class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-logo.jpg" alt="" />Following their interesting href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/spotify-expands-mobile-reach-windows-phone-7-app-news/">Windows Phone 7 launch, href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify has released an update for its much-loved href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spotify/id324684580?mt=8">iOS app. Spotify’s app, while only available in a limited number of countries, is one of the most popular ways to listen to music on iOS devices, and if you were getting worried about the Facebook spam it creates, you’re going to love this update.

First and foremost, the new version only works on iOS 4.0 or later, and works best on iOS 5.0 or later. iOS 5 users can now view cover art and metadata for songs right on the lockscreen, so it’s much easier to stay on top of what you’re listening to even if you’re not using your phone. The second major update is in the privacy settings, and this is an important one.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios-lockscreen.jpg" alt="spotify-ios-lockscreen" width="326" height="426" border="0" />

In the past, if you chose to connect your Spotify account to Facebook, your Facebook friends got to see an update for every song you listened to. While this is nice, it might be quite spammy if you use Spotify a lot. The new version lets you toggle Facebook sharing, and also listen to music in a private session, which means that posting will be temporarily disabled, but will resume in your next session.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios5.jpg" alt="spotify-ios[5]" width="533" height="378" border="0" />

This update is not huge, but a very important one for people who like to share their music on Facebook some of the time. Will you rush to get the update or does it seem negligible to you?

Source: href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/11/15/spotify-updates-for-ios-with-new-cover-art-features-and-sharing-settings/" rel="nofollow">TheNextWeb

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-logo.jpg" alt="" />Following their interesting href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/spotify-expands-mobile-reach-windows-phone-7-app-news/">Windows Phone 7 launch, href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify has released an update for its much-loved href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spotify/id324684580?mt=8">iOS app. Spotify’s app, while only available in a limited number of countries, is one of the most popular ways to listen to music on iOS devices, and if you were getting worried about the Facebook spam it creates, you’re going to love this update.

First and foremost, the new version only works on iOS 4.0 or later, and works best on iOS 5.0 or later. iOS 5 users can now view cover art and metadata for songs right on the lockscreen, so it’s much easier to stay on top of what you’re listening to even if you’re not using your phone. The second major update is in the privacy settings, and this is an important one.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios-lockscreen.jpg" alt="spotify-ios-lockscreen" width="326" height="426" border="0" />

In the past, if you chose to connect your Spotify account to Facebook, your Facebook friends got to see an update for every song you listened to. While this is nice, it might be quite spammy if you use Spotify a lot. The new version lets you toggle Facebook sharing, and also listen to music in a private session, which means that posting will be temporarily disabled, but will resume in your next session.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios5.jpg" alt="spotify-ios[5]" width="533" height="378" border="0" />

This update is not huge, but a very important one for people who like to share their music on Facebook some of the time. Will you rush to get the update or does it seem negligible to you?

Source: href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/11/15/spotify-updates-for-ios-with-new-cover-art-features-and-sharing-settings/" rel="nofollow">TheNextWeb

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-logo.jpg" alt="" />Following their interesting href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/spotify-expands-mobile-reach-windows-phone-7-app-news/">Windows Phone 7 launch, href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify has released an update for its much-loved href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spotify/id324684580?mt=8">iOS app. Spotify’s app, while only available in a limited number of countries, is one of the most popular ways to listen to music on iOS devices, and if you were getting worried about the Facebook spam it creates, you’re going to love this update.

First and foremost, the new version only works on iOS 4.0 or later, and works best on iOS 5.0 or later. iOS 5 users can now view cover art and metadata for songs right on the lockscreen, so it’s much easier to stay on top of what you’re listening to even if you’re not using your phone. The second major update is in the privacy settings, and this is an important one.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios-lockscreen.jpg" alt="spotify-ios-lockscreen" width="326" height="426" border="0" />

In the past, if you chose to connect your Spotify account to Facebook, your Facebook friends got to see an update for every song you listened to. While this is nice, it might be quite spammy if you use Spotify a lot. The new version lets you toggle Facebook sharing, and also listen to music in a private session, which means that posting will be temporarily disabled, but will resume in your next session.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/spotify-ios5.jpg" alt="spotify-ios[5]" width="533" height="378" border="0" />

This update is not huge, but a very important one for people who like to share their music on Facebook some of the time. Will you rush to get the update or does it seem negligible to you?

Source: href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/11/15/spotify-updates-for-ios-with-new-cover-art-features-and-sharing-settings/" rel="nofollow">TheNextWeb

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/wordpress-logo-300x300.png" alt="" />Most of you probably already know that href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/wordpress">WordPress powers a large amount of websites that we look at every day. With the large userbase and support, you can do a lot of cool things with it. While WordPress even offers one-click upgrades to the latest WP versions, some people simply can’t use it because their server doesn’t support it, they don’t have any href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/ftp/">FTP accounts (maybe you uploaded files using href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/ssh/">SSH?), or whatever else the reason may be. If this is the case, you’ve more than likely had to update your site by manually copying over the new files. However, there’s really no need to do that anymore, as you can set up your WordPress site in a way where updating is much more simple.

I will be explaining how to create a brand new WordPress blog on your Linux server using Subversion (SVN) as well as how to convert a “traditional” installation to an SVN-type installation, as most people who will want to do this probably already have a blog going. This is possible because Automattic (the creators of WordPress) operate a SVN repository that allows this functionality. Without this repository, none of this would work.

Before you start, you’ll probably need to install Subversion onto your server. For href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/ubuntu">Ubuntu and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/debian/">Debian servers, use

sudo apt-get install subversion

while href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-fedora-16-beta-distribution/">Fedora/Red Hat/CentOS users should use

sudo yum install subversion

Creating A New Blog

In order to create a new SVN-controlled WordPress instance, log into your server using a program such as PuTTY, using :

cd /path/to/a/folder

so you can use

mkdir blog

to create a new folder named blog in your current location. Then use

cd blog

to go into the new folder, and run

svn co http://core.svn.wordpress.org/tags/3.2.1 .

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/wordpress_svn_checkout.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="385" />

to download and install WordPress into the current folder. If there is a newer version, replace 3.2.1 with the latest version. Also, don’t forget to include that lonesome period (.) at the end of the command as that is needed for the command to run correctly. Wait for the process to complete, then you can go ahead and enter in the correct URL to begin the installation script.

Converting From “Traditional” To SVN

Converting your blog to be controlled by SVN will require a few new steps. Essentially, this will create a new blog that is SVN-controlled, and move all your content and settings over to that new blog. This isn’t as invasive as it sounds, and shouldn’t mess up anything that you currently have on your blog.

