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.
[Note: I've decided to tighten up the YSR posts, cutting the fluff that nobody reads anyway and trimming it back to a more manageble level of five useful hacks, tips, tricks, and tools.]
#685 Form Finder -- The Internet Legal Research Group has a index of over 2000 free legal forms for such areas as basic agreements, credit and collection, employment, leases, loans, and estate planning. The forms are even guranteed to be state-compliant. (HT: Lifehacker)
#686 Online Tool -- Web site PDF Pad lets you download printable calendars, flags, graph paper, Smith charts, staff paper, storyboards, and Sudoku sheets.
#687 Google School -- When you Google a Bible verse by itself, you often get a whole lot of junk hits. A better method is to use the English Standard Version by searching with the letters ESV. For example, searching ESV Psalm 23 gets you, as the top hit, the 23rd Psalm in the English Standard Version. (HT: Middlebrow)
#688 HowTo -- Solve a Rubik's Cube
#689 Download of the Week -- Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 is a free program that helps you manage your small business' finances. The program lets you create and email invoices, track expenses and employee time, store and organize all your customer, vendor, employee, and financial information -- even list items on eBay. A useful and cost effective solution for micro and small businesses. (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.
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.
[Note: I've decided to tighten up the YSR posts, cutting the fluff that nobody reads anyway and trimming it back to a more manageble level of five useful hacks, tips, tricks, and tools.]
#680 Firefox Extension -- Google calls its Google Reader the "inbox for the Internet." Now Mihai Parparita, frontend tech lead of Google Reader, has created a GreaseMonkey extension that integrates Google Reader with Gmail, allowing you to read your feeds just like you read an email. (HT: Lifehacker)
#681 Keyboard Shortcut -- Control-Backspace (Windows)| Option-Delete (Mac) will delete the entire word to the left of your cursor in one keystroke. Ctrl-Delete (Windows)| Option-Fn-Delete (Mac) will delete the entire word to the right of the cursor. (HT: Lifehacker)
#682 Google School -- You can use your Google search box is an instant calculator. Simply type your mathematical formula into the search box just as you would in Google for an instant calculation (Use Alt-K/Ctrl-K to jump to that box). (HT: Lifehacker)
#683 HowTo -- Create unique voicemail greetings for each caller on your cell phone.
#684 Download of the Week -- Open source app MediaCoder is an audio and video batch transcoder designed to give you a way to make conversions to and from some of the most popular media codecs. (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.
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.#670 Rent Tool -- Web site Rentometer provides a handy way to compare your rent to that of other property in your aread. After filling in your address, monthly rent, and the number of bedrooms and units in your building, Rentometer marks comparable units in your area with plus or minus signs. Clicking one of the pins will give you the monthly rent of that apartment and the distance from yours. The "rentometer" also gives you a visual representation of your rent versus the regional median. (HT: Lifehacker)
#671 Free Phone Calls -- Want to make a free international call? Simply call the access number provided by Futurephone (712-858-8883 (based in Iowa - so domestic long distance charges apply)) and then dial your international number.
#672 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Shift+= -- Apply subscript formatting
#673 Know Your Fallacies -- Begging the Question (petitio principii) -- The truth of the conclusion is assumed by the premises. Often, the conclusion is simply restated in the premises in a slightly different form. In more difficult cases, the premise is a consequence of the conclusion. (We know that God exists, since the Bible says God exists. What the Bible says must be true, since God wrote it and God never lies. (Here, we must agree that God exists in order to believe that God wrote the Bible.))
#674 Google School -- Finds pictures of a particular type using "filetype" in Google Images. For example: filetype:jpeg Eiffel Tower (Note: This only works for JPEG and GIF, not BMP, PNG, or any number of other formats Google doesn't index. Also, searching for filetype:jpg and filetype:jpeg will get you different results).
#675 HowTo -- Recover deleted files.
#676 Gmail Hack -- If you regularly check two separate Gmail accounts and you're a Firefox user, you don't have to switch between them manually all the time. Using the IE Tab Firefox extension, open up one IE Tab and one regular Firefox tab, and log into your two Gmail accounts, one in each. (HT: Lifehacker)
#677 SoYouWanna -- Improve your table manners.
#678 Download of the Week -- Freeware program IrfanView is a popular, incredibly useful image viewer/editor. Even if you have Adobe Photoshop loaded on your computer you'll find that using IrfanView is a faster, simpler way to resize, crop, or view images. An absolutely essential tool.
Have a useful recommendation for making life more pleasant? Send them to me at jpcarter[at]evangelicaloutpost.com.
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.#660 Language Tools -- FSI Language has free foreign language courses created by the Foreign Services Institute (the main training facility for American Foreign Service Officers and personnel) Courses are available in Cantonese, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. (HT: Lifehacker)
#661 Gmail Tip -- When sending a message, type the name of the recipient you want to appear in your Contacts and then place the email address inside <>. That will auto-add the name to your address book formatted. For instance, rather than: joecarter@example.com in the To: box, use Joe Carter
#662 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Shift++ -- Apply superscript formatting
#663 Know Your Fallacies -- Complex Cause: The effect is caused by a number of objects or events, of which the cause identified is only a part. A variation of this is the feedback loop where the effect is itself a part of the cause. (Ex. The accident was caused by the poor location of the bush. (True, but it wouldn't have occurred had the driver not been drunk and the pedestrian not been jaywalking.))
#664 Google School -- Google AdSense can help you track down the owner of a website.When you use your browser's view-source feature, just use the Find command (usually invoked with Ctrl-F) to look for that line of code, which comes with the string "google_ad_client”. (HT:Google Tutor)
#665 HowTo -- Make your own fabric softener sheets.
#666 Home Hack -- Parents Hacks has an interesting home security tip:
If you think someone is trying to get into your house, just press the panic alarm on your car key fob. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. Also good for parking garages.
