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Your 9 Best Questions & Contest Winners [MakeUseOf Answers]

Posted on 14 April 2012. Tags: Answers, Best, contest, MakeUseOf, Questions, Winners

Every Friday 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!

This week our winners in the Best Answer of the Week contest are:

Best Answer of the Week – Sushil Kumar

1st Runner Up – Tilman Bauer

2nd Runner Up – The1Legend

Congratulations to all of you!

Some of the best answers can be found in reply to the best questions. Have a look and learn something today:

Did you know you can earn points for solving questions? Register with MakeUseOf, be logged in, respond to a question, and earn 10 points per answer. Points are added to your overall score at the end of the day, limits apply.

For regular updates of new questions subscribe to the Answers RSS Feed.

Need help? Ask A Question at MakeUseOf Answers.

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What Is Social Engineering? [MakeUseOf Explains]

Posted on 12 April 2012. Tags: Engineering, Explains, MakeUseOf, Social

You can install the industry’s strongest and most expensive firewall. You can educate employees about basic security procedures and the importance of choosing strong passwords. You can even lock-down the server room – but how do you protect a company from the threat of social engineering attacks?

From a social engineering perspective, employees are the weak link in the chain of security measures in place. Humans are not only susceptible to basic human error but also targeted attacks from individuals hoping to convince them to give up sensitive information. Today we’ll be exploring some of the social techniques used to deceive and defraud.

The Basics of Social Engineering

Social engineering is the act of manipulating a person into gaining access or sensitive data by preying on basic human psychology. The difference between social engineering attacks and, for example, a hacker attempting to gain access to a website is the choice of tools used. A hacker might look for a weakness in security software or a vulnerability on the server whereas a social engineer will use social techniques, coercing the victim into freely giving away information or access.

social engineering

These tactics are nothing new, and have existed for as long as people decided that deceiving each other was an acceptable way of making a living. Now that society has evolved to rely on the immediate nature of the internet and on-demand information, more people than ever are being exposed to social engineering attacks on a large scale.

Much of the time the attacker will not come face to face with his or her victim, instead relying on email, IM and telephone calls to carry out the attack. There are a variety techniques that are widely regarded as social engineering attacks, so let’s take a look at them in more detail.

Social Engineering Techniques Explained

Phishing

By far one of the better-known techniques thanks to awareness raised by email providers like Google and Yahoo, phishing is a fairly basic and very widely used example of social engineering.

Most commonly conducted via email, this technique is a type of fraud that involves convincing the victim that you are legitimately requesting sensitive information. One of the most common types of phishing attacks involves requesting victims “verify” their bank account or PayPal information to avoid having their accounts suspended. The attacker, or phisher, will often purchase a domain that is designed to imitate an official resource, and discrepancies in the URL often give the game away.

social engineering socialism

Online phishing is becoming easier to spot and report thanks to filtration techniques used by email providers. It’s also good practice never to divulge sensitive or financial information via email – no legitimate organization will ever request you do so – and to double-check URLs for legitimacy before entering important credentials.

Telephone Techniques or “Vishing”

Interactive voice response (IVR) or vishing (voice phishing) involves using similar techniques to those described above via a telephone or a VoIP interface. There are a number of different vishing techniques, and they are:

Directly calling the victim using an automated “your credit card has been stolen” or “urgent action is required” scam, then requesting “security verification” in order to restore normal access to the account.
Emailing the victim, instructing them to then call a phone number and verify account information before granting access.
Using faux interactive telephone techniques or direct human interaction to extract information, e.g. “press 1 for…” or “enter your credit card number after the beep”.
Calling the victim, convincing them of a security threat on their computer and instructing them to purchase or install software (often malware or remote desktop software) to fix the problem.

I’ve personally been on the receiving end of the software phone scam and, though I didn’t fall for anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone did thanks to the scare-tactics employed. My encounter involved a “Microsoft employee” and some viruses that didn’t exist. You can read all about it here.

Baiting

This particular technique preys on one of humanity’s greatest weaknesses – curiosity. By deliberately leaving physical media – be it a floppy disk (unlikely these days), optical media or (most commonly) a USB stick somewhere it is likely to be discovered, the scammer simply sits back and wait until someone makes use of the device.

social engineering socialism

Many PCs “autorun” USB devices, so when malware such as trojans or keyloggers are bundled on the USB then it is possible for a machine to become infected without the victim even realising. Scammers often dress up such devices with official logos or labels that might arouse interest in potential victims.

