MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [December 2nd]” plus 12 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [December 2nd]
- Join MakeUseOf On Twitter!
- 6 Stupid Yet Entertaining Office Games To Play Whilst Your Boss Isn’t Looking
- Some PC Internet Speed Tests To Try & How to Improve Bad Results
- The 7 Best Android Forums To Learn More About Apps & Features
- Hot Tech Deals [Dec 2nd]
- Arista – A Two-Click Video Conversion Tool For Linux
- 8 Awesome Android Apps To Keep Your Kids Entertained
- Test Your Website In Multiple Browsers For Free With Browserling
- Create Quick Access & Shortcuts To Your Files & Applications From The System Tray [Windows]
- Diana F+ Deluxe Kit Giveaway [and Discount Coupon]
- Facebook Co-Founder Launches Jumo, A Social Network Specializing In Good Causes [News]
- Optimizing Your Notebook Computer For Blu-Ray (& Other HD) Movies
| Cool Websites and Tools [December 2nd] Posted: 02 Dec 2010 07:31 PM PST
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. 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: 02 Dec 2010 06:31 PM PST
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! Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| 6 Stupid Yet Entertaining Office Games To Play Whilst Your Boss Isn’t Looking Posted: 02 Dec 2010 05:31 PM PST
Chances are if you do work in an office environment, your internet wings have been very much clipped and your access to guaranteed timewasters like Facebook and Twitter is restricted. Time to find something else to pass the time when you’re at your least productive? Well here I present to you a small collection of games to play in the office that you and your co-workers can enjoy, even without an internet connection. Time to have fun the old-fashioned way… The Invisible StringThis one’s really simple. Take two points in your office and draw an invisible line across the area. Try to choose a fairly high-traffic area, preferably near the water dispenser or printer for maximum enjoyment.
It is then up to you and your closest co-workers to avoid crossing the invisible line. You can duck beneath it, or even jump over it – but your aim is to never touch it. The more people that join in, the better the game. Should anyone forget, or unknowingly cross your line then all participating players should let out audible gasps of pain. Microsoft Office 2010 Left Hand EditionMore of a prank than a game, but a modern variation on a longstanding joke nonetheless. This probably works best if you’re the one in charge, but it’s also great if you’re an especially evil office member. You’ll need to target new members of staff, those on work experience or temps. It is up to you to issue a request for said newbie/temp/student to find and purchase the left-handed edition of Microsoft Office, the latest Adobe suite or whichever software package you desire.
You and your cohorts can then chuckle to yourselves whilst said poor intern trawls the web and the office for a non-existent product. If your chosen victim is wise to your plan, simply reassure them that they’ve “passed the test”. Traditionally this gaff is employed by asking a recruit to fetch “a long weight” (read: wait) from another department, especially effective if the other department is wise to your wit. Blu-Tack MoviesBlu-Tack (or any tack used to stick up posters, memos etc…) can be found pretty much in any office in plentiful supply. One of its more creative uses, however, is in the Blu-Tack movie game.
Grab some tack and mould it into a familiar object, character or clue to the name of a movie. It is then up to your co-workers to figure out the movie. Bonus points are awarded for artistic merit. Photoshop TennisBest played with 4 or more players, Photoshop Tennis can yield some hilarious results. You don’t strictly need Photoshop to play either – any image editing program will do. One player starts to draw a picture within Photoshop (or equivalent) which subsequent players must add to. The picture makes its way around the office (the more people, the better) before making it back to the originator. This game tests the creativity of your workmates, and it’s fun trying to figure out who did what. Repeat the process till you’ve run out of room, then print it off and display it as your latest office project. Team building – right? Off-Ground TagJust as childish and potentially outrageous as the invisible line game, the idea behind this one is to not touch the office floor at all. Especially difficult to play, workers must use their wits and work together in order to keep their feet off the floor. Transportation is provided via the comfort of your office wheely chair, and lunchtime doesn’t count (unless you’re the guy in the picture below).