(HT: Lifehacker)
#667 SoYouWanna -- Learn about Opera.
#668 Download of the Week -- Windows Live Writer is a desktop application that makes it easier to compose blog posts. Writer provides true WYSIWYG blog authoring, allowing you to know exactly what your post will look like before you publish it. Writer also knows the styles of your blog such as headings, fonts, colors, background images, paragraph spacing, margins and block quotes and enables you to edit your post using these styles.
Writer also includes other views including HTML source-code editing and web preview mode.
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.#650 Font Hack -- Ever wanted to find a font just like the one used by certain publications, corporations, or ad campaigns? WhatTheFont, a free, online font recognition system, can help you find it. Upload a scanned image of the font and their database will find the closest matche. If WhatTheFont can’t figure it out, you can submit the image to the WhatTheFont Forum where font enthusiasts will help you out.
#651 Search Hack -- Google Blogoscoped has merged Google Sets with Google Images to come up with a image search engine that searches for related images. For instance, if you search for Chicago, you'll also get related pictures of Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Cleveland, etc. You can also use two terms separated by a comma, i.e., "cats", "dogs".
#652 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Shift+D -- Double underline text
#653 Know Your Fallacies -- Genuine but Insignificant Cause -- The object or event identified as the cause of an effect is a genuine cause, but insignificant when compared to the other causes of that event. Note that this fallacy does not apply when all other contributing causes are equally insignificant. Thus, it is not a fallacy to say that you helped cause defeat the Tory government because you voted Reform, for your vote had as much weight as any other vote, and hence is equally a part of the cause. (Ex. Smoking is causing air pollution in Edmonton. (True, but the effect of smoking is insignificant compared to the effect of auto exhaust.))
#654 Google School -- Combining "intitle:" with "index.of:" (i.e., intitle:index.of:) will search for pages that contain the text "index of" (the period is a wildcard that can represent any single character). This gets you into some interesting stuff that you wouldn't normally be able to find with just the generic "intitle". (HT:LifeHacker)
#655 HowTo -- How to control garbage disposal odors.
#656 Firefox Hack -- Mungo says blah has a useful explanation of how to use Firefox's "Clear Private Data tool" to delete all cookies in Firefox on closing, except for those from selected domains that you choose.
#657 SoYouWanna -- Learn the basics of HTML.
#658 Download of the Week -- AM-DeadLink is a freeware program that detects dead links and duplicates in your browser bookmarks. If a bookmark has become unavailable you can verify it in the internal preview and delete it from your browser. Additionally you can download FavIcons for all your Favorites and bookmarks. Works with Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and Firefox.
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.#640 Online Tool -- Wordcounter is an online tool that ranks the most frequently used words in any given body of text. Useful for finding overused words or for determining keywords for a document. (HT: Lifehack.com)
#641 Excel Hack -- The Microsoft Education Center has an excellent tutorial on how to make a timeline in Excel. (HT:LifeHacker)
#642 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Shift+W -- Underline words but not spaces
#643 Know Your Fallacies -- Joint Effect -- One thing is held to cause another when in fact both are the effect of a single underlying cause. This fallacy is often understood as a special case of post hoc ergo prompter hoc. (Ex. "You have a fever and this is causing you to break out in spots." (In fact, both symptoms are caused by the measles.))
#644 Google School -- Google has partnered with Valpak, a leading supplier of coupon advertising, to provide more than 20,000 coupons from current Valpak advertisers when consumers search for relevant stores using its Google Maps map and local directory service. Google even allows businesses to create their own discount coupons using a simple Web-based template, giving small businesses an easy and free way to attract online customers. [Google Local Business Center] (HT:LifeHacker)
#645 HowTo -- Incorporate Google Calendar Into Outlook
#646 Outlook Hack -- Normally, e-mail messages are sent immediately when you click the Send button. But Outlook allows you to delay sending a message by postponing the send date as follows:
Your message will go to the Outbox folder until the assigned date and time to send it. (HT: Tech Recipes)
#647 SoYouWanna -- Design your own web page.
#648 Download of the Week -- Free software DM2 adds all sorts of windowing, desktop and folder management enhancements to Windows. With DM2 installed you get 4 virtual desktops, custom Open/Save dialog folder locations (can you say godsend?), and the ability to minimize any window to the system tray. (HT:LifeHacker)
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.#630 Search Hack -- Google has just rolled out its Google News Archive Search which lets you search through news archives of several major newspapers going back over 200 years.
#631 Firefox Extension -- Greasemonkey script Gmail Encrypt adds encryption to the emails you write in Gmail. (HT:LifeHacker)
#632 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Shift+] -- Increase selected text one point
#633 Know Your Fallacies -- Coincidental Correlation (post hoc ergo propter hoc) -- The name in Latin means "after this therefore because of this". This describes the fallacy. An author commits the fallacy when it is assumed that because one thing follows another that the one thing was caused by the other. (Ex. Immigration to Alberta from Ontario increased. Soon after, the welfare rolls increased. Therefore, the increased immigration caused the increased welfare rolls.
#634 Google School -- Look up the current local time in a given location from the Google search box by typing time $location, like time Italy or time "New York City". (HT:LifeHacker)
#635 HowTo -- Shuffle and Cut a Deck of Cards One Handed
#636 Shoe Tip -- Healthbolt has a detailed explanation on how to measure your feet so that can buy shoes that fit every time.
#637 SoYouWanna -- Register a trademark.
#638 Download of the Week -- The Ubuntu Christian edition is a special version of Ubuntu Linux that comes with a porn blocker and Christian software. Along with the standard Ubuntu applications, Ubuntu Christian Edition includes the best available Christian software. The latest release contains GnomeSword, a top of the line Bible study program for Linux based on the Sword Project. There are several modules installed with GnomeSword including Bibles, Commentaries, and Dictionaries. Ubuntu Christian Edition also includes fully integrated web content parental controls powered by Dansguardian. A graphical tool to adjust the parental control settings has also been developed specifically for Ubuntu Christian Edition. (HT: BoingBoing)
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.#620 -- The Inflation Calculator is a handy tool that adjusts any given amount of money for inflation, according to the Consumer Price Index, from 1800 to 2005.
