Despite the many reasons why people preach the use of Linux, actually going through with the switch is a completely different story. I know this only too well as I went through the exact same process before everything came together and I fell in love with Linux. However, I have to admit that it took a while with numerous attempts at using Linux for more than a week.

It’s not that Linux is hard to use or understand, but it simply doesn’t fit the Windows mindset that most people have. Expecting to do everything in Linux exactly like in Windows is where problems start appearing, which can easily deter a good number of users. Thankfully, there is now a Linux distribution that could make the process a whole lot easier.

About Zorin OS

Zorin OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, but besides identical packages and base system there are some major differences between the two. One of the major goals of Zorin OS is to offer a user interface that is similar to that of Windows, making Windows users feel more comfortable when they use Zorin OS. I must say that Zorin OS does a pretty good job with it.

Downloading

You can download the ISO for Zorin OS by going to this page and downloading their “Core” ISO. The developers also offer lite and educational variations for you to download, but in most cases you’ll have the better experience with just the core. This review will focus on the Core edition.

Additionally you’ll find a Premium page where they offer you Ultimate, Business, Multimedia, and Gaming editions, which is mostly just the Core software with many additional applications for that type of system. The effort it takes to put all those extra programs into the ISO is why they charge for those editions.

Once you have your downloaded ISO burned onto a CD, written to USB, or ready to go for VirtualBox, you can boot straight into the live environment. Loading shouldn’t take very long, and in no time you’ll be presented with the Zorin OS desktop.

Desktop

As you might recognize, the default look for Zorin OS mimics Windows 7 quite well. There are only a couple of shortcuts found on the desktop, and in the taskbar you’ll find the Start menu on the left (with Zorin OS branding, of course), the icon tray on the right, and then in the middle you’ll find the cool looking buttons that show which programs are currently open (do those even have a technical name?). Overall, it looks very much like Windows 7, which is very impressive.

Start Menu

If you actually click on the Start menu, you’ll see a lot more Windows 7-esque goodness. The Start menu, which appears to be GnoMenu with an appropriate theme, looks extremely similar to Windows 7′s Start menu. Keeping a small Linux touch, however, all programs in the left side of the menu are organized into the regular categories that regular Linux users are familiar with. There is also no “Recent Programs” list as is in Windows 7.

Look Changer

So all this stuff that looks a lot like Windows 7 is great for someone coming from Windows, right? Well what if they’re trying out Linux because Windows XP is starting to become very dated for an operating system? No need to worry there either. In the Control Center, there is a button called Look Changer, which will open a new window where you can choose between a Windows 7, Windows XP, and regular Linux Gnome desktop. With Windows XP available too, switching to Zorin OS is even easier for more people.

Default Applications

Zorin OS also comes with some pretty interesting default applications. Instead of Firefox as the default browser as is the case in all major distributions, Zorin OS chose Chrome in part due to its ever-increasing popularity. Many will enjoy this, while those that don’t will simply need to install their browser of choice. Not a hard thing to do. Zorin OS also includes Nautilus Elementary over Nautilus, which offers a tweaked user interface for a cleaner look. As for everything else, the usual applications that you would expect are included.

Conclusion

This interesting Linux distribution has some great incentives for Windows users to try out the Linux side of computing. Aside from all the differences between itself and Ubuntu, the rest is business as usual, letting you get work done like a pro.

What do you think about Zorin OS? Is it the best way for Windows users to try Linux? Let us know in the comments!

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Ordering food online is by far one of the most convenient ways of securing a meal, and using an app on your iPhone is even simpler. Waiting in line or being put on hold on the phone are a thing of the past with more and more restaurants becoming online-order-friendly every day.

The apps featured in this article are tried and tested methods of ordering your favourite pizza with minimum fuss. Of course some are designed to order all kinds of take-away, so if you’re craving Indian, Chinese, Mexican or something else entirely you’ll only be limited by your local selection. I can tell I’m going to be hungry by the time I’ve finished this.

Pizza Hut (US & AU)

Regardless of what you think of Pizza Hut food, there’s no arguing that they’ve got one of the best mobile apps, at least in the US anyway. Not only do they let you order food and locate restaurants but they also provide a bit of fun, allowing you to construct your meal from scratch as part of the process (or use the app in demo mode without ordering).

Don’t worry, there are quick ways of ordering too (favourites and previous orders) so if you’re in a hurry there’s no messing around.

Currently Pizza Hut have US and Australian apps, though the US edition is better kitted out at the moment. I’d also expect the UK and other parts of Europe to get a similar app before long. US residents can see the full line-up of apps (including Android, iPad and Windows Phone 7 versions) here.

Download: Pizza Hut US @ App Store
Download: Pizza Hut Australia @ App Store

GrubHub (US)

If you’re lucky to live in one of the 19 supported US cities then your pizza and other take-away needs will be satisfied with the official GrubHub app. Featuring more than 20,000 eateries from Los Angeles to Miami to New York, this app will serve up all kinds of food based on the local selections.

The app is loaded with features including GPS location detection, multiple address storage, the ability to quickly order past purchases with a few taps and the ability to save payment information for an even quicker checkout process. GrubHub also has an Android app which can be found here.

Download: GrubHub @ App Store

Snapfinger (US)

Snapfinger isn’t just another restaurant ordering and delivery app, but a listing for pretty much every restaurant local to you. What this means is that though you can’t order from all of the restaurants featured on the service, you do get fairly quick access to menus, phone numbers, prices and the full local selection when choosing where and what to eat.

Ideally this should help you make a more informed decision, even if you have to make a phone call to get what you want. That said, it’s easy to order from those restaurants that are compatible with the service, and of course you can search by cuisine in order to get your pizza fix. The app features more than 500,000 restaurant listings, local eatery discovery and handy features like repeat ordering and directions.

Download: Snapfinger @ AppStore

Menulog (AU & NZ)

I’m currently living in Melbourne, Victoria and have found this service incredibly useful over the past few months. Menulog makes it really easy to order a pizza from the finest local participating restaurants. By now I’ve found my favourite places and meals so ordering takes no time at all. Unfortunately the app is only available on the Australian app store, so my UK account is useless.

Never mind because it plugs into the same great service, providing the same selection depending on where you are. SMS confirmations are usually here within a minute or two, and new businesses are added each week. Now, if only the app were available internationally – for some reason the New Zealand edition is…

Download: Menulog (Home Delivery and Takeaway) @ App Store

HungryHouse (UK)

Unfortunately the UK’s selection of food ordering apps is a bit disappointing at the moment. There are great services like Just-Eat, which sets up many independent businesses with a way to make money online but no iPhone app. Step in HungryHouse, a mobile version of the popular website that features restaurants and deliveries from all over the country.

The service is still growing and at present operates best in large urban areas including London, the Midlands and the North West (Liverpool and Manchester). View more than 3,500 menus, filter by cuisine or simply use your iPhone’s GPS to find nearby restaurants. Even if the service isn’t up and running near you yet it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

Download: HungryHouse @ App Store

Domino’s (US, UK & AU)

Last but not least (or is it?) comes Domino’s, featuring 3 separate apps for 3 separate territories – the US, Britain and Australia. Domino’s Pizza is an entirely subjective experience, so if you like it you’re bound to enjoy being able to order it from your phone. The US version (pictured) appears to exhibit the best design, with the recently launched Aussie version looking considerably better than its British cousin.

Of course all of the apps allow you to order pizza, sides and whatever else you want from Domino’s. That’s the point here, though the UK version does seem to be poorly designed and inferior to the other two.