To get started, use “cd” to go to where your blog folder is located (don’t actually go into the blog folder). Here we are going to assume that your old blog is in a folder named “blog” and your temporary new blog is going to be in a folder named “blog-new“. Go ahead and run

svn co http://core.svn.wordpress.org/tags/3.2.1 blog-new

which will create the new “blog-new” folder and download the necessary files into it. Please make sure that you download the same version as the one you are currently using. So if you’re not running the latest version, don’t choose the latest version in this process.

Next we’re going to go into the old blog folder by running

cd ../blog

and then copy the main config file as well as the htaccess file by running

cp -p wp-config.php .htaccess ../blog-new

so that these important files are in the new blog folder.

Now we’re going to copy over the actual content of your blog to the new folder, including plugins, themes, and whatnot. To do this, run

cp -rpfu wp-content/* ../blog-new/wp-content

and let that take a couple seconds or more, depending on how large your blog is. WordPress-provided plugins shouldn’t be affected, but you can double-check to make sure everything is running smoothly by running

svn status ../blog-new/wp-content.

Any files that were modified will have an “M” next to them and need to be reverted by using

svn revert ../blog-new/wp-content/some/file.

Any custom files or directories can also be copied by running

cp -rp images wp-digest ../blog-new

You can check that everything is copied over correctly and good to go by running

diff -rq blog/ blog-new/ | grep -v svn

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/wordpress_svn_diff1.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="163" />

(This is an example after I intentionally removed some files)

We’re almost done! We’re now going to move out to the big folder containing the two blog folders by running

cd ..

and then renaming them to make the final switch-a-roo by running

mv blog blog-old; mv blog-new blog.

Congrats! Your SVN-controlled blog should now be up and running! If not, you may have forgotten to copy something from the old blog (now located in the renamed folder “blog-old”). You can now go ahead and update to the latest version if needed.

Updating Your Blog

To update your SVN-controlled WordPress blog, you’ll need to go into the directory of your blog using the “cd” command and then run :

svn sw http://core.svn.wordpress.org/tags/3.2.1/ .

which will switch your blog to the newest version. Remember to replace 3.2.1 with the latest version available.

Conclusion

For those that support it, SVN is a great version tracking tool that is highly effective, relatively easy to use, and very fast. It’s a great thing that WordPress can be controlled via SVN, increasing the flexibility of the already-flexible WordPress platform. No wonder it’s one of the most used frameworks for sites today.

What do you think about WordPress and SVN working together? Have you even known that this was possible? Let us know in the comments!

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube.jpg" alt="youtube volume control"/>Last week we shared a few ways to quickly href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mute-sound-webpages-embedded-audio-flash/">mute sound (or prevent flash from auto-playing) in different browsers.

This week we follow up with a few more interesting tips on getting more control over YouTube video volume (Google Chrome, FireFox and Internet Explorer)

Here are a few ways to easily make a YouTube video play louder or quieter:

Keyboard Shortcuts (Default)

YouTube videos support standard and obvious href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/comprehensive-guide-youtube-player-keyboard-shortcuts/">keyboard shortcuts: use UP / DOWN arrows to make the video play 5% loader or quieter.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube-04.jpg" alt="youtube volume control" width="253" height="107" />

Note: You may have to click on the video to move the focus to it and make the shortcut work (otherwise the shortcuts will just move the whole page up or down), so you will still need an extra click.

Control Volume Scrolling Mouse Wheel (Google Chrome)

href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/abjcfabbhafbcdfjoecdgepllmpfceif#">Magic Actions for Youtube is a fun Google Chrome extension that adds a few nice features to YouTube player including volume control using your mouse.

When on any YouTube video page, scroll your mouse wheel to make the video play louder or quieter. And you don’t even need to move focus to the video itself (like with the shortcut)!

The extension supports any web page with an embedded YouTube video as well as any page with a HTML5 video player.

The sound level is visualized via a pretty standalone indicator.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube-01.jpg" alt="volume control on youtube" width="498" height="380" />

More features to enjoy:

• Set the videos to play in HD by default;
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-browser-extensions-dim-lights-move-focus-youtube-video/">Dim lights for the background page to enjoy the cinema mode (use the mouse wheel to change opacity of the background).
• Auto play any video once you land on a page;
• Disable video annotations.

The extension options let you enable or disable any of the above features as well as set the volume control look and feel:

• Change the color of the volume controller line;
• Set the text volume indicator (instead of color line):

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube-05.jpg" alt="volume control on youtube" width="502" height="340" />

Other supported online video streaming services: Vimeo.com

3. Control Volume from the Status / Addons Bar (FireFox, IE)

href="http://www.foxytunes.com/">FoxyTunes is a handy FireFox and Internet Explorer addon that adds video controls to the browser status bar (or “ href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/optimize-firefox-addons-bar-claim-space/">Addons bar” for FireFox 4+ users).

It is initially meant to help you control your desktop video or music player using your browser but it supports web video players (like YouTube) as well:

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube-02.jpg" alt="volume control on youtube" width="316" height="129" />

Apart from letting you control the volume and even mute it from your browser, you can also see the video information, pause the video, etc:

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volume-youtube-03.jpg" alt="youtube volume control" width="371" height="162" />

Besides, you can quickly hide it using the > sign on the Addons Bar.

Other supported online video streaming services: Blip.tv, Deezer, Last.fm, Songbird, href="http://www.foxytunes.com/firefox/supportedPlayers.html">more.

More YouTube tips we covered previously:

• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-youtube-tools-create-easy-leanback-tv-experience/">3 YouTube tools to create an easy lean-back TV experience: in case you have an idle minute and want to relax;
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-common-youtube-annoyances-rid-userscripts/">4 common YouTube annoyances and how to get rid of them with user scripts (prevent auto-playing and buffer smarter; improve default video quality, remove in-video ads, etc)
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/force-subtitles-embedded-youtube-video/">How to force subtitles in an embedded YouTube video (to make your website easier to understand for non-English speaking visitors);
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-easily-embed-part-youtube-video/">4 ways to easily embed part of a YouTube video: Save your site visitors’ time and show them the most interesting part!

Are there any other useful tips for controlling YouTube video volume? Please share them in the comments!

