Run Google Chrome in Ubuntu with WINE ((iphone, ipod, itune, download free))

Added by Meisam bakhshi .
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Run Google Chrome in Ubuntu with WINE

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/09/chrome_in_wine.png” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”224″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />One helpful Ubuntu hacker blogger posts a guide to getting Google Chrome working as a stand-alone app in Ubuntu, using the latest version of the Windows translator WINE and a stand-alone copy of Chrome’s installer. You’ll definitely need your terminal open for this one, and the result isn’t exactly flawless—no https support, problems with pop-ups, and a bit slower than you’d get in Windows—but it is a neat way for dedicated Linux users to check out what all the fuss is about. If you’re not about to mess with WINE, try putting an emulated Chrome in its own window with our guide to running Windows apps seamlessly in Linux, or wait until the open-source browser eventually makes its way onto the open-source OS.

Install Google Chrome on Linux using wine [My Science is Better]

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download free) – Get the Most Out of Your New Town

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Get the Most Out of Your New Town

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/map.jpg” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”300″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
Editor’s Note: Welcome my San Diego-based pal Kelly Abbott, founder of Dandelife and all-around good guy. His new weekend post series, Ungeek to Live, will highlight the ways you can get things done without always involving a computer or gadget.
Not all things analog can go digital, and let’s face it, most things worth a hill of beans in this world are analog through and through. Life is all about people, places and things. The best life hacks should be as much about getting the most from what we can smell, touch, and taste as the things we see and hear. Today, I kick off a guest-column “Ungeek to Live” as the new kid on the block here at Lifehacker. In that vein I’ve got a few pointers on making the most out of one’s new surroundings. Whether it’s a move to a new city for a new job, a sacrifice for an old squeeze, or retirement for better surf, what we need are strategies for getting snug and staying long in our new digs. Photo by Old Yankee.

Buy Local

When you move to a new place, you need to tend to the usual matters. Move in. Check. Get a driver’s license. Check. Register to vote. Check. Now what? There are a couple of things you want to do that make all the difference when establishing yourself in a new city.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/GrandCentral__The_New_Way_to_Use_Your_Phones.jpg” width=”211″ height=”167″>First, get a local phone number. There’s a tendency to ignore the importance of appearing to be from the city you’re now living in. That’s a bad move. I can understand the reluctance to spend money on a home land line just for the sake of appearances. Also who wants to change numbers? It’s a hassle. But you don’t need to do that anymore. Get a Grandcentral number. Point it to your mobile. Now everyone you meet doesn’t think you’re here today and gone back home tomorrow.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/77324602_bf6cc07a4d.jpg” width=”500″ height=”331″>Photo by doviende
Second: subscribe to your local newspaper. I’m not kidding. Forget the web. Get the print edition. Fine, Sunday’s only. If you have any intention of being a part of the fabric of your new locale, this is indispensable. It’s amazing how in-tune your the daily rag really is. Bonus: for house guests it’s a quaint sign that you’re up early with coffee on the weekends and thus beyond suspicion.

Get a Map

You know, the kind that folds. Tape it to the wall next to your door. Every time you leave for the day, you’ll have a look at it. Over time places will be remembered. And in idle moments serves as a reminder that there’s a whole city waiting for you.

Buy Lunch

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/111844155_b083f60e93.jpg” width=”500″ height=”375″> Photo by moriza
Everyone needs to eat. Please, please, please don’t eat at your desk. One of the most difficult things to do when you get to town is not just meet people but meet the right people. For example, you’ve done your research on LinkedIn and you know who you need to add to your professional network. Great. You’ve contacted them directly, but you have nothing to offer because you’re the new kid in town. What do you do? Buy lunch. Do this once a week and soon people will be taking you to lunch.

