Flickr Uploadr 3.0 Released, Pro Accounts See Stats [Featured Download]

Two big announcements for Flickr lovers (or is it lovrs?) today: First, previously mentioned Flickr Uploadr 3.0 beta is all grown up and ready for your post-beta consumption. With tons of new and improved features like picture re-ordering, the ability to create your sets offline before signing in and uploading, and simultaneous set creation and picture uploading (i.e., you don't have to wait for uploads to complete before moving onto more pictures), you'll definitely want to upgrade to 3.0, which is freeware, Windows and Mac OS X only. For real Flickr die-hards rocking a Pro account, Flickr has added one more gem today: Stats.

Since Flickr Stats aren't enabled by default on any account, you'll want to head to the stats page (linked below) and activate stats for your account. Once you do, you'll soon be bombarded by graphs and charts displaying your photos' popularity, how and where people found your pics, and oh so much more... just as soon as Flickr processes your stats, which could take up to a day, according to Flickr. I'm assuming that timeframe depends greatly on the size of your account, because with my personal Flickr account (which doesn't hold all that many photos) stats took just a few minutes to show up. If you're a lover of charts, graphs, and Flickr, you'll likely find a new addiction in Flickr Stats.

Flickr Uploadr 3.0 [via Flickr Blog]
Flickr Stats [via Flickr Blog]

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Use iTunes? One year ago we ran down our ... [Flashback]

Use iTunes? One year ago we ran down our best iTunes power tips to get the most out of your digital tunes.

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Create Quick-Kill Shortcuts for Runaway Applications [Command Line]

Got an unstable application that you can't give up for whatever reason that also freezes up on you regularly? Weblog CyerNet details how to create quick-kill shortcuts for specific applications using either the built-in Windows command line tool taskkill, or a third-party command line tool called taskill (notice one less 'k'). With the default taskkill, just create a shortcut that runs the following:

taskkill /f /im firefox.exe

Where firefox.exe is replaced by the the application you want to force to quit. Lastly, if you're a *nix user (Mac or Linux), you can use the killall command, so a similar command would look something like killall firefox-bin, though you can dig deeper when killing apps on your Mac if you want.

Shortcuts to End Processes and Programs [CyberNet]

[via] Lifehacker

Email Your Calendar from Outlook [Outlook Tip]

The Productivity Portfolio blog covers how send your Outlook calendar in an email in a format that anyone—even non-Outlook users—can open. Everyone's got wacky work and life schedules around the holidays, so you may want to dash off your calendar to a co-worker or client before you go. In short, Outlook attaches an .ISC file to the outgoing email, which the recipient can open in iCal, Google Calendar, or any app that supports iCalendar files. Handy.

Emailing Calendar Info in Outlook 2007 [Productivity Portfolio]

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Add Webapps to Your Dock with Fluid [Featured Mac Download]

Mac OS X Leopard only: Freeware application Fluid runs your favorite webapps in a dedicated, WebKit-based browser so you can run your most-used webapps just like they're native Mac apps. If this idea sounds familiar it's because Mozilla has tackled similar territory with an app they're calling Prism. The major difference is that Fluid uses the same rendering engine as Safari and gets that native Mac look that's still lacking from Mozilla apps. And since Prism doesn't really work with extensions yet, Fluid seems like the best choice if you're on a Mac. Fluid is freeware (though this beta expires in April, so it may go shareware in the future), Mac OS X Leopard only.

Fluid

[via] Lifehacker

Watch Full-Length Television Online with OpenHulu [Television]

You may have already heard of Hulu, a closed beta, on-demand TV service from NBC Universal and News Corp. designed to stream the latest new shows from NBC, Fox, Bravo, Sci Fi, and more YouTube-style. But you may not have heard of OpenHulu, a Hulu clone that's attempting to embed every video from Hulu (which is part of how Hulu is designed to work) so you don't need an invitation to Hulu to enjoy the free, on-demand TV. You'll still get embedded ads here and there, but the quality is high and the streaming quick. Seems like the list of ways you can catch your favorite TV shows is growing by the day.

openHulu

[via] Lifehacker

See the Cost of Your Energy Vampires [Energy Conservation]

Good magazine has an interesting chart in their latest issue that details how much energy your vampire devices use, and how much it costs you to keep them plugged in. The guide differentiates between devices that are in "active" (ready to leap to life) and "passive" (just plugged in) standby modes, and some items are real shockers. A plasma TV, for instance, can cost about $160 per year just to keep plugged in. That Wii you got your hands on? $25 before you even hit one virtual tennis ball. The takeaway for me, at least, is thinking about putting some devices on power strips and turning them off if I know I won't be using them for a day or more.

Vampire Energy [Good Magazine via CNET News]

[via] Lifehacker

Create a Monitor Power-Off Shortcut [Linux Tip]

If you're using a Linux-powered laptop with limited battery life, or you just want to darken your laptop screen for whatever reason, Tombuntu has a tip for you. To turn the monitor off and have it wake up at the touch of a mouse or key, create a shortcut using this command, or type it into a terminal:

sleep 1 && xset dpms force off

(Note: The "sleep 1 && " portion is only necessary for terminal commands). Any laptop can be set to darken its monitor after a certain amount of time, but even the quickest setting—15 minutes on mine—uses precious battery life if you need to look away. Adding this shortcut to a panel button or menu could come in handy.

Create a Virtual Monitor Power Button [Tombuntu]

[via] Lifehacker

Add Life to Your Workspace [Workspaces]

Setting up a workspace—be it a cubicle, desk or home office setup—with a strict focus on productivity can leave it feeling a bit lifeless. You might not go to the semi-crazy extremes shown in Wired's photo gallery, but designer Kelly Moore has a few ideas you can pull from each concept. For example:

"If you think about it, the walls and floor are the largest spaces to transform," Moore says. Pre-printed corrugated paper (available from craft and party-supply stores) is inexpensive and easily affixed with Velcro. "It sets the scene," Moore says.