Pretexting

This technique involves convincing the victim into giving up information using an invented scenario. The scenario is usually derived from information gathered about the victim in order to convince them that the scammer is in fact an authoritative or official figure.

social engineering socialism

Depending on what information the scammer is after, the pretext may involve basic personal information like a home address or date of birth, to more specific information like transaction amounts on a bank account or charges on a bill.

Tailgating

One of the few techniques listed here involving the scammer being physically involved in the attack, tailgating describes the practice of gaining access to a restricted area without authorization by following another (legitimate) employee into the area. For many scammers this removes the need to acquire access cards or keys and presents a potential serious breach of security for the company involved.

social engineering

This particular tactic preys on common courtesy such as the act of holding a door for someone and has become such a problem that many workplaces have taken to tackling the problem head-on with notices on entrances, like the notice used by Apple in the picture above.

Other Techniques

There are a few other techniques associated with social engineering, such as the something-for-something “quid pro quo” technique often used against office workers. Quid pro quo involves an attacker posing as, for example, a tech support employee returning a call. The attacker keeps “calling back” until he or she finds someone in genuine need of support, offers it but at the same time extracts other information or points the victim to harmful software downloads.

Another social engineering technique is known as the “diversion theft” and is not really associated with computers, the Internet or phone phishing. Instead it is a common technique used to convinced legitimate couriers into believing a delivery is to be received elsewhere.

Conclusion

If you suspect an individual is trying to dupe you with a social engineering scam then you should notify the authorities and (if applicable) your employer. Techniques are not limited to what has been mentioned in this article – new scams and tricks are devised all the time – so stay on your guard, question everything and don’t fall victim to a fraudster.

The best defense against these attacks is knowledge – so inform your friends and family that people can and will use these tactics against you.

Have you had any run-ins with social engineers? Has your company educated the workforce about the dangers of social engineering? Add your thoughts and questions in the comments, below.

Image Credits: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Shutterstock), NetQoS Symposium USB Stick (Michael Coté), Paper Shredder (Sh4rp_i)

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Have You Run Into These iPhone Issues & Can You Help? [MakeUseOf Answers]

Posted on 11 April 2012. Tags: Answers, Help, into, iPhone, Issues, MakeUseOf, these

MakeUseOf Answers is our very own Question & Answer forum, where you can submit your tech-related questions and we will try to solve them for you. With the diversity of questions posted, we heavily rely on help from our readers. And we reward your help every Friday in our Best Answer of the Week contest.

Over the past couple of days, several readers submitted questions concerning their iPhone. Maybe you have solved one of these in the past or are in need of a solution for yourself. Have a look!

For regular updates of new questions subscribe to the Answers RSS Feed.

Need help? Ask A Question at MakeUseOf Answers.

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How Many Browsers Do You Have Installed On Your Computer [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 02 April 2012. Tags: Browsers, Computer, Installed, MakeUseOf, Many, Poll

Last week we asked you for some feedback regarding our own commenting system here at MakeUseOf. While not many people voted in this poll, we got some very useful feedback from you in the comments, some of which has already been implemented.

As for the poll itself, 92 readers voted in total, and these were the results: 16% love the new system, 26% think it’s OK by liked Disqus better, 14% don’t like it or something specific about it, 22% don’t mind it one way or the other, and 22% of the readers haven’t even noticed the switch.

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

Thank you again for the great feedback you gave us regarding our new system!

poll-results[4]

This week’s poll question is: How Many Browsers Do You Have Installed On Your Computer?

The days of having only one browser are mostly over. As the number of available options grow, so does the number of browsers we install and try. Some people install every available browser, including underdogs such as RockMelt and Maxthon, and others are just fine with one major browser for all their needs. It’s time to count! How many browsers are installed on your computer?

Be sure to tell us in the comments which browsers you have installed, and whether you actually use all your installed browsers or simply keep them around just in case.

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Do You Use Pinterest? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 19 March 2012. Tags: MakeUseOf, Pinterest, Poll

Last week we asked you for your thoughts regarding jailbraking/rooting you phone. According to the results, the vast majority of readers think jailbreaking/rooting is useful, although not all of these readers have actually jailbroken/rooted their device.