#621 Firefox Extension -- The OpenBook extension lets you tweak the default Add Bookmark dialog, giving you more control over the specifics of your bookmarks.
#622 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+Y -- Redo - After an action has been undone, it can be reinstated in the document.
#623 Know Your Fallacies -- Hasty Generalization -- The size of the sample is too small to support the conclusion. (Ex. - I asked six of my friends what they thought of the new spending restraints and they agreed it is a good idea. The new restraints are therefore generally popular.)
#624 Google School -- Google Catalogs helps you browse and search merchant-provided catalogs. You can flip through any catalog to find what interests you, or simply type in what you're looking for, and you'll find every place that your search term appears in the catalog. If you're not sure what catalog to look in, you can search all of the catalogs in Google’s index.
#625 HowTo -- Improve cell phone reception.
#626 Anti-Spam Hack -- Lifehacker has an excellent method for avoiding the latest spammer tactic with uses an image attachment that contains text with a legit-looking subject and from address:
The folks at Ask MetaFilter along with lifehacker Matt Haughey offer a solution for ".gif" Gmail spam with a custom filter:
I tried this (filter):
Has the Words | multipart/related .gif
X Has attachmentAnd to forward everything to the trash (which will automatically clear after 30 days.)
#627 SoYouWanna -- Have a well-trained cat.
#628 Download of the Week -- Freeware program FlashMute lets you mute or lower the volume of any sounds originating from you browser. You can set FlashMute to tone down all browser-based sounds, or just those coming from embedded Flash.
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.#610 Browser Hack -- Browster is a free plugin (for both IE and Firefox) that lets you preview a site in a preview pane simply by rolling your mouse over the link. It's an amazing Web 2.0 tool that will change the way you view search engine results and other pages you'd prefer to preview before you click.
#611 Firefox Extension -- The ReloadEvery extension automatically refreshes a web page at a time interval you define (like every 10 seconds.) Use it to stay logged into web mail or an online banking session. (HT: LifeHacker)
#612 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+E -- The paragraph in which the insertion point is located is centered the same as if you clicked on the Center tool.
#613 Know Your Fallacies -- Appeal to Authority -- While sometimes it may be appropriate to cite an authority to support a point, often it is not. In particular, an appeal to authority is inappropriate if: (i) the person is not qualified to have an expert opinion on the subject, (ii) experts in the field disagree on this issue; (iii) the authority was making a joke, drunk, or otherwise not being serious. (Ex: Economist John Kenneth Galbraith argues that a tight money policy s the best cure for a recession. (Although Galbraith is an expert, not all economists agree on this point.))
#614 Google School -- intitle:index.of:This will search for pages that contain the text "index of" (the period is a wildcard that can represent any single character). (HT: LifeHacker)
#615 HowTo -- Turn Your iPod into the Ultimate PowerPoint Accessory
#616 Travel Hack -- Courtesy of Don Bosch at Evaneco.com:
As you probably know, Southwest doesn't have assigned seats, but uses an "A" "B" "C" ranking for where you stand in line based on how early you check in. You can check in up to 24 hours ahead of time (the start of the window of opportunity), assuming you have a printer to print the coveted "A" boarding pass. For my trip home to Newport from San Diego this weekend I had a laptop with wireless access in my hotel, but didn't have a printer. I logged in and did the virtual check in, following the links until I got to the "print boarding pass" page, then I logged out. When I got to the airport, I stopped by the kiosk at the Southwest counter and printed out my "A" boarding pass by selecting "re-print boarding pass." Voila!
#617 SoYouWanna -- Get rid of roaches, rats, and other pests.
#618 Download of the Week -- NK2csv is a free utility to view and export the contents of an Outlook autocompletion file. (HT: Daniel Sinclair)
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.#600 Home Hack -- Need to paint your bedroom but not sure how many gallons of Dutch Tile Blue to buy? The Interior Paint Calculator will help you estimate the amount of paint you will need to paint an interior room -- including all the trim. m. Enter room length, width, height, baseboard, width of trim, number of windows and door, etc., and it will give you the paint in gallons and quarts. (HT: LifeHack.org)
#601 Firefox Extentsion -- ReminderFox is an extension for Firefox and Thunderbird that displays and manages lists of date-based reminders and ToDo's. A useful tool for anybody that simply wants to remember important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc) without having to run a full-fledged calendar application.
#602 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Alt+F4 -- Exit - Closes Microsoft Word.
#603 Know Your Fallacies -- Argumentum ad hominem - The person presenting an argument is attacked instead of the argument itself. This takes many forms. For example, the person's character, nationality or religion may be attacked. Alternatively, it may be pointed out that a person stands to gain from a favourable outcome. Or, finally, a person may be attacked by association, or by the company he keeps.
There are three major forms of Attacking the Person: (1) ad hominem (abusive): instead of attacking an assertion, the argument attacks the person who made the assertion. (2) ad hominem (circumstantial): instead of attacking an assertion the author points to the relationship between the person making the assertion and the person's circumstances. (3) ad hominem (tu quoque): this form of attack on the person notes that a person does not practise what he preaches.
#604 Google School -- The inanchor: tag Ssarches for text in a page's link anchors (the descriptive text of a link). For example, the link anchor in the HTML code <a href="http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com>World's Greatest Blog</a> is "World's Greatest Blog."
#605 HowTo -- Make an exact change holder.
