Nice Translator Improves Google Translate [Language Tools]
Language translation site Nice Translator uses Google Translate's results but wraps them in a more dynamic front end that offers multiple translations as-you-type.
Type your phrase into Nice Translator, which auto-detects what language you're inputting, and watch as it lists multiple translations, in real-time, as you type. Google Translate's page isn't as nice-looking or dynamic as Nice Translator, since it requires you to choose both the original and translation language and manually refresh the page. For more language fun, check out hrefbest online language tools for word nerds.
The Emoticarolers Customize Your Singing E-Card [Friday Fun]
Instead of that boring e-card, send an Emoticarolers (emoticon carolers, get it?) song. The faces from Yahoo Messenger sing classic holiday tunes with customizable lyrics. Here's ours.
You choose your tune—from Jingle Bells to Auld Lang Syne to Deck the Halls—choose your emoticon, and write your own lyrics. Preview, then send to your friends or share on your web site. Here's Lifehacker's happy holidays wish to you, sung by the carolers.
Head over to the Emoticarolers site to make your own, and post a link to it in the comments. (Keep it clean here folks, this is family-friendly Friday fun.)
Sponsor Shout-out [Thanks Sponsors]
Thanks to this week's sponsors: Chevy Fuel Solutions, Cingular, Energizer, HP MediaSmart Server, ING Direct, Livescribe, MSN, New Egg, Nokia E71, Pernod, Rovio, Samsung, Virgin America, Zune. Click here to advertise on Lifehacker.
Chrome Replaces Firefox in Google Pack's Default Browser Choice [Google Pack]
Just in time for new holiday computers and after its graduation from beta status, Google now lists Chrome as the default choice in its Google Pack software bundle.
Google Pack used to list Firefox as the default browser choice, but Chrome hasn't completely replaced the 'fox. Firefox (with the Google Toolbar) is still listed, second to last, just before Skype in Google Pack. Google Pack didn't knock our socks off when it first launched back in January of '06. It got a little better after they pulled the not-exactly-free trialware, but it still includes WTF-choice RealPlayer in it. Though it's a bit dated, check out our response to Google Pack's initial launch choices: Lifehacker Pack.
Gather 'Round the Water Cooler, My Kittens [Open Thread]
Time to break out the balls of yarn and catnip: it's the Friday open comment thread, where you get to pick the brains of your smartypants co-readers.
Post your tech questions, tell us your favorite holiday hacks, or just blow off steam with your Lifehacker compatriots in the comments below. (Speaking of feedback, we're spending the day poring over your comments and tweaking yesterday's redesign, so continue to let us know what you think in that thread.) For now discuss whatever's on your mind in the comments below, and we'll feature the best threads over the weekend. Get to yapping now! Photo by qu4ff.
Computer Power Management Myths Debunked [Energy Conservation]
If you think booting up and shutting down your computer negates the benefits of turning it off to begin with, or that your screensaver is saving you energy, get thee to Ted Samson's rundown of five PC power myths and why they're wrong. Save yourself and your company some cash and compute more sustainably by getting your computer's power management in order.
The Top Five Cheapest--But Least Healthy--Fast Food Choices [Food]
As budgets tighten it's even more tempting to grab the dollar meal at your local fast food joint, but those cheap eats are packed with fat, sodium, cholesterol, and processed meat—so read this before you do.
The non-profit Cancer Project ranks the five most unhealthy items on these so-called "value menus." At the top of the list? Jack in the Box's $1 junior bacon cheeseburger, which has 23 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat), 55 milligrams of cholesterol, and 860 milligrams of sodium and just one gram of fiber.
The New York Times runs down the rest of the list:
In second-worst place, the 89-cent Taco Bell cheesy double beef burrito, with 460 calories, 20 grams of fat and a whopping 1,620 milligrams of sodium.In third-worst place was the one-dollar Burger King breakfast sausage biscuit, with 27 grams of fat, including 15 grams of saturated fat and over 1,000 milligrams of sodium.
Fourth worst went to the one-dollar McDonald's McDouble, which contains 19 grams of fat and 65 milligrams of cholesterol.
Last, and least-worst, was the Wendy's junior bacon cheeseburger, for $1.53, with 310 calories and 16 grams of fat.
