Nine Methods for Mastering Your Money in 2009 [Personal Finance]
Personal finance weblog Get Rich Slowly highlights nine methods for mastering your money in 2009:
- Track every penny you spend
- Develop a budget
- Optimize your accounts
- Start an emergency fund
- Get out of debt
- Fund your retirement
- Automate your finances
- Earn extra money
- Educate yourself
Cisco WebEx Brings Online Meetings, Collaboration to Your iPhone [Featured IPhone Download]
iPhone/iPod touch only: Cisco's popular meeting and collaboration tool WebEx has found a new home on the iPhone, and, frankly, it looks very impressive.
The free application lets you attend any WebEx meeting over 3G or Wi-Fi, including simultaneous conference calls, chat, and document sharing (you'll probably want to bust out your headset to use it all). We don't actually use WebEx here at Lifehacker HQ, so I wasn't able to put it through a full test, but if the video demonstration is any indication, it's a pretty impressive offering for the mobile worker. WebEx is a free download, iPhone and iPod touch only (though clearly two-way voice isn't really an option for the iPod touch).
MLB Supercharges Mouseless Browsing [Featured Firefox Extension]
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Mouseless Browsing (MLB) adds numbers next to clickable elements on any page, allowing you to quickly navigate to any portion of the page from the comfort of your home row.
We've mentioned MLB once before, but the latest version adds support for dynamic webapps like Gmail, Google Reader, or Facebook. (Previously if a page was updated without reloading entirely, the new links were not identified by MLB. Now they are.) Aside from support for dynamic apps, MLB has seen several improvements since we first mentioned it. The core functionality remains the same, though: Just type the number of the element you want to jump to, hit enter, and MLB "clicks" on that element.
Of course, Firefox already comes packed full of great keyboard shortcuts out of the box, so if you're a true keyboard lover you should also check out our guide to mouseless Firefox. Mouseless Browsing is a free download, works wherever Firefox does.
VirusTotal Uploader Quickly, Easily Scans Any File [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: The VirusTotal Uploader adds an entry to your right-click Send To menu that automatically uploads a file to online virus scanner VirusTotal, which scans the file for viruses using 39 different antivirus applications.
If VirusTotal sounds familiar, it's probably because we recommended using it to find out if a file really has a virus. Of course the whole process of heading to the VirusTotal homepage, browsing for the file on your hard drive, then waiting for the upload to complete is a little tedious. With the VirusTotal Uploader, scanning that file with nearly 40 antivirus engines requires just two clicks (right-click the file in question, then select Send To -> VirusTotal).
If you're keen on the idea behind VirusTotal, you can also use it to scan email attachments before downloading them by simply forwarding the email to scan@virustotal.com. VirusTotal Uploader is a free download, Windows only.
Facebook Reaches 150 Million Users; Are You One of Them? [Reader Poll]
Early this morning social networking site Facebook announced that 150 million people across the globe are actively using Facebook—half of them every day.
This includes people in every continent—even Antarctica. If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.
We generally steer away from covering too much of the Facebook around here, namely because it's not always the most productive site on the web, but we'd still love to get a better idea of what kind of Facebook users our readers are (if they are at all), as well as what they're using it for. So we're curious:
Whether your a Facebook addict or not, it's become an undeniably integral part of many users' lives. Let's hear your Facebook thoughts in the comments.
Poladroid Digital Polaroid App Released for Windows [Digital Photos]
If you liked the look of previously mentioned digital photo application Poladroid—which adds a retro flair to regular digital photos—but your Windows life prevented you from using the Mac-only app, you're in luck. Poladroid has made an alpha version of Poladroid for Windows available for download. Sure the idea of Polaroid-ing digital photos is a bit absurd, but considering that Poloaroid no longer makes actual Polaroids, it's nice to keep a little nostalgia alive. Thanks Moysauce!
Skype 2.8 Beta Adds Screen Sharing, Wi-Fi Access Tool [Featured Mac Download]
Mac OS X only: The popular VoIP application Skype has released a killer new beta for Macs, adding new features like screen sharing and Skype Access, a great new Wi-Fi access tool.
