MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites And Tools [May 13th]” plus 9 more |  |
- Cool Websites And Tools [May 13th]
- 5 Useful Apple QuickTime Tips For Windows
- Fizzik – A Social Media Friendly Web Browser
- Top Five Computer Crimes & How to Protect Yourself From Them
- Hot Tech Deals [May 13th]
- Useful Free Open Office Templates To Make You More Productive
- How to Take a Screenshot & Batch Process Images with IrfanView
- Create Custom Ubuntu CDs Easily With Reconstructor [Linux]
- Be A Cool House DJ With iTunes DJ Song Lists
- TimeSheet Auto Records the Time you Spend on Projects
| Cool Websites And Tools [May 13th] Posted: 13 May 2010 08:31 PM PDT
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. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 5 Useful Apple QuickTime Tips For Windows Posted: 13 May 2010 06:31 PM PDT
QuickTime 7.6.6 for Windows was released in March 2010. The free version can playback all major audio and video formats, including H.264/MPEG-4 advanced video coding. QuickTime is an essential piece of software for Windows, especially for streaming audio and video. This article will show you how to update, properly set up and use shortcuts for QuickTime. Finally, for those of you who don’t fancy installing Apple software and the strings attached, I introduce a lightweight alternative.
1. Download QuickTimeYou can download QuickTime directly from Apple, either as a standalone application or in a bundle with iTunes. Note that you do not have to share your email address to access the download file! Simply remove the checkmark for the Apple news sign-up and you’re good to go.
2. Update QuickTime
In case you have iTunes installed, you can simply let the Apple Software Update program search and install updates for you. You will find the tool under > Start > All Programs > Apple Software Update. Usually, it will remind you of available updates automatically. Otherwise, open your QuickTime Player and go to > Help > Check for QuickTime Updates… and let the menu do its magic. To simply check for your version, open your QuickTime Player and navigate to > Help > About QuickTime Player… This will open a little window revealing the software version. QuickTime is currently on version 7.6.6. The latest version of the iTunes + QuickTime bundle is 9.1.1. 3. QuickTime PreferencesQuickTime comes with several defaults that you may not enjoy. Fortunately, you can revert them easily. Here is a quick reference list.
4. QuickTime Keyboard Shortcuts In WindowsHere is a quick reference list covering the ten most common and useful QuickTime keyboard shortcuts.
5. Use A QuickTime AlternativeIf you don’t fancy using QuickTime at all, but would still like to view QuickTime movies, I recommend trying QuickTime Alternative. This skinny version of QuickTime contains only the essential components and no bloated features. The main advantage of QuickTime Alternative is that it doesn’t run processes in the background. Overall, it consumes less system resources.
The package consists of the QuickTime codec libraries extracted from the official distribution. It comes with its own player, Media Player Classic, and provides QuickTime plugins for all major browsers to support streaming audio and video. The latest release is based on QuickTime components version 7.66.71.0. It is available for Windows XP through Windows 7. A similar package is available for RealPlayer, by the way. More details can be found in Travis’ article Great Alternatives to QuickTime and RealPlayer. What is your favorite feature of the official QuickTime distribution for Windows? And if you’re using QuickTime on a Mac, what are Windows users missing out on? Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| Fizzik – A Social Media Friendly Web Browser Posted: 13 May 2010 04:31 PM PDT
Well, some may argue that the browsers are changing the way we use the Internet and not the other way around. Any way you look at it, things are changing – rapidly. I ran into this program that seeks to meet some perceived needs of today’s web surfer. It’s called Fizzik and it seeks to make web-browsing a different kind of experience.
Let me take you through 3 areas Fizzik seeks to make your browsing easier. Don’t Waste Time When Keeping Up With News OnlineWhen looking for news stories, we do a lot of searching, clicking links, going back, clicking another link, going back again, and clicking yet another link until you find the story you are looking for. Fizzik tries to change all of that.
It brings the search results and the content of the links together on one page. The search results simply stay along the left side and the content pulls up on the right making the whole process easier and faster. Don’t Mar Your Video Experience By Distracting Thumbnails & TextHave you ever been looking for a specific video or topic on YouTube and been annoyed by all of the distractions laid out for you on the landing page? The video experience should be one that is free from distractions so you can focus on what you are looking at.