If you're looking for some equally fast but more healthy items, check out our previously posted five fast food restaurants to feel good about. Unsurprisingly, none of the restaurants listed above appear there, but chances are their offerings aren't as inexpensive, either. Photo by VirtualErn.
Forty Inspirational Speeches from the Movies in Two Minutes [Motivation]
You must hit the play button on this: Video guy Matthew Belinkie has cut together 40 inspirational speeches from classic movies into a two-minute montage.
Kind of a nice way to end the workweek. Here it is:
Hit the link below to read the transcript of the whole vid. So? Whadja think?
Apple Doesn't Care About Safari Extensibility [Web Browsers]
Yesterday's closing keynote panel at Add-on-Con, a get-together for browser extension developers, included Microsoftie Joshua Allen, Mozillian Mike Shaver, and Googler Brian Rakowski representing IE, Firefox, and Chrome—but no one from Apple.
The moderator, JSON creator Douglas Crockford, pointed out that neither Opera or Safari were represented, but that since Opera's headquarters are located in Finland Norway, they at least had an excuse. "Apple's offices are right down the road, about ten minutes away," Crockford said. "So they're not here because they just don't want to talk to you." Zing!
Windows 7 Beats Vista in Benchmark Test [Windows 7]
ZDNet's Hardware 2.0 blogger stacks an early beta build of Windows 7 against 32-bit Vista (and an SP1 upgrade) on the same hardware. In three out of four tests, even a non-optimized Windows 7 trumps Vista.
As Adrian Kingsley-Hughes points out, it's just one system's benchmarks on test that, for the most part, throw a range of apps at a system and see how they fare. But given that Windows 7 will likely be optimized a bit for final release, it's promising to see it beat Vista's speeds in all but one rendering-related test—and even that one was close. [via]
Integrate Google's Apps into Evolution for Linux [How To]
Evolution, the personal information manager bundled into most GNOME-based Linux distributions, can be tweaked to integrate tightly with Google's mail, contacts, and calendars.
Linux.com guides those not already familiar with Evolution's ins and outs through the process of hooking up IMAP mail, setting up two-way sync between the Google and desktop calendars, and even auto-completing contacts importing. From experience, Evolution—which has also been ported for Windows— is convenient in the way it hooks into your GNOME desktop in all kinds of ways—click on the time in the taskbar, for instance, and you can browse Evolution appointments on a calendar. But there are a few quirks to how the PIM handles some Google functions, which Linux.com helpfully explains. Have you got a fully Google-integrated suite working on your Linux desktop, maybe with Thunderbird and Sunbird? Tell us about it in the comments.
Pastebud Brings Bookmark-Powered Copy and Paste to the iPhone [IPhone]
Pastebud, a bookmarklet/webapp combo that works around the lack of a copy or paste function in the iPhone and iPod touch, has just gone live. And it's surprisingly elegant and painless, with a few small hitches.
Update: Pastebud's servers seem to be getting a solid traffic hit this morning, so the page, and service, might be hit-and-miss for a while after this post. Also, a note about copying email text is added below.
At its heart, Pastebud is two bookmarklets—COPY and PASTE, naturally—that you install in your mobile Safari browser. If you sync your iPhone/touch to grab bookmarks from a desktop browser like Safari or Internet Explorer, it's easier to just head to Pastebud's site, drag the bookmarklets to your browser toolbar, and sync your device. If not, you can still head to Pastebud's site in mobile Safari and add the bookmarks, but you'll have to manually edit them to remove all the formatting before the javascript: code—something users of the Instapaper bookmarking app are all too familiar with.
Once you've installed the bookmarks (and probably re-arranged them higher in your list), you can head to any web page containing text you want to copy to a web form or email. Hit the "COPY" bookmark, and all the page text gets sent to Pastebud and put into a JavaScript-powered applet, where you select the particular text to copy by tapping and dragging to select.
The two buttons at the top, an e-mail style "compose" on the left and "copy" on the right, send you to your email client and back to the web, respectively. As you can see, the text selected in the pic above arrives just fine in the Mail client—including links!