Play Hard

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/2435114723_e1778b1cc9.jpg” width=”500″ height=”333″> Photo by marvinkuo
Because you’ll be gaining weight from all those lunches, you’ll need to have good places to be social AND work out at the same time. The gym is not such a place. First of all, it stinks. Second, working out is not usually a team effort. In the gym, your iPod is your best friend and force field against unsolicited come-ons. If your aim is to be social, join a softball league. Play soccer. Kickball, dodgeball, frisbee golf. Join a team. Form a team and get new people to join. The point being, the people you see week after week will soon become your crew for BBQ’s and beer. Here are two resources.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/Sportsvite_-_Play_Rec_Sports_in_Your_Area.jpg” width=”300″ height=”71″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Sportsvite – Covers the major markets but as yet not as comprehensive as it could be.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/SportsFanLive.jpg” width=”345″ height=”337″ class=”center” align=”center”>
FanFinder – Find fellow sports fans who live where you do and come from where you do. Go to a local sports bar and catch the game together.

Jesus and Wine

I love Meetup.com’s tagline: “Use the Internet to get off the Internet!”

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/logo_82.png” width=”82″ height=”54″ align=”bottom”>Meetup has all kinds of wonderful categories for finding meaningful connections with others. Be it beer or wine; darts, dirt or dreams; Mormons, Wiccans or atheists; or whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, independent or Libertarian, there’s little more than booze, religion and politics that can help you feel right at home again.

If you’re looking for more traditional fare, try these directories for churches, temples and mosques.

Mosques

• Mosque Directory (iPhone-ready Mosque search
• iPhone-ready Halal food search

Churches

• Church-Finder at Beliefnet
• MyChurch.org

Temples, Synagogues and Chabad Centers

• Synagogues
• Chabad Centers

Coffee, Tea, Me

I love working out of the house. It’s good on many levels. It gets your creative juices flowing. It also satisfies the desire we have to just be around people. If you work in public enough you will inevitably catch someone’s eye. Vice versa. Coffee shops are great for lingering. If you want a tighter group, find a co-working space locally and get a desk.

Get Involved

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/Network_for_Good____Search_Results-1.jpg” width=”339″ height=”178″>Nothing will get you deeper in a community than volunteering. My best business contacts and most loyal friends are those whom I’ve met on the soccer field but who’ve thought enough of me to respond to my calls asking for donations. By being a dedicated volunteer in a local non-profit, you’re doing the right thing all around. In addition to helping your new community directly, you’re also giving yourself a shot in the arm with good cheer. Being the new kid in town can be tough and you’ll need all the karma you can corral.

Try these sites for finding the right charity to dedicate yourself to:

• Charity Navigator – Animals, Arts, Culture, Humanities, Education, Environment, Human Services, Public Benefit
• Network For Good if you want to donate OR volunteer – Volunteer Match – (a service of Network for Good)

Tip: don’t just volunteer. Ask to join the board or be the head of a committee. Ask to help with IT or their web site. Charities have regular everyday needs, but they have other needs that you might be a better fit for if you dig deeper.

Alternatively: How to Disappear Completely

How did you make the most of your new surroundings last time you moved? Tell us in the comments.

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download free) – TabsLock Puts Your Browser One Keystroke Away

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TabsLock Puts Your Browser One Keystroke Away

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/09/tabslock.png” width=”195″ height=”187″ align=”right” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ align=”right”/>Windows only: Free system tray utility TabsLock launches and focuses a new tab in Google Chrome (and Firefox… keep reading) at the press of your Caps Lock key to give you, as the download page aptly puts it, “low-thought, global keyboard access to web search and navigation.” Considering how much time we spend on the web these days, a quick, easy shortcut for going straight to your browser (that’s also just off the home row) makes a lot of sense. Still want to use Caps Lock from time to time? Shift+Caps Lock toggles regular Caps Lock behavior. Like the idea behind TabsLock but wish it worked for Firefox? Keep reading to download my own homespun solution for Firefox users.

I know Chrome is all the rage right now with all its shiny newness, but—call me old-fashioned—my undying love for Firefox hasn’t yet wavered. Since the functionality behind TabsLock is relatively trivial to implement, I decided to roll a quick alternative. If you don’t want to hear any of the details, go ahead and download TabsLock Firefox (alternate download link) and enjoy.