#606 MS Word Hack -- How to add blank pages separating items in a Word document (e.g., chapters of a book): To divide the document into separate sections, click your cursor at the point where you want to create a new section, say, at the end of each chapter, and then select the Break option from the Insert menu. In the Break box, you can specify where you want the new section to begin, say, "t" to follow continuously on the same page or "n" to start on the next page. (HT: LifeHacker)
#607 SoYouWanna -- Babysit an infant.
#608 Download of the Week -- Freeware program Gmail Remote Command lets you send commands to open files or shutdown your computer through your Gmail account. (HT: LifeHacker)
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.#600 Google Map Tip -- Google Maps has incorporated a handy new feature: "The next time you start entering an address or a label into Google Maps, we'll offer to auto-complete it for you if it's in your saved locations. Auto-completion is also available when you're searching for businesses. If you've labeled the address "1600 Amphitheatre Pky, Mountain View, CA" as "work" (as some Googlers would), when you start typing [pizza near work], we'll offer to auto-complete it as [pizza near 1600 Amphitheatre Pky, Mountain View, CA]."
#601 Cell Phone Hack -- goFreeSMS is a free (ad-based) SMS service that lets you send text messages from a cell phone or computer.
#602 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+S - Saves the active document with its current file name, location and format.
#603 Know Your Fallacies -- Argumentum ad consequentiam - The author points to the disagreeable consequences of holding a particular belief in order to show that this belief is false. (Ex. You can't agree that evolution is true, because if it were, then we would be no better than monkeys and apes.)
#604 Google School -- If you want to specify that Google not include a query item in your results, use a minus sign or dash: dog breed - "Labrador retriever" (This will search for the terms dog and breed but exclude results with "Labrador retriever")
#605 HowTo -- Write a thank-you note.
#606 Travel Tip -- SeatGuru.com is a handy web site that has floorplans and information on just about any configuration of airplane you can imagine. Use it before you book your next ticket and you won't get stuck in seat that won't recline (i.e., Boeing 737 25 Y).
#607 SoYouWanna -- Learn the basics of soccer.
#608 Download of the Week -- idleTunes is, as Jason Clark notes, made for people who love iTunes, but wish that it would just: Find and insert album artwork into tracks; Copy iTunes playlists to any MP3 player; Create playlists for all of the albums in your library; and Create playlists for all of the artists in your library.
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.#590 Firefox Extension -- Firefox extension Map+ adds an entry to the context menu that renders a quick, embedded Yahoo Map of your highlighted text. Map+ saves the trouble of having to open an online mapping service and copying/pasting the address you're searching for. (HT: LifeHacker)
#591 Duct Tape Hack -- Feel a blister coming on? No moleskine on hand? Try an old runner's tip: tear off a piece of duct tape and apply it to the skin, laying it as smoothly as possible.
#592 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+W -- Closes the active window, but does not Exit Word.
#593 Know Your Fallacies -- Argumentum Ad Ignorantiam (argument from ignorance) - Arguments of this form assume that since something has not been proven false, it is therefore true. Conversely, such an argument may assume that since something has not been proven true, it is therefore false. (This is a special case of a false dilemma, since it assumes that all propositions must either be known to be true or known to be false.) (Example: Since scientists cannot prove that global warming will occur, it probably won't.)
#594 Google School -- If you want Google to definitely include one specific term and one of two or more other terms, you group them with parentheses: dog (poodle OR "Labrador retriever")
#595 HowTo -- Make iPod ebooks.
#596 Google Map Hack -- WikiMapia blog explains how to add a Google Map to any web page in 30 seconds:
1) Go to WikiMapia.org site and find a part of the map that you need.
2) Click WikiMapia at the top right corner and choose "map on your page" link.
3) Move and resize frame you see to desired view, adjust view setting if needed and copy given html code to your page or blog.
#597 SoYouWanna -- Serve high tea.
#598 Download of the Week -- Blummy provides quick access to all your favorite bookmarklets--those little JavaScript-based web utilities such as GmailThis--without crowding your toolbar. Blummy creates an interactive window that floats over your web page. Use it to store and access bookmarklets as well as other web services. (HT: LifeHacker)
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.#580 Voicemail/Email Hack -- K7 offers a free universal messaging service that lets you receive faxes and voice messages through your email. Your voice messages and fax messages will be sent as email attachments and can be viewed with the click of a mouse. If you can't access your email remotely, you can receive both faxes and voice messages via the K7 Web site. While it might not replace the voicemail on your office or home phone, it offers a creative way to receive feedback and comments (my number is 206-666-3409 for anyone who has a complaint or compliment for YSR Labs). (HT: LifeHacker)
#581 Windows Hack -- To quickly close folder windows that you have open, hold down CTRL, click on multiple items on the taskbar, then right-click the last one to close them all. You can also group items by right-clicking on the taskbar. This will allows you to tile, cascade, and minimize the group. (HT: LifeHacker)
#582 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+O opens a previously saved document.
#583 Know Your Fallacies -- Red Herring -- The name of this fallacy comes from the sport of fox hunting in which a dried, smoked herring, which is red in color, is dragged across the trail of the fox to throw the hounds off the scent. Thus, a "red herring" argument is one which distracts the audience from the issue in question through the introduction of some irrelevancy. This frequently occurs during debates when there is an at least implicit topic, yet it is easy to lose track of it. By extension, it applies to any argument in which the premisses are logically irrelevant to the conclusion.
#584 Google School -- Google's calculator function not only lets you make standard conversions (kilometers to miles) but more geek savvy conversions such as bits in kilobytes (155473 bytes in kilobytes) and numbers in hex or binary (19 in binary).
#585 HowTo -- Win Something In A Claw Machine
#586 Memory Hack -- Editthis.info explains how to "Never lose a lock combination again":
Write an encrypted version of the combo directly on the lock itself using a Sharpie, and then all you have to do is work back from the encrypted version if you forget the lock combination. This can be as simple as adding your birthday to the number, and when you need to recover the number, you just subtract your birthday from it.