Download: Domino’s Pizza USA @ App Store
Download: Domino’s UK @ App Store
Download: Domino’s Australia @ App Store

Conclusion

If you thought ordering food in your web browser was easy then your iPhone will delight you. The ability to order anywhere you like, choose delivery times or simply plan ahead is great. Of course this could all have been accomplished with a simple phone call, but that’s no fun now is it?

Hopefully more and more services will launch mobile apps (especially in the UK, which already has some leading online ordering services – but few apps) in the near future to provide an even better selection than we’ve got now.

Do you know of any great apps for ordering pizza? How about web services? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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The Portable Document Format (PDF) is often the preferred medium for exchanging documents across the web. But sometimes, it creates more “problems” than it solves.

For instance, I am a voracious user of Slideshare, and sometimes I like to save a neat illustration or graphic for my personal use. Then there are some professional reports which come packaged as a PDF and you might come across the need to use a graphic from there in a presentation.

We had taken an earlier look at 6 Ways To Convert A PDF To A JPG Image. But over here, I am looking for something specific – extracting images only from PDF files. The solutions offered in the previous article are full-fledged converters. Here, the focus is more pinpointed.

Let’s check out a few ways to extract images from PDF files.

The Manual Way

Extracting images from PDF files is not a problem if you have the commercial Adobe Acrobat. It allows you to extract all the images (in multiple image formats) in a PDF file with a single click. Some free PDF readers like the earlier reviewed Nitro PDF Reader also have this feature. If you have the free Adobe Reader installed, then you have to slog it out by either using the Print Screen button on an individual image or using the Take a snapshot feature from the Edit menu. In both cases, you have to paste the copied image from the clipboard into a graphic editor.

The Photoshop Way

Okay, Adobe Photoshop isn’t a free product, but some of us do have it installed because it is the Big Daddy when it comes to image editors. Photoshop allows you to open a PDF document and start importing the text or the images in it. The Import PDF dialog appears as below:

You can select the images you want to extract. Click on OK and then save (or edit) the image as you would normally do. CorelDRAW also offers a similar functionality.

The Freeware Way

Well, you don’t need to get thumbprints on the Print Screen button or plonk down serious case on Photoshop if you regularly extract images from PDF files. Let’s bring up Some PDF Image Extract for the job at hand.

The 885 KB free software runs on Windows and is very handy for extracting image files from PDF documents. Plus, it comes with a few bells and whistles that give some control over what you are going to pull out from the PDF file. Installation is a breeze; just be careful to deselect the option which asks you to install the Blekko search engine as an option (i.e. if you want).

The interface of Some PDF Image Extract looks like this and using the image extractor doesn’t need you to consult any help file (though there is one).

Some PDF Image Extract allows you to extract images from PDF files by using any or all of the following features…

1. The free software can batch process PDF files and extract their images in individual folders in one go. If you have more than one PDF file to work on, this is a time saver.

2. Some PDF Image Extract comes with image format options (JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, TIF, TGA, and PCX). In case of the JPG output option, you can also control the quality of the extracted image.

3. You can choose the page range as well as an individual page if you want to extract only specific images from the file.

4. Some PDF Images Extract can work with password protected PDF-files too. The conversion tool has a field where you can key in the password during conversion.

Some PDF Image Extract does its conversion bit quite rapidly and smoothly. It works with Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista, and probably Windows 7 too though I haven’t tested it out on that.

PDF image extraction has quite a few uses. What are yours? How do you extract images from PDF files? Tell us your choice of method.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/google-redirect-virus-intro.jpg?323f2c" alt="" />Are all of your Google search results redirecting to weird, obnoxious, or otherwise shady websites? If so, your computer may be infected by a form of the Google Redirect Virus (GRV). While the virus can be problematic, it is possible to remove it completely off your system.

Unlike most cases of malware, this virus embeds itself deeper into your system and requires more than a simple malware scan. However, even though the removal process is more involved, someone who is computer illiterate will still be able to perform it, so if you’re not very tech-savvy, fear not!

What Is The Google Redirect Virus?

The main symptom of the GRV is that clicking on a Google search result link will take you to another unrelated website. It doesn’t matter which search link you click and it doesn’t matter which browser you use for searching. How can you get it? Unfortunately, it’s not very difficult. If you accidentally (or even purposely) visit a malicious or infected website, and if you don’t have the necessary anti-virus protection on your computer, you can get it.

Technically, the GRV is not really a virus at all – it’s a trojan – and despite the name, Google has nothing to do with the problem. It’s not a problem with Google’s website, search engine, or anything else. The problem is local to your computer and it will affect all of the main browsers that you have installed, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome.

Why Is The Google Redirect Virus So Frustrating?

For many people, the GRV is one of the most annoying and infuriating computer infections to deal with. Not only does it interrupt your normal search sessions, it makes it incredibly difficult to find a solution – because you can’t search for one. At best, you’ll spend inordinate amounts of time pressing the “Back” button to negate the website redirects. At worst, your productivity will plummet and you’ll stop wanting to even use your computer at all.

To add to the frustration, the GRV is difficult to remove. It is a variation of the TDSS rootkit, which piggybacks on top of a system driver. Since the system driver is innocent in the eyes of malware detection programs, the GRV is not flagged as malevolent and, therefore, not removed.

The GRV is an objectively small inconvenience, but it can wear you down and ruin your mood rather quickly. Luckily, there are tools and programs to aid in the process of removing the Google redirect virus.

Remove Google Redirect Virus – Using TDSSKiller

Follow these steps to get rid of the Google Redirect Virus once and for all.

Download href="http://support.kaspersky.com/downloads/utils/tdsskiller.zip">TDSSKiller. Download the TDSSKiller.zip file to your Desktop and extract the files using an extraction program. href="http://www.win-rar.com/download.html">WinRAR is popular, as is href="http://www.7-zip.org/">7-Zip. After extracting, you should see a TDSSKiller.exe file.

• If you are unable to download the file, then the TDSS rootkit on your system may be blocking the connection. In this case, you’ll need to download the file using another computer and transfer it to your own computer.

Run the TDSSKiller.exe. Double click on the TDSSKiller.exe file to run it. The program will initialize and then present you with the ability to scan your computer for problems.

• If nothing happens when you double click the file, you’ll need to rename it. Right click on the file and select Rename, then rename the file to 12345.com. Take note that the .com extension is very important – it is how you can bypass the TDSS block.
• If TDSSKiller still won’t run, you may need to scroll down and use FixTDSS instead.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tdsskiller-screenshot-1.jpg?323f2c" alt="" width="490" height="450" />

Scan your system. Click on Start Scan to start the scan. TDSSKiller will search your system for related problems and report back to you if it finds anything. If TDSSKiller happens to not find anything, you may need to scroll down and use FixTDSS instead.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tdsskiller-screenshot-2.jpg?323f2c" alt="" width="490" height="450" />

Cure the problems. If TDSSKiller does find any problems, choose to Cure as many of them as you can – all of them would be best. If you can’t cure some of them, leave it on the default Skip option.

• Only use the Cure or Skip options. Avoid the Delete and Quarantine options because using them on critical system files may cripple your computer and render it inoperable.

Reboot your computer. To complete the removal of the TDSS rootkit, you will be required to reboot. Do so when prompted.

Remove Google Redirect Virus — Using FixTDSS

These steps are only necessary if TDSSKiller failed to clean up your system.

Download href="http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/global/removal_tool/threat_writeups/FixTDSS.exe">FixTDSS. Download the FixTDSS.exe file to your Desktop.

Run the FixTDSS.exe. Double click the FixTDSS.exe file to run it. After the program initializes, click on the Proceed button to start the scan. The program will look for potential problems and fix them if necessary.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/fixtdss-screenshot-1.jpg?323f2c" alt="" width="471" height="126" />

Reboot your computer. To complete the removal of the TDSS rootkit, you will be required to reboot. Do so when prompted. After your computer boots back up, you will see the results of FixTDSS’s findings.