NOTE: There appears to be a hiccup in Skype's web site right now, so you may have trouble following the links below or downloading until they're fixed.
Skype Access
Skype knows that a big hurdle keeping its users from enjoying Skype everywhere is the cost of Wi-Fi access on the go. With Skype Access, you get to pay for access by-the-minute at any of 100,000 Boingo Wi-Fi spots for around $0.19 per minute. Under some circumstances you'd still be better off paying for full access, but it's an interesting direction. Boingo is the only Wi-Fi provider currently supported, though it seems very likely that Skype would be happy to integrate with more providers in the future.
Screen Sharing
The next big thing from the new Skype beta is screen sharing—that is, sharing what you see on your monitor with the person you're chatting with or vice versa. OS X has had screen sharing built into iChat since the release of Leopard, but if you never use iChat but spend a lot of time with Skype, this could be a great new feature.
Although screen sharing is currently only available for Skype 2.8 beta for the Mac, Mac users can still share their screens with Windows and Linux users running Skype.
Other New Features
Apart from Skype Access and screen sharing, the new Skype offers a lot more handy functionality and features, including:
- Improved chat management: you can sort chats in the drawer and set priorities to chats
- Quick Add: it's now much easier to add people to chats
- Mood message chat: see mood message updates from your friends as chat messages
- Large profile pictures: just like Skype 4.0 Beta 2 for Windows, you can now use images of up to 256 x 256 pixels
- Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests: a small minority of Skype users have profile pictures which others may find unpleasant, and so they're now hidden by default in contact requests
- Add notes to contacts: you can add notes to a contact in their profile window – handy for keeping track of who's who.
If you're a dedicated Skyper, let's hear how you like the new features in the comments.
Tetris Wipes Out Bad Memories, Say Scientists [Health]
According to researchers at Oxford University, playing the popular, classic puzzle game Tetris after a traumatic experience could significantly reduce emotional scars. Apparently Tetris—which requires serious brain power on your part—blocks your brain from storing those bad memories. The catch: It needs to be played immediately following the traumatic event, so break out your old Game Boys and stick 'em in your emergency kit. Photo by Micah Taylor. [via]
Get Your Tax Question Answered Free This Month [Taxes]
This year might have made you sick of hearing/thinking/worrying about money (just maybe?), but tax season still looms ahead. Luckily, one software maker is offering free answers to tax questions throughout January.
Actual human experts affiliated with Intuit's TurboTax software and online services—which Gina previously threw into a faceoff against a human accountant—will call back anyone leaving a single question on the FreeTaxQuestion.com site, supposedly within 24 hours, with answers or at least guidance.
TurboTax's callers will only answer questions on federal taxes, not state—specifically Forms 1040 (personal) and 1065, 1120, or 1120S (business). And there's a limit of one question callback per person for the offer period, which expires Jan. 31. Still, if you've got most of your taxes covered yourself this year, but have one niggling uncertainty, let TurboTax take a crack at it, and the most you'll have to endure is probably a semi-soft product push.
Where do you turn for your single-serve tax questions, other than the big, big book of actual code? Tell us your go-to resource below.
Get a Great Fire Photo [How To]
A lone flame against a dark backdrop makes a great scene, but, on most automatic cameras, a washed-out or drab picture. Digital Photography School has sound advice on capturing fire in a frame.
For instance, if you're practicing or shooting with a candle flame, don't focus on the flame itself, but on the end of the wick:
The flame itself will not be in super-clear focus as it is producing the light while being a three dimensional object, meaning the intensity and points to focus on it will be varied. If your camera has spot metering, use it and take a reading off the flame itself. This may produce a fairly dark image, so experiment with overexposing a little by slowing down the shutter speed.
Many of the principles of shooting fireworks apply, but DPS' post goes into detail about getting tricky/nifty shots, like the fire trail pictured above. Drop links to your own successful flame shots in the comments below. Photo by Gaetan Lee.
