MakeUseOf.com: “The 5 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers]” plus 9 more |  |
- The 5 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers]
- Cool Websites and Tools [October 22nd]
- Learn to Automate Your Mac with AppleScript [Part 1: Introduction]
- View Only The Best YouTube Videos with Devour
- Hot Tech Deals [Oct 22nd]
- 10+ Awesome Geeky Halloween DIY House Decoration Ideas
- 10 Websites To Learn A Word A Day & Enrich Your Vocabulary
- The Top 3 Security Apps To Protect Your Mac
- Facebook Causes – Raise Funds and Support What Matters
- Sync Files and Access Your PC Remotely with Windows Live Mesh 2011
| The 5 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers] Posted: 23 Oct 2010 12:31 AM PDT
All you need to do is answer some questions. Like Josh Fox, who is this week’s winner of our Best Answer of the Week contest. He earns $50 for providing the best solution to this question: “How can I watch .avi movies on a DVD Player?” Thank you so much for your contribution – congratulations Josh! Would you like to win? Every smart answer is entered into the contest and can win, provided you use your email address, Disqus, Facebook, or Yahoo account to log in. Maybe the answers to our Best Questions of the week will inspire you:
MakeUseOf Answers can make your mind go round. Read, Learn, and Share by browsing Latest Questions, Most Popular Questions, or Unanswered Questions. For regular updates subscribe to the Answers RSS Feed. Need help? Ask A Question at MakeUseOf Answers. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
    
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| Cool Websites and Tools [October 22nd] Posted: 22 Oct 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. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| Learn to Automate Your Mac with AppleScript [Part 1: Introduction] Posted: 22 Oct 2010 04:30 PM PDT
Many of us perform larger and more intensive tasks involving two or more applications and several clicks or keyboard shortcuts. That's why applications like Apple's classic AppleScript application has been a favorite among many users because of it's almost English-like programming language.
AppleScript comes installed by default in all version Apple's OS X software, and there are many resourceful websites which can help you learn how to use the program. If you're new to AppleScript and are curious about it, let's take a few minutes to see what it has to offer. AppleScript In ActionAppleScript can be found the Utilities folder, which is in the Applications folder of your Mac. Launch AppleScript so that you can get started with some pre-installed scripts. (By the way, you might want to drag AppleScript to your dock so that you can easily access it during and after this tutorial. You can also just drag the application out of the utilities folder and put it in the list of other applications.)
After you launch AppleScript, open its Preferences and click the "Show Script menu in menu bar" and "Show Computer scripts" boxes. In your Finder's menu bar, you'll see the AppleScript folder icon. Click on it and then select Default Actions > Info Scripts folder. (Notice also that there's a menu item titled, Open AppleScript Editor, which is another way you can launch AppleScript.)
Now click on the Current Date & Time script, and it should display that information with an option to copy that data to your clipboard. That is just one very small example of what AppleScript can do.
Now go back and click on the Info Scripts folder again, but this time just click and release on the folder itself so that it will open.
Double-click on the Current Date & Time script to open it in the AppleScript Editor. Underneath some copyright language, you'll see the lines of script that caused the data to display. As you read each line of the script, you'll see that many parts of it read almost like a regular English sentence (e.g., "display dialog the date_stamp buttons {"Clipboard", "OK") default button 2"). For an AppleScript beginner, this code may appear a little too complex, but it's certainly easier to understand than many other programming languages, such as Objective-C. Opening Web SitesOkay, let's run an easier script. Go back to the AppleScript folders in the menu bar and select Default Actions > URLs. Open the folder and then click on one of the scripts, such as "Apple Store.scpt".
Click the Run button in the toolbar and AppleScript should launch the targeted URL. There's another way to write that script so that it makes a little more sense. Let's learn how. Select File > New in AppleScript and type, or copy and paste, the following lines of script exactly: tell application “Safari” activate open location “http://www.apple.com/” end tell If you want, you can add several more URLs using the same line of instructions, (e.g. "open location "http://www.makeuseof.com") and then save the script as an application in order to launch all your targeted URLs at once.
Okay, let's stop for now. In part 2 of this article, I will present some really cool, simple, and practical AppleScripts, and also tell you where you can find more information to start learning the language. If you use AppleScript, let us know about a few of your favorite automations.