Still here? Okay, let’s take a quick look at how our old friend AutoHotkey came to the rescue yet again. Here’s the meat of the very simple, lightweight script (you can easily copy and paste the source minus the first three lines into your existing AHK script if you prefer that to running the system tray app).

#NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
#SingleInstance force
SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
Capslock::
SetTitleMatchMode, 2
IfWinExist, Mozilla Firefox
{
WinActivate
WinWaitActive
Send, ^t
}
else
Run %programfiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
return
+Capslock::Capslock

In a nutshell, when you hit Caps Lock, the script looks to see if you have any windows open with “Mozilla Firefox” in the title (all Firefox windows do by default in Windows). If a Firefox window already exists, TabsLock Firefox activates that window and then opens a new tab with Ctrl+T; if not, TabsLock Firefox just opens a new Firefox window altogether. Finally, the last line of the script allows you to toggle your normal Caps Lock operation when you need it by pressing Shift+Caps Lock (just like TabsLock for Chrome).

If you like this idea but have a completely different program you’d like to use it with, just edit the script to match the application you want. And if Chrome has won you over, follow the link below to grab the inspired original TabsLock. If none of this sounds good to you but you wish you did have a better use for your Caps Lock key, check out other ways you can use AutoHokey to put your Caps Lock key to good use.

TabsLock (for Chrome)
TabsLock Firefox (alternate download link)

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download free) – Five Best Password Managers

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Five Best Password Managers

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/passwords-hive-head.png” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”250″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
<iframe src=”http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/software/Five_Best_Password_Managers” align=”right” frameborder=”0″ height=”82″ scrolling=”no” width=”55″>You’ve got enough to keep track of in your day-to-day life without filling your head with the countless logins and passwords you’ve racked up over the years, and the Post-It note on your monitor just isn’t an option. Luckily, there are several fantastic and secure password management applications designed to make it easy for you to remember, manage, and secure your passwords effortlessly. On Tuesday you shared your favorite password managers, and now we’re back with the five most popular picks. Keep reading for a detailed look at each application, then cast your vote to help us pick the best password manager on the block.

Sxipper (All platforms)

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/06/sxipper.png” class=”center” align=”center”>
Firefox extension Sxipper adds password management, auto-logins, and automatic form filling to Firefox. If you don’t want to manually create multiple identities to fill in forms, Sxipper may be perfect for you. It can automatically learn and build personas for you based on information you’ve used to fill in forms. Sxipper builds on top of Firefox’s default password manager, meaning all of your passwords remain safely encrypted and stored on your computer. (Original post)

KeePass (All platforms)

<img alt=”keepass-hive.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/keepass-hive.png” width=”494″ height=”226″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Desktop application KeePass is a free, open-source password manager with a robust and easy-to-use feature set. KeePass secures your passwords with a single master password and/or a key-file on your computer. KeePass is a Windows application, but an OS X- and Linux-compatible version—called KeePassX—is available with slightly less polish than the Windows counterpart. For those of you who’d like to take your passwords with you, KeePass is available as a portable application and as PocketPC, Symbian, BlackBerry, and PalmOS ports. We’ve covered KeePass a fair amount, including how to get started with KeePass, import your Firefox passwords, and track software licenses. KeePass doesn’t come with built-in browser integration, but you can invoke a global, auto-login keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+A by default) when KeePass is running in your system tray.

1Password (Mac OS X)

<img alt=”1password-hive.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/1password-hive.png” width=”494″ height=”227″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Mac app 1Password is a commercial password manager and form filler for Mac OS X. Like RoboForm for Windows, 1Password integrates directly with your browser (Firefox or Safari) to auto-fill logins and forms. Like most of the rest, 1Password can automatically generate secure passwords for you, and all you need to remember is your master password. We’ve already mentioned 1Password’s impressive iPhone/iPod touch app, but it also works with Palm devices. Currently 1Password supports syncing with .Mac accounts, but my1Password is under development to provide synchronization as well as online access to your passwords from any browser. 1Password will set you back $35, Mac OS X only.