One small issue, though, at least for those who don't pay $5 to Pastebud—it inserts a little "Pasted from my iPhone!" and promotion link in every paste. You can delete it, of course, but it's there every time:
The Pastebud web site also notes that you can forward emails you want to copy/quote from to "your secret Pastebud address," which you should then add to your email contacts. I didn't get to try this out this morning before Pastebud's server(s) got slammed, so if you have, let us know in the comments.
Pasting that copied text to any box on the web is just as easy, but comes with its own little nag. After selecting the text and hitting "Copy," simply browse to any site you want to paste to and hit the "PASTE" bookmarklet. Pastebud loads the page in its webapp again, and you click the "PASTE HERE" box to, well, paste there.
And once your text arrives, you get a little pop-up box, asking you to upgrade for $5 to "make it even more convenient":
For what it's worth, I've got nothing against the developer of a seriously inventive app system asking for a small fee inside their free-for-all version—just letting you know it's there before you dive in.
Pastebud's creator has a step-by-step walkthrough on installing the bookmarklets and using the system at his page (which changes depending on if you visit from mobile Safari or another browser). As for the privacy of your copied text, this is what's posted:
It's certainly safe enough for most uses. All clipboards are anonymous, and destroyed withing five minutes of copy. Email addresses are not saved on the server; we only use them to reply for copying.However, since your clipboard is being passed over the network in most cases, you should take care not to send anything sensitive.
There's also SSL connections, destroy-on-paste, and other security measures on the way for paying users, according to the developer's page.
Tell us what you think of Pastebud and its bookmark work-around in the comments.
Ecofont Saves Your Ink [Printing]
Ecofont is the brainchild of Colin Willems, a font with tiny circles placed within the characters to reduce the total ink/toner laid upon the paper. Much like you can purchase pocket knives with skeletonized handles to reduce weight, Ecofont reduces the volume of printing supplies consumed.
How much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? After extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. After lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink.
While not intended to replace all fonts, for throw away printing that compromises the bulk of what most users print it's an ideal solution. Legible driving instructions for instance, with less waste.
Create Paper Cases for Photo CDs from Picasa Albums [Paper]
Paper Case, the previously mentioned bookmarklet that creates fold-able, track-listed cases for CDs and DVDs, can now create stylish contact-sheet-style cases for photo CDs from Picasa Web Albums. Check out a full-size example below. [via]
Skype 4 Beta 3 Adds Outlook Support, Bandwidth Manager [Skype]
Skype has released a third beta of Skype 4 for Windows, which keeps the focus on large-screen video chat and adds a few new (and returning) tools.
Namely, support for Outlook contact importing, abuse reporting, and a "bandwidth manager" that aims to improve call quality are present in the Windows-only beta. The missing button to report call quality to Skype also makes a comeback. [via]
SUMO Paint Puts Photoshop-Style Editing in Your Browser [Image Editing]
Free, high-end image editor SUMO Paint is a fairly impressive clone of Photoshop's major features inside a browser window, for those who want more precision and tools than offered in most free Flash-based image editors.
Similar in style to previously mentioned Aviary Phoenix, but without the 50-use limit, SUMO Paint is up-front about its similarities to a certain Adobe-made editor, giving you a floating toolbox, side-stacked palette and color bars, and menus with familiar options. If you're without your favorite desktop editor and in need of photo-tweaking power, SUMO can load images from uploads, URLs, and do its own in-browser copy and paste. SUMO Paint is free to use, no sign-up required. Thanks SwetaButterfly!
SnapAsk Delivers Wikipedia Articles, Other Data by Email [Email Apps]
Need to do some quick research or settle a beer-fueled dispute, but lack a decent web connection? Email or test SnapAsk.com and get the relevant Wikipedia article sent to your phone or email.
SnapAsk.com, previously cited by commenters, can respond with many other information services when you email or text ask@snapask.com, including flight information, traffic or weather conditions, word defintions (including UrbanDictionary.com results), and much more. But its replies with the full text of Wikipedia articles, and a subject-defining snippet up top, makes it truly useful for last-minute look-ups and, say, your never-ending arguments about which David Bowie was released before the other. SnapAsk.com is a free service, and may throw a text ad or two in its responses.
Most Popular How-To Features of 2008 [Best Of 2008]
From classic topics like Windows tweaking and iPod how-tos to more recent favorites like the iPhone or Wii, our most popular how-to features of 2008 souped up your hardware and squeezed more from your PC.
