Technology and ….
Recently, a friend asked me what he should install on a new PC before he takes a backup snapshot. The PC is going to be used by the whole family as a media PC in addition to other functions. I put VLC Media Player on this list of must haves.
Few web browser extensions are as unobtrusive and as useful as the the invisible hand. Once installed, the invisible hand extension subtly tells you while shopping if the site you are on is offering the lowest price for the item you are looking at without you having to do anything. It just works.
Say you are looking for a camera and you go to Amazon and find the camera you want. While on the page a little yellow bar will appear and tell you if the same product is cheaper elsewhere or if this is the best price. Automatically.
Hands down this is the number one must have Chrome extension. Password Hasher Plus. Here is why:
Identity theft is a serious problem and it does not look like it is getting any better. People are starting to use strong passwords but they use the same one for all sites they visit. This is VERY risky. Suppose your twitter account information gets stolen. If you use the same username and password on all you sites the hacker now has access to ALL your sites (E-mail/Amazon/PayPal/Facebook …). This happened to a colleague of mine. His Facebook account was hacked and from there the hacker took control of several other accounts including his E-mail. In the age of on-line banking this also can mean unfettered access to your money.
I am sold on Chrome. Not the shiny automotive kind. The browser kind. I know Chrome is developed by Google. I know Google may be the next current “big bad“. Even so, Using Chrome is just a nice experience. It is a fast browser that has a really simple user interface and has great extension. Now for those of you who do not use/know what extensions are – Think of them as an app store for your browser. Your browser comes with basic functionality (like a new iPhone) and you add additional functionality to it with extensions (like apps). I will write about my favorite extensions in another post.
I am now waiting for an invite to Google Wave. I have several potential invites in the works but none have panned out yet.
As soon as I get the invite I will write up a review. My buddy Hillel has already written up an article about his “Eight Google Wave Annoyances“, but I am not letting that influence my judgment. Now I just have to wait.
I hate waiting.
UPDATE: Ugh - I just found out it can take a week from the time I am invited until the invite shows up in my inbox.
Did I mention I hate waiting.
This is a cool site I read about on Lifehacker called YourFonts. YourFonts is a free website that helps you create your own font.
sample personal font
Ever have a need for a piece of paper – even though you have a PDA? Or wish you had a calendar handy just to glance at – even though you are surrounded by computers hundreds of time more powerful than the ones that sent man to the moon? I have – enter PocketMod.
PocketMod is a free online application that creates a CUSTOMIZED single piece of paper – that when folded makes a nifty little pocket sized PAA (Personal Analog Assistant).
While we are on the subject of games – There is a great Mod out there for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory called True Combat Elite. True Combat Elite (TCE) allows you to enter the roll of a terrorist or a Special Ops (SpecOps) agent. There are currently 2 types of game play – Objective and Body Count (CTF is coming soon). Objective has the Terrorists planting a bomb or achieving a target and the Special Ops agents have to stop the Terrorists. Body count is similar to team death match.
One of the things that sets TCE apart is the fact that in game play has no cross hairs (unless your weapon has a scope) – You have to use the sight on the gun you are using. You also only have one life in Objective mode. This means no Rambo style game play.
