MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [November 3rd]” plus 14 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [November 3rd]
- Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun]
- Elago Tire Tread Silicon Case for iPhone 4 Review and Giveaway
- Join MakeUseOf On Twitter!
- 2 Alternative File Managers You Should Really Check Out
- Spruce Up Your Linux Desktop With Screenlets
- 8 Best Websites For Quality HTML Coding Examples
- Hot Tech Deals [Nov 3rd]
- Catch The News On A World Map With These 7 Map-Based News Aggregators
- Use Thousands Of Non Web-Safe Fonts To Spice Up Your Website
- Some Awesome New Features In iMovie ’11 [Mac]
- 5 Casual Linux Games You Probably Don’t Know About
- Paragon Virtualization Manager 2010 Professional [MakeUseOf Giveaway]
- Leatherbound – eBook Price Comparisons for the Kindle, Nook & iBookstore
- Simon Is Leaving – A Vacancy Opens Up At MakeUseOf
| Cool Websites and Tools [November 3rd] Posted: 03 Nov 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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| Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun] Posted: 03 Nov 2010 07:31 PM PDT
If you would like to keep up with all latest Geeky Fun additions, please subscribe to the Geeky Fun feed here. You can also subscribe and get the latest additions via email.
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| Elago Tire Tread Silicon Case for iPhone 4 Review and Giveaway Posted: 03 Nov 2010 07:21 PM PDT
They come and black and translucenty-white; and are just the thing if you’re looking for a stylish out-of-the-ordinary iPhone 4 case. We’re giving six of these beauties away so chime in if you want to score one for yourself. And this time, your chances are pretty good.
The Tire Tread Silicon Case is designed to look like, well, tyre tread. Who knew? But don’t mock it because it’s actually quite stylish and eye-catching. It has that whole F1 thing happening and really makes the iPhone 4 a little more sporty. This case is perfect for trips to the gym. And with a soft, rubbery, silicon body; it’s the ultimate candidate for the occasion too.
If you’re thinking that it’s probably made out of low-grade silicon case, think again. This case can hold its own. The material doesn’t feel cheap and after using for it a while, I’m confident that it’ll last; probably longer than the iPhone can. The case itself isn’t very thick and not too soft. While encasing the iPhone, it doesn’t feel loose but isn’t very difficult to take off either.
I haven’t tried stretching it but I get the feeling that it won’t break or tear easily. So again, it’s quite durable. The only unpleasant encounter was the slightly stubborn power button that needs to be press a little harder than usual. Other than that, I have no complaints. Being silicon, it doesn’t really collect a lot of dust and isn’t very sticky.
While the black model is stylish, the only word that describe the white model appropriately is stunning. Seriously, look at it.
It’s made exactly the same. The silicon and the pattern are the same. The only difference is this being translucent. And you know what? It’s perfect for the white iPhone! So, we’re giving six Elago Tire Tread Silicon cases away — that’s 3 black and 3 white models. Do you want one? How do I enter?It’s simple, just follow the instructions. STEP 1Join our Facebook page by liking us. If you’re already following us, you may skip this step. If you can’t see the fanbox, click on this link. STEP 2Here’s our giveaway form. Please fill it in accurately. Be sure to enter your real email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. Click here if you can’t view the form. STEP 3You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to LIKE the post. This step is optional but why not spread the love? And that’s it! You’re done! Giveaway eligibility You must be a fan of our Facebook page to enter; Individuals who are over the age of 18. If you are under 18, get your parents to participate on your behalf; Individuals who reside in a country embargoed by the United States; Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India are not permitted to enter. This giveaway begins now and ends after 300 submissions. The winner will be selected at random and announced via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! 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: 03 Nov 2010 07:00 PM PDT
You’ll be notified everytime there is a new post on the MakeUseOf Blog, a web app review on the MakeUseOf Directory or something new on Geeky Fun. Plus, we would love it if you would re-tweet the posts and discuss them, so more people get to know about us and join our community. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter Now Thank you! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| 2 Alternative File Managers You Should Really Check Out Posted: 03 Nov 2010 06:31 PM PDT
Here are two more file browsers that carry handy features that Windows Explorer lacks. The first one may even be hidden within your installed programs, while the second one is a new application with a twist. 7-Zip File Manager (Cross-Platform)You probably already have downloaded one of the best file compression/decompression tools out there, 7-zip, which shines with its high compression rate (and fares well compared to other free file archivers), but did you know it also bundles a lightweight file manager? Me neither, up until it was mentioned on How-To Geek. The 7-zip two-pane file manager just works and doesn’t get stuck like Windows Explorer might if you try to copy or move an enormous file around.