Downloadr Backs Up Your Flickr Pics [Windows Featured Download]
Windows only: Downloadr is a small application that allows you to completely back up the photos from your Flickr account.
You can grab everything in one bulk swoop or use a series of filters to drill down to just the photos you want to grab. It automatically grabs the highest quality image and preserves the EXIF and IPTC data. In addition to searching grabbing images from your own account, you can search creative commons works on Flickr and use Downloadr as a tool for bulk grabbing them also. For another Flickr tool check out Flickr Backup. Downloadr is freeware, Windows only.
PC Buyers May Get Windows 7 Free after July [Windows 7]
The Tech ARP web site nabbed a draft "Technical Guarantee Program" from Microsoft that implies anyone buying a PC from major vendors after July can receive a Windows 7 upgrade for free.
Microsoft wouldn't confirm, but didn't truly deny, the implied upgrade program when Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley asked. And an official release date, isn't set for Windows 7, though Foley hears third quarter 2009, and Microsoft will only officially say early 2010. So new PC buyers might want to hold off if they're geeked for a fixed-up Vista—depending on one's faith in Microsoft ship dates, of course.
Wibe7.tv Provides Thumbnail-Only YouTube Search Results [Search]
If you're looking for one particular, recognizable YouTube video amidst a galaxy of copycats and look-alikes, Wibe7.tv offers a vast wall of thumbnails that pop up the clip, no visit to YouTube required.
It's very similar to (and inspired by) the previously mentioned, just-the-pics-ma'am Flickr searcher Compfight. Once you've searched, the results can be sorted by relevance, views, user ratings, or date published. It looks like you only get one page of results, so if the clip is buried deep inside YouTube, only search term refinement will dig it up here.
All told, it looks like a powerful and quick way to gun through YouTube videos to find what you're looking for.
Toss Your Overpriced Pantry Items for a New Year of Cooking [Kitchen]
Lifehacker's go-to food writer Mark Bittman offers a list of stale, uninspired (and expensive) pantry items you might think about tossing for fresher cooking this year, and what to replace them with. For example:
OUT Bottled lemon juice.
IN Lemons. Try buying six at a time, then experiment; I never put lemon on something and regret it. (Scramble a couple of eggs in chicken stock, then finish with a lot of lemon, black pepper and dill; call this egg-lemon soup, or avgolemono.) Don't forget the zest: you can grate it and add it to many pan sauces, or hummus and other purées. And don't worry about reamers, squeezers or any of that junk; squeeze from one hand into the other and let your fingers filter out the pips.
All of Bittman's suggestions revolve around the idea of keeping only the true pantry essentials hanging around, and using the inexpensive tools of a home cook (oil, vinegar, onions, garlic, and, most often, your hands) to fill their place. Those in colder climates, of course, can't always depend on a wealth of fresh stuff all year round, but most of the fresher replacements for overpriced kitchen stockers are available to anyone.
In general, though, it's a good time to run through and toss the spices and boxes that you can't remember buying; if you re-stock all at once, it's easier to remember when you next need to freshen up. Photo by box of lettuce.
A DIY iTunes Blocker? [Call For Help]
Introduced yesterday at Macworld: the Tune Blocker, a USB cable that switches between regular USB connection and a power-only, non-iTunes-launching mode. We're wondering if there's a DIY solution for similar results.
Not because we begrudge Tune Blocker's maker, Matias, any cash or credit—it's certainly a long-overdue niche to get filled—but, at $24.95 for a 3-foot cable, it's just not a feasible purchase for everyone, especially anyone with multiple iTunes transfer cords hanging around.
So! Let's hear your own solution for powering an iPod by USB without having to tell iTunes to go away, stop bothering you, and please don't sync to a different library. There are, of course, options to manually stop iTunes from launching or auto-syncing when your iPod is connected to your computer (pictured at right, from the iPod's "home page" in iTunes), but what about a solution that doesn't require any options-setting, and works on any computer?
