Everything available in my KolleXon !!!: [Lifehacker] 20 New Entries: Let David Allen Test Your GTD IQ [GTD]

Let David Allen Test Your GTD IQ [GTD]

Getting Things Done author David Allen offers a new online self-assessment to figure out where you fit into his matrix of self-manager categories.

The quick, 20-question quiz doesn't require that you've read his books, but they do require some honesty about your goals, to-do list, and overall sanity on a day-to-day basis. Adam, Kevin, and Jason probably wouldn't be surprised to find out that I'm a "Visionary / Crazy-maker." Hmmm. Which classification do you fall into according to The David? Let us know in the comments.

Burn More Reliable Discs with QuickPar [Step By Step]

Reader ST discovered that aging data backup CDs he had burned had become unreadable, so now he uses QuickPar to make recovering data on disc with bad sectors possible. Here's how he does it.

ST writes:

I have some discs burnt years ago and recently I found them not 100% readable. I'm buying more reliable discs now but I realize even with better media as times goes by the data will become more precious and inevitably...damaged (due to the physics nature of optical media). So from now on when I compose a disc to nearly full, instead of wasting the spare space I use freeware QuickPar to generate recovery volumes and burn them together.

As Usenet mavens know, QuickPar creates "parity volumes" which can verify and recover information for a file or a group of files. If some files are damaged or missing but the needed information is contained in the parity volume, QuickPar may be able to reconstruct the originals from the damaged files and the PAR volumes.

ST explains how to use QuickPar.

Drag the about-to-burn files to QuickPar, adjust the redundancy level so the "recovery data size" matches the spare space on disc (I always drag files to the burning tool first to see how much space left), then press Create.

After a while it will generate bunch of files with extension .PAR2.

Then drag them to the burning tool. Together with original files they should fit on one disc perfectly.

From there, you're good to go burn your disc. Then, in case you need recovery, your PAR files will come in handy. ST continues:

One day when "bad sectors" occur I'll use the free IsoBuster (or any other bad disc saver like Badcopy) to extract the most from my disc, with of course some files missing and some files partially missing.

I only hope not all PAR2 files are missing. Then here comes QuickPar again: double click on any .PAR2 file, the QuickPar will open and start to scan every file it finds, hopefully and very likely (if the disc is not heavily damaged), it will repair your precious data!

Tip 1: QuickPar only accepts files but not folders. But here's a small hack: open windows search and search * in your desired folder then drag the result files to QuickPar
Tip 2: You can choose to only protect VIF (Very Important Files) instead of the whole disc with QuickPar
Tip 3: This method is Windows only, but the idea is universal so I believe Linux users have better solutions.
Tip 4: This is very useful when you back up a lot of movies.

Congratulations, ST! You just won yourself a signed copy of our latest book, Upgrade Your Life. Tell us your best time saver of 2008 to win your own.

Ask MetaFilter Roundup [Hive Mind]

Hear 2008's Top 25 Pop Songs in One Mashup [Best Of 2008]

DJ Earworm's mashup of Billboard's top 25 tunes of 2008—called The United State of Pop 2008—will catch you up on the biggest pop hits of this past year in under five minutes.

Watch the video mashup above or download the 10MB MP3. Earworm says:

This year in the charts, we've gone all soft. The songs are sexy and defiant, less macho than in previous years. Accordingly, I've selected Coldplay as the instrumental track, giving the whole year a sort of symphonic feel. This edit is called "Viva La Pop", and I hope to post more edits soon.

Songs in the mashup include:

Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain - Low
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
Alicia Keys - No One
Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major - Lollipop
Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic - Apologize
Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown - No Air
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Usher Featuring Young Jeezy - Love in This Club
Chris Brown - With You
Chris Brown - Forever
Ray J & Yung Berg - Sexy Can I
Rihanna - Take a Bow
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
T.I. - Whatever You Like
Rihanna - Disturbia
Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music
Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
Chris Brown Featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
Ne-Yo - Closer
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Mariah Carey - Touch My Body
Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
Pink - So What
Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Both a time saver AND time killer at the empty office today. Any other time-saving and creative 2008 lists or mashups out there you like? Post 'em up in the comments. [via]

Everything You Need to Know How to Do in Windows [Windows]

While Mac and Linux users may be the most vocal (ahem), the overwhelming majority of Lifehacker readers get here using some version of Windows. Let's review the most popular Windows tutorials we've ever published.

