Tag Archive | "Digital"

Swim The Digital Tsunami With These 5 Web Tools To Fix Information Overload


class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information.jpg" alt="information overload" />We are finding out that too much of information is also clutter. We have talked about href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/managing-digital-information-overload-technology-cure-opinion/">how technology can swing it both ways for us. For instance, a previous look at href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-sites-deal-information-overload/">7 Sites That Can Help You Deal With Information Overload gave us a bunch of tools to take on the information flow and swim with it. If you come to think of it, nearly every software, web app, or smart mobile app is built to somehow not sink under the tsunami of digital information.

But the question remains – are we doing a good job of managing information to make our days more productive? That query alone makes me benchmark new apps and see how they can be dykes rather than flood gates.

Let’s look at five more web services to tackle information overload with some interesting filters.

href="http://slipstre.am/">Slipstream

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information01.jpg" alt="information overload" width="580" height="429" />

Slipstream is a 2 MB sized browser extension for Chrome and Safari (sorry, no Firefox) that helps to manage your Twitter timeline. Its operation is very simple – after you authorize it on your Twitter account, Slipstream lets you hide tweets you don’t care about with a single click.

You can automate the process by using hashtags to filter out specific tweets. Complete muting of certain tweets is also possible for specific users, topics, and timelines. You can create different keyword based filters and let Slipstream scrub your cluttered Twitter timeline. It’s very easy to setup and use via a simple ‘Hide’ click that opens a little box with the filter options.

href="http://ensembli.com/">Ensembli

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information03.jpg" alt="information overload and internet" width="580" height="323" />

Tackle information overload with personalized news. Tell Ensembli about the kind of stories you are interested in and it scouts out web mentions for you across the board. You can fine tune it after signing in, but Ensembli works just as well without the free registration. Just use the little box on the homepage to let it know your topic of interest.

With a registration, you can setup Ensembli to send you daily or weekly email alerts when it comes across a story on your interests. You can also keep your account stocked with the stories you want to keep and share.

href="http://summify.com/">Summify

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information05.jpg" alt="information overload and internet" width="580" height="315" />

Summify tackles information overload by applying some to the most shared and discussed items that you are interested in. It then ranks them by importance. You can add your Facebook, Twitter, and Google Reader accounts to bring your social feeds under Summify. Summify then rakes over your feeds, removes duplicate news items to reduce clutter, and shows streaming updates from your social networks with just the best stories.

You can set the web app with an update frequency, time interval between summaries, and number of stories to be sent in each summary, and also set up email notifications. Summify condenses your information and you can view it with the help of an iPhone app, get it on email, or take it straight on the web.

href="http://www.everyblock.com/">EveryBlock (U.S. only)

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information02.jpg" alt="information overload and internet" width="580" height="390" />

The web is so universal that it makes us miss what’s happening in our neighborhood. EveryBlock is an interesting app because it brings back the idea of ‘local’. With EveryBlock you can follow neighborhood news (here are the href="http://dc.everyblock.com/news/">types) and connect with your neighbors in 16 U.S. cities. How does it help you to focus on important information? By bringing news that’s relevant at the level of neighborhood or city block. Anything that’s beyond that is kept out.

Updated news and tools to post messages and connect with those immediately close to you in your own city are the key features. You can narrow it down by ZIP code. It’s something to look forward to as more cities get added.

href="http://www.spezify.com/">Spezify

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/information04.jpg" alt="information overload" width="580" height="288" />

If you have to go on a search, take a visual search engine with you. Personally speaking, visualization of information helps me to digest information much faster. Spezify is fast and it taps into multiple information sources like Yahoo, Twitter, Reuters, Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, MSN, Amazon etc.).

You can filter the visual results by images, text, videos, music, and Twitter mentions. A list of related keywords also helps to try out a few more variations. If this has got you interested in visual search, try out href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-awesome-visual-search-engines-to-transform-your-search/">4 Awesome Visual Search Engines to Transform Your Search.

If too much of information is still buffeting you and you just want to do more with less, look into:

  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-tips-deal-email-overload-gmail-show/">3 Tips To Deal With Email Overload In Gmail [Show & Tell]
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-twitter-information-overload/">3 Little Known Ways To Use Twitter Without Information Overload
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-simple-text-summarizers-tackle-information-overload/">4 Simple Text Summarizers To Tackle Information Overload

Let us know of any favored app you use to manage information effectively. The simpler the better, if you too are swamped with too much of digital information.

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=67359433" rel="nofollow">Shutterstock



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Will Camera Phones Replace Compact Digital Cameras? [MakeUseOf Poll]


class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/image81.png" alt="image" />Last week we asked if you were going to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/iphone-4s-makeuseof-poll/">rush out and buy the iPhone 4S or not. It seems nearly half of the readers are happy with their current phone, but everyone else wants an iPhone 4S at some point.

Out of 587 votes, here’s the breakdown: 47% of voters are sticking with their current phone; 32% voters are rushing out to buy the iPhone 4S as soon as possible; while 21% voters want the iPhone 4S somewhat, but aren’t in any hurry to go out and get it.

Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

Considering that the 47% voters sticking with their current phone includes non-iPhone users along with content users of older iPhone models, that’s a lot of people who want the iPhone 4S!

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iPhone-4S-Poll.png" alt="" />

This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: Will Camera Phones Replace Compact Digital Cameras?

Cameras in phones keep getting better and better. It’s pretty easy to find a phone with an 8 megapixel camera and a flash, and they’re not even that expensive. And while almost everyone will buy a cellphone, cameras are considered to be more of a luxury. So do camera phones mean the end for the compact digital camera? Do you still spend money on regular cameras, or are you content with those that come in your phone?

align="center">

 

What do you think are the pros and cons of each type of camera? Is the megapixel count really what’s important? If not, what do you consider to be the important things in a camera? Let us know!

