MakeUseOf.com: “Latest Hilarious Picks [Geeky Fun]” plus 12 more | ![]() |
- Latest Hilarious Picks [Geeky Fun]
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 12th]
- Shortwave Numbers Stations & The Conet Project: An Online Education In Espionage
- Instantly Hide Active Program Windows & Disable Sound With Magic Boss Key
- The Top 7 Reasons To Give The Vim Text Editor A Chance
- How To Make Your Home Button Open Your Favourite App [Android]
- Hot Tech Deals – Flash Memory Cards and USB Drives Craze + more
- BitDefender’s Traffic Light Helps Secure Your Browser Traffic
- Setting Up Multiple Portable XAMPP Web Servers On One USB Drive
- How To Change The Settings Of Ubuntu Unity With CompizConfig Settings Manager
- Explore Space In Your Pocket With The NASA iPad App
- 3 Great Radar Storm Trackers For The Android Phone
- Facebook Launches Photo Tagging For Pages [News]
Latest Hilarious Picks [Geeky Fun] Posted: 13 May 2011 12:50 AM 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. Download videos from the sites like YouTube, Break.com etc. Convert videos to almost any format. ![]() Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Cool Websites and Tools [May 12th] Posted: 12 May 2011 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. SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Shortwave Numbers Stations & The Conet Project: An Online Education In Espionage Posted: 12 May 2011 06:31 PM PDT
Shortwave radio is known as the global band – despite poor sound quality (hiss, pop, crackle), it travels well and is still a popular choice in many countries around the world. So-called “numbers stations” have been heard on the shortwave radio band since the 1950s, leaving many to question their purpose and origin. Of course the enthusiasts have well and truly done their research, and put most of it online. There is now an incredible amount of information, evidential audio and expert insight into the world of unlisted shortwave broadcasts. Read on to find out more, if you dare… What Are Shortwave Numbers Stations?A “numbers station” refers to a radio station usually broadcasting on a shortwave frequency of unknown origin. This is to say that numbers stations are generally referred to as unidentified broadcasts that do not fall under the category of commercial or public radio. Over the years, the evidence has stacked up and many are convinced that these broadcasts are being used to send messages to spies and government agents around the world. This isn’t yesterday’s news either – many numbers stations are still alive and heard today. As recently as 2009 the United States charged an individual – Walter Kendall Myers – with spying charges related to numbers stations. The US accused Myers of receiving and decoding messages from shortwave broadcasts believed to be operated by the Cuban Intelligence Service. Of course, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that the US is also playing the shortwave numbers stations game (just like everyone else). Messages can be delivered by a synthesized or human voice, often preceded and followed by a distinct melody. Sometimes other methods are used, such as morse code or noise. There is evidence to suggest that many numbers stations are designed for use with a one-time pad, an unbreakable method of encryption (provided only the desired audience has the key). Something’s going on – these broadcasts are clearly not intended for public consumption. Luckily there’s a great little collection of numbers stations broadcasts, available to download for free. The Conet ProjectNamed after the misheard Czech word “konec” (meaning “end”) which would often mark the end of an Eastern European broadcast, The Conet Project is a swelling collection of questionable shortwave recordings. There are more than 150 separate tracks, some of which could be heard 24 hours a day and others at regular intervals. The collection includes recordings in many languages, including the famous German “Swedish Rhapsody” station which delivered an encrypted message in a (chilling) female child’s voice. The project is available for purchase, but is also available online from the record label and is hosted at The Internet Archive. The collection is an absolute must for anyone with an interest in numbers stations, espionage or radio transmissions. Download: The Conet Project [Irdial: CD1/CD2/CD3/CD4 | The Internet Archive: Stream/Download ] Further ReadingThe Internet is full of additional resources for those of you itching to find out more, and here are a few online hotspots to get started: The Conet Project Documentation [PDF]As well as recordings, The Conet Project comes with some detailed documentation which is also available for free online. As well as an introduction to numbers stations, personal accounts and the founding of the project there are also logs of included recordings. A great place to start. Numbers & OdditiesN&O is a monthly newsletter for those interested in numbers stations and other interesting bits and pieces heard on the airwaves. You can subscribe to the mailing list and have the newsletter delivered in a PDF document, which contains the past month’s findings. These include changes in broadcasts, new stations and disappearing frequencies in an easy to read format. You can download fairly up-to-date logs here, as well as updated control lists in case you fancy checking out a few frequencies