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| View Only The Best YouTube Videos with Devour Posted: 22 Oct 2010 02:30 PM PDT
The lovely people from Uncrate–one of my favorite sites on the Internet–have developed a simple solution in an attempt to curb this problem. They’ve created a website called Devour, which features only the best YouTube videos.
What’s the Idea Behind Devour?
The idea behind Devour is simple, to create a relaxed environment where you can enjoy the highest quality YouTube videos. On their homepage, you will find an array of different videos each day with brief titles giving you an idea of what they are. In case you were wondering what the criteria was for video selection, here’s a quote from the website describing how they pick their videos:
As I’ll point out below, Devour’s core features are meant to keep the user in mind. What Features Does Devour Offer?
The first thing I should tell you is that the majority of the videos on Devour are in HD. When you click on a video to watch it, you are taken to a page where the video takes up almost the entire screen. Already this is a great way to view YouTube videos, don’t you think?
Below the video you’ll find a very short description, accompanied by buttons to share the video on Twitter and Facebook. Also, every video on the site plays on the iPhone and iPad, so if you want to catch awesome videos on the go, you can do that as well. There are no video comments on the site. This is done on purpose so you can “enjoy the peace and quiet of not having to wade through all the brilliant critiques from this great nation’s junior high masterminds.” Next to the sharing buttons on each video’s page, there is a Comment on this video button, which directs you back to YouTube.
At the top of the page you’ll find a few options, one of which is a Customize link. This simply lets you change the background of the site to suit your viewing needs. You can keep the site background white, black or put up a brick wall or paneling. The ability to change the grid layout of the page to display videos differently is “coming soon”. Devour also has channels you can pick from if you have specific types of videos you’re more interested in viewing. Channels include comedy, tech, travel, games, food, music, movies, commercials and more. ConclusionIn conclusion, Devour is an easy to use, minimalistic site that I think is a great place to find high quality video content. If you don’t feel like checking the site every day to catch all the latest video additions, you can subscribe to get them delivered to your inbox every morning. What do you think of Devour? Will you be checking it out or are you going to stick to YouTube’s search? Image Credit: Sergej Khakimullin 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: 22 Oct 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.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| 10+ Awesome Geeky Halloween DIY House Decoration Ideas Posted: 22 Oct 2010 12:30 PM PDT
Do you know a little about engineering? Electronics? Programming? Bad sci-fi horror movies? Mix all of that up and you have a recipe for awesome geek decorations. Here’s a selection of Halloween house decorations which have been designed by geeks with a little too much spare time on their hands. Go science! Light DisplaysUse your knowledge of wire and switches to build complicated lighting arrangements. Control them manually, program your light sequence or work some sensors in to add a little excitement. Sound DisplaysPut on a little quiet creepy music to set the scene, then add sound effects to disturb and terrify your guests. Try your favourite horror movies for sound effect ideas. For music, there’s plenty of creepy organ music on YouTube. Why not make a playlist? Remote ControlIf you have a view of your yard, you can watch where people are and use a remote control to scare them at just the right time. Hours of fun!
Sensor ControlOver and above the basic electrical skills comes working with sensors. Light sensors, audio sensors and touch sensors can all be used to make your Halloween decorations just a little bit more spooky. Programmed SequencesUse some basic programming skill to control the overall sequence of events. Make some things constant, others every two minutes, while the occasional event only happens directly after something else (but only every fifth time). If this is done as well as the remote-controlled and sensor-controlled events it will be even better!
Automatic MovementHydraulics, magnets and propulsion are all easy ways to get things to move by themselves. Try making something that jumps up, squirts water, squirms or shoots across the yard. Add CharacterLook to bad horror flicks, B-grade sci-fi and creepy books to come up with characters and scenes which will scare the pants off your audience. Want something creepy spoken? Record some Poe.
Chemistry Don’t forget your dry ice and liquid light! Scary PathsMake a maze or a drawbridge so that your guests have to walk by your scariest items. You know you’ve done really well when only a few kids are brave enough to make it to your door.
Geek CharactersIf scary stuff isn’t your thing, you can just avoid the cliché Halloween decorations and turn your house into a geek’s paradise. The kids will suddenly find Optimus Prime a whole lot scarier. Geek PumpkinsIf you just want to add a geek twist to a traditional Halloween decoration, have a go at some geeky carved pumpkins like cylons. The possibilities are endless.