If you already have 7-zip installed, you can start using the file manager by simply typing ” 7″ in the Start Menu search box. If you want faster access, you can right-click on it > Send To > Desktop.
Best Features
There’s also a way for you to omit the cascaded menu when you right-click on say a zip file and instead, have the 7-zip options when you right-click.
To fix that, you just need to head to Tools in the File Manager menu bar and adjust your Options.
Nemo Documents (Windows)
Nemo Documents is also a lightweight, unobtrusive file manager that displays your file structure à la Google Calendar (which is supported!) or Outlook, that is, in a calendar view and provides more intuitive ways to find files, period. I can see the calendar view being useful to anyone that is GTD-conscious and may want to review files that s/he is working on. Nemo Documents can also double up as a search tool as it integrates with the built-in Desktop Search function in Vista and Windows 7 to help you search for keywords or phrases inside documents.
Thus, as the author’s website indicates, if you can’t remember the name of some file, you can combine these keywords along with “other clues that you can remember about the document, such as a specific month or the file type” to help you find a file.
Windows 7 can bundle search results by month (as you can see in Jim’s screenshot), but now WinXP and Vista users can get this and additional views with the file manager in question.
Another cool thing is that you can tag or label files, regardless of the file type.
Usually, you can only add tags to Microsoft documents, JPEG images and nothing else in Windows Explorer, unless you are using third-party applications, such as TaggedFrog or Tag2Find. Thus, if you’re into tagging or could use more efficient file searches with tags, Nemo Documents might be for you. Nemo Documents is as small as downloads come (the download file size is about 672 KB) and occupies 1.77 MB once installed. It seems like this product is pretty young so it might implement additional features later on as more feedback becomes available to the authors. Have you got any alternative file browsers you’re extremely fond of? Share it with us in the comments! Image credit: Andrew Currie Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| Spruce Up Your Linux Desktop With Screenlets Posted: 03 Nov 2010 04:31 PM PDT
There’s no reason Linux users can’t join the party too, and thanks to Screenlets you can pimp your desktop and make the most of that unused space. Once installed you can then choose from the many in-built widgets or download community-made contributions. If you’ve already got an awesome theme, sexy dock and a set of icons to die for then Screenlets might just add that last bit of sparkle to your Linux desktop. What Do They Do?Screenlets simply enhances your desktop by providing access to useful organisational tools, web clips and system information. It can be anything from a basic clock that sits in the corner to a weather widget or your unread email count.
These are perfect for adding extra functionality to a drab desktop. The customization possibilities are somewhat endless – you can choose where to put them, whether to lock them, display them on multiple desktops or simply have one desktop solely dedicated to these oh-so-useful widgets. The current Screenlets release has support for widgets written for other platforms as well, including SuperKaramba themes, web widgets and Google Desktop Gadgets. If you want eye candy and an endless stream of sexy looking widgets on your desktop then Screenlets are probably for you. InstallationYou can download the latest stable release for your particular operating system right here, or if you’re running Ubuntu can choose to install straight from the command line. Simply open a new Terminal window (Applications, Accessories and then Terminal) and type:
You will be prompted for your password, and then warned about how much space will be required. Hit “y” then Enter and Screenlets will be installed. Once you’ve downloaded and installed you can launch the tool and start adding to your desktop by navigating your way to Applications, Accessories and then choosing Screenlets. UsageThe main configuration window is fairly self-explanatory. All your available widgets are visible in the right-hand pane, and any you download and install from now on will appear alongside these. If you want to add a widget simply click it and then click Launch/Add.
