Fresh -no Mac

The Google Wave Invitation Donation Thread Is Open [Google Wave]

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

We're pretty into Google Wave, and we want to give our readers get a crack at playing around with the invite-only preview, so we're back with our weekly Google Wave invitation donation thread. Note: Read the entire post carefully before commenting.

If you've got Wave invitations you're willing to donate, post a comment below, saying something like: "I've got 10 Wave invites; who wants one?" In that case, the first ten people to reply to that comment providing that generous soul with a means to invite you get invitations.

Here's the important part:

Do not start a thread unless you have invitations to hand out. These threads get unwieldy very quickly if we don't follow some ground rules. Despite that, we really want to help give our readers a chance to try Wave, so we're giving it a go anyway. Please, please only start a thread if you've got invitations. Don't just post your email address thirty times hoping someone will grab it. If you want an invitation, reply to someone who's offering one. Finally, it takes our interns hours to admin comments every day, and these threads wreak havoc on their efforts, so if you don't already have an approved commenter account, please don't comment on this thread.

Make sense? Good luck, and thanks to everyone who's donating invitations. If you do happen to secure an invitation, be sure to check out The Complete Guide to Google Wave, Gina and Adam's comprehensive book on Wave.

Note: If you're posting comments but they aren't showing up on the post, that means you are not an approved commenter. How can you become an approved commenter? Read our comment FAQ. In the meantime, please don't post any more comments on this thread asking for invitations if you're not an approved commenter.

Maximize Your Thanksgiving Leftovers with Leftover Recipes [Recipes]

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and you've got a pile of leftovers. It's time to take a look at how you can maximize the meals you can make from your leftovers, preferably with the least amount of effort.

Photo by Roland.

Last year we shared a few leftover recipes and now we're back to share a few more. The absolute easiest method of course is to simply throw servings of your leftovers on the plate and heat them back up. If you love a good Thanksgiving meal you can't go wrong with a basic reheat. That said, we've gathered up a few basic recipes here for you to mix up your left overs.

Open-Face Turkey Sandwiches: The open-face turkey sandwich is a staple in the leftover playbook. Take a thick slice of bread—some people put a light layer of mayonnaise with a sprinkling of salt and pepper here—mound it up with turkey, pour some gravy over it, and heat the whole thing up in a microwave or toaster oven. You can always go easy on the gravy to minimize the mess and slap another piece on top if you've got a deep seated distrust of an open-face sandwich.

Turkey Dumplings: Dumplings are filling and the recipe is about as simple as it gets. You'll need cooked turkey, all purpose flour, and a package of biscuit dough. Cook the turkey in water until a broth forms, drop in some hunks of biscuit dough, and you're done. You can check out the recipe here.

Pilgrim Pie: Rene Lynch, experimenting with her leftovers, saw that she had almost all the ingredients for a shepherd pie. All the ingredients save for the crust, that is. With a little kitchen ingenuity and some sautéd onions and flour she made a simple dish out of leftover cooked vegetables, diced turkey, and mashed potatoes. You can read more about it here.

Turkey Soup: Turkey soup has a moderate number of ingredients but if you already prepared a Thanksgiving meal the chances of you having all of them on hand is pretty high. Prep for the soup is a bunch of chopping and dicing and then tossing it all in a pot. With enough leftover turkey and a big enough pot you can make quite a batch. You can check out the recipe here.

Turkey, Chestnut, and Barley Soup: If you're in the mood for a heartier soup than a simple turkey broth and turkey mix can provide, this turkey and barley soup is plenty hearty. You can make it using a can of broth or use the carcass leftover from yesterday's festivities. You can check out the recipe here.

Grilled Turkey and Apple Sandwiches: The recipe is actually for chicken sandwiches but turkey is a great stand in. You can grill it in a skillet but it cooks great in a grill press. Flavorful and easy to make, it's a nice way to make leftovers seem less like leftovers. See the recipe here.

Our suggestions should get you started on mixing up your leftovers, but it's certainly not a conclusive list of ways to turn your turkey day leftovers into something fresh and tasty. Let's hear about your favorite leftover recipes in the comments below.

Get a Great Deal on Advice in the Open Thread [Open Thread]

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:08:51 -0800

You've stuffed yourself with Thanksgiving leftovers, and with any luck you've also made the most of Black Friday (even if that means you skipped it altogether). Now it's time to chat it up with your fellow readers.

Photo by brokenidols.

The open thread is your weekly opportunity to discuss whatever you want in the comments without worrying about going off-topic. Ask questions, share Thanksgiving successes, pictures, and horror stories, and whatever else you want. All you need to join in is a commenter account. Happy Friday!

Dell Offers Customized Chrome OS Build for Mini 10V Netbooks [Downloads]

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

If a Dell Mini 10V netbook was on your Black Friday shopping list, you're in luck—at least if you're the hacking type. A Dell technologist posted instructions on running Google's Chrome OS on the 10V.

There are, of course, a caveat or two with this open source tweak, including a rather notable Wi-Fi deficiency. Depending on your hardware, Chromium OS—the open-source Chrome variant compiled here—may take five to ten minutes to start finding and recognizing wireless access points. The OS still boots mighty fast, according to Dell's Doug Anson and others, and works once the Wi-Fi kinks have smoothed themselves out.

Direct image downloads and installation and compilation instructions are available on the Chromium OS Dev forums and via links. Got a Mini 10V and have Chrome OS working on your system? Tell us how it's faring in the comments.

BitTorrent Tracker Mininova Goes Legal-Only [BitTorrent]

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Mininova, one of the web's go-to aggregators for BitTorrent trackers, has deleted nearly every torrent on its site in response to a court order. Only torrents uploaded by approved partners in its legal distribution network survived the cull and will continue to be allowed. There are, of course, plenty of alternatives for torrent fans, and technologies for a steadier BitTorrent future, but excuse us if we feel a tad bit nostalgic over the quieting of a brand name in torrent distribution. [TorrentFreak and BBC News]

How to Fix Your Relatives' Terrible Computer [Tech Support]

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Drop your bags, grab a drink, and grab the XP CD—it's time for the holiday ritual of fixing up your relatives' computer. Here are some tips and downloads to keep handy while you're cursing all the auto-starting crapware.