The fun lies in catching your workmates out, and the forfeits you and your co-workers must come up with for anyone caught with their feet firmly on the ground. TelegamblingFor anyone who likes a wager there’s Telegambling. Gather your closest workmates and invite them to place a bet on a phone call. You’ll need to choose a victim who isn’t in the same room as you, and whose extension you know.
Everyone then must place a bet on whether the victim will pick up the phone. The winners share the pot equally, and the losers are left empty-handed. This is a great way of raising change for the coffee machine, or foolishly gambling away your dinner money. Have you discovered any office games that you and your co-workers like to play? Maybe you’ve invented some? Maybe you were caught? Explain yourselves in the comments! Images: Bored Office Woman, Busy Office, Blu-Tack Dude, Fun With Office Chairs, Office Phone Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| Some PC Internet Speed Tests To Try & How to Improve Bad Results Posted: 02 Dec 2010 03:31 PM PST
This article shows you how to measure your internet speed and it sheds some light on all the different factors that affect your internet performance. I propose a host of possible remedies that are easy to apply. First I would like to recommend a ‘Technology Explained’ article that explains why measured and experienced speed are not necessarily the same: Understanding The Internet Speed. Test Your Internet SpeedFor accurate results, you should go with an internet speed test tool that provides a local server. Otherwise your result may be flawed, simply because the test has to travel great distances. With Speedtest.net you can connect to a test server that is physically close to you. Open the > Settings (top right menu) to change your > Preferred Server location and > Save your changes.
When you’re done click > Begin test and wait for the result.
My result is 6.17 Mb/s download and 6.32 Mb/s upload. Other tests that did not match me with a local server returned somewhat different results. Speed.io for example determined 5 Mb/s for the download and BandwidthPlace only had me at 3.88 Mb/s for the download. The upload for both was at around 6 Mb/s. For a more comprehensive speed test, try MyConnection PC Lite, a Windows tool that we introduced here: Check Internet Connection Speed with MyConnectionPC Now you’re probably wondering what a bad result is and whether there is anything you can do to improve your internet bandwidth. I would say upload / download speeds that are 30-50% below the theoretical optimum you pay for constitute a bad result, especially when measured during non peak hours. Contact your ISP and discuss how you can improve this situation. And yes, you can do something, too. But first let’s look at what is beyond your reach.
What You Cannot ChangeMany factors have an impact on how fast or slow your internet connection is. Unfortunately, there are several that you have no direct influence on.
To test whether your ISP shapes your traffic you can use a tool developed by the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. Glasnost simulates BitTorrent downloads on your computer.
What You Can Do To Speed Up Your Internet
For more tips and tricks on how to speed up your internet, consult these resources:
How fast is your internet connection and did any of the tips above result in a significantly enhanced performance? Did I miss a factor or hack that could have a major impact? Please give your feedback in the comments below! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| The 7 Best Android Forums To Learn More About Apps & Features Posted: 02 Dec 2010 01:31 PM PST
But many of these forums are actually worth spending a little bit more time in. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll find out loads of useful information, including many tricks for your phone. But which of the Android forums are the best?
Android CommunityAndroid Community has a really friendly look and feel to it — the first links you see are to the introductions area and the lounge. But it’s not just fun and games. There’s a huge amount of phones listed for easy access to forum information specific to your device.
Android ForumsAndroid Forums has a great general forum for Android topics, plus very broad areas for each handset brand if you need to discuss your phone quirks. Has a minimalist look and feel.
XDA DevelopersXDA Developers was originally for Android developers, but has now been opened up to encompass hacks — thus making it appropriate for most Android users.
Android CentralAndroid Central has a phenomenal amount of ways to find specific information for individual phones, software and other Android issues. Registering lets you enter competitions and removes the sidebar of handy accessories you can buy.
Talk Android ForumTalk Android Forum makes it really easy to just chat about software or to browse by phone model, carrier or whatever else you like. You can also log in using Facebook, which makes it nice and easy to get started.
