MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [March 7th]” plus 7 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [March 7th]
- Poll: How Long Do You Spend On The Internet In A Day?
- 9 Fascinating and Cool 3D Backgrounds for Computers
- Organize and Execute Your Collaborative Projects With Google Apps
- 3 Ways To Use Google Reader As An Online Archive
- MakeUseOf Must-Have Mac Apps Giveaway Day #6 – CoverSutra
- Steam Games Management and Online Store Gets A Redesign
- Mac Giveaway Midnight Inbox Winners!
| Cool Websites and Tools [March 7th] Posted: 07 Mar 2010 07:31 PM PST
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
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Poll: How Long Do You Spend On The Internet In A Day? Posted: 07 Mar 2010 06:00 PM PST
In last week’s MakeUseOf poll we covered “Do you Backup your Files? How?“. We had 606 people respond to the poll and found out that 11% of you do not backup at all! It seems the majority of you use a USB drive and then coming in a quick second is using a online service for backup. We learned about a lot of nifty programs and services from your comments like Crash Plan from Tamar and lots of others from people just like you. We learned a lot of our users use Macs and most of them use Time Machine. Check out all the comments and opinions here. Check out last weeks full poll results below.
And now presenting our new poll: How long do you spend on the internet in a day? This poll will help us determine how many of our readers are Internet Addicts really into the Internet or people who are scared of the Net do not use it so much. Check out the poll below: Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Represent yourself and have your vote counted today! If you have ideas for future polls leave them in the comments as well. We have such great success in the last few polls that we are going to keep them going indefinitely. Thank you from all of us at MakeUseOf.com for supporting us and participating. Go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back! Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 Fascinating and Cool 3D Backgrounds for Computers Posted: 07 Mar 2010 05:30 PM PST
One of my secret joys is to browse for beautiful wallpapers online. I raid all kinds of sources off the beaten track. The image to the left for example is from stock.xchng, a site I often visit for my imaging needs. One particularly interesting wallpaper category is three dimensional (3D) desktop backgrounds. Below, I have compiled 9 fascinating and cool 3D backgrounds for computers in no particular order.
At World’s Edge (Winter)
Digital Blasphemy has turned into a commercial service. However, this wallpaper is one of their free samples of 3D backgrounds for computers. If you frequently browse wallpaper sites, you will discover a lot of work from Digital Blasphemy. Resolutions: 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200, 1680 x 1050, and several more for mobile phones. 3D Graphics Cubevia 4wallpapers
When you just got rid of a cluttered desktop, you might feel withdrawal. This wallpaper adds some chaos back onto your screen. Resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050 Man Treevia Wallpaper Seek
An absolutely fascinating piece of art and almost scary. Wallpaper Seek is a great resource for artsy wallpapers like these. Resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200, 2560 x 1600 Neon Virusvia WallpaperStock
Lovely and abstract viruses for a fresh desktop. Resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 The Combvia Wallpaper Web
I’m not quite sure why this one is called The Comb, but it reminds me of an insect’s compound eye. It definitely looks like a biological structure. Resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 Green Lights in Universevia Flash-Screen
When you click on the wallpaper over at the site, its default resolution is revealed and you can select your resolution from the menu bar at the bottom of the screen. You can also select to auto-fit to your screen resolution or create a custom resolution. Furthermore, the menu bar allows you to rate and browse wallpapers on Flash-Screen. Resolutions: (m)any Interactive Sea Thingsvia artDIGITALdesign
Here we have an animated and interactive wallpaper. You can separate the units of this Sea Thing to create many different things. To install, download the ZIP file, unpack it, right-click on your desktop, select > Properties and switch to the > Desktop tab. Here select > none as Background and select the color > black from the bottom right. Now > Browse for the Sea Things > htm file that you downloaded and unzipped. Open this file and click > OK to start the fun. Resolutions: detected automatically Loneliness Fortress IV
Desktop Wallpapers truly delivers stunning backgrounds for your desktop. Resolutions: 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 860, 1280 x 1024, 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1600 x 1200, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 Molecular Geometryvia 3D Wallpapers
When you stare at these swirls for too long, it will feel like it’s going to suck you right in. This site also has a code maker for MySpace, which provides MySpace/LiveVideo backgrounds and transparant tables. Resolutions: 1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 Do you enjoy nature? You might want to check out these 10 Beautiful Green Grass Wallpapers. Feeling creative? Saikat wrote an article about How To Create Top Quality Computer Desktop Wallpapers. Can’t enjoy your wallpaper because youre desktop is cluttered with shortcuts and other stuff? I recently outlined 7 Simple Steps To An Awesome Minimalist Desktop. What else do you want to know about desktop wallpapers? Or did I miss your favorite 3D wallpaper? Image source:fangol cool 3d backgrounds for computers Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Organize and Execute Your Collaborative Projects With Google Apps Posted: 07 Mar 2010 02:30 PM PST
Google Apps Standard Edition is free and includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites – everything you need to collaborate with Google. With the free account you also get up to 50 user accounts and 7 GB of storage. This post is primarily focused around using Google Sites as a central dashboard to manage and execute your projects.