Photo by Justin Marty.

For this guide, we're going to do a bit of assuming. We're assuming the relative with the busted computer is running a Windows system, and has an internet connection that works when the computer does. We're assuming all the physical pieces of the computer work—hard drive, memory, disc drives, and anything else that's crucial. We'll also assume the computer's in one of two states: Failing to boot and needing an OS re-installation, laden with unnecessary system tray/startup applications and/or spy/mal/ad-ware, or just needing a little optimization.

Computer won't boot, needs a re-install

The problem: Turning on the computer results in a message that states Windows can't boot because something is missing (a boot loader, an important file, etc.) or something is wrong. There are many variations on this message, but they all say basically the same thing: You will not be getting into Windows.

Quick-fix triage: Load the original XP, Vista, or Windows 7 (Really? Broken already?) CD or DVD in the system and boot the system from there, which might require hitting a key to bring up "boot options" or pressing a key when asked to "Press any key to boot from CD." Wait for the CD to load—it may seem like it's installing, but it's just loading a mini-system for installation and, in this case, repair. Follow the prompts to repair an existing installation, or, in the case of Vista or 7, ask it to repair the startup process.

What you'll need:

XP, Vista, or Windows 7 installation CD/DVD: It may be from a computer manufacturer and not look like a Microsoft-obtained, holograph-packed disc, so look around a bit. If it's a "System Restoration" disc, be sure that you can boot from it and install a full copy of Windows from it.
USB thumb drive: At least 1GB in size.
External USB drive or blank DVDs: For backing up important files.
Ubuntu Live CD or Knoppix Live CD: Both are Linux distributions, but we're just using them because they run on most kinds of hardware without installing, and can transfer the files you need to your backup media. Ubuntu should work; if it doesn't, give Knoppix a go. You can use the free tool UNetBootin to transfer the ISO you downloaded to a thumb drive, which is necessary if you're backing up to DVDs, and recommended in any case to speed things up.

If that doesn't work, and you really feel this system can boot again except for some silly error, try creating an Ultimate Recovery CD, as detailed at the How-To Geek's home away from Lifehacker.

If that worked, hooray! If not, soldier on to the next step.

Back up the files: Have your USB hard drive or blank DVDs handy, and remove the Windows CD/DVD from the computer if you tried to use that for a fix. Stick your thumb drive with the Ubuntu (or Knoppix) image into a USB slot, then boot up the computer. You may have to hit F12 or another key to boot from USB, or change a setting in the BIOS (which you can access by hitting a key—written in that fast-disappearing text—at boot-up). You'll be asked to choose a language, then hit the option to "Try Ubuntu without any changes." After some loading, you'll arrive at an Ubuntu desktop.

Move your cursor to the "Places" menu, and check to see that your USB drive (MyBook, in my case) or blank DVD is showing up. You should also see the hard drive Windows is running from. On an XP or Vista system, there's usually just one, but on Windows 7, there are two—a "System Reserved" (fairly small) and a larger, main drive. Check to see that you can open and access those files as well.

Ask your relatives which files and documents are important to them. When doing my own tech support work, I usually back up the entire "My Documents" folder (with "My Music" and "My Pictures" included), their Outlook or (yes, sometimes) Outlook Express email data (explained here), and their Firefox profile or, more likely, their "Favorites" folder for Internet Explorer (C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Favorites in XP, or C:\Users\Username\Favorites in Vista or 7). In any case, always ask, and make sure there isn't any software they can't locate a license for.

When you're ready to back up, simply open your USB drive from the Places menu, then open your main Windows drive, and drag files to copy from your Windows system onto the backup medium.

If you're burning to DVD, head to the Applications menu in your temporary Ubuntu system, mouse over the Accessories sub-menu, and select "CD/DVD Creator" when it pops up. You'll get a folder you can drag files you want to burn into, then hit "Write to Disc" to burn them.

When you're all done backing up files, head to the menu with the power icon next to it (labeled "Live user," most likely) and select "Shut Down." You'll eventually be prompted to remove your live CD or USB stick—do so, and swap in the Windows installation CD or DVD. Turn off the system, then turn it back on. Follow the instructions to install Windows on the system, erasing whatever partitions or data exist on there at the moment (assuming you're sure the important stuff is backed up).

Clogged with crapware

The problem: The computer boots up ... eventually. Programs open very slowly, the hard drive seems to click and whir endlessly, and messages, reminders, and pop-up windows jump onto the screen every few minutes.

Quick-fix triage: If you don't suspect there's anything actually malicious and infectious on the system—that is, you're fairly sure they've been running and updating an anti-virus and anti-malware client—grab a copy of Revo Uninstaller Portable (direct ZIP file link), and run it off the USB stick you brought with you.

Click the "Tools" button, choose the Autorun menu on the left, and look through the items on the right. Uncheck the stuff that's really unnecessary—most of it, really, unless they constantly use a printer/scanner or run an antivirus app—and remind your host to un-check the toolbars and "helper" apps offered when installing things.

If things are much better now, and you don't imagine that malware is an issue, you're all done. Otherwise ...

What you'll need: Mostly a small batch of software, recommended by this author and the How-To Geek. You can run these once and remove them, or run them off a thumb drive, in some cases. The last download is one you'll keep installed on the system.
- Revo Uninstaller Portable: Completely, utterly removes the programs, toolbars, and other junk apps that aren't needed.
- SuperAntiSpyware: For cleaning (you guessed it) spyware.
- Malwarebytes (or its portable version): For the clingy cookies, add-ons, and apps that try and do unauthorized stuff.
- CCleaner Portable: For freeing up hard drive space and clearing out temp/cache files that bog down the system index.
- Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus: The former for a system that's got enough horsepower to be adequate, the latter for a system that's light on resources.
The fixing process? It's nothing special, actually—just run the quick-fix triage in any case, removing the auto-run apps that bog down system resources, and then run these secondary apps, generally in the order they're listed. Keep Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus installed (not both!), and, while you're being helpful, back up this computer's pictures, music, and important documents.