Format Your Hard Drive and Install Windows XP from Scratch (Published 2006)
"Hey, Windows XP users: The blue screen of death got you down? Missing dll errors making you frown? Frequent software crashes leave you yearning for that fresh, new PC you unpacked with glee three years ago? If you've scrubbed for spyware and viruses, defragged, chkdsked and done the requisite rain dance but things are STILL wonky on your computer, it may be time for extreme action."

Dual-boot Windows XP and Windows Vista (Published 2006)
"These instructions work if you have a PC running Windows XP and a Windows Vista installation DVD. If you already have Vista installed, and you want to dual boot XP, go here."

Automatically Back Up Your Hard Drive (Published 2006)
"Don't expect yourself to remember to back up your data, or stack your closet full of burned CD's or DVD's. Today we're going to set up automated nightly, weekly, monthly local and off-site backups for your PC using free software."

Slipstream Service Pack 3 into Your Windows XP Installation CD (Published 2008)
"Next time you wipe your PC's hard drive clean and reinstall Windows with that old installation disc, you don't want to connect your fresh, unpatched and vulnerable system to the internet only to download 176 new updates from Microsoft."

Trim Down Windows to the Bare Essentials (Published 2008)
"When you're installing Windows in a virtual machine or on old, slow hardware, you want the leanest, meanest and fastest-running configuration possible."

Make the Most of Your PC's Dual Monitors (Published 2007)
"Now that you've added another monitor to your computer setup, you've got double the screen real estate to get things done—but are you putting all that space to good use?"

Crack a Windows Password with Ophcrack Live CD (Published 2007)
"Whether you need to recover the lost password to a Windows account, you're looking to ensure that your passwords are secure, or you're a super l33t h4x0r, the Ophcrack Live CD is a pretty useful tool."

Download the Most Popular Free Windows Apps of 2008 (Published 2008)
"In the past year we've highlighted hundreds of Windows apps aimed at making your life easier, boosting your computer productivity, and powering up your PC."

Turn Your Windows PC into a Media Center Powerhouse On the Cheap (Published 2007)
"If you've purchased a new Windows computer in the past few years that's running Windows Media Center Edition or Vista Home Premium or Ultimate and you aren't taking advantage of its baked-in DVR Media Center software, it's time we change that."

Get Vista's Best Features in XP (Published 2008)
"Despite the fact that most of you prefer XP to Vista and would rather Microsoft extended XP's shelf-life, several new and improved features available in Vista would be great to have in XP."

Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster (Published 2008)
"Commercial DVDs are far too expensive to let scratches turn your video into a glorified coaster, but most people still don't back up their DVD collection."

Replace Crappy Windows Software with Superior Alternatives (Published 2008)
"It may be the year 2008, but a whole lot of sucktacular software still rears its ugly head on PC's everywhere, even when better-behaved options are freely available."

Any Windows topics you'd like to see us cover in '09? Burning Windows questions we haven't answered? Tell us in the comments.

Smart Year-End Tax Moves [Saving Money]

Financial adviser Bob O'Brien runs down nine year-end money moves that can save you come tax time, like making a last-minute charitable contribution, putting more money into your mortgage, or opening that IRA account.

What Are Your Biggest Accomplishments of 2008? [Ask The Readers]

Whether or not you're into New Year's resolutions, the last week of the year is a natural time to look back at the past 12 months and think about what went well (and not so well). If you're here we know you're already a productivity maven, so tell us: what did you get done this year that you're most proud of? Was it a DIY project, a personal goal, a professional accomplishment? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Chocolate, Wine, and Tea Improve Cognitive Performance [Mind Hacks]

If you're feeling guilty for all the holiday goodies you scarfed last week, take heart: Oxford researchers find that chocolate, wine and tea actually improve brain performance.

Google Gadgets for Linux Updates to Support Gmail, Google Docs [Featured Linux Download]

Linux only: The latest release of Google Gadgets for Linux offers speed and memory performance enhancements and a number of bug fixes, but, most importantly, support for newer gadgets like Gmail and Google Docs.

Those last two gadgets on Linux run almost exactly the same as the Google Desktop versions we previously mentioned, which could be all kinds of convenient for Linux users looking for the convenience of on-desktop email and writing without the heft of a full Google Desktop package. Hit the link below to grab a binary package or repository link for your distribution.

DLL-Files Replaces Your Program-Breaking Missing Items [Web Utilities]

If you've ever had a Windows program crash because of a missing .DLL file, you know a tedious reinstall usually follows. Free file site DLL-Files, however, might just save the day.