Conclusion

At this point, the TDSS rootkit should be successfully eliminated from your system. You can check if the infection is gone by searching on Google and clicking on any search result link. If you aren’t redirected to another website, the infection is gone.

In the future, you can help prevent infections on your system by utilizing href="../tag/ten-best-antivirus-programs/">free anti-virus software. Compound that with href="../tag/protect-pc-antivirus-software/">safe computer habits and you will drastically reduce your likelihood of catching another virus.

If you are the victim of the Google Redirect Virus, try these tools out and let us know in the comments if they helped or not.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/rudolf.jpg?323f2c" alt="" />Everyone here at MakeUseOf would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading the site and we hope you enjoyed the posts and manuals that we brought to you in 2011.

Here’s to the next 12 great months of more cool web apps, software, news and tips on your favourite tech blog.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Textfree-Unlimited-Send-Text-Messages-SMS-FreeLarge.jpg?323f2c" alt="send free text messages" />One of my biggest pet peeves is having to constantly check through text messages while I’m on my desktop or laptop at my desk. I’ve always thought it was be so much easier to have texts forward to one of my instant messengers, but a concept like that doesn’t exactly exist (or at least not to my knowledge). We’ve shed light before on how you can href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/replace-mobile-text-messaging-plan-3-apps/">replace your texting plan with a few free apps, but href="http://www.pinger.com/textfree/">Textfree from href="http://www.pinger.com/">Pinger really goes a step beyond that.

Textfree is available for both the href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/textfree-voice-free-text-calls/id399355755">iOS and href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pinger.textfree&hl=en">Android platform. Both applications are completely free. I’ve got it installed on my iPod touch and it works just like any iPhone texting plan should.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/textfree1.png?323f2c" alt="send free text messages" width="320" height="480" />

Textfree usage and features are outlined on the application download pages, and there really isn’t much that is too unique or special about the app. It simply works. Download the app and you are able to choose from a few numbers. With that number, you can send and receive an unlimited number of texts. With a subscription, you can even use this number to send calls from. One huge feature that I really enjoy is that you’re able to send picture messages, something most other similar applications won’t allow you to do.

With a paid subscription, you can also hide ads. Textfree comes with a lot of configurable settings. You can add a signature, change your tones, and set email notification preferences. It’s very extensive and is definitely my recommended app of the niche.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/textfree2.png?323f2c" alt="send free text messages" width="320" height="480" />

The feature that has me completely sold on Textfree has not much to do with their iOS app at all though. Textfree has a web version of this application. With Textfree Web, you can sign up for a brand new Textfree texting number or login to your existing Textfree account and go from car to desk like nothing ever even changed!

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/textfreeweb.png?323f2c" alt="send text messages free" width="580" height="378" />

Once logged in, sending texts from your desktop is just as easy as it was from your mobile app. It’s a whole different approach when compared to the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-sites-to-send-free-text-messages-to-cell-phones-sms/">10 other sites to send texts from that we’ve reviewed because of the synchronization between desktop and mobile. You have your own dedicated number, also. It’s more like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-cool-google-voice/">Google Voice than anything else.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/textfreeweb2.png?323f2c" alt="send text messages free" width="580" height="440" />

The interface is a lot like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-reasons-online-meebo-instant-messenger/">Meebo and it truly behaves no differently than a web-based instant messaging client. This is the perfectly solution to simple and synchronized, desk-and-mobile texting and I can promise that it’ll eventually find way into your list of never-to-be-closed tabs in your browser. Not to mention, 100% free? Count me in, please.

Textfree (or at least the iOS version) does come with a few small bugs. When switching to the mobile version from the web version, sometimes you’ll see duplicates of the same message being sent. You also won’t see your own replies to messages from your desktop on your mobile client. It makes conversation histories close to useless. Every now and then, your app might freeze due to loading the huge amount of “new” messages if you’re switching back to mobile from the web. These are annoying, but a small price to pay for all of this functionality.

If you’re looking for a slimmed down, simpler version of some of Textfree’s features then check out href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/gizmosms-send-free-sms-messages-mobile/">GizmoSMS.

Try out Textfree. Let us know in the comments if you use any other messaging app.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/unicode.png?323f2c" alt="unicode characters drawing" />One of the biggest issues I encounter when hunting for one of those obscure and uncommon Unicode characters is the fact that there’s thousands and thousands of them in total. I’ve managed to memorize key combinations for the most useful ones (such as the ellipsis), but it’s tough to squeeze too many of them into your brain. href="http://shapecatcher.com/">Shapecatcher.com eases your pain by allowing you to find that special character by using your visual memory.

We’ve gone over several solutions to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-sources-special-symbols-spice-online-chat-messaging/">finding special symbols before, but this one is really unique. Using Shapecatcher.com, you only have to draw the character that you’re looking for and you are then presented with a list of possible results. It couldn’t get much easier!

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/shapecatcher.png?323f2c" alt="unicode characters drawing" width="580" height="135" />

How to Use Shapecatcher.com

It’s very simple:

1. Visit href="http://shapecatcher.com/">http://shapecatcher.com/
2. Draw the character that you’re looking for in the box: /> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-94186" title="Drawbox" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/drawbox.png?323f2c" alt="identify unicode character" width="527" height="315" />
3. Click “Recognize” beneath the box
4. Your results will then appear beneath the box: /> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/shapecatcher_results.png?323f2c" alt="identify unicode character" width="541" height="553" />

Shapecatcher.com’s database is huge, currently with 10,877 characters. They do not currently have support for Japanese, Korean and Chinese but do have plans to add that additional support in the future, which would expand their database pretty greatly.

They also offer a href="http://shapecatcher.com/unicodefonts.html">page to download fonts so that you can have typeface support for these Unicode symbols within your respective operating system.

On the more technical side, Shapecatcher.com’s Drawbox is reliant on HTML5 and it works very impressively. You’ll notice that the drawing-to-characters matching is incredibly fast, and here’s a quote directly from the website in regards to that:

Each query on this website is processed by a graphics card, making the comparsion process over 15 times faster than on my CPU. In essence, CUDA makes it possible to provide a near realtime expierence and to handle higher loads on this website.

Shapecatcher.com is the real deal and its drawing-matching algorithm is very accurate and works quite nicely, even if you’re terrible at making simple sketches (like me). Here’s a great example.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/shapecatcher_example.png?323f2c" alt="identify unicode character" width="537" height="601" />

A simpler solution could be  href="http://copypastecharacter.com/">CopyPasteCharacter, where you can register and create a personal collection of your most-used special characters. CPC and Shapecatcher.com in unison could make for an incredibly useful combination. CPC is one of the many href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/tag/symbols/">symbol applications that we’ve reviewed here at MakeUseOf.

If you dumb things down one step further, you’ve still got Windows’ Character Map to play around with!

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/charmap.png?323f2c" alt="unicode characters drawing" width="490" height="418" />

It’s the simplest and most convenient alternative to Shapecatcher.com. I’d only recommend putting extensive use towards Shapecatcher when you’re looking for a very specific and uncommon special character. Otherwise, most of what you need should be here (or on OSX’s alternative).

Shapecatcher.com is a great display of the HTML5 technology and a fresh and unique way to find those interesting little Unicode characters we all sometimes must hunt for. Looking for more special symbols? We’ve published articles on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/15-popular-codes-for-smiley-faces-their-meanings/">smiley face symbols and their meanings, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-keyboard-techniques-to-create-cool-symbols/">keyboard techniques to create such symbols, and a simple tutorial on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-create-copyright-and-trademark-symbols-via-keystrokes-windows/">how to use your keyboard’s number pad as a tool to hotkey these characters.

