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3 Free Applications To Help You Find Your Next Apartment [iPhone - US Only]

Posted on 04 February 2012. Tags: , , , , , , ,

apartment applicationLooking for an apartment can be hard work. You need to find a place that is affordable, in a good area, nice looking and so many other things, that it can be overwhelming. Sure, a million websites show you the prices for apartments, but sometimes you want to look at apartments while out and about using a dedicated application for your iPhone. What if you are at the apartment and you want to see if the place stacks up to the description?

Fear not, apartment shopper, because with these three US-based iPhone apps, you will be ready to hit the apartment market with your best foot forward and armed with as much knowledge on what is available as possible. Each of these three apps has some great features, and because they are all free, there really is no reason not to download them all! Between the three, it is nearly impossible not to find what you need.

Apartment Guide

This is a great application for finding your next place to live. When you first boot it up, it will ask you to allow it to use your location, if you say yes it will be able to find apartments near you. At first, you can simply tap the “Search Nearby” button, and it will show you the apartments close to you. From the search nearby screen, you can tap refine to narrow the results by price, bedrooms, bathrooms and other parameters.

apartment application

Clicking any result will bring you to the screen for more details on the apartment. You can quickly click “Call now” to call the place and set up an appointment to see the units. You will also be able to see a detailed description of the units, as well as a breakdown of different models and their prices. They also show amenities, pet policies, community features and special features.

apartment search app

You can also used the advanced search to limit the results it shows you to only ones that meet specific requirements. Of course, if you are not looking for an apartment near you, you can also type in a zip code to search anywhere. Another cool feature is that the app will remember places you have viewed recently as well as those you have called. It also allows you to store any place as a favorite for easy access later.

Trulia

Trulia is a full featured real estate iPhone application that does everything from finding houses for sale, houses that are sold, places that have been reduced in price, open houses and of course apartments for rent. To view the places available for rent, simply tap “For Rent” from the main screen. By default, the application will show you an aerial map view of all the places available in your proximity. You can tap any of them for a more detailed view.

apartment search app

If you do not enjoy looking at a map, you can tap the list button on the bottom right of the screen to view the apartments in an easy to read format. You can also tap the magnifying glass symbol to search using location,  minimum and maximum rent, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and other things that are important in your search.

apartment search app

You can add places to favorites, but you must create a free account with Trulia. The nice thing about this is that you can get access to your favorites from another device or computer. Trulia, while not as easy to navigate as some apps, is your one stop real estate iPhone application.

MyApartmentMap

This app is incredibly streamlined and easy to navigate. It launches a simple screen that asks, “Where do you want your apartment?” The front page also features any places you have saved on the bottom. To start your search, simply enter a zip code or city into the box and click “Search!”

search for apartments

The results will start with a list, showing you all the apartments for rent in the area. You can scroll through these to find the one you like. At the top of the screen is where you can customize how you view the results. You can click “Map,” which, you guessed it, shows the results on a map. You can also click “Data,” which is an awesome feature that shows averages for the apartments in your results. You can see the average rents based on size and other data about the places you are looking for. You can also view deals on apartments in your area by clicking on the “Deals” tab.

apartment application

On the top left of the screen you can click “Filter” to tweak the results. Do you need an apartment that will let you keep your dog? Do you need a place that is under $1,000 a month? Well from this screen, you can customize all that and more.

Conclusion

With these three applications, you will be ready to find the perfect place to live, for the right price and in a great location. They make finding an apartment as simple and painless as possible. The best part is; you can take them with you while looking at the places, to make sure they stack up to their description.

Image Credit: ShutterStock



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Why MegaUpload, And Who’s Next?

Posted on 24 January 2012. Tags: , ,

In the middle of some very aggressive anti-SOPA/PIPA protests, the feds managed to prove that they don’t need to pass such a bill to pull the plug on a certain internet website. The casualty this in this instance was long-time file sharing giant MegaUpload (along with the entire “Mega” network of sites). All that’s left to ponder now is why it happened and what site may get hit next.

Kim Dotcom was pulled out of the “panic room” of his home and had over $8.8 million on assets seized on Thursday. You knew that though. You’ve heard the story already. You’re all about protecting free internet and ensuring that these major sites don’t get shut down. But let’s slow down for just a moment. Are you sure?

Piracy is without a doubt a major problem and will continue to be into 2012. Dotcom is estimated to have costed copyright holders a good $500 million in damages as he smoothly raked in a good $42 million just in 2010. MegaUpload was a site that made money by offering you a subscription-based “locker” for all of your data and files. It was the obvious choice when compared to sites like RapidShare as it was faster, looked nicer, and was just more user-friendly and easy to work with. I used MegaUpload a lot. I actually had my own lifetime account. The life of that account is now over.

MegaUpload, as any other file-sharing service ends up doing, was host to tons of cracked software, pirated movies, music, and other media that we seem to take for granted. Again, such is the sad consequence of being a free site of its size. For years, MegaUpload pulled content, cooperated with groups like Universal Music, etc. As of recently, their behavior had become so lax that some would suggest they are cooperating with pirates and almost encouraging this type of content on their network. Why?

Well, because people want pirated content. When you have something people want, it gets you traffic. Traffic makes you money. Check this press release here to read that information straight from the fingertips of the fed. What is being alleged is that MegaUpload cooperated with users who uploaded such content and did their part to help “hide” and “manipulate the perception” of content.

Let’s take a step outside of the SOPA box for a moment and realize that this behavior (though alleged) is illegal and does need to be stopped if we want to preserve open internet in the long run. Deading SOPA isn’t about allowing every user of the internet to download free movies as they choose, it’s about empowering us to freely share information without these harsh constrictions.

I’m personally involved in affiliate marketing and internet marketing in general. I know that a lot of these free uploading sites do a lot of seedy, shady things in the backend to ensure that their bandwidth costs are being paid for, tenfold maybe. Mr. Dotcom is hardly the 99% himself and the only reason you’ve got in giving him the benefit of the doubt is because, well, he hasn’t been proven guilty yet. He is an innocent man as it stands.

News hit the net the same day that rap producer Swizz Beatz was officially named the company’s new CEO. MegaUpload has received cosigns from huge names like Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and more. With that being said, the real star of this “Mega Conspiracy” as it is being called isn’t MegaUpload at all, it is MegaVideo.

MegaVideo is MegaUpload’s little rendition of a tube site. When users upload digital video files or movies, not only are they uploaded so that you can send out your MegaUpload link, but they are also sent to MegaVideo where they can be instantly streamed in their huge index of videos. This is what really set MegaUpload apart from RapidShare, MediaFire, and other file hosts. MegaVideo was well-known for harboring full DVD rips and television series. The videos were being monetized by “content lockers” (those annoying popover ads that force you to perform an action before you can “unlock” the video) and MegaVideo was a big attraction of Mega’s ad platform.

To put it plainly, MegaUpload was getting a little too flagrant with the infringement and piracy. There’s a line to be drawn, one that websites like ThePirateBay seem to be working harder to run away from every day, and more could have been done to make this better on MegaUpload’s end.

Now with that being said, I don’t understand why I’m seeing other blogs call services like Dropbox, SugarSync, SoundCloud, and Grooveshark into the spotlight. These sites are not going to be targeted, because they are quality services that aren’t waving their hands and begging to be caught.

If I had to throw my prediction into the mix, I’m saying that the most likely is HulkShare. HulkShare is the music equivalent to MegaVideo, narrowly specific to the hip-hop and mixtape genre. Late last year, many hip-hop blogs (such as OnSmash) were seized in the same way MegaUpload was just recently. The great majority of them used HulkShare almost exclusively. HulkShare is gaining popularity very quickly and their upload-for-pay model where they cram direct stream pages with ads may not sit too well. We’ll see. A single 50 Cent song is cited in the Justice Department’s complaint with MegaUpload, so let’s keep that in mind.

Before I close here, you probably already know about the “internet hacker backlash” against the the FBI, New Zealand, etc. If you’re living under a rock though, guess who was involved?

