Pimp Your Macbook with Great Portable Accessories
Posted on May 7, 2008
Filed Under Apple, Computer, Computer Accessories, Hardware, Laptops, Mac, Office, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Since I became a MacBook owner last year I have acquired some really great accessories for it that enhance the overall computing experience. I’ve summarized and listed them below for your reference, feel free to post your favorites too!
Macally Protection Shell: This is a very nicely designed stylish soft leather-like snap-on cover that clips on the top and bottom of your MacBook to prevent it from getting stratches while at the same time allowing easy access to all your ports. Unlike several other hard cover MacBook skins, the Macally Protection Shell fits very snug and the liner is made of a soft velvet like material that prevents cover-made scratches. Another added benefit of this skin is that the leather like material makes it much stickier to hold and thus reduces the risk of you dropping it or having it slide off your lap.
Keyboard Protector: Over time your MacBook keys will slowly get a yellowish tint to them and get loaded with dirt and grime. To prevent this you should get a keyboard cover. The one I got from Amazon also covers the track pad button and wrist rest. The protector is made of a thin silicon like material that is transparent for easy viewing of your keys.
IMAK Ergobead Wrist Cushion: This wrist support feels great and prevents soreness during long computing sessions. Instead of the popularly used gel filler that most wrist supports contain, this one is filled with little soft beads that comfortably conform around your wrist.
Targus Ultra Mini USB Hub: You’ll need this if you have to plug in multiple USB devices into your MacBook. It’s USB 2.0 enabled and has plenty of space between each slot to allow for large headed USB plugins.
Phillips USB Adapter Kit: This pairs up well this the Targus Mini USB hub to allow you to plug in any device you come across. The adapter kit also includes a great retractable USB cord and a travel pouch for easy storage of all the adapters.
Mahogany Euro Lap Desk: I really like this product because it is well designed and very comfortable to work on. It provides me with a portable desk top and provides a great alternative to laying your computer on your lap. It also provides plenty of space for my mouse and other accessories. The top is made of polished solid wood and the bottom is covered with a soft micro-bead filled pillow.
Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks: There are much cooler and more expensive wireless mice out there with many more features but this one works great, has a nice rubber grip, is compact for easy travel and storage, and is ergonomically correct for left or right handed people. It is also one of the lowest-priced great quality cordless optical mice around.
Ogio Metro Backpack: While this isn’t necessarily a MacBook accessory, it’s a great backpack that also serves to store my computer, mp3 player, and other devices and accessories when I’m on the go. It’s built with rugged material, has lots of pockets that are tech friendly, and offers a padded laptop sleeve for easy storage of my MacBook.
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Watch Movies and TV Series Episodes Online For Free
Posted on May 6, 2008
Filed Under Discovery, Movies, Television, Video | 1 Comment
When I’m conducting experiments in the lab late at night, often there is downtime when I am just waiting for something to happen so I can take a measurement. Sometimes the downtime may be up to an hour of just waiting with nothing to do.
One can only do so much reading and writing in a single day and sleep deprivation isn’t the best catalyst for great writing. Thus, online videos offer a nice alternative to pass the time. Between OVGuide and Hulu you can find just about any tv series or movie to watch for free. Hulu even goes a step futher and allows you to embed any one of these movies on your site. Here’s a one of my all-time favorites, enjoy!
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GodTube Has Legs, Now Funding?
Posted on May 5, 2008
Filed Under Communications, Social Networking, Video | Leave a Comment
Just discovered a new niche video site called GodTube. You guessed it, a YouTube wannabe with very specific target users and audience in mind: Christians. According to the site, “GodTube.com is a video-driven social network designed for both Christians and non-Christians to share the message and love of Christ. We are a family-friendly site where people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and nationalities can share and belong”. The potential here is very huge given the number of Christians in the US and abroad. Just like YouTube, you can upload and share videos, create a channel, join or create a group, etc. They have also tapped into churches by helping them spread their messages to millions via their GodTube Ministries. Ministry Pages enables churches to post videos, interact with users, and broadcast live using the Prayer Blog and video blog. Apparently the site started with a mere $300 video publishing script and exploded from there becoming the #1 fastest growing website last August. Here’s the current growth trend for monthly users from Compete.
It appears that growth has slowed considerably since then and has become somewhat stagnant, yet that hasn’t stopped them from receiving $30 million in funding and a $150 million valuation. Is this a sign that the Web 2.0 bubble is about to pop or just verification that the guys over at AllahTube may be on to something there?
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Microsoft Outlook Goes Social with Xobni Plugin, Adds Analytics and Improves Search
Posted on May 5, 2008
Filed Under Communications, Email, Getting Things Done, Office, Organization, Social Networking, Windows, productivity | Leave a Comment
I am a long time Outlook user who just recently moved to Gmail for many reasons (to be discussed in a later post). However, my interest in Outlook has been reignited with the public beta release of Xobni (inbox spelled backwards). Xobni is a plugin that essentially transforms MS Outlook program into a social network. It improves upon Outlook’s organization, search, and navigation abilities to a greater standard and makes it more user friendly. Xobni is a great analytics tool that identifies and displays trends for who and when you email someone and vice versa. It also automatically extracts contact information, attachments, and the sender’s known acquaintance’s (i.e. friends) from emails to display nicely on his/her profile for quick access. Xobni will save you tons of time and from many headaches searching for that lost email or attachment. You can also quickly identify trends in what time your friends or coworkers are mostly likely to email you or be in their office. Check out the quick tutorial video below for more information about Xobni or download it from the Xobni website.
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Time Management Tools: Track Your Productivity and How Much Time You Spend Online
Posted on April 21, 2008
Filed Under Getting Things Done, Mac, Office, Organization, Time Management, Web Tools, Windows | Leave a Comment
According to a survey by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future, the average American spends 15.3 hours per week online. How do you compare? Is the time you spend online productive, wasteful, or just for personal entertainment? Thanks to a the software and web applications listed below, you too can easily keep track of your time spent online and offline and/or the time it takes you to complete daily tasks.
Time Tracker: A simple task list web application that has a nifty little timer attached to it to help you keep track of how much time you spend on given tasks.
Slim Timer: Another simple task manager that lets you share your tasks and keep track of how much time you spend on each one. It also allows you to generate time reports and export them into Excel (CSV) and subscribe to a friend or coworker’s SlimTimer RSS feed.
8aWeek: Browser toolbar similar to Leech Block that lets you set restrictions on time-sucking sites to help you be more productive. It also allows you to completely block a site and it provides details on how much time you’ve spent on each website.
MeeTimer: A Firefox extension that keeps track of how much time you spend online and where, as well as allowing you to tag or group sites according to their use (i.e work, procrastination, etc.). It also has a nice deterrent feature that helps keeps you aware of your abuse of time and the use of user-set time consuming sites (see Facebook screenshot).
RescueTime: By far the most extensive time management tool reviewed and my personal favorite. It not only tells you how much time you spend online and what sites you visited but, because it operates offline too, it can also report how much time you spend using a given desktop application as well. Furthermore, it offers time tracking between different computers irrespective of their operating system; its perfect for tracking your work on your home and office computer or jumping between the Windows OS and Mac OS on your Intel based Macintosh computer. You can so set goals and alerts, tag sites and apps (i.e. work, socializing, etc.), and create or join a group. The Personal (single user) and Team Basic accounts (2 to 5 users) are free and you can upgrade to the Team Plus (>5 users) for a fee ($12.95/mo/each user beyond first 5). For more information about RescueTime, take the product tour or watch the video below to hear more about how to use this great time management tool.
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