MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [September 10th]” plus 8 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [September 10th]
- The 5 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers]
- A Closer Look At The TextEdit Word Processing Program [Mac]
- Hot Tech Deals [Sep 10th]
- 2 Android Apps To Quickly Check How To Spell A Word
- 10 Best Websites For Free Vector Art Downloads
- MakeUseOf.com Now Available On The Amazon Kindle!
- Kill Spam Comments On Your Blog For Good With ReCaptcha
- The Difference Between DDR2 & DDR3 RAM [Technology Explained]
| Cool Websites and Tools [September 10th] Posted: 10 Sep 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.
    
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| The 5 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers] Posted: 10 Sep 2010 06:31 PM PDT
This week's prize for Best Answer of the Week goes to Dylen for the answer to this question: "Why does Internet Explorer save docx and xlsx as zip files?“. Thanks for the fix, Dylen! Are you ready to win something? Increase your chances and help us solve questions. No sign up required! You just need a valid email address or an existing Facebook, Yahoo, or Disqus account to post your answers. Now for our best questions of the week:
Curious about what other people want to know? Maybe you have the answers! Browse MakeUseOf Answers by Latest Questions, Unanswered Questions or Most Popular Questions. For regular updates subscribe to the Answers RSS Feed. Need help? Ask us at MakeUseOf Answers! Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| A Closer Look At The TextEdit Word Processing Program [Mac] Posted: 10 Sep 2010 04:31 PM PDT
Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of TextEdit, which of course can be found in the Applications folder of your Mac. Preferences: New DocumentLet's start with TextEdit's Preferences. Among other things, you can set the default font and font size settings in Preferences. I believe the default setting is Helvetica 12.
As you can see, there are also other Preference settings you can make, including options for checking grammar and spelling and applying smart quotes and dashes as you type. You can also have your author and copyright information automatically appended to each document by adding that information in Preferences. Where it says Rich text and Plain text, it's best to leave the Rich text option checked so that you can use basic formatting styles, such as bold, italics and underlining. Preferences: Open & Save SettingsIn the Open and Save Settings, you have options for Autosaving and various HTML settings.
HTML EditorYou can paste HTML code into a TextEdit document, edit it, and save it as a webpage document (File>Save As>Web Page). When you use TextEdit as a HTML editor, you will want to format text in Plain text. Formatting StylesTextEdit includes many of the basic and advance text formatting styles found in Word and Pages. One feature that you might overlook in TextEdit is that you can save individual formatting styles to be used in future documents. So for instance, say you want to quickly apply a particular color to selected text; you can do so by first selecting some text, opening up color picker (Format>Font>Show Colors) and selecting the color you want to use.
While you still have your formatted text selected, go to Format>Font>Styles… and in the drop-down menu, select Add To Favorites. Give a title for your saved style.
Now when you want to apply that style again, you click on the Styles button in the toolbar of your TextEdit document. If the toolbar is not present in the document, go to Format>Make Rich Text.
Also, don't forget that you can manually copy and paste styles from one piece of selected text to another. After your style is copied, go to Edit>Paste and Match Style, or use the keyboard shortcuts, Option+Command+C (copy style) and Option+Command+V (paste style). TextEdit ToolbarNotice also in the toolbar of a TextEdit document that you have some formatting options. They include the standard word processing features for aligning texts and paragraphs, and spacing between lines.
Pages and Word have a robust table creation feature, but if you don’t feel like hauling out one of those hefty applications, you can create a basic table in TextEdit. Granted, there are limitations but the feature includes the tabbing and basic formatting options found in the larger word processing programs.
To create a table, go to Format>Table… and set the numbers for rows and columns in the Table palette. You can also apply text alignments, and the thickness and color of cell borders and backgrounds.
Other GoodiesTextEdit includes a few other powerful features that you want to keep in mind. For instance, under Edit>Transformation, you can select text and change its case or capitalize the first letter of each word of that selected text. If you're struggling to figure out the spelling of a word, you can put your insertion point at the end of a partially entered word and press Option+Esc, which will deliver up a set of words that might contain the one you're looking for.
TextEdit doesn't have the revision tracking, comments, and footnote features of Word and Pages, nor does it have their robust desktop layout design tools (although images can be added to TextEdit documents), but it is still a handy word processing software app that you will find on any Mac computer. Let us know if and how you use TextEdit. Are there features you use that I did not touch on this article? Let us know about them. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2010 01:15 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.
Also;
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| 2 Android Apps To Quickly Check How To Spell A Word Posted: 10 Sep 2010 12:31 PM PDT
If you ever catch yourself in a situation where you need to quickly find a correct spelling, your trusty Android can come to your service! The next time your pals are sitting around arguing about the spelling of some obscure word (happens all the time, I’m sure), try out some of these Android apps that will help you figure out how to spell a word. Spell Checker (Voice)The first app I tried out and loved was Spell Checker (voice).
