Archive | February, 2009

Twhirl, the Best Twitter Client Around?

Feb/27 in Desktop Apps, Hot Web Topics

Twirl in Action! After trying out several different Twitter clients, I think I have found the one for me that gets the job done.  I decided to go with twhirl, because it is one of the most highly recommended Twitter clients out there.

Here are the key features that I enjoyed the most:

  • shorten long URLs (using bit.ly, snurl, twurl or is.gd)
  • search tweets using Twitter Search and TweetScan, and follow topics in near-real time with saved searches
  • automatically find tweets mentioning your @username

Another thing I really needed, which from what I could tell TweetDeck didn’t provide was multiple account support.  Since I am now working on my own Twitter account and the Lunarpages Twitter account, I needed a way to keep them both separate but running at the same time.

The only annoyance I have found with twirl is that when running multiple clients for multiple accounts, you can’t have one be a different color than the other.  If any developers are reading this, that would be a handy feature to toss in there.

So, twhirl gets my geek candy seal of approval.  Come follow me and see what I am doing throughout the day @mitchkeeler and @lunarpages.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Wikipedia Bookmarklet for Your Desktop Research

Feb/26 in Online Apps, Writing Advice

wiki-bookmarklet Often, when writing or working on a project – I will keep Wikipedia handy, for the occasional definition or fact check. 

With all my other tabs filled up with other content though, I don’t want to keep switching back to another tab in my browser to check out Wikipedia too.  So that is why I have started using a bookmarklet based around the mobile version of Wikipedia.

You can too now, just drag and drop this to your bookmarks toolbar.

+ Pop-up Wikipedia

For more pop-up tools, be sure to check out my previous post on the top five Google pop-up bookmarklets.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Bookmarklet to Convert Any Page to PDF

Feb/25 in Online Apps

PDF Download

I love looking at bookmarklets.  These handy bookmarks that allow just about any browser to do even more amazing things are really handy to have.  Want to convert any web page to a PDF to read later?  I have found a bookmarklet that does that too.

The people behind PDF Download have produced their  own bookmarklet to convert web pages into high-quality PDF files free from any browser.  Just drag and drop this link to your bookmarks toolbar, and click it when you want to export to PDF:

Save Page as PDF

Here are the setup instructions for all the various browsers out there:

Only negative I could find is I got the “server is too busy” message more than a couple of times.

Know of anymore bookmarklets that will allow you to export a page into an entirely different format?  Me neither,  but if you do – please share.  PDF Download’s solution will work for the time being though.  Save on paper and export to PDF.  That tree outside your window will thank you.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

2 Ways to Filter Your RSS Feed Subscriptions

Feb/24 in Online Apps

Are you one of those people out there that finds themselves addicted to finding really cool RSS feeds that you really don’t have the time to read?  I know I am – so when searching for a way to filter through my feeds I am subscribed to to get out the most important stuff out of them I found two great tools to get the job done.

Feed Rinse – The job of Feed Rinse is to filter out syndicated content that you just are not that interested in checking out.  They call it a spam filter for your RSS feed subscriptions.  To use it, all you do is import your feeds, setup your filters and then enjoy your new “cleaner” results.  Also, if you have checked them out before and didn’t want to pay for the service, you no longer have to.  The premium service is now free.

clean-feeds2

Feedscrub – How does Feedscrub clean help you trim your subscription list down?  Also working on a filter-based system, Feedscrub listens to you when you tell them what posts you do and don’t like, and then learns from your input what to do and how to filter.  This allows you to get right to the good stuff you want to read about.

clean-feeds1

Of course, if you are looking for a few RSS feeds, I am sure you would be happy with these to start off with or to add to your collection:

Both Feedscrub and Feed Rinse offer great ways to filter through the noise when it comes to the feeds you are subscribed to.  I would suggest trying both out and see which one works best for you.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Share Your Images with Pict.com

Feb/23 in Free Hosting

pict_logo Time to see what the latest tool looks like in the free image hosting world.  This time around, I was asked to check out Pict.com.  This web site is a free image hosting service that lets you “share your images in a single click”. 

How do you use it?

  • Go to Pict.com main page
  • Click any of the "Upload image" buttons and browse to find image(s) that you want to upload

After a short while, your image(s) will be uploaded. To share uploaded image move the mouse over the image and click "Share it" link. To view uploaded image just click on image thumbnail.  The JPG, GIF and PNG image file formats are supported.  Also at this time there no limit to the number of files you can upload and share.