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/budgeticon1.png" alt="" />Any personal finance adviser will tell you that developing and maintaining a financial budget is the best way to meet monthly expenses, save for financial emergencies and plan for the future. Keeping a budget basically means totaling  your income for the month and subtracting the total of all your expenses. A budget calculator allows you to itemize your expenses so you can see where all your spending is going, especially for non-fixed discretionary items like groceries, music downloads, fast food, entertainment, computer software and the like that may be keeping you from paying off your credit debts or building a sufficient savings account.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/save-money-and-track-your-finances-with-mint/">Mint is one of the best free online budgeting systems, but if you don’t think you need something that elaborate, there are several other free sites for doing month-to-month budget calculations.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.thebudgetcalculator.com/budgetcalc/index.html">The Budget Calculator

This aptly named budget calculator is straightforward and includes expense boxes for many of the most typical types of fixed and non-fixed expenses—rent or mortgage, electricity, water, phone, Internet, etc. You need to input of course what applies to your personal finances.  It also contains boxes for monthly savings, IRA, and investments.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot701.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot701" width="444" height="371" />

After you enter the amounts and press “Calculate Budget” you can view and print out your budget for the month. As the site points out, “If the amount you get is a negative number check your expenses and savings to find out what is causing you to spend more than you make, and if you have money left over, put more money into savings or put it towards ‘Fun and Entertainment‘”.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.calculatorweb.com/calculators/budgetcalc/">Budget Calculator

This calculator is not as extensive as the one above, but if your expenses are limited to the basics – rent or mortgage, one or two credit cards, car loan, entertainment, etc – then this calculator is useful for quick results.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot702.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot702" width="481" height="361" />

class="vt-p" href="http://www.collegeloansite.com/student-loan-resources/budget-calculator.aspx">College Budgeting Calculator

If going to college is in your plans, the banking website, class="vt-p" href="http://www.chase.com">Chase.com, has a free student loan and budget calculator that computes your assets. This includes job income, scholarships, grants, parents/other, and your expenses – tuition, books and fees, room board, etc.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot7031.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot703" width="525" height="577" />

class="vt-p" href="http://www.free-financial-advice.net/">Free Financial Advice

Free Financial Advice also has a basic budget calculator, but it also features lots of short article advice for personal finance management and savings, including investing for beginners, ideas for earning extra money, saving gas, clothing, computer software, landscaping, paying off debts, etc.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot704.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot704" width="492" height="274" />

Free Financial Advice doesn’t require you to register or provide your email.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.debtsteps.com/budget-calculators.html">DebtSteps

DebtSteps has three extensive budget and loan calculators – Free Household Budget Form, Mortgage Payment Calculator, and a Credit Card Payoff Calculator.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot705.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot705" width="534" height="231" />

When you click on the household budget form, select the Print View option at the bottom of the page, and you will get a very extensive list for income and assets boxes, and numerous one for expenses – including unsecured debts, and gifts and donations.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.incharge.org/Credit_Counseling/Resources/Calculators/HomeBudget.aspx">Home Budget Calculator

Home Budget Calculator does what the above calculators do, but it includes two other unique features. It provides data boxes for you and your spouse’s income as well as more specific data, such as your tax withholdings, FICA, and retirement deductions or expenses.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot7071.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot707" width="569" height="373" />

The calculator also includes a visual pie chart that depicts your monthly expenses.

class="vt-p" href="http://frugalpig.com/budgetcalculator.html">Frugalpig

Frugalpig is a site dedicated to providing readers with tips and strategies for frugal living. It includes its own budget calculator for finding what the site calls “budget leaks”. If you need or want an old fashion pen and paper method for budgeting, you can also download the site’s free class="vt-p" href="http://www.frugalpig.com/frugallife/frugal-finance/budgets/family-budget-worksheet-online/">PDF family budget worksheet.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot708.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot708" width="519" height="327" />

Frugalpig also provides lots of tips about saving money on groceries, gas, home expenses, entertainment, and shopping in general.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.bankrate.com/calculators.aspx">Bankrate

When you get into the habit of creating and maintaining a budget, you will typically start looking for how you can tighten your budget to either meet monthly expenses, pay off a huge debt, or create emergency savings.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-06-20-at-3.25.05-PM.png" border="0" alt="Screen shot 2011 06 20 at 3 25 05 PM" width="580" height="470" />

Bankrate has a budget calculator as well, but it also includes several other financial calculators for mortgages, auto loans, credit card transfers, and home equity calculations.

Also, check out these articles for other online and software tools about budget keeping:

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/manage-your-money-safely-with-clearcheckbook/">Manage Your Money Safely with ClearCheckbook – Daniel /> class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/save-money-and-track-your-finances-with-mint/">Save Money and Track Your Finances with Mint – Karl /> class="l vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mint-budget-spending-online/">How To Use Mint To Manage Your Budget & Spendings Online – Bakari

Let us know what you think of these sites and which online financial tools you have found useful for controlling your budget.

Image Credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=77378893">Shutterstock />
/>Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on href="http://www.makeuseof.dev/answers/" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf Answers!

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href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/watch-spending-control-budget-8-free-budget-calculators/">Watch Your Spending & Control Your Budget With These 8 Free Budget Calculators is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/budget/" title="budget" rel="tag">budget, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/calculator/" title="calculator" rel="tag">calculator, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/family/" title="family" rel="tag">family, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/finance/" title="finance" rel="tag">finance, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/money/" title="money" rel="tag">money, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/money-management/" title="money management" rel="tag">money management, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/save-money/" title="save money" rel="tag">save money />

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View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-98.jpg" alt="android application permissions" />Here’s an interesting question: why does an application such as a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dragonplay.blackjack&feature=top-free">Blackjack game require permission to send out SMS messages on your behalf, or read your phone identity? I’m not singling out this one application – it just popped up in a casual stroll through the market. The fact of the matter is that there are numerous applications that require very invasive permissions, and could potentially cost you money in all sorts of sneaky ways.

One solution is to just avoid such applications; Another solution may be to install them, but selectively deny their invasive permissions. That’s what href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.stericson.permissions">Permissions Denied for Android offers.  But since Permissions Denied modifies basic system settings, you will need a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/root-android-phone-superoneclick-2">rooted Android device to try it out.

As you start the app, you’re greeted with an inspiring quote from Yoda and a list of apps and their permissions:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-99.jpg" alt="android application permissions" width="300" height="500" />

Okay, so the graphics on that header could be a touch more polished, but we’re not here for the pretty looks. Let’s scroll down the list and tap Words With Friends to see what permissions Zynga’s scrabble clone requires.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-100.jpg" alt="android application permissions set" width="300" height="500" />

Instead of outputting a bunch of permission names and letting you figure out what they mean on your own, Permissions Denied takes the time to explain in elaborate detail what each and every permission means. The descriptions are clear and don’t use difficult jargon. Under each permission you can clearly see its current status.