There’s a handy search panel in case you end up installing hundreds and need quick access and the Options button will bring up a menu allowing you to specify the default attributes for each new item added to your desktop. Once you’ve added a Screenlet you can then right click to bring up a menu allowing you to customize its behaviour. By choosing Properties you will be able to scale, add transparency, decide whether to stick it to every desktop (that’s Sticky, by the way) or lock it in place (with Lock) amongst other options.
If your widget has multiple themes (and most of the in-built offerings do) then you can also change the look from this menu. I’d personally recommend the Terminal widget which embeds a Terminal window directly into your background and Sysmonitor which lets you know exactly what your machine is up to. Download More WidgetsYou’re undoubtedly going to get bored with what’s included, so if you’re after some more widgets here’s a few resources to get you started: GNOME-Look.org – Screenlets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Best Websites For Quality HTML Coding Examples Posted: 03 Nov 2010 02:31 PM PDT
Well, a lot has changed since the 90′s, and the advent of dynamic web coding languages like PHP really make HTML old-school. Then again, you have to understand old-school HTML before you can understand the languages that dynamically create the HTML that browsers display.
The following eight sites not only offer a good, solid foundation on HTML coding, but they also offer the best learning environment, with tools you can use to test out what you learn. Top 8 Websites For HTML Coding ExamplesHTML DogOne of my favorite sites that I usually check first whenever I forget the basic syntax for HTML statements is HTML Dog. The site is well-designed, unlike 90 percent of the web design websites out there that look like they were built in the 1990′s and never updated. The format is simple and fast – just click on the tutorial topic on the left and you can read it on the right.
HTML Dog provides clear examples in white code boxes which you can copy and paste into your own HTML code. When you’re ready for more advanced coding, you can scroll down the left menu and explore the “HTML Advanced” or CSS areas. W3SchoolsNow, while HTML Dog is my favorite when it comes to checking basic syntax, W3Schools is the place I usually go when I want to get a bit fancy with my web coding. It’s one of the more popular resources for all simple and dynamic coding examples, from PHP through XML and Javascript – but you’ll also find an awesome section filled with basic HTML coding examples.
The cool thing about W3Schools is that they’ve incorporated a useful split-screen tool where you can test out the code you learn in each lesson. Just tweak the HTML a bit, click “Edit and Click Me” and you’ll see the results in the area to the right. Very useful!
QuackitAnother site that’s on the same level as W3Schools in terms of usefulness and modern design is Quackit. Yes, the name is a little goofy, but the site provides volumes of helpful examples.
In the HTML area, you’ll find lots of example code in text boxes that you can highlight and copy – with the actual display effect shown in the “Example” column. The HTML Generators at the bottom of the menu on the left are very useful for tweaking the code to the exact formatting you want. LandOfCodeAnother site that offers the useful split-screen tool for testing HTML code is LandOfCode. While the main site offers a fair number of HTML examples, the formatting of the site leaves a little bit to be desired. However, access to the useful split-screen HTML test area more than makes up for it.
This one is actually a little bit more advanced than the W3Schools tool because it has additional buttons that’ll let you view the results in a new window, not just in the display area to the right. Ove KlykkenAnother site that is actually pretty useful once you start branching out into the more advanced formatting areas is Ove Klykken’s blog.
While you’ll definitely find articles with basic HTML coding examples on the blog, the really cool thing about the site is the new, unique coding examples offered in CSS, such as a CSS photo gallery, rollover images or creating transparent images. EchoEchoA couple more websites that I wanted to touch on aren’t the best of the best – but they do stand above other HTML code sites because they’re well written, well formatted and cover the topic thoroughly. The first of those is EchoEcho.
This site is actually devoted to offering a lot more than tutorials – there’s a forum, articles and more. But the HTML tutorials area is really thorough and useful. Java2sThe HTML/CSS section of the Java2s website is another example of valuable basic HTML information getting buried within advanced coding tutorials, but once you find it there are lots of useful HTML coding examples.
Webpages That SuckFinally, because it’s always a good idea to learn how to code by seeing examples of how not to code, I have to give kudos to one of the most useful sites on the Internet that all students that are new to HTML should bookmark. The site is called WebPagesThatSuck.