So if your birthday is:
10 / 13 / 77
and your lock is:
19 / 22 / 41
You write on the back of the lock
29/ 35 / 118 (which is from 10+19 / 13+22 / 77+41).
(29-10=19 / 35-13=22 / 118-77=41)
#587 SoYouWanna -- Improve your table manners.
#588 Download of the Week -- Free, open source program iColorFolder lets you color any folder on your computer with the right-click context menu. iColorFolder is a quick and creative way to organize your folders for easier identification (e.g., red for archives, green for working documents).
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.
#571 Gmail Tool -- GmailSync is an automated backup tool that lets you synchronize files on your computer to your Gmail account, providing free online storage.
#572 Word Keyboard Shortcut -- Ctrl+N - Opens a new word document.
#573 Know Your Fallacies -- Weak analogy -- An analogy which takes the form: A is like B; B has property P ;Therefore, A has property P (Where the analogy between A and B is weak.) Analogies are neither true nor false, instead they come in degrees from near identity to extreme dissimilarity.
#574 Google School -- If you start your query with "phonebook:", Google shows all U.S. white page listings for the query terms you specify. For example, "phonebook: Disney CA" to search for Disney's phone numbers.
#575 HowTo -- Win at Monopoly
#576 XP Hack -- If you lock your keys in your car, you can always call a locksmith to open the door. But what do you do if you lock yourself out of your computer by forgetting your Administrator password? Vic Ferri of TechTrax has a a step-by-step explanation of how you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password for free during a Windows XP Repair.
#577 SoYouWanna -- Cook a romantic breakfast.
#578 Download of the Week -- I love apps that do one thing well. DateInTray is a prime example, a small freeware utility that displays the date in the Windows tray. The day of the month is displayed in the program icon, and the entire date can be seen in a “tooltip” pop-up by holding the cursor over the icon. A pop-up calendar can be accessed by clicking on the program icon. (HT: LifeHacker)
[Note: Since I’m on the road tonight I’m recycling this anniversary post. Yes, I realize it was only two months ago. But we both know you didn’t read the whole thing so stop complaining. There’s some good stuff buried in here.]
Yak Shaving is a term that was introduced by Ren and Stimpy and coopted by the MIT AI Lab to refer to 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.
For the first anivesary of this series I've compiled fifty for of my favorite tools from the YSR archives that will help in solving problems you might not have known were problems:
#67 - To search within a certain set of numbers (i.e., a price range) use two dots (..). For example, to search for DVD players between $200 and $300 dollars use the search: DVD player $200..300
#88 - Need to solve a math problem or convert a unit of measure? Enter the formula (i.e., 44% * 234; 345 mi in km) into the Google search bar and the Google Calculator will deliver the solution along with the results. (If you’re using Firefox this method is faster than opening the calculator function on Windows.)
#91 - Need to search a blog or website that doesn’t have a search box? Using Google, type site: www.url.com (where the URL is the site you want to explore) and your query into the search box.
#130 - You can perform basic Google searches from your cell phone by sending text-message queries to 46645 (GOOGL). To search for general services in your vicinity, type a word of description followed by a period and your city/state or ZIP code (sushi.10018). To get the weather, use the same format preceded by the word "weather," or for addresses and phone numbers, by the name of the business. You can even get driving directions by typing from followed by the ZIP code of your starting point and to followed by your destination's ZIP code - for instance, from 10016 to 10018. You'll receive text-message responses free of charge (depending on your carrier's text-messaging plan) within seconds.
#154 - During a a heated discussion over global warming, your vegan friend from Canda says that the cattle that provide the meat for your cheesburgers emit 2 liters of gas a day. Is two liters a lot? It's difficult to know with that weird metric system they use. In order to find out the answer, though, you can simply turn to Google (or the Google toolbar) for a handy conversion tool. Just type in what you want converted (two liters to gallons) and Google will emit an answer (two liters = 0.528344102 US gallons). (Tgirsch notes that it also works for currency conversion (i.e.,100 USD in EUR).
#192 - Are you a single guy moving to a new neighborhood and want to know how many women are in a three mile radius of your apartment? Ever wonder if you're income is lower than the median for your cul-de-sac? Or do you need to know the average rent for an area? Then check out this Google Map that uses 2000 Census data to answer all these questions and more.
#45 - If you’re like me you probably open several websites at a time (i.e., Gmail, Sitemeter, your blog). Using Firefox you can set your homepage to open several tabs open them all at one time. From Firefox’s Tools menu click Options, General, and then enter the addresses of sites separated by a pipe symbol ( | ). If that's too complicated, simply open up all the sites in tabs and hit the “Use Current Pages” button.
#59 - Using the SpellBound extension, you can add a spellcheck function to any web-based form (including your blog). (HT: Lifehacker)
#61 - Firefox allows you the ability to drag a URL from your bookmarks into a browser-based text area (i.e., a blog post, BBS forum, email message). You can also make a temporary folder in your bookmark toolbar to save all your links for latter 'dragging.' This can be extremely useful when you have numerous URLs to add to a blog post.
#82 - Firefox offers an extremely useful extension that validates the links on any webpage. Valid and broken links are color coded, making it possible to find broken links on your blog or webpage in a matter of seconds.
#141 - If you copy a URL wrapped over multiple lines from somewhere and try to paste it into the address bar, you will end up only with the first line of it. To fix it, go to about:config and change editor.singleLine.pasteNewlines setting to 3 or add:
user_pref(”editor.singleLine.pasteNewlines”, 3);
to your user.js file. Now all the line breaks will be removed upon pasting.
#254 - Some online forums and boards provide very small text areas for new postings. If you type a longer posting, you have to scroll up and down, to read, what you've written. But the Resizeable Text Area extension allows you to control the size and adjust it to the size you need.
