Hongkiat.com: Tools Of The Trade: Do Productivity Tools Really Work?

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Tools Of The Trade: Do Productivity Tools Really Work? Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:45 PM PDT When I was studying, all I needed was a notepad and a pen to keep track of all my assignments. This method was valid and dependable… until the school break. My notes have the tendency of growing legs and going MIA on me, and by the time I was in university, electronic notepads and online calendars became my preferred choices. Laptops and PCs were noticeably harder to misplace than cellulose-based scribblings of your weekend plans. (Image source: Dennis Hamilton) Then came the ‘we have an app for that’ period – and all hell broke loose. This period gave rise to tons of apps that deliver one or two major tasks for the user. Now they may go by many names, but one of the more popular ones is ‘productivity tools’. A tool to make you more productive? What’s there to hate, right? Apparently, plenty. It’s the singer, not the rhyme Honestly, tech tools can only do so much. No one immediately becomes a Master Chef just because they have top-rated chef knives. For example, spellcheckers can help minimize spelling mistakes but they don’t make you write any better overnight. Syncing systems make sure you get the files you need anywhere, anytime, but you will still have to keep track of all the different versions of documents you have. And you need to start your time tracker before you start work, otherwise nothing gets tracked. (Image source: Fotolia) The effectiveness of these tools begins with the user. If you aren’t the least bit productive in what you do, don’t expect the tools to be working miracles for you, because that is not what they are made for. The trap of to-do lists Oh, I love to-do lists. They are awesome. I jot everything down, never forget anything, any event or errand ever again. I became the Queen of Productivity. Then I noticed three downfalls of being too productive for your own good. The elephant in the room One, you are expected to remember everything: your colleagues ask you to confirm things for them; your boss berates you when you miss a deadline (since it’s impossible that you would forget the date); and forgetting your mother’s birthday would launch a nuclear war in your next family reunion (sorry, mom). (Image source: Courtney Dirks) You are no longer allowed to forget anything. Now that’s a scary thought. Never-ending story Two, you are constantly prioritizing your errands every time you add something new to the list. ‘Getting the milk’ can take as long as a week to cross out because you keep putting everything else ahead of it, as they come in. And your mind will have the tendency to forget the things you forget to add to your list. You will be programmed to be totally dependent on this list. The effect? I accidentally deleted a list — which was not backed up — once in the middle of a super busy period. It was chaos. Utter chaos. Who’s working for whom? Three, you will eventually end up listing, updating, crossing out and deleting your planner/organizer/app/tool even when you are stuck in traffic, waiting for a client, sitting at the bus stop or when your phone is in airplane mode. If you think that that is normal and an acceptable behavior by today’s standards, I ask you this: are you being more productive, or doing more work? (Image source: Shutterstock) They are not the same thing. Remember that the concept behind productivity tools is that the tools should do more so that you can do less. If it doesn’t help you get more time to yourself, then it should not be called a productivity tool. The secret to being productive is… …to manage yourself well. Just having the tools is not enough, you also need self-discipline, an organized approach to your tasks, the ability to use your resources well and knowing when to let go. Oh, and keeping a close eye on deadlines and knowing how to prioritize are also important characteristics but those can be helped on by said tools. Gentle reminder to always allocate some time for yourself and for your family (even those two need to be separated). Humans are more like battery cells rather than machines. We can’t work nonstop; we need to slow down, unwind, stop, recharge and start up again. (Image source: Fotolia) So if work or using a buggy, blasted tech tool is pushing you over the frustration limit, you are the only person who can put up a stop sign and take a break. Tools of my trade Not all productivity tools are good for everyone. It’s the main reason why your colleague may like one syncing program but you like another. It’s also why there are hundreds of productivity tool lists out there that have no common similarities at all. It’s a free universe; you can use whichever tool that ‘syncs’ with you, so to speak. More importantly though, the selection of productivity tools is a matter of personal preference; it’s like when you were picking out that accessory that goes well with your Halloween costume. You know when something is working for you and when it is not. Don’t let anyone else pressure you into thinking you should or can use only one particular tool or app. Conclusion As for me, after quitting my job to go full freelance, juggling work, a needy toddler and taking my Masters on the side made me realize that I needed all the help I can get. My favorite productivity tool? Good ol’ pen and paper — a pocket-sized notebook to be exact. I don’t have to charge it or fear that it would run out of juice; I can make copies of my reminders, put them on the fridge, pin it up on a board or slip it in a book. My notes are easy to compile, write up, correct and update, and I don’t need a tutorial to use it properly. Plus, whenever I get a task done, chucking the note in the trash bin is always more satisfying than clicking ‘Done’.