Anonymous targeted the DoJ, RIAA, MPAA, and others on the list of acronyms who you really shouldn’t press your luck with. They did their usual (a DDoS lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days). They even tricked others into unwillingly participating. You guys should already know how I feel about this group by now, and I’ll spare you a rant and just include a quote from my related article:

At best, Anonymous is a group of troublesome trolls and hackers who seem to scapegoat current events and search for an excuse to cause problems.

If you want to have your issues (the issue of blocking SOPA, free internet, etc.) taken seriously, handle it the mature way. A few DDoS attacks never made a difference and this type of behavior is what is eventually going to put us in the line of an even more sheltered position on the web.

Image Credit: TechCrunch



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5 Websites To Tell You Where The Next ”Flash Mob” Is Going To Take Place Or To Organize One Yourself

Posted on 02 December 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob-thumb.jpg" alt="" />Just a few days back (November 27), a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Flash-mob-hits-Mumbais-CST-station-surprises-commuters/articleshow/10931020.cms">flash mob hit the financial capital of my country (Mumbai, India). Alarmed? Don’t be. Flash mobs aren’t a mass of people on a rampage, but more of a semi-coordinated gathering of people for the purpose of fun and play. It is usually a spontaneous public performance like a dance or clapping session. href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob">Wikipedia has more on this latest social trend.

When it comes to a social trend, most of don’t like to left out. Flash mobs are the latest hysterical rage. Though they appear to be unplanned, they are in fact orchestrated with the help of mobile and social media. Facebook and Twitter help to spread the word to the world.

Tina’s previous post on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/flash-mob-participate-examples/">What A Flash Mob Is & How You Can Participate touched upon it first. Here we hunt for a few more clues.

href="http://www.flashmobamerica.com/">Flash Mob America

class="size-full wp-image-93533 aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob01.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="408" />

FMA is an event production and flash mob registration company based out of Los Angeles. They have produced flash mobs for American Red Cross, GLAAD, Heal the Bay, Dell, Oscar Mayer, Suave, Rachael Ray, The Bachelorette, and Modern Family with the motto of ‘Joy thru Surprise’. As an individual you probably won’t be able to hire them for orchestrated public performances, but you can definitely visit their site and register to participate in the next happening flash mob around town. The organization also has a mailing list.

href="http://flashmob.co.uk/">Flashmob (UK)

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob02.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="406" />

This UK site flashes the latest flash mob news from around the world. You can also add your own events by publishing them via the simple form. The site has separate sections for Britain, Europe, Americas, and the world. To stay updated in real time, follow them on Twitter.

href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob03.jpg" alt="" width="557" height="454" />

Really take your search for the next flash mob real time on Twitter. The hashtag #Flashmob seems to be doing the rounds quite frequently. Clicking on People results from the sidebar opens up the Twitter page opens up a whole list of flash mob related Twitter feeds. For instance, I found href="http://twitter.com/#%21/FlashMob_MTV">FlashMob_TV which is a new show for MTV looking for members for their FlashMob. Twitter is a great place to locate localized flash mob events and connect to others who are enthusiasts for a bit of spontaneous fun.

href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob04.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="371" />

I found relatively fewer flash mob related pages on Facebook. There were a few pages of the ilk href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flash-Mob-Addict/144773192226204">Flash Mob Addict and a few localized ones for specific cities around the globe. The relative sparseness on Facebook makes me think that Twitter is a better bet when it comes to catching real time updates on where the next flash mob is going to be.

href="http://www.meetup.com/">Meet Up

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flash-mob05.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="409" />

Sites like MeetUp.com are also useful for finding out local flash mobs. As the screen above shows, it could connect you directly to local groups involved in organizing impromptu flash mobs. You can setup alert emails to notify you if any new flash mob events start up in your area.

Organize Your Own Flash Mob

Anyone can start a flash mob. All it takes is an original idea and an event to stage it for. Flash mobs can be set up for fun or awareness. You will have better chances of gathering followers if it’s purely for fun as any groupie activity with serious undertones could push people away. The web has umpteen resources on how to go about organizing flash mobs.

  • href="http://www.movements.org/how-to/entry/organize-a-smart-mobs">Movements.org – How to Organize A Flash Mob
  • href="http://people.howstuffworks.com/how-to-plan-a-flash-mob3.htm">How Stuff Works – How to Plan A Flash Mob
  • href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Start-A-Flash-Mob/">Instructables.com – How To Start A Flash Mob

You can keep on searching the web for more hints and tips, but I think these three should cover it. The best way to learn how it’s all put together is to volunteer to one and learn the ropes from the inside. So, do you think flash mobs are just a social fad and like all fads destined to die out? Or do you think our world could do with more if it? Let us know in the comments.



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4 Amazing Apps To Help You Find The Next Great Place To Eat [iPhone]

Posted on 16 November 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/0_foodie.jpg" alt="" />Food makes the world go round. Whether dining out a few times a week, exploring new recipes, or simply taking pictures of your food and sharing it with others (which is called foodtography), there are a lot of people out there who love enjoying a good meal. If you consider yourself a foodie, you probably take advantage of a few key apps to document everything you’ve eaten.

Even apps like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/foursquare/">Foursquare and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tech-fun/search/?cx=009717636731598800244%3Aqhe4rh7wuxs&cof=FORID%3A11&q=instagram&sa=">Instagram, which weren’t necessarily intended for sharing just food items, have been getting used that way for quite some time. In Instagram’s case, I would argue that foodtography played a major role in why the app became so popular amongst iPhone users.

So what’s next for foodies? In this article, I’m going to show you some more apps which should help you locate places and meals you’ll like, as well as document those meals you’ve eaten and enjoyed.

1. href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ness/id454869181?mt=8">Ness

The first iPhone app I’d like to share with you is called Ness. Ness is a visually appealing food search engine that enables you to discover places you’ll love based on the types of foods that you like to eat. Just tell Ness what you like – and what you don’t – and it will get smarter over time, recommending to you new places to try.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1_foodie.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="416" />

Ness is also social. The app shows you the places your Facebook and Foursquare friends have rated, reviewed, or checked into, and allows you to share the things you like with them. Ness’ Likeness Engine incorporates your ratings/reviews and recommendations from friends to suggest new places that meet your tastes.

When you start using the app, Ness asks that you rate 10 restaurants that you’ve visited in the past. It will use this information to learn about your tastes when you rate your dining experiences and follow friends whose opinions influence your decisions. Results are tailor-made just for you.

2. href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alfred/id447020280?mt=8">Alfred

If you’re into recommendations, Alfred is another great app for you foodies out there. Alfred is your personal food butler/robot who recommends places based on your favorites. When you select a few of your favorite places for lunch, dinner, nightlife, coffee, brunch, etc. you will begin to receive custom results in the form of restaurants you will enjoy.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2_foodie.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="437" />

Connect Alfred with your Facebook account and you will be able to select the friends that you are out with. Alfred will then “tune” his recommendations to match everyone’s taste. The app is pretty intuitive and you do interact with Alfred as if he’s a real person. He asks you questions and even lets you ask your friends where they think you should grab a bite to eat.

3. href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foodily/id475603520?ls=1&mt=8">Foodily

If you’re not interested in going out to eat, you should check out the Foodily app for iPhone. Foodily ( href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/foodily-learn-to-cook-recipes-for-friends/">directory listing) gives you daily recipe inspirations from your friends, food experts, and people you follow. It even lets you utilize your phone’s camera to pair your own food pictures with recipes from across the web.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/3_foodie.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="437" />

Foodily has a recipe news feed that updates every time you open the app, giving you new recipe ideas, photos of what your friends have made, and search options to help you discover meals to make.

If you are eating out, you can take a picture at a restaurant, type a few ingredients into Foodily’s search bar, and get a similar recipe for you to cook at home. The photo functionality is also great for pairing a dish you’ve personally made with the recipe you found on a food blog, from a magazine, or wherever.

4. href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-eatery/id468299990?mt=8">The Eatery

The Eatery is another great food-related application that takes advantage of your phone’s camera. With this app, you can snap photos of your food and The Eatery will give you a second opinion on the healthiness of your meal. The idea behind the app is that documenting the meals you eat is the first step to building awareness around healthy eating.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/4_foodie.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="436" />

The Eatery will help you discover how well you eat from week to week, where you eat your best and worst meals, and what factors into potentially bad habits. Personally I think it’s pretty cool how information is presented to you upon simply snapping pictures of your food (which you probably do anyway).