Here, you’ll find examples of both good and bad web coding. Some of the daily web-design mistakes uncovered in the “Daily Sucker” section are pretty funny. Do you know of any other really useful HTML example resources for web programmers that are just learning how to create webpages? Share your own resources in the comments section below. Image credit: Ilker Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Posted: 03 Nov 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 NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| Catch The News On A World Map With These 7 Map-Based News Aggregators Posted: 03 Nov 2010 12:31 PM PDT
Just check out all the news apps we have covered over the years; with the sheer number of apps you don't have an excuse anymore to remain unknowing. So, where do map based news aggregators fit in?
So, let's go around with these map based news apps and see some headlines around the world. Mapeas
Mapeas brings video news and puts it on a Google Map. It syndicates news from sources like Associated Press, Fox, NBC etc. The Google Map is spotted with markers which are clickable. The markers are also category specific. Magnify on a region to find more markers; the numbered markers indicate the number of news clips in that area. Clicking on a marker pops up a box with a news brief and a video thumbnail. If you find that the news clip is not accurate for the area, you can mark it as misplaced. (See Directory mention). Buzztracker
Buzztracker is a more 'diagnostic' tool because it allows you to see the relationships between major happenings around the world. The news app tracks English language news sources and presents the news interlinks on a Google powered map. Cities which get higher news coverage get larger circles. News connections are shown by lines, and thicker lines stands for deeper links between the news sources. Clicking on a location takes you to an index page which mentions the city and the percentage of news associated with it. Associated locations and the news articles are mentioned alongside. NewsWorldMap
The Google Maps mashup puts news sourced from Google News on locations around the world. The interactive map also uses the geographical database of Geonames.org for location information. The site is very simple, you just have to point your mouse at a spot on the map and a balloon pops up with the headlines for the country. Washington Post – TimeSpace
If it's Washington Post, then the news and opinions has to be worth a read. The interactive map brings articles, photos, video and commentary from around the globe. The large numbers represent news clusters and you have to click once on the icon to drill down. A cool timeline shows peaks of news coverage for the day when you click on the play button. You can also use the little text box at the top to filter the type of news you are interested in. BBC Live World Map
BBC's most popular stories (and most emailed) can be grouped according to region using the small clickable map. The color tones also comparatively show where most of the readership is coming from. The world map allows you to see which stories are generating the most buzz in different parts of the world. Clicking on a continent will automatically re-order the top 10 news items for that particular continent. All this happens in real time. Here is another small example of a BBC News and Google Map mashup. I guess because of BBC's leanings towards the British Isles, you get to see a larger cluster around that region. News Map
News Map is a simple mashup of Google Maps and news from Yahoo Search. Clicking on a region of the map brings up a list of 10 news links alongside. Newseum
We covered Newseum briefly in 5 Sites to Find Local Newspapers Published Around the World. You can either use Bing (Beta) or a Flash map to pinpoint a location and open up its daily newspaper's front page. The newspapers sourced are quite widespread. It's a really cool way to see what's making the headlines around the world. The mashup of news and maps show that news can be read differently. Although the number of news articles is not huge in the maps, depending on need and time, you can go for the straight-laced news portals or try out the more visual and interactive forms of reading map based news. Tell us about the one you are interested in. Image Credit: Shutterstock Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| Use Thousands Of Non Web-Safe Fonts To Spice Up Your Website Posted: 03 Nov 2010 11:31 AM PDT
The launch of Google Fonts brings fresh air to the world of free web typography. But even though Google provide us with many great free-to-use fonts, the addition is still just a speck of dust among thousands (or maybe millions?) of existing fonts out there.
Free Fine Fonts For YouFonts.com is brought to us by Monotype Imaging, a well known name in the font industry. The company name itself is a guarantee that you will find a vast choices of fonts here. But before we can use the Fonts.com service, we should first sign up to get a free account.
There are three “pricing” schemes available with various features, but I personally think that the free one – with 3,000+ font choices, unlimited websites use and fonts per site, and 25,000 pageviews per month – is more than adequate for everyday bloggers and website owners. The free offer is very generous considering that Typekit – another big player in the same field – limits their users with only one website use and two fonts per site.
Start by building a project: give it a name and add the domains that you want to use the fonts with. Don’t forget to save the project before you continue. You can create several projects to manage, but due to the pageviews limitation, I suggest you create another account for another project if your website could attract high traffic.