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/camera-phones-replace-compact-digital-cameras-makeuseof-poll/">Will Camera Phones Replace Compact Digital Cameras? [MakeUseOf Poll] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf



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Hot Tech Deals – Canon PowerShot A2200 14.1MP 4X Digital Camera + more


class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/deals.jpg" />Newegg has the Canon PowerShot A2200 14.1MP 4X Digital Camera for just $99.99 with free shipping. The camera is available in silver, blue and red. It weighs just 4.6oz; features a 14.1 megapixel sensor; has 4X optical zoom and a 3″ LCD. It accepts SD/SDHC cards only.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

  1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT0A99265359A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16882676198&source=makeuseof">TODAY ONLY Samsung HT-D5300 5.1 3D Blu-Ray Home Theater System $249.99
  2. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT2A99265361A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16875502055&source=makeuseof">HTC myTouch 3G Bar Cell Phone (T-Mobile, Quad-Band GSM) $99.99 Free Shipping
  3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT4A99265360A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16882115276&source=makeuseof">Yamaha Aventage RX-A2000 7.1ch 130W/ch AV Receiver (HDMI 8-in, 2-out) $899.99 Free Ship via code EMCYTZT665
  4. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT8A99265362A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16830120479&source=makeuseof">Canon PowerShot A2200 14.1MP 4X Digital Camera w/ SD Card & Case $99.99 via code EMCYTZT662
  5. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT6A99265358A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16889253272&source=makeuseof">Toshiba 46SL412 46in LED-Edgelit LCD HDTV (1080p, 120Hz) $649 Free Ship via code EMCYTZT666



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Hot Tech Deals – Western Digital Elements SE 1TB Portable External Hard Drive + more


class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/deals.jpg" />Newegg has the Western Digital Elements SE 1TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive for just $69.99 with free shipping. This is one of the smaller portable hard drives that run off of USB bus power and requires no extra AC adapter.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

  1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT1A99264524A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16889005196&source=makeuseof">LG 42LK530 42 inch LCD HDTV (1080p, 120Hz, Calibration Friendly) $599.99 via code EMCYTZT650
  2. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT2A99264526A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16874103199&source=makeuseof">Microsoft Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 w/ Kinect Adventures Game $122.50 $124.99
  3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT4A99264527A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16882115277&source=makeuseof">Yamaha Aventage RX-A3000 7.2Ch 140W/ch 3D Receiver w/ 2 HDMI Out $1199.99
  4. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT8A99264523A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16830120503&source=makeuseof">Canon Elph 500HS 12.1 4.4x Digital Camera w/ 1080p HD Video $249 Free SHipping via code EMCYTZT645
  5. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT9A99264525A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16816132029&source=makeuseof">TODAY ONLY Rosewill RSV-SR-X 4 Bay eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure $99.9
  6. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT11A99264522A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16822136540&source=makeuseof">TODAY ONLY Western Digital Elements SE 1TB Portable External Hard Drive $69.99 via code EMCYTZT646

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/hot-tech-deals-western-digital-elements-se-1tb-portable-external-hard-drive/">Hot Tech Deals – Western Digital Elements SE 1TB Portable External Hard Drive + more is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf



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Do You Think Digital Pirates Purchase More Products Than Non-Pirates? [MakeUseOf Poll]


class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/polls.jpg?54167"/>Last week we asked everyone to tell us href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/tech-books-makeuseof-poll/">how many tech books you have. The bulk of people seem to have between 1-9 tech books in their collection.

We collected a total of 210 votes, which were distributed as follows: 24% have 1-9 tech books; 22% have between 20-49 tech books; the option for 50-99 was left out accidentally, but if it had been there it probably would have rested between the 20-49 and 100-249 responses or much higher (judging by the bell curve); 17% have between 100-249 tech books; 15% have an amazing 250+ tech books; 13% have between 10-19 tech books; while 9% have no tech books at all.

Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Tech-Books-Poll.png?54167" alt="" title="Tech Books Poll" />

This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: Do You Think Digital Pirates Purchase More Products Than Non-Pirates?

A recent study has deemed that href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/236214/study_casts_pirate_site_users_in_good_light.html">people pirating movies are actually the same people who purchase the most movies. A similar study concluded that href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirates-are-the-music-industrys-most-valuable-customers-100122/">people who pirate digital music actually purchased more digital music than non-pirates (although fewer physical CDs). I’ve heard many people actually consider pirating products as a try-before-you-buy deal. The entertainment industry obviously sees it differently. How do you see things from where you stand? How do the pirates you know of behave? Do they purchase things or not? More importantly, do they purchase more than the non-pirates you know of?

align="center"> />

A simple yes/no/maybe poll isn’t going to cut it if you’re keen to elaborate. Feel free to let us know more about your pirating friends’ purchasing habits in the comments!

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/digital-pirates-purchase-products-nonpirates-makeuseof-poll/">Do You Think Digital Pirates Purchase More Products Than Non-Pirates? [MakeUseOf Poll] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/piracy/" title="piracy" rel="tag">piracy />

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    Put Your Digital, Social & Technical Skills To The Test With Smarterer


    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer-intro.jpg" alt="skill assessment test"/>Success in the modern job market is underlined by one simple fact – the skills you bring to the table. The fresh web service called href="http://smarterer.com/">Smarterer aims to shake our inertia about learning skills and make smarter workers out of us all. Smarterer pits us against the technology, digital, and social tools we use every day and tells us if we are able or inept with them.

    Smarterer’s mission is to put a number (or a score) on the skills we write about in our resumes. If you have the smarts, let’s head below and see how Smarterer and its battery of tests validate your digital savvy.

    What Is Smarterer?

    Smarterer tests your skill level and knowledge in the digital apps you use every day. The web app has developed a proprietary system and algorithm that can benchmark anyone’s skill in just 10 questions and 60 seconds.

    The Smarterer blog says – Smarterer’s scoring algorithm validates and quantifies skills using an 800 point scale, similar to the GMAT or SAT, and provides users labels such as “smart”, “smarter,” and “smarterer” to describe their skill level at a glance. Only 5 percent of users score in the top level, which reflects the adaptive nature of the algorithm and their rank against the community of users.

    More importantly, the blog also says that Smarterer is designed for professionals within the first 10 years of their careers — college students who have little experience (but a broad set of skills that make them employable) and individuals who are making their first or second career move and need to show skills to get the next great job.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer.jpg" alt="skill assessment test" width="580" height="284" />

    Bring On The Tests…

    Register and log into Smarterer. Smarterer allows us to take as well as create skill assessment tests. Just to get a feel of things, I think I will take a few tests and see how I score. There are nearly 70+ tests with the likes of Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn interspersed in the midst of tests like Dog Training and Literature for Children.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer01.jpg" alt="computer skill test" width="580" height="302" />

    Some of these tests are of course user-created but it goes to show that as the variety starts piling up, you can really put all facets of your personality under the scanner.

