MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [August 5th]” plus 9 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [August 5th]
- How To Create A Dock In Windows Vista
- 3 Social-Media-Powered Shopping Tools: Money Saver or Money Spender?
- What Is That Wardriving Thing All About?
- Hot Tech Deals [Aug 5th]
- 4 Free & Useful Mac Utilities That You Might Not Know Existed
- Make Your Own Music & Discover Others With JamStudio
- 3 Online Sources For Finding & Buying Old Computer Parts
- 5 Steps To Successfully Find Your Next Job Online
- f.lux For Linux Now Sports A Simple GUI [Linux]
| Cool Websites and Tools [August 5th] Posted: 05 Aug 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. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
    
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| How To Create A Dock In Windows Vista Posted: 05 Aug 2010 06:31 PM PDT
This article contains a simple recipe to make your own dock, using a good ol’ toolbar.
Creating Your Dock/Toolbar
Organizing Your DockIcons are sorted alphabetically but you’re free to reorder them. If you want them to stay that way, you can create folders within Quick Launch that group your programs (as they might be back in alphabetical order after a system restart).
Adding FoldersIf you have a few folders you frequently access via Windows Explorer, try adding the folder as a toolbar in the same Quick Launch dock we created (by right-clicking on the toolbar, selecting Toolbars > New Toolbar). In fact, selecting your user (i.e. C:\Users\yourname) or Desktop folder (for quick access to your custom keyboard shortcuts) would enable the greatest access to commonly used directories. In the next screenshot, I chose to display my user folder. To see the contents of the folder in a cascading fashion, just press and hold Control before you click on the folder.
After all this hard work, here’s what your product could look like:
What do you think of this dock? Would you implement it or would you rather use a dock program? Feel free to share more of your desktop-beautifying tips!
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| 3 Social-Media-Powered Shopping Tools: Money Saver or Money Spender? Posted: 05 Aug 2010 04:30 PM PDT
In preparation for the upcoming huge shopping season, why not take a bit different (and refreshing) approach and take a look at online shopping tools that will teach you to spend money? This doesn’t mean you are encouraged to waste your money here, the tools listed below will teach you to both save and spend – but most importantly, they will work perfectly as gift idea inspiration sources (which is essential for the upcoming holiday season!).
GrouponGroupon (Groupon has already been profiled here) How does it work?You should choose your city (which will serve your site home page ever since) and provide your email address (the site is available in the USA only). Each day, Groupon will email you an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in your city. Note: To become a customer, one needs to sign up for the provided deal. If not enough people sign up (until the expiration date), then the deal is canceled, and you won’t be charged. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, Groupon gets discounts you won’t find anywhere else (this is called “collective buying power!” – hence “Groupon”) . Each deal page contains:
Money saver or money spender?Yes, you get various “exclusive” deals but the online shopping tool actually prompts you to spend more (by buying things you wouldn’t buy otherwise). You get cool ideas what to do in your city daily and you feel tempted to buy more and more. Coupon SherpaCouponSherpa is the Digg for coupon codes and deals. How does it work?Just look through the featured deals and vote up those you like (or feel like using). No sign-up required (this is why I really liked the site). You can also comment on any deal. You can see the top deals for the past 24 hours, week or “all-time”. You can also “bury” any deal (you will need to select the reason though) – just click the X sign:
Money saver or money spender?When you see dozens of people vote for some deal, don’t you feel buying that thing (even if you never actually planned to before that)? Exactly! BlippyBlippy is one of the specialized social media networks you need to check out to get prepared for the holiday season. How does the Blippy online shopping tool work?
Money saver or money spender?You can watch what your friends (people you follow) buy and get inspired by those purchases. Thus you are prompted to spend money on stuff you may never need (but still buy because your friends do!) Spending money is surely enjoyable – especially if you use the right tools. Just don’t forget to keep your spending under control!
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| What Is That Wardriving Thing All About? Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:30 PM PDT
In fact, it’s even more dangerous in that respect than talking on your cell phone while driving. Anyway, if you have ever wondered what wardriving is all about and why people do it, you are in the right place. Wardriving is the act of driving around looking for open wireless networks for the purpose of accessing the Internet. This is often done by people who either are too cheap to pay for their own Internet connection, are away from home and need an Internet connection, or live in a place where Internet is spotty and slow forcing them to travel to find a better connection.