Other workspace ideas offered include keeping a folding chair for guests under a desk, keeping piled work in clean-line containers, and keeping a cotton ball dipped in essential oils nearby to counteract lingering office smells.

Fantastic Fixes Help Your Sad, Pathetic Cubicle [Wired]

[via] Lifehacker

Google Brings Back Subscribed Links for Custom Results [Google]

A Google feature that lets you pick and choose certain informational sites to show up in your first page of results has made an unannounced comeback. Subscribed Links, formerly known as Search Add-ons, has been enabled in at least the U.S. version of Google, so those with a Google account can now pick from nearly 50 sites to place in their results. If you subscribe to CalorieLab, for example, searching for "calories cheerios" will bring up an info box from CalorieLab as the fourth result. To enable Subscribed Links, click the "Preferences" link next to the main search box on the plain or iGoogle home pages.

Subscribed Links Directory [Google via Google Operating System]

[via] Lifehacker

Recover from Eight Cooking Disasters [How To]

It's 6:45 p.m., the guests are due in 15 minutes, and the carrots you'd cooked using that fancy recipe look like limp little symbols of failure. Real Simple has eight ideas for fixing food that, usually through neglect or distracted cooking, goes awry, including a few common ones like mushy potatoes, crumbly cake and flavorless tomatoes. You can help disguise those carrots, by the way, if you sprinkle some pepper and parmesan on them. For our more culinary-minded readers—what last-minute fixes have you used to salvage dinner parties or just fancy dinners? Share your recipe hacks in the comments.

Easy Fixes for 8 Common Kitchen Mishaps [Real Simple]

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YouTube Adds Visual Search Tool [YouTube]

YouTube has quietly added a visual "related videos" feature that, while not as efficient as smart text searching, does help you find videos in the same realm as the one you're watching. To enable the feature (which doesn't appear on all videos), click the full-screen button on the lower right corner of the video. In the full-screen window, click the network-type button next to the play button. It functions similar to Musicovery in its methods—and probably in its potential for procrastination, so beware. For more non-standard YouTube search options, check out VDoogle and Qooqle.

YouTube Adds Cool Visualization for Browsing Related Videos [Download Squad]

[via] Lifehacker

Introducing Our New Associate Editor, Kevin Purdy! [Announcements]

This morning we're thrilled to announce that our guest editor Kevin Purdy's agreed to stick around permanently! As Lifehacker's newest Associate Editor, Kevin will continue to post up the best productivity and software news in the wee hours of the morning from the East coast while us West-coasties are still hitting the snooze button on our alarm clocks, plus cover Linux desktop news and tweaks. Yippee! Welcome aboard, Kevin!

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Thanks to This Week's Sponsors [Love And Money]

Thanks to this week's sponsors for the waxy Advent calendar chocolate: Ask.com, AT&T, Bank of America, Belvedere Vodka, Canon, Casio, Ford Focus, Helio, HP, Lead Tools, Logitech, Mint.com, Mio, Nokia, OQO, Register.com, SanDisk, Shure, Sonos, Sprint, T-Mobile, Toshiba, TiVo, Verizon, Vista, and Zune. Got a better childhood tradition? Advertise with Lifehacker.

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Slim Down and Speed Up Linux [Feature]

While Linux is pretty efficient with a computer's resources out of the box, there are still ways you can make it run leaner and meaner on your desktop. Using a little bit of know-how, a willingness to run a few terminal commands and a mind for efficiency, you can get every last bit of power from your Linux box, or get more life from an older system. Read on for a roundup of ways to slim down and speed up Linux that any level of user can implement.

One quick note: Many of these tweaks require altering system files, disabling processes or otherwise changing how your system runs. Whenever you alter a system file, back it up. The easiest way is to open a terminal and create a ".backup" version of it. For instance, to back up the /etc/hosts file, open a terminal and type:

sudo cp /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.backup

More importantly, if you're unsure of anything, don't do it.

Prune your processes

The easiest and safest way to free up memory in any Linux system is to stop unnecessary programs and background processes from running, and then get your system to remember how you like it. Most Linux distributions have a tool in their "System" or "Administration" menus that let you see what's going on and halt things, if necessary—in Ubuntu, there are two of them: System->Preferences->Sessions, and System->Administration->Services.

On every computer I've loaded Linux onto, there are a few startup programs I almost always disable from the "Sessions" menu. I don't sync my phone to my computer and use Thunderbird instead of the built-in Evolution, so the Bluetooth Manager and Evolution Alarm Notifier are first to go. Before touching anything in the "Services" window, consult this ExtremeTech guide for pointers on what is and isn't safe to turn off. As mentioned in the guide, Ubuntu (like most distro GUIs) only sees a few of the many services your computer is running. If you really want to fine-tune your system, you can install the sysv-rc-conf package found in many distros and surgically remove unnecessary background programs -- but I'll reiterate that point made above about backing up and making only a few changes at a time.

Install Lighter, Faster Applications

Full-featured, well-rounded programs like Firefox, OpenOffice.org and Amarok are a big part of the growth in Linux users. For computers running tight on memory, however, they can make Linux feel less like the streamlined system it's meant to be. For users who only need the basics, there are lighter-weight alternative applications that take up less memory and move a little swifter.

• Office programs: AbiWord, Gnumeric, KOffice—OpenOffice, like its proprietary adversary, Microsoft Office, has more features, settings and tools than any one user is likely ever going to need. For those who just want to be able to type documents and make basic spreadhseet edits, AbiWord and Gnumeric are a nice compromise between speed and features. KOffice is a bit more full-featured and KDE-oriented, but seems to run faster OpenOffice.
• File browsing: Thunar, PCMan—Both are fast, streamlined file browsers that don't try to offer up all the multimedia extras and graphical niceties that can bog down the default Nautilus (GNOME) and Konquerer (KDE) browsers. The PsychoCats site has a helpful guide for switching from Nautilus to Thunar; KDE users can also install Thunar or look into installing Dolphin from repositories, and any user can check out Google Docs, Zoho or other online office suites.
• Web browsing: Opera, Konquerer—There are extremely light browsers that use far less memory than Firefox (Dillo, Epiphany and the like), but the convenience and ease of use are hardly comparable. Opera, however, offers a small memory savings, and KDE's built-in browser is extensible and noticeably lighter.