I am not quite sure why Zynga needs access to all contact information stored on my phone. Let’s disable that permission:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-101.jpg" alt="android application permissions set" width="300" height="500" />

This is where we see the first root prompt. I gave Permissions Denied root access, of course. Once I did that, there was a notification asking me to wait for a few seconds, and then the READ_CONTACTS message was changed:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-102.jpg" alt="android application permissions set" width="300" height="177" />

There’s a bit of a contrast issue with the text and the background color, so I’ll type out the message here: “This permission will be disabled AFTER a reboot”. Alright, so we need to reboot. Tapping the Menu button reveals a single handy option:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-103.jpg" alt="android permissions app" width="300" height="500" />

How convenient. After tapping the menu option, Permissions Denied popped up a verification prompt, and once I confirmed, the phone rebooted.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-104.jpg" alt="android permissions app" width="300" height="500" />

After rebooting, I opened Permissions again and tapped Words With Friends to see if the permission was indeed disabled:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/image-105.jpg" alt="android application permissions" width="299" height="178" />

Indeed, the permission was disabled. That means Words With Friends can no longer access the contact information on my phone, and I’ve regained just a tad more privacy by sharing less of my personal information with Zynga.

Caveats

Before you try Permissions Denied, there are a couple of important issues you should be aware of:

• Some applications may force-close if you disable their permissions. Obviously, not all permissions are there for nefarious purposes, and applications may try to use them at any time. It is strictly up to the developer to control how an application reacts when it doesn’t have permission to perform a certain activity. In simple terms, this means some apps may crash after you’ve denied them permissions. If that happens, you should be able to restore the permission and use the app again. Incidentally, Words With Friends worked just fine even after I denied its READ_CONTACTS permission.
• Permissions Denied does not work on all phones, even if they’re rooted. The real test is the reboot: Once you deny a permission, reboot your phone and go back into Permissions Denied (as I did above). If the permission is still denied, it obviously worked. Otherwise, the permission would simply be marked as “Active”, as if you haven’t tried to disable it at all. The developer isn’t sure why this happens — he speculates it may be due to different ROMs.

Bottom Line

Permissions Denied is a worthwhile app, if only for the educational value. You might be surprised to discover what permissions certain apps require on your device, and what each permission means. Since it’s a completely free and open-source app, you’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out. If it works, you’ll gain that much more privacy and control over your data. To install it, go to the href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.stericson.permissions">Permissions Denied page on the Android Market.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/shutterstock_76853827.jpg" alt="control grooveshark firefox" />For those of us with access to href="http://grooveshark.com/">Grooveshark, life is pretty good. We can listen to quite a bit of amazing music for free, simply by picking a playlist and kicking back to enjoy the tunes. Sometimes, you could be tempted to think things on the online music scene couldn’t get any better. But then someone comes along and creates a little tool which completely makes your day just by adding a little bit more awesome to the mix.

Today we’ve got two of these nifty tools to show you. One is an easy way to download the MP3 files directly from href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/grooveshark-free-legal-online-music/">Grooveshark as you use it, while the other is a neat way to control Grooveshark playlists from within Firefox. With these two tools up your sleeve, we’re sure you’ll be pretty pleased.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/GrooveShark.png" alt="control grooveshark firefox" />

Groove Shredder Add-On For MP3 Downloads

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/grooveshredder/">Groove Shredder is a new MP3 downloader for Grooveshark. It’s a Firefox extension which makes MP3 downloading simple, by opening a dedicated toolbar button which you can toggle on and off, then downloading MP3′s to your computer when activated.

When using Grooveshark, all you need to do is double-click to activate Groove Shredder. Search for a tune you like and double-click the result. Grooveshark will instantly ask you where you’d like to save it and what name to give the MP3 file. When the download finishes the song will play normally.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/GrooveShredder-Download.png" alt="control grooveshark firefox" />

Groove Shredder will also activate when you’re playing playlists, so you can easily download the tracks as they come up. Obviously, if you just want to listen to the tunes, you should disable Groove Shredder while you relax. Just click on the Groove Shredder toolbar button to toggle the downloading ability on and off.

GrooveShark Remote Control — Firefox Control for Grooveshark

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/grooveshark-remote-control/">GrooveShark Remote Control is a new playlist manager for Firefox users running Grooveshark. This allows you to play, pause and shuffle tracks from Firefox instead of switching tabs to stay in control. It also features track information in your taskbar (now known as the add-on bar in Firefox 4), allowing you to know about what you’re listening to and control all the important stuff without leaving your current tab.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/GrooveShark-Remote-Control.png" alt="control grooveshark" />

GrooveShark Remote Control will pop up a Growl window when the track changes in order to let you know the new track details. The remote control also disappears when it’s not in use, which is really good if you’re low on space in your taskbar.

More Grooveshark Tools

If these two useful additions to your Grooveshark set-up aren’t enough, take a look at some of our previous articles on Grooveshark and some other useful add-ons we’ve previously featured:

• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/listen-free-music-online-grooveshark/">Listen To Your Favorite Music Online For Free With Grooveshark
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/convert-spotify-itunes-lastfm-playlists-grooveshark-groovylists/">Convert Your Spotify, iTunes & Last.fm Playlists To Grooveshark With Groovylists
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/groovedown-download-songs-from-grooveshark/">Groovedown: Easily Download Songs From Grooveshark
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/bettergrooveshark-grooveshark-experience/">BetterGrooveshark: Flash & Ad Free Grooveshark Experience
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-improve-grooveshark-music-experience/">4+ Ways To Improve Your Grooveshark Music Experience

What are your favourite tools for using href="http://grooveshark.com/">Grooveshark? What’s your ideal Firefox-Grooveshark setup? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=76853827">ShutterStock />
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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/0_meteointro.jpg" alt="weather software with alerts for the mac" />I never used to be too concerned with the weather when I would wake up in the morning, usually because I would be getting into my car regardless of whether it was rain or shine. Since I moved to New York City, however, I take public transportation and walk everywhere, so the weather is very much a factor in my daily routine. In fact, checking the weather has become one of the first things I do after waking up in the morning.

There are a lot of apps and websites out there dedicated to forecasting href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/">weather. Some are better than others, and on a Mac, Meteo is one of the best I’ve seen. Meteo, or Meteorologist, is a free weather program for OS X. It allows users total control over their weather viewing, with support for multiple cities, interlaced weather reports, weather alerts, and much more.

How Do I Start Using Meteo?