Whether it's a hardware hack, another USB cable that does the job cheaper, or some kind of shadowy ninja app to be placed on the iPod itself, let's hear how you can or would get around iTunes' pushiness in the comments.
Pandora 2.0 Adds Cover Flow and More [Featured IPhone Application]
iPhone or iPod touch only: The already-good Pandora music recommendation engine app for the iPhone has gotten better with version 2.0, which adds Cover Flow view, artist and song info, and bookmark previews.
Take a look at some screenshots.
You'll need to sign into your free Pandora account to get started and see your stations. Make a new recommendation-driven station based on an artist; check out the suggest-as-you-tap search drop-down.
Once a song starts playing, you can give it the thumbs up or thumbs down (which informs Pandora's future recommendations), or tap the up arrow to get more options, like...
The ability to bookmark the song or artist, buy the track from iTunes, or share your station via email.
Turn your device to get into Cover Flow view, which works just like native iTunes (though I noticed a little flickering in the background album covers in my test).
Tap on the top right button to get artist details (shown here) and song details (shown below).
When you're wondering why Pandora included a recommendation in your station, the song info will tell you.
The Pandora 2.0 app is a free download for the iPhone or iPod touch only.
Windows 7 Beta Boasts Sub-30 Second Boot Time [Windows Startup Showdown]
The Windows 7 beta offers a speedier startup than its predecessor: for me the beta boots to a fully functional desktop in under 30 seconds, faster than the preview or Vista.
On the same exact computer, where I'm triple-booting Vista, XP, and now the Windows 7 beta (build 7000), I ran a set of startup tests to pit the beta against the rest, using my previous measurements. Here's what I found.
The hardware: My test system has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 3.16GHz with 4GB of RAM. Windows XP, Vista, and the Windows 7 beta build 7000 are all installed on the same, physical SATA hard drive (partitioned, of course).
The test: Since I'm triple-booting the three operating systems, I used a simple handheld timer to get my numbers, starting at the "Choose your operating system" screen (which comes after the BIOS startup) and ending at a fully functional desktop in my first set of tests, then the user login screen in my second. I timed each OS startup three times and averaged the results to account for my fat fingers.
Test Set 1: From Boot Choice to Fully-loaded User Desktop
For this test set, I created a non-Administrator user account with nothing in startup, and set Windows to automatically log into it on boot. These numbers start at the OS boot choice screen, and end at a fully-functional, user desktop. This isn't a true test of how long a desktop would render in real-world usage, because most people DO have programs in their startup. But these tests are to compare Windows version performance, not third-party software. That all said, the numbers:
| Operating System | Average time to reach desktop |
|---|---|
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Beta, Build 7000, 32-bit) | 28 seconds |
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Preview, Build 6801, PDC edition, 32-bit) | 32 seconds |
| Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit, SP1) | 33 seconds |
| Windows XP Professional (SP3) | 40 seconds |
Here you can see that for the first time, Windows is offering a sub-30 second start time on pretty standard modern hardware, for the first time in at least a long time (if ever, I don't have a copy of Windows 95 or 3.1 to test). Of course, Microsoft claims that Vista boots in under 30 seconds already, but that's not the case on my tower; and only 23% of you say that your system boots in under 30 seconds. It should go without saying that this has a whole lot to do with exactly how beefy your hardware is.
Test Set 2: From Boot Choice to User Login Screen
This test measures the amount of time from the boot OS choice screen to the user login prompt only, hence the shorter times.
| Operating System | Average time to reach login prompt |
|---|---|
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Beta, build 7000, 32-bit) | 20 seconds |
| Windows 7 Ultimate (Preview, Build 6801, PDC edition, 32-bit) | 23 seconds |
| Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit, SP1) | 24 seconds |
| Windows XP Professional (SP3) | 29 seconds |
The Results
As you can see, the Windows 7 beta took 4 seconds off the time it takes to render a usable desktop as compared to the Win7 Preview, which adds up to a 12-second difference from Windows XP. The beta shaved 3 seconds off the boot time to login prompt as compared to the preview build.