With 323 votes, answers were divided as follows: 52% won’t use their device without jailbreaking/rooting, 15% think it’s useful, but too complicated to do, 19% think it’s useful but don’t want to void their warranty, and 14% think their device is fine just the way it is.

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

screenshot-poll

This week’s poll question is: Do You Use Pinterest?

Pinterest is the new social phenomenon everyone’s talking about. Officially, it’s still in beta and requires an invite, but anyone who fills out the Pinterest form gets an invite almost immediately. In a time when everyone was supposed to be talking about Google+, all you can hear about is Pinterest. So did you join the party?

So far I haven’t encountered many negative thoughts about Pinterest. Do you have some to share? Or maybe you absolutely love it? Or just don’t care? Tell us everything in the comments!

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Please Whitelist MakeUseOf In Adblock: A Plea From a Former Adblock Filter Developer

Posted on 14 March 2012. Tags: Adblock, Developer, filter, Former, from, MakeUseOf, Plea, Please, Whitelist

It’s no secret that we’re not huge fans of Adblock here at MakeUseOf. But we know that some of you won’t let go of Adblock until it’s pried out of your cold, dead hands. If you must use Adblock, you can still support MakeUseOf and other websites you love by whitelisting us.

It’s time for a truce between Adblock users and respectful advertisers. Go ahead and block ads on websites that abuse your browser with pop-ups and videos. But help support MakeUseOf and the websites you love by letting our ads through. We hate bad ads too, and we don’t allow the worst offenders on our website.

Let’s Call a Truce

I have a confession to make. I once was involved with EasyList, the default advertisement blocking filter list used by Adblock Plus at the time. I helped drive the development of EasyList’s initial set of element-hiding filters, which remove even unobtrusive text ads, like the ones on Google. It would have eventually happened without me, but I was still involved.

Those were heady times. With the integration of pop-up blockers in every browser, we – well, at least I – felt we were pushing back at advertisers who had abused their power over us, and that advertisement blocking was the next front after pop-up blockers. It didn’t matter whether it was a video ad that played sound or a tiny advertisement link on a web page, we would remove it.

The Adblock Plus project is stepping back from this approach with its new focus on allowing unintrusive ads. MakeUseOf’s ads don’t qualify at the moment, but Adblock’s developers realize that blocking all advertisements is a mistake.

why adblock is bad

We Hate Bad Ads, Too

There are good ads and bad ads, websites that respect users and ones that abuse them, and it’s a mistake to treat them all the same way. Pulling the trigger on even the most unobtrusive of text ads was a push too far – and I’m ashamed to say I’m the one who pulled the trigger.

We don’t like bad ads here at MakeUseOf. We don’t have pop-ups or video ads. If you see any, let us know and we’ll block them. We can’t vet every advertisement before it appears on our website, so an occasional bad one might slip through. But we do our best to keep our ads in line.

“But I Never Click Ads Anyway!”

Many people think that, because they never click on ads, it doesn’t matter whether they block them or not. This is far from true. Some ads pay websites per impression, so every time the ad loads, the website makes money — a tiny amount of money that gradually adds up.

Whenever you load a page on our website, you cost us money. Advertising helps defray that cost and pay us so we can keep working on MakeUseOf.

“Your Business Model Isn’t My Problem”

Websites need money to survive. Even if we writers, editors, and web developers could work for free – and we can’t; we all need money to live – web hosting and bandwidth aren’t free. I know you’ve heard this a million times before, and the comeback is always that it’s not the readers’ problem that our business model depends on advertising.

But what are some alternative business models we could use?

Paywalls – We could charge you a monthly subscription fee to read our website, like the New York Times does.

why adblock is bad for free internet

Microtransactions – You could pay a small amount – maybe five cents – to read each post. How fun would it be to pay for every article you read on the Web?
Sponsored Content – If the advertising and the content is the same, there’s no way to block the advertising. How would you like to read a review of Windows 8 that was sponsored by Microsoft?
Donations – Wikipedia provides a website free of advertising, but they have to ask for donations to do it.

We get paid to create awesome content, you get to read it for free – and advertisers and big corporations foot the bill. Doesn’t that sound like a good deal?