Remove extra virtual terminals

Virtual terminals are a good tool to have—they offer a last-ditch escape to command line for a chance to fix things in a crashing system. But many Linux systems come with six of them enabled, which isn't usually necessary. You can usually disable five of them with few consequences. If you're using Gutsy, open a terminal and type in the following commands:

cd /etc/event.d
sudo mv tty3 tty3.bak
sudo mv tty4 tty4.bak

... and so on, through the tty6 file. If you're still on Feisty or other Linux distros, you'll likely have to edit the file in /etc/inittab and add a # character in front of the lines ending with tty3, tty4 and the like.

Reduce swappiness

If your system generally has enough memory to handle what you throw at it, your use of swap space should be minimal, but your system doesn't know that. To temporarily lower your swappiness, type the following command into a terminal (replacing "sudo" with "su" in some systems):

sudo sysctl -w vm.swappiness=10

To make that fix permanent, enter the following command (trading "gedit" for "kate" in KDE systems, or "nano" or "vi" if you have neither):

sudo gedit /etc/sysctl.conf

In the file that comes up, look for the line vm.swappiness=x and change the value to 10, or add the line if it doesn't exist.

Get good with the terminal

You've heard us evangelize about the efficiency of terminals before, but it's especially true in Linux. Give your terminal a handy keyboard shortcut, keep a list of basic commands handy, and learn to write bash scripts, create command shortcuts and find anything from one no-nonsense interface.

Five more tips and guides to speeding up your system

• Speed up GNOME menu—A simple but noticable tweak, especially on older computers.
• Speed up OpenOffice—Also applies to Windows and Mac version.
• Speed up Ubuntu Boot and Shutdown Process—This guide applies mainly to Ubuntu 7.04, "Feisty Fawn," and earlier versions.
• Give Ubuntu a speed boost—Note that some of the tweaks in the linked article could, if done improperly, leave a system unbootable, so proceed with caution.
• Change GNOME Menus to Use PCMan File Manager—If you don't want to make a complete PCMan transition, this trick launches the browser from GNOME's top bar menu.

How do you optimize your Linux desktop? Let us know in the comments.

Kevin Purdy, Lifehacker's newest Associate Editor, digs finding optimization tips. His weekly feature will appear every Friday on Lifehacker.

[via] Lifehacker

Create Custom iPhone Ringtones the Free and Apple Way [How To]

Apple has introduced a simple and free way to create and sync your own custom ringtones to the iPhone using GarageBand (i.e., Mac only). The first thing you'll need to do, if you haven't already, is download and install the latest update of GarageBand from Software Update (at the time of this writing, that's version 4.1.1). Once you've installed and restarted your computer, turning any song on your computer to a ringtone is a breeze. Here's how it works.

1. If you're using a song from your iTunes library, just open GarageBand, open iTunes, and simply drag and drop the song from iTunes to a new track in GarageBand.
2. Now click the Cycle Region button pictured above, which will activate the region loop tool.

3. Now adjust the length of the region to the section of the song you want to export to iTunes as a ringtone (40 seconds long or less), again as pictured above.

4. Finally, when you've got everything set the way you want it, just go to the menu bar and click Share -> Send Ringtone to iTunes. GarageBand will automatically convert the song to the proper format and sync it to your iTunes library as a Ringtone.

Simple, no? Likewise, if you prefer to create ringtones of your own music, just build your own tracks in GarageBand and repeat steps two through four. Unfortunately Apple hasn't provided a similar tool for Windows users yet, and I imagine that won't happen for some time, if at all. But if you're a Mac owner, creating custom ringtones for your iPhone just became dead simple.

How to create custom ringtones in GarageBand 4.1.1 [Apple via TUAW]

[via] Lifehacker

Google Knols for Your Wikipedia Needs? [Ask The Readers]

Google is launching a Wikipedia competitor called Knols (or Knol—the Google Blog post pluralizes, but the screenshot shows only singular) into private beta, which will feature user-generated articles by single authors that are rated by readers. Each article is called a "knol" (which, according to Google, stands for a unit of knowledge). Currently authors can write knols by invitation only, and topics aren't limited to just one author. Instead, Knols readers will rate articles with the idea that the best, most informative articles will rise to the top.

The fact is that Wikipedia articles have reached the number one spot in tons of topic searches on Google, so it's no surprise that Google would want to capitalize on some of those pageviews for themselves. But with the introduction of revenue and having placed the responsibility for content directly in the hands of just one author per article, Knols is a decidedly different from Wikipedia, but the aim for Google seems obvious: to capture an authoritative place in search results for reference content that currently belongs to Wikipedia. While the general public can't currently browse Knols, we're still curious: How do you feel about Knols? Are you happy to bow down to your Google overlords, or does the Wikipedia-competitor rub you the wrong way? Competition almost always means good things for users, but let's hear your thoughts in the comments.

Encouraging people to contribute knowledge [Official Google Blog]

[via] Lifehacker

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate Available [Featured Windows Download]

Windows Vista early adopters only: If you've been chomping at the bit to get your Vista PC more stable and efficient, you can get your paws on the release candidate of Service Pack 1, now available to the public for download. This is the release candidate, not the final release, so only brave, impatient testers should apply. Occasional Lifehacker guest poster Brad Isaac says:

I have been testing it today and I think it's worth doing... The benefits I've seen so far are an increase in speed, decrease in CPU cycling and my laptop seems to run cooler.

The SP1 RC is a free download for Vista users from Microsoft; if you install this now you'll still have to install the final release when it drops.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Public Availability Program [MIcrosoft via Achieve-IT!]

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Bill Gates pens an article for BBC News on ...

Bill Gates pens an article for BBC News on skills you need to succeed, saying that "a solid working knowledge of productivity software... has become a basic foundation for success in virtually any career." Can't argue with you there, Bill.