Let me know what you guys think about Shapecatcher.com in the comments!

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href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/teamplayer-use-multiple-keyboard-and-mice-on-one-system/" rel="bookmark"> class="title">How To Use Multiple Keyboards and Mice On One Computer

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/install-iswipe-keyboard-iphone-cydia/" rel="bookmark"> width="125" height="125" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/titleimage-150x150.png?323f2c" class="with-border wp-post-image" alt="titleimage" title="titleimage" style="width:125px;height:125px;" /> class="title">How To Install The iSwipe Keyboard On Your iPhone [Cydia]

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reconfigure-mac-keyboard-geek-power-mac/" rel="bookmark"> width="125" height="125" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/keyboard-150x150.png?323f2c" class="with-border wp-post-image" alt="keyboard.png" title="keyboard.png" style="width:125px;height:125px;" /> class="title">Reconfigure Your Mac Keyboard For More Geek Power [Mac]

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class="align-right" title="sound sunday" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/images/recurring/sound-sunday.png?323f2c" alt="free music" width="210" height="210" />Sound Sunday is a weekly feature promoting free album downloads. Every edition invites you to explore various genres and artists from around the world. This edition highlights the Free Music Archive, a website that offers free downloads under Creative Commons and other licenses.

Also have a look at the previous href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-free-albums-free-music-archive-sound-sunday-june-26th/" title="Sound Sunday Edition June 26 2011">FMA Special.

Please share your thoughts and post your feedback in the comments. Album submissions, suggestions, and genre requests via email [tina at makeuseof dot com] are most welcome!

title="M.W.D. MySpace" href="http://www.myspace.com/mwd">M.W.D. – Singing Forest

Genre: downtempo, jazz, hip hop

width="300" height="340"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6930.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="340" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6930.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From FMA: “Like his other label mates on Budabeats Netlabel M.W.D. loves Hip Hop, samples, Jazz and crackling vinyl. His approach on instrumental Downbeats is more cinematic and relaxed. The DJ from Hungary (…) knows how to melt funky guitar licks, short brass sounds and organ chords together, as clearly demonstrated on this record!”

Singing Forest is a free download from the title="M.W.D. - Singing Forest" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/MWD/Singing_Forest/">Free Music Archive.

title="State Shirt Homepage" href="http://www.stateshirt.com/">State Shirt – This Is Old

Genre: experimental, indie, rock, pop

width="300" height="400"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6143.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="400" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6143.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From State Shirt’s Homepage: “My real name is not State Shirt (it’s Ethan Tufts), but I do wear a lot of state shirts. (…) I’ve been told my music is kinda like if The Postal Service, Radiohead, Beck, Elbow, and Folk Implosion all got in a bar fight then make up over frosty Newcastle Ales. All of my music is open source and available for free. (…) If you like what you hear, please spread the word and consider buying a CD, MP3, or a t-shirt. It allows me to continue to make music. And I appreciate that so much.”

This Is Old is a free download from the title="State Shirt - This Is Old" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/State_Shirt/This_Is_Old/">Free Music Archive.

title="Kyoto MySpace" href="http://www.myspace.com/thekyotoband">Kyoto – Lo Que Vuelve Para Vengarse

Genre: experimental, pop, shoegaze, hardcore

width="300" height="310"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/10512.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="310" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/10512.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From their FMA profile: “Kyoto was born in Zaragoza in late 2006 formed by Ivan Fanlo (drums), Isaac Moreira (bass and keyboards) and Alicia Puebla (vocals, keyboard), supplemented with small arrangements and influenced by bands like Slowdive, Isis, Red House Painters or Décima Victima, mixing different styles from shoegaze to more experimental hardcore, with lyrics in spanish. After two EP’s, “Cuatro finales terroríficos” (2007) and “Tan sólo la muerte es definitiva” (2008), each with four songs on mini CD and a carefully designed, they released their first LP, “Lo que vuelve para vengarse” (2010) recorded, mixed and mastered by Hans Krüger (Delorean, Half Foot Outside, El Columpio Asesino), with a luxurious design and completely handmade. In fall 2011 they released a split vinyl 7″ EP with The Fractal Sound, where we can find two of their songs in acoustic format in a limited edition in multiple colors.”

Lo Que Vuelve Para Vengarse is a free download from the title="Kyoto - Lo Que Vuelve Para Vengarse" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kyoto/Lo_Que_Vuelve_Para_Vengarse/">Free Music Archive.

title="The Underscore Orkestra Homepage" href="http://theunderscoreorkestra.com/">The Underscore Orkestra – No Money No Honey All We Got Is Us

Genre: jazz, big band, swing

width="300" height="460"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/3332.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="460" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/3332.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From their FMA profile: “The Underscore Orkestra is a Portland OR based band, playing a blend of Balkan, Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz and Swing, with a repertoire consisting of both original and traditional material. The Underscore Orkestra has been performing for the past 5 + years, touring all around the western U.S., Mexico and Guatemala and has been seen from intimate coffee shop setting all the way to huge outdoor festivals. We are also working with and interested in continuing to meet performance artists, jugglers, poets, storytellers, clowns, actors and tech folk alike…”

No Money No Honey All We Got Is Us is a free download from the title="The Underscore Orkestra - No Money No Honey All We Got Is Us" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Underscore_Orkestra/No_Money_No_Honey_All_We_Got_Is_Us/">Free Music Archive.

title="Jonah Dempcy Cheshire Label" href="http://www.cheshirelabel.com/">Jonah Dempcy – Syncretic Beliefs

Genre: instrumental, jazz, piano

width="300" height="310"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/7874.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="310" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/7874.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From his href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13854286" title="Jonah Dempcy Blogger">Blogger profile: “I’m a musician living in Seattle. I make electronic jazz music under the moniker Revolution Void. My music is a mix of electronic breaks and jazz improvisation, featuring solos from some of the top players in modern jazz such as Seamus Blake, Lucas Pickford and Matthew Garrison.”

Syncretic Beliefs is a free download from the title="Jonah Dempcy - Syncretic Beliefs" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jonah_Dempcy/Syncretic_Beliefs/">Free Music Archive.

title="Fabrizio Paterlini Homepage" href="http://www.fabriziopaterlini.com/">Fabrizio Paterlini – Viandanze

Genre: classical, piano

width="300" height="220"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/4391.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="220" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/4391.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From his FMA profile: “Fabrizio Paterlini’s music has been defined as ambient, minimalist, graceful, sweet and relaxing: “a glass of red wine on a summer evening”, as he himself defines it. Recently, he released an EP – “Viandanze” a small preview of the entire full album that will be registered in 2009. In 2007, on the “Music Center” label, he released his debut CD, “Viaggi in Aeromobile” (Aircraft Trips): a delicate and elegant album that catapults the listener into the intimate world of the artist where he willingly allows himself to be transported by a sound of rare beauty. /> Born in Mantua, Fabrizio started playing the piano at the age of 6. After many years studying classical music, he started perfoming with a number of bands, playing everything from progressive to hard rock, from jazz to pop. It was not until the end of the 90s that he decided to explore new musical paths, concentrating on the piano, the instrument that best expresses his inner world.”

