Spice up your videos, games, applications or just make system alerts a little more hilarious by downloading sound effects from Soundsnap. Whether you're an electronic musician using Ableton Live or a budding YouTube auteur looking to flesh out the audio on a Final Cut Pro project, libraries of free sound effects, loops and samples are like mana (I'm a longtime fan of The Freesound Project). All the sound effects at Soundsnap are uploaded by creators, so if you've already done some foley work or futzed around with a Moog to produce sci-fi ambience, help out others by contributing. There are already many thousands of audio clips already available. If you're a multimedia maker, what sound effects sources do you use?
A security and stability update to Firefox—version 3.0.4—is now available. Hit the Help menu's "Check for Updates..." item to install it now, or get prepared to see the notification on your next restart. [via]
Windows only: If you're looking for help managing a mess of windows on Windows, it might be worth your time to check out DeskAngel. With 16 features (with two bonus features for Windows 2000 users), DeskAngel can do anything from changing a window's transparency by clicking Control+Alt and scrolling to letting you reassign a middle mouse button. I produced the screenshot above with the click-and-drag to grab an area of the screen and dump it in the clipboard that DeskAngel enabled. Configure the application by editing the settings.ini file. Otherwise, DeskAngel runs quietly in the background, is available from the system tray, and only takes up 2.5MB of your precious memory. DeskAngel is a free download for Windows only.
From the makers of Walk Score, Obama CTO is a Digg-like site for suggesting priorities for the national chief technology officer that President-elect Barack Obama plans to appoint. Users are allowed 10 votes, and can spend up to three on any one item—your votes are returned if the item is deleted or actually accomplished. Current suggestions range from opening up vast government databases with everything from XML and RSS to APIs to boosting technology literacy by sending millions of One Laptop Per Child machines to inner-city schools. Whether or not you voted for Obama, and no matter how you feel about network neutrality, you're free to contribute, vote and comment. I, for one, would like to see more sharks with frickin' lasers keeping America safe.
A Northern California hosting provider apparently involved in sending 75% of spam email every day was shut down, and now spam volumes have dropped two-thirds as a result, the Washington Post reports. Sadly, once these spam operations move to a new provider, levels will probably resume their former heights. Are you seeing a drop in spam volume since Tuesday because of this shutdown? Let us know in the comments. [via]
Windows/Linux only: If you're looking to collaborate in real-time on a writing or programming project, then check out MoonEdit. It's a tiny download that, when installed, will allow you to host sessions with other MoonEdit users. Each user is giving a nickname and a color, and cursors and highlights appear for all. The finished files can be output in the native ME format to preserve meta-data like who edited what, standard TXT format or an HTML file that will display the text for non-MoonEdit users which includes the colors and other notes. You can change options through drop-down menus or through a command line editor. It's not as tricked out for coders with syntax highlighting and line numbers like similar tool Gobby, but it will evaluate mathematical statements you've typed out after hitting Control+Enter, including produce random numbers (if, say, you wanted to play some Dungeons and Dragons with friends). And there is also a neat tool for sequencing music directly within the interface! MoonEdit is a free download for Windows and Linux.Thanks pennstatephil!
Windows/Linux: Free application Go-oo is a fork of the popular Microsoft Office alternative OpenOffice.org with a focus on improved speed and performance. If you've ever used OpenOffice.org, Go-oo's load speed may blow your mind the first time you launch it, and it maintains a relatively small footprint while you're using it. The actual look and feel of Go-oo is the same as OpenOffice.org because it's essentially the same application (it's even still called OpenOffice.org). It is, however, stripped of some of the new features available in OO.org 3.0. Go-oo is free, Windows and Linux only. If you're a frequent OO.org user and you give it a try, let's hear how it compares in the comments. Mac users looking for a similar tool, check out previously mentioned NeoOffice, a Mac fork based on Go-oo.
If you have a web site with an RSS feed, like a blog, you can quickly create an iPhone-ized version with Intersquash. Simply input the RSS feed URL and a title for your site, upload a 57x57 thumbnail if you like, and then copy the automatically generated Javascript code. The code detects the user agent string from your iPhone's browser, and redirects visitors to a version hosted by Intersquash. (You can preview the output in any browser with the URL included — for instance, you can check out my home page as reformatted by Intersquash in any old browser). The thumbnail ends up as the icon if a user bookmarks your site by hitting the + button on their iPhone. After the jump, a quick demonstration video explains the process step-by-step.
Choreographer (and author of The Creative Habit) Twyla Tharp briefly discusses the roles of failure and money in creativity in a short video interview below. There are several good tidbits here, but in the instant-publishing internet age where everyone seems to be competing for the most YouTube views or highest web site traffic, I especially love the bits about how being creative for the sake of admiration and recognition is different than being creative simply because you want to make something. Here's the three-minute, 22-second clip.
How do you get your creativity on without getting obsessed with whether or not it's made you a superstar? Let us know in the comments.
We've just uploaded a fresh update to Aero Shake, the free utility from the Lifehacker Coders Group inspired by the cool new Windows 7 feature. If you like the idea of Aero Shake on your pre-Windows 7 machine, head to the download page to grab the latest (v1.3) or get the source here.
