Java Jane's Good Stuff

What the HELL is "Twitter" In Plain English? No Geek Speak...

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:33:15 -0400

Although I have posted in the past my disdain for Twitter, that did not keep me from signing up for an account and even enabling the ability to post to Twitter from my address bar. Once I watched the video below, I finally "got" it. Maybe I will turn into a Twitter Bug now. I am uber busy, and keeping people posted in this manner really can work. Now I just need some friends who really care about whether I just drank coffee or cleaned the toilet. ; P

What the HELL is Twitter

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Favorite Foxfire Extensions

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:01:00 -0400

Smart bookmarks bar

Although I try to keep Firefox from becoming bloated by too many extensions, I do have a cadre of them I just can't do without. I do go through them periodically to see if I can weed out and uninstall any of those that I do not use regularly. About 5 of them made that cut tonight, but I also replaced one of the five with a new extension called "Mobilizer" (since I'm now in love with my Moto Q and have completely tricked it out) which with a right click will select, convert to the proper format and send the object to the mobile phone of your choice. I have yet to test drive it, but will review it after I have. In theory, it's brilliant. Let's hope it lives up to expectations.

A few other extensions I find invaluable:

Download Status Bar - I am a downloading maniac and this extension has streamlined that process. I can watch the progress of my downloads in the lower status bar, with speed of download, name, and pause, resume, etc. without taking up much real estate. I can click on them when done and launch installation, view it or what have you and I can easily clear them one at a time or all at once. Tried and true, this is a MUST if you are an obsessive down loader like myself.
The next two work hand in hand. I like to maximize my browser viewing area (don't we all?) and so Smart Bookmarks Bar & Favicon Picker have been a boon to saving space, improving the functionality of my links bar and my overall browsing experience. Smart Bookmarks Bar will allow you to make all your bookmarks into favicons. Instead of say, having only 10 or 1 so links in your links bar and then having to use the drop down or wade through your bookmarks, I now have 45 (yes, FORTY FIVE) of my favorites in my links bar, all denoted by favicons, and it takes two seconds to visually locate and open my favorites. If you forget what an icon links to, hovering over gives you a text reminder.

TIP: If your favorite site doesn't have a favicon, or it won't load, here is where Favicon Picker comes in. That extension lets you go to a bookmark's properties and chose a favicon or icon for it. You can use one of your own, or I just "Google" the sight, and if it does have a favicon, I save the favicon that didn't load in my icon folder, renaming it to match the sight. For the most part, you can just drag and drop and the favicon loads, but for the rare instance it doesn't, you're trying to save real estate and easily identify your bookmark, so it's a good "fix".)

FastVideo Download - from a tiny icon in your lower status bar, quickly and easily download any embedded video, from YouTube or pretty much anywhere, in a flash. Sweet!

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QotD: My Daily Dose

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Thu, 03 May 2007 11:58:39 -0400

What websites do you visit every day?
Submitted by Chez Michelle.

In an effort to streamline my life and get more things done in less time which in turn allows me more time for the pleasant things and less time spent dealing with the daily grind, I pretty much only go to a few sites, as I have most of them consolidated under one roof. I swear by Netvibes as my start page, which is where I go several times a day, as I have everything I want there, for the most part. Weather, multiple emails, news, blogs and rss, my del.icio.us bookmarks, websites I like embedded, entertainment, torrents, travel, shopping, etc. all tabbed out nicely. I still do visit Google Reader (although I don't have to) when I'm really digging through all my RSS like a madwoman. In short, I visit tons of sites, from gtd, tech, entertainment, shopping, news, scrapbooking, music related, and more, but having all these under one roof means I really only go to a few sites a day.

Another site I daily navigate to is my personal hobby website for Generation 80s [alternative] Retro Radio to say "hi" to my listeners via the Shoutbox during the day and to my administration panel at Live365 to change or program my playlists daily. Of course, I come here, to Vox. Did you know you can set groups of tabs to open up simultaneously in Firefox, so all you have to do is click on the description on your links bar or in your bookmarks and all those pages you like daily will open? Even better is the Firefox extension Morning Coffee which gives you the ability to manage and organize regularly visited websites by day and open them up simultaneously by integrating it with your daily routine. Now you can have your favorite AM sites open when you come down for coffee, work related sites you must read open at 11am, or the news and comics waiting for you at night. If it could only make the coffee, I'd be golden.

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10 Most Commonly Used Passwords Online

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:40:33 -0400

In PC Magazine's upcoming May 8th issue they list the 10 most commonly used passwords online. IF you are using any of these, download this add-on for FireFox.