[via] Lifehacker

Speed Up Your Startup Time with BootVis [Featured Windows Download]

Windows only: Freeware application BootVis analyzes your Windows startup, tracking the programs that automatically run and the drivers Windows loads, to show you what processes are slowing down your startup. To use it, just run the app and select one of the options from the Trace menu. BootVis will restart you computer, track your startup, and analyze the results. You can even ask BootVis to optimize your boot time, but I'd suggest hunting down your worst-offending startup apps and disabling them with msconfig if you don't absolutely need them. Originally a Microsoft software, this abandoned freeware, Windows XP only tool is the perfect tool for troubleshooting a slow-to-boot system.

BootVis [Major Geeks via Inspect My Gadget]

[via] Lifehacker

Have You Ever Sent a "Dear John" Text? [Reader Poll]

A recent survey shows that one in seven people have suffered the same fate as Kevin Federline and been dumped via text message, Reuters reports today.

The survey said 15 percent of the 2,194 people questioned had been dumped by text or email, although a quarter of those in the most tech-savvy 18 to 24-year-old age group would choose the traditional method—a letter.

Sounds like a high number to me, so it begs the question:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Of course it's easier to not look the dumpee in the eye and better than just stopping communication completely, but next time you're considering giving your sweetheart the old heave-ho, do choose the message delivery medium wisely.

Lovers turn to text message to say it's over? [Reuters.com]

[via] Lifehacker

Speed Up Repetitive Typing with PhraseExpress 5 [Featured Windows Download]

Windows only: Previously mentioned freeware text replacement application PhraseExpress has updated with a couple of really impressive features, namely automatic text prediction and the handy clipboard cache, both of which you can see demonstrated in the video above. Like Lifehacker's own text replacement app, Texter, PhraseExpress saves you time by expanding text snippets to larger pieces of repetitive text. It doesn't have all of the features you'll get using Texter, but the text prediction in particular is very impressive, so you'll have to look them over and decide which works best for you. PhraseExpress is freeware for non-commercial use, Windows only.

PhraseExpress 5 [via CyberNet]

[via] Lifehacker

Move Email from Outlook to Gmail [Outlook Tip]

Outlook users who want to move to Gmail—or just back up their existing Outlook mail there—can do so using Gmail's IMAP access. Tech blog Digital Inspiration covers how. In a nutshell, set up IMAP access to Gmail in Outlook, and drag and drop your folders onto Google's servers. Simple.

Export and Backup All Emails from Outlook to Your Gmail Account [Digital Inspiration]

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Quickly Sort Any List with the Alphebetizer [Webapps]

Need to alphabetize something in a jiffy but don't want to fire up Excel and import the data to do it? Head over to The Alphabetizer, a simple but surprisingly useful webapp that quickly sorts any list into alphabetical order. The Alphabetizer can strip HTML from lists, remove duplicates, ignore indefinite articles like "a" or "an", and handle lists separated by new lines, commas, tabs, or any custom delimiter you like. You can even print your list once it's sorted. The Alphabetizer might not be an everyday webapp for you, but it is a useful tool for the right occasion.

The Alphabetizer [via Confessions of a freeware junkie]

[via] Lifehacker

Gmail Adds New Shortcuts, Easy Undo [Gmail]

As Gmail continues its slow (but sure?) trek towards integrating the keyboard shortcut goodness that is the Gmail Macros script in our very own Better Gmail Firefox extension, they've been throwing in lots of handy new shortcuts along the way. We already highlighted Gmail's best new shortcut, but as it turns out they snuck a couple other shortcuts in under the radar: The undo action (when available) with a keypress of 'z' (Ctrl-z anyone) and access to the More Actions drop-down menu with the '.' key. The undo shortcut is particularly useful, since virtually the only time I needed to leave my keyboard in Gmail was to undo a archiving a message. On the other hand, the More Actions shortcut seems like a crippled version of the 'l' shortcut in Gmail Macros. Remember you can get a look at all of the default shortcuts at any time in Gmail by typing a question mark (?), or head to the keyboard shortcuts page linked below.

Keyboard Shortcuts [Gmail Help via Steve Rubel's Twitter]

[via] Lifehacker

Freeze a Shapeable Ice Pack with Rubbing Alcohol [MacGyver Tip]

Need to ice that stubbed toe or twisted ankle? You don't have to buy a fancy pack or try to balance a block of ice on your skin. Outdoors blog Uncooped says you can freeze rubbing alcohol and water in a Zip Lock bag to get a malleable ice pack that can take any shape for comfort. The alcohol keeps the water from freezing, thus the bag of slush wraps around your injury easily. You can also use dishwashing liquid for the same purpose.

How to make a shapeable ice pack [Uncooped]

[via] Lifehacker

This Week's Best Posts [Tgif]

Unread Lifehacker posts flooding your feed reader? Tighten the valve on the information firehose with our trimmed-down top stories feed (which serves up only a handful of our best posts each day), or grab our once-a-week highlights feed. This week's best posts include:

• Top 10 New and Improved Apps of 2007
  "When it comes to new technology, 2007's destined to be remembered as "The Year of the iPhone"--but a whole lot more went on in the past 12 months besides Apple's much-hyped gadget launch."
• Lifehacker Gift Guide 2007
  "Today we're taking a look at gifts small and large--from under $10 to the over $50 set--perfect for the life-hacking loved one on your list (even if that's you)."
• Host Your Domain with Free Apps
  "You can buy a domain name for around 10 bucks a year (or less) and map it to a variety of free web-based apps for no-mess and no-cost hosting."
• Breathe New Life into Your Old Gadgets
  "Instead of forking over more cash to the likes of Jobs and Gates for their newest toys, we're taking a look at several ways to make your old gadgets new again."
• Fifteen Foods that Burn More Calories than They Contain
  "We need to scarf down plenty of calories in a day, but if you've got a nasty snack habit that's tipping the scales to heavy, weblog Bootstrapper's list of 15 foods that burn more calories than they contain might be the perfect addition to your grocery list."
• Lifehacker's 2007 Software Superlatives
  "Who had the Most Obnoxious Icon, Best Splash Screen, and Best Easter Egg of the Year?"
• Rip DVDs in Linux the (Semi-)Easy Way
  "I've tried out a good number of DVD ripping and conversion programs, and I've made peace with one method, and one program, that gets the job done more often than not."