If you keep your projects in order using 37signal's excellent Basecamp webapp and you're a Gmail user, a new gadget puts your project progress right next to your inbox. The Periscope Basecamp Gmail gadget works with the Gmail Labs' experimental feature that lets third-party gadgets into Gmail's sidebar. To enable this gadget, you've got to have a Basecamp account with the API enabled, a Periscope account (which stores your Basecamp login information), and Gmail Labs' Gadgets by external URL feature enabled. Got all that? Once you're there, head to the Gadgets tab in Gmail and copy and paste the Periscope Basecamp Gadget URL in, and then your sidebar will display your Basecamp projects as pictured. Of course, setting up this access does require a leap of faith and trust in Periscope, as you do have to save your Basecamp password in your Periscope account.
Windows only: Free, lightweight application RBTray minimizes any app to your system tray. Once it's running, you can tray your windows in a couple of ways: You can either right-click the bottom-right corner of the minimize button to instantly send the app to the system tray, or you can right-click anywhere on the title bar and select Minimize in tray from the context menu (which also offers Always on top and a useless My size feature). The app doesn't require any installation, so you can also toss it on your thumb drive and take it with you. Even better, RBTray used a meager 380KB of RAM on my system. RBTray is a free download, Windows only. For more alternatives, check out previously mentioned TrayEverything or Trayconizer.
Windows only: Yesterday you saw reader Espiox's beautiful time and weather heads-up display on his desktop using the free Rainmeter utility; today he posts the custom config files he's using to get the effect. Both dark and white versions of the date and weather modules are available so you can use them with any wallpaper. (In the screenshot, the dark version is top-left and the white bottom-right.) You've got to edit the weather config for your area (and you can set it to display degrees in Celsius or Fahrenheit) and you can position them on your desktop how you please. But even having never used Rainmeter myself before, setup was quick and easy and the result is good-looking and informative. Thanks Espiox! (The screenshot is my XP desktop, which uses the dark GelXP theme with an image from the free Vista wallpaper pack.) After installing Rainmeter, download and extract the 10-Foot_HUD.zip file to its Skins directory. Got a killer Rainmeter config you want to share? Please post it in the comments.
You know all those movies, shows, and news features that make it seem like net-savvy freelancers work every day from their favorite coffee shop? They never show them struggling with just what's fair trade for the seat, the temperature control, and, of course, the free Wi-Fi. The Freakonomics blog notes that cafes lose money by charging or restricting laptop use, but should one small cup of Joe entitle one to a whole day of data? Are regular re-ups a nice compromise, or is taking up a seat for hours on end just plain rude? Since our readers are pretty savvy with the laptop dilemma, let's hear how you handle the subtle obligations of working, or just browsing, from spots that offer theoretically free Wi-Fi in the comments. Photo by scottfeldstein.
Google's iPhone-optimized search page saw several improvements last night. Most importantly, the results offer quick inline links to phone numbers, directions, and map previews for quick access to what you're more likely looking for in a mobile search. [via]
Microsoft evangelist Jeff Sandquist has put together a wiki sharing laptop-charging outlets in airports for the power-deprived and travel-weary. Some are easy-to-miss official stations, while others might require a bit of hubris (and flexibility on floor-sitting) to get to. Tell us your other charge-finding resources in the comments. [via]
Firefox with Greasemonkey (All platforms): Previously mentioned video search site VideoSurf has released a Greasemonkey script that embeds its "visual summary" strips into search results from Google, Yahoo, YouTube, CBS, and (most likely) wherever else you dig through streaming Flash videos. In other (actually VideoSurf's) words, you don't have to get Rick-Rolled if you really don't want to. Not every search result gets the preview treatment, and VideoSurf's picks of the most important frames from videos is, of course, a subjective thing. But if you're looking for a specific video (or to avoid a certain 80's staple) and might recognize it from its stills, it's a seriously handy add-on.
Stash My Mail, an email backup service deliberately aimed at non-tech-types, grabs all of the messages and attachments in your Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or other POP/IMAP-compatible email account and delivers them all as text or HTML files in big zip-compressed archive. If a service requires setting up POP or IMAP access, Stash My Mail explains how to do it, and it takes only three steps to move through the backup process. We've featured free, do-it-yourself solutions like Gmail Backup and using Thunderbird or Fetchmail, but it might be worth the 99 cents if you're helping mom and dad move off their busted old server. Stash My Mail costs 99 cents per backup, or $1.98 for a month's worth of usage.
Windows only: Jarte is a free portable word processing application built on the framework of Microsoft WordPad. Don't be deceived by it's spartan lineage however, WordPad serves only as the undercarriage of Jarte's feature set. Jarte is designed around the most frequent needs of the average user. By putting commonly used tools and features in the menus immediately accessibly by the toolbar buttons, users aren't left digging through menus when they'd rather be writing. Jarte supports tabbed based word processing, dictionary files, spell check, and a favorites system for bookmarking favorite folders, files, and fonts. For other potential candidates for a new word processor, check out 14 Word Processors Reviewed and Reader Poll: What's Your Word Processor? to help you narrow the field. Jarte is freeware, Windows only. Thanks cohomology!
Want to let people find and contact with you without having to offer up your actual email address? Your Google Profile, which already exists if you share Google Reader items or edit Knols or Maps, can make it so. Hitting this link should allow you to enable the checkbox and get profile messages in your primary email. [via]
You received this email because you are subscribed to the real_time feed for http://feeds.gawker.com/lifehacker/full. To change your subscription settings, please log into RSSFWD.
No comments:
Post a Comment