Memoranda is a free personal diary and scheduling tool. It is a personal organization tool that you can use to manage your work, life, etc. It is very useful if your day involves work on multiple projects.

Memoranda is truly cross-platform and works on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X as it is built using Java.

Memoranda Agenda

Memoranda can be used to manage “to-do” lists with time limits, completion state, and so on. It can be used to schedule events and receive notification when they occur. You can write a diary using the in-built rich text editor in the Notes interface, You can use Memoranda to collect resources like Web links which you come across on the net.

You can list tasks in Memoranda

When you first open Memoranda, it will present you with the Agenda which provides a bird’s eye view of all your Projects, Tasks (Items on your To-Do list) and Events. You can open each of these sections by clicking on the respective buttons in the left side of the user interface. You can easily create a zip file of all the projects in your Memoranda account thus facilitating easy backup or transfer of your data across computers.

You can freely download Memoranda from its home page.

Memoranda is a very nice easy to use personal diary and scheduling tool which runs on multiple operating systems.

In this age of  economic downturn, if you want to hold on to your job, you have to be productive. Productivity improvement is the new mantra in most offices  and your boss will be gauging you (as he will be gauged by his boss)  on how useful you are to the company.  To remain useful however, you need to be productive.

7 Steps to Productivity Improvement

These are the 7 steps you need to take to improve your productivity at your work place. These tips will help you get things done and meet deadlines far more efficiently thus raising your effective productivity.

1. Write down what you want to accomplish and give it a deadline.
2. Create a simple plan for getting things done. It should be detailed, specific and have a direct impact on your goal.
3. Schedule critical tasks daily. Critical tasks are tasks that have a direct impact on your goal. Do not line up more than 3 critical tasks a day.
4. Do the most critical task first.
5. Stay focused.
6. Learn to say “No” to others (colleagues, friends, well wishers) and to the temptations arising in your mind.
7. Track and report on your progress.  Tell someone about your goal and update them regularly on the  progress you make.

[Source : DumbLittleMen]

Google Chrome beta web browser now has a much awaited feature – Bookmarks synchronization. Now it is possible to sync your bookmarks across computers in Google Chrome.

The Google Chrome bookmarks synchronizer works as follows :

• You need to have a Google Account for the bookmarks synchronizer to work.
• When you click the synchronize button in Google Chrome, it will ask you to log into your Google Account.
• The bookmarks synchronizer then uploads the bookmarks to your Google Account – more specifically Google Docs account.
• From now onwards, all your bookmarks are automatically sync-ed with your Google Account.
• If you are using Google Chrome on a different machine, you just have to click the synchronization button again and log into your Google Account to have all your bookmarks accessible on that computer.

How to synchronize bookmarks in Google Chrome

Incidentally, Opera web browser already has the browser sync feature but Firefox doesn’t.

Opera synchronizes not just your bookmarks but all your notes you have stored in the web browser as well.

Bookmarks sync is another feature that I will add to my list of 10 things I like about Google Chrome.

Note:  Google Chrome browser sync should not be misunderstood for Google Sync which synchronizes all the data on your cell phone to your Google account.

At present, Bookmarks Synchronization feature is available only in the latest beta version of Google Chrome. Google has been adding new features to its flagship web browser on a regular basis. Some of them being Google Chrome themes, new Google Chrome extensions, speed improvements and so on.

To learn more about Google bookmarks sync, watch the following YouTube video from the Google Chrome team.

[Source]

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala was released on October 28 2009. This latest version of Ubuntu has numerous features and improvements over its predecessor Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.02.

Installing Ubuntu Linux

You can install Ubuntu Linux in a mere 6 steps. The following video shows you the step-by-step process involved in installing Ubuntu Linux on your PC.

To start the installer, first boot into your Ubuntu Karmic Koala LiveCD Desktop environment. Next double-click on the Ubuntu 9.10 installer icon on the desktop. Now you can watch the video below and do as shown in it. Happy watching!

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, Facebook users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg along with his fellow room mates at Harvard University. Since then, Facebook has grown to over 300 million active users worldwide.