This app is very quick to access because it sets up a shortcut for you right off the bat. Once installed, all you have to to is long-hold the search button and up pops the option to open it.
ASpellASpell is a very simple spell checking app and that happens to be its appeal. It checks words by the GNU ASpell dictionary. Its basic function is to tell you if the word in question is spelled correctly and to give you a list of alternatives.
Another helpful feature is that, although English is the only language supported, it has a check box to check for the British spelling. Aside from spell checking apps, try out these games that make spelling fun. Speak & SpellDo you remember the children’s spelling game from the 80’s? I don’t but perhaps some of you do. The Speak and Spell Android app is basically an emulator of that game. They say it’s for nostalgic reasons but try it out, you might like it.
If you don’t know anything about the game, it basically tells you words and you need to spell them. Being an emulated game from 30 years ago, the graphics seem corny and the voice is a very annoying computer voice. This is because that was how the original game was so don’t go hatin’! Seek ‘n SpellSeek ‘n Spell is a newer game that makes use of GPS technology on your Android phone or iPhone. The idea is somewhat similar to Scrabble but outdoors. The game scrambles a bunch of letters across the fields, gives you a map showing their locations, and the players race to collect the letters. When they make words with those letters, they score points. This almost looked fun enough for me to go out and try all by myself. Check out this video to get a somewhat better visual. What apps on your Android do you use to find out how to spell a word? Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| 10 Best Websites For Free Vector Art Downloads Posted: 10 Sep 2010 11:31 AM PDT
There are some mediums like Flash animation, print ads, clipart, and logo art which lend itself to the vector graphic format for its elastic nature. It is also very easy to convert from vector to raster formats, but the same ease doesn't hold true vice-versa. From vector illustrations to 3D drawings, vector images find a lot of creative uses.
Vecteezy
Vecteezy is a community based website that you can explore to see the work of other vector artists. All the graphics are free to download and free to use in your projects. But do check out the license first before you do so. Free downloadable vector files include vector Icons, vector patterns, vector swirls, flourishes, backgrounds, wallpapers, Illustrator brushes, and many more. Vector Madness
This website includes many free design resources for the vector artist. From free T-Shirt designs to stock vector images, the site has 7,800+ free vector image files and packs. You can access the categories from the left hand column. Vectorish
Like a lot of creative image sites, you can not only download free stock images but also submit your own. The vector images are very neatly laid out with each image pack's information and license type mentioned on the right. You can use the search box or jump to the categories (Abstract, Icons, Illustrator, Misc, Nature, Swirl, Symbols). QVectors
QVectors is another neatly organized web resource for quality vector images. Each image or image pack gets its own page with information like a star rating, comments, a full preview, and links to other Vectors You Might Like. You have a whole lot of categories including Silhouettes which is really handy for presentations. You can register on the site and upload and download vector files as a member. The site's blog also keeps you in the know of what's happening all around the site. All Silhouettes
When we are talking of silhouette images, All-Silhouettes.com is a great collection of 8,694 free silhouettes as symbols, shadows, objects etc. You can explore the silhouette clipart from the categories mentioned on the right or use the tag cloud. Vector Portal
Vector Portal's tagline says – Everything vector, everything free. Great! You have some uncommon types of vector stock vector images like Coat of Arms, Beams and Bursts, Sketches, Monochrome Vectors, and more. For example, a monochrome vector of Bob Marley is just the thing for that T-shirt imprint. Or check out Clint Eastwood's sketch. You can also download complete sets or submit vector files of your own. Brands of The World
There are times when you need to download and use a logo for some graphic work or a presentation. Brands of the World are a niche resource for free vector formats of brand logos. You can also showcase your own interpretation of a brand's logo by submitting your vector image. Most files are free but there's also a non-free stock logos section. I Heart Vector
iHeartVector.com positions itself as a royalty free vector resource. But there is a totally free section too with 209 vector packs and files free for personal and commercial use. You can access it from the Categories dropdown. Deviant Art
Anybody who colors a pixel or draws a line surely visits this largest community of digital artists on the web. So, how do you start searching in this crowd of digital chaos? You use the search bar and find out free vector files available for download. Or alternatively, you can click on the Resources and Stock Images link. Cool Vectors
A cool website to share your vectors or download free ones. Vectors are rated and arranged in categories available from a dropdown. One of the categories you can check out is the colorful Spills & Splatters. The above ten free vector stock image websites will give you options galore for your projects. But before you download and use, do check the license type for each image. They have been created by some incredibly creative people for our creative uses. Are you one of them? Let us know about your favored website for free vector downloads. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| MakeUseOf.com Now Available On The Amazon Kindle! Posted: 10 Sep 2010 10:31 AM PDT
For only a monthly subscription of $1.99 (or the same amount in British pounds), you can receive MakeUseOf directly on your Kindle device. Not sure if MUO on your Kindle is right for you? No worries there, Amazon offers a 14 day trial period and you can easily cancel during that time without your credit card being charged. So why not check us out at no obligation and see if we are worth it? If so (or not), don’t forget to also review us on Amazon!