We Have a Choice to Make

Here at MakeUseOf, we believe passionately in giving you high-quality free stuff. Advertising makes that possible. We don’t want to charge you money or engage in the blog equivalent of product placement.

If you like our website and want to preserve a Web that’s free to use, without paywalls all over the place, please whitelist us. This doesn’t just apply to MakeUseOf — please whitelist every site you love and want to support.

If you want paywalls and product placement, then use Adblock on every website. It’s your choice. Every time you load a website with Adblock enabled, you’re casting a vote against the kind of free content you’ll find here.

why adblock is bad for free internet

How To Whitelist Us Right Now

Whitelisting MakeUseOf is simple. Just click the Adblock icon in your browser and select “Disable on makeuseof.com.”

why adblock is bad for free internet

Uncheck the “Enabled for this site” check box if you’re using Chrome.

why adblock is bad

Let us know what you think in the comments. We love our readers – you’re the ones who make this website possible.

Image Credit: White Surrender Flag via Shutterstock, Hand with Ballot via Shutterstock

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Do You Support MakeUseOf Switching Its Comment Interface From Disqus To WordPress? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 05 March 2012. Tags: comment, Disqus, from, Interface, MakeUseOf, Poll, Support, Switching, Wordpress

class="alignright" title="STATIC POLL" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/polls.jpg?323f2c" alt="" />In last week’s poll we asked you whether href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/rush-buy-ipad-3-makeuseof-poll/">you will rush out to buy the new iPad 3. The poll included 5 options, and surprisingly enough, the 416 votes were divided almost equally between these five options. But which option was the most popular one?

Out of 416 readers who voted, 17% want the iPad 3 but already own an older tablet, another 17% think tablets are useless altogether, 18.5% will definitely rush out to get the iPad 3, 21% plan on buying it but not right away, and the most popular option was chosen by 26.5% of the voters, who are sticking with their current tablet for now.

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

So in general, MakeUseOf readers seem to not have a sweeping opinion of the iPad 3. The small majority, however, are sticking to their current tablets. Could this be due to the fact that no one really knows for sure what the iPad 3 will be all about? I’m definitely waiting to see if it’s actually all that special. We’ll find out in just a couple of days!

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/poll-ipad3.png?323f2c" alt="poll-ipad3" width="319" height="568" border="0" />

This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: Do You Support MakeUseOf Switching Its Comment Interface From Disqus To WordPress?

This week’s poll is a bit different than usual. Instead of asking for your opinion on software or hardware, we’re looking for our readers’ opinion regarding MakeUseOf’s own commenting system. MakeUseOf has been using Disqus for comments for quite a long time. Disqus is a very powerful and popular platform with lots of great features, but it does have a few technical downsides. As a result, we are considering switching our commenting platform to WordPress’s built-in one. Since comments are our best way of communicating with you, our loyal readers, we want to hear your opinion about such a switch. The more answers we get, the better we know what you want, so don’t hesitate to vote!

align="center"> />

If you voted for option 3, which platform would you rather see us use? Is there a reason you like or dislike Disqus as a commenting platform? We’d love to hear all your thoughts in the comments.

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How This MakeUseOf Writer Procrastinates In 8 Easy Steps

Posted on 29 February 2012. Tags: MakeUseOf, This, Writer

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Type.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate" />As you may know, MakeUseOf isn’t staffed by robots that churn out articles daily through an automatic system (you’re confusing us with a few of our notorious spam commenters…). No, we are real people that all have daily lives, and as for myself, I’m a busy guy offline.

However, all of us have our own methods of getting down to the writing. Since I’m not a full-time href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-resources-freelance-writer/">freelance writer, it takes me a little extra oompah to get myself started. With that in mind (and based on what I’m doing right now), I figured I’d give you a little insight into what I’m doing. Basically, here’s how I procrastinate.