[Freebie] Splash of Lemon Wallpaper Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:51 PM PDT Nothing beats the taste of ice cold lemonade on a hot sunny day. Maybe it’s the sweet citrus taste, its zesty colour or refreshing smell, but for whatever the reason, lemons has always been a symbol for something clean and renewed. We all need pick-me-ups like these to help us get through a busy week. If you don’t have the luxury of a tall glass of lemon-aid, make do with this image, half a lemon splashed with the elixir of life, aptly named ‘a splash of lemon’. Download Wallpaper in: 2560×1440 1920×1200 1680×1050 1440×900 1280×1024 1280×800 1024×768 1024×1024 (iPad) 640×960 (iPhone) All About the author This wallpaper is courtesy of Rishabh Agarwal, an avid photographer from India. He has a website dedicated to his love of photography at Rish Photography [http://rishabhagarwal.com]. If you are interested in his photographs, please contact him at his website. Contact us If you would like to see your own beautiful artwork or photographs turned into wallpapers and shared amongst our readers like what we are doing here, drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do.

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Blogger Templates

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Go West Posted: 27 Mar 2012 04:56 PM PDT Go West is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 2 columns, right sidebar and vintage style. Excellent layout for blogs about art, culture or travel. Download Go West for free in BTemplates. Live demo Download Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/9393

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Hongkiat.com: Introduction to Bitcoins and the Tor Network