Fizzik does this by cutting out the garbage and giving you a layout where the search results are yet again in a left-hand column and the video is played by itself in the right-hand pane, free from all of the thumbnails and text. Integrate Social Media Into Your BrowserSure we have our add-ons and extensions that make interacting with Facebook and Twitter a breeze. However, what if functionality and sharing was built in to the point where it becomes second nature? Fizzik makes sharing easy and the sharing features are built right into the browser.
Just click one of the buttons down on the bottom-right which gives you the option to share the page via Facebook, Twitter or Gmail.
You can also bookmark the site in order to find it easily later. As you can see, Fizzik probably isn’t the application for everyone. It could fill a specific need for specific tasks. For instance, if all you do online is read news, watch videos and share stuff, this could work out for you. This is not the case for everyone though. The other browsers could probably take some hints from Fizzik and integrate some of the functionality. The idea that we are constantly going back and forth while running searches is annoying at best. Fizzik’s way of dealing with this issue could be a good solution. What do you think? Do you see Fizzik fulfilling some sort of need in your online life? What features in Fizzik do you think the other browsers are missing? NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Top Five Computer Crimes & How to Protect Yourself From Them Posted: 13 May 2010 02:31 PM PDT
It’s natural that you’d want to avoid being such a victim, and there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself and your family. Let’s take a look at the top five computer crimes out there, and what you can do to help keep yourself safe.
MalwareLet’s begin with the obvious, shall we? If you use a computer, you’re vulnerable to malware. And if you’re vulnerable to malware, you’re enabling crime on a mass scale. Malware, as I’m sure you’re aware, refers to viruses, trojans worms and other software that gets onto your computer without you being aware it’s there. Back in the early part of the century, most such software’s primary aim was thrill. The people writing the software found it amusing to write a program that exploited security flaws just to see how far it could spread. Today the incentive for making such software is generally more sinister and the reason it makes the list of the top five computer crimes. In some cases a piece of malware will pretend to be a legitimate piece of software, and will ask you for money to remove it:
Never, ever give money to programs you don’t remember buying. Not all malware tries to extract money from you directly, however. Many simply imbed themselves into your computer in order to make use of it. Black-hat hackers may intend to launch an attack against a government or institution, and will use a network of compromised machines to do so. This sort of network is referred to as a botnet, and is a key tool of the trade for a number of Internet crimes. Of course, whatever the motivation, such software is a drain on your computer’s resources so it’s best to be protected against it. If you’re using a Windows computer it’s best to ensure you have proper anti-malware protection. My recent article about the 10 best free antivirus programs is a great place to start. Just as important as any software, however, is common sense. Don’t download software from sites you’re not sure you can trust, regardless of what operating system you run. Avoid pirated software: it may seem like a good way to save money, but frequently you’re also getting some malware thrown in. In general just use common sense before opening any sort of file, because you don’t want to compromise your system. Identity Theft
Identity theft easily makes the list of the top five computer crimes. In America alone there are almost 9 million victims of identity theft every year. The concept is simple: someone gains access to your personal information and uses it for their own benefit. This could range from a black-hat hacker stealing your online banking account login and password to getting access to your social security number and using it to pretend to be you. Such people can make themselves a lot of money with your personal information, and screw you over in the process. Never connect to your bank account on a public computer, or using a WiFi access point you’re not absolutely sure you can trust. The same goes for using your credit card or Paypal account to pay for something. The most important thing is to never share any personal information – such as your bank account number, your social security number or any information a fraudster could use to steal your identity – in an email, instant message or any other form of unencrypted communication. None of these communication channels were designed to be secure, and as such are not the proper way to share such information. When logging into your bank, ensure the communication is secure by verifying the address begins with “https” instead of “http” – this means your connection to the site is secure. Never use your credit card at a site you’re not sure you can trust. If you get an email from your bank, your credit card company, eBay or any other service with access to financial information asking you to “update your personal information” ignore it. This is a common ploy used by fakers. Make sure you’re very familiar with the interface of all such sites, because fakers can severely take advantage of you if you’re not careful. Nigerian princes do not ask strangers online to accept a money transfer. Ever. Seriously. The Federal Trade Commission of the United States has a lot of good information about identity theft applicable to all countries; check it out. CyberstalkingPeople leave a lot of information about themselves online. Such information can leave you vulnerable to cyberstalking, a term that essentially refers to using the Internet to stalk someone in the traditional sense. Cyber stalking is essentially using the Internet to repeatedly harrass another person. This harassment could be sexual in nature, or it could have other motivations including anger or outright hostility. The town of Mesa, Arizona’s website shares some solid advice for avoiding cyberstalkers:
