble through a wallet or purse thinking, "It's gotta be in here somewhere." Well, never forget a single card again with an excellent free Android application called Key Ring Reward Cards.
Here is the last one. The 
The other day, when I came to know about 
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