How To

DIY Glove Phone

2009-05-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

The best hacks don’t necessarily make a gadget any easier to use, or more discrete: they just make them cooler. That’s why this DIY glove phone is so awesome; it takes a Samsung A300 and a leather glove, and crafts a bizarre contraption that you dial by tapping buttons on the fingers, and use by holding your little finger to your mouth and your thumb to your ear.

It’s not entirely ridiculous: as well as making Inspector Gadget-style calls, you can also compose SMS text messages with one hand. Best of all there’s an Instructable telling you how to make your own.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ SlashGear

Set up dual-band WiFi (and juice your downloads)

2009-05-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Let's come right out with it -- you should be running a dual-band 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi network. Why? Because the 2.4GHz spectrum is cluttered with everything from other networks to Bluetooth to cordless phones and microwaves, and all that RF interference slows everything down, making file transfers interminable and HD streaming nearly impossible. On the other hand, 5GHz 802.11n is clean and incredibly fast -- we're talking almost hardwire fast. But you can't just move up to 5GHz without leaving your phones and other legacy devices behind, so you've got to keep 2.4 around as well -- which is really easy if you've got a simultaneous dual-band router like Apple's new Airport Extreme or something like the D-Link DIR-825, and only slightly harder if you don't.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Engadget

Save Time With Keyboard Shortcuts

2009-04-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Keyboard shortcuts save time, hassle, and work in virtually every app on PCs and Macs. Here are the most popular (for Macs, use the Apple key instead of Control): 'Ctrl + a' (select all); 'Ctrl + c' (copy); 'Ctrl + v' (paste); 'Ctrl + x' (cut); 'Ctrl + z' (undo last action); 'Ctrl + y' (redo last action); 'Ctrl + w' (close window); 'Ctrl + q' (quit); 'Ctrl + p' (print).

Source : Switched

Bypass Firewalls & Get into Blocked Websites in School or at Work with FreeProxy (Windows)

2009-04-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Okay kids, you’ve been searching the web for how to get into blocked websites in school, with no luck. Face it, you’re living in a world where your parents and your teachers want to protect you from the vile and nasty evils that lurk on the Internet. Why? Are there really child predators hiding in every corner? Is it really critical that you are not allowed to check your Gmail account during your free period at school? The reality is that Internet security “experts” around the globe are taking their jobs just a “tad” too seriously.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MakeUseOf

UV LED Double Sided PCB Exposure Box

2009-04-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

When you are making DIY printed circuit boards, one of the popular methods requires UV exposure. Many systems use lamps that can give off lots of heat and be expensive to replace. Djhamer has provided plans to make a UV LED system that is double sided so that you can expose double sided PDBs without having to flip and repeat half way through the process.

"A UV exposure box is an extremely useful piece of kit. It can be used to make proper PCB’s. It can also be used to make other things such as intricate photo etched parts (a subject for another instructable). The trouble is they can be a little pricey for the hobby enthusiast especially if you want the double side type.

This instructable outlines the construction of a double sided UV exposure box using the recent generation of high brightness UV LEDs.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ HackedGadgets

Master The Power of Mac Shortcuts

2009-04-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

In the terms of using computer, I’m more of a keyboard guy. This doesn’t mean that I’m not using mouse, but I prefer to put my hands on the keyboard as much as possible. This also means that I use a lot of shortcut keys to get my work done.

Using shortcuts is fast. A lot faster than moving your right hand (or left of you are left-handed) back and forth from mouse to keyboard to mouse to keyboard. But, shortcuts usage has limitations: there are too many of them that memorizing every command available is next to impossible and not every command has its own respective shortcuts.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MakeUseOf

Manage Action Center in Windows 7

2009-04-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

In Windows 7 it can get annoying seeing the Action Center icon pop up notifications every time you turn on your computer. Today we will look at changing the messages that it displays and even completely disabling it.