As a bonus, I also recommend you check out href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/rate-share-discover-meals-restaurants-forkly-iphone/">Forkly, which I covered a couple of months back. When you’re done experimenting with these foodie apps, come back and tell us what you think!



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4 Things To Remember For Your Next Technical Interview

Posted on 10 November 2011. Tags: , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/image269.png" alt="technical interview questions" />I recently had an href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-youtube-video-channels-learning-basic-job-interview-skills/">interview (for a summer internship) for which I was told beforehand I needed to bring a pencil in case there were technical interview questions to do with coding. I was particularly nervous about the last bit but soon enough, Google winded down my nervousness a bit. I scoured the web for any type of prep material and was glad to find many sources of guidance for situations like mine.

If you’re soon facing a technical job interview, here are a few resources you should probably check out before the big day.

Find Out What NOT To Say Or Do

align="center"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/image270.png" alt="technical interview questions" width="258" height="361" border="0" />

This really applies to all types of job interviews, not just programming job interviews. I think it’s safe to say that you should really think your answer through before you blurt anything out or do anything. That’s quite common sense, but when you’re nervous, it’s easy to blank out and forget things. Well, you’re not alone.

There’s a relevant discussion on Stack Overflow called href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11598/what-is-the-worst-interviewee-answer">“What is the worst interviewee answer?” where you’ll see a lot of amusing things interviewees have said or done. Here are samples from the poll:

style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">I can’t tell you how often this happens in href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/bettertalking-practice-interview-questions/">phone interviews: Me: [asks interview question about a specific technology] /> Them: [repeats question as I can hear them typing] /> [short delay] /> [I hear a "ding" from IE when Google gives them a list of pages, "click"] /> Them: [reads from a webpage] /> Me: OK, well, thank you for your time. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.

That was the top voted poll answer. Lesson to take away – don’t cheat. Surprised?

Here’s another one:

style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">I’ll never forget it. I said… /> “So tell me a bit about yourself… /> and he replied… /> “I recently invented the div inside a span.” /> He had it listed on his resume too – just like that – invented it.

You probably should NOT say you invented invalid markup. Just a thought.

Here’s another simple thing you should not say:

style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">“Will you write out a little function for me on the whiteboard here?” /> “No.”

Not putting a lot of effort into an interview might just bite you back later on. Lying on an interview might also bite you back.

style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">The setup: “I’m an expert web programmer, was a DBA for a few years, lots of background in security, yeah I know all about that” /> The lowball: “Okay, so how would you go about preventing SQL Injection?” /> The fumble: “Weeell, thats not really the type of thing I’ve ever dealt with….what is it exactly?”

For more responses, be sure to visit href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11598/what-is-the-worst-interviewee-answer">the original poll. Though you may feel tempted to mock some of the poll responses, just remember that when nervousness strikes on the big day, it’s not all fun and games anymore. What you can do before the big interview is realize that there are actual lessons to be learned from these funny responses.

Find Out What Coding Questions To Expect

align="center"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/image271.png" alt="technical interview" width="336" height="277" border="0" />

There’s no guarantee that you will receive a coding href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-websites-give-tips-job-interview-questions-and-answers/">question that’s been posted on the web but if you can answer some of the ones that have been asked and shared online, you might have a better chance of not freezing during this part of the interview.

Here are a few sample coding questions:

style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">“Coding exercise: return the summation of a list of line-separated numbers from a text file.”
style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">Give a one-line C expression to test whether a number is a power of 2. [No loops allowed - it's a simple test.] style="background-color: #d8eaf2; margin-bottom: 15px; border: #c6d7e1 1px solid; padding: 5px;">“How would you count the number of words in a string consisting of uneven number of spaces between words( not dictionary words)? With and without library functions.”

Test yourself with more questions on href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/coding-interview-questions-SRCH_KT0,6_IP2.htm">GlassDoor and href="http://kundansingh.com/interview/">Kundan Singh’s website, the latter of which also provides href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-sites-job-interview-tipsace-job-interview/">excellent general strategies for technical interviews. Don’t assume all data is given to you during a coding question, think out loud, etc.

If you want actual books on the topic, here are a few titles that have been recommended (links lead to Amazon):

Get A Refresher In C/C++/etc. And Logic

align="center"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/image272.png" alt="technical interview questions" width="363" height="388" border="0" />

If the last tip revealed that you are rusty in a programming language, here are a few places that will help you get a refresher or crashing course. The book, href="http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Pearls-2nd-Jon-Bentley/dp/0201657880/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1319999307&sr=8-9">Programming Pearls (2nd edition) is a classic book that has been recommended quite a bit since it has lots of exercises and tutorials in C and C++ to help you think like a programmer. James also is posting a course href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/basics-of-computer-programming-variables-datatypes/">here on MakeUseOf, so go check that out. There are href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-for-java-application-examples/">also href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-to-learn-how-to-hack-like-a-pro/">many href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-free-sites-to-learn-about-programming-in-php/">websites href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-sites-to-learn-some-css-programming/">with href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/learn-ruby-programming-language-fun-hackety-hack/">tutorials (and even href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/14-youtube-playlists-watch-learn-computer-programming-quickly/">video tutorials!) that you can review.

For actual coding practice, a site that I haven’t seen talked about anywhere but that my Java professor had us frequent a lot is href="http://codingbat.com/">CodingBat. It’s a site with simple (and sometimes difficult!) coding exercises in Java and Python. For practice with your logic thinking skills, href="http://projecteuler.net">Project Euler has lots of logic/coding challenges.

Find Out What The Overall Interview Experience Might Be Like

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There’s a lot of people that have blogged about their overall experiences while being interviewed for corporations like Microsoft and Google. Even if you’re not interviewing with precisely these companies, your technical interview experience may be similar. Here are a few blog posts of interest:

  • href="http://www.catonmat.net/blog/my-job-interview-at-google/">Peteris Krumins: My Job Interview At Google
  • href="http://ifdefined.com/blog/post/2008/03/Google-interview.aspx">Corey Trager: Google Interview
  • href="http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/">Rod Hilton: My Interview With Google
  • href="http://zianet.dk/blog/2007/02/21/my-job-interview-at-microsoft-development-center-copenhagen-mdcc/">Kristian Kristensen: My Job Interview at Microsoft Development Center Copenhagen

There are plenty more if you search around. From these posts, you’ll find out that the candidates had a lot of preparation beforehand. The other thing you’ll learn is that the interview process lasts some strenuous 6 hours or more. There are other little things that will help you get a feel for what to expect during on-site interviews, which come after the initial screening interviews. Regardless of how far you get in the interview process, it’s always good to know that there are similar people in your shoes that have survived these interviews, and it is always interesting to read their experiences.

I unfortunately didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for my interview, so I invite you to prepare yourself now with the steps outlined and get href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-great-resources-learn-code/">lots of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-onlineprogramming-contests-challenge-win/">practice in logic and coding problems.

Have you had a technical or programming interview before and wish to share your experience? Let us know in the comments!

Image credits: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=81877528">Ambrophoto, href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=40184587">Andre Blais, href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=82411780">winnond, href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=61557088">kentoh



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5 Things I Want From Next Generation Video Game Consoles [MUO Gaming]

Posted on 01 November 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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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2 Tools To Load The Lyrics Next To Music Clips On YouTube [Chrome]

Posted on 02 October 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/youtube-lyrics.jpg" alt="youtube tool lyrics" />Do you love watching music clips on YouTube? It has become real fun lately when more and more pop stars and groups have been creating official YouTube channels where you can find their latest music clips. But the fun doesn’t stop there. If you love listening to music, the chances are you love singing as well. While you can find millions of music clips on YouTube that you can watch, very often it’s hard to make out the exact lyrics.

That’s where the browser extensions we review today come in really handy. They allow you to listen to songs on YouTube together with href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/tag/lyrics/">lyrics.