If you trust the site, which has a good deal of advertising and persistent pitches to try related software, you can grab any one of thousands of DLL files to replace and fix whatever your failing app wants to find, from deep-down system utilities to program-specific requirements. No registration or payment required, and the search and list-by-letter functions work as promised. For quick fixes of your suddenly malfunctioning apps—and getting older software to run on newer Windows versions—it seems worth a bookmark.

Make a DIY Camera L-Bracket [DIY]

A user at DIYPhotography.net was faced with a dilemma. He wanted to outfit his camera with an L-bracket to increase stability while doing portrait photography but he couldn't find a mount for his camera he liked.

The only mount he could find specifically for his camera was $130 and obscured the camera's battery compartment door which irked him. Faced with the prospect of paying over a hundred for a hunk of metal with a design he didn't even like he looked into making one himself. He found a metal supply shop that would accept small orders, in this case speedymetals.com, and ordered a small piece of pre-bent aluminum. After receiving it he used some inexpensive tools like a power drill and a hole tapper to set up the mount holes. His total expenditure for a the project including the raw materials, a new drill bit, and a hole tapper was $30, a substantial savings over $130. For more simple DIY camera equipment, check out the DIY camera stabilizer.

Windows 7 Beta 1 Out in the Wild [Windows 7]

What's being called the "first and only beta" of Windows 7 has made it onto BitTorrent tracking sites, and one early review, with screenshots, is already out. Get a preview of both below.

The leaked beta build, known as Windows 7 M1, was supposed to make its initial public release at the International Consumer Electronics Show (running Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas), but, well, you know how the internet works by now. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes at ZDNet's Hardware 2.0 blog says the M1 build is strikingly similar to the M3 "preview" builds some folks (including one or two editors at this site) have been previewing for weeks. One big difference: The features previously hidden away (though un-lock-able with the "Blue Badge") are all offered by default in M1

Kingsley-Hughes says Windows 7 installs faster than XP or Vista, and likes many of the features we ranked as our Top 10 to look forward to, as well as the pared-down default apps in the system. Here's his summation, after using and stretching out Windows 7 a bit:

I like Windows 7, a lot. Microsoft seems to have put a lot of effort into developing a core operating system that is free from the pointless frills of the likes of XP and Vista. The OS is solid and fast and based on what I've seen so far I'd have no problems in rolling out beta 1 and using it daily.

Here's a preview of just a few of the wealth of Windows 7 screenshots posted over at ZDNet:

(All images via ZDNet).

Have you found and installed the Beta 1 of Windows 7 (you know, the one that fell off a truck)? What's your impression? Give your take on the build, or just the screenshots, below.

Playing Board Games Boosts Important Skills [Mind Hacks]

The BBC Magazine suggests that board game players, young and old, benefit from the social, mental, and patience-building aspects of sitting down to play them. If you've still got relatives hanging around from the holidays, why not turn off the screens and take a spin past Park Place? [via]

FireTorrent Adds BitTorrent Powers to Firefox [Featured Firefox Extension]

Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): FireTorrent's alpha-level release aims at letting anyone using Firefox start downloading torrents from any source, no separate software required. For quick or one-shot downloads, it's pretty darned convenient.

The add-on, technically in the alpha stage and pseudo-invite-only (the link below gets past that requirement, however), doesn't have any preferences to configure, and limits your upload speed to 15 kb/s, most likely to preserve Firefox's basic browsing ability while you download. What it does do is simply convert any .torrent link you click on into a download, handled by Firefox just as if you were downloading a file directly. So if you want to grab something and imagine you'll be done with the download by the time you're out of your browser, FireTorrent fits the bill just fine. Configurable preferences are expected to arrive in the next release, according to the developer.

FireTorrent is a free download, works anywhere Firefox does (but make sure you install the right version for your OS).

How Much You're Really Paying for Text Messages [Text Messaging]

The New York Times details a dirty little secret the phone companies really don't want you to know—the text messages they charge you for each month cost basically nothing to send.

The article, and its revelation, also explains why text messages have such a seemingly arbitrary character limit—they're sent through the "control channel," the low-level bandwidth space used in every single call to set up a connection between a handset and tower. So even your "unlimited" $15-per-month plan is a huge payoff for your carrier, regardless of how busy you get on the keypad. Intriguing stuff, and worth thinking about when renegotiating a contract. [via; photo]

Limit Your Input to Increase Productivity [Time Management]

Chris over at the productivity blog The Art of Non-Comformity wants you to say no. Frequently. So frequently in fact that the quality of the things you say yes to rises exponentially.