Mix it upFor extra geek points, mix it all up. If you add one new item per year you’ll get there eventually. Make a partially sensor-controlled and part remote-controlled audio-visual display with spooky lighting, creepy music and sounds, things that move by themselves using hydraulics and magnets, mazes and the works. Feature scenes and characters from the most creepy books or movies you have ever found. Voila! The neighbourhood kids will be torn between the need to take a look and the need to be elsewhere very quickly.
You might also like these DIY projects for Halloween including recipes and costumes. Hope you enjoy creating something special this Halloween using these ideas for inspiration. Let us know what you come up with! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| 10 Websites To Learn A Word A Day & Enrich Your Vocabulary Posted: 22 Oct 2010 11:30 AM PDT
There are only two ways to learn new words – read and use.
So, let's take it a word at a time and seek the help of these ten websites that teach us new words in different ways. Wordsmith
Wordsmith.org is one of the better examples of a stripped down, plain Jane website that hides a lot of usefulness behind its looks. If you have to use just one of the services listed, opt for the daily newsletter. A word a day delivered to your inbox. The screenshot shows how a single word is covered in all its shades. Weboword
A single word each day is illustrated with a cartoon. If you have a visual sort of memory, you won't have any trouble picking up quite a few words over the course of a month, and learning to use them as they are meant to be. The blog is expecting a rebirth in a new avatar soon. Wordia
From cartoons to video, visual learning is the new mantra and it seems it's no different for dictionaries. Wordia functions like a normal dictionary but instead of text definitions, you get videos explaining the usage of a word. The video explanations seem more thorough and easier to grasp than the textual definition. Everyday you can test yourself with Vocability, the Wordia game. Vocab Vitamins
The vocabulary learning tool gives you doses of 'verbal supplements' daily in the mail and also on the site. Word of the day is also arranged around a central theme. For instance, the word 'doldrums' belongs to the week's theme – 'How's the weather? Save The Words
Savethewords.org is a beautifully constructed website that endeavors to focus attention on the lesser known words in the English language. The Oxford Dictionaries site seeks to save these words from going into a state of non-usage and non-existence. The surefire way to do that is to 'adopt' a word and use it in daily conversation. The site helps out by sending out word-a-day mailers to those of us who are passionate about words and their meanings. (See Directory mention) Wordnik
Wordnik.com covers meanings through example sentences to audio pronunciations. Like a lot of online word tools, it aims to go beyond the scope of traditional dictionaries by taking a 360 degree look at a word, the word-of-the-day page and mailer is a shortcut to that process. Wordnik makes it easier to grasp new words by also providing instances of related words and images to describe context. Phrays
Phrays.com takes a competitive approach to making you learn a word every day. Each day, a word is displayed with its meaning on the site and you have to write a sentence using the word. The sentence with the most user votes is the winner. You can also see the creative Zen of the previous winners that's also on display in the archives. (See Directory mention) WordThink
WordThink.com does not believe in learning new words just its own sake. It bunks the more complicated words and goes in for words that you might use in your daily conversations. You might not find a word like eleemosynary here, but the site might show you benevolent instead. WordThink sources the words from media and news. Vocabsushi
If you are hell bent on acing college tests like ACT, SAT, GMAT, GRE etc, try out Vocabsushi and its bite-size learning method. You can test where you stand with a 20-question Vocabsushi demo quiz right on the front page. Pick a test from the dropdown and have a go at it. If you don't fare that well, it's time to dive into Vocabsushi more seriously. Vocabsushi uses thousands of sentences from contemporary news sources that show how a word is used in the real world. The actual words are taken from standardized tests that students have to take. Vocabsushi is a superbly designed site with tools like MP3 clips (for pronunciations), word games, offline quizzes in PDF, etc. (See Directory mention) BBC Learning English
BBC's world service for the English language doesn't have a word-a-day mailer or other downloads. But if offers a host of tools that you can use to enrich your vocabulary. Word in the News takes a real news report and highlights specific words with meanings which you can pick up. News English Extra looks at how a word is used in the context of daily news. Then you can Keep your English up to date that explains a word in broad detail. Also, check out the sections like Vocabulary on Football, Tennis, Science etc. Some sections are also covered with downloadable podcasts. There's no end to learning new words and adding them to your vocabulary. Words aren't meant to make you a dictionary on two legs, but to in fact make your conversations simpler. Do you agree? Image: Shutterstock Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| The Top 3 Security Apps To Protect Your Mac Posted: 22 Oct 2010 10:30 AM PDT
Compared to Windows, Mac operating systems are indeed safer and Mac viruses are a rarity. But that does not mean Mac is impenetrable. The main reason that there are so far fewer viruses for Mac is the still dominating market share of Windows computers. Security through obscurity, it’s often dubbed; although the gap is steadily closing.