[via] Lifehacker

Use a Screensaver as Desktop Wallpaper with Wallsaver [Featured Mac Download]

Mac OS X only: Turn your desktop into a photo slideshow using freeware app Wallsaver. Wallsaver is a very simple application written in AppleScript that replaces your wallpaper with the current screensaver. Setting the wallpaper as Flurry (shown above) is pretty annoying, however, using your pictures folder is an excellent way to use your desktop as a digital picture frame. A few months ago we showed Linux users how to get the same effect using a nautilus hack. Thanks, NineTailedFox!

Wallsaver [NWW Network]

[via] Lifehacker

Organize Your Money in 2008 with Wesabe [Feature]

As the last few days of 2007 slip away, make a New Year's resolution to get your finances in order with Wesabe. A few months ago Adam kicked Mint's tires. After giving Mint a whirl, I knew it wasn't for me. With Wesabe's plethora of features, open source mindset, and strong community backing I knew immediately that it was the perfect money management app for my needs.

At just over one year old, Wesabe is still a fairly young application. However, in just one year Wesabe managed to release a portfolio of software, build a strong community, and roll out many new features.

The Security Stuff First
Wesabe may just be secure enough for the most paranoid of privacy freaks. I could rattle on about how great their privacy policy is and how refreshing it is that they have a Data Bill of Rights, or you could hear about Wesabe's privacy policy from the horse's mouth. The following is a comment left by Marc Hedlund, co-founder of Wesabe, on a recent post we published about Wesabe:

Wesabe does not take bank or credit card credentials on our servers, and we do not have account numbers for those accounts, either. We provide a separate downloadable application, the Wesabe Uploader (available for Windows and Mac, and as a Firefox plugin for all platforms), [more on that later] which keeps your bank and credit card credentials on your own machine. The Uploader strips your account numbers out of your data before uploading that data to Wesabe.

Also, the information that is stored at Wesabe is kept separate from your identity -- only your Wesabe password, which we do not have, links them.

We have what we refer to as the Wesabe "Data Bill of Rights" that lists the promises we make about how we treat your data. The first of those rights is that you can export and/or delete your data from our servers at any time.

A lot of companies will tell you, "yeah, we're secure" but will not follow through with letting you back out if you decide you are uncomfortable, and we feel that making that promise ensures that we have to meet the highest standards -- otherwise people can and will leave.

Any Questions?

Still have a few lingering security questions? Call the CEO of Wesabe, Jason Knight, directly. Wesabe redefines the concept of "open door policy" by letting you call and chat with Jason directly. I tried to get a hold of Jason for this article but I got his voicemail. Hey, he's a busy guy! I understand. Now that you and the Wesabe team have been formally introduced, let's get to the good stuff.

The Pros
Whether you're running Windows, Linux, or Mac you'll run into very few (if any) problems with Wesabe. Wesabe has a bunch of software to help you streamline and better manage your money. We've covered a lot of the Wesabe software portfolio in the past, here's a rundown.

Firefox Extension
With the Wesabe Firefox Extension you can upload transaction information and browser snapshots, and make recordings (visual macros) to upload financial information that cannot be automatically synced with Wesabe. What I personally like about the Firefox extension is that it can be used to automatically upload payment confirmation pages after you pay bills and make online payments.

Dashboard Widget
Mac users can enjoy the at-a-glance convenience of the Wesabe Dashboard Widget. The widget provides the balance of each account and your 10 most recent transactions.

Mobile Management
Earlier this week Wesabe introduced a mobile version of the site suitable for phones, PDAs, and other handhelds. Since I own the world's crappiest cellphone, I can't take advantage of this great feature. However, Windows users who can't use the widget, can use the mobile version of Wesabe to quickly view recent transactions. I have two shortcuts in my bookmarks toolbar: one for the full blown version of Wesabe and one for the mobile version.

Desktop Uploader
If Firefox extensions aren't your bag (why not?), Mac and Windows users can upload their financial data using a desktop uploader. In order to download the desktop uploader you will need to register with Wesabe. For those with a Wesabe account, here is the download link.

Community
Probably the best aspect of Wesabe is the strong community of users who continually help each other identify various ways to save money. Wesabe has very active forums which include a thread on how to improve Wesabe that is frequently reviewed by members of the Wesabe development team. Wesabe also injects user-submitted tips explaining various ways to save money unobtrusively into the interface.

The Cons
While Wesabe is well on its way to becoming my dream app, it still has one major area that needs improvement. Currently, it is very difficult to track and manage "nontraditional" accounts. In order to track accounts that do not have basic recurring financial statements (i.e., credit union, 401K, pension, etc.) you must open a cash account and trick Wesabe by manually making "cash" entries that represent your various transactions. I would like to see Wesabe improve how manual transactions are recorded and how nontraditional accounts are managed. I would also like to see Wesabe add the ability to manage debts so it can become a complete, net worth management device.

Enough Already. Show Me!
The following is a detailed tour of the actual Wesabe website.

Why Wesabe and Not Mint?
I came to Wesabe because I had too many accounts that would not automatically sync with Mint. I stayed with Wesabe because I love their mission, community, and their desire to continually improve the site. I am confident in their privacy policy, believe they will protect my data, and like that I can take my data with me if I want. I will not be returning to Microsoft Money, Quicken, GnuCash, or Mint anytime soon!

What's your take on Wesabe, Mint, and using web apps to manage your finances? Share in the comments.