We enjoy pointing our readers in the direction of cool software, web sites, and other various tips, but what we really love is writing up detailed how-to guides that walk you step-by-step through how to actually do something. Let's take a closer look at the most popular how-to Lifehacker features of 2008:
Turn Your iPod Touch into an iPhone
iPod touch owners looking to get iPhone calling functionality out of their devices flocked to this guide for turning your iPod touch into an iPhone. It's the kind of thing that could make you decide to forget the iPhone altogether and go with an iPod touch.
Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera
If you're using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you've got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera.
Turn Your $60 Router into a User-Friendly Super-Router with Tomato
Tomato is an open-source router firmware that adds advanced functionality to your old $60 router. What's not to love? It's free, it will often work on the router you already own, and it's easy to use. For an alternative, check out how we turned your $60 router into a $600 router with DD-WRT even further back.
Jailbreak iPhone 2.0 with PwnageTool
When the iPhone and iPod touch 2.0 software update hit devices this summer, users were thrilled that they could enjoy Apple-approved third-party apps on their hardware—but that doesn't mean they don't want to have their cake and eat it, too. Our guide to jailbreaking your iPhone running 2.0 software walks you through how to jailbreak your device and install unsanctioned third-party apps worth jailbreaking for.
Jailbreak Any iPhone or iPod Touch in 45 Seconds
Before the release of the iPhone 2.0 software update and the PwnageTool, you still had your jailbreak needs. This guide walked you through how to jailbreak any pre-2.0 iPhone or iPod touch in a mere 45 seconds.
Slipstream Service Pack 3 into Your Windows XP Installation CD
When 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. This guide showed you how to slipstream the latest Windows Service Pack 3 into your XP install disc so your fresh installation of Windows is also sporting the latest and greatest updates from Microsoft.
Trim Down Windows to the Bare Essentials
When you're installing Windows in a virtual machine or on old, slow hardware, you want the leanest, meanest and fastest-running configuration possible. This how-to guide walks you through how to create a slim, trim, and lightning fast version of Windows.
Get Vista's Best Features in XP
Got a lust for Vista goodies but not for—well, the rest of Vista? This walkthrough will show you how to get Vista's best features in XP.
Hack Your Wii for Homebrew Apps and DVD Playback
Despite the fact that it ships with a DVD drive, for whatever godforsaken reason, the Nintendo Wii doesn't support DVD playback. Not only will be be playing back DVDs after following this guide, but you'll also be able to run other homebrew applications, games, and even play burned backups—all without any hardware hacking or modchips.
Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster
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. After following this guide, the ease with which you can rip full DVD backups to your hard drive will leave you with no excuse not to.
Protect Your Privacy When Downloading
Whether you're downloading copyrighted material or not, no one likes to have their activities online monitored. This guide details how to protect your privacy online.
Set Up Push Email, Contacts, and Calendar on Your iPhone for Free
If you don't feel like shelling out $100 a year to get push email, contacts, and calendar on your iPhone, you can still get it all on your own. You just need to know how.
How to Recover Deleted Files with Free Software
We've all been there at some point: You delete an important file, somehow it skips your Recycle Bin altogether, and for all practical purposes, it's disappeared into the ether. Before you hit the big red panic button, this guide will walk you through how to recover deleted files from your hard drive with free software.
Run Windows Apps Seamlessly Inside Linux
You may love the Linux life, but there are those annoying times when—for whatever reason—it'd be nice to fire up a Windows app. With a little know-how, you can run Windows apps seamlessly inside Linux.
Master Your Digital Media with VLC
VLC is far and away the most popular desktop media player among Lifehacker readers, and for good reason. Not only does VLC play nearly any file you throw at it, but it can also rip DVDs, convert videos for your iPod or iPhone, and much more. Photo by R'eyes.
Copy Music from Your iPhone or iPod to Your Computer for Free
You may not need to do it every day, but it seems like everyone needs to pull music from an iPod or iPhone to their computer at some time or another. This handy little guide details how to copy music from your iPhone or iPod to your computer for free.
Got a favorite Lifehacker guide on or off this list that we covered in '08? Let's hear about it in the comments.