#220 - GmailThis! is an easy way to make a Gmail email without visiting mail.google.com. Once you add the GmailThis! link to your browser's toolbar, clicking GmailThis! creates a mini-interface to Gmail prepopulated with a link to the web page you are visiting, as well as any text you have highlighted on that page. Add additional text if you wish and then email or save as draft from within GmailThis! An indispensible tool.
#206 - Although Gmail doesn't provide a built-in feature to create group lists, Lifehacker provides a workaround: Click on Contacts (left-side menu) and choose Add Contact (top right corner). Enter a name for the group in the Name field. Then in the Primary Email field start inputting the addresses of group members. Here is the trick: leave out the first and last brackets. This is how you should do it (substituting the appropriate email addresses):
Then Save the address. Once you save it, you can see that GMail puts a bracket around the list of addresses. You can try it out by clicking on Compose. Next time you want to send a note to this group, just start typing in the group name and the address list will come up as an option.
#264 - Who needs a fancy, expensive Blackberry when you can get email on your cell phone using Gmail and its text forwarding feature? Here's how to set it up:
Go to your "Google Settings" page and click on "Forwarding and Pop." Click on "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and in the box where you input the email address add your ten digit cell phone number and the domain for your carrier.
Here is a list of the text messaging addresses for common US wireless providers:
Verizon: 10digitphonenumber@vtext.com
AT&T: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.att.net
Sprint: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net
Nextel: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
Cingular: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.mycingular.com
Virgin Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@vmobl.com
Alltel: 10digitphonenumber@alltelmessage.com OR message.alltel.com
CellularOne: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.celloneusa.com
Omnipoint: 10digitphonenumber@omnipointpcs.com
Qwest: 10digitphonenumber@qwestmp.com
The Republic of Geektronica blog explains how to set up filters so that you can decide which emails to have sent to your phone.
#31 - Pouring a little vanilla into a can of latex paint will greatly reduce the smell.
#55 - With a little practice and some memory work you can learn a simple formula for figuring out the day of the week for recent dates such as this year or any day in the next five calendar years. (The more ambitious can learn how to quickly give the correct weekday for any given date back to 1582 -- the year the current calendar system was adopted.)
#65 - If you need to light multiple candles but don’t have extra-long matches on hand, try using a piece of spaghetti instead.
#81 - Opening files in Acrobat requires not only opening the PDF but opening Adobe’s bloated software too. The process can be speeded up, though, by removing the unnecessary plug-ins:
Open C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader" folder. Or if you have Pro, it's probably in the C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat" folder.
Find the "plug_ins" folder and rename it "plug_ins_disabled".
Create a new folder named "plug_ins".
Copy the following files from "plug_ins_disabled" to "plug_ins":
EWH32.api, printme.api, and search.api
#182 - The United States Post Office allows you to request a hold on your postal mail through its web site. Next time you're going out of town, just notify the USPS before 2am on the day you would like to have your service halted and they'll hold your mail from 3 to 30 days.
#241 - When the sheets and pillowcases come out of the dryer, fold them and tuck them into one of the newly-clean pillowcases before placing the package back in the linen closet. That makes it easy to grab exactly the items you need when a bed needs clean sheets.
#258 - The Email Icon Generator provides a safe way to display your email address (like this: 
) for GMail, Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo!, AOL and many other common services.
#15 - Just as Microsoft’s founder attempts to control your PC, MS-Word attempts to control your documents. Trying to cut-and-paste from Word, for example, can often lead to the frustration of dealing with garbled text. Regain control by removing all the formatting from a particular piece of text (sentence, paragraph, document) before pasting. Simply select the text and hit Ctrl-Shift-N to break Bill Gates’ stranglehold on your words.
#106 - When using Microsoft Word I often get frustrated when trying to copy a snippet of text (i.e., the first part of a URL) because the program wants to grab the entire word. To regain control over your cut-and-paste jobs, go to Tools > Options > Edit and uncheck the box that reads “When selecting, automatically select entire word.”
#238 - If you often use the "word count" feature you can make it more effective by putting it in a shortcut. To add the feature right-click on any toolbar and select "Customize." Under the "Toolbars" tab, select "Shortcut Menus." You'll find the Word Count option in the "Tools" category on the top toolbar. Drag it over the "Shortcut Menus" ---> Text ---> Text and then drop it on to the shortcut menu. Now when you need to count the words in a text you can simply right-click and choose Word Count.
#22 - To create your own keyboard shortcuts to applications: (1) Create a shortcut to an executable application (i.e., Microsoft Word), (2) right-click the shortcut and press “Properties”, and (3) type a letter in the "Shortcut key" box (i.e., W). This will create a CTRL-ALT-x shortcut. You can also make CTRL-SHIFT and CTRL-ALT-SHIFT shortcuts by holding them while pressing the letter.
#71 - Alt-D jumps automatically into the address bar of the last opened tab.
#202 - For the Apple groupies: Magical Macintosh Key Sequences - All the magic key sequences to make your Mac do various things.
#68 - The De Finetti Game is a method to gauge someone’s confidence in the chances of a given event occurring by measuring it against a lottery with a known probability. Say for example a friend claims he is 95% sure he aced a test. Is he really that confident? Offer him a hypothetical choice. He can either get the result of the test, and if he aced it, he wins one million dollars, or he can pick a ball out of bag. There are 90 red balls and 10 blue in the bag, and if he picks a red ball then he wins the million. Now if he doesn’t choose his test score then he is at most 90% confident.