Where did it come from? Who was behind it?)
The man who invented wardriving was Peter Shipley back in 1999 or 2000. Truth be told, he was not the first person to ever drive around looking for wifi networks, however he was the first one to automate the process with wardriving software and GPS. He is a network security-type guy and has done quite a bit to raise awareness about the subject. Check out his whole profile here. The legality of wardriving.
As I mentioned, not all wifi connections originate from private homes but actually offered to the public free of charge by local businesses or the localities themselves. These cases are obviously legal and encouraged. The doubts arise when you use wardriving tools to connect to someone else’s private network. This whole topic seems confusing and definitely depends on where you are. I did, however find a very thorough article on the subject and although it dates back a few years, I think it still sheds some insight. It comes down to a few different laws that may or may not be too outdated to cover such a topic. First of all, unauthorized access to a computer may be illegal in your area (and yes, this includes things such as routers, etc.). If the connection is unsecured and there is nothing telling you that you’re not allowed to access it, is it truly unauthorized? Study this topic out before going too far with wardriving. The other legal issue is that of theft of services. Since the service provider only sold service to the owner of the wifi network and not you — who is at fault, the owner who is sharing or you the wardriver? These things must also be studied out. In other words, if you intend on connecting to obviously private networks, you probably should look into local laws. Also, accessing information (ie. packet sniffing) is a whole other ball of wax. It is even more likely that it is not legal or that it’s shady at best. What does someone need to wardrive?
The wardiving tools you use depends on how hardcore you are. Some people get external antennas to extend the range of their laptop’s wireless card. You can also use a GPS unit to help document the open networks. Then there is the software that people use to help find the networks. Really, though, if all you are doing is looking for open networks is your wifi-enabled laptop. You can also use your PSP to find open networks. Check out Simon’s article about how to do it. Some alternative ways to find free wifiIf you choose to avoid the shady areas of the law and want to avoid the hassles of wardriving, try an alternative. These days there are a lot of public hotspots available in many areas so going through the process of wardriving can be a waste of time. Here at MakeUseOf, we have covered many sites that help you find public wifi hotspots. For instance, check out Tina’s article 4 Free WiFi Sites That Show Hotspot Locations Near You and David’s article 5 Wi-Fi Hotspot Finders To Find Free Wi-Fi Spots Near You. You could also try picking up your phone and calling some local businesses, restaurants or coffee shops to find out a head of time who offers free wifi. Most places with the word “coffee” on their window offer a free wifi connection. Stay safe when using a public access point or an open wifi network.
Take some safety precautions when using any open wifi network. That’s because any information that is traveling through the air can be “sniffed” or read by someone else if it is not encrypted. Also, your own computer may be at risk. Follow these precautions:
Get more details on these tips in Karl’s article on the subject. Have you ever gone wardriving? Why do you do it? Do you still see the need these days?
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| Posted: 05 Aug 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated. Keep reading to find out today’s Hot Tech Deals.
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| 4 Free & Useful Mac Utilities That You Might Not Know Existed Posted: 05 Aug 2010 12:31 PM PDT
During the years of my interactions with computers, I’ve found and tried countless applications of various magnitudes; from the huge apps that can do everything to the small ones built to do only one thing. Here are several small and useful Mac utilities that you might not know even existed.
What’s Keeping Me?Mounting and unmounting drives/volumes are a fact of everyday life for Mac users. So are deleting files and emptying Trash. But those actions don’t always go smoothly. Sometimes there are unknown things that prevent the process from being completed. You’ll get a pop-up notification window every time a volume can’t be ejected.
Or whenever one or more files can’t be deleted from the Trash.
But the system doesn’t always tell you why. The most common reason is because there are some opened files inside the Volume/Trash. You can do a search from within What's Keeping Me Mac utility to identify the application which prevents you from accomplishing your task. You can then quit, relaunch, or kill the problem application and continue with the unmounting/deleting process.
You can also install the automator workflow so that you can do the search directly from Finder. To use it, just right click on the file and choose “Service – WhatsKeepingMe Search“.
