Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger [Stuff We Like]

good idea, but i can't think of anyone to give it to.

 
 

Sent to you by David via Google Reader:

 
 


The Belkin Mini Surge Protector is a perfect stocking stuffer for the mobile worker in your life. The small gadget turns one three-prong outlet into three surge-protected outlets. As an added bonus, you also get two USB chargers—making it a fantastic on-the-go charging station. The mini surge protector lists at $25 on Belkin's site, but you can grab it from Amazon for $15.



 
 

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Monday, November 24, 2008

McDonalds Files To Patent Making a Sandwich

ridiculous...

 
 

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via Slashdot by kdawson on 11/24/08

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "McDonalds has applied for patent WO2006068865, which carries the title 'METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SANDWICH.' John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, can eat his heart out (unless that's been patented, too). Undoubtedly, some people are contemplating whether there's anything novel in this patent that is somehow obscured by its generic title. Feel free to examine their flowchart for yourself and see exactly how novel their sandwich 'subroutines' are. The good news is that, given that it only mentions generic sandwich making 'tool(s),' rather than any specific machine, it might not survive after the In Re Bilski decision, which was meant to put a stop to absurdities such as this. But until McDonalds's application is rejected or invalidated, make sure you don't use their flowchart when making sandwiches. After all, if you 'apply appropriate condiments to appropriate compartment,' you might infringe upon their IP."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


 
 

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Let Me Google That For You Passive-Aggressively Helps your Friends [Tech Sup...



 
 

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If you're a power searcher, or other people think you are, and you're getting tired of constant requests for answers to questions that a quick Google search would provide, try Let me google that for you. Enter a search term, click the Google Search button, and a link appears that you can copy, paste and send to your friend. When they click the link, an animation displays the complicated process of searching Google for information, and then directs the user to the actual search results page from Google. Snarky? Yes. However, the time the user is forced to study the search term you used, they might pick up a trick or two in keyword syntax, search operators, literal strings and the like. After all, give a man an answer, and he'll come back tomorrow asking for more. Teach a man to search Google, and you'll have to offer tech support when he ends up downloading malware while cruising shadier purveyors of adult entertainment and file sharing software.



 
 

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Get $25 Restaurant Gift Cards for $1.50 [Deals]

maybe we should see if this is still up.

 
 

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Thanks to some sweet, sweet discount serendipity, $25 gift cards to restaurants around the country from Restaurant.com can be had through tomorrow, for $1.50 using a coupon code and a FatWallet link code. It's pretty much the same offer as we previously posted, just a bit cheaper and, well, back again. The details: Head to Restaurant.com, see what restaurants are participating near your ZIP code (and what caveats a gift card might entail, such as a minimum purchase amount or menu restrictions). Use FatWallet's 25 percent off discount link to actually buy the gift card, and enter the coupon code SURPRISE at checkout. You'll need a FatWallet account to claim your 50 cent savings, and the coupon code is only good through Nov. 20, 2008. If you're stuck for gift ideas for a food-loving friend, this is a pretty cheap way to knock one off the list. Tell us any catches or successes you find in the comments.



 
 

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Make Your Own Custom Gummy Candies [Weekend Project]



 
 

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What could be better than making your own gummy candies? Making your own gummy candies in the shape of an iconic toy. Not only did SFHandyman, a user over at the DIY blog Instructables, write an incredibly detailed tutorial on how to create your own gummy candies he used Lego bricks as his mold. His tutorial covers how to create a food-safe silicone mold, how to mix the gummy candy itself, and slew of tips and tricks. He has tips on how to make sure the candy is clear, how to add flavors and colors, and how to make sure your molds set properly. Even if you don't want to go to the length of creating your own custom mold, the recipe can be used in any mold you can get your hands on including candy and soap molds.



 
 

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Liberate Yourself from Old Email Addresses [How To]

i guess it's too late to apply these ideas to your old earthlink acct.

 
 

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If you've been on the internet for any substantial amount of time you've likely accumulated your fair share of email addresses. Old school addresses, an assortment of free web-based addresses from Hotmail and Yahoo, and so on all contribute to you having too many addresses and little desire to keep checking the old ones. What can you do to cut down on your email excess? Wired Magazine has a how-to guide to help you consolidate your past email addresses without simply abandoning them into the digital void.

In other words, you are a slave to an e-mail address that you don't want or which makes you use an interface that sucks. You can't give it up because thousands of your close personal friends only know you as ClassOf92@aol.com or ILoveNKOTB@hotmail.com. A blind switch to a new e-mail address is out of the question — you probably don't even know everyone who has the old one, and grandma wouldn't understand anyway.

The guide details how to set up a new email service, they use the robust GMail, and properly configure it to take in email from the old addresses and notify the people still using them of your current address. Taking a page from Gina's Future Proofing Your Email playbook, they suggest registering a domain name to keep a permanent address even as the services you use change over time. For more tips on wrangling multiple email accounts with GMail, check out how to consolidate multiple email addresses with GMail.



 
 

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Google Can Predict the Flu

is there anything google can't do?

 
 

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via Slashdot by kdawson on 11/11/08

An anonymous reader mentions Google Flu Trends, a newly unveiled initiative of Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm. The claim is that this Web service, which aggregates search data to track outbreaks of influenza, can spot disease trends up to 2 weeks before Centers for Disease Control data can. The NYTimes writeup begins: "What if Google knew before anyone else that a fast-spreading flu outbreak was putting you at heightened risk of getting sick? And what if it could alert you, your doctor and your local public health officials before the muscle aches and chills kicked in? That, in essence, is the promise of Google Flu Trends, a new Web tool... unveiled on Tuesday, right at the start of flu season in the US. Google Flu Trends is based on the simple idea that people who are feeling sick will tend to turn to the Web for information, typing things like 'flu symptoms; or 'muscle aches' into Google. The service tracks such queries and charts their ebb and flow, broken down by regions and states."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


 
 

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Friday, November 7, 2008

NPR.org - Why David Letterman Is Still Critical To Our Future

aut thought you would be interested in this story: NPR: Why David Letterman Is Still Critical To Our Future
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2008/11/why_david_letterman_is_still_c.html?sc=emaf


*Listen/Watch on NPR.org*
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For technical support, please visit NPR's Audio/Video Help page:
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Calibrize Gets Your Monitor Calibrated in Three Steps [Featured Windows Down...



 
 

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Windows only: Free application Calibrize holds your hand through a simple three-step monitor calibration to ensure on-screen colors look the same from computer to computer. Once you've run the application and adjusted the color profile to its specifications, Calibrize saves the profile and automatically installs it on your system so the right color profile always loads up. It's quick and simple, especially if you don't know much about screen calibration to begin with. For a no-download alternative, check out previously mentioned Screen Check. Calibrize is freeware, Windows only.



 
 

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