The next step is to choose the fonts for your project. You can sort by classification, designer, foundry or language support. If you know the font name, you can go directly to the search box, or – if you have plenty of spare time – you can browse all the available web page fonts alphabetically.
But before you do that, it’s better to take a look at the list of featured fonts.
The language support options will be very useful if you are looking for fonts that support non-Latin characters like Arabic or Chinese.
Adding the fonts to a project is as easy as clicking the “Add to project” button at the right side of the font list. If you find a font with a grey “Upgrade” button, it means that the font is only available for paid users.
After adding the fonts that you like to the project, you can start working on your style sheet. Go to the “Selectors” field, type a selector and click “Add selector“. Repeat the process for other selectors. A little knowledge of HTML and CSS would be very useful here, but using the basic “body” and “h1” to “hx” (change the x with any number) will do for beginners.
Then choose a font from the drop down list for each selector. The available fonts are the ones that we chose earlier. A preview of the font usage will appear to the right of the list.
The last step is to publish your project. Clicking on the “Publish” tab will give you four options. Beginners will want to stick with option 1.
While options 3 and 4 are only available for paid users. You will get one line of code to apply on your website. Click the “Select code” button and hit Command + C (Mac) or Ctrl + C (Windows) to copy the code.
Now let’s move to your website to apply the code. Applying The CodeThe code that you get should be pasted between the “head” tags. I’m assuming that if you have a website, you should know how to do that. However, for self-hosted WordPress blog owners, there’s an easy way to do it without having to edit any code. Install and activate a WordPress plugin called “Insert Codes” and paste the font code inside the “Blog header” field, and save the changes.
I tried this on my self-hosted WordPress blog and everything worked fine. The elements showed up with their new look.
The beauty of this system is that if you make any changes to your project inside Fonts.com, the changes will be automatically applied to your website(s) without you having to do anything. So if you are looking for free and easy ways to play with web typography, the service from Fonts.com would be your best bet. I personally think it’s even better than the Google Font directory – at least from the number of choices that free users have. Do you tinker with web typography? Do you know other alternatives? Please share your thoughts and opinions using the comments below. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| Some Awesome New Features In iMovie ’11 [Mac] Posted: 03 Nov 2010 10:31 AM PDT
While Apple has still kept the application closed to third-party developers, it recently released iMovie ’11, which is a part of the latest iLife suite of applications. iMovie ’11 has a handful of additional features that bring back many of the missing features that made iMovie HD so great. TimelineAs far as I'm concerned, the number one missing feature is the return of the timeline in iMovie ’11.
When you first launch the latest version, this feature is not evident by default. You get at it by selecting a project, then clicking the swap button, which will put the Project Storyboard at the bottom of iMovie and the Event browser at the top.
Then you click the rows button to view clips in single or multiple rows. This feature makes longer video productions a little easier to manage and edit. Audio FeaturesAnother resurrected feature is the ability to adjust audio levels right on the clip without having to open a separate editor panel. This can only be done with clips in the Event browser. To access this feature, you need to select clips and then click the auto button in the iMovie toolbar.
Apple also brought back audio effects and an equalizer. So now you can apply voice and other enhancements to audio.
Movie Trailers & ThemesOne significant tool I can’t wait to use with my next project is the Movie Trailer feature, which allows you to select clips from a project to create a really professional looking trailer. While it's a template-based tool, allowing for very little customization, it's a great way to share parts of your movie in a fast-paced short clip. In addition, a few other themes are included for making news and sports productions.
People DetectionThe process involved in building movie trailers is to include individual clips with one person or a group of people in them. The new iMovie helps streamline that process with what is called People Detection. This not like the Face Detection feature found in iPhoto. It doesn't try to find individual unique faces, it simply tracks and tags clips of how many faces are detected in clips, and the distance they are from the camera.
It's takes a while for iMovie to analyze clips for this detection, so be prepared to take a coffee break while you wait. After you click the filter search button, you can view tagged clips by one person, two people, or a group; as well as of people in closeup, medium, or wide shots.
