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Google Wave Extensions Gallery: A Single Place to Find Great Wave Extensions [Google Wave]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30 GMT

One of Google Wave's more powerful features is its extensions—small gadgets and doodads you can embed or include in waves to add great functionality. They used to be particularly difficult to hunt down and install, but no more. More »

Enjoy Fresh Bread with One Minute of Prep [Food Hacks]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00 GMT

If you've been trying to incorporate more oven-fresh and less store-bought into your diet, this simple bread recipe will have you eat fresh bread every day. More »

Trendsmap Highlights Local Twitter Trends [Trends]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

It's interesting to look at trending topics on Twitter to see what's new and has captured public interest but Twitter is a big place with millions of tweets flying around. Trendsmap drills down through the data to see local trends. More »

Enable Variable Speed Playback in YouTube [YouTube]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:30 GMT

If your browser supports HTML5 you can opt into the experimental HTML5 video playback on YouTube. Not only will you get smoother video playback—goodbye Flash!—but you'll be able to speed up and slow down your videos. More »

Reboot Your Office to Return to a Clean Workspace [Clutter]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:00 GMT

Every night thousands of workers boot down their work stations and return to them the next morning, booting into a fresh system. Reboot your physical workspace in the same way to keep your office tidy and efficient. More »

GigaPan Indexes Enormous Panoramic Photos [Photography]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30 GMT

If you like taking and sharing panoramic photos—or just enjoy checking out the impressive results others have gotten—GigaPan indexes high-resolution panoramic photos. More »

Photo Magician Batch Converts Your Images with Drag and Drop Ease [Downloads]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:00 GMT

Windows: If you're not about to manually convert that pile of images in front of you but you've found the batch converters you've tried to be lacking, free and portable Photo Magician offers both fine tweaking and drag and drop simplicity. More »

Best Tax Preparation Tool? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00 GMT

It's the give-it-to-the-government time of year again and we want to hear about your favorite tools for making the taxman's sting a little less severe. More »

Remains of the Day: The Inventor of the Cellphone Likes Android Edition [For What It's Worth]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00 GMT

Our favorite text expansion app for OS X updates, the latest build of Chromium adds Aero Peek support for tabs, and the inventor of the cellphone prefers Android. More »

Use Two Computers to Keep Your Work and Home Life Totally Separate [Productivity]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:00 GMT

It's hard for a lot of us to separate our work and home lives under the best of circumstances. When you work from home it's even more difficult, but blogger Pat Flynn found a method that works for him. More »

Check the Status of Your Federal Tax Refund Online [Taxes]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:45 GMT

Knowing that you're getting a federal tax refund is awesome, but the wait for it to land in your bank account or mailbox can be maddening. Finance blog Get Rich Slowly show us how to check the status of your refund anytime. More »

Avoid Appearing Out of Touch in Interviews by Emphasizing the New [Interviews]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:30 GMT

Having experience of an industry veteran is great, but appearing old and out of touch during a job interview is not. Follow these guidelines to avoid looking like a dinosaur. More »

Is it Legal to Record Phone Calls? [Ask Lifehacker]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00 GMT

Dear Lifehacker,
I find myself time and again getting bad customer service from companies over the phone, and I'd like to record these calls so I have proof, but I've also heard this might be illegal—are there any legal problems associated with this? More »

The Best Tools for Hacking Your Next Big Conference (Like SXSW) [Travel]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:05 GMT

At last year's South by Southwest Interactive festival, I experienced shoulder burns, a perpetually dead laptop, frantic text messages, and very little sleep. This year, I'm planning on taking Lifehacker's own advice on travel tools and actually enjoying myself. Here's how. More »

The Office of 38one [Featured Workspace]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00 GMT

We love seeing all the workspaces of Lifehacker readers, and a peek into a whole office is a special treat. Today's featured workspace is the offices of design studio 38one. More »