New in Windows 7 is the Action Center which is an activity center that allows you to control system notifications. This is definitely an improvement to previous versions so you can control the amount of annoying messages the OS pops up from the taskbar. To get to Action Center select it from Control Panel or simply type "action center" (no quotes) into the search box in the Start Menu.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ HowToGeek

Boost Your Web Browsing Performance Like an IT Pro Using DNS

2009-04-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

You are reading Maximum PC because you love to build, and tweak your rig. We will gladly spend hours trying to nudge a few extra clock cycles out of our CPUs, but why do so many of us refuse to touch our network settings? The vast majority of users simply plug in their network cables, cross their fingers, and sacrifice an AOL CD to the gods who keep Conficker at bay. Truth be told, without going into too much depth up front, there is a really easy way to boost your surfing speed and it requires very little effort at all. This same tool gives you the ability to customize your internet experience further by creating URL shortcuts, or even filtering content, all without extra software.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MaximumPC

Encrypt Confidential Data In Documents With ScrambleOnClick

2009-04-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have a document with private information that needs to stay confidential but the rest of the document needs to be seen. Today we will take a look at ScrambleOnClick which encrypts selected parts of a document.

When first setting up Scramble On Click you will need to set up a password to protect the encryption keys. When creating the password you can select to show the password and a strength meter which comes in handy for 28 character strong passwords. The way it works is simple. Just highlight and copy the text you want scrambled and right click on the ScrambleOnClick icon to choose to scramble, unscramble, or clear the clipboard. The easiest way for Keyboard Ninjas is use “Ctrl+C+C”.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ HowToGeek

Make Your Own Workout Music With The Right Beats

2009-04-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been to my personal blog, you know I’m a kind of big guy. Some say I’m big-boned, but really, I’ve never seen a fat skeleton. Anyway, enough self-deprecation. The point is, I would like to get healthier and that means leaner and that means exercise.

Walking is probably the best exercise for me, but I get bored. So I tried listening to music. But I love country music and that’s generally fairly slow. So I tried to find country music that had the range of beats to keep me going. That’s how I found Best Workout Music.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MakeUseOf

Bottle Cap Tripod

2009-04-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

I did some looking around after posting about this cool Bottle Cap Tripod and found a DIY Bottle Cap Tripod version that is right along the lines of what I would make.

Master parts list:

1 1/4-inch Stainless steel washer
1 1/4-20×1 1/2-inch stainless steel pan head machine screw
1 1/4-20 Bar Knob
1 1/4-20 stainless steel lock nut
1 lid from a 20oz bottle

Tools required:

Drill with 1/4-inch bit
Screwdriver
Wrench

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ HackedGadgets

ATmega8 Data Acquisition System

2009-04-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Recording live data is something that you could use very often but most of the time we live to learn without it. What is the temperature in your attic over the day or what about the pool? Is the heat sink temperature acting as you thought it would even after operating for many hours? This ATmega8 Data Acquisition System is a powerful system that can do all of that. Firmware and computer software is available so that you can make your own.

“We can use a PC for connecting the homemade data acquisition hardware and produce the GUI for user friendly graphical presentation easily. One of the project that uses Visual Basic is the Data Acquisition & Logging System using AT89C51 made by Abbas Raza. In this project we use a PC for GUI display and the homemade data converter board using the AVR microcontroller. The circuit is built with the ATmega8.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ HackedGadgets

Find Unprotected Website Directories & Get “Interesting” Files

2009-04-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

With all the risks involved in using file sharing networks, browsing unprotected website directories is probably a lot easier and safer. Only when you start doing that do you realise half the stuff that people keep in their website folders (Sports Illustrated magazines!)

Then you start to realise how silly they are for not password protecting those folders and leaving them wide open for the whole world to walk in and take a look!

This might be really old news for a lot of people but I thought I would just quickly jot down the search parameters for finding files in unprotected website directories.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MakeUseOf

Opt-Out From Unwanted Advertisers Online & Offline

2009-04-13T14:01:00.001-07:00

As online and off-line marketing and advertising grows, marketers are becoming increasingly aggressive in obtaining information about who you are and what you do. In some cases, website visitors are finding out that information is being collected without any disclosure.