    Here’s a screen from the Google Search test I opened with:

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer02.jpg" alt="computer skill test" width="580" height="290" />

    You can try out the single test question just to get a feel of things and how the system times you through each question. Correct responses are indicated by green, incorrect ones get emblazoned in red.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer03.jpg" alt="computer skill test" width="580" height="324" />

    The tests are rapid and each question needs to be answered in 20 seconds or less. The screenshot below shows how I fared with Facebook (the results from my Google Search test weren’t red hot!):

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer04.jpg" alt="skill test" width="580" height="371" />

    Your ‘smartness’ gets measured on an 800 point scale. As the screen shows, I am merely ‘smart’ so far, not the smartest one around. You can share your score via Twitter or Facebook. But I think I will make an attempt at improving them before I let the whole world in. You can answer a few more questions to improve your score and graduate up the smartness scale. There are some things which influence the final score. This is where the ‘intelligence’ of the site kicks in.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/smarterer05.jpg" alt="skill assessment test" width="506" height="243" />

    Smarterer not only allows you to add your own questions to existing tests, but also create a brand new skill assessment test on a topic. You can create the tests, write the questions, and design the answers. If all goes well with the tests and your answers, you can see yourself on the leader board. Moreover, you can ‘show off’ you score with an embedded badge on your blog, website, or email.

    There’s lot to like about Smarterer: from its very user-friendly and clean design to the speed of the tests. I liked the scoring system which made picking up the points not just a case of answering correctly. Do you have the smarts? Take a test on href="http://smarterer.com/">Smarterer and let us know your score for this href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/quiz/">quiz and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/learning/">learning app.

    href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/put-digital-social-technical-skills-test-smarterer/">Put Your Digital, Social & Technical Skills To The Test With Smarterer is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

    More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/education/" title="education" rel="tag">education, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/job-tips/" title="job tips" rel="tag">job tips, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/learning/" title="learning" rel="tag">learning, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/personal-development/" title="personal development" rel="tag">personal development, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/quiz/" title="quiz" rel="tag">quiz, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/skills/" title="skills" rel="tag">skills, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/test/" title="test" rel="tag">test />

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    Hot Tech Deals – Western Digital My Book Essential 3TB USB 3.0 + more


    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hot-tech-deals1.png" />Who doesn’t like more storage? Today’s featured deal is the Western Digital My Book Essential 3TB USB 3.0 external hard drive which is going for $139.99 — a whopping $90 off its market price. Plus, being USB 3.0, you get the added benefit of higher transfer speeds.

    For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

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    /> href="http://www.supertintin.com/">SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder /> Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use.

    />

     

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    Hot Tech Deals – Samsung DualView ST700 16MP 5X Digital Camera w/ Front Facing 1.8in LCD for $184.77 + more


    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hot-tech-deals.png" />The featured deal of the day is none other than the Samsung DualView ST700 16MP 5X digital camera which features a 1.8″ front-facing LCD and a 3″ rear touchscreen LCD. Having a front-facing LCD helps to allow you and your subject that single-handed self portraits! As it’s our featured deal of the day, you get to save $200 on your purchase today!

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    6. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT17A99256726A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16822136284&source=makeuseof">Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB Hard Drive w/ 5yr Warranty $79.99 Free Shipping via code EMCKDKH26 (Exp 6/8)
    7. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT15A99256731A0&afsrc=1&id=4960&arg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buy.com%2Fprod%2Fsamsung-dualview-st700-16-megapixel-digital-camera-with-5x-optical%2Fq%2Floc%2F111%2F219887386.html&source=makeuseof">Samsung DualView ST700 16MP 5X Digital Camera w/ Front Facing 1.8in LCD $184.77
    8. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT11A99256730A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16813500056&source=makeuseof">Zotac H55ITX-C-E Intel H55 LGA1156 Mini ITX Motherboard (HDMI, USB 3.0) $89.99AR FS
    9. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT10A99256733A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16822136755&source=makeuseof">Western Digital \Passport 1TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive $89.99 Free Shipping

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    Hot Tech Deals – Viewsonic Digital Photo Frame & More


    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hot-tech-deals.png" />Today, a lovely Mother’s Day gift idea — a Viewsonic digital photo frame; half off a SanDisk MP3 player, Sennheiser HD 202 II, and Linksys E2000 router; $220 off a 17″ Toshiba Satellite and more hot deals.

    For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

    1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT0A99252440A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16822136831&source=makeuseof">WD TV Live Hub 1TB HDD Media Player $159.99 Free Shipping via code EMCKFHA45 (Exp 5/5)
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    3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT3A99252435A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16875176124&source=makeuseof">Samsung Star S5230 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM) $96.99 Free Shipping
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    4 Online Resources To Prepare For Your Death & Digital Afterlife


    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/2011/02/home-book1.png" border="0" alt="prepare for your death" height="230" />All of us who use digital technology, including websites, photography and email, leave a digital footprint nearly every day of our lives. The younger you are, the more digital content you‘re likely to produce, be it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or on your blog. But have you ever thought what happens to all your content when you die? Do your digital productions, no matter how large or small, represent a part of who you are? Is what you produce a part of the legacy you will leave behind after you’re gone?

    To address these and other questions, writers Evan Carroll and John Romano have put together a website called href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/">The Digital Beyond, as well as another companion site for their book,  href="http://www.yourdigitalafterlife.com/">Your Digital Afterlife. I recently started reading the book, but thought I’d head over to their site and check the free resource recommendations they have for what you can do to prepare for your digital afterlife. This may sound like a morbid subject, but death is a reality for all of us. But it’s how we will be remembered is what counts and keeps us “alive” in the hearts and minds of our loved ones.

    id="more-65967">

    href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/">The Digital Beyond

    Carroll and Romano’s href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/">Digital Beyond is their blog site which was started in May 2009. It ponders questions and issues about our digital existence and what happens after our death. Popular topics so far include, “ href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/2010/12/so-what-does-happen-to-your-digital-assets-after-you-die/">so what ‘does’ happen to your digital assets after you die?“, ” href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/2010/08/twitter-adopts-policy-for-deceased-users/">Twitter adopts policy for deceased users“, and “ href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/2010/01/digital-afterlife-predictions-for-2010/">Digital afterlife predictions for 2010“.  The authors also produce a href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/topics/podcast/">podcast and post href="http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/topics/video/">videos of their recent interviews, one which includes a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132617124/after-death-protecting-your-digital-afterlife">talk on NPR’s Fresh Air.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/digitabeyond.png" border="0" alt="prepare for your death" width="575" height="356" />

    Their site is new, but it’s one of the few, if not the only one, that is addressing questions and issues that so-called Millennials and Gen Xers – the generations of people who will have a lifetime of digital assets – will need to address.

    href="https://ifidie.org/">ifidie.org

    It‘s usually very difficult to prepare for your death because unless you suffer from a terminal illness it’s hard to know when your life may come to an end. But as we get older, we start to think about how we want to be remembered, and what we want to communicate to our friends and family after we’re gone. Saikat wrote a great piece called  href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-quick-simple-ways-write-life-logs-minimalist-online-journals/">5 Quick and Simple Ways to Write Your Life Logs which addresses this subject, and Tina wrote a similar one about href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-ways-document-life-pictures-online/">5 Ways to Document Your Life in Pictures Online.