Tuning up and bomb-proofing

Maybe everything technically "works," but watching your relatives open emails in Outlook Express and browse on Internet Explorer 6 is just, well, painful. Here are the steps we recommend to get things moving:
- Run the basics of the "clogged with crapware" section: The one involving Revo Uninstaller and startup programs, under the "quick-fix triage" sub-section, and installing either Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus.
- Install Firefox and make it the default: Be sure to use the bookmark and setting import from Internet Explorer. You could even go with Google Chrome for even tighter security and speed, if your relatives wouldn't mind the abrupt shift in look and feel.
- Set up their email in Gmail: Gmail has made it much easier to import email accounts, whether they're AOL, cable company, or other defaults that just stuck around. You can make a simple switch in the settings to keep your relatives receiving and sending email from their same address (or multiple addresses). Save their Gmail password in Firefox, but make sure they know it, and they'll even get some new-fangled email portability.
- Physically clean the beast: Stop by the local office store, grab a can of compressed air, and clean out the "dust bunnies", especially if you can hear the exhaust fans over the mid-day football.
- Replace cruddy programs with superior alternatives: Gina's 2008 recommendations still hold up, but we updated them a bit, and made them super-easy to install in one shot, with our Lifehacker Pack 2009. Or use Ninite for a similar one-click awesomeware package.
That is, at least, how one Lifehacker editor is fixing at least one relative's computer this long holiday weekend. What's your own 1-2-3 process for being the holiday software savior? Share your success stories in the comments.
Unless you're writing "Buy them a Mac." In which case, take your truly helpful comments elsewhere, and prepare to get banned.

Firefox 3.6 Beta 4 Available with Many Fixes [Downloads]

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Windows/Mac/Linux: Nobody told Mozilla's developers it's a day off. They've just pushed out a fourth beta of Firefox 3.6, with more than 100 fixes from the last beta and more add-on security and compatibility.

There's no reason not to grab this beta if you're a bleeding-edge Firefox fan, as it doesn't seem to remove any features or support (as its predecessor did), and Mozilla notes that more than 70 percent of its add-ons are now compatible with the 3.6 betas.

Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day: Black Friday Edition [Dealhacker]

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

What's the most dealtastic day of the whole year? Black Friday, of course. Come on in for some deep-dish regular deals and some fantastic Black Friday Deals.

Twice a week we round up the best deals we can find to share with you. This Thursday is the eve of Black Friday—one of the biggest shopping days of the year and also the best day to find outrageous deals. For today's Dealhacker post we've rounded up our regular variety of deals for those of you that don't want to fight the crazy crowds—many of the online deals are good all weekend or until supplies run out.

For the true Black Friday deal hunters among you, braced for pounding the mean streets tomorrow and drinking coffee out of a thermos at 3AM outside a Best Buy, we defer you to the absolutely massive Black Friday list our sister site Gizmodo has put together. There you'll find all the in-store deals and door busters. Make sure to read the Lifehacker Guide to Making the Most of Black Friday to prepare yourself.

61 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For [Downloads]

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

As we prepare to stuff our faces with a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, we turn our Thanksgiving spirit to the gobs of free software we love to say thank you to the developers, and to give our computers a feast of their own.

Earlier this week we asked you to share the free apps you're most thankful for, and after rounding up thousands of your suggestions, considering our own favorites, and performing a little spreadsheet magic, we've cooked up our own cornucopia of excellent free software and webapps we're extremely thankful for. So whether you're an American celebrating the season or not, the selection of apps below is like gravy-drenched turkey and mashed potatoes for your computer. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For