Android Developers – Google GroupAndroid Developers Google Group is a neat way of finding out what’s in the works for future apps. Plus, if you’re searching for answers this often hits the spot. It’s an absolute must if you’re looking to code apps.
And Dev ForumAndroid Development Forum is really focused on people who plan to make Android apps, but they’re also discussing quirks, hacks and promoting their apps. So an average user might still benefit from a quick look or search.
More Android ReadingSo you need a little more to read? We’ve got a few more things you might like.
Which Android forum is the most useful to you? Let us know in the comments! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| Posted: 02 Dec 2010 12:15 PM PST
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 Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Arista – A Two-Click Video Conversion Tool For Linux Posted: 02 Dec 2010 11:31 AM PST
We’ve covered applications to convert video and audio files in Linux before, but none can hold a candle to the simplicity of Arista Transcoder. Select your file, select what you’re converting to and you’re ready to go. Best of all: you can queue a number of files and then walk away, knowing the conversion will be handled for you. Really Simple InterfaceFire up Arista and you’ll hardly believe you’re looking at a Linux video conversion tool:
That really is all there is to it. Select your source file or disc, select the device you want to play your video on and, if you want, pick a preset. When you’re done simply click “Add To Queue” and Arista will get to work converting the file. No, really: that’s it. Video conversion doesn’t get easier than this. Optional items include subtitles, of course: you can pick a file with subtitles to embed, and you can even select whatever font you like. This is useful should you want to watch a French film on your iPod. Finding subtitle files online is easy. Many Supported DevicesWondering if Arista can convert videos to playback on your device of choice? Well, by default, exporting to the following devices is supported:
That’s hardly the end of it, though; there are lots more devices you can download from Arista Transcoder’s presets page, so be sure to check that out. Just download the file, then open Arista. Click “File” followed by “Install device preset” and point the program toward your new file. Voila! You now have support for an additional device; find it in the drop-down menu. Still not enough? You are picky, aren’t you?
Don’t worry; you can create your own preset on Arista’s website. This, of course, will require a bit of knowledge on your part but it’s always nice to have the option. Be sure to share any working presets you create with the community! Install Arista TranscoderGetting Arista working on your computer is pretty easy. Just click here to install Arista on Ubuntu, or find the source code on Arista’s download page. Users of other distributions not wanting to compile from source should check their distro’s package manager. ConclusionLinux users in general, and Ubuntu users especially, have long argued that their operating system of choice is easy to use. Software like Arista Transcoder helps prove this. This program stays out of your way and lets you quickly accomplish a simple task: converting video. This is done without hindering the end user’s ability to customize the program, should they choose to do so. Simply put: I love software like this. What do you think? Is this a program you could see yourself using in the near future? Please share in the comments below! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| 8 Awesome Android Apps To Keep Your Kids Entertained Posted: 02 Dec 2010 10:31 AM PST
Here at MakeUseOf, we love kids. You’ll find lots of articles with cool apps for kids like Saikat’s list of NASA tools for kids, his list of alphabet & numbers games, or his list of great online encyclopedias for kids. The only way to prevent that boredom is to distract your child with something fun that captures their interest for thirty minutes or an hour. You need something that holds their interest, keeps them quiet, and provides you with a little bit of peace. The following 8 Android apps are some of the best ones that I have found. 8 Fun Apps for KidsMy favorite Android Apps for kids are those that not only keep kids entertained but also help to educate them. The last thing you want is to stick a brain-numbing video game in front of them. Younger children, particularly toddlers, love large images, bright colors and fun sounds. If you have toddlers that are just learning the alphabet, the ABC For Kids app is perfect.
The application displays a very large image of a letter. By clicking on the image, it changes from the letter to a picture that starts with that letter. In "test" mode, it displays a picture and the child needs to choose the correct letter that the object starts with.