iAntiVirus – Virus ScannerA virus scanner takes a look at all your files and searches for properties that are known to belong to viruses. This is one of the best ways to keep your computer protected. In July 2010, Matt Smith wrote a more extensive review of iAntiVirus, check it out.
iAntivirus is exactly what you’d expect from the screenshot above; excruciatingly simple. Once you’re past the installation and have fired up the application, you’ll be able to select from two options. Scan my Mac will make sure you’ve got no viruses between the files already residing on your computer. The button below, Protect my Mac, turns the continuous iAntiVirus surveillance on or off. SecureFiles – File EncryptionMac natively allows you to create password-protected disk images, but it’s a slow, tedious job and surprisingly many software alternatives have risen to the challenge. SecureFiles performs those tasks and, contrary to most alternatives, is entirely free.
To create a secure volume, a virtual vault so to speak, enter the name and filesize. After specifying a password, the volume will appear in the specified location. You can use this volume like a regular folder, by dragging in the files and folders you want to protect. Once you’re finished, you can use SecureFiles to compact the volume with a 128-bit AES encryption. NoobProof – Firewall ConfigurationIf you’re not satisfied with the user GUI Mac OS X has to offer for its native firewall, you should give NoobProof a spin. Like the name implies, it’s a largely foolproof application that allows you to create additional rule sets for the firewall.
By and large, you can use NoobProof to handle additional services on a port-specific level. If you were looking for a disconcerting amount of control, try WaterRoof. It was also developed by Hanynet, with more advanced functionality, but also far more difficult to use. Did we miss any other great Mac security tools? Tell us why you would add them in the comments below! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| Facebook Causes – Raise Funds and Support What Matters Posted: 22 Oct 2010 09:30 AM PDT
We’ve covered a lot about Facebook here at MakeUseOf, such as the nuts and bolts behind the social network, adding Facebook widgets to your own site, or customizing your Facebook profile. If you haven’t discovered the world of Facebook Causes yet, I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to this amazing resource.
Accessing Facebook CausesIf you’ve never used Facebook Causes before, you can quickly add it to your account by conducting a Facebook search for “causes” or heading to this page. Facebook will immediately bring you into the Causes area, and most likely the following window will pop up suggesting a number of causes that Facebook believes you may be interested in. This is based on any of the past causes of your friends that you might have “liked” in the past.
You might choose one or more of these causes to start supporting immediately. When you “like” a cause, it’ll show up on your main wall and everyone will know that you’ve chosen to support that cause.
Now, supporting existing causes is very cool (and actually donating money to them is even more cool), but if you have a cause that you’d really like to support and you don’t see any others like it, you can launch your own. How to Start a CauseLaunch your own cause by clicking “Causes” on the menu and select “Start a Cause.”
Starting your own is a very simple two step process. First you can create the name, mission and stated positions that your cause stands for, and of course include a good picture or logo that represents the core of your beliefs.
Most importantly, you can make your cause produce a very real financial impact for any organization that you believe in. You’ll be shocked when you start searching through the organization list at Facebook. There are tens of thousands of organizations that are now signed up at Facebook. When your friends and family donate to your cause – those funds go directly to support the organization that you feel would make the most positive impact.
To make it easier to find organizations that you believe in supporting with your cause, just select a category or sub-category that will focus your search. Once you have your cause active, this is what it will look like.
It looks a lot like a Fan Page, except there are big green buttons on the right side where new people that come across your cause can either join or donate to your cause. Facebook Causes also includes a whole variety of promotional tools that will help you distribute your cause page to family and friends through Facebook and through email as well.