[via] Lifehacker

Add a Whiteboard to Your Hipster PDA [Hipster PDA]

Turn a notecard into a miniature whiteboard by wrapping it with packing tape. As shown above, packing tape can also be used to laminate notecards you want to protect. The downside to carrying a notecard wrapped in packing tape is that you'd also have to start carrying a dry erase marker. Regardless, if you're a frequent doodler, big thinker, or work in an environment where dry erase markers are abundant, you can reuse notecards that would otherwise get scrapped.

Make A Pocket-Size Dry Erase Board [via Lifehack.org]

[via] Lifehacker

Faster Shutdowns Using the Run Dialog [Windows Tip]

Reader Eric writes in with a tip to eliminate hangs and speed up the shutdown process in Windows without installing any extra software.

Whenever I tried to shutdown my work laptop it would take almost five minutes. Five minutes! Since I work in a completely locked-down environment I couldn't look to any third party applications for help. Entering the following shutdown command in the run dialog speeds up my shutdown time dramatically.
shutdown -f -t 0

The command Eric uses immediately forces any open applications to close without warning prior to Windows shutting down. Here's another way to quickly shutdown your Windows computer. Thanks, Eric!

[via] Lifehacker

Shake up your style with Style Shake

Who wants to show up at an event wearing the same dress as someone else? Now you can ensure your dress is one of a kind with Style Shake. The London based company allows you to custom design your own dress from start to finish, then custom makes it and sends it to you.

The site starts by asking you to select a fabric. Fabric choices range from the simple such as black 100% cotton to dressier 100% organic silks. Once you've selected a fabric you create your dress by selecting an upper bodice, neckline, sleeve, waist panel, lower bodice, and trimmings from Style Shake's pre-designed options. You can add belts and bows to your design and the site ensures your design is a success by eliminating choices that don't jive with your current selections.

As you build your dream dress a virtual mannequin sports your style so you can get a feel for what the finished product will look like. Once your creation is complete you can save it within Style Shake, share it with friends, and order it so you can wear it yourself. Finished style prices are based on what you put into them. A 100% cotton dress is obviously going to be less expensive than one made of 100% silk.

The site claims to deliver a finished dress to you in 10 days. One drawback to the service is that you can't actually try a dress on to see how it fits, but the site offers free alterations so if you do get something that isn't just right you can send it back and get it fixed for free. The site currently only offers dresses, it would be nice to see them expand into other clothing pieces and offer some mens options as well.

[via] Download Squad

Flipping the Linux switch: Amarok

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[via] Download Squad

Flickr unveils new Uploadr & adds Stats to Pro accounts

Yahoo!'s Flickr photo-sharing service (which you may well have been voting for in the Open Web Awards: Photo Sharing category) has just unveiled two spiffy new additions to their roster of tools: one for everyone, the other one left for Pro accounts only.

The new Uploadr 3.0 is the Flickr-developed tool to upload photos to the service, and is available to all members, on both Macs and PCs. The big new feature in this release is the ability to re-order photos through dragging and dropping before you click the Upload button and get the photos on their way. Not only that, but once an upload is underway, you can get started on another batch of photos within the application to prepare to upload: nifty.

The other major announcement is that Flickr is now enabling 'Stats' for Pro account holders, allowing users to see where traffic is coming from for their photostream. Flickr-rival Zooomr has offered 'Trackbacks' on photos for some time now, and it's a really neat feature, allowing you to see who's linking (and perhaps more importantly clicking) on your photos. If you're a Pro member, and you're looking for your Flickr stats without any success, however, be aware that you'll need to activate Stats on your account (by clicking here and signing in) and then waiting for 24 hours whilst the Flickr system prepares your stats.

[via] Download Squad

Can't Find On Google: Repository of things you can't.. well, you know

Sure, Google and other search engines are great if you're looking for information about most things. But sometimes you've got a question that's so obscure that it's nearly impossible to find a good answer on Google. Or your search might be so general that you actually get too many results to make sense of them all.

Enter Can't Find On Google. At its most basic level, this is a website where you can enter all the things Google hasn't done for you lately. Just click the "New Entry" button and rant away. You're helping to contribute to a mostly amusing list of unanswered questions.

But users can also leave comments, which means that your question might actually not remain unanswered for long. For example, a recent commenter was looking for a better way to rename folders, and someone responded with a software recommendation. Or another person was looking for WWE star Trish Stratus's cellphone number, and several helpful commenters pointed out that he was some sort of a sick stalker.

Theoretically, Can't Find On Google could be a great resource for Google or any other search engine looking holes in their product. In practice, it's a fun distraction that you can get lost in for literally seconds.

[via] Download Squad

Opera files complaint against Microsoft with European Commission

Opera CTO on Opera's antitrust actio
Uploaded by operasoftware

Opera Software is going where many have gone before, and filing a complaint against Microsoft. In a nutshell, Opera is asking the European Commission to force Microsoft to take two actions:

1. Divorce Internet Explorer from Windows
2. Make sure Internet Explorer supports web standards

The first part makes sense. Microsoft has an unfair advantage in the web browser wars because it bundles Internet Explorer with its widely used Windows operating systems. This isn't the first time someone has cried monopoly and pushed for Microsoft to unbundle software from Windows. And in fact, the European Commission has already ordered Microsoft to offer versions of Windows without Windows Media Player.

Opera wants Microsoft to either unbundle IE and Windows or to bundle alternative web browsers as well as Internet Explorer.

As for the supporting standards bit, are you serious? Opera's argument is basically that Microsoft is breaking the web because many web developers design pages to render properly in IE without paying much attention to competing browsers like Firefox or Opera. But should the European Commission or any regulatory agency be issuing rulings about what version of CSS, XHTML, JavaScript and other software developers should be supporting?

[video via Opera Watch]

[via] Download Squad

Google puts Wikipedia in the crosshairs with Knol

If we were Jimmy Wales, we'd have bought a bullet proof vest long ago. Google has just set Jimmy up the bomb; Announcing 'Knol', a human powered index of knowledge which seeks to rival Wikipedia in accountability, and thus accuracy.