If you’re ready to start using Meteo, the first thing you should do is navigate over to href="http://heat-meteo.sourceforge.net/">the homepage, located on SourceForge, and click on the 1.5.2 (latest version) link at the top of the page.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/1_meteo.png" alt="weather software with alerts for the mac" width="523" height="546" />

When you first run Meteo, you’ll be on the Cities tab, where you can remove the default city (Cupertino, CA), unless you live there of course, and add the cities you would like to track the weather in. To do that, just click the Add City button, type in your desired city, state, or zipcode, and click Search. Your city will be displayed at the bottom for you to select.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2_meteo.png" alt="weather software for mac" width="435" height="481" />

You can also select which weather and forecast items you would like to display for your searched city with the tabs at the top. You can select anything from Temperature and Forecast to Visibility and UV Index. Just click Confirm when you’re done.

On the Updating tab, you can select how often you would like active locations to update. By default, this is set to 15 minutes. Also by default, Meteo will be displayed in the Menubar at the top of your Mac’s screen, but you can change this to “Dock” or “Both” if you like as well.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/3_meteo.png" alt="weather software for mac" width="524" height="547" />

If you would like to receive alerts about the weather, you can set that up on the Alerts tab. Weather alerts can be in the form of an email, beep, a song you select, bounce, or message.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/4_meteo.png" alt="weather software with alerts for the mac" width="264" height="124" />

Once you have Meteo set up, you can click on your city in your Menubar and click Weather to be taken to Weather.com for an updated forecast, or simply mouse over Current Conditions to see what it’s currently like outside or Extended Forecast to see that information for over the next 3 days.

Conclusion

If you’re really into weather forecasting and would like to include this type of information on your blog or website, whether for your own reference or if it pertains to your readers, you should also check out this article by John entitled href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-sites-to-download-weather-widgets-for-your-blog-or-website/">Top 5 Sites to Download Weather Widgets For Your Blog or Website.

Meteo is a simple program that can give you as much in-depth information about the weather as you want it to. For my purposes, checking the weather every morning, it does the trick. Are you impressed with Meteorologist for Mac? What other apps/websites do you use to keep track of what’s going on outside? />
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style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/shutterstock_541347131.jpg" />The constant flow of emails is no doubt the bane of many computer users. Emailing is among the fastest forms of communication, but you constantly have to deal with impertinent messages, spam, and online promotions.

If you’re looking for ways to get your emails under control, Apple’s Mail app features a way to set up rules for what happens to emails when they arrive. Setting up and maintaining some simple rules in Mail can significantly cut down on the amount of time you’re spending shifting through and deleting unwanted emails.

The following are suggested rules for controlling your mail.

id="more-63868"> /> However, it’s important that you customize or add rules that apply to the types of emails you receive on a regular basis. Also, see my article on class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/five-essential-smart-mailboxes-for-apple-mail-mac/">smart mail folders for suggested ways to get your emails under control.

Junk Mail

Apple’s Mail comes with some default settings for junk mail. Open the Mail’s Preferences and click on Junk Mail to review the current settings. I believe the default settings for Junk Mail look like this:

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/JunkMail.png" border="0" alt="JunkMail.png" width="550" height="444" />

You can simply have junk mail moved to a Junk mailbox which provides a way to double-check those messages to see if they are indeed junk. Sometimes when you register on a website, the registration email notification might be considered junk mail when it first arrives in your mailbox, so you can check your junk mailbox to see if it was sent there.

If you want more control over your junk mail, you can select “Perform custom actions” (Click the “Advanced to configure” button), which will present you with a set of rules for what gets labeled junk.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Advanced.png" border="0" alt="Advanced.png" width="550" height="444" />

This is a good example of the type of rules you can configure to control what happens to your emails when they arrive in your box. So now let’s explore another rule that will automatically set designated email as read.

Mark As Read

Since I got tired of checking and deleting emails on both my desktop computer and mobile devices, I created what might be considered a pretty extreme rule. It marks all my daily incoming emails as read, unless the sender is in my Address Book. I also make sure that some VIP emails are never marked as read, for example mail from my editors at MUO.

The rule is set up like this:

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/MarkAsRead.png" border="0" alt="MarkAsRead.png" width="550" height="433" />

To set up this rule, click on Rules tab in Mail’s preferences. Click the Add Rules button. With the first condition, change “any” to all.

Next, click on the “Any Recipient” pop-up window and select “Date Received”. In the second set of drop-down conditions, select “Is Less Than,” and in the third, input “1″ days old.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Received.png" />

Next, click the + button and select “Sender is not in my Address Book.” Now this assumes that your Address Book is maintained with the names and addresses of people, clients, and companies who are most important to you.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/notaddressbook.png" />

You can also click the + button and add another condition; select “Sender is not in my Previous Recipients,“ which means that messages from senders you have responded to before will not be marked as read.

For added measure, you can include specific addresses for which you do not want messages marked as read.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/specificaddresses.png" />

Next, under Perform the following actions: select “Mark as Read” in the pop-up menu.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/MarkasRead-1.png" />

If you’re accustomed to checking and deleting daily mails, this rule may throw you a bit at first, because essentially all your emails will now be marked as read except the emails that you designated should not be.

However, you will still want to peruse daily emails though they are marked as read. Here’s how you do that. You can simply check your Inbox and see all incoming messages. You can also create a Smart Mailbox that will capture all your emails for the current day.

To set this up, select Mailbox > New Smart Mailbox in Mail’s menu bar. Set up the rule this way:

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/todaysmessages.png" />

For additional ideas on automating tasks on Mac computer, check out my free PDF, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download-free-mac-manual">The MUO Guide to Mac Automation.

Also, let us know about other email rules you use to keep your mailbox under control.

Image credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=54134713">Shutterstock.com

 

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style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/remote-tiny.png" />We’ve covered how to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/build-linux-web-server-computer-part-1/">set up a Linux server for various tasks in previous articles. But once it is set up, what is the easiest way to administer that server? Oftentimes it can be tucked away inside a basement or attic, it doesn’t matter where — as long as it has power and network (and is properly cooled). You don’t need a keyboard, monitor mouse or other peripherals; just a power and network cable.

So once you’ve got the server set up (and of course you’ve tested it to make sure it can boot back up from a reboot or power failure), how do you remotely connect to it?

id="more-62544"> /> There are 2 main options: GUI (Graphical User Interface) or CLI (Command Line Interface). Also for the sake of this article, I will mention Ubuntu-only, but the same general ideas work on any Linux-based system.

Finding Your Linux System’s IP Address

For either method, you will need to find your computer’s local Internet Protocol (IP) address. If you have a sidebar, it may show up there, or you can open your network manager “Connection Information” and view it there. If you have not done so already, set up a static IP address so that this does not change when you reboot your Linux computer.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/find-ip.png" />

In the example above, the static IP address is 10.0.2.15.