The Realization Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MakeUseOf.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate" width="590" height="235" />

The weekend is when I spend the majority of my time putting my hands on the keyboard. Throughout the week I have a pretty busy schedule, and although I know that there are other people who have a much busier life than mine, it gets a little hectic at times. I often forget what day it even is, so whenever it gets around to Friday night, I kind of panic, knowing that my title="Meet Your Writing Deadlines In A Distraction-Free Writing Environment With OmmWriter" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/meet-writing-deadlines-distraction-free-writing-environment-ommwriter/">deadline is extremely close. Granted, I know I’ll always make it, but phew…

The Browsing Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Reddit.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="589" height="235" />

When it comes time to write, I’ll sit down at my computer with great intentions. I think to myself, “Alright, Lockhart. You’re going to write a masterpiece this time. Your adoring public will love you, and you’ll get so many views that you’re just bound to make this article viral.” I really don’t know why I lie to myself this way.

The fact is that I’ll get on my computer, pull up a tab for MakeUseOf, and then I’ll think, “Well… maybe one look at Facebook won’t be too bad.” So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll creep people on Facebook, and then Facebook turns to Reddit, and then Reddit turns into title="Secretly Check Out Your Reddit-Using Friends with Reddit Investigator" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/secretly-check-redditusing-friends-reddit-investigator/">whatever link Reddit sends me to, and five hours later, I realize I still haven’t written an article. Oh, and I look at cats a lot.

The Dipping-A-Toe-In-The-Pool Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/WordPress.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="590" height="235" />

I’ll eventually pull up a new document to write on. Heck, I’ll even pull up my list of article ideas to see what I’m supposed to write next. But that’s all I’ll do. However, for some reason, I’ll think, “You sure did a good job opening a new document to write on, Josh. Man. You are working so hard. Maybe you should treat yourself to some microwaveable taquitos. No… no… I know. Why don’t you fry up some shrimp? Yup. title="Find Easy & Appetizing Recipe Ideas With BBC GoodFood [Chrome]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/find-easy-appetizing-recipe-ideas-bbc-goodfood-chrome/">Fry up some shrimp.“

You know what I’ll do at that point? Yes. I fry up some freaking shrimp, and they taste delicious.

The Denial Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Shrimp.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="590" height="235" />

While eating my delicious shrimp, I sometimes will fall back on my other plan, and then I’ll go ahead and microwave some taquitos. They often come out very soggy and look very disgusting, but I eat them anyway. Granted, while raiding the fridge, I’ll sometimes see something else I like – say, something like crab cakes – and I’ll microwave those, too.

The sad part is that I know what I’m doing – title="5 Procrastination Strategies to Become More Productive" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-procrastination-strategies-productive/">not writing an article. It’s blatant and obvious that I’m avoiding it. I’m a horrible person. However, the food tastes good, right?

The Considering-Copping-Out-Of-Life Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PeaceCorps1.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate better" width="590" height="235" />

While wallowing in my greasy-food-induced guilt and post-bathroom sickness, I will often contemplate life. Who am I? Why am I here? What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? I begin to believe I should hit the road – drop out of school, quit writing, pack it up, and start title="10 Sites For Budget Travel & Backpacking Trips Across The World" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-sites-budget-travel-backpacking-trips-world/">traveling the country by foot or something. I think to myself, “Yup. I could live off the land, and then I wouldn’t have to write!”

However, this is all really stupid. I’m a city boy at heart – I couldn’t ever do anything like that.

The Courage Wolf Phase

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Granted, somewhere in all of this, I somehow make it through and actually write. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but something triggers it, and I’m given enough courage to bust through and pop something out worth reading (and sometimes not worth reading based on my commenters). I’ll write and research for a while, and somehow, by the end of the day, I’ll have an title="4 Rules To Ignore When Writing Your Personal Blog [Opinion]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-rules-ignore-writing-personal-blog-opinion/">article of some sort.

It just happens. It’s like it falls from the sky. I sometimes feel as though I have magic hands that type in a mystical manner.

The Girlfriend-Made-Me-Dinner Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SickToStomach.png?323f2c" alt="" width="590" height="235" />

Now, even though I’ve href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-tools-procrastination-ninja-work/">written an article, this doesn’t mean it’s over. Right before I hit that submission button, I like to review. However, during the review process, I’ll occasionally get that familiar text message from my girlfriend, Ashleigh: “Would you like me to fix you dinner?” You’d think after shrimp, taquitos, and crab cakes that I wouldn’t want anything. HA! Of course, I want something.

So I’ll take another bit of time to go see Ashleigh, eat up some food, watch a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, and then head home. Good times, good times.