    But if you want a way to speak directly to your special friends and loved ones from the grave, so to speak, you might want to check out a very simple and direct site called href="https://ifidie.org/">If I Die.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ifidie.png" border="0" alt="online accounts when you die" width="600" height="333" />

    After creating a free account on this site, you can write and store letters to your friends and family. In summary, this is how the href="https://ifidie.org/learn">site works:

    Each letter, when finished, will be stored securely and encrypted with a special password of your choosing. No one will be able to read any of your letters while you’re still alive. If someone attempts to read a letter, this website will initiate a process to determine whether you are in fact dead and whether your letter should be released. As a first precaution, ifidie.org will send you an email every day for two weeks – if you respond to these emails your letter will stay locked. If you don’t respond, all is not lost – ifidie.org will then attempt to contact up to five of your closest friends (of your choosing) every day for two more weeks. If any of them respond to say that you are alive, your letter will stay locked. You letter will only be unlocked if neither you nor any of your friends responds to a month of constant emails.

    It’s a pretty neat idea, but the important thing is for you to regularly visit and add content to your account over your lifetime, which also helps make sure the site is always up and running.

    href="http://www.deadmansswitch.net/">Dead Man’s Switch

    Dead Man’s Switch works similarly to If I Die, but it’s, pardon the pun, dead simpler. You select a few trusted friends or family members and write them emails about your afterlife digital assets. These emails may contain where and how to access important online documents, user and password information for important online content, or any instructions in the event you unexpectedly die.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/deadmanswitch.png" border="0" alt="online accounts when you die" width="515" height="429" />

    The emails are encrypted with military-grade algorithms, so you can be sure that no-one except the intended recipient will ever read them. You will be notified every so often (the site doesn’t say how often) to check that you’re still alive. If after a certain period time you don’t respond, Switch will send the emails you wrote to the recipients you specified.

    This kind of “electronic will”, as the site calls it, might be very useful for people such as soldiers in military combat and other people who work in life-threatening jobs.

    href="https://www.mywonderfullife.com/">My Wonderful Life

    One of the best things we can do for our family and friends is to help them prepare for when we’re gone. href="https://www.mywonderfullife.com/">My Wonderful Life allows you to create a sort of digital life book which can include letters, favorite memories, your own obituary and even the design on your headstone.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0px initial initial;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/wonderfulife1.png" border="0" alt="Wonderfulife" width="374" height="464" />

    After you register your account, you can designate “Angles” inside your book. The Angles are the people in your life that will know you have died and will carry out your wishes. The people you designate are notified about your book, and if they accept they will become one of the “Angles” who will get access to your book after you’re gone.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/mywonderfullife.jpg" border="0" alt="prepare for your death" width="600" height="335" />

    Since so much of what we do in the digital world is password protected, it might be difficult for our family friends to access our digital assets after we’re gone. It’s resources like the ones described above that might be useful solutions to this problem.

    So how are you preparing for your digital afterlife? Have you given it much thought? Let us know about your solutions. />
    />Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/">MakeUseOf Answers! />
    />

     

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    GIMP Paint Studio: A Great Addition To Make GIMP A Digital Artist’s Playground


    style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/intro3.jpg" alt="gimp paint studio"/>Some of us here really enjoy using GIMP, and not only have we mentioned href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-websites-learn-gimp-photo-editor-online/">where to learn href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-websites-learn-gimp-photo-editing/">more about using GIMP, where to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-beginner-level-video-tutorials-learn-gimp-fast/">learn visually thanks to video tutorials, and where to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tutorials-amazing-wallpapers-gimp/">learn to make your own wallpapers, but we’ve also provided our own simple tutorials to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-image-map-gimp/">create image maps, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-simple-zoomed-effect-screenshots-gimp/">improve your screenshots href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-speech-bubbles-screenshots-gimp/">with callouts, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-gimp-to-batch-edit-your-images-windows-specific-instructions/">batch edit images, and even create some really cool href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-stereographic-projections-photoshop-gimp/">stereographic projections.

    A lot of times when you’re making your own graphics, you might need the help of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-use-scripts-plugins-in-gimp-to-extend-its-functionality/">scripts or plugins to reduce steps to achieve something you constantly find yourself doing. If you’re into making your own drawings and digital paintings, you will probably be excited to find out about GIMP Paint Studio.

    id="more-65468"> /> I certainly was when I found out through Asian Angel (thank you!). That’s because GIMP Paint Studio (GPS) is a package filled with goodies that improve GIMP’s drawing and painting features, especially useful if you own a drawing tablet. It consists of new brushes and tools that will likely make the digital painter-inclined user comfortable with the program from the moment GIMP is launched. The plugin is actually put together by a digital artist who has an href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/wiki/Gallery">incredible gallery on the download site to further demonstrate what can be achieved with GIMP and GIMP Paint Studio.