PrerequisiteYou will need to own a domain name to use Google Apps to its full extent. If you do not have a domain name or do not wish to purchase one, you can still use Google Sites with a free Google Account. If you choose to proceed with your Google Account instead of signing up for Google Apps, you can skip to the Create Your First Project with Google Sites section below. Sign Up for Google Apps Standard EditionTo collaborate with Google, first you will need to sign up for a Google Apps account. Enter a domain into the text field and choose the radio button with the label Administrator: I own or control this domain. There is also the option to buy a domain name from Google for $10/year, in case you do not already own a domain name.
Next, you will fill out contact and administrative information on the next two screens. Once you finish completing those forms you will need to verify the account by either uploading an HTML file to your server which hosts the domain name or by changing the CNAME record for the domain. Once verification is complete, access will be granted to your new account.
Setup EmailStart by clicking the Activate Email link. Now you will need to change the MX records with your domain hosting company. Fortunately, Google has detailed instructions for most hosting companies. Once you have completed that step, you will be forwarded to the Email Settings page, where you can configure your account and add email addresses for other people who you hope to collaborate with using Google. For now, we will skip adding email addresses and add our team members to the account. Setup UsersClick the Users and groups tab to get to the user administration dashboard. From this page you can add new users by click the Create a new user link. You can now add up to 50 users. After you add each user, you can opt to have Google email access instructions; go ahead and choose that option. Create Your First Project with Google SitesOnce you have added all of your users, click the Dashboard tab and then the Sites link. From this settings page you can map the site to a particular domain and setup permissions. After you finish updating the settings, go to the URL of your Google Site. There, we will create our first project. Get started by clicking the Create Site button.
Click the Browse the gallery for more link and choose the Business collaboration category. On the right, scroll down a bit, and choose the Project Tracking Template. Use the Name your site text box to input the name of a project you want to work on. Optionally, you can choose a theme for the project. Click the More Options link and choose Only people I specify can view this site under the Collaborate with heading. This will allow you to control who specifically can access the project web page. You can also optionally add a category to help with organization and a site description where you can summarize the purpose of the project. Click Create Site and your first project site is ready to go.
This template has all the features and examples you need to manage your team. I suggest that you explore each link and use the Edit page button at the upper right to modify the template to meet your specific needs. Here is a run-down of the some of the key features: Create Page
When creating a new page, Google Sites provides a few basic templates to get you started (Web Page, Announcements, File Cabinet, List and Start Page). In addition, you can also create and save templates (click More actions -> Save page as template ). In the example screenshot above, you can see that there are several pre-populated templates useful for managing projects. Risks & Issues and Tasks & Actions
Both of these pages are customizable lists (see the List template or the customized Risks, Issues or Tasks templates). You can easily further customize these lists to suite your specific needs by clicking the customize this list link.
In this example, I am selecting the Assigned to field because instead of using a text box (and needing to remember all the team member names) I want a drop down list of all the current team members. So in that case I change the Type to Drop down and then enter each team member name as an option. Unfortunately, you can not set up the system such that each time a Risk/Issue/Ticket is created the assignee gets an email. The best you can do is have each member of the team click the button at the upper right that says More actions and choose Subscribe to page changes. That will cause any edits to this page to be reported via email to all those who have subscribed. Time Line
Here you will find an embedded Google Calendar, which you can use to keep track of large goals and/or milestones (See the Calendar template). If you want to learn more about Google Calendar check this post. Project Documents
Here is where you can share documents among your team. The system will track changes for you, allowing you to access previous versions by clicking on the v. X link next to the file size. You can also create folders to help organize the files; however, it is not immediately obvious how to do so. You need to click Move to, then New folder. Once you have finshed all of your customizations and edits, you can find a listing of all the Google Sites you have created and create new Google Sites by clicking My sites at the upper right corner. That page will be your Project Dashboard. Alternative SolutionsThere are many good free solutions for project management, so what makes this solution useful?
However, there are some shortfalls to be aware of also:
Do you have a better solution to collaborate with Google apps? Something to add? Would you like me to go further in depth on this subject in a future article? I would love to hear your solutions and experiences. Please take a moment to share in the comments section below. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Ways To Use Google Reader As An Online Archive Posted: 07 Mar 2010 11:30 AM PST
Google Reader is not only one of the best RSS feed aggregators out there, but it can also be used as a powerful system to archive rss feed data you may want to access in the future. Anything that has an RSS feed can be backed up and archived with Google Reader for access long after the feed is gone. Here are just a few ideas on the types of data you can archive this way.