You can download the app using this code:
The alphabet only goes so far toward keeping a child's interest, so when they start to get bored, switch over to the Animal House app. This is another good one for toddlers, but older kids might find it a little bit boring. Every time a child clicks on one of the animal pictures, the screen changes to a list of links for that animal
As the child clicks on each of those links, they'll hear that animal sound. Kids really love this app. You can also turn down the media volume so it's not quite so loud as they play.
You can download this app with this code:
Beyond the alphabet and animal sounds, another educational opportunity is colors and shapes. 5 Pumpkins wrote a couple of good apps that you can use to help your toddler with those basic fundamentals. 5 Pumpkins colors is a pretty simple concept but it teaches colors well.
The effectiveness of the app comes from the fact that when the child taps the screen, a little child's voice says the name of the color. If they click on the corner of the screen, it flips over the color and displays an object of that color. Install the app using this code:
A second 5 Pumpkins app that is almost identical is the "shapes" app that displays and says the shape displayed on the screen.
You can download shapes with this code:
Probably one of the most popular ways to help kids pass the time – particularly older kids that are beyond the preschool years – are coloring pages. By loading an app called KidPaint Plus, you have access to an assortment of great coloring pages that kids will love.
Just scroll across the color bar at the top to pick a color and then use your finger to paint sections of the image, just like you would use a crayon to color a picture.
Download the app here:
Another fun game for kids to play while they're riding in the backseat of your car is the Memory Game for Kids. Just tap each card to turn it over, and when you make a match the pair will stay on the screen. This game is very addictive, even for adults!
Here’s the code:
Another fun game is Image Puzzle. Like memory games, puzzles are very addictive and very fun. This is another game that preschoolers really love. Be ready for them to show you their completed puzzle – and cheer them on at the great job they did!
Download with this code:
Probably the coolest app that I found to keep kids busy is a sound maker called Trinkle. The concept is very simple, but the results are nothing short of astounding. Picture an electronic xylophone that rings out a note each time you tap your finger. The tone depends upon the area that you tap. At the same time, that part of the screen lights up.
This app is really fun, and kids love it more than just about any other. The only catch is that you really need to make sure you're in a place where the noise won't bother anyone around you. I wouldn't recommend having your kid play around with this on a train or plane, but if you find yourself trapped in a car with a whining kid, hand them this app and at least the whining will be replaced with something a little less irritating. Download the app here:
Have you ever used your Android to pacify your child for a little while? Do you know of any other cool apps that little kids love to play? Share your own resources in the comments section below.
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| Test Your Website In Multiple Browsers For Free With Browserling Posted: 02 Dec 2010 09:31 AM PST
Actually testing your website, clicking on links and testing interactions, is only possible by loading a “real” browser either on a bank of test machines or virtual machines. There have been some services out there that provide access to these browsers, for a fee. A new service named Browserling brings a limited service to users for free.