Lyrics for Google Chrome™

href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/oglbipcbkmlknhfhabolnniekmlhfoek">Lyrics for Google Chrome™ is a fun Google Chrome extension that loads lyrics for the current song on request. Lyrics are automatically fetched from href="http://lyrics.wikia.com/">LyricsWiki™.

When you open a music clip on YouTube, notice the extension icon that appears in the Address Bar (omnibox). Click it to load the lyrics right next to the video and start singing!

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/youtube-lyrics-01.jpg" alt="youtube tool lyrics" width="550" height="388" />

If nothing was found in the database, you can do a manual search.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/youtube-lyrics-02.jpg" alt="youtube lyrics" width="339" height="127" />

The options page lets you choose whether you want to load lyrics next to the YouTube video or open it in a new tab.

The extension also supports: Last.fm™, Google Music™ and Grooveshark™

Besides, the extension adds lyrics quick search that lets you search for lyrics from the omnibar by typing “lyrics …” + a title, artist or a couple words from the lyrics.

Another great thing is that the extension is actively supported as the developer answers all the comments on the extension page and seems to quickly implement all the suggestions (full support is provided href="https://github.com/haampie/Lyrics-for-Chrome">here).

Obviously, it won’t fetch lyrics for any song under the sun, so it won’t always work. Besides, LyricsWikia isn’t licensed to display the full lyrics for some popular songs. However it ran pretty smoothly and found lyrics for most music clips I came across.

Here’s another similar extension that seems to be a little bit more simplistic: href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kggldhblikkmmnbkeococbeoaacgelkf?hl=en-US&hc=search&hcp=main">Lyrics for YouTube™

Music Video Lyrics for YouTube

href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hbegdicajmjmehcembhmpijdfdofobbh">Music Video Lyrics for YouTube is another similar extension that seems to have a bit smaller database of lyrics.

It installs an icon in the toolbar that signals when a YouTube page has some lyrics in the database (thus it saves you a few extra clicks as you only click the icon when it claims to have the associated lyrics).

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/youtube-lyrics-03.jpg" alt="youtube lyrics" width="300" height="128" />

It will also change the icon and load the lyrics even if you have opened the YouTube page in the background tab.

Clicking the icon will fetch the lyrics on the foreground of the page:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/youtube-lyrics-04.jpg" alt="youtube tool lyrics" width="550" height="566" />

Unlike the first extension on our list, this one promotes itself more actively offering you to rate and share it each time it loads the lyrics.

Are there any other fun extensions for Google Chrome to offer that almost Karaoke experience? Please share them in the comments!

Other web-based applications to find lyrics we have previously covered at MakeUseOf:

  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/youlyrics-youtube-songs-with-lyrics/">YouLyrics: Listen To YouTube Songs With Lyrics
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/tubeoke-song-videos-with-lyrics/">TubeOke: Find Song Videos With Lyrics
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/lyrics-song-lyrics-with-video/">Lyrics.com: Song Lyrics With Videos

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Various Little Known Quality Resources For Your Next Multimedia Project

Posted on 13 July 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Projector.jpg?54167" alt="multimedia authoring tools" />Even in a world where class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/cc-search-creative-commons-content/">Creative Commons exists, it always seems like there is not enough quality royalty-free material for us in the multimedia field. Thankfully, there are several places out on the Internet that hear the cries of every starving artist.

Today, MakeUseOf offers four little-known multimedia authoring tools for your next production. What we have here is the junk drawer of your virtual artistic toolshed, and whether you are a video-maker, a graphic designer, or an audio engineer, these sites are sure to help.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.movietools.info">Movietools

Movietools is a rare gem that every video artist should know about. With an array of over 140 video loops consisting of backgrounds, virtual studios, lower thirds, and moving objects, you will never be at a loss for your next presentation.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Movietools1.png?54167" alt="multimedia authoring tools" width="580" height="311" />

File formats are only Windows Media Video files, so if you’re running a Mac OS, you might want to check out a free class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-easy-to-use-freeware-video-converters/">media converter. However, if you are willing to shell out a few extra bucks, you should look at the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/convert-video-files-with-avs-video-converter/">AVS Video Converter.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/MovieTools3.png?54167" alt="multimedia tools" width="580" height="743" />

All files from Movietools are made in 848×480 for 16:9 scaling and 640×840 for 4:3 scaling. Also, the lower third and moving object loops have been pre-keyed for your video-editing software.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.freesound.org">The Freesound Project

As mentioned before by MakeUseOf, the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/freesound-free-sound-effects-download/">Freesound Project is a collectively growing community that donates sound files for you to insert into your media project. With nearly 116,000 files to date, there is nearly an endless supply of royalty-free sound.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/freesound.png?54167" alt="multimedia tools" width="580" height="410" />

As a given, each file is under the class="vt-p" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/sampling+/1.0/">Creative Commons 1.0 Sampling license, and credit is required for each sound creator. Also, each file comes in the format of the user’s choice, so again, it might be good to find a sound file converter such as class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/audioexpert-online-sound-editor/">AudioExpert if you plan on using this online tool seriously.

Another little feature offered by Freesound is the class="vt-p" href="http://www.freesound.org/mootcher.php">Mootcher open-source programming library. This bit of open-source software allows you to write the FreeSound library into your own video or audio editing software.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mootcher1.png?54167" alt="multimedia tools" width="580" height="404" />

One thing to keep in mind is that the Freesound Project focuses primarily on sound bits rather than music. It is possible that you will find music on here, but it is more likely to be a simple recording of a live performance at a parade or a festival of some sort.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.archive.org">The Internet Archive

Taking a cue from the class="vt-p" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria">Library of Alexandria, the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-wayback-machine-lets-you-browse-the-internet-of-yester-yore/">Internet Archive is an attempt to digitally archive media files that includes moving images, sound files, photographs, texts, and pretty much anything that you can use to absorb information. That being said, it also offers a variety of media sources that can be used on your next project.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Archive1.png?54167" alt="multimedia apps" width="580" height="363" />

Not surprisingly, this site incorporates a great deal of downloadable media that is open to the public domain or is royalty-free. However, this is not to say that all of the media on this site is for you to put your hands on. Each file has its own specific license, and many of these incorporate Creative Commons. Make sure to check both the sidebar and the bottom half of each media page to find exactly what the creator or submitter allows. Some licenses are visible, but others are not.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Archive2.png?54167" alt="multimedia apps" width="580" height="411" />

class="vt-p" href="http://www.detonationfilms.com">Detonation Films

Whether you want to add some explosive transitions to your PowerPoint speech or a few action-packed sequences to your latest video project, the pyromania boys at Detonation Films have enough napalm and shrapnel to satisfy the Michael Bay in all of us.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Det.png?54167" alt="multimedia apps" width="580" height="407" />

Detonation Films is the ultimate zone for stock video of explosions, rockets, bullet holes, and more. Although many of their videos are for sale, there are a whole lot of freebies for you to download.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Det1.png?54167" alt="" width="580" height="558" />

Most videos utilize a simple black background which can be done away with using a luma or screening effect, but there are a few with chroma-key green and even pre-keyed clips to easily layer on top of your source video.

In addition to their main site that is full of 4:3 video clips, there is also class="vt-p" href="http://www.detfilmshd.com/">DetFilmsHD which offers a few pricier, yet sexier, hi-definition explosions.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Det2.png?54167" alt="multimedia authoring tools" width="580" height="349" />

Conclusion

Hopefully, these sites will aid you in your next big production whether it be a presentation at a conference, an audio mix, or the latest YouTube viral video. Visit them often, for they are constantly updating their material.

What kind of other sources of free media do you know about? Have you ever used any of these sources before with your own projects? What types of projects have you made using them?

Image credits: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://morguefile.com/archive/display/144574">jppi />
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href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quality-resources-multimedia-project/">Various Little Known Quality Resources For Your Next Multimedia Project is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/downloads/" title="downloads" rel="tag">downloads, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/media/" title="media" rel="tag">media, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/presentations/" title="presentations" rel="tag">presentations, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/project/" title="project" rel="tag">project, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/sounds/" title="sounds" rel="tag">sounds, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/videos/" title="videos" rel="tag">videos />

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    The Next Steps On The Road To Becoming A CSS Jedi Master

    Posted on 19 June 2011. Tags: , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/css-featured-part2.jpg" alt="learn css">CSS is absolutely one of the most important technologies around on the Internet today, and while most people admit to knowing a little HTML, we are generally clueless about CSS.