Remote Control via GUI

Ubuntu and most Gnome-based Linux systems use href="http://makeuseof.com/tags/vnc">VNC, or href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Network_Computing">Virtual Network Computing protocol, for graphical remote control. To configure this service, which is disabled by default, go to System->Preferences->Remote Desktop. This will bring up the settings panel for Remote Desktop:

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ubuntu-remote-desktop.png" />

I’ve configured the correct settings above for remote control on an unattended box. Another important aspect of this is to automatically log you in to the system on a reboot, otherwise the desktop session will not have started and you won’t be able to log in. You do this in System->Administration->Login Screen.

After enabling these two options, are you are good to go. Install a VNC client on a Windows computer (I recommend href="http://www.uvnc.com:8080/">UltraVNC (it is only necessary to install the client, not the server) for ease of use. Enter the Linux computer’s IP address and hit ‘Connect’ – it will then prompt you for the password. Once you are connected, it will pop up on your screen and you’ll see this message which is shown on the desktop of the remote computer.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ubuntu-connected.png" />

We’ve previously written about Remote Desktop on Ubuntu specifically href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-establish-simple-remote-desktop-access-between-ubuntu-and-windows/">how to establish simple remote access between Ubuntu and Windows and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ubuntu-remote-desktop-builtin-vnc-compatible-dead-easy/">how to use the built-in Remote Desktop in Ubuntu, read on there for more detailed information.

Remote Control Via Command Line

The surest way to connect to a Linux box is to use SSH. All modern Linux systems include an SSH-client installed by default and most will also include the openssh server. Check to see you have it installed by issuing the command:

# sudo apt-get install openssh-server

It will either install the server if you don’t have it, or tell you it already is the latest version.

Once this is installed, all you need to do to connect to the computer is use any SSH client to connect to the IP address. A widely used and free one is called href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/">Putty. It works on multiple platforms and is free. Mac OS X users can also use the built-in xterm.

Execute Putty, put in your IP address and hit ‘connect’. You will then be prompted for the username and password on the system, enter it and you are in!

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ubuntu-putty.png" />

Which Way Is Best?

This all depends on your end goal. I find the command line to be much more stable and reliable than VNC so I typically will do everything from there, but then again I am comfortable with and grew up with the Terminal. If you are unfamiliar with Terminal commands or are perhaps used to the ease of use of the graphical interface, then VNC still works very well. It gives you an instant look at the desktop just like the computer was sitting in front of you. Do whichever method works best for you, or experiment with both! Just don’t run any commands that interrupt its network connection or you’ll have to make a trip to install a keyboard and monitor – been there and done that!

Let us know how you make out and of course let us know if you have any other preferred method of connecting to Linux from Windows!

Image credit: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=67960756">Shutterstock

 

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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnclogo.jpg" alt="iphone remote control" />There are a number of apps in the Apple App Store that let you class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-free-remote-control-apps-iphone">control your computer or a specific software using your iPhone. You can use your iPhone as a mouse, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/makeuseof-your-iphone-remote">remote control iTunes with it and do a whole lot more. Such apps are fun to use simply by the virtue of the “awesomeness” factor.

Let’s just turn the tables a bit. How about an iPhone remote control app that lets you control your iPhone using your computer?  Especially if you bitten by the texting bug! Now you can type fast and do work on your laptop while having the iPhone open in a separate application on your computer. Interested? Let’s see how you can do it.

id="more-51293"> /> We are going to be using the iPhone as a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/vnc">VNC server. Apple, of course wouldn’t allow such a feat to be accomplished on their cherished device, so you won’t find any such application in the Apple App Store. However, you might be aware that another very popular platform exists where you can get free and paid apps that you won’t find on Apple’s App Store. I am talking about Cydia.

Before we proceed any further I must mention a disclaimer. Jailbreaking has recently been legalized in the United States but you might want to check your local laws if you are outside the United States. Also keep in mind that jailbreaking will void your Apple warranty.

We need a jailbroken device for Cydia and we need Cydia for Veency which is the app that lets you connect to your iPhone remotely via VNC and thus control it from your computer. Veency is of course not the only app that jailbroken device owners might be interested in. There are lots of them available via Cydia that let you tweak your iPhone in ways class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-7-apple-iphone-complaints-simple-solutions/">no other app on the App Store would let you do.

Jailbreaking is easier than ever before with the latest app called  class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jailbreak-iphone-slide">jailbreakme. The actual process is however beyond the scope of our discussion here.

Installing Veency

• Open Cydia on your iPhone. Let it download the packages and do its thing. Now go to search and look for Veency.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnc1.png" alt="iphone remote control" />

• Click or tap on Veency. You will be able to see details of the Veency Package. Browse through them to know more about it.
• Once satisfied you can click the Install button towards the top right.
• Cydia will ask for confirmation before proceeding and show you a summary of what will be changed

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnc2.png" alt="remote desktop iphone" />

• Confirm and Veency will be downloaded and installed on your iPhone.

Using Veency

From a configuration point of view you only need to ensure that WiFi is switched on your iDevice before you can access it remotely. You will also need to know the IP address that gets assigned to your device. You already know this if you assigned it manually.

Else you can find the IP address assigned to your device by visiting Settings > General. Then click on the blue arrow next to WiFi network name and you should find your settings listed there.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnc3.png" alt="remote desktop iphone" />

Accessing Remotely

Your iDevice now has a VNC server installed. So you should be able to connect easily using a VNC client. We have covered a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/vnc/">number of them before. TightVNC stands out if you are on Windows. Download and install it from class="vt-p" href="http://www.tightvnc.com/">here. A portable version is also available if you are so inclined. Once that is out of the way, fire it up.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tightvnc.png" alt="remote desktop iphone" width="396" height="176" />

Next up you need to enter the IP address we determined above. And confirm the VNC request:

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnc4.png" alt="" />

Once you are connected you will be able to use your iPhone remotely via your computer.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iphoneinvnc.png" alt="iphone remote control" />

This is especially handy when typing long messages or accessing your iPhone in another room. There are certain downsides as well. Since you are using this with the mouse you won’t be able to replicate all the ground breaking gestures that make the iPhone so special.

I didn’t get the opportunity to test the setup with a magic mouse or magic trackpad. It would be interesting to know how things behave with these devices in the equation. Maybe some of you can let us know?

 

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Parents want to guide and watch their children but at the same time know they cannot be there all the time sitting with them when they are online. So even though parents are aware of the danger of the internet, talk to their kids and monitor them at home, parents know it is not possible to be the one that keep them safe all the time on the internet. They also know even if they trust them well, there are accidental search that can lead to harmful and material even they are not looking for it. So deciding on buying parental control software is considered a logical and responsible step more parents are taking.