VolumizerThere’s another Mac utility that also deals with mounted volumes called Volumizer. This app is a Preference Pane add-on which provides a system-wide menu that displays all mounted volumes: hard drives, flash drives, optical discs, network volumes, disk images and other mountable items in the Finder.
Volumizer will list down every mounted volume and give you a quick unmount (eject) option if you hover your mouse over the volume name.
If a physical drive has multiple volumes (partitions), choosing Eject for any of the volumes will unmount all of them immediately. The app will also skip Finder’s eject volume confirmation window. So be a little careful not to accidentally unmount volumes that you still need. But of course, you can't unmount the startup disk. Space ControlIt’s amazing how ‘normal’ activities that people do on their computer – downloading movies, managing photos, installing application suites – can fill up the hard drive in no time. If you are one of these ‘normal’ people, you’ll need a Mac utility to constantly monitor the space usage of your hard drive. Meet SpaceControl. This app will sit in your menu bar and clicking on it will show you the remaining free space on your startup volume. You can also see the sum of these numbers, which is the total free space available on all volumes.
For your convenience, you can set the app to send you a notification email whenever the remaining free space goes below a certain number. MiniUsageWhile Space Control specializes only in hard drive space data, Mini Usage tells you everything that you want to know about your system. The app will show a small menu-bar display of your chosen system performance data: CPU usage (the percentage of your Mac's processing power that's currently in use), incoming and outgoing network data rate, and remaining battery juice on your MacBook.
You can also make MiniUsage alternate among all of these statistics every few seconds (1 – 5 seconds) and how often the statistics are updated. I’m sure that there are other small, useful, but not too well known Mac utilities out there, something like Pauser and BashFlash. If you are familiar with one or more of them, why don’t you share the love with others using the comments below? Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| Make Your Own Music & Discover Others With JamStudio Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:31 AM PDT
I don’t have a band, and I don’t have time to put together a band, but it sure would be nice to create my own music using chord sequences that I know and with supporting background instruments to enhance the music. Searching through the web for an online or offline app, I found that many of the music generators are boring and outdata MIDI apps that emit old 1980’s style computer sounds.
Making Your Own Music Tracks With JamStudioThe first thing you’ll notice when you visit JamStudio is that it isn’t some cheap, thrown-together online app. The design is well thought out, the colors and background imagery is awesome and the functionality is very cool, even if you only sign up for a free account.
Creating a track is just a three step process, but each step goes a long way toward defining all of the nuances that will make your music unique. Of course, the first step is to define the chord sequence for each 3 or 4 beat of the sequence (you set the rhythm and the tempo in the left menu bar). To define each chord, you just point and click to one of the chords on the upper right pane.
You’ll notice at the bottom there’s a field for “Play Page Order:” – this lets you create multiple pages for the song, and you can rotate through those pages in whatever sequence you like. This is an easy way to create a song with a repeated chorus that you only have to write on one or two pages.
In the lower left pane is where the magic happens. This is where you put together your band. Highlight the “speaker” icon next to the instrument that you want to play, and then select the style of play for that instrument from the lower right pane. Style can be any variety of rock, country, pop, folk, blues and much more. The variety that’s available in this app just blew my mind, and the mix of songs you can create really are practically unlimited. When you’re ready, just press play under the chord pane and your track will start playing. Saving Your Music & Exploring Other TracksA paid account allows you to actually download an MP3 of your track. The free version, once you register with your email account, at least lets you save the track in your account – and you can share it with the rest of the community if you feel so inclined.
You can add notes to your track so that you can remember what the track included and why you created it in the first place.
Next time you log into your account and click “Open,” you’ll see a list of your songs, or you can browse through the tracks that you’ve shared with the public. If you really want an audio file on your local PC with your track, you always have the option to play it and record it straight off of your sound card, using an application like Audacity or any other free audio recording app that lets you record streaming music.
Aside from creating my own tracks of music, I was intrigued by the idea of a community of creative folks sharing their own tracks with the world, so I entered the forum and went to the “Show Us Your Stuff!” section – and was just blown away by the awesome tracks that I discovered there. I would put these on the level of some of the best easily-listening instrumentals that you’d even find on iTunes or Amazon.