Be sure to recommend us to all of your Kindle-owning friends. Where else are you going to get a daily helping of insanely useful tech tips, tutorials and recommendations for only 6 cents a day? [Note] Users in North America should use our page on Amazon.com. Those outside North America will probably be blocked by Amazon and should instead try using our British Amazon page. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Kill Spam Comments On Your Blog For Good With ReCaptcha Posted: 10 Sep 2010 09:31 AM PDT
Many bloggers or website owners that have commenting systems have to deal with this dilemma and I’m sure they share the same frustration. It seems that even if you’ve enabled comment moderation, that doesn’t stop spammers from automatically submitting garbage to your comments form. Last week, after spending a full 25 minutes deleting hundreds of spam comments from the moderation area, I decided that I’d had enough.
The only other solution that really works is one that many people are already turning to every day – using Captcha. There are a lot of decent Captcha script packages and plugins out there, but I think the best is one that was briefly noted in the MUO Directory a while back called ReCaptcha. Use Captcha Or Not?Now, a lot of site owners don’t want to use a Captcha system, because many of them are really annoying. Have you ever tried reading some of those “human-only readable” text smudges? The reason I like ReCaptcha is because it is not only really easy to install on a blog or a website, but the challenge is one that your readers will be able to fly through in seconds – but it’ll stop those stupid spammers cold in their tracks. This was my comment form before installing ReCaptcha.
As you can see – no challenge at all, just a simple submission form with a “Submit Comment” button. Now, this wasn’t entirely my fault, because I downloaded a high-quality theme and this was the comments form that came with it – no anti-spam scripting included.
Because of that, the mess above is what I was faced with almost every week. Hundreds and hundreds of stupid, meaningless, annoying garbage comments. So, I decided it was high time for a Captcha system, and ReCaptcha is noted throughout the web as being one of the best ones out there. The real question is how difficult will it be to install, can I install the Recaptcha embed response in-page, and how functional is it? The first step in setting it up is signing up and downloading the appropriate files for your situation – for WordPress that’s loading the wp-recaptcha folder into “wp-content/plugins“. ReCaptcha is available for WordPress, PHP, phpBB, Drupal, Joomla, Coldfusion, Java and all sorts of other platforms and programming environments. Read the intro page to learn more. In every case, you’re going to have to sign up with a ReCaptcha account so that you can obtain a Public and Private key.
In WordPress, once you activate the plugin and go into the Recaptcha item under settings, you’ll discover how functional ReCaptcha really is. You’ll first need to fill in your public and private keys so the plugin will work.
You’ll notice that you can make ReCaptcha a bit less annoying for registered users by hiding it. It’ll also secure the registration form. Best of all, you can enable the MailHide feature, where ReCaptcha will convert every single email address published on your site into a link with the actual email address hidden – preventing the email address from getting lifted by spammers that crawl the net.
This is great for WordPress users, but what if you have a website written in PHP? The Recaptcha website details simple instructions for just about every setup you might face. For example, inserting ReCaptcha into a PHP page is as simple as adding this element to your form submission.
Obviously, you’ll need to have the code for verify.php and the recaptchalib.php file uploaded, but all of that is provided in the download package. It’s very simple to install ReCaptcha on any site and on any platform. It’s so effective in fact that it’s the app recommended on the official Google Webmasters blog. So, now that I’ve installed it, this is what the comments area now looks like.
Type in the wrong response, and the page simply reloads with the following error listed over the ReCapcha box.
OK, it’s only been running for a little while, but while I used to receive dozens of spam messages a day, I haven’t received a single one yet. It is surreal. I have so much free time now, I might have to take up golf or something. Do you use a spam-blocking tool or script on your own website? What’s your preference and why do you like it? Share your insight and tips in the comments section below. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| The Difference Between DDR2 & DDR3 RAM [Technology Explained] Posted: 10 Sep 2010 08:31 AM PDT
However, capacity is only one specification. RAM is also available in a variety of versions and speeds. A 2GB stick of DDR2 800 RAM is not the same thing as a 2GB stick of DDR3 1333 RAM. Understanding the difference is important because computers will generally accept only certain types of RAM.