Viandanze is a free download from the title="Fabrizio Paterlini - Viandanze" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Fabrizio_Paterlini/Viandanze_EP/">Free Music Archive.

title="Evgeny Grinko MySpace" href="http://www.myspace.com/evgenygrinko">Evgeny Grinko – Cinematic Melodies

Genre: minimalism, composed

width="300" height="310"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/4421.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="310" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/4421.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From his FMA profile: “Evgeny Grinko aka Greendaizer is best known for his work as a drummer for several Moscow-based underground bands, namely V.O.M., WOGULOW TAROUTZ VERMO, and MONROE’S PILLS. «I once did an arrangement of Joy Division’s song Love Will Tear Us Apart for a Military Brass Band. I changed a bit their original. So, it sounded somewhere between ska-music and fast-tempo military march. We performed it at a street festival and it was just great! I’ve been dreaming of my own Street Orchestra since that time…» – says Greendaizer.”

Cinematic Melodies is a free download from the title="Evgeny Grinko - Cinematic Melodies" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Evgeny_Grinko/Cinematic_Melodies_EP/">Free Music Archive.

title="Chan Wai Fat Homepage" href="https://sites.google.com/site/chingfatproject/">Chan Wai Fat – Children of Soul Mountain (Original Soundtrack)

Genre: folk, soundtrack

width="300" height="280"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6232.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="280" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/6232.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From his FMA profiles: “Chan Wai Fat is a musician from Hong Kong. He is a self-taught musician in his early year. (…) composed this original soundtrack for the play CHILDREN OF THE SOUL MOUNTAIN (LING SHAN) inspired by the daoist pilgrimage in Gao Xingjian’s Nobel winning novel SOUL MOUNTAIN (LING SHAN). [He] visited the minority tribes along part of the Ling Shan path, resulting a re-interpretation of two traditional folk songs and seven new compositions with a mix of native recordings. This album is a selection of songs from the play, sung by elderly blind folk singer Po Sun-yi. Sun-yi was born and raised in Guizhou. This is the same region of southwestern China where composer Fat visited the Ling Shan Path and where Shamanistic customs and traditions still flourish.”

Children of Soul Mountain (Original Soundtrack) is a free download from the title="Chan Wai Fat - Children of Soul Mountain (Original Soundtrack)" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chan_Wai_Fat/Children_of_Soul_Mountain/">Free Music Archive.

title="Blue Sausage Infant Homepage" href="http://bluesausageinfant.com/">Blue Sausage Infant – Confessions of a Rogue Taxidermist

Genre: experimental, melodic, drone

width="300" height="250"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/9143.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="250" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/9143.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From the project’s FMA profile: “BLUE SAUSAGE INFANT is the work of Chester Hawkins of Washington DC. Since 1986, BSI has produced music that combines aspects of noise, drone, Krautrock, sample-plundering, dark ambient, and kosmische electronica to produce a multi-layered feast for the brain. Hawkins describes his music as “mean-spirited euphoria,” a complex breed of long-form psychedelia with a hint of paranoia to augment the bliss.”

Confessions of a Rogue Taxidermist is a free download from the title="Blue Sausage Infant - Confessions of a Rogue Taxidermist" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Sausage_Infant/Confessions_of_a_Rogue_Taxidermist/">Free Music Archive.

title="Spinnaface Homepage" href="http://www.spinnaface.com/">Spinnaface – Music For The People

Genre: disco, electronic, funk

width="300" height="580"> name="movie" value="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf"/> name="flashvars" value="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/7771.xml"/> name="allowscriptaccess" value="sameDomain"/> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf" width="300" height="580" flashvars="playlist=http://freemusicarchive.org/services/playlists/embed/album/7771.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" />

From his homepage: “Spinnface first stepped on the scene in 2007 with his debut song & video Spinnface. Since then he has independently released 2 full length albums and over 58 original tracks. (…) Spinnface’s diverse sound meshes a wide variety of genres to create his own unique style that has been described as “an 80s vission of what dance music might sound like in the future, super-smooth liquid digital funk” – Jason, FMA Admin (…) Spinnface is 100% independent! Just a man with an all chrome face who loves to make music, party and keep it spinnin!”

Music For The People is a free download from the title="Spinnaface - Music For The People" href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spinnaface/Music_For_The_People/">Free Music Archive.

New to Sound Sunday? Past editions of Sound Sunday are available title="Past Editions of Sound Sunday" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/soundsunday/">here.

Feel free to get in touch with me [tina at makeuseof dot com] to share free material, suggestions, and feedback or simply add your comments below.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-seats-Shutterstock.jpg" alt="movie ratings"/>I don’t care to remember the number of times I have taken a film critic at his word and ended up wasting lot more than the price of a movie ticket. A few ruined dates later I have become a ‘wise guy’. Now, I try to catch as many movie ratings and reviews as possible mixed with word of mouth before I plonk down money for a movie ticket.

With my trusty Firefox browser by my side I go in the hunt for trusted movie reviews across the length and breadth of the web. There are more than a few movie websites featuring reviews on the latest that have hit the theatre. There are also quite a few href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-6-firefox-add-ons-for-the-movie-freak/">Firefox add-ons that help to shortcut the process for movie freaks like me. And here are four Firefox add-ons that help you compare movies across the popular movie information sites.

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cinemeter/">CineMeter

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-ratings01.png" alt="movie ratings" width="580" height="416" />

To get a broad overview, you really need to be aware that each site rates a movie differently. IMDb gives a movie ‘stars’ according to the feedback it gets from users. Rotten Tomatoes uses a mix of reviews from certified film authors and major film reviewers to arrive at the Tomatometer score. Users also give feedback here on how a movie has fared. MetaCritic with its Metascore and MovieWeb also have their own rating systems.

The Cinemeter is a short and precise Firefox add-on that works from the right-click context menu when you select the name of a movie. It opens up a small window and displays the score from each of these sites. The ratings are hyperlinked and you can click on them to take you to the movie review page on each film site.

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/film-info-and-reviews/">Film Info and Reviews

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-ratings02.png" alt="movie reviews ratings" width="255" height="400" />

A very simple but useful add-on that helps you read up the movie ratings and reviews from ten different websites. Film Info and Reviews opens up multiple Firefox tabs and takes you straight to the specific movie page on these websites – Wikipedia, IMDb, RottenTomatoes, Roger Ebert, Flixter, Allrovi, Metacritic, Netfli, BoxOfficeMojo, and Movie Reviews.

The Firefox add-on is visible on the add-ons bar. You have to click it once to open up the search box with the selection of the sites. You can select your choice of sites and that stays saved till you change them. The sites in combination give you all the dope on a release – from critical feedback to how it’s faring commercially.

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/movie-reviews-finder/">Movie Reviews Finder

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-ratings03.png" alt="movie reviews ratings" width="580" height="491" />

Movie Reviews Finder is a simple search engine for film reviews. It is a search enabler for IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and other sites like Roger Ebert, Variety etc. Once you query the movie review search engine from the search bar, Movie Reviews Finder opens up a separate search results page with all the hits it could find for the said movie. You can choose to display only results from IMDb or RottenTomatoes by clicking the Refine results on top.

href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/eccellio-movies-search-engine/">Eccellio Movies

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-ratings04.png" alt="movie ratings" width="580" height="353" />

This is again a very simple but interesting search tool for all things related to movies. It is based on Google Search, but it tweaks the interface to give you a set of filters that enables you to search for actors, film festivals, awards, soundtracks, theaters, and of course criticism. You can select a filter from the ones given and also limit the search to specific types of documents by clicking on the vertically arranged icons.

The above three Firefox add-ons are very simple in the way they implement their one sole function. But in the end they save me quite a lot of bother with their meta-searched movie ratings. To highlight their basic usefulness, I would say that these add-ons are timesavers. Which is your favorite movie information website? Here are a few more informational links:

• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-websites-that-offer-family-friendly-ratings-reviews-on-movies/">4 Websites That Offer Family Friendly Ratings & Reviews On Movies
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-youtube-channels-switch-catch-movie-reviews/">10 YouTube Channels You Can Switch On To Catch The Best Movie Reviews
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-short-sweet-twitter-movie-reviews/">10 Websites For SHORTEST Movie Reviews (on Twitter)

Do you visit the web to catch href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/movie-reviews/">movie reviews before you visit the theaters? Give us your take on these add-ons too.