Firefox (see also: Power User's Guide to Firefox 3, Top 10 Firefox 3.5 Features)
VLC (see also: Master Your Digital Media with VLC, VLC Hits 1.0 with Better Playback and File Support)
CCleaner (see also: Five Best Windows Maintenance Tools)
Dropbox (see also: Use Dropbox for More Than Just File Syncing, Sync Files and Folders Outside Your My Dropbox Folder)
7-Zip (see also: Five Best File Compression Tools)
OpenOffice.org (see also: OpenOffice.org 3.1's Usability Tweaks, OpenOffice.org Screenshots Preview a Ribbon-Like Toolbar)
Google Chrome (see also: The Power User's Guide to Google Chrome, 2009 Edition)
µTorrent (see also: Tweak uTorrent's Settings for Faster Downloads, Five Best BitTorrent Applications)
Notepad++ (see also: Five Best Text Editors, AutoSave Adds Reassurance to Notepad++ Editing)
Gmail (see also: Our full Gmail coverage)
GIMP (see also: Gimp 2.7 Beta Improves Text Editing, Streamlines Saving)
Paint.NET (see also: Paint.NET Releases Big Update, Still a Killer Photoshop Alternative, Paint.NET Plugin Lets You Open Photoshop Files)
Microsoft Security Essentials (see also: Microsoft Security Essentials Free Antivirus App Leaves Beta, Stop Paying for Windows Security; Microsoft's Security Tools Are Good Enough)
Revo Uninstaller (see also: Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads)
Evernote (see also: Evernote 3.5 Beta Brings Tons of Tiny Fixes to Windows, Expand Your Brain with Evernote)
Thunderbird (see also: Thunderbird 3 Release Candidate Available for Download)
Audacity (see also: Geek to Live: Make a ringtone from any MP3)
ImgBurn (see also: Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster, Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools)
Picasa (see also: Picasa 3.5 Organizes Your Photos with Facial Recognition)
Skype (see also: Our full Skype coverage)
Pidgin (see also: Ten Must-Have Plug-ins to Power Up Pidgin, Five Best Instant Messengers)
Ubuntu (see also: First Look at Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu in Perfect Harmony)
iTunes (see also: iTunes 9 Improves Syncing, Network Sharing, More)
foobar2000 (see also: Screenshot Tour: The beautiful and varied world of foobar2000, Hack Attack: Roll your own killer audio player with foobar2000)
Foxit Reader (see also: Five Best PDF Readers, Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads)
FileZilla (see also: Five Best FTP Clients, Build a Home FTP Server with FileZilla)
VirtualBox (see also: The Beginner's Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox)
TrueCrypt (see also: Geek to Live: Encrypt your data, Five Best Portable Applications)
Avast! (see also: Five Best Antivirus Applications)
Defraggler (see also: Five Best Disk Defragmenters)
KeePass (see also: Eight Best KeePass Plug-Ins to Master Your Passwords, How to Use Dropbox as the Ultimate Password Syncer)
Opera (see also: Opera 10.10 with Unite Media Server Released)
AVG (see also: AVG 9 Free Now Available for Download)
Digsby (see also: Five Best Instant Messengers, Digsby Sees the Light, Removes (Some) Bundled Crapware)
Google Reader (see also: Our full Google Reader coverage)
Winamp (see also: Win7shell Adds Windows 7 Jump List Support to Winamp)
Google Earth (see also: Google Earth 5.1 Speeds Up Your World Browsing)
TeraCopy (see also: Five Best Alternative File Copiers)
Launchy (see also: Our full Launchy coverage)
Transmission (see also: Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Mac Downloads)
Eclipse IDE
SpyBot Search & Destroy (see also: Five Best Malware Removal Tools)
Adium (see also: Adium Updates with Security Fixes, Better Facebook Integration)
PuTTY (see also: Add Tabs to PuTTY with PuTTY Connection Manager)
Songbird (see also: Songbird 1.0 Release Official, Fixes Bugs, Plays iTunes Purchases, Killer Add-ons Make Songbird So Much Better)
Sumatra PDF (see also: Sumatra 1.0 is a Blazing Fast Replacement for Adobe Reader)
XBMC (see also: Build a Silent, Standalone XBMC Media Center On the Cheap, Customize XBMC with These Five Awesome Skins, Turbo Charge Your New XBMC Installation)
Blender (see also: Learn Blender with free e-book)
CDBurnerXP (see also: Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools)
Everything (see also: Everything Finds Windows Files As You Type, Top 10 Tiny & Awesome Windows Utilities)
HandBrake (see also: HandBrake Updates to 0.9.4 with Over 1,000 Changes, 64-Bit Support)
Rainmeter (see also: Rainmeter 1.0 Brings the Enigma Desktop to Everyone)
AutoHotkey (see also: Turn Any Action into a Keyboard Shortcut, Hack Attack: Knock down repetitive email with AutoHotKey)
Google Calendar (see also: Our full Google Calendar coverage)
MediaMonkey (see also: MediaMonkey 3.2 Syncs with More Devices, Adds Auto Folder Watching)
Quicksilver (see also: A beginner's guide to Quicksilver)
WinSCP
Google Voice (see also: Make Unlimited Free Calls on Your Cellphone with Google Voice, How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice)
Boxee (see also: Build a Cheap But Powerful Boxee Media Center, Boxee to Launch Beta with Loads of New Features)
AdBlock Plus (see also: Top 10 Must-Have Firefox Extensions, 2009 Edition)
Media Player Classic (see also: Five Best Video Players)

In case you're curious, here's a broad look at how your votes broke down among the 10 most popular:

The list above represents every application that garnered roughly ten votes or above. The highest vote-earner, Firefox, pulled in a couple hundred. If you're interested in how the full count went down, you can check out a Google Spreadsheet of the results here. Happy Thanksputering!

Best Wishlist Tool? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800

Whether you're being shopped for or doing the shopping, good wish lists are very useful to have on-hand. This week we want to hear about your favorite tool for ensuring the lump of coal you get is the one you want.

Photo by Genealogy Photos.

The internet has ushered in an era of comparison shopping, searching, product research, and wish-list creation you could have only dreamed of as a kid (as a weird, weird kid). When we were kids the only way to find out about the best new video games was to subscribe to a video game magazine and spend hours staring at the video game release wall at the local toy store. Now you can read up on every aspect of your wish-list entry, bookmark it, cross link it, index your list, and possibly even GPS-chip it to make sure the Jolly Man checks it twice.

This week we want to hear about the tool you use, whether it's online, offline, or after all these years still scrawled in crayon on a legal pad.

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: Wishlist Tool. 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 Five Best Screencasting Tools.

MouseExtender Launches Programs With Two Clicks [Downloads]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Windows only: The Windows 7 taskbar is pretty convenient, but if you are running an older version of Windows (or are just looking for a cool mouse-based launcher), MouseExtender is a sleek program that launches with one click of the mouse.

By default, MouseExtender is triggered by clicking the middle mouse button (although if you have a nice multi-button mouse, you can configure it to any mouse button or keyboard combo you want). Invoking MouseExtender brings up a window you can add programs, files, folders or URLs to for easy access. You can do this either by dragging and dropping shortcuts into the window (though you need to "pin" the window by clicking the pin icon in the corner to do this) or by right-clicking on the gear icon and adding programs from your hard drive or from a list of currently running programs. You can also shut down or restart your computer from the launcher window. It's small, lightweight, and simple.

MouseExtender is a free download, Windows only.

Add Extra Effects to Photo Booth and iChat with a Quick Tweak [Tweaks]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

Mac OS X: Photo Booth and iChat's handful of native effects are fun, but the novelty of making yourself glow sepia wears off pretty quickly. Fortunately, you can easily tweak some settings to add a bunch more.

Macworld's Rob Griffiths unearthed a way to add more than 20 silly effects to the 16 that are already found in Photo Booth and iChat. By cutting, pasting, and lightly editing a collection of files already hiding inside your Mac, you can pixellate, posterize, or ASCII-ify yourself all you want.

Check out Griffiths' post for a step-by-step tutorial on exactly how to modify your files. Don't worry, you won't be digging into the bowels of your system in any serious way, so any mistakes you make are easily correctable in the off chance that something goes wrong.

Give the new effects a try for yourself, take a screenshot, and show it off in the comments.

Exercise Prepares Our Bodies for Stressful Situations, Study Indicates [Exercise]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

For years doctors have recommended exercise to enhance our moods, but the reason it actually works has never been that clear. Thanks to a group of overworked rodents, we may be closer to finding out, and it's pretty good news.