yourself. Be sure to check out N&O Links – a long list of smaller resources that are worth a look if you’re becoming obsessed! SpyNumbers.comAnother great resource and home to a fantastic searchable database of numbers stations. SpyNumbers also has an auto-updating page that lists frequencies of current known broadcasts. If you’re scanning for stations, SpyNumbers makes it that much easier to drop in. Message Boards: Enigma2000 / UDXFHobbyists and enthusiasts alike gather on both of these Yahoo boards to discuss, report, log and immerse themselves in the world of high frequency radio. Enigma2000 is specifically aimed at numbers stations, whereas UDXF refers to "utility" frequencies. Members often find and report shortwave numbers stations, but also military and other sensitive intercepted transmissions (from ongoing conflicts, oh yes). ConclusionIf you’ve got an old shortwave radio in the attic, then it might be time to dust it off. Remember you’ll need good reception, a well-designed custom antenna (or an expensive one) and some top notch scanning equipment to get the most out of shortwave radio. If that sounds like too much money and effort then be sure to check out and follow the numbers station scene online. Don’t have nightmares… Image Credits: Grundig Satellit 750, Shortwave Antenna SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Instantly Hide Active Program Windows & Disable Sound With Magic Boss Key Posted: 12 May 2011 04:31 PM PDT
The tool can come in handy in a number of situations. You may use it to conceal extracurricular tasks at school, hide classified documents when a nosy colleague comes in to disturb, or keep generally keep your browsing habits private. While you can use the [WINDOWS] + [D] keyboard shortcut to minimize everything and reveal only the desktop, Magic Boss Key actually hides only selected items. With the click of a single hot key, your choice of open windows disappears, for example running applications, browser windows, or open folders. At the same time, you can also hide desktop icons, the taskbar, and mute the sound. The setup is straightforward. When you launch Magic Boss Key, you will see a list of currently open windows. Simply check all the ones you want to be hidden when you click the hot key and you are essentially done. The trick is to leave some harmless windows unchecked and hence open, so that your desktop will not be suspiciously blank in case of an emergency. Remember to minimize the Magic Boss Key window, and then continue with your secret mission. Magic Boss Key automatically minimizes to the tray. Selecting the program window itself to be hidden doesn’t do too much or the behavior is buggy at best. The program remains visible in the tray, so it is recommended that you edit your system tray to hide this item. Since some windows, although hidden, might still sit in the system tray, for example Magic Boss Key itself, or are pinned to the taskbar, you might want to hide the taskbar altogether. Click the > Options button and personalize the settings. Within the options window you can also pick your favorite hot key. You can choose between the [F12] button or the [Windows] button + left / right mouse button. Clicking the hot key again, will restore the hidden windows. While you’re on your secret mission, you may open more windows that you will want to hide. To get a fresh list of open windows in Magic Boss Key, click the > Refresh button. Note that your previous selection will be lost, so you essentially start over. Taken together, Magic Boss Key is an easy to use tool with a simple interface and plain options. It could be a little better if hiding the tray icon of the program itself would work and if it was possible to launch the program with some windows preset to be hidden, for example specific applications like the browser or an instant messenger. Overall, however, it simply works. If Magic Boss Key sounds interesting, but is not quite what you are looking for, check out the following articles:
How do you conceal your secret computer missions from spying eyes? Image credits: PashOK SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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The Top 7 Reasons To Give The Vim Text Editor A Chance Posted: 12 May 2011 03:31 PM PDT
For years, I’ve tried one text editor after another. You name it, I tried it – jEdit, Notepad++, SciTE, PSPad, Komodo Edit… I’m not just name-dropping here. I used each and every one of these editors for over two months as my primary day-to-day editor. I also had a brief stint with UltraEdit, a venerable (but non-free) editor. Somehow, I couldn’t find an editor that just worked right, and was customizable enough to fit my needs. That all changed a couple of months ago, when I bit the bullet and started using Vim text editor full-time. Here’s 6 reasons why you should consider giving it a go. Reason 1: Vim Is OldIn software, we often cultivate the mindset that says “newer is better”. We’re always after the latest browser, the latest OS, the latest game. But there’s a lot to be said for ancient pieces of software that are still actively used by lots of people. Did you know MS Office was first released in 1990? That’s 21 years ago, and look how far it has come. That’s about the time Vim was first released, too (1991). Only Vim is based on a much older editor, Vi, that got its start in 1976. That alone should make