Image Credit: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=64012609">Shutterstock

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/centerim-icon.png" alt="linux chat" />Chat from the command line. Whether you use Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Chat, AIM, Jabber or some combination of the above, CenterIM lets you talk with your buddies in your Linux terminal. We’ve previously highlighted a few href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/instant-messaging/">instant messaging programs, but nothing quite like CenterIM. That’s because this Linux chat program runs entirely from the command line, but still gives you access to the features you expect.

Is this just a novelty? Perhaps for some, but there are other reasons to use command line software. It’s easy to use via href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/ssh/">SSH, for one thing. It’s also light on resources. It works in your full-screen terminal, allowing you to chat without the distractions provided by the web. And an efficient series of keyboard shortcuts makes chatting quick for those who dislike the mouse.

More than that, though, CenterIM is just plain effecient. Get to know this program’s keyboard shortcuts and you just might come to love it, even if you don’t usually go for terminal applications.

Setting Up

You can launch CenterIM from the command prompt by typing centerim and hitting enter. Of course, like all instant messaging programs, it doesn’t do much out of the box. You need to configure it to work with your various services.

First you will be presented with some general options:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/centerim-initial.png" alt="linux chat" width="580" height="335" />

Browse up and down with your up and down arrow keys, and change a particular setting by hitting enter and making the appropiate changes. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything here; the defaults all work well and you can change them later.

Press right to switch to the “Done” button, then click enter. You’ll be given the chance to enter your IM information:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/centerim-accounts.png" alt="linux command line chat client" width="581" height="423" />

It most cases all you need is a username and password. Configure as necessary.

You may notice there is no option here for Google Talk. Don’t worry, you can use Jabber to connect to Google Talk. CenterIM suggests you use these settings:

jab_nick yourGmailAddress@gmail.com

jab_pass yourPlaintextPassword

jab_server talk.google.com:5223

jab_prio 4

jab_ssl 1

jab_status o

You can add this information within CenterIM, or you can edit the “config” file in “~/.centerim” and add the above text manually. Both processes worked for me, but be warned – using CenterIM messed up the names of my contacts for some reason. I’m not sure why, but don’t add Google Talk to CenterIM if this is something you care about.

Using CenterIM

Using CenterIM is easy, if you know how to follow directions. I say this because at the bottom of every CenterIM window is a list of keyboard shortcuts:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/centerim-talking.png" alt="linux chat" width="580" height="347" />

Follow these instructions to switch between conversations, start new ones and configure the software. It might seem clumsy at first, but use this for a while and you might wonder why you ever chatted any other way.

Installing CenterIM

As always, Ubuntu users can href="apt:centerim">simply click here to install CenterIM. All Linux users can also check their package manager for “centerim” becuase it’s almost certainly in there.

Conclusion

I love learning href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-websites-to-learn-cool-linux-command-line-tricks/">cool command line tricks for Linux, like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/read-google-reader-terminal-textonly-browser-elinks-linux-mac/">reading Google Reader from the command line. CenterIM is quickly becoming another command-line favorite for me. Will it for you? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tunesque-3.png" alt="search itunes"/>In my eyes, software developers can often be the saviors of the world, especially when they develop and release little free Mac gems that save us power users several laborious clicks or taps to get something done. This is the case with a new Apple related search application called href="http://tunesque.afkstudio.com/">Tunesque.

Developed by MTA, Tunesque locates keyword related items in the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/itunes-store/">iTunes Music Store and the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-tips-apple-mac-app-store/">Apple Mac store, and displays results in a single display. An app like this simply makes sense and you wonder why Apple didn’t develop it itself.

Quickly Search iTunes

Tunesque resides in your menubar where you click on its icon and enter a search query in the text field. After clicking the return key, Tunesque presents the results of search items in all categories of Apple’s online stores.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Tunesque-4.png" alt="search itunes" width="480" height="580"/>

For example, a search for “Steve Jobs” reveals related songs, TV shows, iOS apps, e-books, podcasts, audiobooks, and iTunes University downloads.

So you can easily see how Tunesque saves you the trouble of opening the bulky iTunes application, and/or the sometimes the buggy App Store app, and then having to make several clicks in order to perform searches.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tunesque-2.png" alt="itunes search for music on your computer" width="493" height="231"/>

Incidentally, I also like how Tunesque doesn’t do intuitive searching—that is, start performing searches, Google style, as you type a term. That approach seems to sometimes complicate or slightly slow down the search process.

Search Results

As you might expect from looking at the user interface of Tunesque, when you move your cursor over an item, you get an instant preview of that item, including an image and description along with the listed price. Album descriptions, however, for some reason, don’t show up.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Tunesque-1.jpg" alt="itunes search for music on your computer" width="580" height="295" />

Clicking on an item of course will link you to its respective place in the iTunes Store or App Store.

If the drop-down interface of Tunesque seems a little too cluttered with results, you can simply narrow them using to specified keyboard shortcut.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tunesque-21.png" alt="itunes search for music on your computer" width="493" height="231"/>

Tunesque will also maintain your most recent search queries, so when you return to the application you don’t have to retype the search term again.

In my tests, the search results in Tunesque matched most of the results I got when I did the same keyword search in the iTunes Store. Results may vary for particular searches, but Tunesque is certainly a great place to get started.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Screen-Shot-2011-11-12-at-2.51.29-PM.png" alt="have itunes search for music on computer" width="580" height="318"/>

Customized Searches

The developer also had the foresight to enable users to customize search results. In Tunesque Preferences you can disable store categories (like audiobooks, iTunes U, and podcasts) you’re not particularly interested in.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/screenshot1560.png" alt="have itunes search for music on computer" width="467" height="433"/>

And on top of that, Tunesque searches in a local store of your choice, from the U.S. to the Ukraine and beyond.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/screenshot1561.png" alt="have itunes search for music on computer" width="463" height="434"/>

And for users who don’t like the dark side, you can change up the color scheme to Light.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/screenshot1563.png" alt="search itunes" width="495" height="409"/>

Tunesque may not be for those who like to click and browse around Apple’s respective stores, but it is certainly a welcome solution for those of us who like to quickly search itunes with a lot less clicking.

Tunesque can be downloaded free from the href="http://tunesque.afkstudio.com/">MTA web site or the href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tunesque/id462203645?mt=12">Apple Mac Store. It does however require your Mac to be running Mac OS X Lion—10.7 or later.

Let us know what you think of Tunesque. Will it be a regular log-in item in your menu bar?

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gaming.jpg" alt="video game consoles" />The current generation of video game consoles is the longest in recent memory. The Xbox 360 came out over 6 years ago, and the PlayStation 3 came out shortly after that. Typically, a video game console lasts for around 5 years before phasing out in favor of some new, more powerful hardware. However, with this generation, Microsoft and Sony seem to be in no hurry to get their latest consoles to market. Nintendo, who has seen serious decline in the sales of the Wii, is brining the Wii U along rather quickly. However, for this article, I will be talking about what I would like to see from the true “next gen” consoles.

Video game consoles have reached a point where the changes between systems can only do so much, at least in terms of hardware. Most of the big changes can come on the software side. Obviously, there are improvements that can be made to the hardware, but the graphics have reached a point where any change is going to be incremental, and less ground breaking. Still, there is plenty to improve, and that is exactly what I am looking at today.