Photo by mhofstrand

Researchers at Princeton University recently conducted a study comparing sedentary rats with active ones. Both were dunked in cold water, which they really hate (uh, yeah, who wouldn't?). It turns out that even though all the rats were equally stressed out swimming around in frigid water, the brain activity of the more active rats was calmer overall. Scientist Michael Hopkins explained it to the New York Times this way:

The "cells born from running," the researchers concluded, appeared to have been "specifically buffered from exposure to a stressful experience." The rats had created, through running, a brain that seemed biochemically, molecularly, calm.

"[T]he positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they're more equipped to handle stress in other forms."

Though it will no doubt take a lot more research to understand whether or not the same effects result from exercise with the human brain, remember its seeming stress-busting effects the next time you don't feel like working out. When things get stressful as work, your stress-resistant exercise cells may help you remain cool as a cucumber.

TouchFreeze Disables Your Touchpad As Soon As You Start Typing [Laptop]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Windows only: Most laptop owners have experienced the frustrations of an unpredictable cursor when your wrist grazes the touchpad. Free, open-source utility TouchFreeze disables your touchpad as soon as you start typing, re-enables it when you stop.

Photo by AlishaV

Although you can always go to your Control Panel and then to Mouse Properties to disable your touchpad the long way, it still means you have to turn it back on when you'd like to use it. TouchFreeze makes things a little easier, and as long as you're not doing any heavy photo editing that might necessitate the simultaneous use of the touch pad and keys, this should be a winner of a program for you.

TouchFreeze sits in your system tray and simply turns off the touchpad when you start typing. It's a dead simple, free, and open-source program that works with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.

The Mega-Mousepad Office [Featured Workspace]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Having a mouse pad that won't stay put is a pain. Today's featured workspace circumvents the problem of the too-small and slide-around mouse pad by making a custom pad big enough for the mouse, keyboard, cup of coffee and more.

Lifehacker reader Pak-Kei Mak was sick of tiny mouse pads. The solution was to go a local rubber supply shop (Canal Rubber in NYC) and pick up a big sheet of the same rubber mouse pads are backed with. The entire workspace is coordinated with the damask-print fabric the mouse pad is covered in—the Chumby, pen cup, and even the computer desktop are all done in white and red damask. Say what you will about the color or pattern, having a unifying element in an office really gives it a personality.

Check out the photos below for a closer look and hit Pak-Kei Mak's office set at the link below for more information on each picture.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, throw the pictures on your Flickr account and add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool. Include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.

GVNotifier.NET Puts Google Voice in Your Taskbar [Downloads]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Windows only: When the AIR-based site-specific browser just won't cut it, GVNotifier.NET brings Google Voice notifications, one-click calling, and SMS to your desktop.

Unlike most clients, GVNotifier.NET hides away in your Windows taskbar and only pulls up small windows when you need them. You can click on the icon to bring up your recent contacts, and click them to bring up a call/SMS window on top. Or, if the desired contact is not in the recent call list, you can right-click on the icon to bring up a separate window where you can dial their number. And, when someone text messages you, the SMS window pops up in the corner so you can text them back right away.

The ease of use of this app is great, but we'd love to see a bit more functionality—mostly some sort of integration with Google Contacts. As of right now, if you don't know your contact's number (and who does these days?), there's no way to call or text any of your contacts that aren't on the program's "recent" list (in fact, I can't even figure out how the list is populated—it doesn't seem to be my most recently texted or my most recently called, although it does contain some people on those lists). It's still great to have the notification and quick-call features of a taskbar client, we'd just like to see a bit more.

GVNotifier.NET is a free download, Windows only.

Make Your Extensions Work with Firefox 3.6 [Firefox]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Firefox only: If you've already started using the Firefox 3.6 Beta release, you're going to need more than the old checkCompatibility trick to get your extensions working again.

To stop everyone from simply ignoring the compatibility checks and using problematic add-ons that haven't been updated in a while, Mozilla removed the ability to turn off extension compatibility checking entirely and now are forcing users to add a separate about:config entry for the specific version they are using.

So instead of adding a new entry called extensions.checkCompatibility, you'll need to add the Firefox version to the preference name, followed by "a" or "b" if you are using alpha or beta versions, respectively. For the current Firefox 3.6 Beta release, you will need to add a boolean key with the following name, and a value of false:

extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b

If you aren't already an about:config expert or just want some hand-holding, hit the link for the full walk-through to make your extensions compatible. Readers will probably note that you can also use the Nightly Tester Tools extension, but for those of us that would rather not install another bulky extension, this tweak works perfectly.

HandBrake Updates to 0.9.4 with Over 1,000 Changes, 64-Bit Support [Downloads]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0800

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you ever have to rip DVDs to your desktop or convert video, you know how awesome open-source encoder HandBrake is. Well, it's just been updated with over 1,000 changes since the last release, including 64-bit support.

The 64-bit support is probably the most notable change in this build, as it allows you to encode videos about 10% faster than the 32-bit builds—in a lot of cases, bringing encoding up to real-time or faster. And, note that Mac users don't need Snow Leopard to see this improvement, long as they have a 64-bit capable machine (Intel Core 2 Duo or later). Linux users will also be able to reap the benefits of the 64-bit build; unfortunately at this point there doesn't appear to be a 64-bit version for Windows users.

Other changes include soft subtitles (it rips subtitles that you can turn on or off), a live preview mode (so you don't waste your time encoding only to find you had a setting wrong), constant quality encoding (for better quality video and no need for 2-pass encoding), and some cleaning up of the settings. It looks like there are no more presets for PSP, PS3, or Xbox 360, just one "Normal" setting that, in theory, will work with anything that supports Main Profile H.264. Also, AVI, OGG/OGM and XviD encoding have been removed from the program—the HandBrake team has apparently decided to focus on H.264 encoding and get rid of old codecs.

HandBrake is a free, open source download.

Lifehacker's Guide to Making the Most of Black Friday [Black Friday]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Black Friday: It's a day when you can either score killer deals on gear or pay way too much for too little. The amount of planning and strategy you use is the biggest factor in whether or not you'll get burned.

Photo by mecredis.

Black Friday marks the traditional point in the year when retailers stop operating at a loss (in the red) and start turning a profit (in the black), and they manage to accelerate that shift by separating lots of people from their money with Thanksgiving sales. If you plan well, this separation can result in a fantastic deal for you. If you plan poorly, it'll result in not only a lack of a good deal but a day wasted out in the cold.

