RIAA Stops Suing Individuals, Works With ISPs Instead [File Sharing]
The Wall Street Journal article notes that the RIAA won't say which internet service providers have signed on with the record label conglomerate, but notes that as more of the big players seek to get in on the on-demand media business themselves, it's likely they'll be open to talks. [via]
Mint.com Brings Balance Management to the iPhone [Featured IPhone Download]
iPhone/iPod touch only: Free money management webapp Mint rolls out an iPhone app that puts most of its basic data-mining, alerts, and money-watching tools in a few simple screens.
From the Mint app's home screen, you can see your total balances and click through to check out transactions on balances on everything you've registered over at Mint's web site. The Cash Flow indicator gives you a glance at the current month's spending and earning, and then breaks it down by category or merchant on clicking through. If you've set up budgets or investment accounts, they'll show up as well. Perhaps the most helpful on-the-go feature, especially while traveling, is the alerts window, which updates live and tells you about spending abnormalities and low balances.
One thing you'll definitely want to do if you install this app—and it's recommended on a pop-up screen after installation—is passcode-locking your iPhone or iPod. The app doesn't ask for a password on each login, so anyone who grabbed your device would get way more financial information than they should have.
The Mint.com app is a free download for iPhones and iPod touch models running at least the 2.0 firmware, and requires a free sign-up at Mint.com.
USBDeview Examines and Ejects Your USB Flash Drives [Featured Windows Download]
Windows Only: USBDeview is a handy multi-tool for handling USB flash drives. It is a lightweight and portable application that at it's most basic allows you to see which USB devices present and past have been plugged into the machine you are working on. Available information includes serial numbers, hardware names, vendor names, whether or not the device is safe for a hot unplug or not, what drive letter is/was assigned to the device, and so on. Useful for diagnostic and informational purposes in that regard, it has an additional set of features. USBDeview allows you to assign a set an executable, command, or .bat file to be run when a device is plugged in. You can specify devices by a broad range variables including specific serial numbers or the general category like mass storage. You could for instance assign a backup program to run and sync files every time it detected you had mounted the external hard drive you use as a primary backup. USBDeview is freeware, Windows only. Thanks Taziar!
Checklist and Software for Reinstalling Windows [Installation]
The Digital Inspiration blog has a really thorough checklist, with links to relevant, free software to help you back up and get your system back up to a fully-patched, optimized state.
Note the tip at the very end, involving a can of compressed air, because it's a worthy one, in my experience. While you've already got your system on the lifts, so to speak, it pays to blast away the CPU-heating, fan-clogging bunnies in there. For desktop systems, Gina's got a great explanatory feature on how to do just that.
Roll Your Own NPR Podcast Feed [Podcasts]
If you're a fan of National Public Radio programs but never find the time to listen, now you can get shows related to your search terms delivered as podcasts.
The basic use is to name your feed, type in a few keywords, then grab the feed (automatic iTunes and Zune links are provided). Unless you love deleting untouched podcasts, though, you'll want to get specific on those searches, as the feed generator delivers everything in which your terms pop up, and NPR hosts a whole lot of shows. So it's best for specific people, topics, and companies, but a pretty great way to get fresh listening for your commute or daily listening.
The service is, of course, free to use, and the shows arrive as MP3s.
OpenOffice.org Portable 3.0 Ready for Your Thumb Drive [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: OpenOffice.org 3, the latest version of the free, open-source office suite, has gotten a full thumb drive packaging by the PortableApps.com team.
That's great news for anyone working while traveling, or who wants to test out the features and improvements of the 3.0 release without a full installation on their system. This OpenOffice version has also been rolled into the full PortableApp suite, a customizable, menu-launched package of nifty tools for your USB drive.
OpenOffice.org Portable 3.0 is a free downoad for any thumb drive, but requires a Windows system (or Linux system with WINE) to run. It doesn't appear to require Java on the host machine.
David Pogue's Best Photography Tricks (and Ours) [Digital Photography]
Tech columnist David Pogue pulls out "The Best Photography Tricks of All Time" for anyone shooting digital, including the crafty use of a lampshade:
It turns out that the threads at the top of just about any lamp—the place where the lampshade screws on—are precisely the same diameter as a tripod mount! In a pinch, you can whip off the lampshade, screw on the camera, and presto: You've got a rock-steady indoor tripod.
His other tips—always half-pressing the shutter button to reduce camera lag, getting a limited depth of field, forcing the flash on outdoors, and exploiting the "magic hour"—are all good reading for anyone new to shooting, especially to memory cards instead of film. We thought we'd add a few of our own collected tips from over the years to round things out a bit:
- Exhale and pull elbows in for steady shots: Especially if you're not rocking a vibration-control lens on a DSLR rig, this body-steadying practice can make all the difference for no-flash shots.