Chris advocates radical exclusion as a solution for overwhelming demands and new inputs. Rather than stretch yourself thin saying yes to everything and ultimately failing to deliver you should focus on the commitments and projects you really want to make something of:

I may or may not have a good excuse for why I failed to honor the commitment, but one thing's for sure: if I make a habit of it, I will soon lose the trust of the person who had relied on me.

To prevent this from happening, I sometimes practice the fine art of radical exclusion. This is where I deliberately ignore or decline any number of inputs, messages, or requests for my attention in order to focus on what I decide is more important.

By using his limited reserve to energy and attention to tend to the things most important, the quality of the time he spends on things in turn rises and creates a superior widget—whatever that widget may be: a product, a design, time spent with family. Having spent most of my caffeine fueled 20s taking on mountains of projects, I found I too have embraced his notion of radical exclusion. How do you deal with tactfully declining some commitments and negotiating others to be more manageable? Photo by Dave Parker.

Plan for Your Wants to Make Budgeting Enjoyable [Finances]

Budgeting, while necessary, is viewed by most as a form of denial. A budget after all tells you what you have and where it is going. Budgeting for your wants is just as important.

Phil from the financial blog Wisebread has this to say:

Having a long-term plan to satisfy your wants is an important tool for keeping your budget focused on your needs. Satisfying a few of your little wants is what makes your life luxurious and splendid, but it's very easy to let the amount of little luxuries in your life grow until they devour the surplus that might have paid for the big luxuries.

He goes on to detail how planning is the key to both maintaining a healthy budget and getting those bigger things in life you long for. Being able to plan for the bigger items also makes budgeting a more bearable affair. Which rings more pleasant on the inner ear after all "I'm using this budget because without it I'd end up destitute." or "I'm using this budget to be able to set aside some money to remodel the garage into a wood working studio." Phil goes on to suggest that you go on to make a list of the things you want, prioritize them, and use that list as both fuel for keeping a balanced budget and for prioritizing your purchases. Spending money on a $10 electronic item might not seem as important or worthwhile if that expenditure keeps you from replacing a bigger device like a stereo or television that would bring more enjoyment and value. How do you plan for your wants and still maintain control over your budget? Photo by cheesy42.

Ask the Commenters Roundup [Hive Mind]

Do you buy and sell used books online? [Ask The Readers]

Do you send your books onto greener pastures via the online used book market? David Streitfeld of the New York Times reflects on the impact the used book market has had on new book sales:

This is not about Amazon peddling new books at discounted prices, which has been a factor in the book business for a decade, but about the rise of a worldwide network of amateurs who sell books from their homes or, if they're lazy like me, in partnership with an Internet dealer who does all the work for a chunk of the proceeds.

They get their books from friends, yard sales, recycling centers, their own shelves. castoffs (I just bought a book from a guy whose online handle was Clif Is Emptying His Closet). Some list them for as little as a penny, although most aim for at least a buck. This growing market is achieving an aggregate mass that is starting to prove problematic for publishers, new bookstores and secondhand bookstores.

Have you gotten into the online market for used books? We aren't here to moralize about the decline of the primary sales or bookstores because of the online sales, we're here to help readers find the best bargains and sell their books easily. Share your tips, tricks, and bargain hunting stories in the comments below. Photo by austinevan.

Tough Questions to Help You Declutter [Clutter]

With an influx of holiday gifts and trinkets, now is the perfect time of year to ask some tough questions about your things. Erin at the blog Unclutterer has a list to get you started.

In an effort to make more conscious choices about the objects she shared her home with, Erin began aggressively asking questions about them. The questions helped her overcome a dilemma:

Each object exists in my space for a reason, and a chunk of time, planning, and research was dedicated to its acquisition, and there are further evaluations to let it stay. I make an investment of myself in every object, and that is why it's hard for me to say that I'm not attached to these objects.

Even dedicating more thought to her acquisitions than most do, she still found it hard to work around the attachments we all form to things in our physical space. Using a series of questions like: "Does this item make my life easier, save me time, save me money, fulfill an essential need?" helped Erin sort through things more effectively and objectively. The questions are divided into two camp, those for the things you already own and those for the things you are about to acquire. If you're looking to live more consciously with your things this year and make better use of your physical space, Erin's list is a great spring board to taking an engaged look at your possessions. For other decluttering techniques check out how to declutter your home with the suitcase test and how to form an attack plan for a cluttered messy home.Photo by Diego Cupolo.

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Everything available in my KolleXon !!!

[Lifehacker] 20 New Entries: Let David Allen Test Your GTD IQ [GTD]