The following tips, tricks, and resources can help you avoid wasting a perfectly good day off and ensure you get what you're looking for at the price you want.

Is It Worth Your Time?

Before you even begin to contemplate running the Black Friday gauntlet, you need to ask yourself how much your time is worth. If you're throwing a wrench into plans to spend time with friends and family to save a couple hundred bucks on a laptop that isn't all that great to begin with—and the store only has 5 in stock—it's likely worth more just to enjoy your time with family and keep an eye on our Dealhacker posts here at Lifehacker. We pore over hundreds of deals a week and can say with authority that Black Friday-like deals happen all year long thanks to the magic of the internet.

The best way to decide if it is indeed worth your time is to take the next tip to heart.

Check Product Reviews and Prices Beforehand

Don't fall into the trap of buying something just because it's such a great deal. A $250 laptop that doesn't do half the stuff you really want it to do is not a bargain compared to a $500 laptop that does. Research relentlessly, take the stack of advertisements and your list of Black Friday sites, and get information about the purchases you want to make. Reading reviews by fellow consumers and consumer-friendly publications is invaluable. You want to buy a super awesome and cheap GPS-EleventyBillion+1 unit? Hit some of these sites to make sure it's not crap and that the price is right:

If you find reviews on both Amazon and Newegg from hundreds of customers talking about how bad the signal reception is on the GPS-EleventyBillion+1, you'll know it's not worth waiting in line for—even if it is dirt cheap. If you have a cellphone you can browse the web on, now would be a great time to bookmark the mobile versions—when available—of the sites above. When you're in the Black Friday trenches, you can pull out your cellphone and check the ratings and prices right in the store.

Check Online Availability

More and more retailers are trying to grab a slice of the online market while more and more consumers are opting not to brave Black Friday for deals. This works strongly in your favor. Check out sites focused on deal hunting like FatWallet, SlickDeals, and Black Friday-focused sites like BlackFriday.info, BlackFriday Ads, and TgiBlackFriday. Not only will you get info about regular in-store Black Friday deals, but you'll find out about online deals. We don't know about you, but staying up until midnight on Thursday night to score a few good deals online and then going to bed is way better than sitting on a sidewalk outside of Best Buy only to find out that you weren't early enough for the good stuff. Photo by mborowick.

Read The Fine Print

Not reading the fine print is a sure fire way to get burned on Black Friday. Whether you're looking at the fine print on the bottom of a newspaper circular or a web site, you need to check it closely on Black Friday deals. What time does the store open on Black Friday? Are some or all of the deals time sensitive? Often stores will run deals like 15% off all electronics until 10AM or some such variation. How many of the deep-sale and door-buster items will they have in stock? How do they handle door buster items? You don't want to go to a store where people have to stampede to get to the good items; you do want to go to a store that hands out door tickets to the early shoppers so nobody gets hurt trying to scramble for the good items.

Get There Early

How early? Real early. You think you're a serious Black Friday shopper, but you're not. Not by a long shot. Some people have been planning for Black Friday all year. They read deal sites like you read the news, make spreadsheets to compare prices over the year to Black Friday and argue with other deal hounds about the ethics of bribing your relatives to help get extra loot or just how evil it is to hide merchandise in washing machine at Sears.

You're not going to just stroll into the line at 7AM to get that $2,000 HDTV marked down to $999—you'll be standing behind deal hunters who have been camped out since the day before. You'll need to scope out your local stores on Thanksgiving day to see just how crazy the line build up is. Again, referring to the first tip in our list: How much is it worth to you? A grand off a high-end television might, for some, be worth spending the night huddled outside a Sears. Wear layers, bring something warm to drink, and be courteous to the people in line with you. Aside from just being an upstanding person, being courteous can pay off when someone holds your spot when you have to use the bathroom or offers to buy an additional item for you when there is a one-per-customer limit.

Black Friday shopping tips and tricks abound, and we certainly can't cover every one. Let's hear about your best tips, tricks, deal sites, and other Black Friday-related tales in the comments below.

Gorge Like a Pro to Maximize Your Holiday Feast [Food]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

There's only few times a year where filling your belly until you're ready to bust is a good idea—or at least socially acceptable. Make the most of your Thanksgiving binge with food weblog Eating The Road's guide to gorging.

Photo by RealEstateZebra

Obviously eating your way through the Thanksgiving line could yield rather anti-social results later on, but just in case you want to pig out like a pro, Eating The Road's got plenty of tips to help expand your stomach and get your body ready for what's about to take place. Their guide is actually about getting the most from an all-you-can-eat buffet, but clearly your Thanksgiving feast isn't all that different:

Meals leading up to the buffet have been debated for ages. My recommendations are a large dinner the night before consisting mostly of light breads and vegetables to expand the stomach. It is also advantageous to drink plenty of liquids, preferably water. This also varies greatly on what time of day your buffet meal is going to be. For a breakfast buffet your larger meal should be the lunch prior with a small dinner. The morning of I would suggest a very small meal containing some sugar in order to get your metabolism up and running. Eat nothing more throughout the day. Liquids are advised, preferably water, as almost a mandatory health concern due to the high sodium content you are about to consume.

Hit up Eating The Road's full guide for more tips on eating your way through buffet lines (and Thanksgiving dinners) of all shapes and sizes. Do you consider yourself a pro at getting the most bang for your Thanksgiving dinner buck (without feeling sick afterward)? Sound off with your best tips for making the most of your meal in the comments.

Killer Music App Spotify Coming to the U.S. Early Next Year? [Music]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

According to the LA Times, the streaming, cloud-based desktop music player Spotify expects to hit U.S. shores in the first few months of 2010. We've been in love with Spotify ever since we tried it, but the app has been working hard to kick down the gates to official U.S. support for a while now. The obstacle, obviously enough, has been working with record labels to garner full-on legal support. Fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. [LA Times]

Use Sand to Hold Awkward Objects During Repairs [Repair]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

Ever need to repair an awkwardly shaped object but have trouble keeping it steady while you work? The always-clever Martha Stewart suggests getting some assistance from sand, using it to hold odd-shaped objects at just the right angle while your glue dries.

