News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Ever needed to close a bag of chips but didn’t have a clip available? This video shows a simple way to securely close the bag. I’ve tried it, and it works pretty well.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
I’d heard that chocolate wasn’t good for dogs, but I never realized it was quite so devastating.
Ever had one of those dialog boxes that was just too small, and it couldn’t be resized? Windows freeware utility ResizeEnable should take care of the problem. Note that the program is a hack and may not work in all cases.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
PhotoRec is a free utility that recovers files from corrupted flash drives, memory cards, and CD-ROMs. It can be downloaded here.
Link: http://www.cgsecurity.org/…
(via Lifehacker)
If you purchased a Seagate hard drive in the United States between March 22, 2001 and September 26, 2007, then you are part of a class-action settlement and can get useful stuff or money. Note that you have to have purchased the hard drive by itself—it doesn’t count if it came with a pre-built system.
Link: http://www.harddrive-settlement.com/…
(via engadget)
Ever had a really long web address that you needed to send to someone, or to post in a comment somewhere—just to find that it gets split into pieces by the software? Or perhaps you have a complicated URL that needs to be entered by hand and is prone to error? TinyURL has been around for some time now, and it has the answer to this problem. Simply register the long URL, and TinyURL will give you a much shorter, email-safe URL with which to replace it. Clicking on the short URL will automatically redirect you to the long URL. The short URL never expires, so you can use it with impunity for as long as TinyURL is in existence.
Thanks to Josh for this topic.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/
Ever found yourself in need of a temporary email address that goes away after a day/week/month? The linked article has several disposable email providers—be sure to check the comments for even more.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
Here’s a neat shortcut for the power user. Rather than opening an FTP client and logging in, just use Windows Explorer.
Link: http://cybernetnews.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
Chad’s News has previously discussed compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They last longer and use less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. Turns out, however, that CFLs also contain mercury, so when one finally burns out it’s important that it be properly disposed of. The linked article lists five ways to recycle a CFL.
Link: http://lighterfootstep.com/…
(via digg)
Ever seen internet activity on your computer when you weren’t accessing the web? It could be something as simple as an installed program checking for updates, or as bad as malicious botnet code. Back in 2005, I asked Slashdot how to determine if my machine had become a zombie. They had some good tips, and my computer turned out to be okay. The linked article has specific instructions on how to use the ‘netstat’ command to find out which programs are accessing the internet. Well-designed rootkits will not show up on the list, of course, but other tools exist for those.
Link: http://labnol.blogspot.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
To promote its ink cartridge refilling service, Walgreens will refill one cartridge for free. This offer is good for today only.
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
With A Taste of Colorado going on here in Denver, the tips in the linked article are particularly timely. They tell you how to win (or at least improve your chances) at common carnival games. I like the one about shooting out the red star—rather than aim at the star, shoot a circle around the whole thing and the star will fall out.
Link: http://www.blifaloo.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