Knol will focus on credit for authors who "own" pages within the system. Write a bad page, lose your reputation. Write a better page than one which currently exists, and knock it out of the top spot. It's free market dynamics and modern credit reporting all rolled into one and applied to encyclopedia style information. Google, for it's part, seemingly intends to be hands off in the management of Knol, foregoing any oversight structure similar to that in place at Wikipedia or Mahalo.

While we find this all super interesting, we're going to stop short of prognosticating about the death of Wikipedia. Other industry pundits are calling it "a game changer" and "huge"; We've decided to wait until Monday to predict Wikipedia's imminent death. It's called journalism, look it up.

Oddly enough, there is no current Wikipedia entry for "Knol". Maybe we should pitch in and create one?

[via Paris Lemon]

[via] Download Squad

YouTube adds cool visualization for browsing related videos

For a while, YouTube was just, well, YouTube. Now under Google's wing, the popular video sharing site receives the random, occasional upgrade. Here's a new one: You can now browse videos related to the one you're watching through an interactive web-like interface.

In order to access the feature, first full-screen your chosen video. At the bottom left corner, next to the play/pause button, you should find the the new button. Click on it, and YouTube will take you on a cool, new related-video ride.

In testing the feature, we discovered that not all videos had the button. Further investigation led to the culprit: Videos that YouTube considers promoted content (YouTube is likely paid to promote these videos) don't have it. If for some reason a video or two doesn't have the button, fear not. Google has a habit of releasing gradual updates to its properties, so it shouldn't be too long until it becomes a site-wide feature for all videos.

[via] Download Squad

Googleholic for December 14 2007

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

• Is Google about to take on Wikipedia?
• Syncing Google calendars with your Blackberry
• Postini 2007
• Another Google goes the Angel route
• Google 2007 Zeitgeist
• Google Analytics updates
• Google's Gdrive size
• Streetviews on your website

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 14 2007

[via] Download Squad

KDE 4 coming on Jan 11th, download RC2 today

While Linux was once the operating system of command line enthusiasts only, there are now several popular graphical desktop environments, including Gnome, XFCE, and KDE. Of the three, XFCE is the lightest-weight, meaning it's designed to run well on older PCs with slower processors and less powerful graphics cards. Gnome and KDE include more desktop effects, some of which might just be pretty to look at, while others can actually make improve productivity.

The KDE developers team is preparing to release the next generation of KDE. While KDE 3 is often described as an interface that Windows users will find familiar (the taskbar is on the bottom of the screen, there's a Windows-like start menu, etc), KDE 4 looks more like a cross between Windows Vista and OS X Leopard. That's because it comes with some amazing visual effects built right in like window transparencies, and a task switcher that looks a lot like Exposé on OS X.

KDE 4 also includes a new icon set, a new file manager, and a bunch of under the hood changes that most users won't notice. And it accomplishes all that while using less memory than KDE 3. That means you can run KDE 4 well on older machines, or newer computers like the Asus Eee PC which come with slower processors and a relatively small amount of RAM.

The video above shows Trolltech employee Jesper Thomschütz running Kubuntu with KDE 4 release candidate 2 on an Eee PC. You can download that LiveCD disc image yourself and test out KDE 4 on your own machine. KDE 4 is officially scheduled for release on January 11th. It will probably be a little while before you see Linux distributions like Kubuntu or OpenSuse coming with KDE 4 as the default graphical user interface, but you should be able to install stable KDE 4 packages to your existing Linux system starting next month.

[via] Download Squad

Save your OpenOffice.org docs to Google Docs (and vice versa)

If you find yourself typing some documents up on your desktop and others using the web-based office suite Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you might find it hard to keep organized. With your documents spread all over the place, it's easy for a few things to get lost in the shuffle.

While OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs won't quite let you synchronize your OpenOffice.org documents with your Google Docs, this OpenOffice extension does make it easy to import/export your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Once you download and install the extension, a new toolbar will show up in OpenOffice.org with two options: Export to Google Docs and Import from Google Docs. The export button basically lets you save your documents online so you can edit them from any computer, share them with collaborators, or do whatever else it is you do with Google Docs. The import feature brings up a list of all your documents stored online and lets you open them up one by one. There's no batch import option available at the moment.

We'll repeat, this is not a synchronization option. If you have an older copy of a document on your desktop and a newer version with the same version on Google Docs, it's up to you to resolve the differences. But this is still a pretty handy extension if you prefer using OpenOffice.org on your desktop, but might need to access your documents on the go.

[via] Download Squad

Play hide-and-seek with Google Analytics

How much data do you think Google has about you and your browsing habits? Crazy amounts. Scary amounts. Volumes of data that make our veins run cold and keep us awake at night. But, hey, they kinda own the web, right? So what can you do?

Forty One of the most popular 100 sites on the web use Google to track their visitors. As it turns out, it's pretty simple to opt-out of Google Analytics data collection. Blog Boing shows us how, "For the more privacy cautious between us the solution for preventing any site's Google Analytics to record any information on us is quite simple. Just add to your hosts file the following lines:"

127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com
127.0.0.1 google-analytics.com
127.0.0.1 ssl.google-analytics.com
127.0.0.1 *.google-analytics.com

This little "hack" keeps your computer from contacting Google's Analytics data collection servers, thus keeping your data out of Google's incredibly wealthy hands.

Thanks BlogBoing!

[via] Download Squad

Zumobi beta for Windows Mobile launches

Zumobi, or the company formerly known as ZenZui is making its new zooming web browser/interface for Windows Mobile available as a public beta today.

2007 seems to be going down as the year of the zooming interface for mobile devices. Apple released the iPhone with a version of the Safari web browser that lets you see whole pages or zoom in to see a smaller portion. Opera Mini 4 does the same for a variety of devices. And now Zumobi for Windows Mobile provides a zooming interface for accessing web content including Flickr, AP News, and some web-based games.

In the past, mobile browsing meant reading stripped down text-only versions of web sites. This made a lot of sense because cellphones and PDAs have small screens, and typically display lower resolutions than computer monitors. But just because you have a small screen doesn't mean you don't want to access rich content on websites.

