About Saikat Basu
Saikat Basu is the Deputy Editor for Internet, Windows, Productivity, and Work & Career. After removing the grime of an MBA and a ten year long marketing career, he dabbled in web development, networking, and SAP. After joining MakeUseOf in 2008, he rose from the ranks and now manages four high-growth sections while stealing time to write. You will also find his contributions in web publications like GuidingTech, GoSkills, OnlineTechTips, and Lifewire.
Can't Find a User Manual For Your Gear? Search These Specialist Websites
The meticulous guy with foresight will either scan a user manual and keep a softcopy in his computer, or look for a softcopy that’s usually available as PDF on the manufacturer’s site. There’s a third option – a bunch of specialist websites which does the hard work for us lazybones, and stockpiles user manuals for us to search and download.
Put Together Interactive, Compelling News Projects With These Services
These interactive websites can be uniquely used to create compelling news projects or educational content. If you are an aspiring journalist, earn your badge by walking the beat as a citizen journalist. Create your own interactive news projects with these services and put it out for the world. Here are five ‘news’ platforms for you to exploit.
Write In Peace With These Distraction-Free Editors
I have felt it. Visual clutter – thanks to menus and other markup features – have often cemented my writer’s block. So, I have tried out quite a few distraction-free text editors in a grand attempt to chip away. And yes, I have won a few battles with the minimalist text editors by my side. So, here am I rounding up the Magnificent Ten.
5 Computer Science Awards That Show Us The Future Of Technology
They are not the Oscars or the Grammy’s. Heck, they aren’t even the Webbies or the Appy Awards for the man on the street. But just like the relatively obscure names you might have encountered in the list of 10 Famous Geeks Who Changed The World, the computer science awards on this list are doing their own quiet bit to promote innovation and invention.
9 Blogs That Will Make You Into An Amazing Photographer
There's blogs which try to cover everything related to photography; there's specialized blogs that dive into the niches; there's blogs which only talk about gear, and there's blogs by talented photographers.
6 Fresh Crowdsourced Sites For Learning And Sharing Knowledge
Sharing knowledge is just another side to the great classless spirit that finds space on the web. We have seen earlier how crowdsourcing web services have tapped the power of collective wisdom for the betterment of all. So, why not tap into some fresh new crowdsourcing sites that help us share knowledge?
10 Famous Geeks Who Changed The World (Not Who You Think)
If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants. So, said the genius called Isaac Newton. What was true of one of the most brilliant minds of history should be true of every one of the esteemed people on this list. The number ten is just a minuscule figure for a lineup that is supposed to be of famous geeks who changed the world.
6 Online Recipes Measurement and Conversion Calculators for Great Cooking
As an amateur “chef” who is just about warming up the frying pan, I really need to get the right amount into the recipes for lip-smacks and compliments. The difference could be a pinch of salt. Well, we can always fall back on kitchen tools that help us get it just right. Here I am in search of online kitchen converters.
3 Fast, Clean, & Efficient Online Image Optimizers To Shrink Your Images
As a blogger and a normal guy who is running out of space on his hard drive, I am always on the lookout for a good image compression program. Thanks to the plethora of image editing apps available on the web, I am spoilt for choice. What I am looking for are fast, clean (i.e. uncluttered), and efficient image optimizers that are dead simple to use. I have found three so far.
Learn To Diagnose And Fix Your Own Car With These 10 Excellent Websites
These days, cars are computers on wheels, but you can still teach yourself to catch fault cues and diagnose problems before you park it in the garage. These ten websites may not make you a grease monkey that quickly, but they could be the first toolkit for any car repair help.
10 Tips to Help You Use TweetDeck and Twitter More Efficiently
If we have to actively use social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, we have to be efficient at them. We have to streamline them so that we can mine a blink-and-you-miss source like Twitter for information.There are little things you can do around Tweetdeck to make it more efficient for you.
8 Websites to Find DIY & Home Repair Tips
As your new home starts to grow on you, you develop an obsession to keep everything perfect…every nail, every fleck of paint in its right place. But things go wrong, and with time the plumbing starts to leak or the plaster shows a crack. There are handymen around for home repair of course, but just sometimes a work of love needs a DIY approach.
Get Inspired With These 6 Pinterest Contests And Craft Your Own
The best thing about Pinterest contests is that the social network itself is so visually attractive. The second best thing is that lots of famous brands are hopping on the Pinterest wagon. The third good thing is that you can easily follow the ones that have come before you, or take a pinprick of inspiration and craft your own Pinterest contest.
K-9 Mail - The Best Alternative Email Management Solution For Your Android [1.5+]
The great thing about Android is that there usually are alternatives to be found that address the shortcomings of one program. Google Play gave me the rather un-mail like name of K-9 Mail. But from first impressions, it seems that it’s capable of torpedoing any deficiencies in my mobile email management.
4 Amazingly Impressive HTML5 Web Comics
Here are some prototypes that are cool examples of what HTML5 can do to make our comic strip experience a lot more engaging. This article showcases some of these early efforts. While HTML5 may or may not be a Flash-killer, the telltale signs (and Apple) say that HTML5 could definitely be a productivity killer!
7 Crowdsourced Projects That You Can Take Part in Right Now
Crowdsourcing has grown into a movement and its improving our lives in ways we do not realize. From medicine to search for extraterrestrial life forms, the scope is vast and exciting. The seven crowdsourcing projects are some you can immediately join – very little expertise required.
Catch Moments That Shaped The World With These 10 YouTube History Channels
There are so many YouTube channels devoted to history that I can wear the skin of my fingers writing about them for you. Instead, I will restrict myself to these ten. With these ten YouTube channels, I try to present a cross-section of history. Maybe you will like them. Maybe these will inspire you to compile your own list.
How To Track Your Emails In Gmail & Find Out If The Recipient Has Read It
You might send a vital email to a friend alerting him to a change of plans. A read receipt at least lets you know if your friend has read it, or do you need to call him in time. You can make use of a few workarounds to bring in some sort of tracking method for online services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail. They aren’t perfect but here are three.
Learn To Type Really Fast With The Intelligent Touch Typing Tutor TIPP10 [Cross Platform]
Learning to type fast is almost a survival skill in the Darwinian digital jungle. It’s directly related to saving time you put into a work and improving your productivity. You just need to be methodical with your practice. Handholding you through your typing lessons is this free cross-platform software.
10 Little Known LinkedIn Features That Make It More Fun To Professionally Network
You definitely have more Facebook contacts, but I am pretty sure it is the LinkedIn contact you would put with to get that career recommendation. It still is your best online resume. So, without further ado let’s check out ten LinkedIn tips that help you make it more relevant…and fun.