RoboForm (Windows)

<img alt=”roboform.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/roboform.png” width=”494″ height=”280″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Desktop application and browser toolbar RoboForm is a popular password and form management utility for Windows only. In addition to password management, RoboForm lets you create identities to automatically fill in web forms. RoboForm is available in both freeware and shareware ($30) versions; the free version is very limited, though, so chances are you’ll want to pony up for a license if you take this route. A portable version, called RoboForm2Go, is also available for $20. Like KeePass, RoboForm is available to carry on your Windows Mobile, Symbian, or Palm devices. Unlike KeePass, RoboForm sports a robust browser plug-in for seamless integration with Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Firefox’s Password Manager (All platforms)

<img alt=”firefox-password-manager.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/firefox-password-manager.png” width=”494″ height=”240″ class=”center” align=”center”>
When it comes to password management, many of you look no further than Firefox’s built-in password manager. It’s free, it’s there when you need it, and it’s a no-brainer to integrate into your workflow. One word of caution, though: If you’re going to stick with Firefox’s password manager, be sure to secure your saved passwords with a master password. If you don’t, all it takes for someone to peek at every single one of your passwords is clicking the Show Passwords button in the Saved Passwords dialog.

---

Now that you’ve seen the favorites, it’s time to vote for the utility you love best.

Which Is the Best Password Manager?
( surveys)

This week’s honorable mentions go out to the cross-platform LastPass (original post) and the open-source Windows application Password Safe. Whether or not your favorite made the cut, let’s hear more about the password manager you love best in the comments.

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download free) – Top 10 Calendar Tricks

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Top 10 Calendar Tricks

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/hand_calendar.jpg” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”200″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
<iframe src=”http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/software/Top_10_Calendar_Tricks” align=”right” frameborder=”0″ height=”82″ scrolling=”no” width=”55″> Software and webapps rock at being calendars: You can update them from any computer or your phone, they don’t have to triple-check when Columbus Day is, and they never get coffee stains on them. But your online or desktop calendar can do a lot more than just hold dates and tell you about them. Free programs and tweaks can integrate appointments into your email app, embed a whole-month view into your wallpaper, schedule birthdays without a single phone call, and improve your faulty memory for everything. Take a look at 10 free and customizable hacks you can apply to your own appointment-keeping system. Photo by Joe Lanman.

10. Share and schedule rooms and objects automatically.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/auto_schedule.png” width=”250″ height=”105″ class=”right” align=”right”>Google Calendar offers a subtle, tucked-away little feature that can make renting out a projector or booking a conference room dead simple. You can set up a calendar to auto-accept invitations that don’t conflict with others. Even if you’re just sharing a grill with some neighbors, it’s a simple way to ensure everybody’s on the level.

9. Carry your schedule on a compact calendar.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/compact_calendar.jpg” width=”193″ height=”141″ class=”right” align=”right”>Unless you want to be that person, the one who interrupts conversation and distracts everyone by pulling out and pecking at a PDA, you’re not going to have your calendar on you at all times. That doesn’t mean you can’t commit to dates, scope how long a project might take, and remind yourself of important dates with a compact calendar from designer David Seah. It fits in a wallet or on the edge of a notebook, and does what you need a calendar to do when you’re not at your desk.

8. Add custom content with subscriptions.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/public_calendars.png” width=”220″ height=”157″ class=”right” align=”right”> You don’t have to make all the content on a useful, productive calendar. In fact, you can automatically number your weeks, get daily weather forecasts, embed your Remember the Milk tasks, and add publicly-offered content at Google’s gallery to track your favorite sports team, keep up on politics, or know what’s new on DVD this week. It’s helpful scheduling that you don’t have to lift a finger to benefit from.

7. Find the best time for everyone in a big group to meet.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/Doodle.jpg” width=”180″ height=”152″ class=”right” align=”right”>The Web 2.0 social-site explosion has created a wealth of scheduling services, but we’ve always liked the simplicity of tools like Doodle, where you just ask folks via email what times work for them, and the site returns the most compatible matches. Need more than just a time slot? fasterPlan creates web-based, customizable billboards, so you can ask which park works best for a reunion, who’s a vegetarian, and so on. If nothing else, your over-burdened inbox will thank you.