    Installation

    If you want to try the package, href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/downloads/list">download the zip file from the Google Code site, which packs brushes, palettes, gradients, patterns, and tool options. Assuming you have GIMP installed, after you unzip the download file, you’ll have to copy or move the files inside each folder of GPS into the original GIMP folders. Personally, I moved the entire GPS brushes folder to GIMP’s brushes folder, for example, so they stay separated from the built-in ones, in case GIMP starts up too slowly for the new amount of brushes to load. For Windows Vista and 7, you can find the original GIMP folders in “C:\Username\.gimp-2.6”’; in Windows XP, locate the folders in “C:\Documents and Settings\Username\.Gimp-2.6\”; in OS X, they should go in “/Users/Username/Library/Application Support/Gimp”; in Ubuntu or any Linux system, they should be in “/home/username/.gimp-2.6”. If you have the portable version like I do, find the folders in “GIMPPortable/App/gimp/share/gimp/2.0/”. Now that you now where to move or copy the files, move GIMP Paint Studio’s brushes into the original GIMP’s brushes folders, the new gradients into GIMP’s gradients folder and so on.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65597" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/1e.png" alt="gimp paint studio" width="557" height="704" />

    There are also sessionrc (can be used to rearrange the layout of GIMP to optimize working comfortably with graphics tablets) and toolrc (can be implemented to add tools to Toolbox) files in the GPS package that you can use to replace GIMP’s built-in, but you should back up the original files in case you wish to restore original layouts and tools.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65599" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/3.jpg" alt="freeware paint gimp" width="580" height="317" />

    What GPS provides when compared to GIMP’s built-in offerings is a wide range of tools for graphic designers and digital artists: different shadowing pencil brushes (graphite, 2B, 6B, etc), pen brushes (BIC pen, sketching pen), oil brushes, etc; and other presets for airbrushing, using the ink tool, smudging, etc. You can find the whole list of offerings href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/wiki/Features">here.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65598" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/22.png" alt="freeware paint gimp" width="562" height="800" />

    href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/wiki/Gallery">Artwork Made With GIMP & GPS

    Here are the many astounding art pieces in the href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/wiki/Gallery">Gallery (some made by the digital painter author of GPS) that show the potential of GPS and GIMP.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65600" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/51.jpg" alt="freeware paint gimp" width="580" height="547" />

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65601" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/6.jpg" alt="" width="499" height="351" />

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65602" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/7.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="273" />

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65603" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/8.jpg" alt="gimp paint studio" width="580" height="769" />

    If you’re inspired enough to try your hand at drawing and making your own creations, definitely check out GPS! Meanwhile, you can also href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-sites-download-free-photoshop-brushes/">check out where to get brushes if you want something smaller than the GPS package.

    What programs do you use to create your artwork?

    Photo credit: rel="nofollow" href="http://ramonmirandavisualart.blogspot.com/2010/03/lanzamiento-de-gimp-paint-studio-14.html">Ramon Miranda, rel="nofollow" href="http://code.google.com/p/gps-gimp-paint-studio/wiki/Gallery">GPS Gallery />
    />Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/">MakeUseOf Answers! />
    />

     

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    Student DOG Organizer – A Superb Digital Organizer You Should Check Out [Windows]


    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/2011/01/intro.png" alt="digital organizer" width="150" height="150" />There are many class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/task-manager/">task managers, such as class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-easy-ways-to-manage-tasks-with-remember-the-milk/">Remember The Milk and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/toodledo-an-online-task-management-app-with-iphone-integration/">Toodledo that have been praised for helping users get things done in an class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/delicious-completely-organize-student-life/">organized fashion, but a lot of times, a task manager isn’t enough. Most likely, you need to integrate task managers with other programs, such as your class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/organized-semester-google-calendar/">calendar application. This is especially true for class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/gradegurus-top-ten-student-tools-2010/">students that constantly need to be organized without dying in the swamp of tasks. Finding a task manager that works without sucking the little time you’ve got (because of its complex inputting syntax or what not) may be a challenge, but not for long.

    class="vt-p" href="http://download.cnet.com/Student-Dog-Organizer/3000-20415_4-75289356.html?tag=mncol;1">Student DOG Organizer (version 2.1) is a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-downloaded-student-tools-movers-shakers/">popular download that contains a handy digital interface for organizing tasks that most students get day by day. Think of it as a digital student planner, complete with contacts, calendar, tasks, grades, notes and schedule sections.

    id="more-62685"> /> What makes this program a gem is also the Overview section, which is actually the first one, so you can see a summary of the most immediate appointments, classes, tasks and even birthdays.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/11.png" alt="digital organizer" width="580" height="390" />

    Of course, this Overview section certainly works better provided you actually fill out all sections of the application. Most sections work the way you’d expect, but the next ones are worth mentioning because they’re especially helpful.

    Notes

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/21.png" alt="free task list organizers" width="580" height="393" />

    The Notes section lets you create notes and place them in specific categories, which could be certain classes or even random notes. The best way to go about creating notes would be to first create a category and then the note, which will ask you for the note title before opening Wordpad, with the file saved according to the title you provided. If you’re not too keen on using Wordpad, you can select a different program in the Settings tab. You can either select the built-in editor (a simple WYSIWYG composing window), Microsoft Word, or use a EXE program to which you will specify the path in the next field.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/32.png" alt="free task list organizers" width="559" height="448" />

    The tooltips of the icons actually showed information in what I believe is Czech, but otherwise, the Notes section is truly a godsend as it displays links to note files on the computer while still organizing them by categories. In other words, it helps you tag documents and also automates the organizing and sorting beautifully.

    Tasks With “Tagging”

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/4.png" alt="free task list organizers" width="580" height="398" />

    The Tasks section allows you to create a simple to-do list sorted by categories. You basically just need to create categories first before creating a new to-do, much like how you do in the Notes section. You can move items up and down to prioritize them, as well as insert lines to separate items and make groups if you so wish.

    Grades

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/5.png" alt="task organizer" width="580" height="389" />

    In the Marks section, you can keep up with your grades and averages for each class to easily determine your progress in the class. Included is a list of 12 subjects that you might need to edit if you’re using the tool for college. To do that, you’ll have to go into the Settings tab and click on Edit Subjects List to alter any class.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/6.png" alt="task organizer" width="506" height="481" />

    Schedule

    You can also create a visual representation of your class schedule on the Timetable tab of the program. You can set a different color for each class and set the start and end of this schedule. In the Settings tab, you’ll also be able to choose between high school-style and college-style schedules, which differ in that high school classes run in consecutive periods while you set your own schedule in college.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/7.png" alt="digital organizer" width="579" height="500" />

    The best part about Student DOG Organizer is that the program brings together what could be several different applications all in one package and so it offers a sort of dashboard where you can see an overview of everything you’ve inputted in one view. What I would love to see in this application though, is the ability to export or backup the data should my laptop ever get stolen while all my work is on it, or should I need to use another computer in a university lab and need access to my data.

