Yak Shaving -- [MIT AI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.] Any seemingly pointless activity which is actually necessary to solve a problem which solves a problem which, several levels of recursion later, solves the real problem you're working on. (From the on-line hacker Jargon File)

#1. Finder of Lost Links – Although the internet has a wealth of information, too much of it is locked behind the dreaded 404 Page Not Found. Permalinks only remain permanent as long as the hosting service gets paid; when a website shuts down the information usually goes with it.

But the Internet Archive Wayback Machine provides a way to resurrect lost links. Just cut and paste the broken link into the search box and if the site was archived the Wayback Machine will find it.

Update: Will Benton adds a helpful technique, "You can also drag the following link (ia) to your bookmarks bar and then press it when you've tried to visit a broken page. It will ask the Internet Archive to show you all of the versions it has of the site named in the location bar -- no copy and paste necessary."

#2 Google’s Wildcard – When using Google, the asterisk symbol (*) can be used as a wildcard to substitute for a full word. For example, if I search “Joe Carter is *” it will return results that include “Joe Carter is smarter than me”, “Joe Carter is just so ridiculously wrong”, and “Joe Carter is intellectually incompetent.” A particularly useful tool when you can’t remember a specific word from a quote. (Source: Google Hacks)

#3 The $3 PDA - For my last birthday my wife gave me an iPAQ Pocket PC so that I could finally achieve my goal of becoming more productive and organized. While the PDA does have its uses (see #5), entering data and synching it with my home and work PC became such a time-consuming process that I eventually gave up on using it as a productivity tool. Instead, I use a Hipster PDA (Parietal Disgorgement Aid). For $3.00 I was able to build a device that is vastly superior to my $300 PDA. Try it for yourself and see if you don’t agree.

#4 Tricking out the Hipster – Adam Gurno offers some great tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of your Hipster PDA. My particular favorite is printing custom made cards using my own printer. I had forgotten – if I ever even knew – that it could print on 3”x 5” cards.

#5 Bathroom Reader – Almost everyone keeps books and magazines in their home’s special “reading room.” But when you're at work or out in public you don’t want to be seen walking into the restroom with a copy of Dog Fancy or The Brothers Karamazov tucked under your arm. PDA’s, which I find to be worthless for most productivity issues, are invaluable as a means of carrying around reading material. Free books like Joyce’s Ulysses and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice can be downloaded at Project Gutenberg. And Christian Classics Ethereal Library has an invaluable collection of works, including Calvin’s Institutes and Pascal's Pensees. Keep your PDA stocked and you'll have a portable library in your pocket.

Have a useful recommendation for making life more pleasant? Send them to me at jpcarter[at]evangelicaloutpost.com.