Buying parental control software could be something you just take few minutes in doing. You sit down in front of the computer, “Google” some right words for it, press a link and buy a product. At the same time there is not certain that best software’s are those that will appear in top ten of Google search and you might be want to consider thinking what do I want my parental control software be able to do for me?

You could start buy asking other parents what they are using and asking for their experience. You could also try to browse around test look at their sites and read about that software; even send email to the sales apartment. You should check if the software has a 15 days trial period so you can test the software. Check for things like is the software being updated, which is very important in this day by day changing online world were dangers of the internet is always changing and software that the parental control software needs to work with is also updating and changing.

The biggest question you need to ask yourself when deciding on buying parental control software is the function of it. What do you want the parental software to do for you? Parental control software do not all have the same features and possibilities and you should therefore spend some time on thinking “what kind of parental control software do I need” Most of them will do different things for you and you may need different things for best safe surfing in your family. The possibilities are enormous. Let’s go over few things parental control software may have in their toolbox, so for you to use it in your buying guide you can look for those things you want to have when browsing through parental control website doing your own parental control software review.

Filtering: Does the software have filtering option? Most software will filter (pornographic filter, hate site filters, making bomb filter, violence filter etc. sites for you, but you may want to think how and how much control you have over the filtering system. 1. Does the parental control software have a database of blocked and family friendly sites? 2. Does the software allow you to create additional filtering list of sites you want to block? 3. Does the software have ability for you to only allow certain sites you choose and filter all other sites? 4. Does the software have a allow list have the ability to allow sites permanently and therefore overriding all other filtering system. 5. Does the software have dynamic content filter that block sites based on the content on each site you open?

Blocking software: You may also want to know if the parental control software is also blocking software, allowing you to block software’s you may think is harmful.

1. Does the software Block p2P file sharing like e.g. torrent software that are often used to download illegal software, music, movies, games and adult material?

2. Does it block chat programs?

3. Does the software block games that are considered more addictive e.g. MMORPG games?

4. Does the software allow you to choose additional software from the computer and block it?

Monitoring Software: You may want to check if the parental control software allows you to monitor the overall use of the computer and give you a good report on what has been happening. Does the software monitor all keystrokes that will enable you to read what has been written on the computer based on the software the words were written in? You may also want to have a screen shots recording in the software to able you to see how what has been happening in a form of picture of the screen. The screen shots recording is also good as a proof if something bad happens, e.g. Predator harassing the child, or some other child bullying the child on chat application. With screen shots you have a proof of what has happened after these incidents. Some software also has email monitoring of incoming and outgoing emails. Last option you may want to check for if the software monitors all cut and paste-ing on the computer both picture and text.

Time control software: This is a feature that can be extremely important in avoiding the computer will take too much time from school work, friends, sports and possibly preventing internet addiction. You may want to look closely into if the software allows you to specify how many hours a month, week and per day. You may want to control differently at what time of day and different between weekdays and weekends. At last the possibility of controlling some specific behavior such as applications or watching movies could be an option you want to check for

Protecting Privacy: The internet is a dangerous place for kids with predators lurking in chat rooms the importance of protecting privacy is important factor in buying a safe surfing tool as parental control software. Therefore a software that allow you to block user for sending out private information as address or phone number and/or take screen shots and notify you when private information are being sent from the home computer.

Alerts and Reports: Parental control software is not as useful if it never tell you what is happening. Good report system is important to go over the computer use and good alert system that notify you in an email or SMS can be extremely important to be able to get alert as soon as something bad things happen.

There are many other factors to look for, how easy to use the software is, is it doing what it is supposed to do, what kind of support can I a get and does the website provide me with some other useful tools or information’s. There are of course other things as well to look for as does the software provides me with specific tool for specific things I am aiming to avoid or control. These specific things could be related to e.g. all the emerging internet addiction, that is gaming addiction prevention, gambling addiction prevention, pornographic and cybersex addiction prevention. Are there some helpful tools for younger children or older children .

You may also want to look at how sure am I of being able to control the computer and my kid’s not just get around the software. You want to choose a software that is password protected, can be set in stealth mode and stop others from changing anything in the computer control panel.

Most important thing is to take your time searching, reading, asking, testing and in the end when you are happy choosing the right parental control software.

Hard drives are huge nowadays, not just in popularity, but also in data storage size.  Now that you can easily pick up a terabyte hard drive for a reasonable price, you have a new problem: how do you split up that space? Partitioning is a method of dividing storage space inside a hard drive and lets you avoid having one big disk in My Computer.

I like to keep my operating system in its own partition, separate from my personal data like My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, and My Videos. This means that if I ever have a problem with my OS (or want to wipe it, install a different version, or a different OS altogether), I can easily interact with that specific partition and my personal data will be left alone. Partitions are also great for installing multiple operating systems on a disk – I currently have an NTFS partition for Windows 7, an NTFS partition for Windows XP, as well as ext4 and swap partitions for Linux.

Now that you know how useful partitioning your disk can be, you need some good software to do it. In this giveaway, we’re offering 50 copies of Paragon Partition Manager 11 Personal Edition to MakeUseOf readers!

Paragon Partition Manager 11 Personal Edition is great for advanced users and basic users alike. Sporting two interfaces, you can enable as much control as you need when partitioning your hard drive. Power users can reveal advanced controls with the click of a button.

With Partition Manager 11 Personal Edition, you can easily create, delete, resize, and merge partitions. If you have a new hard drive, you can use Create Partition to divvy up your space and select different file systems. If you’re working with an existing hard drive, you can use Delete Partition or Merge Partitions to remove unnecessary partitions and make room for new ones. Finally, you can use Resize Partitions to resize your current partitions to free up more space for data or other operating systems.

You will also have access to sophisticated features like migrating your current hard drive to an entirely different disk (of the same or different size), and also making an identical copy of a current partition.

Before working with partitions, you should always note that any activity that messes with the structure of your hard drive can result in loss of data. This is one of the worrisome parts of disk partitioning, but Paragon Partition Manager 11 Personal Edition mitigates this risk by providing backup functionality to provide a data loss free operation. This feature is worth its weight in gold – you can make changes to your disk without having to worry so much about your data surviving the transition.

You’ll even be reminded to create a recovery CD before you start making changes to your partitions, which I strongly recommend you do.

If you really like tinkering with your system, this software includes a few extra features that I’ve found to be very useful. The Boot Management feature allows you to customize the boot parameters of your system (stuff that anybody who is familiar with the Linux application Gparted would recognize) and also helps you prep your disk for the installation of a new operating system.

Finally, Partition Manager 11 Personal Edition includes a great partition manager with full access to all of the features I previously described – except this time you can easily view partitions across all your disks.  Since I’ve always used Gparted for disk partitioning, I felt very comfortable working in the Partition Manager mode.