you wonder; what makes such an ancient piece of software so compelling, that thousands of new users discover it year by year? Reason 2: Vim Is Free & Has A Vibrant CommunityVim is actually defined as “charityware”, and is free to use and open-source. It does ask you to donate for orphans in Uganda, but there are no nags. If you go to the Vim webpage, you will find lots of recent news items. I counted nine script updates in one day, for example. The site is constantly updated, and Vim’s main developer, Bram Moolenaar, personally posted an update on April 28. Reason 3: Vim Is Very Customizable & ExtensibleThose scripts I just mentioned? They’re the key to much of Vim’s power. There are scripts for just about anything. In the screenshot above you can see FuzzyFinder, one of my all-time favorites. It’s a script that lets you type partial names of files, commands, help entries, etc. and searches for them incrementally, on-the-fly. You don’t have to type from the beginning of the name, and it’s got a lot of options – and that’s just one script! Other notable scripts include NERD Tree that implements a file-system “tree”, SuperTab Continued for powerful tab-completion, and snipMate for replicating TextMate’s snippet functionality. There are lots, lots more. Reason 4: Vim Works Over Telnet & SSH ConnectionsI sometimes need to manually edit webpages that reside on remote servers. I used to use WinSCP to simulate local editing, but it broke every now and then. A few of the editors mentioned above also have built-in FTP clients, but navigating complex folder trees was always cumbersome and time-consuming. With Vim Text Editor, I can just open an SSH connection to my Web server and run a remote instance of Vim right on the server. Vim is designed to work with slow terminals, so it actually feels fast. As you can see in the screenshot above, colors work just fine over SSH. Being able to work directly on the server has made a huge difference in my Web development work. Not only is it faster, but I can now search through files right on the server, and use Vim to jump between the results quickly and find exactly what I need to modify with pinpoint precision. Simply awesome. Reason 5: Vim’s Configuration Is PortableAs mentioned above, Vim is very customizable. That means I had to work quite a bit until I got it “just so” on my Windows system. Having to do all that on my remote server would have been a bit of a drag. Luckily, I simply needed to copy a few directories and one all-important “master configuration” file, called .vimrc. This basically copied my entire configuration from my Windows computer to the remote Linux server. I then just edited my configuration file and modified a couple of things for the server, and I was basically done. Of course I couldn’t keep myself from tweaking things further, but that’s just me. Reason 6: Vim Is Thoroughly DocumentedNote that nowhere on this list does it say “Vim is intuitive”. That’s because it’s not, really. There is a learning curve when you first start using Vim, and it does require a bit of a commitment. But there are quite a few things that can help. Here are just three examples:
Reason 7: It’s Way Better Than EmacsOK, so maybe I’m not entirely serious about this last one. As you may have noticed in the introduction, I’ve never actually given Emacs much of a spin (not for two months, at least). According to the scientifically-minded $EDITORs Sucks-Rules-O-Meter, Vim seems to be in the lead in the Editor War, at least for now. But I’m willing to be convinced otherwise. You’re welcome to plead Emacs’ case in the comments. Speaking of comments: if there are any Vim users in the audience who’d like to share tips or ask questions, I am all ears. I know I’ve barely scratched the surface on Vim in this post, so if you’d like to see more detailed posts about Vim, do share your ideas and wishes. SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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How To Make Your Home Button Open Your Favourite App [Android] Posted: 12 May 2011 02:31 PM PDT
It seems there is no limit to the amount of useful Android applications out there. With Android being an incredibly open phone operating system to write applications for, little apps to tweak and change the settings for just about anything seem to be popping up. Let’s take a look at this incredibly useful application to change the usage of your home button. So You Want To Change Your Home Button?The home button normally redirects users straight to the home screen. It’s handy and all but, with limited button choices on your phone, sometimes you want it to do something a little more useful. Most applications which allow you to change your home button to be used for something else require you to nominate a particular Android home launcher to be used when the button is clicked. If you want to nominate an application instead, you should download and install Target Home Launcher from the Android marketplace (requires Android 1.5 or higher). Start Using Target Home LauncherOnce installed, Target Home Launcher gets straight down to business. Your first and most important decision is to choose which application you wish to run when the home button is pressed. Change Your Default LauncherYou’ll probably then see a message saying “App ‘Target Home Launcher’ is not the default home app. Please set it to be the default home