Launching a test browser instance is simple. Type in the URL, select the browser you wish to launch, and hit “Go” After a moment your website will launch in your browser:
Right now, you can test out as many sites as you want and it is free. There is a 1 minute and 30 seconds limit that you can use without registering, and if you do register you get 5 minute sessions (for free). You can use it more than once – but your session will start ‘fresh.’ They are working on paid plans that will extend this time and shorten your wait time, but pricing has not yet been announced. When your website is in your browser it is actually what is showing up on the remote screen. You have access to all of the browser options like you would with a VM – giving you the choice of disabling features or interacting with the browser much more than you would in a simple screenshot. If there are too many users on the service, you might be queued to use the next instance. Their “holding page” has awesome drawings and is animated to boot:
At the core of Browserling is an up and coming technology from the guys at StackVM. Basically, they are aiming to be able to create VMs on-demand and bring them right into your browser. This allows them to create services such as Browserling, making it easy for anyone to access this technology without having to worry about IP addresses or VNC clients. The service works mainly as described. However, since each browser is actually running in an Amazon Cloud Computing instance, there is a good possibility that the service may become overloaded if too many people are using it. In that case, you can check out this video which demonstrates the service: Considering that the service was just released to the public, and is in early beta, it is very promising technology. I did come across some issues where it would stop loading or I would see other websites pop up – these are signs of the early beta and the developers are working to fix all of the issues that have been revealed during this early stage. One thing I did notice was that occasionally past-user’s sites ended up in my windows – so do not post anything “confidential” such as sites you wish to keep private or usernames, passwords, or other personally identifiable information. I spoke with James Halliday, who is one of the creators of Browserling along with Peteris Krumins, about Browserling and StackVM. They are creating technologies that allow you to display and interact with desktops in your browser. James said that they “see a lot of promise in the intersection between webapps and server virtualization”, so I expect to see a lot of neat products coming out of this technology in the coming months. Check out Browserling and tell us what you think! Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| Create Quick Access & Shortcuts To Your Files & Applications From The System Tray [Windows] Posted: 02 Dec 2010 08:31 AM PST
For example, selecting and copying several groups of text would be faster – and less tiring – using a combination of arrow keys+Shift and Ctrl+C, rather than using the mouse.
The Small WonderSE-TrayMenu is available as a normal Windows-based application and portable app. The download size of the compressed portable version is just a little bit over 100KB, and yet this minuscule app can greatly improve your computing workflow. The app will reside quietly in the system tray and every time you hover your mouse over the tray icon, a list of applications will pop out. You can click one of the items to quickly open it.
But the real power of this app lies inside the “Settings“. Right click on the tray icon to access it.
There’s the usual “Main Settings” with the usual items like the option to launch the app every time Windows starts.
There are also quick drop-down menus to access Layout options,
And color themes.
We’ll discuss this two items later on. The main story is in the “Applications” tab. This is the place where you can add, remove and edit applications and files that you want to make available from the system tray.
The “Add” button gives you three options: to add executable files individually, add items from the frequently used applications list, and add items from the Start Menu.
The first option is actually set to add applications to the list, but you can slightly modify it to enable adding any kinds of files (including documents and multimedia). Click the drop-down list from “Files of type” and choose “All Files“. This action will reveal files outside of the application realm.
Choosing the second and third options will give you long checklist of applications. Adding them to the list is as simple as checking the boxes next to the applications.
To add shortcuts to open the applications, select one application from the list and click the “Edit” button. You could choose one of the available shortcuts from the “Shortcuts” drop down list or you could assign your own preferred “complex” shortcut combinations.
After saving the settings and closing the “Settings” window, you can open your chosen files and applications just by pressing the respective shortcut keys combination. If you ever forget the combination, just hover your mouse above the tray icon and click on the item that you want to open.
Beautifying The LookAnother thing that you could do to enhance SE-TrayMenu is modify the look to your liking by choosing the combination of Layout and Theme. The “Main Settings” tab provides you with quick options to modify those two, but if you want to customize them further, you can use the dedicated menu. The “Layout” tab allows you to choose the number of columns, image size, margin, spacing, etc.
While the “Color Theme” tab gives you access to more detailed elements of the theme such as color and font type.
The combination of Layout and Color theme elements gives you many appearance possibilities for the applications/files list. For example, you could make it look like this:
Or this:
Even though the real purpose of this app is to minimize your interaction with the mouse and help you to be more efficient, it’s also nice to have a good looking list of applications. As a keyboard lover, SE-TrayMenu is a must-have application for me. But what about you? Would you use this application to help you access your favorite applications and files? Or do you have your own favorite application to do it? Please share your thoughts and opinions using the comments below. Image credit: ActiveSteve Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| Diana F+ Deluxe Kit Giveaway [and Discount Coupon] Posted: 02 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST
Going back to film cameras, it’s beginning to feel really old-school. This particular camera which the nice people at Lomography sponsored is called the Diana F+. And it’s not alone because it brought some friends along.