Today, there are ways to help protect your information from being seen and used without your consent. These “opt-out” lists and “do not call” registries are free to use and in most cases they can be completed online.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ MakeUseOf

Expedite Mobile Gmail Retreival In Under A Minute

2009-04-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Is your IMAP Gmail moving slower on your handset than a clogged drain? GearDiary offers a simple and common sense tweak to keep the mail moving much faster: sync only the labels or folders that you really need on your phone. Now that’s a compromise that some aren’t willing to make, and to each his or her own. However, when I thought about it and reviewed the dozens of labels that I have in Gmail, both for work and personal use, I realized that I only hit up a few on my phone. I can always get to the mail in any label in a pinch through a browser on my computer; or on my phone, for that matter.

Long story short: you can always try this method and revert back if you find it too limiting while mobile. Simply log in to Gmail on the web and click the Settings link. From there, click the Labels link and remove the “Show in IMAP” check-boxes for any labels that you don’t hit up all that often on the go. Be sure not to uncheck the standard or default labels for key items like Inbox, Sent Mail, and Trash.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ JkOnTheRun

Use Speed Fan To Remotely Monitor Computer Health

2009-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

In the Oil and Gas industry, our computer users are often several hundreds of miles away from a hamlet, let alone a city. The average user is also much more of a hands-on kind of person and is usually a novice computer user. The environment they work in is rife with dust and dirt and, of course, oil. One of the biggest problems I’ve experienced with my users is CPU overheating due to all the dust and dirt and lack of experience in taking care of a computer.

While looking for a solution to the problem, I came across SpeedFan from the awesomely altruistic Alfredo Milani Comparetti. I saw it on MakeUseOf, over at Monitor Your Computer Fan Speed With SpeedFan. That article covers all the neat stuff, like adjusting fan speed, graphing temperatures and so on. But what it missed is what was most important to me, and anyone else who has to monitor computers on a shoe-string budget - it can send me an e-mail when conditions cross thresholds that I set! Awesome!

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Makeuseof

Roll Back Windows Hot Fixes & Patches

2009-04-11T15:40:00.001-07:00

Microsoft, like all other software companies, releases patches and hot fixes for its Windows operating system quite frequently.

Installing the latest patch or Hot fix is highly recommended if you want to keep your installation in tip-top shape.

These patches are mostly harmless but there are times when your current configuration, hardware or software might not be compatible with a particular patch and you find that out only when your system starts misbehaving after you’ve applied the patch.

The new patch might not be compatible with your current hardware. An ancient software that you still use and love might stop working with the new patch. In times like these, one really wishes that Microsoft had a built in patch rollback mechanism. Are you one of those wishing for such a feature ?

Well, the good news is that Microsoft already has mechanisms to roll back patches. The bad news is that the roll back procedure is just not that obvious.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Makeuseof

Get The Most Out Of Status Updates

2009-04-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Some studies show that 11 percent of online adults are using status updates, but if you think about the history of the status message and its roots in instant messaging, that number actually seems pretty small.

Even though we predict big things to come from these short status updates, the reality is that the present day status update has the potential to make you more productive in and outside of Twitter (Twitter reviews), help you extend your reach, improve your visibility, and of course have a little fun. So, we can all look to the future for even more innovation, but we’ll show you how to do more with your status updates right now.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Mashable

Set Up VNC On Your Desktop

2009-04-10T15:52:00.001-07:00

Using VNC, you can log into your home computer from any machine in the world with web access (including your iPhone) to access files, schedule downloads, and tons more. Here’s how.

VNC (virtual network computing) is one of those tricks that never gets old, and having it set up can often save your ass–whether you left some info on your home computer that you need at work, want to check on your massive BitTorrent queue to schedule the evening’s entertainments, or help your poor parents use clip art in Microsoft Word, having remote access can be handy dandy.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Thetechlounge

Sell Your Old PC

2009-04-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

In today’s economy every dollar counts–so why not sell that not-so-old PC you don’t use anymore on Craigslist or Ebay? Odds are, a penny-pinching buyer is out there eager to save big by buying your second-hand hardware. After all, anything is better than having your recently retired PC gather dust bunnies in your closet.