How do I win a copy?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions.

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, 6th August at 2100hrs PST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email.

Spread the word to your friends and have fun!

MakeUseOf would like to thank the Paragon Software team for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email.

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Did you now that your company’s computer network is facing security threats everyday?  Hackers will attempt to infiltrate your network to steal information or disrupt your operation. Pranksters will try to access your wireless network to get free Internet access while spammers will flood your mail servers.  On top of these, there are the usual worms, viruses, and Trojans that will surely harm your entire network and damage your files.  To protect your network from these daily threats, you need to deploy the Protector UTM Anti Spam appliance and Penetrator vulnerability scanning appliance.  These are your best defenses against all network security threats.

The Protector UTM Anti Spam appliance is a very effective tool against the onslaught of spam, unwanted, and redirected mails.  This hardware is equipped with the latest anti spam technology that can block unwanted mails without filtering legitimate electronic communications.  So even if you do not have a mail server administrator, your corporate email system will still operate at optimum levels.  However, the Protector UTM Anti Spam appliance is not only effective against spam.  It also has the capability to act as an anti-intrusion device that can block viruses, Trojans, and all forms of malicious wares.  With just a single UTM appliance, your network will get multiple protection systems and effectively prevent external attacks and threats.  

In the past, the only solution of companies to protect their networks is to deploy a firewall and implement several adhoc security systems.  In most instances, a firewall is not enough to prevent attacks.  And if you deploy different security systems, you will be forced to deal with several vendors.  This will complicate your network security management and would be costlier also.  That is why you will enjoy superior benefits from an all-in-one Protector UTM Anti Spam appliance.  All major security issues can be handled by a UTM appliance that is why your network will be protected at all times.  

To further fortify network security, the Penetrator vulnerability scanning appliance should also be installed.  Although a UTM device has anti intrusion capability, it is not designed to perform network security audits.  This security audit can only be performed by the Penetrator vulnerability scanning appliance.  This type of appliance is your best defense against hackers.  The vulnerability scanning appliance will identify exposed and weak areas of your network that can be exploited by hackers.  The Penetrator testing appliance can perform automated scanning so you can ensure that all the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of your network can be addressed immediately.  The pen testing appliance can provide vulnerability assessments, reports, and solutions.  

So if you want to fully protect your network from external threats and hacks, then you have to seriously consider deploying UTM and vulnerability scanning devices.  These two security systems work in tandem with each other.  The UTM protects your network systems from spam and viruses while the vulnerability scanner will enable you to prevent illegal hacks.  With these security systems in place, you will be able to keep your network safer and protected.  

Your mom told you to never play with your food, but no one ever told you that you shouldn’t play with your fiction. You may know of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books and text adventures, but those things are practically relics.

Their more modern manifestation is the interactive movie, and recent years have brought us several high-quality interactive movies available for free right on the web.

Interactive Internet movies, although perhaps a bit gimmicky, are in some ways pushing the envelope with what can be done with a story once you introduce viewer participation. Some have game elements, and some are multimedia experiences that aren’t restricted to just video. All of them give you some control over the experience.

The Outbreak

The Outbreak is the creation of a company called SilkTricky. It’s a pretty straightforward zombie movie except for the fact that you are, of course, in charge of the protagonist’s survival. If you’re the sort of person who yells “look behind you!” or “run faster, you idiot!” during horror movies, this is probably exactly what you need.

It’s pretty simple: you watch a scene and then choose between a couple of options, like whether to go in the basement or the backyard, and whether to attempt to save others or leave them behind.

It’s a lot like a Choose Your Own Adventure book in that there are right choices and wrong choices, and if you make a series of wrong choices you’ll eventually be led to your death. Unlike a Choose Your Own Adventure book, though, you don’t have to use a ton of bookmarks or stick your fingers in a bunch of different pages in order to backtrack and make different choices. The Outbreak includes an easy-to-navigate chapter selection that lets you go back and try out any of the choices that you didn’t make the first time.

The Outbreak isn’t very long or complex, but it’s a pretty neat interactive zombie movie.

Bank Run

Bank Run is another interactive Internet movie, also made by SilkTricky. The story this time around is that our protagonist becomes unwittingly involved in a conspiracy and the bank that he works for is out to get him.

Like with The Outbreak, at the ends of scenes you have to choose between two options about how to proceed. The choices are a bit more limited this time around, though, because one is always right and the other will always get you killed. After getting killed, you can rewind to choose the other option. This means that there’s really only one path through the movie.

But what Bank Run has that The Outbreak doesn’t is some more game-like elements. From time to time, you have to press a key on your keyboard to dodge and survive.

Part 2 of Bank Run is available on the iPhone from the App Store for $2. It continues the story and becomes a full-fledged shooting game in some scenes where you’re in complete control of the protagonist’s fate as you fight your way past enemies.

HBO Imagine

This is one of the most unique interactive movies out there. Its story is difficult to explain because it stretches across so many characters and subplots, but that ends up making it a lot more unique than a simple zombie outbreak or a bank conspiracy. It includes an affair, an art heist, teddy bears stuffed with money, and even a funeral for a murdered mime (killed, fittingly enough, for “not keeping his mouth shut”).

Although you’re not allowed to make any choices that influence the direction of the plot, you do have control over the order that you view the narrative in and, for certain key scenes, you also have control over your camera perspective. The scenes with multiple camera perspectives are truly the highlights of the experience.

In these scenes, you can rotate a cube to view the ongoing action from four different angles, each revealing the things that different characters are (in most cases secretly) up to. It’s up to you to piece together these different activities to figure out whether the affair and the art heist are really just an affair and an art heist… or a decoy for something bigger that’s going on.

A lot of the scenes that don’t have multiple camera views are still filmed in unique ways that manipulate your perspective. In one scene, for example, a mime appears to be miming being stuck in a box. When the camera zooms out, however, it is revealed that he is actually in a truck sinking to the bottom of a lake, and his apparent miming is expressing a very real desire to escape.

HBO Imagine’s originality with the way it tells its story isn’t only restricted to presenting many of its filmed scenes with unique perspectives. In fact, HBO Imagine branches out beyond film entirely: there are also audio clips, newspaper clips, and other pieces of text. You choose the order in which you watch/listen to/read all of these different elements of the story and attempt to piece it together. HBO Imagine is a true interactive multimedia experience.

Conclusion

What do you think of interactive Internet movies? Are they just gimmicks, or are they the biggest innovation for narratives since the invention of the novel? Do you know of any other awesome interactive movies?

Image Credit: jaylopez

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