6. Keep your calendar in plain text.

<img alt=”remind-thumb.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/remind-thumb.png” width=”152″ height=”142″ class=”right” align=”right”>It’s no secret we’re fans of the command line around these parts, especially apps that let you add and control information as fast as you can type. That’s exactly what Remind is. The app takes in simple text commands to add or display appointments, either in line-by-line text or ASCII-formatted grids. As shown in our guide to plain text calendar management, Remind is based on an old Unix tool, so Linux, OS X, and Windows users (using Cygwin) have equal access to it.

5. Keep up on Facebook friends’ birthdays.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/fbcal.png” width=”200″ height=”84″ class=”right” align=”right”>Prepare to have social networking service Facebook actually save you time you would’ve spent typing and clicking. The site already keeps track of all your friends’ birthdays, but free plug-in fbCal makes them accessible to iCal-compliant calendar clients. It might take a bit to get working, but once it does, you’ll be seen as a gracious friend, one who’s on top of even the most obscure third-cousin birthdays.

4. Embed Google Calendar into Gmail.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/gmail_gcal.jpg” width=”194″ height=”100″ class=”right” align=”right”>Gmail and Google Calendar already go well together, with Gmail able to detect and add appointments to GCal, and having them on the same page can serve as an Outlook-like “Today” page. Two Greasemonkey scripts for Firefox make it easy to embed GCal directly into your email: Gmail Addons pops your calendar (or any other web applet, really) in and out of any corner of Gmail, while GMailAgenda throws a vertical calendar rail into a right-hand rail. Want to add Remember the Milk’s advanced task-management to your all-in-one start page? You can easily do that too.

3. Set your calendar to email your future self.

<img alt=”birthdayreminder-thumb.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/birthdayreminder-thumb.png” width=”148″ height=”143″ class=”right” align=”right”>The “tickler” file is an idea that reporters, creative executives, and other old-school, productivity-minded types have been using for decades to stash away to-dos and ideas that don’t come into play until later on. While modern calendar tools are great for accessibility and ease of use, they lack that ability to make you encounter things whether you want to or not—everything is, after all, dismiss-able with a mouse click. Gina wrote up a guide to setting Yahoo Calendar to tickle you automatically back in Lifehacker’s earliest days, but the concepts and instructions are still relevant for Google Calendar, Outlook, or any system that can remind you.

2. Embed your calendar onto your desktop.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/outlook_desktop.png” width=”205″ height=”140″ class=”right” align=”right”>Whether you were the type to order one of those gigundo desktop calendars and use it as your ambient appointment reminder, or you just don’t have a need for flashy desktop wallpaper, an embedded computer desktop calendar can do wonders for your memory. And you’ve got more than a few implementation options. Mac users can incorporate a text calendar and any other files onto their backdrop using GeekTool, Outlook devotees can use the appropriately-titled Outlook on the Desktop or text-based DeskTask, Windows (and Linux) workers can try the excellent Rainlendar widget, and Gina wrote up a guide to embedding any text on your desktop with Windows tool Samurize.

1. Sync Google Calendar to any desktop client.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/sync_cropped.png” width=”220″ height=”86″ class=”right” align=”right”>There are, shockingly, times when computers aren’t connected to the internet, and also times when heading to Google Calendar in a browser isn’t as convenient as your on-demand calendar program. With the introduction of CalDAV support, Google Calendar can now perform two-way syncs with any desktop client, and Adam has taken the time to show us how. Even if you use a calendar site or app not described in the how-to, hooking up a publicly-accessible feed in the widely-supported GCal is usually a first step to taking your scheduling information anywhere you go.

Of course, these are just our own favorite calendar tricks, and each person has their own schedule-and-remember style. What calendar add-ons or third-party tools can’t you live and work without? Which calendar features go unheralded? Share the good stuff in the comments.