app”. You’ll need to set “Target Home Launcher” as the default launcher. Press OK. The next choice will be between your available Android home launcher, with the title “Complete Action Using“. Check the “Use by default for this action” option and choose “Target Home Launcher” and it will set your home button launcher correctly for you. Changing Your Home Button ApplicationYou’ll be directed back to the choice of applications and will need to make your application choice again. You should now see your desired application featured at the top of the list. If you ever want to change your choice, simply click on a different application and it will be automatically changed. Click on the home button and try it out! Changing Your Home Button BackIf you decide to go back to your original home button arrangement, it’s pretty easy to do. Open the “Target Home Launcher” application, click the menu button and choose “Reset“. This removes your choice of application and launcher. When you next press the home button, you’ll be given a choice of launchers. Choose the default launcher for your phone and it will be back to normal. More Android ModificationsSince you’re obviously keen to change your Android settings a little, you might like these posts:
What do you think of Target Home Launcher? Has it solved your problems? SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Hot Tech Deals – Flash Memory Cards and USB Drives Craze + more Posted: 12 May 2011 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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BitDefender’s Traffic Light Helps Secure Your Browser Traffic Posted: 12 May 2011 12:31 PM PDT
Some of the more expensive and bloated software suites on the market include browser plugins that let you know if a given website is safe or not. If you’ve completely removed Norton or McAfee from your computer you might miss the safe browsing feature. None of the best free antivirus programs include such a feature to secure your browser traffic. It’s possible to use AdBlock Plus to protect yourself from malware, but some may prefer to get their protection from a company that specializes in security. TrafficLight is for just such people. Coming from BitDefender, the company that offers the best virus removal live CD, TrafficLight is built by a trusted team. Even better, there are TrafficLight plugins for every major browser on the market (and at least one minor one) – Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari are all covered, and even Opera gets protection. Yes, I’m still making fun of Opera users. They post the funniest comments after being slighted. InstallationInstalling TrafficLight couldn’t be easier. Just head over to the TrafficLight download page. If you’re using Windows, the choice is easy – use the Windows installer. If you’re using Mac or Linux, just install the browser plugin that’s relevant for you. The installation process is pretty simple, if you’re installing a browser plugin. If you’re installing the system-wide Windows software you’ve got another choice to make – whether you want to enable TrafficLight’s SSL protection. SSL is a secure mode of communicating with the web. Several sites, including Gmail, make use of this encryption protocol to protect information. Lately some malware and phishing schemes have been taking advantage of SSL to avoid detection, which is why TrafficLight offers protection. Some may have apprehensions about letting a piece of software access their SSL communications, so this feature is completely optional. Consider this option carefully. You can also decide whether or not you want anonymous usage statistics sent to BitDefender. Again, this is up to you, but know that leaving this enabled will help increase the quality of protection TrafficLight offers for everyone. Once you’re done installing everything should be in place. You are now protected. Using TrafficLightHonestly, there’s not a heck of a lot you need to do after installing TrafficLight; it’s pretty much up and running. At the top of every page you’ll notice a small button; click it to configure TrafficLight: You’ll be filled in that the page is safe, and then you can click a few buttons to bring up options. The configuration screen, for example, allows you to enable and disable certain parts of the program: You’ll most notice TrafficLight when you conduct a search. You’ll see familar orbs, like this: Green means safe; red means danger. Yellow is, of course, somewhere between the two. This search feature works with Google. If you’re some kind of freak, it also works with Bing. If you’re from 1999, it works with Yahoo. Finally, when you attempt to enter a phishing site, you’ll be warned not to. Superfluous featuresThere are a couple of features here you’ll probably never use. For example: there is a built-in URL shortener that examines all links for malware. Joy. There’s also a “share TrafficLight with friends” button, which takes up space and is kind of annoying. An upcoming adblocker has potential, but we’ll see how it compares to AdBlock when its ready. ConclusionOverall, TrafficLight is a pretty good supplement to any antivirus program. It can’t scan your computer, but it can help prevent you from visiting harmful sites. Best of all, it seems pretty lightweight. Give it a shot and see for yourself. When you do, be sure to leave us some comments below. We love hearing how you like a piece of software. Be sure to recommend a better program, if you know of one! SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Setting Up Multiple Portable XAMPP Web Servers On One USB Drive Posted: 12 May 2011 11:31 AM PDT