All Games Can Be Purchased Digitally

Before you shoot me for this comment, I do not mean no discs; I just mean I would like to have the option to buy every video game digitally from the day it launches. I still expect them to have discs; I just want the option to buy a game without ever leaving the comfort of my home.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/digital.png" alt="video game consoles" width="471" height="295" />

Realistically, they have to keep discs around for the sake of retailers. It will be hard to convince a place like GameStop to carry and promote a console when they cannot have a continued revenue stream from software. For spur of the moment purchases, it would be great to just click a couple of buttons and have my new game.

Improved Graphics & Framerate

With current generation hardware, it is very hard for developers to make a top end graphical game that can still run at 60 frames per second. It is not impossible, but it certainly is taxing on the hardware, and requires a huge team to optimize the game to run in such a way. The teams behind Call of Duty have consistently put out games at 60 fps that still look beautiful, but they are not nearly as visually attractive as a game like Battlefield 3. However, because BF3 looks so good, and has destructible environments, they have to run at 30 fps. I would like the see this rectified with new hardware.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/crysis2-e1319476463650.jpg" alt="new game consoles" width="580" height="324" />

I really don’t care if a game looks lifelike, after all, it is a game. If I want to see the real world then I will go outside. I just do not want developers to feel like they have to choose between a silky smooth framerate and beautiful graphics. The hardware for this exists, because PC games like Crysis 2 have no problem pushing 60 frames, while having the smoothest textures, and best looking graphics of any game on the market.

No Motion Controls

This is just dreaming on my part, but in all honestly I hate motion controls. I had a Wii, and I hated it. I have played Kinect at E3 and it seems like a gimmick, and the PS3 Move, realistically, that’s just a better version of the Wii. I’m hoping it is a fad that dies by the end of this generation and, like the Virtual Boy, is never heard from again.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/wii_silicon.jpg" alt="new game consoles" width="278" height="400" />

Sadly, I do not think this is going to happen. I think there will be motion controls in both major consoles, and if this is the case, I just hope they are well implemented and they are optional in major games. If they want to stick them in there for people to play EA Sports Active and UFC Trainer, then fine, but please do not shove them down my throat when I am playing Call of Duty and Deus Ex.

Cross Platform Play

Here I go dreaming again, but I would love to be able to play a multiplayer game with people regardless of the platform. Shadowrun made it happen with Xbox to PC, and while that game was trash, it still let gave me a glimmer of hope.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cross.jpg" alt="new game consoles" width="350" height="245" />

I would prefer to see it from Xbox to PlayStation though. The mouse and keyboard advantage compared to controller in a shooter is large, but there is no advantage between a PlayStation controller and an Xbox controller, so it would be fair.  It is technically possible; it is just a matter of making it happen.

Better Build Quality

For this console generation Microsoft faced an absolute PR nightmare due to the dreaded red ring of death. Consoles were breaking at an alarming rate, and they have since rectified the situation, for the most part. I am hoping that the next generation of consoles is built with some quality and attention to detail that will prevent this catastrophe from happening again.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/redring.jpg" alt="video game consoles" width="458" height="343" />

I am about to go buy my third Xbox 360 in the next week or so, and I can safely assume that not many of you out there are still on your first Xbox. It’s a little ridiculous, and it is something that needs to be addressed for the next run of video game consoles.

Conclusion

As I said before, there is only so much that can change in terms of hardware. However, there is so much more that can be improved besides prettier graphics. These changes I mentioned could make for an overall better gaming experience for all of us.

What do you want from the next generation consoles? Let us know in the comments!

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1388_1.png" alt="mobileme vs icloud" />When you are using more than one computer and mobile device, cloud services like DropBox and Apple’s new iCloud are the best ways to keep files and other data synced between all your devices.

As Apple explains it, iCloud is a service “which stores your music, photos, perhaps, calendars, and documents and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices.” The service is free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users, and provides up to 5GB of free storage. This MUO article, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/icloud-mac/">What iCloud IsAnd Why It Changes Everything, explains in more detail the pros and cons of the service.

If you use one or more output devices you will definitely want to sign up for an iCloud account. However if you are a current MobileMe user you will need to move your MobileMe account over to the iCloud service. While Apple has made the transition relatively easy, there are a few things you need to know.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1387.jpg" alt="mobileme vs icloud" width="580" height="423" />

System Requirements

Before you move your MobileMe account you will need to have your Apple devices upgraded to iOS 5 and OS X Lion. A computer for example not upgraded to Lion will not be able to take full advantage of the iCloud services. See more about the limitations href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4929">here.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1386.jpg" alt="mobileme icloud" width="580" height="387" />

MobileMe Services

If you try to sign in or create an iCloud account on one of your mobile devices, you will be instructed to first move your MobileMe content over to iCloud. This means you can move your MobileMe Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Safari Bookmarks, Fine My iPhone, in Back to My Mac to your new iCloud account.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1382.jpg" alt="mobileme vs icloud" width="580" height="334" />

What you won’t be able move to iCloud are your iWeb websites, existing photo galleries, and iDisk content. This is unfortunate for MobileMe members who have developed and published iWeb sites and photo galleries over the last several years. Apple says you will have until June 30, 2012 to move your content to another server or lose it altogether.

Apple also says that any of your publicly shared iCal calendars will be unpublished in the transition. You will need to share those public calendars again after moving to iCloud.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1384.jpg" alt="mobileme icloud" width="580" height="236" />

Additionally, other MobileMe features including Mac Dashboard Widgets, Dock Items, Teachings, References, Mail Accounts, Rules, Signatures, and Smart Mailboxes will not be synched after moving to iCloud.

href="http://www.apple.com/mobileme/transition.html">Start here to move your MobileMe account to iCloud.

Why Apple Made the Move

Because iCloud is an Internet service that automatically pushes your designated content between all your supporting devices, it is clearly better than the limitations found in MobileMe. I have been a long time user of MobileMe and have never experienced major problems with the service. However, the yearly $99 subscription fee seemed excessive for the services MobileMe offered.

Except for iWeb Internet hosting, you could easily find similar MobileMe-like features and services for free on Internet. For example, MobileMe iDisk storage is light-years behind cloud services like href="http://www.apple.com/mobileme/transition.html">Dropbox, which offers 2GB of free service and has much better third-party support and integration with cross-platform applications.

src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/screenshot1397.jpg" alt="mobileme icloud" width="536" height="515" />

Many MobileMe users probably have found the Gallery feature very useful because it integrated with iLife applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD. This integration made it very easy to upload photos and homemade movies to well-designed MobileMe Galleries. Well, though the MobileMe Gallery feature is no more, Apple has already updated at least one of its iLife applications, iPhoto, for iCloud support.

iCloud users will now be able to use services like iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and automatic download and purchase of apps and books from iTunes Store. So basically all your designated data will be synced between all your devices–including documents you create in the iWork suite of applications (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.) You will no longer need to manually add data to say iDisk in order to download them to other devices.

In the next several weeks, we’ll get to see how just how well iCloud works in everyday use. Drop us a comment and let us know how the transition is working for you.

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mobileme-icloud-worth-move/">From MobileMe To iCloud: It’s Worth The Move is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/300300sign.png" alt="360 degree tour" />Some people love to travel. They love hopping on an airplane and seeing the world. However, traveling is expensive, and it is not something everyone can squeeze into their budget. After all, there is the cost of airfare, luggage, accommodation, food, activities and everything else involved with getting up and going. If travel was cheap, everyone would do it. Sadly, it isn’t, so some of us are stuck seeing the world from a computer screen.