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download, free) – StudyRails Manages Assignments and Study Time

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StudyRails Manages Assignments and Study Time

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/studyrails-header.jpg” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”275″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
Get productive when class is back in session with StudyRails, a webapp that tracks your time and notifies you of upcoming course assignments via email or text message. When you receive new class assignments, enter them into StudyRails and designate slots of time to study for the assignments. The webapp will notify you prior to the assignment via email or SMS. Additionally, StudyRails can send mentors (and even parents) your classes and upcoming assignments for added motivation. Finally, when you’re in the middle of studying, StudyRails will block distracting web sites and applications so that you can focus on the required tasks at hand.

Add An Assignment

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/studyrails_schedule.jpg” width=”740″ height=”561″>
If you have an assignment, you can either click on the class time that the assignment is due or click on “New Assignment” to update the information. In this area, you can designate the amount of time that you estimate it will take to complete the assignment and add milestones if necessary.

Study Time

With StudyRails, you can either set aside blocks of time for completing a particular assignment or for studying for a particular quiz or exam. If you plan on studying for three hours on Tuesday night for four upcoming assignments, StudyRails will do the math and figure out how to best allocate your time. Simply drag your mouse over a block of time and StudyRails will do the rest.

Block Software

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/studyrails_blocked_apps.jpg” width=”722″ height=”532″>
If you’re easily distracted by games installed on your computer or less productive software, StudyRails comes with an utility that will prevent you from accessing those applications and web sites during the time you are supposed to be studying.

Keep In Touch

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/studyrails_notifications.jpg” width=”400″ height=”315″ class=”right” align=”right”>StudyRails can inform you about upcoming assignments via email or SMS or both so that you can prepare for your study period and never miss a date. Furthermore, you can also keep your parents or mentors abreast of your progress with the weekly or daily notifications with the ability to share your calendar with designated individuals via email:
<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/studyrails_sharing.jpg” width=”719″ height=”227″>

All in all, StudyRails proves to be a useful application especially if you have multiple assignments to keep track of—especially if you’re also maintaining a busy schedule with your classmates and peers. StudyRails is typically $4.95/month, which amounts to less than $15 per semester. Lifehacker readers are invited to try out a full semester of StudyRails for free: Email lifehacker at studyrails dot com and the first 100 users to sign up will get an account with all the features described above. Otherwise you can give StudyRails a free test drive for 14 days.

StudyRails

Source: lifehacker.com

(iphone, ipod, itune, download, free) – Speed Up Your Vista Installation with vLite on a Flash Drive

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Speed Up Your Vista Installation with vLite on a Flash Drive

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/vlite-header.jpg” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”276″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
Sometimes the most effective way to clean up Windows is to just wipe your hard drive and start over with a fresh re-installation, and that process can be so long and tedious—unless you know the shortcuts. Power Windows re-installers already know about slipstreaming with nLite for XP and using vLite for Windows Vista to trim down your installation disk to just the bare essentials and speed up the process. If you want to speed up your reinstall even further, you can copy your Windows installation files over to a bootable USB stick that has much better transfer rates. Here’s how.

Create Your Custom vLite Install

You already know the details of how to use vLite, since that’s been covered already. What we’re going to do is follow the same steps, customizing anything that you want to change…

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall1.png” width=”494″ class=”center” align=”center” height=”112″>

Then you’ll want to click the Apply button at the bottom when you are done.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall2.png” width=”533″ height=”107″ class=”center” align=”center”>

VLite will prompt you to rebuild the installation files, which it copied to your hard drive. This process will take quite a long time, but at the end your source files should be updated.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall3.png” width=”477″ height=”498″ class=”center” align=”center”>

You should now have a folder with installation files that look very similar to the actual installation CD. These are the files we will need to copy to your flash drive.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall4.png” width=”440″ height=”292″ class=”center” align=”center”>

Of course you could simply use the regular Vista DVD, or even just mount your vLite ISO image instead, but this saves you from the extra step.

Prepare Your USB Drive

Open up an administrator mode command prompt by right-clicking on the shortcut and choosing Run as Administrator, then type in diskpart to load up the disk partitioning command line tool.