Push the piece far enough into the sand so it no longer wobbles, then begin the repair. Keep a plastic storage bin filled halfway with sand in the garage to use for this purpose, whenever something breaks.

We can also see things like kitty litter or sugar working in this same instance—in case you don't have a bag of sand hanging around your garage. It's a quick fix that doesn't require any added assistance or time spent holding things together while drying.

Have a similarly quick household fix methodology of your own? Sound off in the comments.

WhitePages Adds Phone Number Search to Android App [Updates]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

Android: WhitePages' automatic Caller ID function was one of the earliest and most helpful of Android apps. Its newest version puts WhitePages.com's search powers on your phone, along with offering a seven-day preview of its caller ID service.

I couldn't quite pinpoint whether caller ID was previously free and has only recently required the $7 paid version in the Market. In any case, the free version offers a few neat features, besides breaking up personal, business, and reverse phone number searches into helpful tabs. If you do dig into the caller ID features, WhitePages can automatically turn on when your phone does and perform instant caller IDs when you get an unknown phone number calling, at least if you're on 3G or Wi-Fi. If you're on EDGE or similarly lower-bandwidth wireless data, WhitePages notifies you when it's found a match for the unknown caller.

Caller ID Lite by WhitePages is a free download for Android phones only. The paid Caller ID by WhitePages app is $7.

Google Adds Improved Movie Listings, Trailers for Mobile Search [Mobile Search]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

When you're traveling around your own town or a distant city, Google's mobile search now offers you way more movie listing information and mobile-formatted trailers. Just search "movies" from your phone to check out Google's fuller, better movie results, complete with trailers, nearby theaters where it's playing, and showtimes. [Official Google Mobile Blog]

Make Any Pair of Gloves Work with a Touchscreen [DIY]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

It's getting cold outside in many regions, and gloves are becoming the norm. If you want to control your touchscreen phone without exposing your hands, or paying for specialty gloves, Instructables suggests grabbing a needle, and some conductive thread.

Conductive thread—no, we'd never heard of it, either. Instructables user Grathio points us to this explanation at Fashioning Technology, which also suggests where to grab some of it. You won't need to be skilled at sewing to pull off this glove modification, but you will need to take the time to test out what works with your screen. Grathio suggests leaving a wider, messier spread of thread on the inside of the glove to facilitate contact with your finger, but limiting the thread exposed on the outside to a tightly wound circle, about a quarter inch in diameter.

If you are good with a needle, you'll likely be able to make the end result look a little neater. And if you're really good and want to offer notes to anyone else looking to tackle this project, drop the advice (or link) in the comments here.

Screenr Shares Screencasts on Twitter, YouTube, and More [Screencasting]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Screenr is a web-based screencasting application that makes sharing short screencasts painless. You can see Screenr in action as we demonstrate how to search Lifehacker.com with Google.

Screenr is Twitter-centric but sports a high-degree of functionality even if you don't actively use Twitter. You can easily tweet your screencasts from Screenr—the default, unless you specify otherwise is to share your screencasts on Twitter. If you opt to not share the screencast on Twitter you can download it as an MP4, upload it to YouTube, embed the screencast, or simply share the URL via email or IM.

When you start the Screenr recording tool you can specify which region of the screen you want to record—it uses a simple drag-to-resize box—and what audio input, if any, you'll be using. Hit the record button to start and the big green Done button to end your recording.

Below is a quick screencast we put together demonstrating how to search Lifehacker.com via Google instead of the built-in search tool here on the site:

If you're stuck on a computer where you can't watch flash video the secret sauce is to type: site:lifehacker.com your-search-terms-here in the Google query box.

Want a beefier screencasting tool? Check out the Hive Five on screencasting tools here. Screenr is free, requires a Twitter-account for login, and has a limit of 5 minutes per screencast. Know of another great web-based screencasting tool? Let's hear about it in the comments.

Buy a One-Day Lounge Pass for Better Airline Service [Air Travel Tip]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Leaving on a jet plane for the long holiday weekend? The Wall Street Journal suggests a few tips to overcome the stress of delayed flights, including a suggestion to cool your heels in the first class lounge.

Photo by joiseyshowaa.

Many airlines have changed their policies and fees on bag checking, security, and other protocols since 2008. Even if you're up to date, your fellow passengers may not be, and there's always the chance your flight won't leave on time, regardless. If you're facing down a delayed or missed flight, the Journal suggests a few tactics, including one that makes waiting out a serious delay a bit more palatable:

Use kiosks. Some airlines allow rebooking at kiosks, in addition to buying upgrades or better seating.

Know your rights. If a flight is canceled for an airline problem, such as a mechanical breakdown or crew-scheduling problem, the airline is responsible for your hotel and meals if you get stranded. If it's a weather problem, you're on your own. If you are involuntarily bumped from a flight, you are entitled to cash compensation, not airline vouchers. If the airline loses your bag, it has to provide reasonable temporary replacements for toiletries and clothing.

Use airline lounges or clubs if you run into trouble. Buy a day pass and escape the masses. Also, the staffers in clubs are usually the airline's most experienced agents and often the most helpful. It can be worth the cost of a day pass just to get someone to help you rebook.

Ever bought yourself a pass into the sky-high-roller's club? Tell us what it's like, and share your other air travel tips, in the comments.

Thunderbird 3 Release Candidate Available for Download [Downloads]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Windows/Mac/Linux: The "near-final" release of Thunderbird 3's release candidate has arrived, adding universal search, nearly automatic account setup, and better RSS and calendar management to Mozilla's desktop mail client. Grab a copy and see for yourself.

We've often recommended Thunderbird as a means of backing up your webmail and accessing Gmail when it's "down,", but, to be honest, most Lifehacker editors (and readers, we'd guess) are doing most of their email management in a browser these days. It'll be interesting to see if Thunderbird 3 can be an equal, or at least a complement, to full-fledged webmail services like Gmail.