    What applications or methods do you prefer to keep up with your student tasks? />
    />NEW: href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/makeuseof/id366921965?mt=8" target="_blank">Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!

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    How To Make Digital Flashcards With Google Docs Spreadsheets [Web & iOS/Android]


    style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/i.png" />Got some free time? Why not immerse yourself in a new subject or perfect your knowledge of, say, the Spanish language? MakeUseOf has rounded up several educational sites, like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-sites-for-free-video-lectures-from-top-colleges-universities/">MIT href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-awesome-websites-free-college-courses-online/">and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/sites-free-video-lectures-top-colleges/">Yale‘s OpenCourseWare sites, as well as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/educational-youtube-channels/">Youtube channels for you to get started with a subject to learn.

    To learn most subjects, href="http://makeuseof.com/tags/flashcards">flashcards make great companions to refresh your memory every so often. You might be used to creating flashcards by hand, but considering how most people probably type faster, here’s one way to digitize your flashcards and review them on your laptop and smartphone with Google Docs and href="http://www.gwhizmobile.com/Desktop/gFlash.php">gFlash+. The latter is available for iPhone or iPod Touch [ href="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/app/gflash-flashcards-tests/id286531709">iTunes link] and href="http://www.mobihand.com/product.asp?id=59574&n=gFlash%2B-for-Android">Android.

    id="more-57007">

    Making The Flashcards

    For thi,s we will be using Google Docs Spreadsheets to input our terms and definitions on two columns. To start, head to href="https://docs.google.com">Google Docs’s site and create a new spreadsheet.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/15.png" />

    Click on Unsaved Spreadsheet right next to the Google Docs logo (or press Ctrl + S) to give this spreadsheet a descriptive name.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/23.png" />

    Now type all of your terms on one column (column A), and your definitions on the next column (column B).

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/33.png" />

    If you have a bunch of vocabulary words, you can divide them in groups and dedicate one spreadsheet document (not sheet) for each group because the gFlash+ app works with individual documents.

    Reviewing On Your Laptop

    To review with your freshly inputted terms, we still need some mechanism that can help hide and show the terms on demand. Not many users know this, but there are special gadgets you can insert in Google Docs documents to make use of the data you entered, and since Google Docs is geared towards general users as well as students, there are some educational gadgets, a few of which are flashcard gadgets.

    The most useful one for this tutorial is one made by Google. To see this, click on Insert > Gadget.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/43.png" />

    On the Featured tab, scroll down to the 6th to last gadget, Flash Cards Gadget by Seth Glickman, and click on Add to spreadsheet.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/151.png" />

    If you can’t find this gadget, you can always right-click href="http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/107586420984574887835/flashcards.xml">here and copy the link or add

    style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #c6d7e1; background-color: #d8eaf2;">http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/107586420984574887835/flashcards.xml

    to the box in the Custom tab.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/54.png" />

    You’ll get a dialog box to indicate which columns have the words with the terms and definitions. Since your terms are in column A and the definitions are in B, we need to edit the default text (“Sheet1!A1″) and type “Sheet1!A:B”.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/63.png" />

    Now you will get a somewhat primitive but still very intuitive and useful gadget with terms.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/72.png" />

    You can move the gadget to cover the terms for practice or resize it to see more terms. Other useful features that you can use down the road include the Shuffle and Flip Cards features.

    Reviewing On The Go

    The free gFlash apps for href="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/app/gflash-flashcards-tests/id286531709">iPhone (iPad and iPod Touch as well) and href="http://www.mobihand.com/product.asp?id=59574&n=gFlash%2B-for-Android">Android (click href="http://market.android.com/details?id=com.gwhizmobile.gflashplus">here from device) come in handy for this tutorial as they happen to make use of the Google Docs spreadsheet two-column flashcard format. Blackberry users who don’t mind paying $6.99 can use the href="http://www.gwhizmobile.com/Desktop/Downloads.php#BlackBerry_Downloads">gFlashPro app, which supports images in flashcard entries and has no ads, among other things.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/82.png" />

    Once you download the app, head to Menu > Get My Google Data to login to your Google account and retrieve your Google Docs spreadsheets.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/9-2.png" />

    Once you’re done retrieving your lists of terms, you can start reviewing and tapping on the card below to reveal the answer. What makes gFlash incredibly useful is that it can keep score and on subsequent rounds, it gives you the terms you got wrong (plus a few you got right) so you can work on the terms you need more review for. You do need to tap on the arrow or X (after you get revealed the answer) to aid gFlash keep score.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/16.png" />

    Another cool feature is the ability to switch to multiple choice mode, tap on More at the bottom.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/112.png" />

    I did notice that gFlash crashed when I tried accessing the gWhiz Catalog to search for other term groups. Also, if you need to update your vocab list, you’ll need to delete the old spreadsheet and re-download the updated one to gFlash+.

    This is probably among the simplest solutions to create flashcards I have found that don’t require a steep learning curve. There are a few more sophisticated tools such as:

    • href="http://ichi2.net/anki/index.html">Anki,  href="http://pauker.sourceforge.net/pauker.php?target=home&lang=en">Pauker, and href="http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/">Mnemosyne, all open-source and cross-platform href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/learn-a-new-language-with-ankis-flash-card-system/">flashcard href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pauker-easytouse-java-flash-card-program/">programs,
    • href="http://web.mac.com/jrc/Genius/">Genius, a free app featured href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/five-free-mac-tools-to-help-you-excel-at-school/">here with other great Mac-only student-friendly tools,
    • href="http://codebrewery.blogspot.com/p/blonskij.html">Blonskij, a Windows-only application where you can import Excel sheets,
    • href="http://smart.fm/">Smart.fm, which sports a advanced system for href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/smartfm-online-learn-quickly/">online learning,
    • href="http://headmagnet.com/">Headmagnet, a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/headmagnet-online-flash-card-stops-memory-decay/">flexible online flashcard application,
    • href="http://flashcarddb.com/">FlashcardDB, a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/flashcarddb-online-flash-card-maker/">simple online flashcard maker.

    Which way do you prefer your flashcards, traditional or digital? Feel free to share your favorite program in the comments!

    Image credit: rel="nofollow" href="http://findicons.com/icon/31509/apple_iphone?id=31637">pierocksmysocks />
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    5 Essential Digital Photography Accessories You Can Make Yourself

    Posted on 01 October 2010. Tags: , , , ,


    style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/intro4.jpg" alt="digital photography accessories"/> href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/guide-to-digital-photography">Photography certainly isn’t the cheapest of hobbies to take up. If you’re serious about it then you’re going to need a good digital SLR, a selection of lenses and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-cool-accessories-photographer/">a decent set of extras to keep you snap-happy.