The Panic-Because-Of-What-I’ve-Written Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Panic.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate" width="590" height="235" />

At some point – possibly because I had to step away from my work for a while – I panic when I return to my article, worrying that it will absolutely suck. I think to myself, “Maybe I should just email Mark and tell him the article will be late!” or “Maybe I should just turn in my resignation now – this article will make them fire me, anyway!” Yes, my friends, I title="What Is The Imbecilic Art Of Vaguebooking?" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/imbecilic-art-vaguebooking/">worry about everything. It’s not the best quality in the world, honestly.

Conclusion

Eventually, after all this procrastination, overeating, and panic, I finally click that submission button, and the article process is complete. It really is a hassle for me sometimes, though. However, I really do try to avoid all this and get right to work.

Do you write for any other blogs? What kinds of procrastination problems do you have?

Image Credit: href="http://morguefile.com/archive/display/177402" rel="nofollow">mantasmagorical

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How This MakeUseOf Writer Procrastinates In 8 Easy Steps

Posted on 29 February 2012. Tags: Easy, MakeUseOf, Procrastinates, Steps, This, Writer

The Realization Phase

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The Browsing Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Reddit.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="589" height="235" />

The Dipping-A-Toe-In-The-Pool Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/WordPress.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="590" height="235" />

You know what I’ll do at that point? Yes. I fry up some freaking shrimp, and they taste delicious.

The Denial Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Shrimp.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate like a pro" width="590" height="235" />

The Considering-Copping-Out-Of-Life Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PeaceCorps1.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate better" width="590" height="235" />

However, this is all really stupid. I’m a city boy at heart – I couldn’t ever do anything like that.

The Courage Wolf Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CourageWolf.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate better" width="590" height="235" />

It just happens. It’s like it falls from the sky. I sometimes feel as though I have magic hands that type in a mystical manner.

The Girlfriend-Made-Me-Dinner Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SickToStomach.png?323f2c" alt="" width="590" height="235" />

So I’ll take another bit of time to go see Ashleigh, eat up some food, watch a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, and then head home. Good times, good times.

The Panic-Because-Of-What-I’ve-Written Phase

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Panic.png?323f2c" alt="how to procrastinate" width="590" height="235" />

Conclusion

Do you write for any other blogs? What kinds of procrastination problems do you have?

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Will You Rush Out To Buy The iPad 3? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 27 February 2012. Tags: iPad, MakeUseOf, Poll, Rush

Last week we asked you about data connection in tablets, and wondered whether you had it and used it on your own tablet. According to the poll, the vast majority of the voters think Wi-Fi is more than enough for a tablet, and either don’t have or rarely use their 3G connection.

Out of 278 voters, 58% have Wi-Fi only tablets, 7% have 3G tablets, but rarely use the 3G functionality, 10% have 3G tablets a use the connection all the time, 18% don’t own a tablet, but if they did, it would be Wi-Fi only, and 7% don’t own a tablet, but if they did it would have 3G.

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

It’s quite surprising to see that only 17% of the voters think 3G is useful for tablets. This might be due to the ease with which one can get a data connection anywhere simply using one’s phone. In this case, as many readers stated in the comments, getting a 3G tablet becomes obsolete.

poll-results

This week’s poll question is: Will You Rush Out To Buy The iPad 3?

As you probably already know, the new iPad 3 is due to arrive sometime in March, probably sooner than later. As customary with Apple, no one knows for sure what the iPad 3 has in store for us, but one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be awesome. It’s been only 2 years since the original iPad came into our lives, and only a year since the release of the iPad 2. Most iPad enthusiasts already own an iPad, and others might own a different tablet. The iPad 3 sure looks exciting, but there’s probably going to be an even better one next year. So where do you stand? Will you rush out to get the new iPad 3?

What do you think makes the iPad 3 so exciting? Will you go out and buy it even though you already own an older model? Will owning an older model prevent you from trying out this one? Tell us in the comments!

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Does Your Tablet Have A Data Connection? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 20 February 2012. Tags: Connection, Data', MakeUseOf, Poll, Tablet

Last week we asked you what your favorite music streaming service is. Although we could not include every existing service, we’d listed all the bigger ones, and out of the 10 options we gave you, 3 services won by a pretty large margin! So who won?