I can hear the comments already—"are we really talking about THREE SECONDS?" Yes, neither of these are earth-shattering improvements, but they are clear and consistent speed boosts, and hopefully they're a sign that things will get even faster since Windows 7 is still in beta.
Anyone out there move over to the Windows 7 beta full-time? What are your impressions? Post 'em up in the comments.
Most Popular Reliable and Affordable Web Hosts [What You Said]
A few weeks ago, Stephanie wanted to know what Lifehacker readers thought were the most reliable and affordable web hosts out there. Here are the top vote-getters.
After over 200 comment threads, lots of spam and offerings that got a single vote, the top six web hosting companies mentioned include:
We haven't tried each of these hosts on our own, so take the recommendations with a grain of salt. Here's the entire list of mentions from readers. Thanks to intern Asian Angel for tallying the votes.
Removing DRM from an iTunes Purchase Costs 30 Cents [Drm]
Any track bought prior to today from iTunes' store can upgrade to a 256-kbps, DRM-free version for 30 cents. Once in your library, it's also a right-click to convert to MP3. [via]
Update: According to Apple's press release, entire albums can also be upgraded for 30 percent of the album cost (usually $3.00).
WattzOn Gets Geeky About Saving Energy (and Money) [Screenshot Tour]
Energy-use tracking site WattzOn isn't the only site to measures personal energy consumption, but it offers seriously slick charts and data to suggest ways you might save cash, and the environment while you're at it.
You don't have to sign up at WattzOn's site to get a readout and nifty/revealing numbers, but snagging and confirming an account lets you save your data for later comparison—with friends, WattzOn users, or estimated users around the world and historical use. Either way, arriving at the page shows a bunch of gray boxes at the top, which you'll click through to fill in.
Some categories—like "Government"—don't offer you too much input or customization other than educated guesses. Living in New York state, for example, is all I get to say about how many watts the government(s) spend on my person. But others let you get specific on how and why you live, such as the food tab:
The unique thing about WattzOn, for those who want to get really specific about reasonably paring down their life, is the "Stuff" tab. You'll make a series of average estimates about the things you own and the power they draw, but you can add anything from a tag-organized section—pictured below at left—and draw from other WattzOn users' power use indicators, rather than having to Google your clothes dryer.
When you're done setting yourself up, you can see how much power you draw against historical figures, the average person, other WattzOn users (who, statistically speaking, more than likely fall on the greener-than-most side), and visualize your own usage in lightbulbs, oil barrels, or other indicators:
Yes, this is definitely a step into sincere green-ish geek-ery, but it's worth thinking about another reason you'd want to detail your energy usage. Namely, cash, and where better to spend it. If you consume less energy or oil each month, you're getting by with partially smaller bills. And if you lower your overall energy usage, you're holistically taking down costs that, well, you can just hope come back around in some small way.
WattzOn is free to use, requires a sign-up for data saving.
Enigma Desktop Customization Update Now Available [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Reader Kaelri—famous for the beautiful and functional Enigma desktop—has packaged and released version 1.1 of the customization files.
What's changed? Kaelri explains:
I've added:
- RSS reader.
- Gmail notifier.
- Calendar by ~limpet.
- System/battery graphics using ecqlipse 2 icons.
- Tray clock replacement.
- Quick-edit button for Notes.
- Application launcher. Useless to anyone with Launchy or StandaloneStack, but it's pretty, and way too much fun to play with. (You can see what it looks like in the deviantArt screenshot.)
- Assorted doodads and revisions.
- Fixed the Location bug plaguing Enigma and HUD.Vision.
The Enigma 1.1 ZIP archive includes config files for Samurize and Rainmeter, fonts, a Windows theme, and more. Unzip it to get the full installation instructions. Nice work, Kaelri! The Enigma 1.1 customization package is a free download for Windows only.