X.minutes.at Sets Time Limits for Browsing Any Site, No Extension Required [Distraction]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:30 GMT

Brilliant single-use web utility x.minutes.at puts a timed limit on any browser tab with ease. Got five minutes to browse Lifehacker but don't want to let that five minutes turn into 20? Visit http://5.minutes.at/lifehacker.com. Rinse and repeat for any site. More »

Buy Older Leafy Greens to Get More Nutrients [Shopping]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00 GMT

There's an informal assumption that spinach and other leafy greens lose nutrients the longer they sit on grocery store shelves, and it's actually backwards. A plant physiologist in Texas says supermarket lighting actually boosts the vitamin content in your salad fixings. More »

iPhone 4.0 to Integrate Multitasking this Summer? [Rumors]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:30 GMT

Apple will include much-asked-for application multitasking functionality when they release the iPhone 4.0 update sometime this summer, according to all-things-Apple blog AppleInsider. Multitasking (more specifically, the ability to run third-party applications in the background) is one of those big pieces of functionality that separates the iPhone OS from Android, and while Apple's sort of worked around this problem with push notifications, there are instances when there's no substitute for multitasking. Fingers crossed that this one comes true. [AppleInsider via Gizmodo] More »

Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day [Dealhacker]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00 GMT

.Laptops, HDTVs, camcorders, and portable goodies of all sort await you in today's Dealhacker roundup. Come for the deals stay for the free St. Patrick's Day and Metal Month tunes. More »

Mini Wide Fullscreens Gmail, Is Very Netbook Friendly [Downloads]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:30 GMT

Firefox/Chrome: Small netbook screens make you really appreciate every last pixel on your device. The Mini Wide userscript for Gmail adds a "netbook mode" shortcut to Gmail that removes navigation and ads for a streamlined, netbook-friendly, message-focused view of your inbox. More »

Where's Your Windows Taskbar? [Reader Poll]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00 GMT

We're regularly asked, "Where's the best place to stow the Windows taskbar?" and while the answer is a boring, "Whatever works best for you," Windows 7's taskbar certainly adds new factors to the decision. Reader Richard writes: More »

FeelHome Gives Easy Remote Access to Your Files Across Platforms [Downloads]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:30 GMT

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you would like to easily access, edit, and save files across multiple computers, free application FeelHome allows you to share files across operating systems and over the web. More »

Brizzly for iPhone Streamlines and Improves Twitter [Downloads]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00 GMT

iPhone/iPod touch: Web-based Twitter client Brizzly is just like Twitter's web site, except better in every way. Brizzly's free iPhone app is a similar experience upgrade, with web-synced lists and muting, news and search tracking, easy photo uploads, and more. More »

Launch Games and Emulator ROMs from Boxee [Games]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:30 GMT

If Boxee is your main media interface, you don't have to shut it down to enjoy some old-school emulation gaming. A clever Launcher app, and some command line tweaking, lets you jump right into Zelda, Mario, and other ROMs. More »

DoubleTwist Adds Podcasting to Its Device Syncing Powers [Updates]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

Windows: doubleTwist makes for a convenient way of syncing your smartphone, camera, and other USB-plug-able gadgets, especially if you're not using Apple products. Now doubleTwist does a great job of finding and monitoring podcasts, and sending them where you want to listen. More »

Clean Your Earbuds for Better Sound and Hygiene [Headphones]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:30 GMT

After extended use your earbuds get pretty dirty—both on the microscopic and the visible "that came out of my ear?" level. This simple guide will help you defunk your earbuds to keep your eyes happy and the tunes clear. More »

Use Foam Packing Peanuts to Hold a Nail, Secure a Screw [Clever Uses]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00 GMT

Order a lot of stuff online? You know what an infection foam packing peanuts can feel like in your house. Keep a few handfuls of the little buggers handy, though, for home projects that involve nails and screws. More »

Future Hard Drive Upgrades Will Slow Down XP Users [Windows XP]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:30 GMT