Thankfully, this is not always so bad. With cool websites like href="http://www.tourwrist.com">TourWrist offering full 360 degree panoramic photographs, it feels almost like you are there anyway. Maybe you can’t feel the warm breeze flowing through your hair, or taste the salt water at the beach, but you can at least get a great view. Okay, nothing really substitutes actually getting out there and experiencing the world first hand, but at least if you can’t experience it with your other senses, you can at least see it in all its beauty with your eyes.

Browsing 360 Degree Tours

Getting started on the site and browsing all the beautiful tours is a snap. There is no need to register on the site if you are only there to browse. Simply point your web browser of choice to href="http://www.tourwrist.com/">TourWrist’s website, or download the app on the href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tour-wrist/id335671384?mt=8">iTunes App Store.

The next step is to click on any of the “Browse Tours” links on the front page.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/browse.png" alt="360 degree tour" width="274" height="402" />

Once you are in the browse screen you can sort the tours in any number of ways, and since they are all geo-tagged, it is easy to tell exactly where the photo is in the world. The default screen is “featured tours.” The tours are shown neatly on the map based on their place in the world.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/map.png" alt="360 degree website" width="570" height="356" />

If just looking at the featured tours doesn’t tickle your fancy you can click the “Categories” link and view pictures tagged in one of the many categories such as Real Estate, Arts & Entertainment, Dining, Retail and many others. You can also browse tours by photographer to find the particular people whose work you really enjoy. In addition you can also view the newest tours, so you can support the photographers who just uploaded their stuff.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/zoom.png" alt="360 degree website" width="341" height="211" />

When you decide how you want to browse tours, they will show up on the map as green bubbles. From the far zoomed view it may look like there is only one tour in an area, but make sure to zoom in once you find a part of the world that interests you because there are usually many more. Click the bubble of the tour that interests you to find out some more information about it. If it looks interesting click on the box that pops up to view the 360 degree photo.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/popup.png" alt="360 degree website" width="417" height="267" />

Once you start looking at a picture, you can manually scroll to move it around, or set it to slowly pan around for you. You can also zoom the picture in or out to get the angle you really want to see.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pic-e1317753050685.png" alt="360 degree tour" width="580" height="313" />

Conclusion

href="http://www.tourwrist.com">TourWrist is an awesome way to see the world, even if you can’t leave your house. People from everywhere are uploading 360 degree tour of everything from historical places to beautiful homes for sale. Some of the places on there are breathtaking, and this article took me way longer to write than it should have because I couldn’t stop looking at photos when I should have done this article.

Have you tried TourWrist? What was your favorite place to “visit?” Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&searchterm=travel&photos=on&search_group=&orient=&search_cat=2&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&commercial_ok=&color=&show_color_wheel=1#id=5847808&src=b52ad6027a89606e93de7763e80a066d-1-43" rel="nofollow">ShutterStock

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/tourwrist-view-360-degree-tours-web-browser-iphone/">Use TourWrist To View 360 Degree Tours From A Web Browser Or An iPhone is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/answers.jpg" alt="MakeUseOf Answers" />Every Friday href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers">MakeUseOf Answers honors the Best Answer of the Week to reward the skills and time required to solve tough questions. Every single comment made on Answers is reviewed for the contest and positive feedback can help decide the winners! So whether you have an answer or received free support, please contribute!

Help me congratulate:

Best Answer of the Week – title="How can I download streaming video from www.rai.tv?" href="http://disq.us/3lt42k">Mjevolve

1st Runner Up – title="How can I access data on an external drive after a virus turned folders turned into .lnk files?" href="http://disq.us/3k2i4c">Marnitz

2nd Runner Up – title="Why does my mouse become invisible when I play games in full screen mode?" href="http://disq.us/3ko5gz">ha14

Thank you very much for your help!

Some of the best answers can be found in reply to the best questions. Have a look and expand your horizon:

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/image151.png" alt="hide facebook messages" />Facebook-related privacy concerns have been around almost from the first day Facebook opened. Justified or not, Facebook has been under the magnifying glass in regards to anything that has to do with privacy. Many people tend to forget that no matter what their privacy settings are, everything they do on Facebook is visible to Facebook. Even if you choose your status updates to be seen just by a few people, Facebook can still use it for their own agenda.

href="http://uprotect.it/">uProtect.it is a tool that helps you solve just this problem, and adds an extra security layer to all of your Facebook communications.

Setting Up

To start with uProtect.it, head over to the href="http://uprotect.it/">website and sign up to the service.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h02_32.png" alt="hide facebook messages" width="426" height="285" border="0" />

uProtect it can be used either as an add-on (Chrome/Firefox) or as a bookmarklet. After you sign up and install it, you’ll need to log into Facebook. uProtect.it will now automatically appear at the top of your Facebook account.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h50_15.png" alt="hide messages on facebook" width="424" height="222" border="0" />

You can choose to turn uProtect.it off at any time. You don’t have to visit the website for this – there’s a big shiny on/off switch at the top right of the green bar. So if you’re sick of it trying to protect you, simply switch it off. The green bar will remain there so you can turn it back on at any time. If you want to get rid of the green bar altogether, you’d need to sign out of uProtect.it.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h35_33.png" alt="hide messages on facebook" width="223" height="111" border="0" />

Protecting Your Communications

When uProtect.it is up and running, every time you try posting a new status or comment, you’ll see a somewhat different interface than you’re used to.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h56_06.png" alt="hide messages on facebook" width="442" height="160" border="0" />

uProtect.it adds two buttons: Control and Protect My Message. The first gives you access to your friends list where you can choose who will be able to view this status or comment. You can pick and choose your friends, and also add an expiration date to the comment. Clicking on “Protect My Message” will post your protected message.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h34_19.png" alt="private facebook message" width="456" height="355" border="0" />

A protected message will appear as a link to everyone, but only the people you chose will actually get access to the message itself. This is what a protected message will look like to everyone:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-16h48_01.png" alt="private facebook message" width="461" height="153" border="0" />

The reason the word “Hello” is visible to everyone, is because I used some syntax. If there are parts of the message you wish or need to be visible to everyone, simply add hash tags before each of them. So for example, you can write: #Please #read #this: let’s meet tomorrow at 8PM at the bar.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-27-17h16_47.png" alt="private facebook message" width="543" height="163" border="0" />

If your friends already have uProtect.it installed, and they were chosen to see the message, the message will simply appear in their feed and they won’t have to click anything. The only sign will be a small lock icon on the right side.

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If they don’t have the add-on, they will have to click the link in order to view the message. If they’re on the allowed list, uProtect.it will display the message to them and prompt them to install the plugin as well.

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On the same line, you can post pictures and post on people’s walls, and hide those too from the general public and from Facebook.

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Settings

When you log onto uProtect.it you’ll gain access to some settings you can play around with. These are located on the actual uProtect.it website, which you can access from your Facebook page at any time by clicking the “visit uProtect.it” button.

The first thing you can view is your dashboard. Here you can see all the protected message you’ve sent plus their expiration dates. You can delete messages or click to view them. On the right you will also get a message count and a count of how many of your friends joined the service.

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Earlier, I showed you how you can pick and choose friends for each protected post. But if you have a set group of friends you usually want to send these to, you can define it in the settings. Here you can set up your default permissions: what friends will be able to see your messages.

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Bottom Line

If your Facebook privacy is really important to you, uProtect.it is a really nice and effective tool. I did encounter some bugs when trying to use two Facebook users under the same browser, but most people will probably not come across them.

While uProtect.it really is a nice tool, I still think people could simply send an e-mail if they want to say something important and private. Not everything in the world has to go through Facebook.

What do you think? Will you use uProtect.it or is it better simply not to use Facebook for these things? Let us know in the comments!

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