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.

#755 Home Hack -- Vinegar will help keep cats away from areas you don't want them. Sprinkle vinegar on any areas where you don't want the cat walking, sleeping, or scratching. (HT: Frugal Gardening)

#756 Google School -- Check movie listings on Google by typing: movies: your-movie-name. If Google already knows where you are, the first clickable result will be all your local listings. If Google doesn’t know where you are, you’ll get a place to input your area code. (HT: SlackerManager)

#757 Blog Hack -- Web site ImgRed (Image Redirection) lets you quickly embed an image from another web site and embed it elsewhere without leeching bandwidth from the source. Just grab the URL of the image and append it to http://imgred.com/ (e.g., http://imgred.com/http://example.com/pic.jpg). The site copies the image to their server the first time it's requested, then serves it up permanently. (HT: Lifehacker)

#758 HowTo -- Back up your Gmail.

#759 Download of the Week -- Like a web version of the kitchen bulletin board, Cozi gives your family a place to exchange messages, create shopping lists, manage schedules and more. You can access these features using either a web browser or the downloadable Cozi Central application, which adds a screensaver that shows collages of your family photos. An optional toolbar can sync your Outlook calendar with your Cozi calendar. Cozi also lets you retrieve information from your phone by dialing a toll-free number and navigating a voice menu or by sending text messages requesting specific info (such as "calendar"). (HT: Lifehacker)

See also: The Yak Shaving Razor Archives

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