414 readers voted in this poll. In third place, with 19.5% of the votes, is Pandora. In second place, with 20% of the votes (and only one vote more), is Spotify, and the big winner, and your favorite music streaming service, is Grooveshark, with 23% of the votes.

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

Every music service mentioned got at least one vote, and a full 11% of the voters chose “Other”. Some of the services mentioned in the comments were 8tracks, MOG, Bandcamp and Noisetrade. That’s a lot of different music services being used by MakeUseOf readers!

music-poll-results

This week’s poll question is: Does Your Tablet Have A Data Connection?

Tablets are getting more and more popular, and the more popular they get, the more unclear it becomes which device they really need to replace. Are they to be used more like a laptop, and connect to the Internet only where there is Wi-Fi available, or should they have Internet no matter where we are, courtesy of a paid data plan?

Most people already pay for data on their phone, and paying for another device may seem superfluous, especially considering the fact that 3G tablets cost more to begin with. On the other hand, if you already own a tablet, why not use it everywhere?

If you chose to have a data connection, why do you think it’s necessary? If you chose Wi-Fi only, what made you give up data? Is it the extra cost, or is it simply unnecessary? Tell us what you think in the comments!

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What Is Your Favorite Online Music Streaming Service? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 13 February 2012. Tags: Favorite, MakeUseOf, Music, Online, Poll, Service, Streaming

Last week we asked you what you think of Windows 8’s Metro UI. What we found is that Microsoft should watch out – the majority of the voters don’t think this UI is suitable for an entire operating system, and think Microsoft should stick with phones, at least where Metro UI is concerned.

Out of 368 voters, 42% think the UI is good for a phone, but not for an entire operating system, 18% like the way it looks but are not sure how usable it really is, 17% simply don’t like it, 14% love it and think it looks great and 9% like it fine, but think it still requires some work.

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

All in all, over 85% of the readers who voted don’t think Windows 8’s Metro UI is good enough. It may still improve over what we’ve seen, but it sure seems like Microsoft have got their work cut out for them on this one!

poll-results

This week’s poll question is: What Is Your Favorite Online Music Streaming Service?

Online music streaming services have been picking up during the past few years, and today there’s quite an abundance of them to choose from. If you live in the right country, that is. Many of these services are only available in certain countries, each has its different music-discovery style, its price tag, and its unique interface. What this comes down to is that almost anyone who uses online music streaming has a favorite go-to service. Most people don’t regularly use several. So which is yours?

What makes your music service the best? Is it its availability in your country? The price? The interface? If you voted for “Other”, don’t forget to mention which one it is!

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What Do You Think Of Windows 8′s Metro UI? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 05 February 2012. Tags: 8′s, MakeUseOf, Metro, Poll, Think, Windows

Last week we were interested in your tweeting habits, and asked you how often you share on Twitter. We wanted to get an idea of how frequently people tweet, and found out the surprising fact that more than %40 of you don’t tweet at all.

Out of the 145 readers who voted, 19% don’t even have a Twitter account, 23% have an account but never tweet, 23% tweet 1-5 times per week, 19% tweet 1-5 times per day, 7% tweet 6-10 times per day, 5.5% tweet 11-20 times per day, and 3.5% tweet more than 2- times daily.

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

While not a whole lot of readers voted, it was still surprising to find out that so many of you are not big on tweeting, with a staggering 65% who tweet 5 times a week or less. In a world so consumed by Twitter and hashtags, it’s interesting to see such results.

poll

This week’s poll question is: What Do You Think Of Windows 8′s Metro UI?

Microsoft Metro UI is not entirely new, with early glimpses of dating back to earlier versions of Windows Media Center and Zune, but with Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8, Microsoft made sure we all heard of and knew what Metro UI is. Metro is a design language which is based on certain principles such as specific fonts, use of tiles and text for navigation, and more, and by utilizing in in Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to go in a completely different direction. This UI has gotten mixed reviews (although more good than bad), with some people thinking it’s the best thing since Windows added a Start button, and others hating the thought of having that as their main operating system. Where do you stand?

What is it about Metro UI that you like or don’t like? Do you think it’s good on some products but not on others? If so, which? We’re waiting for your comments.

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How Often Do You Share On Twitter? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 30 January 2012. Tags: MakeUseOf, Often, Poll, Share, Twitter

Last week we asked you whether or not you use recommendation apps to find good places to eat. Apparently, this is not a subject readers think of a lot, as only 78 of you voted. But this makes the results all the more interesting!