Best Sites for Finding Deals Online? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]
Your holiday shopping budget may be smaller than usual this year, but that doesn't mean you can't afford great gifts for your friends and family. You just have to know where to look.
We already published our savvy shopper's guide to online deal finders, but now we want to know all about what you use to save money and find great deals online this holiday season. For this week's Hive Five, let's hear more about the web site(s) you use when you're looking to get the most bang for your buck.
Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: Web Site Goes Here. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.
About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get—"Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's Hive Five Best Media Center Applications.
Calendar Printing Assistant Prints Your Outlook 2007 Calendars with Style [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: The free Microsoft Calendar Printing Assistant offers several calendar templates designed to provide attractive, printable versions of your Outlook 2007 calendars.
Despite our love of the software realm, we're huge fans of printables around these parts. The several different templates provided by the Calendar Printing Assistant—which itself is a separate app altogether from Outlook—provide excellent options for anyone looking to pocket their schedule or create a full-size calendar of it. My Outlook install is acting a little wonky today so I wasn't able to give it the full run-through, so if you give it a try, let's hear how it worked for you in the comments. Calendar Printing Assistant is a free download from Microsoft, requires Outlook 2007. Photo via Microsoft Outlook Team Blog.
Lifehacker's Condensed Front Page View Now Live [Announcements]
Things look different around here? They are! Welcome to our new condensed front page, which makes quickly scanning posts for the stuff you're interested easier. That's the hope, anyway.
This new layout packs more content onto the front page in less real estate—which means less scrolling on your part and more stories that stick to the front page longer (without breaking our bank on bandwidth bills). In the condensed view, you can skim our headlines for a pick-and-choose buffet approach to stories than reading through every item to get to the next.
We know, we know—change is hard. This makes us look more like Digg than a blog. We're fishing for pageviews. We're complete dunderheads who know nothing about designing user interface. Bear with us, because there is an escape hatch: To get Lifehacker the old way, from the new "View" menu, choose "Expanded."
Doubtless there will be some launch wrinkles to iron out, so post in the comments if you're having trouble or seeing bugs. To make things easier for us to parse, if you have the same problem or complaint as a previous commenter, reply to the original comment. And please, be gentle with us as we work on getting Lifehacker easier for everyone to read, because that is the intention. Thanks in advance for putting up with our growing pains.
File Ai Shares Large Files Instantly [File Sharing]
Web site file ai supports instantaneous file sharing for large files, allowing the file recipient to begin downloading the file as soon as you begin uploading it.
Similar to previously mentioned EatLime, that means you don't have to wait an hour for a large file to upload to the site's servers before your friend or co-worker can start downloading it. Unlike EatLime, file ai has no limit on file size—presumably because the file never actually goes through the site's servers.
Instead, file ai uses a BitTorrent-style transfer protocol that goes directly from you to your peer. Like BitTorrent, if you're sharing the file with more than one person, file ai will create a swarm, speeding up the download. The downside is that if you do have plenty time to upload the file to a site's server, your recipient won't get the benefit of the fat download pipe that other file sharing servers boast. file ai is free to use, works in any Java-supported web browser.
Manfrotto ModoPocket Tripod [Stuff We Like]
The Manfrotto ModoPocket MicroTripod calls itself the smallest tripod in the world, and at a mere 50 grams and 6mm thick when folded, it may just be true.
While it's not as versatile as the previously mentioned Gorillapod (or the DIY alternatives), it's undoubtedly more portable. And since it has such a small footprint to begin with, you can keep the ModoPocket attached to your camera all the time so you're ready to prop up a timer shot at the drop of a hat. The ModoPocket tripod will set you back $20 from ThinkGeek, $30 from Amazon.
Bolster Your Shopping Budget By Taking This Survey [Advertisement]
Just take this incredibly short, painless, (moderately) enjoyable survey, and we'll send one random winner a $150 Best Buy gift certificate. Email surveys@gawker.com with the last question. (Standard Contest Rules)
TwitterGadget Adds Twitter to Gmail [Gmail]
The Gmail Twitter Gadget lets you tweet your heart out from directly inside Gmail, complete with saucy emoticons. Thanks Wyn!