Facebook Causes also provides you with some very cool tools as part of your cause, such as the ability to have your members sign petitions to support certain political or social movements. Petitions can have a very real impact in the real world – for example, on May 8, 2010, Betty White hosted a Mother’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live, thanks to hundreds of thousands of people signing a Facebook petition supporting her as an SNL host! Making a WishAnother cool part of Facebook Causes is the ability to make a “wish” to encourage your friends to support a cause that you believe in. If you click on “Wishes” in the Causes menu, you can make a wish that will show up on your Facebook wall. If you’ve had a birthday yet, then you’ve probably seen the automatic Facebook birthday wish that pops up. Creating a wish is really easy.
All you have to do is choose a cause that you’d like to encourage your family and friends to support, and initiate your fund-raising “wish” by writing up a great paragraph or two that describes why you feel so strongly about the cause. For a little bit of additional encouragement, set financial goals so people can see how much you are “wishing” for.
Finally, you can see your causes, wishes and fund-raising efforts by clicking on the Causes tab from your Facebook wall.
Your Causes profile is like a central command center where you can continue promoting your various causes, make additional wishes, or where you can check on the current fund raising status of the different causes you believe in. Do you use Facebook Causes for your organization or fund raising efforts? Has it been successful for you? Share your own experiences and advice in the comments section below. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| Sync Files and Access Your PC Remotely with Windows Live Mesh 2011 Posted: 22 Oct 2010 08:30 AM PDT
There is a lot of functionality in Windows Live Mesh 2011, and all of it attempts to resolve the problem that is often faced by people who own more than one computer – keeping information between the two PCs coordinated. Let’s take a closer look at why Live Mesh 2011 is handy. Keeping Things in Sync
Microsoft’s previous sync program was called Live Sync, and while short-lived it was very useful. Although not as easy to use as a service such as DropBox, Live Sync let you sync a virtually unlimited amount of data between multiple computers. Now Live Sync is going away, however, because Windows Live Mesh 2011 is taking over. The actual sync functionality is largely the same as before, but the interface is vastly improved compared to Live Sync. All you have to do to sync a folder with Live Mesh 2011 is click on the “Sync a folder” text near the top of the window on the Status tab.You can then browse your computer for the folder that you’d like to sync. Once you’ve chosen the folder, Live Mesh 2011 will ask you what devices you’d like to sync with. All the PCs that on which you have Live Mesh installed will appear as options, and you’ll also be given the chance to sync the folder with Microsoft SkyDrive.
In addition to syncing file folders, Windows Live Mesh 2011 has added the ability to sync Internet Explorer favorites and Microsoft Office information (such as templates, any personal information you’ve added to auto-fill certain documents, etc). Both of these features are also very easy to use – in fact, all you need to do is click on each option. After the program takes a few seconds to think about what you’ve done you’ll be informed that syncing is turned on. And that’s it – now your Internet Explorer favorites and Office preferences are shared between any computers on which you’ve installed Windows Live Mesh 2011. Access Your Computers RemotelyA new feature added to Windows Live Mesh 2011 is the ability to access any computer you’ve installed the program on remotely from any other computer you own. Remote access has been possible in Windows previously under the name Remote Desktop Services or Terminal Services, but is only enabled in certain versions of Windows and is targeted towards IT professionals and computer enthusiasts rather than the average user.
To access a computer remotely you only need to click the Connect to this computer text. Windows Live Mesh 2011 will establish a connection to the other computer, which will take a few moments. You can only establish connections to computers that have a password protected Windows account set up.
Windows Live Mesh 2011 does not have to be actively running on the computer you wish to remotely access, but the program must be installed and associated with your Windows Live account. If someone is already logged in to the PC you’re trying to access remotely they will be informed of your access attempt and given the chance to log out or deny your request for a remote connection.
The remote connection controls are fairly basic. At the top of the remote access window is a control bar, and there are just a few options available. The most important is probably the icon that looks like a set of keys. Clicking this will activate Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the remote PC. Next to that is a magnifying glass which makes it possible to slightly alter how the remote desktop is displayed, and the final icon to the right lets you maximum the remote access window. ConclusionI personally used Windows Live Sync to keep several of my folders synced between my PCs and I was happy with the program overall. Windows Live Mesh 2011, however, is a dramatic improvement. It is much easier to use, contains some useful additional features, adds the ability to access your PCs remotely – a huge boon! Maybe Microsoft can make some decent software after all. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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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.
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