Now tell him that there are now 70 red balls in the bag and 30 black ones. If he answers that he would rather wait on the results of the test rather than draw, then he is between 70-90% sure of the outcome. You can keep adjusting the ratio of red to blue balls until he chooses the test score to find out how confident he really is. (Source: Amir D. Aczel’s Chance)
#108 - "Measuring probabilities," says Amir Aczel, "is a simple as counting." Simply count the possibilities of an event and divide this number by the total number of possibilities (assuming the possibilities are equally likely). For example, what is the probability of rolling an even number on a six-sided die? Since there are three even numbers (two, four, six) out of six equally likely numbers, the answer is 3/6 = 1/2, or fifty percent. What if you have a deck of fifty-two playing cards, what is the probability of drawing an ace? Since there are four aces out of fifty-two cards equally likely to be chosen, the probability of an ace is 4/52 = 1/13 = 0.0769, or about eight percent.
#86 - How do you know when you’ve met Mr./Ms. Right? How do you determine who, among the available range of candidates in your life, is the person you should marry? The best way to increase the chances that you’ve made the right decision is to follow this simple sampling strategy:
You will maximize your probability of finding the best spouse if you date about 37 percent of the available candidates in your life and then choose to stay with the next candidate who is better than all the previous ones.
Suppose that during your single years you will date 100 candidates for marriage. If you marry the first one that comes along then your chance of finding the best of the lot is only 1/100. The same probability is applicable if you date 99 of them and marry the last one. The chance that the last candidate is the best choice is only 1 in 100. Following the formula allows you to sample the options and increases the likelihood that you will choose the best of the available choices. (Note: This strategy also works for similar choices, such as buying a house.)
(HT: Amir D. Aczel, Chance)
#96 - Need to multiply a double digit number by 11? Add the two digits and place their sum in the middle. (Example: 11 x 36 = (3+6) = 396 = 396) If the sum produces a double digit add it to the first digit. (Example: 65 x 11 = (6+5) 6115 = 715)
#148 - Determining the Probability of Independent Events -- Everyone knows that the chances of rolling a three on a six sided dice is 1/6th or .16. But what is the probability of rolling threes twice in two rolls? To determine the probability of independent events (events where the probability of one does not affect the other) simply multiply their two probabilities together. So for our example, the probability of rolling two threes in two rolls of the die would be 1/6 x 1/6 = 1/36. Out of 36 rolls, on average you will roll two "threes" once. (Source: Chance, Amir Aczel)
#188 - How to value an investment -- The more likely or unlikely an outcome, the more or less you (should) value it. Suppose, for instance, someone offers you an investment that has a 30% chance of earning $1000, a 20% chance of earning you $2000, and a 50% chance of losing you $400 dollars. How much is the investment worth (i.e., how much can you expect to make on this investment)?
The answer is found by adding the sum of the products of the values and their probabilities. For example:
0.3 x 1,000 x 0.2 x 2,000 + 0.5 x (-400) = $500
Over the long term you can expect to make, on average, $500 every time you invest. (HT: Amir D. Aczel, Chance)
#17 - How to fold a fitted sheet
#26 - Record cassette tapes to MP3
#58 - How to Make a Mind Map
#85 - Turn your old PC into a Linux-powered jukebox.
#185 - How to make your own ringtones
#225 - Get a Free Credit Report
#235 - How to improve your handwriting
#245 - How to read a difficult book
#11 - When linking to a book I often use Amazon as the reference link. Unfortunately, that often means having to use a 114 character monstrosity like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596004478/qid%3D1049157816/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-2773718-4336742
Fortunately, such a link can be simplified. Begin by cutting all but the first string of numbers after the “ASIN”:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596004478/
You can also cut it further by replacing “exec/obidos” with “o”, as in:
http://amazon.com/o/ASIN/0596004478
That brings it down from 114 characters to a more manageble 35.
#150 - Trying to send an email with an attachment that is too large for your ISP? YouSendIt offers a free service that lets you send files up to 1GB. Your recepient gets an easy download link by email. It will even scan files for viruses.
#210 - The "copy and paste" function is undoubtably one of the greatest innovations in the modern age. But few things are more frustrating than have having to go through the four click routine of “Edit” --> “Paste Special” --> “Unformatted Text” --> “OK” needed to past unformatted text. Fortunately, using PureText, a Windows utility that lets you paste unformatted text into any open window in any program, I can perform the same function using Windows+V. PureText is one of the simplest and yet most satisfying programs to come along in ages.
#244 - The PocketMod (YSR #180), a small book with guides on each page that enables use you to transform a single sheet of paper into the ultimate note card, has some interesting new updates. The template now has Music staff and tab sheets, a deadline plotter, a food diary, SuDoku, and (my favorite) Franklin's virtues.
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.#560 Goals Hack -- Joe's Goals (no relation) is a simple online app that lets you create daily and weekly goals and track your overall progress and score. You can also set up negative goals (i.e., bad habits) in order to help rid yourself of a vice.
#565 HowTo -- Solve a Soduku Puzzle (Without Even Thinking)
Go to the iTunes Music Store. Find your podcast. Control-click your podcast’s title to find out what the iTunes Music Store URL is for your podcast. It should look like the string of text below…
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=160070588
The last part of the URL should be a number approximately nine digits long appearing after the string “id=xxxxxxxxx”
That is your podcast ID. Now, open up a web browser and type in:
https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/pingPodcast?id=xxxxxxxxx
Where “xxxxxxxxx” is your podcast’s ID. Then hit return.
You should get a message saying the ping was received. (O'Reilly Digital Media)
“Recently, I got sick of lugging my Palm V around, so I developed a vastly superior, greatly simplified device for capturing and sharing information,” wrote productivity guru Merlin Mann. “I call it ‘The Hipster PDA.’”
With those words Mann introduced one of the blogosphere’s most beloved and talked about productivity tools. The concept was deceptively simple. To build a hipster PDA ((Parietal Disgorgement Aid)) required only two steps: get a bunch of 3"x5" file cards and clip them together. Once created you have “a fully extensible system for coordinating incoming and outgoing data for any aspect of your life and work.”