Mesa’s website includes more tips on the subject, so be sure to check it out. Child PornographyIt’s tragic, but the Internet is often used to exploit children. What’s perhaps even sicker is that people make money doing this. Your child being exploited in this way is extremely unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying to protect them. Anti-child-porn site asacp.org recommends the following core strategy:
Good advice, all of it. The site also recommends a number of tools for achieving these goals, so check it out. Also check out Tim's article, which points out 5 sites that promote internet safety for kids. Spam
This one needs no introduction. These annoying email messages aren’t just an irritant; they’re big business. Named for the amazing Monty Python sketch about a processed meat product, spam is illegal in many countries. So how does it spread? For the most part, using the botnets explained in the “malware” section of this article. As such, one thing you can do to help stop the spread of spam is to ensure your computer is protected from such malware. If you don’t want spam in your inbox, the simplest thing to do is to switch to Gmail. This email service seems to have a spam problem licked, and it is the only service I personally use. Know another spam-free service? Share it in the comments below. There are a few other things you can do to slow spam from getting to your inbox, however. Tina suggests five ways to protect & hide your email to stop receiving spam. You could consider using a temporary email addresses as a means to avoid spam, as an article by Will points out. Finally, be sure to report particularly evil spam to the authorities, as Dean explained recently. ConclusionThe Internet’s not a place without crime, but it’s also not a place where you’re helpless. As this article points out, there’s lots you can do to protect yourself and your family on the Internet. Can you think of any others beyond this list of the top five computer crimes? What are some other strategies for protecting yourself? If so please share in the comments below; a little knowledge can help us all a lot. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Posted: 13 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Useful Free Open Office Templates To Make You More Productive Posted: 13 May 2010 12:31 PM PDT
The program can be freely downloaded on PC, Mac, and Linux machines. The best part? It can open files from any other program! Read more about Open Office here and here. If you need inspiration or want to produce a specific kind of document, never fear! Their free user-created Open Office templates are awesome, and can save you lots of time and money!
If you need a word processing program, use OOO’s “Write” program; if you need a PowerPoint program, use their “Presentation” software. They even have an Excel-ish program and a database program like Access.
In addition to their powerful tools, they also offer a sweet repository of Open Office templates. You can choose between Business, Education, and Personal templates. These user created templates are simple to download and simple to use. This article will highlight some of the most useful templates available in each of the three sections. BusinessThe Business section is stuffed full of excellent and resourceful templates. If you want to publish ANYTHING, you should stop here first. Open Office offers templates for every make and model of book, magazine, or document. In addition to the standard letters and reports, you can also find lots of neat extras! Business CardsEvery person needs to have a business card. While there are lots of great places to get them made online or in your community, you can use Open Office to create your very own!
This simple template opens and is ready to be completed! It takes just seconds, and you can use the menu to customize the look to your needs. Event PostersTo get your business recognized or to announce sales or other groovy events, you might want to use the awesome poster template!
Again, you can change the picture, the background color, the fonts, etc. Or, if you just need something quick, fill in the blanks and click print! Time CardsIf you have employees, you need to keep track of the time and pay rates. Open Office hosts a simple template that will allow you to do both! DVD InsertsIf you provide DVDs to your customers, you might want to include a professional looking DVD insert. This template is incredibly easy to use!
Finally, you will need to know how to charge your customers, and Invoices are a legal agreement between you and your client. The template calculates math and has spots for all of the necessary legal information. EducationEducators will find many of the OOO templates quite handy! Instead of purchasing expensive software or trying to create a tool on your own, you can instead peruse their repository of templates. Lesson Plan TemplatesThere are a few different lesson plan styles, but all of them are fantastic. They are easy to edit and modify according to your particular needs. I like this one, but, again, there are others that are just as fabulous!
RubricsIf you use a rubric for grading or you want to try out a few different types, OOO has the right resources for you! I like to provide a hard copy of the grading rubric at the start of an assignment, and I like to provide a copy to parents in advance of a lesson.
These various templates are a great starting point for me, and they are off-the-shelf ready for new teachers, too! Formatted Paper Guidelines, Formatted Paper TemplatesIf you are in college, you are familiar with the challenge of formatting papers in a particular documentation style (MLA, Chicago, Turabian, IEEE). OOO has ALL of the formats ready for you to use! I totally wish they had this kind of template when I was in college. Be careful, though, and always make sure you use the correct style as instructed by your professor. Grid PaperIf your son is in high school, and it is 11:00pm when he decides to start his math homework, NEVER FEAR! OOO has printable grid paper for FREE! No more midnight Walmart runs!