Facebook Guide

The first thing you have to do to start using Facebook is set up a new account by entering the details in the sign up form on the Facebook home page.

Once you finish creating a Facebook account for yourself and log into your account,  you should do two things namely -

1. Add friends. Enter a name or email id in the search box on top right corner of your Facebook page and find people you know. For example, you could search for classmates and/or coworkers.
2. View and edit your profile – Fill in all your personal details and upload a picture to help your friends recognize you.

Facebook Interface

The Facebook interface is a bit complex and needs some getting used to. The following is a screenshot of my Facebook account.

Different parts of a Facebook account

Wall – Your Wall is a place where you and your friends can post content, such as photos and messages. Your Wall is visible to anyone who visits your profile. You can even import stories, links, and pictures posted by you on various popular sites like Digg, Delicious, Picasa, Your blog, Google Reader, Youtube, Last.fm and more.

Like all things on Facebook, you can have granular control over who sees what part of your Facebook Wall.

Publisher -  This is an editor which can be used to post content like photos or links to your wall. Use the publisher to post for other to see.

Profile -  Your profile allows you to share your interests, activities, and anything else you want to include with people you connect to on Facebook.

Your Facebook profile is about representing yourself and sharing what’s going on in your life with your friends.

Applications Task Bar – At the bottom of  your Facebook account page, you will find a bar similar to the task bar in Windows. This bar contains the Applications menu; links to your Photos, Videos, Groups, Events, Notes, and Links pages; A real-time Chat application and the Notifications menu.

Facebook FAQ

These are some of the frequently asked questions about Facebook and their answers.

Where to get more help on Facebook ?

If you are new to Facebook, start by reading the  New users guide to understand different stuff offered by Facebook. For a more comprehensive help, visit the Facebook help page.

How do you create a page in Facebook ?

Facebook allows each user to create up to 200 pages. You can create a new page in Facebook by visiting the create a page link.

How do I customize or edit a Facebook page ?

You can manage the pages you have created in Facebook by clicking this link. It allows you to change the settings of the page and add or remove the applications you feature on your page.

Another option is to visit Facebook Pages to learn how to customize your Facebook page. It shares news, best practices, and examples for admins of Facebook Pages.

How do I create a Facebook unofficial fan page ?

You can create a Facebook Group to establish an unofficial “fan page”.

What are Facebook Widgets ?

A Facebook widget is a small program that you can put on your website that allows you to publisize your Facebook status and allow you to share anything on the web. To get a list of Facebook Widgets visit the widgets page.

What are Facebook Applications ?

Facebook applications are software which can be embedded right into your facebook account. These applications once bookmarked on your Applications task bar can be accessible from the Applications menu. Hundreds of Games, utilities and miscellaneous software have been developed as Facebook Applications. Visit the Facebook Apps directory to browse for and add applications to your account.

I want to change the settings of a Facebook application.

You can change the settings of any Facebook App by visiting the Edit Apps page where you will find a list of all the Facebook Applications you use. Clicking on the “Edit Settings” link of the corresponding application will allow you to set the privacy level of each application.

I have a dial-up Internet connection. And it is taking a long time to log into my Facebook account. Are there any alternatives ?

Yes. For those who are browsing the web from a dial up Internet connection and those accessing Facebook from their mobile devices, there is a lite version of Facebook.

Facebook Lite is a faster, simpler way to keep in touch with your friends. If you like it, you may choose to use it instead of the regular Facebook.

You can access Facebook Lite at lite.facebook.com.

Note: You can switch between regular Facebook and Facebook Lite by visiting this settings page.

Is there any way to preserve the Facebook accounts of dead persons ?

Yes. Facebook preserves the accounts of the dead persons. For that you have to fill in the Deceased Form with all the relevant details and submit it to Facebook. Once it is done, Facebook will memorialize the dead person’s account. Memorializing the account removes certain sensitive information and sets privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search. The Wall remains so that friends and family can leave posts in remembrance.