    Last time href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-baby-steps-learning-css-kickass-css-sorcerer/">I introduced you to the absolute beginner steps required to learning how to style websites with CSS. Today I’d like to continue to examine some basic points, take a look at how powerful FireBug is, show you how to do CSS rollover effects, and point you in the right direction for where to go next.

    The Box Model

    One of the key concepts behind CSS is the box model that surrounds every HTML element on the page. Last time I introduced you to a fantastic utility called href="http://getfirebug.com/">Firebug and the built-in Chrome equivalent. If you’ve got installed already and had a chance to play with it, you should have noticed that hovering over any element in HTML source view in the bottom left highlights a box around the element on the page view at the top. That highlight is the box model.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/box-example.jpg" alt="learn css" width="580" height="328" />

    One of the first mistakes any CSS learner will make is to confuse and use MARGIN and PADDING interchangeably. Check out the following diagram from href="http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_boxmodel.asp">w3 Schools, and notice they are very different properties.

    It’s also interesting to note that the border property takes up actual space and therefore affects positioning. MARGIN determines space around the border of an element. PADDING determines the space inside the border. Only padding has background properties applied to it.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/box-model.jpg" alt="css learning" width="550" height="310" />

    More FireBug Magic

    Not only does Firebug allow you to view the precise hierarchy in which properties have been chosen from conflicting selectors, it also allows you to both edit and disable CSS rules, live on the page. Each CSS rule in the right hand side will have a checkbox next to it. You can uncheck this to simply turn off that rule.

    More useful though, is the ability to edit these rules. Double-click to adjust the values or property name, or you can even add new rules by double clicking on the blank space. It’s an amazingly powerful tool to debug small changes to the CSS without having to save and refresh each time, but bear in mind the changes aren’t saved – so only adjust a few at a time before transferring them to the main CSS file.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/changin-live.jpg" alt="css learning" width="580" height="428" />

    Another useful feature of these development tools is showing the exact CSS file and line number the rules originate from. I find this especially useful for WordPress sites when plugins will often import their own stylesheet, or when a theme consists of more than one stylesheet.

    :hover Rollover Effects

    One of the first things anyone wants to do with their site is add flashy rollovers. In the past, rollovers effects (elements or links that change when you hover over them) were achieved using basic javascript. With CSS you can apply :hover effects to any element, not just links – but since users expect something to be clickable when it changes under their mouse, it’s best if you only use it in the site interface for links or when javascript is also involved to invoke some kind of action.

    To apply hover effects to something, use the same selector as the main element but simply add :hover to the end of it.

    class="wp_syntax"> class="code"> 
    a { color: black;}
a:hover {color:red;}

    Hover is one of a range of pseudo-selectors available to you in CSS. Although CSS version 3 has introduced many more, you can read about the most widely supported ones at href="http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_pseudo_classes.asp">w3 Schools.

    Some of my favorites are :

    :first-letter

    This is used to create “dropcap” effects on just the first letter in a paragraph.

    :first-child

    This targets only the first occurrence of something, useful if you are creating | (bars) between links using only CSS, but need to avoid duplicating one at the start or end of the list of links.

    What’s That Property? Cheat Sheets & Predictive Editors

    Of course, you can’t be expected to know all the properties you can play with in CSS – that’s why I keep some cheat sheets on my wall for when I’m drawing a blank. The best I’ve found are from href="http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/2010/03/most-practical-css-cheat-sheet-yet/">pxleyes.com.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/cheat-sheet.jpg" alt="css learning" width="580" height="410" />

    Another helpful way of ensuring you use the correct property names is to use a CSS editor or text-editor that recognizes CSS code and predicts the property name as you type. My personal tool of choice is href="http://macrabbit.com/cssedit/">CSS Edit ($40) on the Mac – please let us know in the comments if you use any free alternatives that you recommend.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/code-completion.png" alt="learn css" width="243" height="153" />

    Further Reading

    This has only been a very brief introduction to CSS, but I hope it’s given you a good grounding. You might also want to go check out my title="5 Cool CSS3 Effects You’ll Be Seeing More Of" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-incredible-css3-effects/">CSS3 Cool Tricks article too, and here are some of my personal bookmarks for developing CSS skills:

    • href="http://www.tizag.com/cssT/">Tizag have a long tutorial that gives you a good understanding of all the basic properties, and takes a very hands-on approach to learning. They’ve been around a long time and it’s the site that I initially learnt MySQL and PHP from too. Fantastic resource.
    • href="http://css-tricks.com/">CSS-Tricks is made by one very talented individual and the site itself is a testament to the fantastic power of CSS. Some of the tutorials are quite high level, but it’s a great motivational site for me.
    • href="http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp">W3-Schools can be your ultimate reference for CSS properties, where you go to look something up rather than learn in a tutorial style.
    • href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/">Smashing Magazine is another inspirational site for me, and they regularly publish in-depth tutorials on not only CSS, but the whole length and breadth of the design process.

    CSS is surprisingly fun compared to HTML or other programming, so I hope you find a spark within you – the web could certainly use a few more good designers. Comments, suggestions and more links welcome, or ask specific CSS questions in the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers">tech support section of the site. />
    />Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on href="http://www.makeuseof.dev/answers/" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf Answers!

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    What You Need To Know About Touchpads Before Buying Your Next Laptop [Technology Explained]

    Posted on 02 June 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/touchpadthumb.jpg" alt="" />If you walk into a retail store and ask a sales rep to explain a laptop to you, chances are you’ll receive a long list of hardware information focusing on what’s inside. You’ll be told what the processor is, you’ll be told the size of the hard drive, and you’ll be told the RAM installed.

    This is information you’ll want to know, but in today’s world of speedy processors and cheap RAM, many users will rarely ask about all their laptop has to give. As a result, the difference between a good laptop and a great one comes down to the little things, like the touchpad. Yet the touchpad itself is a mysterious item. It’s there, it works, and it has for years. Not all touchpads are built the same however.

    The Basics Of Touchpad Technology

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/touchpad.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" />

    The first class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-disable-the-touchpad-while-you-are-typing/">touchpads made their debut in the early 1990s, and were one of several responses to the problem of providing an portable input solution with a portable computer (trackpointers and trackballs were also common). The first laptop to have a touchpad –or trackpad, as it was officially called at the time – was the Apple PowerBook 500.

    Modern touchpads use a technology called capacitive touch. This is the same tech used by most modern class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/touch-test-touch-screen-test-app/">touchscreens, and it works by detecting the electrical current of a human finger as it comes into contact with the touchpad surface. This allows for smooth, easy navigation that doesn’t rely on physical pressure.

    However, capacitive touch does have one minor disadvantage, and that’s the inability to detect inanimate objects or gloved human hands. Special touchpads, like the tablets from class="vt-p" href="http://www.wacom.com/">Wacom, are required for use with a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/tag/stylus/">stylus. Fortunately, only artists and Eskimos routinely bump into this problem.

    The Differences Between Touchpads

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/touchpad4.jpg" alt="" width="412" height="530" />

    While virtually all touchpads use the same basic technology to detect input, there are a wide variety of ways to use this technology, and a wide variety of touchpad sizes and textures.

    The most important feature to look for in a touchpad is multitouch gesture support. Although this has become a common extra, it’s not ubiquitous. For example, I recently tested a MSI GT680R gaming laptop, priced at about $1,500, which did not have multitouch. Determining if a laptop supports this feature is easy if you can use it hands-on. Just try scrolling down a webpage with your middle and index fingers.

    If a laptop doesn’t have multi-touch, it should at least have scroll space available. This is a small vertical area, usually on the right side of the touchpad, that’s exclusively designed to translate finger movement into an up/down scrolling motion.