The Big Issue: DDR2 vs DDR3In late 2008, Intel released the first Core i7 processors. These processors were paired with a new motherboard chipset called X58. This chipset introduced the need for a new type of memory called DDR3.
In the last two years the entire industry has converted over to DDR3. All of Intel’s new processors can only be used with a motherboard that requires DDR3. Recent AMD motherboards are also changing over to DDR3. The term “DDR” stands for Double Data Rate RAM. This term came into use at the turn of the century when the first Double Data Rate RAM modules arrived. Double Data Rate RAM was capable of two data transfers per clock cycle, giving it twice the theoretical peak bandwidth of previous SDRAM while running at the same clock speed.
DDR2 and DDR3 are improvements on the same technology and further increase the number of data transfers per clock cycle. DDR2 RAM provides 4 data transfers per cycle, while DDR3 increases the number to 8. Assuming a base clock speed of 100Mhz, DDR RAM will provide 1600 MB/s of Bandwidth, DDR2 provides 3200 MB/s, and DDR3 provides 6400 MB/s. More is always better! Performance & Compatibility ConsequencesDoes this mean you’ll notice a big difference between DDR2 and DDR3 systems? Well, maybe not. While the increase in memory bandwidth is great, the truth is that 99% of programs are not capable of creating a workload that will be restricted by memory bandwidth. The issue is most relevant to server and workstation class products. To see a difference in performance you’ll usually need to use a benchmark program capable of testing memory bandwidth.
However, purchasing DDR2 or DDR3 RAM isn’t usually a matter of preference. DDR2 and DDR3 RAM are not compatible. If your motherboard uses DDR2, you cannot upgrade to DDR3 without upgrading your motherboard. This means that if you currently own a computer with DDR2 RAM and you want to upgrade to a brand new processor and motherboard you have to throw your your perfectly good DDR2 RAM and buy new DDR3 RAM. There are a few motherboards which are exceptions to this rule, but they are exceptions only because they provide both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM slots, and these exceptions are available only on older chipsets. I know – it’s a bummer, but there isn’t much you can do about it. Both Intel and AMD have committed to DDR3 RAM for future products, so you’ll be forced to either buy new RAM and deal with your computer becoming a dinosaur. Clock Speed – The Other Part Of The Equation
Another important specification to consider when looking at RAM is the clock speed. Clock speed is an indication of how well the RAM will perform in much the same way that clock speed indicates how well a processor will perform, and it is part of the equation that determines the maximum theoretical peak bandwidth of memory. A higher clock speed is better. However, as I mentioned previously, this is a difference that is unlikely to be noticeable in normal daily use. The typical enthusiast won’t see much benefit from memory with a higher clock speed. With that said, there are motherboards that only accept memory within a limited range of clock speeds. It is always a good idea to consult a motherboard manufacturer’s website to double-check the RAM that is compatible. Motherboards are usually very flexible in this regard, but it is better to be safe than sorry. ConclusionThe bad news is that the invention of DDR3 is making DDR2 obsolete by force. I have four sticks of spare DDR2 memory that are no longer capable of finding a home in a new system, even a low-power HTPC or office computer, because of the change. The good news is that new RAM technology is at least several years off, so DDR3 purchased today should be good for a while. Just be sure to check the type of RAM a new motherboard requires before purchasing RAM to go with it! Credit for the third image goes to The Tech Report, one of my favorite hardware websites. Please visit them and check out their in-depth reviews! Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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Though Microsoft Word and Apple's Page '09 are both feature-rich word processing software, they may be more than what most Mac users need, especially when Apple's TextEdit program comes installed for free in every version of Mac OS X. TextEdit opens twice as fast as Word and Pages, and it provides basic tools for most writing projects.
If you’re in the market for a new computer, laptop, mobile phone, games and other accessories; don’t waste your time searching online. We’ve taken the liberty of locating the best tech deals and unifying them into a single post for your convenience.
As a child I was never a real good speller. I never participated in any spelling bees to save myself from the embarrassment. I’ve improved a bit through the years but there are still always going to be those words whose spelling is going to elude me. For those of you who are in the same occasionally-can’t-spell-a-hard-word boat, there are Android apps for that.
From there, for further ease, you can even choose to speak the word. How awesome is that? Alternatively, if you find some text on a website, copy the text and then just open the app and the copied text is automatically entered for you. With support for nine languages, I’m sure this app is bound to help a lot of people.
There are times when working with 
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At the present time, I currently run about five blogs. I do it mostly because I love researching different topics. However, the single most annoying thing that I find myself being forced to deal with almost every single day are spam blog comments. These number from dozens to hundreds depending on the day.
RAM, or Random Access Memory, is your computer’s short term memory. If your computer needs information and does not find the RAM, it then needs to journey to the 
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