It comes in a neat looking (very heavy) box. At this point, I’d also like to add that it makes a wonderful Christmas present. If you do want to purchase a Diana F+ Deluxe Kit from the Lomography online store, we have a 15% off coupon code for you — just enter MAKEUSEOFFAN into the discount codes field when checking out. In fact, this code is applicable to all Lomography products and is valid worldwide.
Aside from the gear listed above, the Diana F+ Deluxe Kit also comes equipped with carry cases and individual manuals for each of the lenses. In addition to that, a book entirely on the Diana F+ is also included that has sample shots and tips on how to use the camera. Unpacking this kit is an occasion in itself.
The camera is made entirely out of plastic and weights next to nothing. It’s supposed to be a fun toy. Emphasis on the ‘toy’. Even the lens is made out of plastic — and that is what gives Lomography cameras their uniqueness. Compared to today’s world of digital photography, using the Diana F+ is like time-traveling back to when photography was inexact and full of surprises. Focus is uncertain. Exposure is a guesstimate. But it’s all in the name of true lo-fi fun.
The Diana F+ is a fully manual camera. And if you have absolutely no experience with either film or manual photography, this is going to baffle you as much as it did me. But hey, even I managed to get a hang of it after a while (thanks to Lomography’s exhaustive manuals). The shutter release was another aspect of the camera that totally threw me off guard. It wasn’t at the top of the camera where I expected it to be. Instead, it was disguised in the form of a lever which was mounted right before the lens and in order to take a picture, I had to pull it.
By default, the camera uses 120 film, also known as medium format — the kind that results in square photos; but it does come with a 35mm back so you’ll be able to use ‘regular’ film as well. You’ll get between 12 and 16 exposures for each roll of 120 film. Loading the film was simple but everything after that was a complete mystery. Whether or not I shot correctly, whether the exposure was sufficient, or if I remembered to advance the film remained unknown until the roll of film returned from the photo studio. But all of that amounted to a glorious sense of occasion every time I took a photo. I had to make every one count. Unlike modern day SLRs, the viewfinder of the Diana F+ doesn’t truly reflect what hits the lens and ends up on the film. So framing a photo up in itself is pretty inexact and requires some experimenting before getting it right. You also get focus options which you’ll have to set before taking each photo and they’re fixed at 1-2m, 2-4m, and 4m to infinity. If you really judge how far a metre is, who cares? Just make sure that your blurry pictures still come out awesome. After about a week with the camera, I’ve become to be very familiar with it. Although it’s made out of plastic, it is pretty hardy. A lot of the worries that accompany expensive digital photography equipment doesn’t seem to crop up when using the Diana F+. I’ve also learnt to accept the camera as it is — completely inexact. And to expect the unexpected. Sometimes, we have to draw outside the lines, right? If you’re wondering what kind of lo-fi photos the Diana F+ churns out, take a look at this gallery. Here are a few sample images.
We’re giving 2 of these Diana F+ Deluxe kits away. Want one? How do I win one?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 Friday, December 31st at 2100hrs PST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email. If you’re looking to buy any Lomography cameras from their online store, please use the coupon code MAKEUSEOFFAN when checking out to get 15% off your purchase. This code is valid worldwide and can be used throughout December. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! MakeUseOf would like to thank Lomography 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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| Facebook Co-Founder Launches Jumo, A Social Network Specializing In Good Causes [News] Posted: 02 Dec 2010 07:56 AM PST
Once you’ve connected your Facebook account to the service you must then outline which particular issues you feel strongly about. You’re then able to follow, promote and receive updates from your findings and hopefully take your armchair activism out into the real world.