    Material quality, although low-tech, is critical. Most inexpensive laptops will simply construct the touchpad out of the same plastic as the surrounding laptop, and that works alright, but it doesn’t result in the smoothest feel. More expensive laptops, like the MacBooks, use a glass surface because it provides less resistance to finger movement. You’ll occasionally find other materials used, as well. The class="vt-p" href="http://event.asus.com/notebook/bamboo/index2.html">ASUS Bamboo series, for example, crafts the touchpad out of the same bamboo you’ll find on the rest of the laptop.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/touchpad6.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="411" />

    Finally, the touchpad buttons are important. The best option is a touchpad that offers two separate physical mouse buttons, but many touchpads use what is called a rocker-style button. This means there is one individual with a rocker in the middle, which means the button operates like a seesaw. Rocker-style buttons look sexy, but they can be annoying to use because pressing the button near the rocker requires more force than pressing the button at the edge.

    The perfect touchpad should offer multitouch support, a smooth surface, and two individual buttons with great tactile response. Finding all of these features together is difficult, particularly in inexpensive laptops, but it’s not impossible.

    The Importance Of Software Support

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/touchpad7.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="394" />

    Although your touchpad’s hardware is important, the software being used also has an impact on how your touchpad performs.

    For example, Windows did not even support multitouch until Windows 7 ( class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/easily-activate-finger-scroll-windows-laptops/">although there are ways to hack it), even if the hardware was capable of it. Although much has been made about the inclusion of multitouch as it relates to tablets, its impact on laptops has been more immediate and obvious. Navigating Windows with a touchpad is much easier than before.

    With that said however, there are still clear differences between Windows 7 and Mac OS X, which offers incredible multitouch support. Much of the difference between navigating Windows and Mac OS X on a laptop comes down not to the hardware (although the MacBook’s glass touchpad is nice) but to the software support. Ubuntu also offers full multitouch support as of version 10.10.

    Conclusion

    It’s easy to forget about the touchpad when a sales rep is gushing to you about the great hardware packed inside the new laptop you have your eye on. Don’t let that distract you. The touchpad is something you’ll be using a lot, and it cannot be replaced or upgraded, so you need to be sure to buy a laptop with a touchpad you like. />
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    7+ Sites To Help You Decide Which Book To Read Next

    Posted on 02 May 2011. Tags: , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/reading.jpg"/>Whether you’re trying to find a good book to read during your commute or planning out your summer reading early, there is nothing more daunting than going to a bookstore without a prepared list with at least a few titles or authors to look up. If you want to be sure that you’re next read is going to be a good one, there’s a variety of sites you can use to look up books based on your personal taste, your favorite authors, favorite titles, or even based on a specific plot summary or character.

    Whether user generated, based on recommendations or based on customer purchases, there’s a variety of ways that these sites are able to provide some pretty accurate results, while others are still working out a few kinks and growing pains.

    YourNextRead

    With href="http://www.yournextread.com/">YourNextRead, you can look up specific titles to get recommendations on similar books. In some cases, the list consists only of titles by the very same author, which completely defeats the purpose, but in other cases it actually does generate an interesting list. Recommendations are also accompanied by Amazon blurbs, reviews and price information, making it easy to purchase a recommended book online. /> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/YNR2.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="381" />

    BookYap

    With href="http://bookyap.com/">BookYap, the more you use the site, the more in tune it will become with your taste. Sign up for a free account and start out by filling in a list of your favourite authors and titles:

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BY1.png" alt="" width="580" height="320" />

    Filling in some basic information about your reading habits:

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BY2.png" alt="" width="580" height="410" />

    And then filling in some information about your personality:

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BY3.png" alt="" width="580" height="377" />

    BookYap will then make recommendations on the information you provided.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BY4.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="293" />

    In some cases the recommendations were a bit absurd, where one favorite author, simply led to another favorite author already on my list and so forth. Where BookYap really sets itself apart from other similar sites is how it combines the answers to your reading habits with the answers to your personality to come up with reading suggestions. Although these results weren’t free from quirks either, with the Official Nintendo Super Paper Mario Player’s Guide making it onto the list of Quick Reads for ‘Smarty Pants.’ BookYap is a site to keep an eye on, and with time, the search results may become more accurate and relevant.

    Gnooks

    href="www.gnooks.com">Gnooks is probably the simplest of any of the sites of this kind, with absolutely no bells and whistles. Search for an author’s name and you will be presented with a visual map of similar authors. The closer the suggestions are to the search word, the more similar they are. Clicking on a name in the map will lead you to another visualization of similar authors.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/gnooks.png" alt="" width="580" height="338" />

    Goodreads

    href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/track-book-goodreads/">Goodreads needs no introduction. The popular bookshelf social network also provides user-generated recommendations of sorts. Users can create lists of books, so for example, searching for The Alexandria Quartet is featured on a variety of lists such as best post World War II fiction, alongside other greats such as Catch 22. But then it also does wind up on a list of best books ever alongside Twilight. If you’re going to benefit from Goodreads’ lists, you’ll obviously have to rely on a bit of common sense as well. The Goodreads community itself can also serve as a great way to discover new books, simply by interacting with other users.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/GoodReads.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="527" />

    AllReaders

    href="http://www.allreaders.com">AllReaders is another no-frills, awful UI website, but not only does it provide a small list of titles that are similar to any given book, you can also search for books based on plot, setting or even details about the protagonists. Titles are also accompanied by a plot summary, as well as setting and character information.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/allreads.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="565" />

    Amazon

    href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon is an obvious but often overlooked option for getting reading recommendations. When looking up any given book, you can find similar titles since the search result is accompanied by a ‘Customers who bought this also bought’ list.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Amazon11.png" alt="" width="580" height="189" />

    In addition, you can also find similar authors using their ‘Customers also bought items by’ list.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Amazon2.png" alt="" width="580" height="193" />

    TasteKid

    href="http://www.tastekid.com/">TasteKid is a great site for both book and author recommendations. Just enter the title of your favorite book, or your favorite author, and TasteKid will generate some of the most relevant and accurate results out of all the sites listed here. TasteKid also provides more than just book recommendations and can also be used for music, movies and TV shows.

    class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/TasteKid.png" alt="" width="580" height="216" />

    Other great ways to get recommendations on what to read are with other sites similar to Good Reads, where you can catalog your book collection and also benefit from the community’s wisdom on what to read next. Shelfari and Library Thing are two such examples that have been reviewed alongside Good Reads in the post, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-great-ways-to-keep-track-of-your-expanding-book-collection/">4 Great Ways To Keep Track Of Your Expanding Book Collection. Other great sites worth checking out that have already been reviewed at MakeUseOf, include href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/book-recommendation-engines-quick-book-searches/">What Should I Read Next, WhichBook.net and The Book Seer.

    You might also be interested in the following articles:

    href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-great-sites-to-do-a-book-search-by-plot-or-subject/">4 Great Sites to do a Book Search by Plot or Subject /> href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/recommendations-on-movies-music-books-from-glue-firefox/">Recommendations on Movies, Music, Books from Glue

    What sites do you use to decide what your next read is going to be? Let us know in the comments.

