Wakeup: An Alarm Clock That Tells You What's Going On [Linux]
Wake up to your computer telling you what's going on. Whether you want to know the weather or how many emails you need to respond to, Linux application Wakeup can start up your powered-off computer and announce a variety of things. We've profiled a few alarm programs before, but Wakeup is unique.
4 Simple Tools for Tweaking Ubuntu's Look and Feel
Do you like Ubuntu, but wish it behaved differently? Don't worry, there are a variety of ways to tweak Ubuntu to your liking. It's been a key criticism since the launch of Unity, that Ubuntu is now impossible to configure. Ubuntu 11.10, the latest version of Ubuntu, is a mixed bag on this front. Some things, like automated backup, are easier to configure than ever before.
How To Integrate Google Music Into Ubuntu [Linux]
Use Google Music in Ubuntu without keeping a browser tab open. Google Music Frame lets you run your favorite web-based music software in the background, showing notifications when a new song plays and allowing you to change tracks the way you're used to. Google Music puts all of your music in the cloud, so you can listen to it on any computer.
Give Your Computer A Voice With eSpeak [Windows & Linux]
Let your computer do the talking. Install eSpeak and you can make your computer say anything, in a wide variety of languages. Looking for a lightweight text to speech program? Whether you want to listen to your favorite blog while doing the dishes, or just make your computer say naughty words to your friends so you can giggle like schoolchildren, eSpeak is a great tool for the job.
Easily Install Gnome Shell In Ubuntu 11.10 & Newer [Linux]
Do you love Ubuntu, but prefer Gnome Shell to Unity? You're not alone, but you're also in luck. Ubuntu 11.10 makes it easy to install Gnome Shell. Not liking where Gnome was heading, the Ubuntu team decided to build Gnome into a desktop of their own devising - Unity. Simply put, Unity is a different interface, or shell, for Gnome.
Instantly Convert Webpages To Cross-Platform eBooks With dotEPUB
Finding long, fulfilling articles to read is both rewarding and relaxing, but reading articles on your web browser isn't always ideal. Epub files can be read on most e-readers, including your Android and iOS devices, so you know you will be able to read this file on pretty much any device. dotEPUB is simple to use, and useful for anyone who regularly reads long articles.
CommandLineFu: Amazing Collection of Command Line Gems [Linux & Mac]
Browse an assortment of amazingly useful commands. Whether you're an veteran system admin or a command-line neophyte striving to discover more, CommandLineFu is a vote-driven collection of commands that serves up thousands of ideas you should have thought of but didn't. Some see the command line as Linux's weak point, the ultimate symbol of a system lacking ease of use.
4 Apps Should Help You Improve Your Writing
Are you a Linux user with a passion for writing? If so, check out these essential tools for the job. Writing is a key skill in the modern world, whether it's directly how you make your living or not. Whether it's writing memos or emailing clients, most jobs include at least some use of the written word.
Add Nyan Cat To Your Progress Bars, Because It's Awesome
Is your Windows progress bar stupid, green and boring? Make it 5011% more awesome: add the infamous Nyan cat to it, complete with the trademark music and rainbow. It's just a simple download away. There are plenty of articles explaining how to do useful things on our website. This isn't one of them. This article explains how to make your progress bar awesome.
Toggl Helps You Discover Where Your Time Goes
If you're like most people, your job (or jobs) requires that you focus on more than one task every day. It's easy, under such circumstances, to have no idea which tasks are taking up most of your time - or, for that matter, which tasks are wasting your time. With a full-featured web client plus apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, Toggl can help you track your time anywhere you might be.
Why RAR Is Better Than ZIP & The Best RAR Software Available
RAR files are smaller, easier to split and easier to recover than ZIP files. These three features mean RAR files are better than ZIP, even though ZIP files are far more common. If you use the Internet often then, in all likelihood, you've more than once downloaded a ZIP file. A ZIP is basically a compressed folder you can download as a single file.
Quick Screen Share: Screen Sharing Without Client Software Or User Accounts [Cross-Platform]
If you're reading this blog you're likely the unofficial tech support for at least some of your friends. The problem is getting your technically challenged friend to launch any service. If there's a client to download or a service to sign up for, getting the screen share up and running alone can take an hour of giving instructions over the phone. Good thing Quick Screen Share exists.
5 Crazy Stupid Video Clips From The Depths Of YouTube
Are you tired of reading about useful software? Then take a break and watch these crazy stupid video clips. They won't make you smarter, or a better person, but they will make you laugh. We've all done it - wasted a few hours trying to find hilarious, crazy stupid videos on YouTube. Below are some of my favorites, compiled for your viewing pleasure.
ArchBang Is Lightweight & Always Up To Date [Linux]
Install a lightweight operating system that's always up to date. Featuring the speedy Openbox desktop and built on the rolling release Arch Linux, Archbang delivers both minimalism and up-to-date software. Best of all, it's a lot easier to set up and use than a vanilla Arch installation. In a world full of lightweight Linux distributions, why look at ArchBang?
FileBot Makes Managing Your Movies, TV Shows and Other Media Files A Breeze
Quickly rename your video files, find subtitles and so much more. If you use your computer to watch TV shows, or any kind of video, you should really check out FileBot. For TV episodes in particular, poorly named files may not be recognized by your media center of choice. FileBot is fast, stable and cross platform. Even better is that it does more than just rename files.
Minus: Extremely Simple File Sharing With 10GB of Free Online Storage
Drag some files into your browser and instantly get a link to share them with family or friends. It's this simplicity, along with a staggering 10GB of free storage space, that puts Minus among the best file sharing tools on the web today. Last December we profiled the then-new photo sharing tool Minus. The web app only worked for photos then. Almost a year later and Minus does so much more.
Try Out Windows 8 In VirtualBox Right Now For Free
Are you curious about Windows 8, the upcoming operating system from Microsoft? Try it out in a virtual machine, right now, for free. All you need to do is download the free ISO file and set up VirtualBox properly. What can you expect to see in Windows 8? Once thing is clear - it will be very different than any version of Windows before it.
If This Then That: Connect & Automate Any Two Of Your Favorite Web Apps
Connect any two of your favorite web apps in creative ways. A sort of "digital duct tape" according to Linden Tibbets, the app's creator, If This Then That (ifttt) lets you find new uses for web apps you're already using by making it easy for you to combine them. The vision is to make the digital world, where programs exist in isolation, more like the physical world.
NetbootCD: Install Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian & More From One CD [Linux]
Tired of burning a new CD every time a new version of your favourite Linux distro comes out? Then stop. Use NetbootCD to download and install your choice of Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, CentOS or Slackware from a single disk. This handy disk downloads and runs the net installation tools for several distros.
Not Tetris 2 Is Tetris For Anarchists [Cross-Platform]
Ever wonder what Tetris would be like without structure? You should try Not Tetris 2. This fan-made version of Tetris features full 360 degree rotation and all the potential messes that come with that. Created in Soviet Russia during the final years of the USSR, the original Tetris is nothing if not structured. Not so in Tetris 2.