SharingApple also added options for where you can quickly share your iMovie projects. In addition to YouTube, you can now directly upload to projects to Vimeo.com, CNN iReport, and Facebook. If you have a Mac Os X Server, iMovie includes a feature for creating and publishing podcasts to what is called Podcast Producer.
It's great to see iMovie evolve and start to become a powerful video editor for beginning and advanced users. Let us know what features you like, or what you still find lacking in the program. Also check out my other article on how to add opening and closing credits to your project in iMovie. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| 5 Casual Linux Games You Probably Don’t Know About Posted: 03 Nov 2010 09:31 AM PDT
With that many games it’s hard to know what’s worth playing and what’s not. It wasn’t easy, but I spent a couple of days trying various games out. Keep reading to hear about five simple Linux games I personally enjoyed but think many Linux users may not be aware of, and feel free to suggest more in the comments below! Which Way Is Up?
Gravity is subjective. At least, it is in this game. Turn a switch and the entire field of play is rotated, meaning up, down, left and right are all redefined. A puzzle game with a few enemies and obstacles, this game is strangely addictive. Ubuntu users can click here to install Which Way Is Up; users of other distros should check their package manager or check out the official Which Way Is Up website for more information. Secret Maryo Chronicles
Does the name sound familiar? That’s intentional. Secret Maryo Chronicles is a not-so-subtle tribute to Super Mario Bros, the quintessential platform game. And everything is here: mushrooms, fire flowers, pipes and more. Everyone born in the 80′s harbors a desire to play more Mario levels in classic 2D fashion, so this game is certainly worth checking out. Ubuntu users can click here to install Secret Maryo Chronicles, and click here to install the game’s optional music. Check your package manager if you don’t use Ubuntu, or check out the official Secret Maryo page for more information. Numpty Physics
This one’s just awesome. Have you ever doodled on a pad of paper, wishing you could watch the results follow the laws of physics? Now you can! In Numpty Physics the objective is to hit the yellow star with whatever red object is on the screen. Your tool for accomplishing this? Whatever you want. What you draw will interact with everything onscreen in accordance with the law of gravity. This is hardly scientific, but it is very intuitive and quite a bit of fun. Ubuntu users can click here to download Numpty Physics. Other Linux users should check their distro’s repositories, or the official Numpty Physics page for download information. You’ll even find fan-made levels there! Ice Breaker
Everyone loves penguins, and penguin-related games are appropriately plentiful on the Linux platform. This game, a simple penguin take of the PC classic “Jezball,” isn’t exactly ambitious. Still, if you like the source material odds are you’ll like this game. The penguins are really just a bonus attribute so far as I’m concerned. Ubuntu users can install Ice Breaker by clicking here; users of other distributions should check their repositories. Frozen Bubble
Okay, I’ll admit it: you’ve probably heard of this one. Frozen Bubble is a well-designed puzzle game you should probably check out. Featuring a great-looking user interface and energetic movement, the goal of Frozen Bubble is to clear the playing area out completely this is achieved by hitting clusters of marbles with marbles of the same color. It’s also a lot of fun, and includes a great two-play mode. You can click here to install Frozen Bubble; users of other Linux distributions should check their package managers or head over to the official Frozen Bubble page to find installation information. There’s Lots MoreThis is just scratching the surface, of course. The Ubuntu Software Center offers 502 free games by default, and that doesn’t even include the hundreds more you can find on the web. You should also check out Tim’s recent article eight awesome free and open source games for Windows, Mac and Linux, of course, because there are some great games in there. You can also find 3 applications for discovering and installing awesome games, if you want. Do you have a favorite Linux game that I’ve missed? Point it out below, including package names and links. I’d love to discover more treasures, and I’m sure I’m not alone on that. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| Paragon Virtualization Manager 2010 Professional [MakeUseOf Giveaway] Posted: 03 Nov 2010 09:00 AM PDT
This week, we will be giving away 50 Virtualization Manager 2010 licenses worth almost $3500 in total! Find out how you can be in the running to win one after the jump.