Apple to Take on Google Docs with iWork.com [Iwork]
Apple's moving iWork onto the web with iWork.com, a web-based version of their desktop office suite which will offer "transparent integration" into the desktop app.
Sting, Sarah McLachlan Teach You How to Play Instruments in GarageBand '09 [ILife]
The new release of GarageBand '09 includes "Learn to Play"—piano and guitar lessons from artists like Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, and Sting, Gizmodo reports from their live-blog of the Macworld keynote.
Does Facial Recognition Change Your Mind About iPhoto? [IPhoto]
Our brothers in gadgetry are live-blogging the Macworld 2009 keynote, and report that iPhoto in iLife '09 will have facial recognition that automatically groups photos by who's in them.
Yesterday Mac users here said they prefer the all-new Picasa for Mac over iPhoto. But do the new iPhoto features—like facial recognition, Facebook, and Flickr integration, and geo-tagging—change your mind?
Keep reading about new stuff getting unveiled at Macworld over at Gizmodo's liveblog.
Get Money for Your Old Tech Gear from HP [Recycling]
Hewlett-Packard launches a new buyback program that will give you money in exchange for your old, working gadgets and gear—any brand of PC, monitor, printer, digital camera, or smartphone that still has some value.
HP's Buyback program offers a quote web site where you enter what you've got and find out how much they'll pay you for it. CNET reports:
If you find the quote worth your time, mail them your stuff (at your expense) and HP will mail you a check. Alternatively, you can opt for a "Premium Service" in which FedEx picks up the item or items at your house. The cost of that service is taken out of your final check from HP.
If your old stuff isn't worth any cash, you can still mail it to HP for recycling if it's an HP or Compaq brand item. Photo by Extra Ketchup.
HP's Buyback program offers a quote web site where you enter what you've got and find out how much they'll pay you for it. CNET reports:
If you find the quote worth your time, mail them your stuff (at your expense) and HP will mail you a check. Alternatively, you can opt for a "Premium Service" in which FedEx picks up the item or items at your house. The cost of that service is taken out of your final check from HP.
If your old stuff isn't worth any cash, you can still mail it to HP for recycling if it's an HP or Compaq brand item. Photo by Extra Ketchup.
Bulk Edit Tags on Delicious [Delicious]
It's tucked away, but bookmarking site Del.icio.us now offers bulk tag editing (in, of course, beta) for group tagging/un-tagging and sharing/un-sharing. Helpful stuff, especially for pesky tag typos. Thanks Gergo!
Mr. Uptime (Finally) Updates for Firefox 3 [Featured Firefox Extension]
Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Mr. Uptime, friend to anyone who's ever waited for the Digg/Slashdot/Lifehacker Effect to abate before reaching a cool new web site, has recently updated to be Firefox 3 compatible.
Not much seems entirely new with Mr. Uptime, available both at its Mozilla home and official page, but that's probably a good thing. As we noted when we last checked it out, the Firefox add-on can also monitor sites and alert you when specific text appears or disappears from a site, making it more than just a monitor of web hosting power. But next time a big, time-sensitive promotional give-away happens and you can't grab it in the first few tries, you'll be glad Mr. Uptime also does its basic function so well.
Mr. Uptime is a free download, works wherever Firefox does. Thanks, ScaryMike!
CrazyLittleFingers Rewards Your Toddler's Curiosity [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: CrazyLittleFingers is a keyboard locking application. Unlike some of the previous keyboard lockers we've covered, CrazyLittleFingers corresponds the keystroke to a picture and sound related to the key.
Press L and you see a picture of a lion. Press R and you see a movie of a rooster. Keys that have no symbolic link for children like the page up and page down keys produce rising and falling guitar sounds. Numbers show the number on the screen. The only caveat is that it doesn't lock the mouse. This is fine on a single monitor setup, because you can't click through the images or access the start menu so clicking wouldn't accomplish anything. On a multiple monitor setup however it only locks the primary screen, the mouse is still effective on the other screens. It would be nice if the program did a simple poll to see if other monitors were active and darkened/disabled them. Still if your toddler isn't a proficient mouse user it should work fine. CrazyLittleFingers is freeware, Windows Only. Photo by John A. Ward.