About a year ago I was struck by a similar problem. I noticed that there were numerous times throughout the day when I would have unproductive downtime that could have been better spent catching up on my reading. Invariably I would be in a location (e.g., public restrooms, in line at the post office) that made it difficult to carry around a book or magazine. The solution came to me while using my Hipster PDA, so in homage to Mann’s essential tool I introduce the Hipster Reader.
Building your first Hipster Reader:
1. Get a bunch of magazines and journals.
2. Rip out the pages you want to read.
3. Fold them into shapes of roughly 3"x5".
4. Clip them together with a binder.
How to use your Hipster Reader:
Carry two or three articles in your pocket or purse. Use them for reading material when you have several minutes of unproductive downtime.
Settings & Preferences:
A note for skeptics: Is this idea obvious? Probably. Is it something that anyone could have thought of themselves? Absolutely. So why write about an idea that is so obvious that anyone could have thought of it? Because I suspect that, like the Hipster PDA, people overlook this simple solution because it is lo-tech and uncomplicated.
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.
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.#550 Google Calendar Hack -- Once your mobile phone number is validated by Calendar, you can request a daily agenda whenever you need it by texting the message day to 48368 (GVENT). Immediately after sending, you’ll receive a text message with your agenda of events for that day. Each event includes name, time, and location information. (HT: stopdesign
#551 Firefox CheatSheet -- Leslie Franke has put together an extremely useful cheatsheet for Firefox.
#552 Word Hack -- To save or close all Word documents at once: Hold SHIFT, Click File menu, Select either Save All or Select All. (HT: Tech Recipes)
#553 Know Your Fallacies -- Denying the correlative -- is the opposite of the false dilemma, where an attempt is made at introducing alternatives where there are none. (Example: "You say that you have shown that my client must have stolen the money, because no-one else had the opportunity to do so. But what if the money never existed?" (Should it be proven that the money never existed, nobody would be accused of the crime of stealing it. However, assuming it's known the money was there, questioning its existence as an alternative to whether a particular person was the thief or not is fallacious.))
#554 Google School -- Google's new U.S. Government Search page indexes U.S. Federal, state, and local government web sites, giving you easy access to all the information therein from a single Google search box. (HT: LifeHacker)
#555 HowTo -- Build your own intercom or walkie talkie out of two old cordless phone.
#556 Kitchen Hack -- How to clean a microwave: First, wipe out any excess crumbs. Then fill a microwave-safe bowl with about 1-2 cups of water. Add some lemon juice, or put in half a piece of fresh cut lemon (squeezing some juice out first) into the bowl.
Microwave until the water is boiling then let it sit for a few minutes to let the steam penetrate the interior. The steam from the water will loosen food particles, and the lemon will add a fresh smell. Carefully remove the bowl and interior tray. Wipe down the interior with a damp cloth, wash the tray in the sink with dish soap, dry, and then return to microwave. (HT: apartment therapy: los angeles)
#557 SoYouWanna -- Throw a summer party.
#558 PDF Hack -- Speed up PDF loading with Adobe Acrobat by disabling unneeded plugins:
1. Install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat
2. Browse to the plugins folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\plug_ins
3. Create a new folder named "Optional"
4. Move all files from the plug_ins folder to Optional, except EWH32.api, print*.api, and Search*.api
Making the plugins optional will significantly decrease the loadtime of your PDF documents. (HT: DWTIPS)
#559 Writer's Toolkit -- #46: Storytellers, Start Your Engines
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.#540 Kids Hack -- Now that the kids are home for the summer its time to put them to work. DLTK's Custom Chore Chart lets you create and print a themed chart that you can hang on the fridge or wall to help remind your children of the chores they need to take care of. You add your own title to the chart and then customize the row and column headings. Choose a picture for the top of your chore chart from a variety of themes (i.e., Blue's Clues, Spongebob Squarepants). You can also create your chart in color or black and white so that you child has something to color before hanging it on the fridge. (HT: LifeHacker)
#543 Know Your Fallacies -- Overwhelming exception -- a generalization which is accurate, but comes with one or more qualifications which eliminate so many cases that what remains is much less impressive than the initial statement might have led one to assume. (Example: "Our foreign policy has always helped other countries, except of course when it is against our National Interest..." (The false implication is that our foreign policy always helps other countries))
#545 HowTo -- How to build the best paper airplane in the world.
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.#530 Outlook Hack -- You deleted an email in Outlook and then emptied your deleted folder. The email is permantly lost, right? Maybe not. Click on the deleted items folder in the navigation pane. Go to Tools > Recover Deleted Items. Select the item(s) you want to restore to the deleted items folder. Click the restore button and the selected items will be back in the deleted items folder. This trick won't work for every server but when you accidently delete an important email, it may just save the day. (HT: Tech-Recipes)
#531 Firefox Extension -- Firefox extension ScreenGrab lets you save screenshots of web pages by what is visible in your browser window or by scrolling and stitching together the elusive whole page. (HT: LifeHacker)
#535 HowTo -- Travel with one carry-on.
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.#530 Pen Hack -- Want a pen that writes like a Mont Blanc but don't want to spend $200? Instructables has step-by-step instructions explaining how, using only a $3 pen and a $15 refill catridge, you can make one of the world's finest writing instruments.
#535 HowTo -- Encrypt your data.
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.
#520 Font Hack -- Web site BitFontMaker lets you design, create, and download your own fonts. Using a little bitmap, you can draw your own letters and symbols to create your own custom made font. You can also you can browse through the BitFont Museum and download other people’s BitFont creations. (HT: LifeHacker)
#521 Firefox Extension -- DragAndDropUpload lets you drag and drop files into upload fields in web forms. Drop files into attachment boxes instead of having to browse for them or type in the filename. In some websites it you can upload muliple files at one time. For example, in Gmail you simply drop the files directly over the "Attach a file" link to have them added to your email. (HT: Lifehacker