Paragon Virtualization Manager allows you to:
So how can you use all these features in your day to day life? If you’ve upgraded your PC, you can easily migrate your entire system over to your new machine. If some of your applications are no longer compatible, you can continue to run them in a virtual environment created using Paragon Virtualization Manager. You can also clone your current system, creating a virtual one. This can come in handy if you need to backup your system in a virtual enviroment rather than backing it up to a physical drive. This will allow you to use your virtual system in the event that your physical one is not available.
Running the virtual system allows you to try new software without any concerns over the effect it may have on your current physical system. If you don’t want to limit yourself to one OS, Paragon Virtualisation Manager makes it possible to run different Operation Systems on one machine. Linux, Windows and Mac OS X are all supported. Paragon Virtualization Manager is the perfect solution for all your migration needs not only because it is jampacked with great features, but because it also performs migrations quickly with a user-friendly wizard.
There are two different ways in which you can use the program – in Express or Full Mode. Express is a simplified menu.
Full Mode gives you access to a more detailed overview of the program and its features.
How do I win a copy?It’s simple, just follow the instructions.
Giveaway eligibility You must be a fan of our Facebook page to enter; Individuals who are over the age of 18. If you are under 18, get your parents to participate on your behalf; Individuals who reside in a country embargoed by the United States; Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India are not permitted to enter. This giveaway begins now and ends Wednesday, November 10th at 2100hrs PST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! MakeUseOf would like to thank Paragon Software for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Leatherbound – eBook Price Comparisons for the Kindle, Nook & iBookstore Posted: 03 Nov 2010 08:30 AM PDT
Regardless of what hardware you’re carrying, however, we all generally get our content from the same places. Whether you’re reading eBooks on your iPad or iPhone, chances are you purchased them through iBooks or Amazon. If you own a Nook, you may have used Barnes & Noble. These stores all work the same way, for the most part, but eBook prices are not standard across them, so how do you find the best deal? In this article, I’ll show you how to use Leatherbound to search for books from the three stores I’ve mentioned, all in one place. A Little Background, Please?The Rails Rumble is an annual 48 hour web application development competition in which teams of skilled web application developers get one weekend to design, develop, and deploy the best web property that they can, using the power of Ruby and Rails. I’m telling you this because it was here that Leatherbound was made. The creators decided to create a really simple website that would address this problem:
How Does It Work?As I said, the site is very simple. Enter any book title or author and Leatherbound pulls book results on iBook, Kindle and Nook in a single click, along with price, availability, description, etc.
First, head over to Leatherbound.me and enter the title or author of the book you want. The site will automatically post your search results off to the right, and if you change your search query it will continue to display updated results in real-time.
By default, results are displayed in a list and, judging by how common the title of the book you’re looking for is, you may need to click on the More Results button to see all of them. The books I searched for generally showed up in the top 2 or 3 results though, which is good.
If you know what the cover of the book you’re looking for looks like you may want to switch to the grid view. You can do this by clicking the little square button at the top of your search results. This will display all of the covers of the books so you can compare them side-by-side.
Clicking on a book instantly takes you to that book’s individual listing. Off to the left, you will be able to see the book’s cover, title and author, as well as a one or two paragraph description of its contents. On the right, you will see that book’s availability for the Kindle, Nook, and iBookstore, along with the price at each one. Clicking on the Buy button takes you directly to the listing page pertaining to that store. You can also tweet your findings and even grab an embed code to place a widget on your website. Will you be using Leatherbound to search for eBooks? What type of eBook Reader do you own?
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| Simon Is Leaving – A Vacancy Opens Up At MakeUseOf Posted: 03 Nov 2010 05:41 AM PDT
His departure is a big loss for us and a big gain for AppStorm. Simon has been working for us since 2008 when he submitted an article about securing your PC files. He began our games section later in 2008 with an article about the top 5 free online shooter games and he also became our first PDF manuals editor. So his absence here at MakeUseOf will be keenly felt by all. The rest of the MakeUseOf team, and I’m sure you too, wish him all the best in his new job.
If you want to apply then send an email to me at mark@makeuseof.com and CC it to jackson@makeuseof.com . In that email, tell us why you are the right person for the job, summarize your experience, and provide links to your previous work. If we decide to consider you, we’ll be in touch as soon as possible. The successful applicant will get a fixed monthly salary and bonuses, as well as being a part of a great writing team. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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