Google Chrome Officially Leaves Beta [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Google's new web browser, Google Chrome, has officially left its beta tag in the dust, graduating to a full-fledged 1.0 release today (just 100 days after the initial release).
Yesterday we told you Google Chrome would be leaving beta soon, but we had no idea it would be this soon. According to the Official Google Blog:
We have removed the beta label as our goals for stability and performance have been met but our work is far from done. We are working to add some common browser features such as form autofill and RSS support in the near future. We are also developing an extensions platform along with support for Mac and Linux.
Good news all around for folks excited about what Google Chrome has to offer. If you've been waiting to try it out until Chrome dropped the beta tag, check out our power user's guide to Google Chrome. Still a Firefox die-hard but like a few of Chrome's better features? Here's how to enable Chrome's best features in Fireox.
Bopaboo Claims to Let You "Legally" Sell MP3s [MP3s]
New MP3 market site Bopaboo says it has a legal means of letting owners of non-restricted MP3s sell them, for prices starting at 25 cents a track, to other users. The site's founder says users are protected under the "first-sale doctrine," as in re-selling a CD, and that the site prevents selling a track more than once. Only time (and lawsuits) will tell what comes of this unique tack on music sales. [via]
Win a Signed Copy of Upgrade Your Life with Your Top Timesaver of 2008 [Holiday Giveaway]
As the year comes to a close, we want to hear about what your biggest timesavers and productivity revelations of 2008 turned out to be—and we're willing to stoop to bribery.
We've got a stack of the latest Lifehacker book, Upgrade Your Life, sitting here, and one of them could have your name on it. Send us your best life hack—organizational strategy, computer tip, DIY project—and earn a chance to have one of these books signed and shipped to your door. Email us your submission to bookcontest at lifehacker.com and over the next couple of weeks, we'll feature the best hacks here on the site, and give the winners an autographed copy of the book. Here's the nitty-gritty of how this all works.
- Your contest submission can be something that we've featured here on the site before, but ideally it offers some new take on it or material along with it—like pictures or a video clip. Show us your tricked-out workspace, your DIY cable catcher, that Python script that reminds you to take a break from typing. The only requirement is that the material is yours.
- Email your photos, video clip, and an explanation of how it all works to bookcontest at lifehacker.com. We won't be able to respond to every submission personally, but if we decide to feature yours, we'll email you back asking for your shipping address to send you your book.
- As always, standard contest rules apply.
We're excited to get these books out into your hands and feature your best work, so get to sending us your productivity revelations and creations now.
LimeWire 5 Alpha Adds Private Peer-to-Peer File Sharing, Integrates with Gmail [Early Adopter Download]
Windows/Mac/Linux: Despite the rising popularity of BitTorrent, for many people there's still just one name in file sharing: LimeWire.
The widely used LimeWire actually does support BitTorrent these days, and yesterday, LimeWire released an alpha version of the new and improved LimeWire 5, adding private file sharing features that will allow user to privately share folders with friends. As Wired is quick to point out, LimeWire 5 still supports the downloading from strangers features that made LimeWire popular, but the new default settings publicly shares only files you downloaded from the public network. You can specifically set permissions for all the rest, including which files you want to share and with whom you'd like to share them. How does it know who your private contacts are? Through your Gmail account, of course!
Actually, as of this writing, LimeWire 5 supports Gmail (along with any other Jabber account) and LiveJournal. Once you log in with your Gmail account, you'll see your friends in your sidebar. According to Wired, LimeWire is looking into importing friends from Facebook and other social sites. You can chat with any of your friends from inside LimeWire 5, tell them to go download and install the alpha, and then it's sharing time.
Once you've found a friend you want to share with, just pick the files you want to share and go nuts (assuming your friend has installed LimeWire 5). Head over to Wired's review for an extremely detailed rundown, or download the alpha and start sharing with your friends. LimeWire 5 Alpha is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It's an alpha release, so you should expect some bugs, but the homepage claims that the core LimeWire functionality is a-okay.
Copy and Paste Coming to Your iPhone via the Web [IPhone]
With a little Javascript ingenuity, a new service called Pastebud aims to bring the long awaited copy-and-paste functionality to the iPhone and iPod touch.