    There’s a startling array of accessories out there for the amateur enthusiast, and though many are cheap there’s plenty that aren’t. Luckily, you’ll be pleased to hear that many of those costly bits of plastic and card are simply that – plastic and card, which can be built for a fraction of the cost.

    Those of you who don’t have the cash to flash and enjoy a little challenge will find some of the do-it-yourself projects in this list satisfying, especially when you’re saving money (probably to buy more lenses, if you’re anything like me).

    id="more-54530">

    href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html">The DIY Softbox

    If you’ve ever taken an interest in href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-macro-photography/">macro photography then pay attention. A softbox is essentially a light tent, designed to soften harsh light and shadows to provide a nice even exposure and near-perfect lighting.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/softbox.jpe" alt="digital photography accessories"/>

    Pretty much every “product shot” of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/gdgt-electronic-gadgets-wikipedia/">any gadget you own will have been shot in one of these, and you can quite easily customise it to suit your own demands. A nice shiny floor tile from your local DIY store is all it takes to sex one these up!

    To make one you’re going to need an old cardboard box, some black and white card and a source of light. If you don’t have a flash unit, you can fire remotely (either wirelessly or with a hot-shoe cord) then you could use a desk lamp or even bright torch, just href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/tips-digital-photos-require-photoshop-fixes/">remember your white balance.

    href="http://www.xs4all.nl/~wiskerke/artikelen/string.html">The String Tripod

    The least-conventional tripod ever, this string tripod attaches to your camera’s usual tripod mount point so that a length of string is left hanging from your camera. Your foot is then used to hold the string tight in the position you would like to shoot, and adjusted accordingly.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/stringtripod.jpe" alt="digital photography accessories"/>

    The tripod works by using the tension in the string to keep the camera steady. It won’t keep your camera amazingly still but should work enough to facilitate shooting in lower light conditions. The tripod is designed purely to get href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-basics-of-aperture-and-shutter-speeds-for-beginning-photographers/">a couple of extra stops of light into your camera without the blur.

    To make it, you’ll need an existing tripod plate (plastic’s probably best, as you’ll need to drill a hole) and some sort of string or chain. There’s nothing to say you can’t modify this design, as long as it’ll fit in a tripod mount point then it’ll work. Retaining screws for US license plates apparently work well, if you’re that side of the pond.

    href="http://www.adidap.com/2007/12/20/diy-poors-man-ring-flash/">The Poor Man’s Ring Flash

    A proper ring flash can often end up costing more than what your camera is worth, so if you’re still new and not made of money then you might as well try and MacGyver yourself something instead. This guide will show you how to make a basic yet functional ring flash to bring out the best in your href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-photography-and-photoshop-tips-for-the-perfect-family-portrait/">portraiture.

    A ring flash is designed to light the subject from your lens’ point of view, minimising shadows in the wrong place and providing a vivid, well lit exposure. The DIY ring flash won’t perform as well as a professional bit of kit, but href="http://www.pbase.com/duncanc/image/84869713/large">the results aren’t bad.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ring2.jpg" alt="photography accessories" />

    Depending on the flash you are using (this should work with both the internal flash and any flash guns you might have) cut the milk carton to size, cut a hole big enough to slide your lens through and shoot away. If you’re reading this and you’ve got a point and shoot camera, don’t worry href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Point-and-Shoot-Ring-Flash-Diffuser/">you can join in too.

    href="http://www.diyphotography.net/the-party-bouncer-is-back-in-business">The Flash Bounce Card

    The simplest trick of all can transform your harsh sub-par built-in flash into a glorious bounce flash for a whopping $0. As long as you’ve got a piece of white card (a business card works well) and some elastic or rubber bands, you’re laughing.

    Position the card in front of the flash so no light can leak directly into your shot, so that when your flash fires the light is projected upwards and bounces back down into your scene. It’s no replacement for a full-on bounce flash, but you’ll be surprised at how well the shots will come out considering you never spent a penny.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bouncecard.jpg" alt="photography accessories"/>

    This will also work to help diffuse or even tint harsh light coming from flashguns, much like the picture above.

    href="http://dslrblog.com/how-to-make-a-diy-flash-bounce-diffuser/">The Flash Gun Diffuser / href="http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Gary-Fong-Lightsphere/">Light Sphere

    This one works in a similar way to the bounce card, but is aimed at those who have already coughed up the money for a fancy flash gun. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, as there are so many different versions floating about online.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/diysphere.jpe" alt="photography accessories"/>

    This particular design suggests using bubble wrap to create a hollow tunnel that sits on top of the flash unit, to diffuse light directly at the subject. I myself prefer the tried and tested href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/diy-flash-diffuser-airline-barf-bags">sick bag and rubber band diffuser, as the airlines tend to keep me stocked up for free.

    You’ll be amazed at how well it works, especially considering an official Gary Fong Lightsphere (which is just plastic after all) can set you back about $50.

    Conclusion

    Hopefully this list will at least give you an idea of what you can achieve with effort as opposed to money. These DIY accessories are often intended to deliver a sample of what the real thing can do without laying down the cash. If you find that you’re especially fond of one of your creations, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/tipjar-money-saving-tips/">then maybe it’s time to start saving for the real thing. If it’s good enough, why bother?

    What are your favourite DIY photo accessories? Got anything in your closet that you’re especially proud of? Dropped too much money on a diffuser recently? Let us know in the comments!

    Images: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-1015049/stock-photo-top-view-of-the-camera.html?src=425a48381155a550142bc298d272a5f3-1-34">Shutterstock,  rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/neildorgan/435393369/">DIY Softbox,  rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismetcalf/2204564425/">String Tripod, rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/d-32/2789193705">Eye, rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lightchasers/2767601148">Bounce Card,  rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rharrison/4546234667/">Light Sphere />
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    DSP chips with boundary scan test digital circuit board applications – chip, DSP-electronics industry

    Posted on 31 August 2010. Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


    Chip Figures Board Applications are very broad. Basic support IEEE1149.1 standard DSP chips, and circuit board formed a boundary scan chain, to support boundary scan testing.