To help out with ease of use, they even thrown in Firefox add-on. Overall, I would say this web site is well worth checking out if you are in search of a quick and light image hosting tool.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix (Insert 7 More Names Here Just for Fun)

Feb/20 in Video Games

Street Fighter Review!

The first game I downloaded via the PlayStation network on my new PS3 was Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.  The name, is kind of a silly throwback to the fact that for the longest time the refused to make a Street Fighter 3 (back during the classic video game console wars). 

Just as fun as the old Street Fighter II, this one also adds the whole HD aspect – which in translation makes things look “real pretty”.  The game hasn’t changed up too much, you start it – find a friend and start beating the snot out of each other.  I do like the fact that they put the moves into the pause window.  Well, let me take that back, I like it as long as you are not one of those people who insist on looking ever 3 seconds.

You can also play online, which for me means I can get beat by people who have been playing this non-stop since it came out, fairly quickly. (VegasFan10543344, I am coming for you!)  The full cast of charecters you know and love are in the game too, even Akuma.  To play as Akuma in arcade mode, select Guile and press UP. To play as Akuma in Training/Versus modes, select E. Honda and press UP.

This game is still one of the best fighting games you can find.  Now it just has a new look, which is ready for the HD era of entertainment.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Learn More About Domain Name Jargon

Feb/19 in Web Hosting

I did my first two-part podcast series this week on the Web Hosting Show.  This week, in podcast 180 and 181 we covered some of the most confusing domain name terms you might hear being tossed around inside of the web hosting industry. 

On podcast #180 covered these specific domain terms:

On podcast #181 rounded things out with these domain terms:

I would highly recommend checking out both podcasts, as I think they will be a handy addition to have for anybody who is wanting to learn more about the domain name jargon that is being tossed around. 

For more web hosting podcast fun, talk, help, interviews and more check out webhostingshow.com.  Speaking of which, that project of mine is about to hit the 4 year anniversary mark – so that alone should let you know there is a ton of information posted over there for the newbies all the way to the gurus out there in the web development world.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Classic Black Theme for Windows Vista

Feb/18 in Desktop

Since switching to Windows Vista, there haven’t been too many other visual styles I have fallen in love with – especially in comparison with the number of them that are out there for Windows XP.  I have found one port though that is well worth your time if you want a simpler (yet, not ugly) Vista theme.

eno Vista Port by sweatyfish

The eno Vista Port visual style for Windows Vista keeps things simple, but doesn’t look awful when doing so. The only thing I miss in comparison with Vista’s default theme is the search box is missing in the start menu.   

As a word of warning, switching your Vista visual styles is a ‘bit more tedious of a task than it was in XP.  If you are looking for a good guide to hold your hand durring the process, check out:  How to Patch Windows Vista to Enable Custom Themes (Visual Styles)

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

10 Places to Search for Your Next Job

Feb/17 in Online Apps

Looking for a new job?  There are dozens of web sites out there catered to finding you the job that best suits your needs.  Here are a few of my favorites.

  • Flipdog – Great local job search engine
  • StandoutJobs – The standout jobs recruitment communications platform
  • JobThread – Find precise targeting at fair prices
  • Indeed – One search engine that claims to be for all jobs
  • CareerBuilder – A very popular job finding web site
  • oDesk – Great job resource for remote contractors
  • SimplyHired – Another great job search tool
  • Recruit.net – Search thousands of job sites, newspapers and more with one click
  • Krop – Resource for creative and tech jobs
  • Mployd – Cute name, and “where hiring happens”

Know of another great job hunter resource?  Be sure to share!

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Access Visual Bookmarks via from Anywhere!

Feb/16 in Online Apps

Thanks to SpeedyMarks, you can now access your list of visual bookmarks from anywhere around the Web.   As you can see from the screenshot above, they deliver you a very nice interface to save your list of links.  This would be perfect as a homepage in your browser of choice. 

SpeedyMarks Link Management

You can change the background color, add links, remove links, and re-arrange any links that are there too.  Want to sign up?  They use Google apps service, so you can sign in with your Google login information.  So if you are looking for a new way to keep a handful of links handy all the time – give SpeedyMarks a shot.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }
← Older posts