Gradebook TemplatesThere are several different kinds of gradebook templates, and you can customize each one to your liking. I love that they are set up to do the math for you! PersonalThere are lots of times when you need to make a certain type of document for your kids or for the country club. Who has time to search all over the web when you can stop by OOO and get what you need for free? Recipe CardsEvery organization I have ever belonged to has made a recipe book as a fundraiser. Since I don’t cook much, I always struggle to remember what a recipe actually looks like.
OOO has a fantastic selection of recipe card templates that make the job of sharing recipes so easy! March Madness and Sports GridsA little friendly competition among friends is fun, but it can be such a pain to figure out those charts for Final Four! OOO comes to the rescue! Just print these out, and you have instant success. Shopping List TemplatesIf you live in a place like Lakeville, you only get to a big grocery store once a month. Instead of just using slips of napkin, we printed out two of OOO’s shopping lists and we use one at the Big-Ole Grocer and the other at the Farmer’s Market.
It saves us so much time, and I don’t have to find those little slips of paper! Family Budget PlannersThere are all sorts of different kinds of budgets and planners to download and print. There are, literally, pages and pages of different ways to organize your cash. This is just one example, but there are so many more that you might like! Creative Writing Tools and Templates for Script WritingScript writing software is expensive. Comic book layout software is expensive. Generally, most folks that want to write these kinds of ditties don’t have the income to afford them. OOO has a whole host of resources for the aspiring writer.
Need to write a commercial? Want to write a memoir of your life? Need to format a screenplay? OOO has the tools for you! The Bottom LineOpen Office has awesome templates for every possible situation. The best part is that these resources are fast to download (on any platform) and are FREE! Let us know what Open Office templates YOU like. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| How to Take a Screenshot & Batch Process Images with IrfanView Posted: 13 May 2010 11:31 AM PDT
Mark uses paid software, but informed me of a very cool free application called IrfanView that can do it fairly well. I’ve been using IrfanView ever since. It was also covered earlier by Jimmy, where he noted how much better IrfanView is than Windows Viewer and offered a brief overview. In this article, I’d like to dig a little deeper and show you the true value of this app.
Capturing Quality Screenshots With A Quick KeystrokeThe thing that appealed to me the most about this software is that it’s simple. If you are a blogger and not an image editing expert, all of the editing features that you need are included in this app. Sure, you can do the cool photo manipulations you could do in Photoshop, but you can do red-eye fix, image resizing while preserving the aspect ratio and insert text or other images in a few clicks with the same application you captured your images with.
With this software, you really aren’t going to spend time digging through options to try to find the effect you need – as you can see, everything is in one place, whether it’s resizing, red eye reduction, adding effects and more. It may not have all of the bells and whistles of professional editing software, but it’ll have what you need for the most common and important image edits.
When you go to Options -> Capture/Screenshot, you’ll discover where you can customize the keystroke that will automatically capture a screenshot – and you can set the software to capture only the open window or the entire screen, and you can select what image format you’d like to use. Resizing The Canvas Makes “Fitting” Images EasyWhile the screen capture feature is what makes IrfanView most appealing to bloggers and other web writers, the truth is, this software has a lot more to offer and shouldn’t just be written off as a simple “viewer.” One common issue that I have with my blog is that I need to just clip a few pixels from the bottom or sides of an image, but I don’t want to resize the image itself. To do this you go to Options -> Change Canvas Size, and the following screen comes up.
Here is where you can shrink the canvas, which will clip that edge of the photo. If you have to fit an image into a feature box on a blog, the ability to clip edges of a photo is awesome – it’s like taking scissors to an image and shaping it however you like, without losing any clarity or otherwise messing with proportions. I’ve used this feature countless times to make images work “right” within my blog. Batch Processing Is A Life-SaverNot all image editors today offer batch processing. In fact, that feature alone makes IrfanView invaluable to me, especially considering it’s free software. There are times when I’ve taken snapshots with my camera, and all of them are 10 sizes too large for the blog article I was writing. Just pop open IrfanView and modify all of the photos as needed. Have hundreds of them? No problem, IrfanView can take care of that for you while you walk off and have a snack.