Archive Your Tweets
One of the primary ways I use Google Reader as an archive is for backing up my Twitter stream. If you’ve ever tried to go back and find something you tweeted last year, you’ll realize it is a slow and painful process using the Twitter interface. However, by adding it to Google Reader you’ll be able to load and browse through your timeline much quicker since the data is actually stored by Google, not by Twitter. You can tag, search, organize, and share past Tweets exactly the same way you can with all of your other items in Google Reader. This in itself is extremely powerful. For example, maybe you’ve recently conversed with a potential customer on Twitter and you’d like to keep your statements on record and easily accessible. Simple enough: tag those Tweets with something like “prospect.” Later in time if you wish to re-visit that conversation, just go to the “prospect” tag in Reader. Keeping with the Twitter theme, you can also archive Twitter searches. If you recently participated in a Twitter-based chat around a specific hash-tag, simply grab the RSS link from a search query for that hash-tag on search.twitter.com and you’ll be able to read the details of that chat months down the road. Anything that is search-able can be archived by Reader, not just hash-tags. You can keep a backlog of results for any search query and just archive the RSS feed of the results. Archive the RSS Feed of Your Blog Content
Since most of what folks read in Google Reader are blog posts, it’s no surprise that it can function as an archive for your own blog. While you should always be backing up your blog database itself anyways, Reader can act as a backup to your backup. You’ll still be able to browse the content of each and every blog post you’ve written in the event of a crash. Along with your actual blog posts, you can usually also grab an RSS feed for the comments that people leave on your blog. Once again, you’ll be able to utilize all of Reader’s features to organize, tag, search, and share past comments. Archive Your To-Do List
In the past I’ve tried several different free “to-do” apps and recently found that Ta-Da List by 37Signals (also free) allows me to collaborate with my clients on prioritizing and completing small updates for them. This app conveniently offers an RSS feed that is updated every time a task gets added or marked as completed. Adding that feed to Reader, I am able to go back and view each and every task we’ve worked on together through time, whether it’s still listed in Ta-Da List or not. If It’s Available In RSS, Feed It To Reader
Google Reader is free and will most likely always be free. So far there’s no limit on how many feeds you can add to it. Take advantage of that. Any RSS-enabled data that you may want to archive for future retrieval should go into Google Reader. It’s definitely an app that is useful for more than just reading blogs. Are you using Google Reader to archive any other types of RSS-enabled data? Share your tips! Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| MakeUseOf Must-Have Mac Apps Giveaway Day #6 – CoverSutra Posted: 07 Mar 2010 10:00 AM PST
CoverSutra gives users easy access to player controls without having to pull up iTunes itself. Launch iTunes, start playing your music, and minimize. You can do the rest from CoverSutra. Since CoverSutra is a must-have app for music lovers, we’ve managed to get our hands on 20 CoverSutra licenses worth $400 to give away to our readers!
The dock icon changes to show the album artwork of the song that is playing.
With CoverSutra, you can also control iTunes directly from your menu bar. Using a search tool in the spirit of Spotlight, you can perform searches and play songs at the click of a button. It also gives you quick access to your playlists.
When a new song starts playing, CoverSutra will send out a Growl notification with the song title, artist, album name and artwork.
The app also allows you to customize shortcuts to control iTunes with keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard shortcuts aren’t the only way that CoverSutra can be customized. You can change the way in which album artwork is displayed, choosing from three options.
Lastly, Last.fm integration enables members to automatically update their profiles by entering their credentials in the app.
CoverSutra is a powerful little app that is a must-have for any music loving Mac user. Are you head over heels yet? How do I win a copy?All you need to do is; Join our Facebook page by clicking on the Become a fan button below.
If you can’t see the fanbox above, click on this link. To seal the deal, click on the Facebook Share button below the article to spread the news to your friends. Then in comments section of this article, post a link to your Facebook profile (be sure to enter your real email address so that we can contact you if you win!). Existing fans only need to share the article and post a link to their Facebook profile in the comments section below. This giveaway ends tomorrow, just before the next one starts. Between now and then, you can share this post or comment as many times as you want! The more you interact, the higher your chances of winning. Let the giveaway begin! Have fun! Want to know what else we’re giving away? Check out this post 15 Must-Have Free Apps For Your Mac & Giveaway. MakeUseOf would like to thank Sophia from Sophiestication Software for her generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Steam Games Management and Online Store Gets A Redesign Posted: 07 Mar 2010 09:30 AM PST
Last month, the admittedly outdated Steam application got a replacement. That’s to say, a first beta version went online. Steam has chosen for a public, opt-in beta; which means everyone can, but no one has to join. What does the new Steam have in store for us? That’s what we’re taking a look at today. We won’t highlight the whole change log, but will focus on the three most prominent overhauls: games library, in-game overhaul and downloads.