Windows XP is the most widely used operating system in the world, but users might be given a firm reason to upgrade soon. The BBC reports that, as hard drives expand their sector sizes from 512 bytes to a new industry standard of 4 kilobytes, XP users could see a performance hit, especially when writing data. Some advanced drives will be able to emulate the older sector sizes for compatibility, but still, those building their own computers or trading up on hard drives may see notable performance problems. If you're a devoted XP user facing down the future of storage, tell us how you plan to adapt in the comments. Photo by Ody5iu5. [BBC News ] More »

Opera Mini 5 Beta Browses Speedily on Android [Downloads]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:45 GMT

Android/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry: Opera's Mini browser isn't the same as its Turbo-sporting Mobile, but it's still got a neat start page, smart image controls, desktop syncing, and fast rendering. All of that has just landed in the Android Market. More »

From the Tips Box: Application Shortcuts, Dry-Erase Planners, and Odor-Free Garbage [From The Tips Box]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:00 GMT

Readers offer their best tips for making global application shortcuts in OS X, making easy, dry-erase weekly planners, and eliminating odor from your garbage can. More »

Remains of the Day: The Best Jobs in America Edition [For What It's Worth]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00 GMT

Step inside for lessons from the life of Albert Einstein, more snazzy HTML5 demos, and an infographic look at the best jobs in America. More »

Deep Water Bath Fills Your Tub to the Brim [Stuff We Like]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00 GMT

A luxurious soak in the bathtub is that much better when you can sink all the way up to your chin. Use Deep Water Bath to override the overflow valve and get extra inches of water in the tub. More »

Twice-Monthly Half Mortgage Payments Might Save You Money [Personal Finance]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:00 GMT

Some financial planners advise making two half payments on your mortgage each month instead of one full sum. The idea is that homeowners will save thousands of dollars over the years in interest payments. Does this idea hold water? More »

Google Reader Play: Fullscreen Playback of Popular/Recommended Reader Items [Google Reader]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:20 GMT

Google Reader Play is a new Reader feature that plays a slideshow of cool items from around the web based on the stories you star. It's like a 10-foot viewing experience for your newsreader. More »

How to Skip Commercials in Windows 7 Media Center [Windows Media Center]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00 GMT

If you use Windows 7 Media Center to record TV, you'd probably prefer skipping commercials. After all, a big reason you record programs is to avoid commercials, right? Here's a fairly simple and free way to start skipping commercials in no time. More »

Set Google Calendar Alerts to Gentle Reminder Mode for Less Intrusive Reminders [Google Calendar]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00 GMT

If you like calendar reminders but you'd like them a little less in-your-face, you can enable gentle reminders in Google Calendar to replace the reminder pop up. More »

Kiwi Monitors Your Running Apps, Performs Actions Based on Their Status [Downloads]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:30 GMT

Windows: Kiwi is a free utility that monitors any application and springs into action when that application meets any user-defined criteria within a set of basic rules—like restarting an application or email you when it's memory use exceeds a pre-defined level. More »

Keep Your Daily Momentum Going With a 10/15 Split [Work]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00 GMT

One of the toughest aspects of staying productive is overcoming the ups and downs of motivation. Spending 10 minutes getting organized in the morning, then 15 minutes again in the evening, can help even out your daily go-get-'em energy. More »

HTML5 vs. Flash: HTML5 Isn't Always Better [Flash]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:40 GMT

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Flash has taken quite a beating lately by everyone from Apple (no Flash on iPad or iPhones) to YouTube (transitioning to HTML5 video) to users sick of security exploits and sluggish browsers. Everyone's looking the silver bullet that kills Flash, but is HTML5 it? More »

Headmagnet Generates Intelligent Flash Cards [Flashcards]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00 GMT

If you've been underwhelmed by the flash card and study aid sites you've found online, you'll definitely want to check out Headmagnet. Headmagnet records what you remember and quizzes you in the most efficient way. More »