With a little Javascript ingenuity, a new service called Pastebud aims to bring the long awaited copy-and-paste functionality to the iPhone and iPod touch.Pastebud's copy and paste only work between Safari and Mail (or Safari tabs), but since that's where most of us are looking to do copying and pasting, it's not a bad start. Check the video for a full demonstration. Pastebud is slated to launch this Friday.
VLC Remote Adds iPhone Control to Our Favorite Media App [Featured IPhone Download]
iPhone/iPod touch only: VLC Remote Free lets you play, pause, and skip tracks on the mighty VLC Media Player on any computer from your iPhone or iPod touch.
Its (currently) 99-cent sibling, VLC Remote, gives you full playlist control. Both are fairly simple to set up on your computer and hook up over a wireless network, and work well in conjunction with the new playlist features in the latest version of the open source player for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Setting up remote access requires only a quick plug-in download on all three platforms, and the Free edition can then skip forward and backward on a pre-loaded play list, as well as control the volume and move around a video or audio file. The full app, however, allows selecting playlist items, and even remotely browsing your system's entire hard drive for media. Read on for a walkthrough and screenshots of both VLC Remote versions.
After grabbing the iPhone or iPod app, head to the developer's site to grab a setup helper and follow the instructions to install it. As it installs, the VLC Remote helper will ask whether you want to open up streaming on local networks or over the internet—unless you're really sure you've got your ports locked down, it's better to choose the local-only route. On Windows systems, you'll likely get a familiar Windows Firewall prompt, which you can hit "Unblock" on.
Once that's set up, open VLC Media Player on your system. Launch VLC Remote from your mobile device, and you'll first get a nag screen reminding you to install the helper application. Past that, you'll see a connection screen asking you to choose an IP address—thankfully, the systems that it detects VLC running on get the familiar road cone icon next to them.
If you've grabbed the free version, you'll see the basic controls, a single bar of iPhone app ads at the top, and a few semi-helpful buttons along the bottom:
The full version grants a scroll area below the controls to flick through your playlist with, and removes the ads and "Get Paid Version!" button:
What's really neat in the full version, though also kind of scary, is hitting the "Browse" button and seeing a complete hard drive directory, which you can follow all the way back to your hard drive root. I couldn't find a way to change or limit this ability in VLC or the app's settings during my brief look, so if you do, please share it in the comments.
VLC Remote Free is a, uh, free download for iPhones and iPod touch models running at least the 2.0 software. VLC Remote is 99 cents (for a limited time, according to the developers).
Gizmodo Explains Hard Drives Inside-Out [Hard Drives]
Not quite sure how your hard drive actually pulls data from a super-spinning disk? Confused about SATA, ATA, eSATA and the like? Sister site Gizmodo has a great Giz Explains post delving into the nuts and bolts of magnetic media.
TinyResMeter Monitors Your System Stats [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: TinyResMeter is an ultra-lightweight and spartan resource meter.
While nowhere near as flashy or configurable as Rainmeter, it does run with a much smaller footprint and as a portable application. You can display dozens of variables ranging from system up time to hard disk capacity to the number of processes and threads you have. You can change the color of the interface and have it displayed in a vertical block or a horizontal band. For another alternative, check out Moo0 SystemMonitor. TinyResMeter is a free portable application, Windows only. Thanks Beldar!
Thumbtack Stores Text and Web Pages on a Drag-and-Drop Platform [Bookmarking]
Microsoft's latest release from its Live Labs, Thumbtack, aims at some of the same bookmarking territory covered by Delicious, Google Bookmarks, and other store-and-check-later services.
It's not quite as fleshed out as those services in terms of functionality (or bug testing), but its JavaScript-heavy interface makes for easier, mouse-driven organization and relatively useful page storage. Select text and hit Thumbtack's bookmarklet, and everything seems to work fine. Hit the bookmarklet on a fresh web page, however, and any JavaScript or coding on the page seems to confuse the pop-up box, though the page stores in stripped-down text form. The box/"gadget" view of your bookmarks is a nice change from the standard vertical list of links, but dragging and dropping between collections can be a bit problematic. Thumbtacks looks like it will be worth checking out later when it's had a bit more time in the oven. The service is free to use, requires just a username to get started (so, fair warning, your bookmarks may be public).
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