For those of you that have been following along with my recent articles, I did do this with Server2Go. Many of you liked that approach. The one issue with Server2Go seems to be that it is really intended to be used as a clean web server test base every time you launch it. When you close down the server, it doesn’t really retain settings well. There were a number of readers that suggested Xampp as the best solution for this. Xampp is a long time favorite. Aibek listed it in his compilation of 100 best portable apps, and Dave outlined how to set a Xampp server up on your PC. Of course with XAMPP, you have to install it at the root drive – so one portable drive becomes your web server. Taking this approach, I decided to see if the “subst” DOS command might solve that problem – and sure enough it did! Installing Multiple XAMPP Web ServersThe first thing you’re going to want to do is designate a specific folder on your portable hard drive (or portable USB drive, if it’s large enough) to hold your entire website. In my case, I created a root directory called “TopSecretWriters”. All you have to do next is to tell Windows that the directory on your portable hard drive is a root directory, using the SUBST command. In my case, in the DOS command screen I typed, “subst X: H:\TopSecretWriters“. This makes root drive X: directly refer to the TopSecretWriters directory on your portable drive. You’ll need to note this, because any time you want to run your web server in the future, you’ll need to type this command, otherwise the Xampp installation won’t work. Now, just download a copy of the Xampp ZIP archive (not the Windows installer), and extract the Xampp folder to the new directory you’ve created. Go into the Xampp folder and double click on the “setup_xampp.bat” file. Then, run “xampp-control.exe” and you’ll see the following screen: Select both the Apache and the MySql service, and install (press start) both of them. Once they’re successfully installed and “running”, open up a web browser and go to “http://localhost/”. When you do, you’ll see the Xampp introduction screen. Click on “Status“, it should show most of the components as activated. Installing A Full Backup Of A WordPress WebsiteAt this point, you’re done setting up the one Xampp web server. Just copy your website into the HTDOCS folder and your site will come up when you go to “http://localhost/“. Since most people like to have a local mirror of their WordPress blog or website, I’m also going to show how to install a full, local instance of your site. You just need your blog’s MySQL database, username and password. Launch phpMyAdmin on your local Xampp install by going to “http://localhost/phpmyadmin/“. Type the name of your database in the “create new database” field and press “Create“. Don’t forget to click on “Privileges” and add a new user with the username and password of your own site’s database, and make sure the host is “Localhost“. Download and extract a copy of WordPress that matches the WordPress version of your site. Set up your local wp-config.php file with the correct database, username and password, and run “http://localhost/wp-admin/install.php“. Finally, copy the entire wp-content folder from your actual WordPress website to the wp-content folder in your local web server WordPress install. All you have to do now is export your website’s MySQL database to your local one, and you’re done – complete with all posts, comments and everything else. To do this, just go to your CpanelX control panel, click on “Backups” and select the database for your blog. It’ll save your entire database as a .GZ zip file. Save this file as a backup. Now, go back into MyPhpAdmin of your local web server, select your database, and then click on the “Import” button. On this screen, all you have to do is click the Browse button and select the .gz file that you just downloaded. This will import your entire database. Go to “http://localhost/” and you’ll see a perfect mirror replica of your live website! Now you can tweak your theme, new ads, or otherwise play around with the local version of your website before you decide to move the changes to your live site. When you want to set all of this up for another website, just start at the very beginning of this article again, create a new directory on the root of your portable drive for this second website, and when you do the SUBST command, pick a different drive letter. All of the subsequent steps are for setting up your own local web server. To launch a particular local web server, you just have to go to that directory and launch the “xampp_start.exe” file in that directory. “xampp_stop.exe” will stop that local webserver. This setup will work perfectly so long as you never try to launch two at once – you can only have one localhost webserver at a time! Give this setup a try and let us know how it worked out for you? Do you have a need to run multiple local webservers at once? Does this solution make it work? Share your experiences and additional tips in the comments section below. SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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How To Change The Settings Of Ubuntu Unity With CompizConfig Settings Manager Posted: 12 May 2011 10:31 AM PDT