Thunderbird 3 is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. If you're an Ubuntu user, grabbing Thunderbird from the Ubuntu Mozilla Daily PPA is likely easier than compiling from source code. Note that, on some builds, Thunderbird may install as "Shredder," a kind of in-joke about unstable code.

Test Out Google's New Search Look [Google]

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:40:00 -0800

Google has, according to some Gizmodo readers, begun offering up a bolder but more condensed view of its home and search results pages to certain users. Take a full-size look, and try it out for yourself with some JavaScript magic.

Our own tips box isn't lit up with readers seeing this new, more Google-Wave-like interface, but Gizmodo reader Matt Karolian sent over these pics that look a little bit too polished and thought out to be a reader joke (we'd hope/think). Most notable is the permanent sidebar being shown, which breaks searches down into "News," "Maps," "Everything," and the more familiar drop-down "More" options.

Update: Google Blogoscoped already has a JavaScript tweak that gets anyone into Google's new look test. Head to Blogoscoped, copy the code, paste it into your address bar, and refresh Google's page. You may, like Phillip (and I), have to sign out and back in to get it to work, but it did eventually show up for me.

What do you think of Google's maybe-new look? Could the search giant use a new coat of paint after all these years?

Diagnose and Protect Your iPhone from Worms [Security]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800

There's been a lot of talk about malicious software on jailbroken iPhones lately, but if you haven't been paying close attention, tech site Network World has a breakdown of the worms running wild and how to eradicate them from your device.

As of right now, there are a total of three known iPhone worms, some more harmful than others. You're only vulnerable if you've jailbroken your iPhone and enabled SSH without changing the default password, though, so if you're still running on factory settings, fear not. If you do fall into the jailbreaker crowd, though, read on to make sure you're not infected, and then scroll to the bottom for steps on how to re-secure your device.

The first worm is the Ikee worm, which merely changes your wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley (of Rickroll-meme fame). If you're familiar with Rickrolling, you may proceed to feel embarrassed. It's pretty easy to tell if you have this worm, unless your wallpaper was already a picture of Rick Astley, in which case check the top of the wallpaper, which, if installed by the worm, says "Ikee is never going to give you up."

The other two worms (the first called iPhone/Privacy.A and the second being unnamed at the moment) are more dangerous, as they collect personal information from your iPhone. If you have the second, unnamed worm, it will direct Dutch bank customers to a fake phishing site in hopes of collecting your bank information. An infection of the unnamed worm exhibits low battery life as a symptom, as it's running a background process to spread itself to other iPhones via WiFi. It also changes your default SSH password to keep you from easily deleting it.

The iPhone/Privacy.A worm is harder to detect, as it doesn't leave anything on the iPhone itself—it uses computers to steal information from iPhones connected to nearby wireless networks. You should, however, have no problem identifying if it's made its way to your computer as long as you have antivirus software (and yes, you're vulnerable even if you're running OS X or Linux, so pick up some antivirus software to make sure you aren't spreading this stuff around!).

If you think you may be infected, hit the link to get directions on how to remove them from your device. Also, whether you have a worm or not, make sure you protect yourself by changing your iPhone's default root password. It also might be a good idea to install SBSettings from Cydia so you can turn SSH off when you don't need it—no sense in having your iPhone more vulnerable than it needs to be.

Remains of the Day: The Declaration of Google Wave Edition [For What It's Worth]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

The Declaration of Independence hits Google Wave, Firefox CPU problems are causing some laptops heating issues, and a brilliant little application may someday turn your webcam into an impressive 3D scanner.

Declaration of Independence on Google Wave
Folks may or may not ever catch onto Google Wave for productive purposes, but it's been gangbusters for fun ideas like this Declaration of Independence wave. (You'll need a Wave account.) [Google Wave]
Thanksgiving themes for Firefox
Weblog Mozilla Links rounds up a few fun Thanksgiving-themed Firefox personas for your one-click skinning enjoyment. [Mozilla Links]
Firefox: Heat and the CPU usage problem
Firefox CPU usage problems are apparently causing some problems on laptops, particularly of the ultraportable variety. [CNET]
Amazing Software Turns Cheap Webcam Into Instant 3D Scanner
A very cool 3D-scanning software turns your regular old webcam into a saucy 3D scanner. [Wired]

Best Screencasting Tool: CamStudio [Hive Five Followup]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0800

It was a tight race in last week's Hive Five with a mere 0.001% of the vote separating the first and second place winners.

Earlier last week we asked you to share your favorite screen casting tools. You responded with your favorite app for recording the action in your virtual workspace and we rounded up the five most popular options for a vote. The top two contenders were neck in neck. Both CamStudio and Camtasia Studio took in 28% of the vote, CamStudio coming out ahead by a mere 3 votes. While they might be close together when it comes to votes, they're miles apart when it comes to price—CamStudio is free and open-source and Camtasia Studio is $299.

Following behind CamStudio and Camtasia Studio, Screenflow and ScreenToaster with 12% and 11% of the vote respectively—not only do they share half their names like the first and second place winners but they too were separated by mere votes. Finishing off the Hive Five was Jing with 9% of the vote.

For more information about the contenders and reader comments on the race, check out the full Hive Five.

How to Safely Fry a Turkey, Avoid a Trip to the Emergency Room [Food]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Deep frying your Thanksgiving bird is all the rage, and for good reason: The results are delicious. Although that extra crispy skin is oh so tasty, frying without a little know-how is a recipe for trouble.

Instructables user Lextone looks like he's heeded the words of Alton Brown (see video below) when it comes to frying up the perfect turkey for his Thanksgiving feast. He has detailed each step of the process to keep things super safe keeping everyone free from harm or injury.

To get started you'll need the following: a fryer and its accessories, a metal or fiberglass ladder, a two-foot piece of dimensional lumber (1x2 or 2x4), a pulley, and a length of 3/8" rope. The extra gear is intended to let you start your turkey fry without injuring yourself using a simple pulley system, and that's the focus of the guide, but it's littered with other safety tips, as well.

If you haven't tried frying a turkey, it's worth the time—just make sure to keep things on a level, nonflammable surface and heed Lextone's advice and step-by-step instructions—which can be found in detail over at Instructables.

Have you tried your hand frying a turkey? Share your experience in the comments.