1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)

From the Chicago Tribune

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Good Stuff: Better, Cleaner Email & RSS with Firefox Extensions

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:03:00 -0400

My style has changed over the years. I used to be a pack rat. I still like my stuff, but I'm aggressive about weeding out now, and if I keep something, it's in functional storage. While my overall style still could be classified as somewhat eclectic, I've become an ever increasing fan of clean, minimalist design. IKEA type style. Swedish country home. Danish design. Modern masters. Form, function. strong lines, little bling and no clutter, easy maintenance. I still love Crate and Barrel or Martha Stewart furniture, but pared down. Soothing color palettes. What does this have to do with gtd, the internet, or better emailing and rss subscription reading? In as much as I like clean, soothing, minimalist functionality in my "real" surroundings, so I too gravitate toward that in the online world as well, leading me to today's recommended Firefox add ons.

I absolutely LOVE the updated Gmail Super Clean Greasemonkey extension for Firefox. It's gorgeous and highly functional. Along with that Greasemonkey extension, I have included several others that integrate with Gmail (and other services) and Google Reader "like butta". These extensions only work with the Firefox browser (I assume you are using Firefox if you are reading this) with the Greasemonkey extension installed, except for Greased Lightbox which also works with Opera. If you don't have Greasemonkey yet, the link is included below.

Greasemonkey for Firefox - allows for 3rd party scripts to be installed for increased browser functionality and site mods.
Gmail Super Clean - Clean, minimalist script that makes Gmail so much nicer to look at, plus interface tweaks.
text area backup - stop losing your typed text when your browser crashes, auto backs up your work, no more frustration!
Gmail + reader integrator - adds a "feeds" tab on the left of Gmail that allow you to access all of your feeds without having to open up a new tab.
Greased Lightbox - enhances browsing on websites that link to images such as Google Image Search, Flickr, Wikipedia, Facebook, MySpace, and deviantART by opening up an overlay to view the full sized image.
Secure-em-All - Secure the Connection on: Excite, Yahoo, Gmail, Microsoft Passport. (Add any site to the Included pages list for it to be automatically switch to secure mode as well).

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Make Use of: Cool Stuff that Makes Life Better

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:10:16 -0400

Useful? Let me know!

IKEA Hacker - I am a fan of IKEA (for some things) and my computer desk is a small IKEA unit that I too have modded to suit my needs.
Perwoll Black Magic Detergent - Now available in the USA. Gentle and earth friendly, it actually enhances dark hued fabrics so your favorite black clothes and dark jeans stay that way!
Lifehacker Code: Updated Better Gmail [Firefox Extension]

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Share2Me Firefox Extension - Share Anything to Anyone, Anywhere

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 22:15:34 -0400

I'm going to intstall this tonight. It's in Beta form right now, but looks really cool. You can share anything on the web to your contacts email, IM, MySpace or FaceBook and you can post to your MySpace as well. Although I'm not a big IM user and I have other extensions that can send things to people via email, this definitely is worth a spin and a blog review down the road.

clipped from share2me.com

share anything. to anyone. anywhere.

You get one master sharelist that lets you reach friends on any:

> Instant Messenger

> Email Account

> MySpace Page

> FaceBook Wall (coming soon!)

and more...

See how share2me makes sharing fast and easy.

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GTD = Life Enhancing Tools for the Daily Grind

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 09:59:23 -0400

Many of you probably wonder what the heck is GTD? Go to Dallas? Grip the Dashboard? Get that Dollar? No. Get Things Done. Who doesn't need to, from domestic engineer to CEO? You don't have to be militant or OCD to be organized and productive. Even the most ADD, chaotic, forgetful and haphazard among us can benefit from a little GTD.

Although I do not go out to a formal "job" daily, my days are so full, that even in my home life and moonlighting, I feel like I need to be paid for an 8 hour day plus overtime, as I go from early AM to very late at night. I need to be organized and efficient to get through my massive "to do" list, make all my appointments and deadlines, to feel a sense of accomplishment, fit in time for my hobbies and interests and to manage my household. I do, much to the amazement of my family, friends and neighbors without being rigid, anti social or uptight. I still manage to be organized and spontaneous, which is an oxymoron to some.

So how is it done? Some of it is innate, but you can learn. There are many fabulous GTD sites and blogs. Right now, I have recently discovered a few tools that have seriously streamlined my daily grind and help me be productive and enjoy my day. Here are some of those things:

Netvibes. Switched from Google Personal and MyYahoo! to Netvibes with some careful selection of modules, feeds and podcasts (listen to them right through Netvibes) and now I have everything I could ever need waiting for me in the morning all from one site including email. I grab my coffee and dig in. My plans for the day are there as well as a virtual custom "newspaper". LifeHacker has a great post on customizing it with the most essential modules, we are trying to streamline our lives, not add bloat, so chosing carefully is key. In the comments section of that post, there is another nice Easter Egg by dep for further tweaks. The best part? If you set up a tab called "Mobile" you can customize a mobile friendly page for those unfortunate times you are away from your computer aka "command central". I use it along with some well selected feeds in Google Reader mobile. It doesn't get much better than this folks...
30 Boxes. Do I love this or what? ?? Slim and functional, this has it all! You start by opening up a wizard which has you put some initial dates to remember in, like birthdays, then you import email addys and a bunch of other stuff. It's an all in one scheduler, social networking tool, reminder, to do list, emailer, will send SMS reminders of your daily activities to your mobile phone/device and has a module that integrates with Netvibes. Best of all, you can set it to "webpage" which is my new Firefox start page and it gives you one column with the days events/to do list, upcoming events then your embedded Netvibes page and a docklet to launch your most important sites and information. The look is clean and I can't say anything more than this RULES.
Remember The Milk. Another GTD blog/utility which integrates with Netvibes. Right now I think, 30 Boxes is for me, but I am also test driving this as well. Probably more handy for those with structured jobs in a corporate environments, but could be used for anyone.
Launchy. How did I manage without this? I have StarDock on my computer so I can have my desktop visually pleasing and uncluttered, yet tweaked just the way I like it. I chose for the most part to keep my Windows Task Bar hidden. Now I don't even have to move my mouse to the docklet to activate an app, search or what have you. I installed Launchy freeware, and just by hitting ALT + Spacebar and typing in a couple letters it will launch almost any app intuitively. Not limited to apps, it will find and open photos, documents, mp3's, computer and web searches and is a full function calculator. Everyday time I use my computer, I still marvel at what a gem this is! (Are you using CoolIris? If you're not, you should be using that too!)
LifeHacker, Black Belt Productivity and TheCranking Widgets Blog- daily must reads. Yeah, I'm a geek, you know it...

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Vox Good Thing: Snipshots Web Based Photo Editor

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:07:03 -0400

Get SNIPSHOT

Hate to pull out Photoshop or other large programs to crop or resize an image for your blog/web? Well with Snipshot you can quickly undo, resize, crop, rotate, adjust photos, right from your browser, via FF extension or bookmarklet. Then save directly to Flickr. Blogs, Snipshot & Flicker = A Vox "Good Thing"

Snipshot features:

New! Get our Firefox extension to put Snipshot in your right-click menu
Our free API lets you use Snipshot for your own website
No download necessary—100% browser based, no plug-ins required
One-click import from any web site (including Flickr) with our bookmarklet
Save to a free permanent URL at WebShots or to your Flickr account
Save as GIF, JPG, PDF, PNG or TIF
One-click enhance improves most images
Basic editing tools like crop, rotate, resize
Basic image adjustments like contrast, brightness, saturation, sharpness and hue
Unlimited undo and redo (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y, or ⌘Z and ⌘Y on your Mac)
Nondestructive editing—we always work from the original
Edit big pictures—up to 10 MB, or 25 megapixels (5000x5000 pixels)
Import PDF (first page only), EPS or SVG

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bLogGer ToOLs & OTheR fuN JJ ReCoMmENds

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:01:03 -0500

Okay, we're into March and I've actually kept my blogging resolutions so far this year. Lots of posts today as it's a day off from the regular routine and I've decided instead of accomplishing anything I need to do, I'd goof off on the web today. (Okay, so I've done 3 loads of laundry, it's not all play.) It's my way of relaxing.

I finally upgraded to Firefox 2.0 (don't tell me you are still using IE puh-leeze...) and added a bunch of new and pretty amazing extensions that should continue to facilitate my blogging efforts both here and on LiveJournal and in all my nerdy "webby-ness" in general. If you haven't migrated to FF 2.0, you should. The interface is cleaner and you can go to the site and take a peak at the other new features. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Right now I use deI.icio.us, Furl and Diggo, but Clipmarks seems to have real promise and some additional features the other three tools don't have, especially the ability to save and post clips or snips of anything including media and immediately post it to your blog of choice. There are several other new extensions, readily available via the links below or through the Firefox extensions site, which will help anyone who blogs, so here's the short list:

Clipmarks

Clipmarks - In an increasing crowded realm of social bookmarking and blogging tools, seems like a standout.
CoolIris - Amazingly helpful tool which allows you to preview websites without opening a new window, tab or leaving your current page. Works for media content sites like YouTube and Flickr as well. I can't imagine the web without it. Makes surfing a dream!
Coolringer - Takes the best clips of your favorite music automatically and sets it as a ringtone on your cell for free with a few clicks. Aren't you cool?
Answers 2.2 - available through Firefox Extensions site. Highlight a word or text and get instant spelling, definitions, look up and/or searching with a variety of services.
JOOST - Don't forget to get on line now (there's a waiting list) to become a beta tester for this hot new social online peer-to-peer TV service. Not only will you be able to watch live TV on your computer from around the world, with just a codec, you will also be able to chat with your friends live while you watch. See this screen shot. Can't wait, hope I get in on the Beta testing. Will be watching my email box and will let everyone know if I do.

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