Out of 78 readers who voted, 45% don’t use recommendation apps at all (!), 24% use them all the time and find them useful, 23% use them sometimes, 6% used to use recommendation apps but don’t trust them anymore, and 1% keep trying to use them, but are usually disappointed.

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

While not many people voted, it’s still surprising to see that more than half of the voters don’t use these apps, and most of the voters don’t think they’re any good. I guess the market is ready for something different in this niche!

This week’s poll question is: How Often Do You Share On Twitter?

Twitter is a staggeringly large social network, and as such, millions of tweets pass through its line each day. We all know there are Twitter accounts which are almost empty, with 1-2 tweets every few days, and there are Twitter accounts from which we get a flood of tweets, which can sometimes drown our whole timeline. Where do you fall into the mix? Do you love sharing on Twitter and tweet multiple times a day, or are you one of those who prefer to tweet once every 2-3 days? Or maybe you don’t even own a Twitter account?

Do you love seeing many tweets from your friends? Or do you think people should limit themselves to several tweets per week so as to not create an over-crowded timeline for everyone?

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Do You Use Social Recommendation Apps To Find A Good Place To Eat? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 23 January 2012. Tags: Apps, Find, Good, MakeUseOf, Place, Poll, Recommendation, Social

Last week we asked you if tablets will eventually replace laptops. We got all sorts of interesting opinions in the comments, but at the end of the day, most of you thought that tablets will never replace laptops, and that they will always have different niches to fill.

Out of 415 readers who voted, 48% think tablets will never entirely replace laptops, 32% think it might actually happen, but that today’s tablets are still missing some key components, 20% think it’s a sure thing, and is only a matter of time, and 1% think that the iPad will replace laptops, but other tablets won’t.

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

As you can see, 3 voters thought that Apple’s iPad will manage to replace laptops, while other tablets won’t. Would be interesting to know the reasons behind these votes!

This week’s poll question is: Do You Use Social Recommendation Apps To Find A Good Place To Eat?

Social recommendation apps for restaurants are all the rage lately. Apps and websites such as Yelp and Urbanspoon are highly popular, and many people use them as a gauge when deciding where to have dinner. These apps can be a great source of information when you’re looking for a good place to eat in a new town, and can also be used to find new places in your own local city. This method is not foolproof, however, and you can find yourself in a place you would not otherwise go to, just because you trusted a stranger’s recommendation. Some people still prefer asking their own friends for help, and thus reduce the chance of falling on a dud. So what is your view on the matter?

Have you had good or bad experience with these social recommendation apps? Or maybe you never even tried them? And if so, why? Share everything in the comments.

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What Is The Future Of Paper? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted on 09 January 2012. Tags: Future, MakeUseOf, Paper, Poll

Last week we asked you which major company was the best of 2011. With companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon on the list, I didn’t expect this poll to create any major surprises. Alas, our readers are not to be taken for granted, and the winning company of 2011 is not in the above three…

Out of 483 readers who voted, almost 29% named Mozilla as the best company of 2011. Google game in close second with 25% of the votes, with third place going to Apple (19%), followed by Amazon (9%), Samsung (6%), Microsoft (4%), Facebook (2%), with Nokia trailing the pack at less than 0.5%. 4% of the voters thought the title should go to none of these companies.

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

So the surprising winner of this poll was Mozilla, who really did do some impressive things this year in its battle against Google Chrome. Microsoft, who has been working rather hard this year, did not seem to impress MakeUseOf’s readers that much.

This week’s poll question is: What Is The Future Of Paper?

If you’ve ever watched even one sci-fi movie as a kid, you’ve been waiting ever since for those flying cars and a life without paper. In reality, paper still has a strong hold on our society, although it’s quickly diminishing. Many people choose to forego paper bills entirely, and pay everything online. E-readers have also had quite an impact in the short time they’ve been around, and more and more people are leaving paper books behind. So is paper going to disappear soon, just like in the movies, or is all this just a drop in the ocean of paper, which will stay with us forever?

If you think paper will disappear in time, vote for the answer which states the closest number of years. Don’t forget to share in the comments exactly why you think paper will stay or disappear, and what would be the substitutes.