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.

Word Tip -- Microsoft Word allows you to quickly insert sample text into a document. To do this, type =rand() in the document where you want the text to appear, and then press ENTER. Older versions of Word will fill in a few lines of "The quick brown fox" automatically; Word 2007 will insert random text. You can even specify the number of paragraphs and sentences in each paragraph substituting p and s variables with numbers using =rand(p,s). (HT: Lifehacker)

Email Hack-- Figure out who's selling your email address: Instead of just entering username@gmail.com as your email, enter it as username+samplesitecom@gmail.com. When Gmail sees a "+" in an email address, it uses all the characters to the left of the plus sign to know who to send it to. In this example it would still send it to username@gmail.com. If you search Gmail for username+samplesitecom, you will see all massages that were sent to that email address. To see who is responsible for sending a specific message click the Show Details link and you will see the complete address. (HT: Lifehacker)

HowTo -- Encrypt your email

Food Hack -- Oatmeal is the ideal on-the-go breakfast, especially when served up in an insulated travel mug. Oatmeal stays hot, can be eaten in the car without spilling, and doesn't leave crumbs everywhere. (HT: Parent Hack)

Download of the Week -- Instantly paste commonly used words and phrases into documents, e-mails, and other applications with PhraseExpress. Simply copy any text string to the clipboard, then click the System Tray icon to add it to PhraseExpress. You can assign it a hotkey (such as Ctrl-Alt-K) for instant pasting and/or create an AutoText tag (such as "sig" when you want your signature to appear). The applet also comes with a variety of canned phrases, like salutations and famous quotes, and it offers a Word-like autocorrect feature that works in any program.

It's not a useful or as flexible as Texter, but it’s a useful app for novices and doesn't require any scripting. (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.