People share out their song links, and you can visit their link and listen to the track as the JamStudio online app visually steps through the chord sequence so you can follow along. I liked one that I found called “Extra Terrestrial” so much that I actually put it in the background and let it play while I worked. The quality of the instrumentals is that realistic – you’re sure to find music (or create music) that you love.
For music lovers and new or experienced music composers, this online app may not be the most cutting edge music mixer in the world, but it is good enough to create some of your own music – and impress yourself with your musical talent! Have you ever used Jam Studio to create your own tracks? Do you have some other favorite free track creator? Share your insight in the comments section below. Image Credit: Ignat Chakarov Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| 3 Online Sources For Finding & Buying Old Computer Parts Posted: 05 Aug 2010 10:31 AM PDT
Buying a suitable replacement from a typical online retailer, such as Newegg, may no longer be possible. Brick and mortar stores, with their limited space for inventory, are unlikely to carry a part that is even slightly out of date. There are, however, a few places that still sell numerous old computer parts.
Geeks.com
When you first visit Geeks.com you probably won’t sense that there is anything unusual about the retailer. There is absolutely nothing on their home page that indicates they are not a simple Newegg competitor looking to sell you a plethora of new computer parts. Once you start browsing the Geeks.com site, however, you’ll notice that it is actually a bit different from most retailers. While they do indeed have some new products they also stock a number of older products as well as products that are almost never sold at larger retailers. This isn’t to say that they have absolutely everything, but Geeks.com is relatively easy to browse compared to other retailers that sell older computer parts. Their inventory generally consists of parts that are up to eight years old. That means you’ll find a lot of Pentium 4 processors, a few AGP video cards, IDE CD-ROM drives and items of that vintage. If the computer you need parts for was built more than a decade ago you’ll need to look somewhere else. Pacific Geek
This website looks like it was designed in the late 90’s and never revamped, so it isn’t surprising that you’ll find a huge variety of old computer parts available. Unlike Geek.com, which has an inventory that mostly consists of parts that just recently went out of production, Pacific Geek has a gigantic selection of parts that range from a few years old to nearly two decades old. There is very little consistency in the inventory – everything is rather disorganized, and you’ll probably only find a few parts of any specific era – but the age of some of the components available is impressive. Do you need an replacement processor for an Intel Pentium II machine? You’ll find them here. Do you need a replacement Socket 370 motherboard for your turn-of-the-century PC? You’ll also find that here. Pacific Geek is the last, best hope for computers that are between one and two decades old. eBay
Ultimately, if the stores fail you, you’ll have to turn to your peers to find the parts that you need. eBay is the ultimate online flea market, and it is one of the best sources for finding old computer parts. Although traditionally framed as an auction website, eBay in recent years has effectively turned into a crowd-sourced online store. The clunky auctions of old still exist, but most sellers ignore them in favor of the easier “Buy It Now” option. Purchasing an item in this way is not much different from purchasing an item from Newegg. The age of the parts that you’ll find in eBay is impressive. Finding any popular component made within the last two decades is fairly simple, and finding parts older than that is possible if not guaranteed. If you can’t find a part for a very old computer you may be able to find a complete or partially defunct system that you can cannibalize. That’s not an ideal solution, but it is hard to be picky when looking for such ancient technology. You’ll also have better luck finding more obscure parts – for example, neither Geek.com or Pacific Geek keeps very good stock of older AMD processors and motherboards, but you can find a wide variety of such parts on eBay. ConclusionFinding old computer parts isn’t as easy as finding new ones, but websites such as these make the task much easier. So long as the part that you’re looking for was relatively popular in its day you shouldn’t trouble finding what you need. Where do you go online to find those ancient computer parts? Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| 5 Steps To Successfully Find Your Next Job Online Posted: 05 Aug 2010 09:31 AM PDT
To be different, remembered, and invited to a job interview takes courage and a bit of luck. An interview then is the chance to convince your future employer personally. This article provides a few ideas about how to get noticed in the first place.