Speaking at the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit in New York City earlier this year, Hughes said: “I think that when people click a 'Like' button or follow something on Twitter or sign up for an e-mail list, it's the first statement of support for any interest.” Jumo follows a growing trend of websites established to drive the internet population into doing good with their spare time. Hughes believes that visitors to his site won’t simply click and forget about it, but hopes for real activism: “It doesn't mean that [people] don't then go out and do things like knock on doors and go to protests or go to rallies or go volunteer or donate. They do do these things”. Hughes outlined: “We can make it easier for people to connect with the professionals working in a lot of fields in order to make change happen.” You can check out Jumo for yourself at Jumo.com. Let us know what you think of the project in the comments. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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| Optimizing Your Notebook Computer For Blu-Ray (& Other HD) Movies Posted: 02 Dec 2010 07:31 AM PST
The only problem is that high-definition content like Blu-Ray movies can put a high load on a notebook computer. A notebook that is not running optimally may end up becoming over-burdened, which will result in stuttering and other video errors. If you are having these issues, or you want to preemptively avoid them, there are a few steps you can take. Kill Any Processor Intensive Programs
Playing a Blu-Ray or other HD movie is extremely processor intensive. The video on such formats is heavily encoded, and it must be decoded to view. This requires a lot of heavy lifting on the part of a processor, which hogs all of a notebook’s performance for itself. It isn’t unusual to see a processor pegged at 100% when playing high-definition video, particularly if the processor is an older model. This is when the video begins to stutter. Of course, any other demanding program that is running at the same time as a Blu-Ray or other HD movie is only going to reduce the amount of processing power your notebook can devote to entertainment. An anti-virus program that is actively scanning, for example, can be a problem. You may also experience reduced processing power when performing certain tasks, such as transferring large files between computers or devices. If you’re not sure how to find the programs that are killing your processor, check out our article about Windows Resource Monitor. This tool can help you track down programs that are hogging system resources. Download the Latest Graphics Drivers
Many modern notebooks ship with an integrated or discrete graphics chip that is able to assist the processor when it is playing high-definition content. This is known as GPU-acceleration of video. Graphics chips are specifically designed to display video and 3D graphics, so they’re able to take a significant amount of load away from the processor. GPU-acceleration can mean the difference between a video that is skipping frames and a video that plays smoothly with the processor at just 30% of its maximum load. However, GPU-acceleration is still dependent on software. If the proper drivers are not installed, the notebook won’t know how to share the load of displaying video with its graphics chip. The three major manufacturers of graphics hardware are Intel, Nvidia and AMD/ATI. Downloading the latest drivers can enable GPU-acceleration on your notebook and improve the performance of the graphics chip. There are some hardware restrictions to this, however. Old notebooks (3+ years) usually don’t support GPU-acceleration of video even with updated drives because the hardware wasn’t designed to support that feature. Use “High Performance” Power Management
Laptops are very dependent on their power management settings. A desktop computer, being plugged into a wall, doesn’t need to worry about conserving power. Notebooks, however, do have to worry about power because they are often used away from a power socket. Unfortunately, notebooks are sometimes too worried about power. When plugged into a wall socket a notebook should ideally be running at maximum performance, but sometimes the power management settings limit this. You can check your Power Management settings in Windows by going to the Control Panel and finding the Power Options menu. Alternatively, you can click on the battery icon on the taskbar and access Power Options from there. If your computer is not running at High Performance and you’re having trouble with Blu-Rays and HD video, change the power management to the High Performance setting. This should change how your notebook uses energy, but some notebooks ship with proprietary power management software that augments or overrides the normal Windows settings. These settings help you go green with your computer, but they can also sap processing power. Obviously I’m not able to comment on where to find this on each unique notebook, but you can usually find the software in a folder labeled with the name of your notebook’s manufacturer. ConclusionHopefully these optimizations will help you play Blu-Rays and other high definition video sources smoothly. The difficult truth, however, is that not all notebooks are going to be cut out for this task. A modern notebook shipping with a Blu-Ray drive should not have a problem, but older notebooks equipped with a Blu-Ray upgrade or an external Blu-Ray drive may have some problems. Optimization is simply a matter of making your current hardware do more, and sometimes the hardware simply isn’t up to the task no matter what you do. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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