To help you sell your old PC, we’ve put together a list of the four steps you need to take to make sure that your PC is ready for a second life of service. We also answer some of the common questions about selling a used PC, such as how to estimate what it’s worth, and what legal issues are involved when selling a PC loaded with expensive software (can you charge extra?).

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ PcWorld

Leverage Social Media For Career Success

2009-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Social media tools are becoming mandatory for career success. They are free advertising and give you the ability to connect directly with hiring managers, entrepreneurs and recruiters, instead of applying for jobs through job boards, which are black holes. Your digital assets — blog, podcast, and social networking profiles — are your online identity and how people discover and connect with you. You have the ability to leverage one or all of these social media tools in order to present a positive image and be recruited for a position that aligns with your passion.

In this post, you’ll learn how to conduct a situational analysis, figure out exactly what your personal brand is, select the best social media tools to connect with your audience, build your online empire and finally, market your brand for career success. In light of the launch of my new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, we’re also giving away free copies (details at the bottom of this post).

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Mashable

Analyse & Reduce Your Computer’s Power Consumption [Linux]

2009-04-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Saving power is one of the major concerns of the modern world. You see cities observing Earth Hours, studies showing how computers consume excess power when kept running and so on. Even if you would view it from your personal perspective, saving power can make your laptop batteries last longer and provide longer battery backup.

If you use Linux, there is an excellent tool that gives you loads of information about your computer’s power consumption as well as the software that is causing your battery to drain. Its called PowerTop.

PowerTop was originally developed by Intel and it lets you measure and explain your computer’s power consumption.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Makeuseof

Block Ads In Google Chrome With AdSweep

2009-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Whenever a post goes up about Google Chrome on Download Squad, Firefox users that would like to make the switch usually have two gripes. First, the lack of extensions. Second, the lack of one extension in particular: AdBlock Plus.

Chrome users don’t have to put up with ads if they don’t want to, though. If a proxy-based blocker isn’t your thing, then why not install AdSweep - either as a Userscript or a Chrome extension. They’re essentially the same thing right now, since extensions are basically Userscripts in a wrapper. Whichever way you want to install AdSweep, here’s what to do.

Since it’s available as a Userscript, users of other browsers can take advantage of AdSweep, too - just check on the homepage for instructions. Now, let’s get it working in Chrome.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ DownloadSquad

Turn A Flashlight Into A Laser

2009-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

If you have an abundance of flashlights and a dearth of futuristic armaments in your house, then you’ll want to take a look at what the weaponry wizards over at TechEBlog.com and Kipkay.com have for you. Without revealing whether the blueprints came from ‘The A-Team’ or ‘MacGyver,’ the video on Kipkay.com provides step-by-step instructions for converting a “regular mini-mag flashlight into a powerful burning laser.” Requiring only the flashlight, a DVD burner, an Aixiz laser housing, a soldering iron, and a drill, the final product generates a laser, as demonstrated in the video, powerful enough to light a match or pop a balloon.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Switched

Build Your Personal Brand On Facebook

2009-04-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

With over 200 million active users, Facebook has become a personal, product and corporate branding hub. Every brand that exists on Facebook (Facebook reviews) has the same core features and benefits, such as the ability to create a page, share resources, add multimedia and much more. You have a unique opportunity to leverage this platform for career success or as a playground for you and your closest friends.

The social graph is filled with CEOs, celebrities, entrepreneurs and people just like you who can be reached through Facebook’s messaging system without any boundaries or restrictions. Facebook is also a talent search engine and part of the college admission and corporate recruiting criteria. You will be searched on Facebook by potential dates, managers, and teachers, so use common sense in determining how you want to represent yourself. You are what you publish and first impressions are everything.

Click Here To Read The Full Article @ Mashable