The Zumobi approach gives you a screen with 16 tiles, and the option to zoom in so you just see 4 tiles at a time. Click on one to open the associated web app. Zumobi maintains a gallery of applications, so you can remove some of the tiles that come with Zumobi and install alternates. You can also develop your own, and share them with other users.

Zumobi also plans to release a BlackBerry version of its software during the second quarter of 2008, and an iPhone application sometime after Apple releases the iPhone SDK.

[via] Download Squad

Twitter from your Blackberry with TwitterBerry

If you are an avid Twitter user, and have a BlackBerry tucked away in your pocket, you have a few options to keep your followers updated whilst on the go. You can visit the Twitter mobile site at http://m.twitter.com, or you can use a new application on the market called TwitterBerry.

TwitterBerry is a mobile client for Blackberry users to post updates on Twitter. It supports popular BlackBerry devices including the 8800 line and 8700 line as well as the Pearl and Curve. To get the application loaded, you can either download it or transfer it via USB, or via a download link on your BB. It's simple to use, and avoids the time required to fire up a browser and enter a URL. You can watch updates roll in from friends, view the public timeline and update your status without waiting for Twitters form field to load.

If you are still looking at starting up your own Twitter account, or wondering how to use your Twitter account effectively? Chris Brogan has a very useful Newbies Guide to Twitter that will walk you through using it as a social network and as a way for personal branding.

[via] Download Squad

Share files with Drop.io

YouSendIt, MailBigFile, and Driveway are great if you need to share a file that's too large to fit in an email attachment. But what if you want to share a bunch of files with a group of people? Sure, you could just keep sending out emails with that link, but wouldn't it be nice if you could set up a temporary web page where people could download files or view pictures, watch videos, or listen to audio online?

Drop.io does just that. You don't need to register or even enter an email address to create a Drop.io page. Just enter a name for your page (7 character or longer), and start uploading files. Generally, Drop.io seems to prefer videos, images, audio, and documents. We tried uploading an executable file and it promptly disappeared.

The site includes a Flash player that will let you access media online or you can click a download link to save files. The user who creates a Drop.io page can choose whether other users can edit the page or just view it. You can also select how long files will be available for, from 1 day to 1 year.

[via AppScout

[via] Download Squad

Where is Windows Mobile headed?

Windows Mobile may have trounced PalmOS pretty completely over the last few years, but if the mobile operating system wants to maintain its market share, it's going to need to make some changes. For example, iPhone has raised the bar for mobile web browsing while the Windows Mobile version of Internet Explorer feels like a web browser from 1997 at best.

The folks at Microsoft are well aware that Apple, BlackBerry, Symbian, and others are continuing to push the envelope. While Microsoft is preparing to release Windows Mobile 6.1 with a few tweaks here and there, Microsoft reps have leaked some details about the much bigger changes coming in Windows Mobile 7 and 8 to a few high profile gadget blogs including Engadget and Gizmodo.

Here's what in store for Windows Mobile 7:

• Upgraded applications, including new SMS and email programs and essentially a port of the desktop version of Internet Explorer 6 (does this mean we still won't have tabbed browsing?)
• Zoomed web browsing features
• Improved music and photo applications

And Windows Mobile 8:

• Completely redesigned interface
• Global search feature
• More intelligent connections between the phone and OS features. For example, dial a contact and bring up all recent emails from that person, see their address, and other contact info all at once.

Of course, you can do some of these things today by using 3rd party software. But we're willing to bet most users don't think of their cellphones as software platforms, and as such don't spend a lot of time downloading and installing third party applications. They expect their device to just work when they take it out of the box.

[via] Download Squad

How to convert PDF eBooks to images for reading on your mobile

Amazon Kindle schmindle. We've been reading eBooks on handheld devices for ages. There are some great eBook readers for Windows Mobile and PalmOS that let you read TXT, HDML, PDF, PDB, LIT, and other file formats. But things get a bit more challenging if you want to read your eBooks on an iPod or other MP3 player. Most of these devices don't come with web browsers or eBook raders.

That's where eBook to Images comes in. This free application lets you convert a wide variety of text files into images. You can adjust the font, image size, and image format (PNG, BMP, or JPG) and convert hundreds of pages of text into hundreds of little images in no time flat. Just copy the resulting folders onto your portable device and you can scroll through a series of images to read your books while waiting at the doctor's office.

[via freewaregenius]

[via] Download Squad

Google Reader adds Google Talk for sharing

Google has added a new way to share your favorite feeds and articles with friends, through Google Talk, aka the Gmail address book.

Google Reader has included a "Share" button for a while now, but if you wanted people to actually read your shared listings, you had to direct them to a URL or RSS feed. Now your Google Talk contacts can also see the items you're sharing on their Google Reader page.

Next time you login to Google Reader, you should notice a few of your Google Talk contacts' names hanging out in the navigation panel on the left side of the screen. Google Reader will tell you how many items they're sharing, and let you scroll through their shared item feed as if you have subscribed to it. You can also manage your friends list so that only certain people can see your shared items.

This is a great way to check in with friends to get feed recommendations for websites you might have never visited before, or interesting articles that you have passed by. Or is it Google's stealth social network in the works?

[via] Download Squad

Download Squad Week in Review

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[via] Download Squad

Live streaming of The Squadcast taping day

We're hard at work again on new episodes of The Squadcast. That's right, we're giving up our Saturday to crank out fresh and fantastic content for your consumption.

We'll be interviewing Amber Rhea of the Georgia Podcaster Network around 1pm Eastern to find out how to become a podcaster. Then, at 2:30 Eastern, we'll be talking to Dalas Verdugo of Vimeo about producing video for the web. Last but not least, we'll be talking to Linux nut and new Download Squad blogger Kristin Shoemaker about taking the plunge and switching to Linux.

Join us while we hang out, write up new lists of our favorite fives and shoot segments for upcoming shows. Chat with us live after the jump.

Continue reading Live streaming of The Squadcast taping day

[via] Download Squad