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    Get Your Foot In The Door Next Time You Need Work By Leveraging Your Facebook Connections

    Posted on 14 April 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/shutterstock_69143623.jpg" alt="facebook job hunting">Can there ever be too many good ways to look for new jobs? I don’t think so – and I think most job seekers would agree that if it leads to work it’s worth a try. In the Door has created a new, innovative way of searching for work by using your Facebook contacts as leads for jobs that are already advertised.

    href="http://www.inthedoor.com/">In The Door revolves around the adage that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. It’s true – what you know merely gets your resumé on the pile along with that of every other talented jobseeker, whereas the people you know can tell the person doing the hiring that you’re the one for the job. In The Door seeks to make it easy to match who you know with the jobs out there.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/In-The-Door-Logo.png" alt="facebook job hunting">

    Using In The Door

    The process is simple. You sign up to In The Door with your Facebook login and a list of contacts is automatically generated for you. The contact list features any of your contacts who have entered employer or location information – it’s not limited to people who have already signed up with In The Door. This makes it easy to get started, since you don’t have to wait for a critical mass of friends signing up to In The Door. You may wish some more of them would add relevant information and make it shareable to applications, but if you have enough friends on Facebook it won’t matter that not all of them share this information.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Previous-positions.png" alt="facebook job hunting tips">

    Finding Jobs

    Using the site, you will realise that you can browse by location, search for specific keywords or location, or browse the companies represented by your friends. This gives you a wide variety of ways to find work using In The Door. When you find a job you’re interested in, you can always view your contact at the company, allowing you to arrange an introduction.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Event-Manager-Job.png" alt="facebook job hunting tips">

    Browse Companies

    Currently, In The Door is still quite new and most of the jobs are USA only. But this will expand quickly and doesn’t completely stop non-USA users from making use of the site. Browsing the companies your friends work for still has advantages, since you could use that information to chat to the friends you know who work (or previously worked) at the company of your choice. It’s easy to see at a glance where your friends work using In The Door. It’s certainly much easier than browsing your friends’ Facebook profiles individually or searching all the companies that sound appropriate.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Jobs.png" alt="">

    Once you find a company you like, the jobs available there are clear to see.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Price-Waterhouse.png" alt="facebook job hunt">

    Search by Keywords

    Searching by keyword means you can narrow down the exact role you’re interested in, or you can search by role as well as location. Handy if you’re not willing to move!

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Writer-Search.png" alt="facebook job hunt">

    Location Search

    The location search page works on the assumption that you’re most likely to want to live in cities with your friends – that and that most of the jobs available via your friends will be in those cities. The cities best represented by your friends will be easy to spot, then you can quickly click a link to see the jobs available in that city.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/San-Francisco.png" alt="facebook job hunt">

    Competition: Other Places to Find Work

    href="http://www.inthedoor.com/">In The Door has plenty of competition in href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/signal-learn-linkedin/">LinkedIn, the Facebook marketplace and a number of similar href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-sites-for-beating-the-job-hunting-blues/">jobseeking sites with much the same idea, such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/jibe-connects-facebook-linkedin-job-search/">Jibe. But with href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/job-search/">job searching being such an important process, there can never be enough options, really. Unlike Jibe, In The Door is able to be used instantly and permanently without any need to sign up your friends.

    class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/In-The-Door-Get-Started.png" alt="facebook job hunting" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-72865" />

    How did you find your last job? Through advertising or friends? Do you think In The Door would be useful to you next time you need to search for work? Let us know in the comments!

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    The Best Travel Deals Sites To Save Cash On Your Next Vacation

    Posted on 22 January 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

    class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/shutterstock_3272519a1.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="150" height="208" />Airline tickets and other associated travel expenses constantly change within hours or days. Booking a flight just two or three days before or after your planned departure date could cost or save you up to a few hundred dollars. But with some online searching, and some flexibility in your schedule, you can possibly find great travel deals that will make your trip less costly and possibly more enjoyable.

    We recently posted about a travel site called  class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/virtualtourist-planning-trip/">Virtual Tourist that contains lots of traveler recommendations for planning your next trip. But there are several websites geared to helping you find some of the best travel deals around. These sites are easy to navigate and they provide tools for alerting you when long and short-term deals arise.

    id="more-63315">

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/">Airfarewatchdog

    Airfarewatchdog seems to be the most straightforward site when it comes to locating the best airfare deals. Airfarewatchdog prides itself on being a team of real people who personally seek out low airfare rates by scouring the net and posting listings as they find them.

    Airfarewatchdog post deals for domestic and international flights. They list promo codes, specify if flights are non-stop, and provide comparative rates from “every conceivable airport”.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TodaysLowest.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="463" height="359" />

    If you have a really flexible schedule, you can take advantage of their “Today’s Lowest Fares” listing.  You can be alerted about travel fares for less than $100, depending of course on your location. All you have to do is provide Airfarewatchdog with an email address to get alerts. You can also follow Airfarewatchdog on class="vt-p" href="http://twitter.com/#!/airfarewatchdog">Twitter and class="vt-p" href="http://www.facebook.com/Airfarewatchdog">Facebook.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.triporama.com/">Triporama

    If you’re planning some group travel, check out Triporama. This site lists package deals for not only airline fares but also deals for hotels, tourist spots, dining and shopping.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot216.jpg" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="580" height="310" />

    Packages can be explored by various themes, including Weekend and Girlfriend Getaways, Skiing, Golf, and Family Travel, as well as Beach Vacations, and Sporting Events.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/gruoptrip.png" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="498" height="453" />

    When you sign up for a free account, you can add and tag all your research in your Group Trip Planner. From there you and your group can research and collaborate on the best deals.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/">TravelAdvisor

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/">TravelAdvisor also provides best deals on flights, restaurant meals, cruises and vacation rentals. Simply input your travel dates and TravelAdvisor will deliver you comparative rates from related sources.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot217.png" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="580" height="284" />

    The site also has free mobile apps for researching travel deals and locations.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot218.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="580" height="257" />

    It also features reviews from travelers from around the world who provide tips and critiques of travel hotspots. The idea behind TravelAdvisors is to provide lots of reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals and vacation packages, so you can get the most out of your travel.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.igougo.com/">IgoUgo

    IgoUgo saves you the trouble of having to search various websites to compare prices. After providing your travel dates and destinations, you can select other travel websites, including Travelocity, Priceline, and Expedia, which you want IgoUgo to search.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot219.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="492" height="369" />

    IgoUgo also includes traveler photos and onsite blog tips about various tourist destinations.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.travelzoo.com/supersearch/?catid=99">TravelZoo

    TravelZoo is an easy-to-use deal search site that evaluates and tests thousands of deals among more than 2,000 travel companies, including Travelocity, Orbitz, JetBlue, United, Priceline, Delta, and American Airlines.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot220.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="458" height="473" />

    TravelZoo, which claims over 2 million subscribers, also finds deals for airfares, hotels, cruises, car rentals, and vacations. You can sign up to get their Top 20 alerts, that recently included such deals as a 4-Night Bahamas Getaway for $299, a Spring 5-Night Royal Caribbean Cruise for $399 ($250 savings), and 4 Cocktails with Tapas at New W Lounge in NYC for $35 (Reg. $108).

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.cruisecompete.com/">Cruise Compete

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.cruisecompete.com/">If a cruise getaway is what you’re looking for, check out Cruise Compete. Agents working for this site can provide you free Cruise Quotes for the best deals.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cruisecompete.png" border="0" alt="cruisecompete.png" width="580" height="207" />

    You simply submit a ship name and sail dates, with a few pieces of relevant information, to get feedback about available prices and savings.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot222.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="580" height="206" />

    Cruise Compete has information about deals and packages for cruises throughout the world, and it can also provide you with information about group rates.

    As you search for travel prices, you will find there’s hardly any standard fees for airfares, car rentals, hotels, or cruises. Prices seem to go up and down constantly, so taking advantage of these deal sites is the best way to possibly save some money for your trip.

    There are many other travel deal sites online, so let us know which ones you have found useful. />
    /> Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/">MakeUseOf Answers!

    />

     

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    The Best Travel Deals Sites To Save Money On Your Next Vacation

    Posted on 21 January 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

    class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/shutterstock_3272519a1.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="150" height="208" />Airline tickets and other associated travel expenses constantly change within hours or days. Booking a flight just two or three days before or after your planned departure date could cost or save you up to a few hundred dollars. But with some online searching, and some flexibility in your schedule, you can possibly find great travel deals that will make your trip less costly and possibly more enjoyable.

    We recently posted about a travel site called  class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/virtualtourist-planning-trip/">Virtual Tourist that contains lots of traveler recommendations for planning your next trip. But there are several websites geared to helping you find some of the best travel deals around. These sites are easy to navigate and they provide tools for alerting you when long and short-term deals arise.

    id="more-63315">

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/">Airfarewatchdog

    Airfarewatchdog seems to be the most straightforward site when it comes to locating the best airfare deals. Airfarewatchdog prides itself on being a team of real people who personally seek out low airfare rates by scouring the net and posting listings as they find them.