- Use the Unsharp Mask/Smart Sharpen for crisper shots: Photojojo explains how to use Photoshop (and similar photo editing tools) to get finer contrast on digital camera pics. Our commenters wisely point out, however, that the Smart Sharpen tool in Photoshop CS1 and later is the way to go.
- Deal with shooting in direct light: Because you, and your subjects, can't always get up at the hour just after dawn, Digital Photography School explains how to work with, and around, a hard sun.
- Get behind something to shoot more candidly: As Rick pointed out (taken from Digital Photography School's tips), it's hard to walk around with a lens pointed and not be noticed. For more candid shots, try shooting over someone's shoulder, or shooting through or around something that you don't mind being in the actual photograph for a voyeuristic effect—tree branches, window frames, and the like.
- Get a cheap, DIY lens hood or flash filter: A lens hood—like the kind you can print yourself—prevents glare, flare, and other light tricks beaming in from just around your lens edges. Similarly, a piece of white coffee filter can work wonders for diffusing your flash, giving bar shots and other low-light situations a much mellower light.
If you had only one tip to give a newcomer to digital photography, what would it be? Step up the chalkboard in the comments. Photo by ssh.
Most Popular DIY Projects of 2008 (and All Time!) [Best Of 2008]
When it comes to saving time and money, sometimes the best approach means rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself. Check out the best DIY projects featured here in 2008 and beyond.
Note on our definition of "most popular": These are the posts that were viewed the most by readers, a number which is often skewed by Google or Digg or links by other popular sites. As such one could argue that most views does not equal best, and one would be right, so we did a little pruning to keep the list high quality.
Most Popular DIY Projects Published in 2008
First, get a load of the most recent stuff: the most-viewed DIY posts of this past year.
- DIY Invisible Floating Bookshelf (includes video clip)
- DIY Camera Stabilizer On-the-Cheap (includes video clip)
- Backyard Shed Turned Home Office—See photos of a reader's awesome home-built backyard shed office.
- Set Up Cheap Ambient Lighting with Rope Lights—Jason lights up his workspace.
- Stash Valuables in a Full Soda Bottle (includes video clip)
- Build Your Own Wire Photo Wall—Gina rigs up a custom wire photo wall with digital prints.
- Build a Home Theater PC for Less than $200
- Microwave an Instant Chocolate Cake in a Coffee Mug (includes video clip)—Gina tries the microwave coffee cup cake, and it's fascinating and gross all at once.
- Drink Delicious Water with a Reverse Osmosis Filter—Jason installs his own water filter under the sink.
- Turn Your Broken Laptop into an Arcade Cocktail Cabinet
- Increase Your Privacy with $16 DIY Window Frosting—Jason frosts his windows so passerby don't see him in his skivvies.
Most Popular DIY Projects of All Time
While 2008's list is pretty good, we've had some doozies appear on these pages beyond the last 12 months. Check out our most-viewed DIY posts of all time.
- Turn your $60 router into a $600 router—Adam soups up his Linksys router with the DD-WRT firmware.
- Build a Hackintosh Mac for Under $800—Adam runs OS X on a home-built PC.
- Turn a flashlight into a handheld burning laser (includes video)—Perhaps the most controversial "you'll shoot somebody's eye out" story we've ever run.
- Transform Your Classic Xbox into a Killer Media Center—Gina takes the leap into soft-modding her classic black Xbox.
- Make your own air conditioner
- Boost Your Wireless Signal With a Homemade Wi-Fi Extender (includes video)
- The Cordless Workspace (sort of)—Adam gets control of all the cables under his desk.
- 10 ways to entertain young children for $1 or less (without the TV)
- How to install a hard drive
- Turn an old hard drive into an external drive
Most Popular Do-it-yourself Top 10 Listicles of 2008
If your DIY chops are more needed at home, at the office, in the garage, or with the camera, check out our most-viewed DIY top 10 lists that published this past year. These listicles package the best DIY technqiues around a certain theme.
- Top 10 Ways to Get Cables Under Control
- Top 10 Office Supply Hacks
- Top 10 IKEA Furniture Mods
- Top 10 DIY Laptop Stands
- Top 10 Printable Paper Productivity Tools
- Top 10 DIY Home Projects
- Top 10 Home Automation Projects
- Top 10 DIY Photography Tools
- Top 10 DIY Car Hacks
- Top 10 Summer Projects
What DIY project did you pull off this past year that you're most proud of? Tell us about it in the comments.
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