    In the DSP circuit board in such a class IC They are non-boundary scan devices in the circuit board edge Connector And formed by the DSP chip boundary scan chain between. This part of the device functional test difficult. First, the DSP board with an independent timing, we can not separate the external interface by using the traditional method of input test vectors to test; Second, boundary-scan test can only be connected with the DSP chip interconnection pin test short-circuit fault can be detected, but difficult to functional tests.

    This paper, boundary-scan test technology with the combination of traditional testing methods for functional testing of these devices provides a new choice. A test method

    In IEEE1149.1 standard, providing four mandatory instructions: bypass instruction (BYPASS), sampling instructions (SAMPLE), pre-installed command (PRELOAD), interconnect test instruction (EXTEST). Interconnect testing according to the sampling instructions and directives of the working principle of the use of boundary scan cells can capture and drive pin signals. Using this feature of boundary-scan device can be achieved with a DSP chip on the circuit board as shown in Figure 1 Central African boundary-scan devices send a signal acquisition and incentive vector to the boundary-scan test technology with the combination of traditional testing methods to realize testing of such devices.

    This kind of testing can be divided into two situations:

    A) as shown in Figure 2, solid line, non-boundary scan input device connected with the edge connector, output and DSP chips. Fault diagnosis using the software, the digital I / O modules produce a stable excitation vector, excitation vector through the edge connector anyone to the non-boundary scan devices, the response vector generated by the boundary-scan devices connected to it (DSP chip) to get through boundary-scan access to the serial output for the response vector and display. According to the working characteristics of the device under test can be analyzed theoretically expected response vector, the vector response obtained compared with the expected response vector, if the comparison results to differ, indicating possible functional device failure.

    B) as shown in Figure 2, dotted line, non-boundary scan devices connected to the input and DSP chip, the output is connected with the edge connector. Use of boundary scan test software, test stimulus vectors were related to pin serial shift (with non-boundary scan devices connected to the pin) of the boundary-scan unit, and drive to the pin, the test stimulus into the device under test, the response vector generated by the edge connector from the digital I / O modules to acquire, read by the observation of fault diagnosis software. According to the working characteristics of the device under test can be analyzed theoretically expected response vector, the vector response obtained compared with the expected response vector, if the comparison results to differ, indicating possible functional device failure.

    2 Test system components Hardware test system shown in Figure 3. VXI-1394 VXI system uses an external control; zero-slot module for the IEEE1394 serial communication protocol conversion for the VXI protocols; digital I / O module type is DIOM-64, each module has 64 I / O channels, three digital I / O modules provide a total of 192 test channels used to provide incentives to the circuit board under test signal and the output signal acquisition circuit board; adapter board for testing equipment and measured the signal between the matching and to the board under test provide Power supply ; JTAG interface controller signals generated by computer algorithms and standard JTAG signals between the transmission and conversion.

    Software consists of software ScanWorks boundary-scan test system, fault diagnosis software TestVee, collection procedures and test response vector output incentive program. ScanWorks for the establishment and implementation of the boundary-scan test, the main features include scan chain test, interconnect test, memory test; TestVee used to control the digital I / O module working status; response vector collection procedures and test incentive program under the output is Development of measuring the actual situation in the circuit.

    3 Test validation 3.1 circuit board circuit analysis

    Tested plate boundary scan chain is composed of six ADSP-21060, JTAG boundary scan test interface to meet the conditions, but the pin signal definitions and ScanWorks JTAG interface adapter system of different definitions, you must re-configure the connection before the test . The device under test SN54LS245 (D33) in the tested panel of the connections shown in Figure 4. D33 of the control pin 19 (OE) by other non-boundary scan device control, where do ground handling; control pin 1 (DIR) connected to the D36A (54LS244) of 14 feet, D36A control pin connected to the edge connector on, so take advantage of digital I / O modules through the control of its working state, to achieve the working status of the D33′s control.

    3.2 response vector collection procedures and testing procedures for the development of export incentives

    System provided by ScanWorks Macro language programming. Macro language by a compiler and a parser component, access to source code and the compiler generates an executable program and the output parser to obtain an executable program and perform. To DSP chip BSDL (Boundary Scan Description Language) file based on the response vector acquisition program input pin (INPUT) scanning unit programming, using the SAMPLE command for data collection; test stimulus output procedure output pin (OUT -PUT) scanning unit programming, using the EXTEST instruction to achieve excitation output. SN54LS245 data communication direction control for simultaneous testing of two connections, so DAT0-DAT7 separate response vector collection and testing of incentive program to send programming. To note, six DSP shared data bus, must be 6 DSP’s DAT0-DAT7 pin to do the same operation, so as not to conflict with the bus signal.

    3.3 Test verification 1) boundary-scan chain test Link test is normal for other boundary-scan test basis, so the link must be boundary-scan test. Connected properly tested board JTAG port, BSDL file associated with ScanWorks into the establishment of the boundary scan chain, and perform link test operation. Tested, the link works properly.

    2) functional tests Determine the working state according to D33, as long as all “0″ and all “1″ There is enough excitation signal detection device A and B communication.

    A) verification of one kind of love

    Posted in UtilitiesComments (0)

    I’m Really Enjoying My Digital Mp3 Player All Time

    Posted on 14 August 2010. Tags: , , , ,


    Gadget is a word that refers to a smart electronic device that is specific to a certain function, mp3 player for example is considered to be a gadget with the function of playing mp3 music. the exciting thing here is that the mp3 player is merged with another thing, as mp3 player sunglasses in which a built-in mp3 player is accompanied by the sunglasses, it’s great for active lifestyle people.Mp3 sunglasses: what about getting a UV sunglasses with built-in sunglasses, it’s so exiting and perfect for people who have an active lifestyle, it may be 216MB and up to 2GB of memory, and it should support mp3, wav, wma and much more types of files.Mp3 Alarm Clock: You have the chance to wake up by a special message from your lover, or by some of your favorite music with that gadget which provide a built-in mp3 player to have your most control on the way of waking up.Watch mp3: some of best gadgets are that in which the watch provide you the mop3 player functions, oh, how can you feel when you get all you need from your hand, it’s so good feeling.Other mp3 gadgets: mp3 players can be with pens, medals, radio,etc…, it’s good and very cheap mp3 gadget, it’s nice for all kind of peoples. Try to get a something special to get your life more active.We advice you to get your mp3 gadget which will change your lifestyle, get rid of the routine.

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