You can change the format to about 16 different options, including PDF, PNG, TIF, RAW and more – yes, even make it possible to convert numerous screenshots into PDF documents if you wish. When you click on the advanced option, just check out all of the batch modify options that are available.
Batch resize is definitely the one that I use constantly, but with IrfanView, you can adjust colors, rotate, modify color balance, change contrast and much more – all with a few clicks and applied to hundreds or thousands of photos. This is a lot of power for just a “simple viewer.” Editing Is Fast & Easy – No Learning Curve!As other screenshot and image editing options come and go, I find that I stick with IrfanView simply because it continues to do every single thing I need in the least amount of time. Occasionally, I’ve opened up other editors and after realizing there’s a significant learning curve, I run back to IrfanView – like most bloggers and busy writers out there, I don’t have a lot of time to waste learning new software. The beauty of IrfanView is that it is intuitive, and everything that you need is available in just a few windows or under the main menu – you won’t find yourself digging for what you need. Do you have a preferred application for how to take a screenshot or do you have your own favorite image editor? Are you an fan of IrfanView? Share your own opinion and insight in the comments section below. We NEED Your Comments!!! Please do share your thoughts in article comments. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Create Custom Ubuntu CDs Easily With Reconstructor [Linux] Posted: 13 May 2010 10:31 AM PDT
Reconstructor lets you customize and create your own CD or a disk image with ease. You can add various packages and customize the look and feel of the desktop, tweak some settings and customize a whole lot more using this awesome web application. The best part is the fact that you don’t have to run a single command.
Reconstructor only supports Debian and Ubuntu (including Lucid Lynx). You also have the choice to build for your 64-bit computer if you choose to. Specify the type of project, environment and click Create.
Your newly created project is listed in the sidebar. Click on it to activate and begin customizing. You can add packages, modules, members, tags and files. Let’s have a brief look on what each of these means. Packages as you might be aware with your prior experience with Debian/Ubuntu refer to packaged software products. To add packages you click on the ‘+’ icon next to packages and you are presented with a dialog where you can choose what additional packages you want to include on your build. Keep in mind that the packages you add here will be added in addition to the packages that Debian/Ubuntu include by default.
Modules are the most interesting part of Reconstructor, allowing you to tweak certain aspects of the operating system. You add modules, just like you would added packages above (via the ‘+’ icon next to modules). Unlike packages however, each module involves some configuration that will be applied to your build. For example, if you want to add additional software sources to your build, you can do this by using the APT repository module. Once added, click on the module, to bring up the configuration dialog box, where you will be able to provide the repository path and other details required to configure a software source in Debian/Ubuntu. There are other modules that you can choose to change the wallpaper for example. Others to change the splash screen or the theme, or to create new icons on the desktop and so on.
You can also add custom files to be included in the finished build, tag your project and even invite other people to collaborate on the project. Once you are done customizing the build you should click on the Build Project icon. Reconstructor, being a web application, doesn’t immediately build your project, instead a new job is created in your job queue. You are sent an email as soon as the job is completed (a few hours at least) and your build is ready for download. You can then download the customized build and burn it.
On the whole Reconstructor is a fantastic toolkit that you can use to create custom Ubuntu or Debian CDs/DVD’s for yourself. You can include your wallpapers, include the extra packages that you might need and you don’t need to run a single command. You can even prioritize jobs submitted by you by buying priority services. Have you customized a CD/DVD to suit your needs? What software did you use? Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| Be A Cool House DJ With iTunes DJ Song Lists Posted: 13 May 2010 09:31 AM PDT
If you don’t mind becoming the source of constant giggles behind your back, that’s fine. But you can easily turn the embarrassment into awe by making use of your songs collection and iTunes – with a little help from iTunes DJ feature.
The DJ Is In The HouseThe DJ feature is located at the top of the playlist’s list. If you don’t see it there, you can turn it on by going to the “Preferences“, choose the “General” tab and check the iTunes DJ box.
After clicking the iTunes DJ on the playlist, you will get the iTunes DJ front menu. To start, just click the “Continue” button.
Then you will get the basic iTunes DJ song list. At first glance, it’s similar to other random playlists. But this DJ song list has unique features that makes it different from the rest. All you have to do is dig a little bit deeper.
The most noticeable feature is the ability to choose a source of music from the already available playlists.
Other features are hidden inside the “Settings“. Click on the button to reveal them.