Steam Games – The Next GenerationFor those of you new to Steam, here’s a quick feature overview. Steam was developed by Valve Corporation, the same guys behind Half Life, Counterstrike and more recently, Left4Dead. There are three wholly different Steam ‘perspectives’. Build as a content distribution system, Steam is the front-end of the Steam Games Store, and allows you to buy games online, and download them to your computer. Because these games are purchased with your Steam account, you can just download them again by logging in on another computer, never fearing to lose your precious optical media. Since 2003, several other game publishers have jumped on the bandwagon, and now offer their catalogues as well, including EA Games, THQ, Ubisoft, and practically all the other big guys. Steam is also famous for their promotion of indie games, and regular promotions and discounts. As a game library, manages all your games bought from the Steam Stores, as well as any demos and trailers you downloaded in the application. For those looking for a library management application, Steam also allows you to add games that weren’t bought from the Steam Store, or even online, and link them to your account with the serial code. From the start, Steam has tried to focus around social and multiplayer gaming. You can use the application, to connect with friends, compete in the leader boards, gain achievements, and see who’s playing what at any given moment – even join in in the very same ‘room’. While gaming, you can connect with your friends via hot keys and an in-game overlay.
As can be seen above, the look of Steam got a major upgrade. The fonts are crisper and larger, and although the new placing takes a little getting used to, it feels a lot more organized. But the user interface got several prominent improvements as well. Steam Games Library OverhaulThe library – where you view your games – got the biggest mojo boost. It has become prettier, more relevant, and – most importantly – a lot easier to organize. Although you can view your games in list and grid views, the real interesting stuff surfaces in the details view.
After selecting your game in the left column, the rest of the screen will fill up with relevant data. Follow your achievements process, and connect with friends. You can see which of your friends own, or are playing the game at the moment, and join in. An important addition is the news feed, showing you the latest news stories about your game from a collection of games news sites.
Steam used to give you quite a sloppy library, once you collected enough games. With the new category function, you can organize your library to show only a few specific games at the time, like ‘2010 Mayhem’, ‘Online Shooters’, or ‘Currently Playing’. In-Game Steam OverlayBy using a hot key, you can call up an in-game overlay in steam games. This used to just show you your friends and a chat window, but now includes a full-fledged gaming dashboard.
You can view your friends, what they’re playing, and initiate an in-game chat by clicking on them. Next to this, you’ve got the news feed for the game you’re playing and an achievement overview. Click the view all achievements button to see all available, and start achievement hunting. Download MayhemDownloads used to be completely contained in the standard library view, nothing more than a percentage subtext. Now your game, demos and trailer downloads get the attention they deserve.
You get a detailed overview for every download, with the average download speed, progress, and estimated time remaining displayed. Once you’re game is downloaded, hit the play button to go for a test run. Some of the other features are available even when the game is still downloading, like game details and the news feed. Opting For The New Steam BetaDid you like what you saw? Upgrading to the new Steam beta is relatively easy, and completely priceless. Here’s what you need to do.
Steam will now restart and start updating. The download is rather small and shouldn’t take long, you’ll be good to go in a few minutes tops. If you ever get tired of the new Beta, or are troubled by (a) bug(s), you can revert without much trouble. What is your opinion on the beta, or on Steam? Tell us what you think in the comments section below! em>Got Tech Questions? Ask Them on MakeUseOf Answers! Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mac Giveaway Midnight Inbox Winners! Posted: 07 Mar 2010 09:00 AM PST
Start getting organised and let the productivity flow! License information will be sent via email. Thank you for participating. Catch the next giveaway in a hour’s time! It’s going to be a fun one. MakeUseOf would like to thank Midnight Beep Softworks for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts
| |||||||||||||||||||||
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 
Does it feel like your desktop wallpaper is starting to peel off? Can you no longer see that green grass pasture? Sounds like it’s time for some desktop freshness!
If your project needs to have the cooperation of two or more people, here is your free solution. For personal project/task management, I recommend you have a look at 
Like many of you, for the past few years I’ve been using 
If you listen to music on your Mac using iTunes, 
If you’re a gamer, and haven’t heard about Steam, shame on you. Steam is many things; a front for the online Steam games store, a library management app, and a gaming community.
We’ve reached the midpoint of our giveaway. Day #5 just came to a close and we’re happy to announce the 10 lucky people who won themselves a copy of | You are subscribed to email updates from MakeUseOf.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment