Lifehacker

Online service for handwritten cards

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...r-handwritten-cards-169488.php	Date: 4/25/2006 8:00 PM

A new online service, Scratch n Scribble, creates and mails a real handwritten card from your online input.

Choose, write, and post a real card (we're not talking e-cards!) to someone in minutes. A real person will handwrite your card (or print it if you like), stamp it, and post it off for the next day or any date you choose.

It's kind of cool and I can see how it might be a great solution to a last minute birthday or for Mother's day when you're just too busy. Then again you could get out from behind the computer, head on out to your nearest supermarket, buy a card and some stamps and write your own.

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How to get up when you really want to

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...-you-really-want-to-169533.php	Date: 4/25/2006 6:00 PM

Getting up right when the alarm goes off can be hard. You know it's true. Well, Steve Pavlina has an interesting technique to train yourself to get up when your alarm first goes off--when you really want to!

This is going to sound really stupid, but it works. Practice getting up as soon as your alarm goes off. That's right -- practice. But don't do it in the morning. Do it during the day when you're wide awake.
Go to your bedroom, and set the room conditions to match your desired wake-up time as best you can. Darken the room, or practice in the evening just after sunset so it's already dark. If you sleep in pajamas, put on your pajamas. If you brush your teeth before bed, then brush your teeth. If you take off your glasses or contacts when you sleep, then take those off too.

That seems like a bit of a pain, but it just might work. The idea is to modify your behavior and that wouldn't be easy. Steve goes on to explain in more detail how to go about this. We're curious to know if Lifehacker readers have tried this or something similar, or if maybe any of you have another sure-fire method for getting up on time.

Thanks to Santiago for the tip.

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Online invoicing: Blinksale 2.0

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...oicing-blinksale-20-169486.php	Date: 4/25/2006 5:00 PM

Awhile back we told you about Blinksale, a great online invoicing application. They've recently released version 2.0 of their service and it's worth checking out if you've not already.

Blinksale was already pretty great but they've greatly increased the functionality of their invoice tracking, added the ability to track incoming invoices and invoice tagging. They're also working on an API that should prove very useful.

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Ask Metafilter Roundup

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...-metafilter-roundup-169529.php	Date: 4/25/2006 4:30 PM

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Great freelancing tips

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...at-freelancing-tips-169454.php	Date: 4/25/2006 4:00 PM

Web designer Cameron Moll shares some great lessons learned and tips for freelancing. The first thing he mentions isn't really a tip, but something ever freelancer should know about. Learning from failure.

But every rose has its thorn, right? Some of the best lessons offered in life seemingly come only following failure. I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert at offering freelancing advice, but I hope a few things I've learned will assist you in setting up or optimizing your own shop.

You're going to make mistakes and it's how you recover from those that will decide your long term success or failure. Give this a read, he's got some great insight that might make those lessons a bit easier.

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Around The Water Cooler: Best comment thread roundup

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...ment-thread-roundup-169491.php	Date: 4/25/2006 3:30 PM

Video Demonstration: Stir cocoa so it dissolves well
"Oddly enough, this hit the "I should have been doing this for years, why didn't I think of this by now" bell in my head."
Ask Lifehacker Readers: Spicing up PowerPoint?
"I've always been a firm believer that one should become a good presenter WITHOUT PowerPoint."
Geek to Live: Save and annotate the Web with Scrapbook
"Wow. This is exactly what I had been looking for."
Call for Help: Moving to a new place
"Use this opportunity to get rid of the crap you don't use or have been meaning to toss."
Download of the Day: MonoCalendar
"THIS! This is the calendar I've been waiting for!"
Grow a grass armchair
"For $10 you could buy enough cardboard from U-Haul to make that, or even a bench for that matter."
Getting to Done: The Ultimate Home Office
"Oh wow...what a gorgeous desk! I'm absolutely jealous."
Get in on the Yahoo! Mail beta
"If Gmail had this flashy look, I'd be more inclined to use it. This is very visually appealing."

Hacking your commute

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...acking-your-commute-169483.php	Date: 4/25/2006 3:00 PM

Cash-obsessed brother blog Consumerist points us toward a paper on collecting data in order to determine your best and quickest commute to work.

The paper's author spent a year collecting departure and arrival times on his commute, and after analyzing and tweaking his drive, he figures he'll be saving about 30 hours a year on his commute. This may seem a bit ridiculous to those of you who have never suffered much of a commute, but anyone who's dealt with a tough commute knows that every little bit counts.

What are you best tips for improving your commute time? Let us know in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

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Photoshop Tip: Fake model photography

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...e-model-photography-169479.php	Date: 4/25/2006 2:30 PM

Weblog Receding Hairline offers a Photoshop technique that makes your existing photos look like they're pictures of miniature models.

The result is pretty cool and could add some real character or an interesting edge to your photographs. Have any neat Photoshop tips or tutorials of your own? Send them our way at tips at lifehacker.com.

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Google Maps Europe

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft.../google-maps-europe-169470.php	Date: 4/25/2006 2:00 PM

After a year with satellite-only coverage, Google Maps has added street maps and driving directions for European countries.

While it doesn't seem that Google has yet managed to cover all of Europe, this should come as great news to Europeans and travellers who have been missing out on the goodness of Google Maps for the last year. If you check it out, you'll also find that European Google Maps have funny colors and symbols that I don't understand. To our friends from across the pond: Has Google mapped your hometown? Let us know in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

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Prolong your iPod's battery life

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...-ipods-battery-life-169457.php	Date: 4/25/2006 1:30 PM

Playlistmag has an article detailing steps you can take to keep your iPod's battery juiced for as long as possible on your next road trip.

Basically, if you want to maximize your battery charge, turn off the inessentials and put your iPod on hold to avoid accidental battery drain. Along with several other good tips, another good suggestion from Playlistmag that we've covered here before is using the latest iPod firmware, which can often add important battery-saving tweaks.

If your iPod's juice hasn't been up to snuff, these tips should be very helpful. Anything you do to keep your iPod running longer that isn't mentioned in the article? Let us know in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

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Hack Attack: Maker Faire Highlights

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...er-faire-highlights-169164.php	Date: 4/25/2006 12:30 PM

by Adam Pash

We like to preach from the pulpit of Life Hacks that technology is supposed to make us more productive. As our motto so eloquently puts it: Don't live to geek; geek to live.

The thing is, even if you do "geek to live," chances are you still might be a bit of a geek. After spending a weekend with the awesome DIYers, hackers, and artists at the first ever Maker Faire in San Mateo this weekend, living to geek has never seemed cooler.

DIY for computers and technology

For all the awe and respect I have for the know-how and elbow grease it takes to accomplish some of the most difficult DIY projects, I'm always going to be a fan of those that nearly anyone can do. That's why one of my favorite projects at the fair was this simple method for converting a $60 router into a $600 router (PDF alert!) with a firmware upgrade. The router in question is the fairly ubiquitous Linksys WRT54G. Simple, powerful, and nearly anyone can do it.

Of course, there was a lot of great stuff at the Maker Faire that I would have no idea how to do but can easily appreciate and enjoy. In the computers/technology realm, I really admired the custom retro handsets that the guys from DIY:Happy put together, who turned run-of-the-mill landline phones into cordless and wireless headsets with cell phone and bluetooth hacking. Also on the wireless front, I sat in on a very cool presentation by Ralf Muehlen of SFLan on setting up your own wireless LAN community (check out the site if you're interesting in doing something like this yourself).

Although not particularly DIY, I got a chance to check out a few of Microsoft's upcoming Origami/Ultra-Mobile PC prototypes, which are intended to bridge the gap between PocketPCs and laptops, running a full-fledged version of XP. While it's great to have a relatively small device that can run anything your Windows box can, I can say that if that work requires any typing, the on-screen keyboard, which looks good in theory, is unfortunately a major pain to use. I'm not sure the PocketPC to laptop gap is one that really needs filling.

Also under the Microsoft roof were some cool software/hardware projects that you can find on Microsoft's Coding4Fun, like a DIY DDR project. And since losing weight the video game way is a topic of interest here at Lifehacker, I was also pumped to see the Exercise Machine Game Controller that hooked up an exercise bike to a driving game. Hack this thing together with San Andreas and I'd be as fit as a fiddle.

DIY for fun and Art

When it came to art, there was no shortage of projects to check out at the Maker Faire. From customized musical instruments made out of motorcycles to the giant painting machine, repurposing technology into art was huge. Nowhere was this more evident than at the very popular Make Play Day, where aspiring Makers got the chance to get their hands on hardware, wiring, and plenty of hot glue guns to make whatever inspiration demanded.

Another huge hit was Sunday afternoon's presentation by O'Reilly's Scott Gray on making paper airplanes. You'd be amazed at what one man can do with a piece of paper.

DIY for travel and energy in the 21st century

Travel and alternative energy was big at this year's Faire, and probably the most notable showing went to the people from ZAP! (Zero Air Pollution), whose electric cars, scooters, ATVs, and portable energy devices were all over the fair.

Of course not all travel and alternative energy needs to be practical, but the Maker Faire is all about DIY, right? In that vein, I was quite pleased to see a number of very cool and inventive hacked-up bicycles (like the very cool bicycle ferris wheel - see video below).

If impractical, totally non-traditional forms of transportation are more your style, you would have loved the giant electric giraffe.

DIY for the rest of us

Of all the presentations I checked out at the Maker Faire, I found none more promising than the presentation by Instructables co-founder Eric Wilhelm, who described Instructables as working towards the goal of open source hardware. By lowering the threshold of documentation (his words), Instructables hopes in turn to lower the threshold for participating and MAKE-ing. Sounds like a nice world to me, especially as someone who's never found a particularly easy jumping-off point for getting down and dirty with hardware DIY.

If any readers got a chance to check out the Maker Faire, what were you favorite parts? Let us know in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

For more photos from Maker Faire, you can check out makerfaire tag on Flickr.

Adam Pash is an associate editor for Lifehacker who has put serious thought into learning to solder. His special feature Hack Attack appears every Tuesday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Hack Attack RSS feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

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Tax Tips: Own your own business

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...n-your-own-business-169450.php	Date: 4/25/2006 12:00 PM

MSN Money has an informative article on reducing your taxes by turning your personal expenses into allowable business deductions.

Here's the best part: Your business doesn't have to make a profit for your expenses to be deductible. All you have to do is establish a "profit motive." Under the Internal Revenue Code, a "profit motive" is presumed if you earn any net income in any three out of five business years.

We discussed this sort of thing briefly when we went over why you should start a side business, but this article gets down to the nitty gritty of how to get your hobby-cum-business to really save you money next tax season.

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Download of the Day, part II: Google Calendar Quick Add Firefox extension

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...d-firefox-extension-169411.php	Date: 4/25/2006 11:30 AM

Windows/Mac/Linux: The Google Calendar Quick Add Firefox extension enables a keyboard shortcut in Firefox that adds events to Google Calendar without having to visit the calendar.

Once the extension is installed, hit Control+; (semi-colon) to get a prompt as pictured. Quick add your event and in it goes to your Google Calendar. Keep in mind you have to have logged into your calendar at some point in your session; this baby only works if all your cookies are in order. Free download, works wherever Firefox does.

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Tips for handling toddlers

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...r-handling-toddlers-169389.php	Date: 4/25/2006 11:00 AM

Dad Marcus Vorwaller has some tips for dealing with an unhappy or uncooperative toddler. I like the bit about give and take:

If you want your toddler to do something such as get in the car, eat dinner, take a bath, stand next to you in the line at the post office, etc., there are two things you can do, the first is to repeat what you want them to do in an increasingly loud voice while inserting various threats such as "or else I'm going to..." and "I'm counting to three." This does not work. What does work is giving them the choice: "If you don't get in the car we're going to put your <<insert toy name here>> away for the rest of the day."

The trick, of course, is to actually follow through on your promises so that it's clear you're not just blowing hot air next time around. I don't have one of my own rugrats (yet?) but I imagine I'd melt the moment my toddler pouted her little cutie-patootie lips. How do you get the little one to cooperate without playing the "counting to three" card? Any advice for new parents of toddlers beyond bringing in Super Nanny? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.

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MacGyver Tip: Clean it with baking soda

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...it-with-baking-soda-169288.php	Date: 4/25/2006 10:30 AM

The New Homemaker lists a zillion ways to use baking soda as a cheap but effective household cleaning agent.

A few of my favorites:

Baking soda will keep away garbage odors; sprinkle the bottom of the pail, and then sprinkle again after you put a new bag in.
To clean silver, use a paste of 3 parts baking soda to one part water. Rub the paste onto each item, then rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth.
Hairbrushes and combs can be cleaned in a baking soda solution.
To remove burnt food from the grill, sprinkle with baking soda, then soak. After several hours, the charred pieces will come loose easily.

Who knew what that little box 'o powder was capable of?

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Download of the Day: IE 7 Beta 2

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...the-day-ie-7-beta-2-169392.php	Date: 4/25/2006 10:00 AM

Microsoft releases a real live beta of Internet Explorer 7, which is apparently a whole new ballgame from the previously-posted IE7 Preview.

Well, ok, not really - in terms of features, anyway. You've still got the tabbed browsing, built-in search box with Google (!) as the default, and Expose-like Quick Tabs. The difference with the beta is that Microsoft wants you to try it - even "people who usually shy away from beta software." To prove it they're offering free phone support for users in North America, Germany and Japan. Bold move, that. How long till a band of crazed Firefox zealots drunk-dials the help line, do you think? If any lifehackers put in a call, let us know. We'd love to know how it goes. IE7 Beta 2 is a free download, Windows XP SP 2 only.

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eBay Express store makes it easy to buy things on eBay

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...-buy-things-on-ebay-169391.php	Date: 4/25/2006 9:30 AM

Online auction giant eBay launches eBay Express, the no-muss no-fuss getcher-stuff-brand-new right away without-any-pesky-bidding store.

The new store will feature a subset of items from merchants who already hawk new products at fixed prices on eBay. But unlike the regular eBay setup, purchased items from multiple sellers on eBay Express can all be placed into a single shopping cart, mirroring the checkout systems used by more conventional Internet shopping sites.

This lazy consumer doesn't auction often at eBay - ok, at all - because the whole thing just seems like a lot of work. But this! I'd totally do. And of course they take PayPal. Easy as pie.

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Daily news roundup

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft.../daily-news-roundup-169388.php	Date: 4/25/2006 9:00 AM

Corporate search needs to heed workers, Google exec says [CNET]
"Paying more attention to what the worker wants rather than to pleasing tech specialists would spur sales of tools, Google's enterprise search head says."
'Geocoding' mapping software goes open-source [CNET]
"SRC will release code for organizing data to be displayed on mapping services."
A magical Maker Faire [CNET]
"The Maker Faire, an all-weekend do-it-yourself-o-rama, attracted hundreds of exhibitors Saturday and Sunday to the San Mateo Fairgrounds."
Online is the new box top [USATODAY]
"Taking an old-school marketing tactic and putting on an interactive twist, Hollywood is turning to games and contests to create excitement for movies and TV shows. Monday, ABC announced the Lost Experience, an Internet interactive game based on the hit series, designed to offer clues to the island's mysteries."
Microsoft to Unveil New Internet Explorer [AP]
"Microsoft Corp. is releasing a new test version of Internet Explorer, the market-leading Web browser that is facing competition from smaller players."
Researchers Use Tongue as Interface [NewsFactor]
"Perhaps you've already tried 3D goggles and virtual gloves. And you might know about innovative new interface technologies that put full keyboard functionality in just a single hand. But now, if researchers are able to commercialize a new project, you might also be using your tongue to interact with your PC."
Judge: Web-Surfing Worker Can't Be Fired [AP]
"Saying surfing the web is equivalent to reading a newspaper or talking on the phone, an administrative law judge has suggested that only a reprimand is appropriate as punishment for a city worker accused of failing to heed warnings to stay off the Internet."

Gossip

ConFonz at Maker Faire: I guess the kids didn't count
"Those San Francisco types that refuse to leave their houses, much less their city, couldn't even be bothered. "
TechCrunch Gang pops caps in yo' ass
"The bad boys blowing up the bubble..."
Lazy news: New York Magazine finds the Internet again
"The Internet industry is a bubble again. But it's not a bubble. But it is a bubble...or is it? No. Yes."

How to build a loft

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...how-to-build-a-loft-169215.php	Date: 4/24/2006 8:00 PM

Elephant Staircase has a great tutorial that'll show you how to build a dorm-style loft. It's a pretty detailed how-to and while it would take some doing, it's got enough info in there for almost anyone to be able to follow.

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Lower your phone bill (and more) with leveraged bargaining

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...everaged-bargaining-169190.php	Date: 4/24/2006 7:00 PM

Life Outtacontext has a story that'll help you save yourself money with leveraged bargaining.

It was definitely time to renegotiate. Our calling plans were from the Mobile Phone Jurassic period. We had two separate accounts with more minutes than we could ever use (let it be known we do not live with our phones permanently affixed to our ears). We were paying way too much and our phones were old. Coworkers and friends would often stifle their surprise to see my quant little black and white screen. "What?! You can't download In-A-Gadda-De-Vida as a ringtone??"

He goes on to explain in detail how he got his phone bill down. The story offers some good tips that can be used elsewhere. Any Lifehacker readers have a similar story or lessons learned with this kind of bargaining?

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Windows XP Tips

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...-xp/windows-xp-tips-169208.php	Date: 4/24/2006 6:00 PM

Yahoo! News offers up their top 10 Windows XP tips of all time. They've covered a wide range of topics from display tips to bits on how to increase disk space and performance.

This tip is one of our favorites because it always works. Running in the background of Windows are scores of services, small processes used by Windows and many Windows applications. The thing is, you don't need all these services -- especially for applications you never use -- and many of them actually slow your PC down.

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Wikibook on overcoming procrastination

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...ing-procrastination-169192.php	Date: 4/24/2006 5:00 PM

Procrastination can be a real problem, we've posted several resources that can help, and now we've got a "Wikibook" on overcoming procrastination. This is a great place to begin your quest to kill procrastination. It starts with a good definition of procrastination and goes on to have lots of good information toward getting over it.

In essence, procrastination is a form of incompetence. To cure it is to eliminate it. Since incompetence is the opposite or lack of competence, the only way to eliminate it is to replace it with competence.

Thanks to Michael for the tip.

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Gizmo Goodies

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...dgets/gizmo-goodies-169216.php	Date: 4/24/2006 4:30 PM

Web presentations with Teamslide

http://www.lifehacker.com/soft...ions-with-teamslide-169186.php	Date: 4/24/2006 4:00 PM

Teamslide is a new online service that allows you to give presentations over the Web. It seems easy enough to set up and could be a great alternative to more cumbersome online meeting or presentation services like WebEx.

You'll create slides (They've got an add-on for PowerPoint to help get you up and running.) that you'll then be able to share via browser with no extras installed. It's not all that technical on the back end, basically just a set of scripts you install to a Web server. You'll need a Web server with PHP 4.3.10 (or higher) or PHP 5.x.

Thanks to Patrick for the tip.

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