You can choose how many songs that you want to display, and whether you want to play higher rated songs more often.
But the coolest feature is the ability to allow guests to request songs from your DJ song list from their iPhone or iPod Touch. To enable this feature, check on the “Allow guest to…” checkbox. Then you can write down the welcome message, restrict the song source, allow guests to vote for songs, and – if you want to limit the request song feature to only selected guests (or to yourself) – enable a password. Twinkle-Twinkle Little StarsIt’s already mentioned above that you can play high rated songs more often. But what if your songs have not been rated? What is the easiest way to go from this :
To this?
Should you go through each and every song on your library and assign a rating one by one? The party will be finished long before you are done with the list. There’s an easier way to rate your songs: use AutoRate (Mac only). This app will automatically assign stars to each and every song on your list based on how many times they’ve been played before. Open the app and click Start. It will analyze your library and assign the rating. You’ll have your rated library in only a few seconds.
Play It SmartYou can make your iTunes DJ smarter by choosing “Smart Playlist” as the source of your songs. But before you can do that, be sure to create and customize one that suits your needs. To create a smart playlist, go to “File – New Smart Playlist” menu (Command + Option + N).
Add rules to your smart playlist by clicking the plus button and delete the ones that you don’t need by clicking the minus button. There are so many customizable factors that it’s impossible to explain them one by one. Experimenting is the key.
For example, you can make your playlist consists of only songs that has been played at least once, and you can also limit the total playlist time to a number of hours that you prefer. You can create several DJ song lists for different parties, so choosing songs for the next party is as easy as choosing the playlist source for your iTunes DJ. Have you tried iTunes DJ? Do you know other alternatives to liven up your parties? Share your thoughts and opinions using the comments below. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| TimeSheet Auto Records the Time you Spend on Projects Posted: 13 May 2010 08:31 AM PDT
I used to find that a big chunk of my day was devoted to tracking and reporting on my progress and time spent on tasks. Now I found a little free time tracking software application called TimeSheet. The small 1.6MB download should not fool you. It is a very powerful and useful application which has made my life MUCH easier.
You can see it knows the app I am working in and the title of the app window. Now by altering my workflow slightly I can track what site I am writing for. All I have to do is add a temporary keyword to the post’s title to have TimeSheet automatically calculate my time for each site. I add a MUO to the title of my post or an ATA to designate which site I am writing for. Then when I mouse over the TimeSheet system tray icon I can set a rule like so:
You need to add a keyword to the The Application Title Contains box and then add a project name. I find that it is helpful to use the same word for both. The application will then prompt you to create the project. If you open the main program's window you will see it is now tracking your project as well as the default task. I like to leave default in there so I can have a baseline for how long I am actually working. This helps me put the numbers into perspective.
Now if I was doing some network documentation for another client I could tag that window as well. For example:
I started my file name with my "Code" and then I filled in the learning module add rule wizard appropriately like so:
Any application you will work on for a given customer only needs to be set up once and then the TimeSheet free time tracking software can do its magic. We can check all of our existing rules by clicking on the rules menu item on the main window like so:
That will bring up this window:
From in there you can modify or add a rule manually. Now we will take a look at our built in reporting features by clicking on the report menu item right next to the rules item that we clicked on previously:
You can break down the reports into a daily timesheet or specify by project and drill down into more specifics. The best part is that you can export to Excel so you can submit detailed timesheets to your customer with your invoices. To do this just click the Excel button at the top of your report screen. How do you keep track of the time you spend on individual clients? We would love to hear from you in the comments! We have also covered a nifty Adobe Air free time tracking software app that does time and expense tracking as well as timesheets. You can check that out here. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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There has been a great deal of discussion at MakeUseOf, among authors, about the preferred method for how to take a screenshot. Preferences and opinions are as varied as the number of applications out there to accomplish this task. The discussion took me back to one of my earlier days with MakeUseOf, when I approached our editor, Mark, with a plea for help. How do you take a high-quality screenshot?
Ever wanted Ubuntu to include your favorite software on the CD by default? Or perhaps you are not too overwhelmed by the design choices? A foolproof way to get around such issues is to customize and create your own Ubuntu CD. The traditional ways as 
What’s a party without music? A boring one is the answer. And if you are the host, what will that kind of party make you? An interesting filler for your friend’s gossip session.
Do you do consulting? Do you work in a freelance capacity from time to time? Well then you know how hard it is to keep track of the time you spend on individual projects and sub-projects.
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