Exhaustive List of Free Microsoft Downloads [Windows]
Tech evangelist and Microsoft consultant Blake Handler hosts an impressively completist list of free Windows programs offered by Microsoft, dug from the trenches of Del.icio.us tags. It's a handy bookmark for Control+F hunting. [via]
iTunes Drops Most Copy Protection, Varies Prices [ITunes Store]
Update: Gizmodo confirms the announcement. The good news: CNET has sources saying the three largest music labels will allow Apple to offer music downloads free of copy-protection. And the bad news might not be that bad.
In exchange for the DRM-free tracks, Apple will reportedly allow labels to push three tiers of pricing. Older songs from the archives will be 69 cents, songs that are newer and "midline" (i.e. not big hits) will inhabit the familiar 99 cent mark, and newer, bigger hits will fetch $1.29.
If announced at the Macworld conference today—which our gadget-obsessed cousins at Gizmodo are, of course, covering live—there could also be over-the-air 3G downloads coming to iPhone owners, and DRM dropped from everything in the iTunes store on launch. As Greg Sandoval at CNET points out, though, that leaves a question mark on tracks already purchased through iTunes.
Will variable, DRM-free pricing make you a (new or returning) iTunes customer? Tell us your take in the comments.
Install-It Creates Auto-Starting Installer CDs for Any Applications [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free app Install-It puts a small auto-starting application on any removable drive that makes installing applications a double-click affair.
After downloading the Install-It package, you'll want to extract its files to somewhere you can reach, like your desktop, and open up the Install.ini file in your favorite text editor. This file is simply a list of program descriptions and the locations of their installer files. If you're creating a disc full of useful installers, just replace the default examples with your chosen verbiage for each app and the location/names of the setup files. You separate those two items with a comma, using slashes where necessary, and end each line with a semi-colon.
Here's an example Install.ini I made for a supposed Windows XP re-installation:
Copy all your installer files and Install-It's files into a CD-burning app, such as CDBurnerXP, and fire away.
Now you've got a CD that, on most computers, will pop up with a list of programs that can be installed without anyone having to guess which icon or cryptic filename means. If a computer isn't set to auto-start when it detects an autorun.inf file, though, you'll have to point the computer to install.exe—not a problem, though, if you've put each application in its own directory.
Install-It is a free download for Windows systems only.
Why Your Self-Handicapping Excuses Don't Work (And How to Fix Them) [Performance]
The New York Times takes a revealing look at self-handicapping excuses—like "I barely slept the night before the test"—and why we create them, as well as the extremely unlikely chance that anyone else buys them.
The short version of the research and studies cited is that we all do it, in varying amounts, to protect our fragile egos. It's a two-way victory: If you ace a project, you did great despite your car having trouble, your cat dying, being sick, and not having hardly heard the initial presentation. If not, well, hey, you know why.
If you're a regular self-handicapper, though, you can grow too attached to whatever you use without knowing it, whether it's alcohol, rule-defying, sleep deprivation, or whatever convenience you cling to. Those who study self-handicapping, though, offer a seemingly devious way to go at it another way and benefit—namely, get someone else to deliver your excuses:
In a recent study, James C. McElroy of Iowa State University and J. Michael Crant of Notre Dame had 246 adults evaluate the behavior of characters in several workplace anecdotes. The participants' impressions of a character began to sour after the second time the person cited a handicap."What happens here is that if you do it often, observers attribute your performance to you, but begin to view it as part of your disposition, i.e., you're a whiner," Dr. McElroy wrote in an e-mail message. "But you can avoid this happening if someone else does the handicapping for you, and surprisingly enough, even if they do it often."
Which cliched excuses and handicapping preambles do you wish you could banish, whether in yourself or co-workers? Let's hear your take on preemptive defeat in the comments. Photo by pattista.
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