Installing CompizConfig Settings ManagerAs Unity is actually an extension of the Compiz Window Manager, you’ll be able to find the Unity plugin in the CompizConfig Settings Manger. By default, however, it is not currently installed. For easy installation, just click here. The link will prompt the package manager to install the package for you. You can also fire up the Synaptic Package Manager and type in If you wish to use the terminal, you can use the commands Once that completes, you can launch the Dash and begin typing in “ Configuring UnityIn the Behaviour tab you’ll find a couple of options that pertain to, well, the behavior of Unity, specifically the dock on the left side. You can choose the Reveal Mode as well as when the Launcher (Dock) should hide itself. Below those options are configuration keyboard shortcuts for various tasks. When you click on the Experimental tab, you’ll find a couple more options than in the last tab. Although I find that the options you can configure in this tab wouldn’t be something drastic, there is most likely a reason why it’s the “Experimental” tab, so be cautioned with what you change here. Except for one, all of the options in this tab affect the dock. Changing the Backlight Mode will change whether the background of the icons in the dock are colored all the time, only when the application is open, or never. The Launch Animation option can change what happens to the icon when you click on it. The Urgent Animation is when an application is trying to get your attention, such as when someone mentions your nick on XChat, a program for IRC. You can also change the Panel Opacity, Launcher icon size, and Hide Animation. The Dash Blur option lets you choose what kind of blur you want for the dash, which is the window that appears when you click on the Ubuntu logo in the top left corner. ConclusionUnity is a good desktop shell that is capable of letting you easily get your work done. With a nice selection of customization options, you can easily tune Unity to your liking so that it works how you want it to work. That way it can stay out of the way so you can get your work done efficiently. For more information about the latest Ubuntu release and Unity, you can check out Justin’s post here. What do you think about Unity? Are you using it or going to use it, or are you deferring to a different desktop shell or environment? Let us know in the comments! Image Credit: Wikipedia SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Explore Space In Your Pocket With The NASA iPad App Posted: 12 May 2011 09:31 AM PDT
NASA, one of the pioneers in space exploration, has released a free NASA iPad app which:
Start ExploringPrior to releasing the iPad optimized app, NASA had already released the iPhone version of the app (check out Tim’s post from yesterday about this). However, thanks to the bigger screen size, you’ll have a better exploring experience with the iPad version. First time users will get a notification saying that there will be links to standard webpages with Flash videos and features. Translation: some of the contents are not viewable from the iPad. You’ll see our solar system on the main screen of the app. You can tap on one of the items to see a more detailed explanation of it. Knowing our solar system better is the first step towards space exploration. For example, I tapped on Earth and then I was presented with all the scientific facts and explanation about the blue planet. Aside from the Sun and the planets, there are also details about the moon, asteroids, comets, and meteors. Exploring our solar system alone will keep you busy for a very long time. If you are interested in the ISS – the International Space Station, you can tap on the globe icon to see the list of times for the best ISS sightings. The app will automatically detect your location on earth (although in my experience, it’s not really accurate) and give you the sighting list accordingly. You can tap on the phone icon to share the sighting list to fellow ISS enthusiasts via Twitter, Facebook and Email. Next to the globe “ISS sighting” icon is the “News” icon. You can browse many kinds of news related to NASA and space exploration, from a specific topic like “Shuttle And Station” to the more vast topic like “Universe“. If you have a plan to visit one (or more) “NASA Centers”, you can see a map of their locations by tapping the NASA Centers icon next to the News. Beside “NASA Centers” is the “Shuttle And Rocket Launch Schedule“. We can see from the schedule that NASA is quite busy. If you are a man-made space objects enthusiast, you will find the icon after “Launch Schedule” exciting. This is where you can see details about NASA satellites. For example, there’s a story about Aquarius – a satellite that will be launched in June 2011. This satellite was built to measure global Sea Surface Salinity. You can see hundreds of photos about the satellite. There are also a few videos about it. You can also find more details, along with tens of thousands of pictures and a hundred videos, about the International Space Station. It’s amazing to see how far our space technology has come. …And There’s More…If all the things we’ve discussed above are not enough, there is more. At the lower part of the main screen, you can find menus to access other materials such as NASA’s