The most important step is to run the following command, which will give you the numbers of the disks, so you can use it in the next command (and not accidentally remove a partition on another drive).

list disk

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall5.png” width=”476″ height=”212″ class=”center” align=”center”>

Now that you know the correct number for the disk, you can use the select disk command, substituting the number 1 for whatever number your flash drive is set to:

select disk 1

Now you can run the rest of the commands, which will remove any partitions before creating a new FAT32 partition and setting it to active so it can boot.

clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=fat32
assign
exit

That final assign command will let you access the drive from Explorer, so we can copy the files. You’ll want to copy all of the files from your installation DVD or from the vLite folder over to your flash drive.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall6.png” width=”440″ height=”288″ class=”center” align=”center”>

At this point you should be able to stick the USB drive in your computer and boot from it. Note that you might have to enable USB flash booting support in the BIOS, and often it helps to use the shortcut key for your BIOS boot menu.

<img src=”http://lifehacker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/08/VistaFlashInstall7.png” width=”344″ height=”256″ class=”center” align=”center”>

Got any other tips for a speedy Windows installation? Let us know in the comments.

Source: lifehacker.com

BurnAware Free Burns CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray

BurnAware Free Burns CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/burnaware-free.png” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”250″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
Windows only: BurnAware Free burns data, audio, and video CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. Since we last mentioned BurnAware, it was bought up by a software company, turned shareware, and has now made the round trip back to freeware—so if you ran into the shareware version when you tried downloading it, BurnAware Free is worth a grab. There are still shareware versions that support advanced features like simultaneous disc writing, but chances are you’ll be happy with the free version. This one could come in particularly handy if and when you actually get a Blu-ray burner on your PC. BurnAware Free is freeware, Windows only. For other great alternatives, check out previously mentioned ImgBurn or Totally Free Burner.

BurnAware Free [via CyberNet]

Source: lifehacker.com

Five Best Password Managers

Five Best Password Managers

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/passwords-hive-head.png” align=”left” hspace=”4″ vspace=”2″ width=”494″ height=”250″ style=”display:block;float:none;” />
<iframe src=”http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/software/Five_Best_Password_Managers” align=”right” frameborder=”0″ height=”82″ scrolling=”no” width=”55″>You’ve got enough to keep track of in your day-to-day life without filling your head with the countless logins and passwords you’ve racked up over the years, and the Post-It note on your monitor just isn’t an option. Luckily, there are several fantastic and secure password management applications designed to make it easy for you to remember, manage, and secure your passwords effortlessly. On Tuesday you shared your favorite password managers, and now we’re back with the five most popular picks. Keep reading for a detailed look at each application, then cast your vote to help us pick the best password manager on the block.

Sxipper (All platforms)

<img src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/06/sxipper.png” class=”center” align=”center”>
Firefox extension Sxipper adds password management, auto-logins, and automatic form filling to Firefox. If you don’t want to manually create multiple identities to fill in forms, Sxipper may be perfect for you. It can automatically learn and build personas for you based on information you’ve used to fill in forms. Sxipper builds on top of Firefox’s default password manager, meaning all of your passwords remain safely encrypted and stored on your computer. (Original post)

KeePass (All platforms)

<img alt=”keepass-hive.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/keepass-hive.png” width=”494″ height=”226″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Desktop application KeePass is a free, open-source password manager with a robust and easy-to-use feature set. KeePass secures your passwords with a single master password and/or a key-file on your computer. KeePass is a Windows application, but an OS X- and Linux-compatible version—called KeePassX—is available with slightly less polish than the Windows counterpart. For those of you who’d like to take your passwords with you, KeePass is available as a portable application and as PocketPC, Symbian, BlackBerry, and PalmOS ports. We’ve covered KeePass a fair amount, including how to get started with KeePass, import your Firefox passwords, and track software licenses. KeePass doesn’t come with built-in browser integration, but you can invoke a global, auto-login keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+A by default) when KeePass is running in your system tray.