    Airfarewatchdog post deals for domestic and international flights. They list promo codes, specify if flights are non-stop, and provide comparative rates from “every conceivable airport”.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TodaysLowest.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="463" height="359" />

    If you have a really flexible schedule, you can take advantage of their “Today’s Lowest Fares” listing.  You can be alerted about travel fares for less than $100, depending of course on your location. All you have to do is provide Airfarewatchdog with an email address to get alerts. You can also follow Airfarewatchdog on class="vt-p" href="http://twitter.com/#!/airfarewatchdog">Twitter and class="vt-p" href="http://www.facebook.com/Airfarewatchdog">Facebook.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.triporama.com/">Triporama

    If you’re planning some group travel, check out Triporama. This site lists package deals for not only airline fares but also deals for hotels, tourist spots, dining and shopping.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot216.jpg" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="580" height="310" />

    Packages can be explored by various themes, including Weekend and Girlfriend Getaways, Skiing, Golf, and Family Travel, as well as Beach Vacations, and Sporting Events.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/gruoptrip.png" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="498" height="453" />

    When you sign up for a free account, you can add and tag all your research in your Group Trip Planner. From there you and your group can research and collaborate on the best deals.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/">TravelAdvisor

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/">TravelAdvisor also provides best deals on flights, restaurant meals, cruises and vacation rentals. Simply input your travel dates and TravelAdvisor will deliver you comparative rates from related sources.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot217.png" border="0" alt="best travel deals" width="580" height="284" />

    The site also has free mobile apps for researching travel deals and locations.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot218.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="580" height="257" />

    It also features reviews from travelers from around the world who provide tips and critiques of travel hotspots. The idea behind TravelAdvisors is to provide lots of reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals and vacation packages, so you can get the most out of your travel.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.igougo.com/">IgoUgo

    IgoUgo saves you the trouble of having to search various websites to compare prices. After providing your travel dates and destinations, you can select other travel websites, including Travelocity, Priceline, and Expedia, which you want IgoUgo to search.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot219.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="492" height="369" />

    IgoUgo also includes traveler photos and onsite blog tips about various tourist destinations.

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.travelzoo.com/supersearch/?catid=99">TravelZoo

    TravelZoo is an easy-to-use deal search site that evaluates and tests thousands of deals among more than 2,000 travel companies, including Travelocity, Orbitz, JetBlue, United, Priceline, Delta, and American Airlines.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot220.png" border="0" alt="best last minute travel deals" width="458" height="473" />

    TravelZoo, which claims over 2 million subscribers, also finds deals for airfares, hotels, cruises, car rentals, and vacations. You can sign up to get their Top 20 alerts, that recently included such deals as a 4-Night Bahamas Getaway for $299, a Spring 5-Night Royal Caribbean Cruise for $399 ($250 savings), and 4 Cocktails with Tapas at New W Lounge in NYC for $35 (Reg. $108).

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.cruisecompete.com/">Cruise Compete

    class="vt-p" href="http://www.cruisecompete.com/">If a cruise getaway is what you’re looking for, check out Cruise Compete. Agents working for this site can provide you free Cruise Quotes for the best deals.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cruisecompete.png" border="0" alt="cruisecompete.png" width="580" height="207" />

    You simply submit a ship name and sail dates, with a few pieces of relevant information, to get feedback about available prices and savings.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muoscreenshot222.png" border="0" alt="best sites for travel deals" width="580" height="206" />

    Cruise Compete has information about deals and packages for cruises throughout the world, and it can also provide you with information about group rates.

    As you search for travel prices, you will find there’s hardly any standard fees for airfares, car rentals, hotels, or cruises. Prices seem to go up and down constantly, so taking advantage of these deal sites is the best way to possibly save some money for your trip.

    There are many other travel deal sites online, so let us know which ones you have found useful.

     

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    Use Diigo To Help Write Your Next College Essay or Term Paper

    Posted on 28 August 2010. Tags: , , , , , , ,

    style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iStock_000000743931XSmall-copy.jpg" alt="how to write a college essay"/>We have already class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-reasons-diigo-tastes-better-than-delicious/">covered why Diigo, a web bookmarking and annotation service, is a powerful tool for managing bookmarks, but why stop there?   class="vt-p" href="http://www.diigo.com">Diigo can be a very useful tool for helping you to write a college essay or research paper.

    Since the Internet is a tool that most students use to do research, and since most research papers are based on quotes used from various sources, Diigo provides a way to not only bookmark your sources, but also to manage and access your quotes, notes, and analysis.

    The following are some suggested guidelines for using Diigo.

    id="more-51679">

    Step 1: Determine Your Thesis

    The best way to do research is know what your thesis is for a given topic. So if you’re writing a controversial issue paper on gun laws or gun control in the U.S., you will want to develop your opinion about a particular aspect of the issue.

    Having a thesis in mind can help you narrow research, even if you change your thesis during the process.

    Step 2: Using Diigo Tools

    Before the Internet and Google, research papers were done using reading material in the library and note cards for recording and managing quotes and analysis. The content of the note cards were in turn used to write the paper. Diigo’s highlighting tools and your Diigo library can serve as your note cards.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bookmarktools.png" border="0" alt="how to write a college essay" width="510" height="147" />

    Before you start doing research using Internet resources, open your Diigo account/library and create a list for your topic. This list will be used to manage all your bookmarks and highlights. This management tool will save you lots of time and provide you with a way to access your research from any computer.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/createa-list.png" border="0" alt="write college essays" width="580" height="419" />

    If you have never used Diigo before, you will want to open a free account and install the Diigo bookmarklet, or class="vt-p" href="http://www.diigo.com/tools/diigolet">diigolet, in your favorite web browser (click on the Tools icon on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.diigo.com/index">Diigo homepage to get instructions for setting up a bookmarklet for the browser you use).

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bookmarklet.png" border="0" alt="write college essays" width="398" height="353" />

    Using the Diigo toolbar, you can easily bookmark and annotate sources just as you do with paper documents.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/diigolist-1.png" border="0" alt="write college essays" width="425" height="521" />

    You might consider color coding your highlights, e.g., yellow for quotes that support your thesis, and green for quotes that are against your thesis.

    Step 3: Using Your Highlights & Notes

    As you do your research using Diigo, you will of course find all your bookmarks, highlights, and notes saved to your Diigo library and list page. Your list page even has a permanent URL, which means you can access it directly.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/gunlawslist.png" border="0" alt="how to write a college paper" width="579" height="484" />

    With your page open, you can simply copy and paste your quotes as you write your paper. Since the URLs for your sources are also saved, they can be easily put into the bibliography in your research paper.

    If you’re working on a group research project, Diigo can be used for the same purpose. Simply create a group for which everyone can bookmark sources to.

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    If you are a student, let us know if this is a good idea for doing Internet-based research. Also please share other online tools that you use to get papers written. />
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    My Gaming RIG Extreme Cosmos Black Devil 3 way SLi 260s in next video

    Posted on 16 July 2010. Tags: , , , , , , ,


    Gaming RIG CPU : intel core 2 quad q6600 @ 3.2 Ghz 1.3625v CPU Cooler : ThermalTake WaterCooling MBO : XFX nFORCE 780iSLi GPU : XFX GeForce 260 GTX SLi 3rd one is in 2nd PC ! RAM : OCZ 2 GB (1066Mhz)nVidia XTC SLi RAM Cooler : Corsair Dominator Airflow HDD : 2x320GB Western Digital PSU : Tagan 900w BZ Modular CASE : CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000 Moded&Black Keyboard : Logitech G 15 Keyboard Mouse : Logitech G 9 Mouse Mouse Surface : Razer eXactMat X Control Monitor : Dell 22¨ & Sony Bravia 42¨ LCD Speakers : Logitech X-540 5.1 Headphones : Creative Fatal1ty OS : Windows Vista Ultimate 32 Bit,64 Bit & Windows 7 32 Bit BETA 3DMARK Vantage Score – P20821 GPU Score – 18129 CPU Score – 37557 Join mine TEAM on Xfire !! Only nVIDIA users! www.xfire.com XFIRE ID : dodgered COOLERMASTER Cosmos 1000 Black I done the great cable managament the best one and i mod the HDDs its easy really !! I painted inside of case Black ! Toni badh8me CROATIA Zadar

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