image of the day. If you are a wallpaper lover, you should already know that along with National Geographic, NASA is one of the best sources to get beautiful images for your desktop wallpaper. There is also NASA TV, videos, tweets, and featured articles that you can explore and enjoy. So, if you are an iPad owner who loves the topic of space explorations, you have to download the free NASA iPad app. It provides you with a vast amount of information related to the world beyond our tiny blue planet, and our effort to study outer space. Have you tried the Nasa iPad app? What do you think about it? Do you know of other sources to virtually explore outer space? Share your knowledge using the comments below. Image credit: NASA SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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3 Great Radar Storm Trackers For The Android Phone Posted: 12 May 2011 08:31 AM PDT
Before you do that however, you have to know there is reason to worry. Although the national weather services almost always catch dangerous situations as or before they develop, it’s not practical to carry a weather radio everywhere. You can however carry your Android – and load it up with useful radar storm tracker apps. My-Cast Weather LiteThere are more weather gadgets, radar apps and forecast apps available on Android that you can shake a stick at. After going through all of them I could find, there was one that I kept coming back to – My-Cast Weather Lite. This radar storm tracker app really does it all. It includes current conditions, forecasts, maps and alerts. There are plenty of apps on Android that provide local radar coverage, but only a handful of them provide radar coverage and local weather alerts and a clear, easy to read forecast. As if that weren’t enough, My-Cast Weather Lite also provides an RSS weather news feed that can be found in the social section. This news feed isn’t meant to provide you with current weather news (that’s what alerts are for) but it does provide interesting information about recent weather events. Local Weather AppsWhen it comes to weather, local information is always the most relevant. There’s always weather somewhere, but it’s only important to you if it’s where you are. Often, local weather apps made by news organizations are a great choice for information. This caught me by surprise, at first – local news and high-tech don’t associate in my mind – but after trying out some local apps produced by various channels, I found that their quality is usually on par or better than your average Android weather app. Better yet, these apps often provide the best local information, such as forecasts and weather alerts. The radar storm trackers in these apps usually do a better job of highlighting potential dangers than the radar you’ll find in an app that’s built to cover an entire country, continent or the world. Rainy DaysI like My-Cast Weather Lite, but it is a full-fledged app, not just a radar storm tracker. Those who are looking for the radar and nothing more should consider Rainy Days. There’s not much to this radar storm tracker app, really. It takes radar information and places it on Google Maps. There is a time-lapse available which covers an hour of time at once. The radar information available is detailed, and it’s possible to zoom in close and check out the weather above your home. My biggest beef with this app is the lack of alerts. This decreases the usefulness of the app in dangerous situations, but if you just want a radar storm tracker to watch a line of storms you know is coming, Rainy Days will do well. ConclusionTalking about the weather is one of the most mundane topics in the world, but knowing about the weather can literally save your life. Storms don’t mess around, and they go where they want. Knowing that severe weather is headed your way means you can find shelter or move out of the way before you’re in danger. SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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Facebook Launches Photo Tagging For Pages [News] Posted: 12 May 2011 08:07 AM PDT
At the moment only products and brands are supported (which includes musicians and bands), though a post from the Facebook pages team expressed a willingness to extend the service beyond the current offering (for example; pages for places). The change is bound to mean more to businesses and marketing firms than the average user, with some mixed responses from Facebook users. Many business owners and those with their own pages have expressed gratitude, whereas others claim that the change will encourage spam and irrelevant tagging. Any photos that a Facebook page is tagged in appears on the appropriate page, much like a normal users’ profile. To tag a page, view a photo in the new photo viewer (tested not working from the “old” image view) click Tag This Photo, choose what to tag and start typing. If the business, brand or artist you are trying to tag has a Facebook page you will be able to tag it – even if you haven’t clicked Like. The only exemption to this rule are photos that do not allow tagging at all, a setting which can be stipulated by the uploader. What do you think of Facebook’s new tagging for pages? How about yesterday’s boo-boo? Have your say in the comments. Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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