1Password (Mac OS X)

<img alt=”1password-hive.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/1password-hive.png” width=”494″ height=”227″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Mac app 1Password is a commercial password manager and form filler for Mac OS X. Like RoboForm for Windows, 1Password integrates directly with your browser (Firefox or Safari) to auto-fill logins and forms. Like most of the rest, 1Password can automatically generate secure passwords for you, and all you need to remember is your master password. We’ve already mentioned 1Password’s impressive iPhone/iPod touch app, but it also works with Palm devices. Currently 1Password supports syncing with .Mac accounts, but my1Password is under development to provide synchronization as well as online access to your passwords from any browser. 1Password will set you back $35, Mac OS X only.

RoboForm (Windows)

<img alt=”roboform.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/roboform.png” width=”494″ height=”280″ class=”center” align=”center”>
Desktop application and browser toolbar RoboForm is a popular password and form management utility for Windows only. In addition to password management, RoboForm lets you create identities to automatically fill in web forms. RoboForm is available in both freeware and shareware ($30) versions; the free version is very limited, though, so chances are you’ll want to pony up for a license if you take this route. A portable version, called RoboForm2Go, is also available for $20. Like KeePass, RoboForm is available to carry on your Windows Mobile, Symbian, or Palm devices. Unlike KeePass, RoboForm sports a robust browser plug-in for seamless integration with Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Firefox’s Password Manager (All platforms)

<img alt=”firefox-password-manager.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/firefox-password-manager.png” width=”494″ height=”240″ class=”center” align=”center”>
When it comes to password management, many of you look no further than Firefox’s built-in password manager. It’s free, it’s there when you need it, and it’s a no-brainer to integrate into your workflow. One word of caution, though: If you’re going to stick with Firefox’s password manager, be sure to secure your saved passwords with a master password. If you don’t, all it takes for someone to peek at every single one of your passwords is clicking the Show Passwords button in the Saved Passwords dialog.

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Now that you’ve seen the favorites, it’s time to vote for the utility you love best.

Which Is the Best Password Manager?
( surveys)

This week’s honorable mentions go out to the cross-platform LastPass (original post) and the open-source Windows application Password Safe. Whether or not your favorite made the cut, let’s hear more about the password manager you love best in the comments.

Source: lifehacker.com

LastPass Saves and Syncs Passwords Between All Your Browsers

LastPass Saves and Syncs Passwords Between All Your Browsers

Windows/Mac/Linux: Firefox extension and Internet Explorer add-on LastPass is a secure password manager for all your web passwords. Like other web-focused password managers, LastPass puts all of your individual passwords behind one master password. When you type in that master password, LastPass can then automatically log you in to any web site you visit with saved login credentials. Even better, LastPass syncs passwords over the internet, so all your saved passwords on your work computer, for example, will always be synced up on your home computer. I haven’t been using it for long, but so far LastPass works seamlessly with Firefox and exactly as expected.

<img alt=”lastpass.png” src=”http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/lastpass.png” width=”203″ height=”211″ class=”right” align=”right” />If you’re creating a login for a site for the first time, LastPass can autogenerate a strong, secure password for you (remember, all you have to remember is your LastPass login). LastPass isn’t the first password manager we’ve seen by any means. Previously mentioned applications like KeePass (or the Mac version, KeePassX), PassPack, 1Password, and Sxipper all aim to manage and secure your logins and passwords. But with its seamless syncing and cross-platform browser support, LastPass could draw a big audience pretty quickly. If you like the look but have already spent a lot of time with another password manager, LastPass supports importing passwords from KeePass, Sxipper, Roboform, and others.

Keep in mind, as always, that in order for syncing to take place, your passwords are stored online—meaning that you’re required to place a certain amount of trust in the hands of the folks at LastPass. However, LastPass is only storing encrypted data, and the key to that data lives on your computer (or, when you’re not logged in, the key is only in your head). If that’s something you can live with, it looks like a strong choice. If not, you may want to stick with an open source local option like KeePass. LastPass is free, works with Firefox and Internet Explorer.

LastPass [via Download Squad]

Source: lifehacker.com