1. Job Search Pages & NetworkingFirst of all, you will want to find the right employer or make them find you. Traditionally, employees hunt for jobs and hand in their applications. The internet, however, makes it a lot easier for employers to find and contact potential candidates. That’s why social networking can be more than wasting your time. LinkedIn is one of many dedicated career networks. If you have other social networking profiles running use them as much as you can. Simply get the word out that you’re looking for a job and link to your online résumé (point 3). Here are some networking resources to find a job online:
The truth is, networking takes time, especially if you are just starting. So while the network is developing, you should actively search for jobs online. Here are pointers to get you started:
2. Cover LetterThe cover letter is your written plea to the employer to consider you. Creating a good cover letter may well be the most difficult step. You must craft it carefully to leave a good impression and spark interest. Here are some points to consider:
Let these resources guide you:
3. Personalized RésuméMany people don’t realize that a résumé is something they have to re-create, update, and personalize for every single job they apply to. The perfect résumé is unique. Not only because you are unique, but because you took the time to adjust it to the unique job at hand. Just as with your cover letter, you must ask yourself what the employer is looking for, and then compile your work and life experience in a way that demonstrates you are their wo/man.
Here are some resources for inspiration:
Karl has summarized 3 Useful Websites for Free Downloadable Resume Templates. 4. Online RésuméTo increase your chances of being discovered by a potential employer, put your résumé online. Most sites provide templates for you to fill in. While they do not allow you to personalize your CV for every job, they expose you. We have reviewed several résumé hosting websites:
5. Creative RésuméA creative résumé is a solid attention grabber. It could be a résumé in comic format, a brochure, a flash animation, or a presentation. In any case, it’s something that’s definitely out of the average. Don’t say you cannot do such a résumé in your field. If you’re struggling to find a job, you really have nothing to lose. No, be bold and hand in two résumés. Start with an old-fashioned one, then follow up with a creative résumé and see which one receives a response.
Care for some examples?
Once you have scored a job interview, check out John’s article on 5 Sites With Job Interview Tips To Help You Ace Your Interview. Did you ever land a great job? What was your secret weapon? Or what do you struggle with most when applying for jobs? Image credits: straymuse, asifthebes, nkzs, pzado, zepinheiro Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| f.lux For Linux Now Sports A Simple GUI [Linux] Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:31 AM PDT
What is new is the GUI for f.lux on Linux, long overdue. Ever-awesome Ubuntu blog OMG Ubuntu featured the new f.lux GUI last week, and after a brief hiccup it’s now available to the masses. If you’re looking for a way to use your Linux netbook for nighttime reading without the sleep deprivation that so often comes with that, this is a good tool to check out.
F.lux’s Linux version addresses this with an easy-to-configure GUI, so let’s check it out. Using f.luxThe first time you launch f.lux you’ll see the following window:
Configure everything here once and you’re good to go. You’ll need your latitude and longitude, of course, but a button in the configuration window gives you easy access to a simple webapp for finding it. Check out its Google maps integrated goodness:
Simply grab the co-ordinates from there and you’re good to go. Optionally, you can let f.lux know what kind of lighting you use in your home. This is important, because f.lux makes your screen more readable at night by attempting to match the temperature of the artifical light in your home. You can change these settings at any time quickly and easily via the f.lux indicator applet. This sexy applet sits in your tray and integrates beautifully in Ubuntu 10.04:
Finally, you can tell f.lux to start when your computer does with the click of a button. Simple, right? Installing fluxguiThere are currently only instructions for installing on Ubuntu on the programer’s official post f.lux GUI for Linux, which includes installation instructions. These instructions consist of three quick commands:
If you’re looking to use this on a non-Ubuntu Linux distribution you’ll probably have to wait until the packages show up on the official f.lux for Linux page, or attempt compiling the source code yourself. Sorry about that! Compared To Red ShiftSo, how does this compare with Red Shift? If you consider both these programs in their current state I have to say I prefer f.lux. Red Shift’s integration with the Gnome clock for determining location looks like it will simplify using Redshift quite a bit, but I can’t get it to work. F.lux, on the other hand, works for me out of the box quickly and easily. Add the ability to set the manner of lighting being used and f.lux is the clear winner, for now. What do you think? Which program do you prefer to use on Linux for keeping your eyes happy at night? Or do you think the entire idea is stupid, and people should just not use their computers at night if sleep is what they want? As always we have comments, so you should share. Also please don’t be bashful about posting self-made packages for other Linux distributions! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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