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Introduction to Bitcoins and the Tor Network Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:05 AM PDT Internet users familiar with the underground community are likely to have heard the phrase “deep web”. It combines a set of websites and communications technologies which apply solely to the Tor network. This collective open-source software has blossomed into a revolutionary idea in just a few years. On a similar note the bitcoin currency has also been gaining some attention. Although these two ideas are not correlated, they do fit together in the subject of underground web technology. Throughout this guide I’d like to introduce you to the topic of bitcoins, how they work, and their connection with the Tor network. Let’s first clarify what Tor is really about. The Tor Project The original Tor network project isn’t as underground as it used to be. The open-source software was an effort to provide a new layer of Internet protection between the user and the remote website server, thus sheltering your privacy somewhat and providing you with a sense of security. This is accomplished by using 3 different relay proxies which re-direct you along a random path in the network. Similar to Bit Torrent, users of the Tor network will keep their computers running 24/7 as a relay service. This means when you go to access a website on Tor it’ll pass your request through 3 different computers (called nodes). This level of encryption ensures that no single computer within the proxy chain can determine your physical location and requested content. The official Tor FAQ contains more technical details if you’re interested. This is crucial for users who prefers to keep their location and privacy unknown, individuals like whistleblowers or abuse victims. The fact that a wider variety of people now use Tor increases the level of security, helping you hide among the many other faceless users who are on the network. Getting Started To access this network of proxies you only need to download their package software. If you visit the Tor project downloads page you’ll notice a listing for the most popular Operating Systems including Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX. The software is bundled as a zip archive without requiring any installation. After opening, just double-click the Tor icon to start up relay services, and shortly after, a new web browser should launch in the Gecko/Mozilla engine. It’s basically a shell script of Firefox which runs under custom proxy settings for Tor. The entire network behaves as one interconnected and fluid proxy server farm. It’s important to note that you can access regular HTTP websites via proxy, but the load times are immensely slower. The real benefit of using Tor is to gain access into the onion routing network. Within this chasm of the deep Internet lies the hidden websites so often discussed around the watercooler. Onion Routing This new technology is used within the Tor network to communicate hosts with darknet websites. These are still HTML/CSS pages which have been hosted on servers specifically targeting an .onion DNS address. This TLD (Top-Level Domain) is actually similar to other country codes such as .us, .co.uk, .es and others. However you are not accessing the same websites, as through an HTTP/FTP connection. The most intriguing part of the Onion routing network is within their unique URL addresses. Instead of human-readable strings such as hongkiat.com these appear as randomly generated numbers and letters. So for example, to visit “The Hidden Wiki” you would enter: http://kpvz7ki2v5agwt35.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page into the web browser. This redirects to a Wikipedia-style site focusing on everything Tor-related. To get a better idea of how Tor websites are designed and created, check out some of the other examples I’ve provided below. TorStatusNet Microblogging – http://lotjbov3gzzf23hc.onion/ Tor Web Design Guidelines – http://wf4df37hrebhwzts.onion/ Freedom Hosting – http://xqz3u5drneuzhaeo.onion/ MyBitcoin – http://xqzfakpeuvrobvpj.onion/ BitLaundry – http://yhngvp3q5h4s7d3e.onion/ BitLotto – http://jpjyhljziw2glwfg.onion/lotto/index.html Simple PM – http://4v6veu7nsxklglnu.onion/SimplePM.php Anonymoose Chat – http://c2hluuzwi7tuceu6.onion/ Introduction to Bitcoin Let’s take a break from Tor for a moment and examine the underground currency, bitcoin. Bitcoins behaves just like any other monetary system; it can be exchanged and traded for Dollars and Euros. It is not too difficult to comprehend with a bit of reading but I feel that this video really clears up some of the confusing areas for beginners. Now, the bitcoin currency has a few benefits. Notably there is no central banking group which manages and loans out these coins. They are created through computer processing – theoretically nothing more than time and GPU compression. This also means no central authority is issuing “clearing” for bitcoin transactions. Thus instead of waiting 2-3 business days for a bank you can transfer bitcoins between addresses in just a few hours. Collecting and Exchanging Coins Although it is an exciting endeavor, the average btc user does not spend time mining for bitcoins. The process is too intense for a single computer and you likely won’t find the payoff worthwhile. Professional miners work together in pools and will sometimes run a series of rigs setup with dual video cards (Graphics Processing Units) for the highest turnout rate. But for the majority of beginners it’s unrealistic to jump into this right away. The much simpler method of collecting bitcoins is to transfer in your own cash, or alternatively provide service work. A lot of btc users are willing to trade coins for Internet marketing, web design, development, and similar odd jobs. But moving cash into your bitcoin address (or wallet) is also just as simple. The biggest issue with gaining bitcoins is the exchange rate between world currencies. The simplest method is to purchase coins directly from an exchange such as Mt Gox. But in order to get money into Mt Gox to purchase these bitcoins you’ll need to follow one of their accepted methods. Dwolla has been the most pleasurable experience in my eyes, and transfers much quicker than any other method. But in truth the bitcoin marketplace is growing rapidly. Keep your eyes and ears open, as there are new services launching practically every month! How are Bitcoins Spent? The ultimate goal is to use this alternate currency and hold our reserve coins in some type of wallet. Then we can use a unique wallet ID (or bitcoin address) to shop where bitcoins are accepted. This coin archive can either run through a desktop software or a third-party browser solution. Those who value ultimate safety and security will want to keep their bitcoin assets local, i.e. in their computer. But I feel more comfortable using online wallets, including Mt Gox, as I have direct access to my accounts from any computer. You can read up more about btc browser-based wallets from their wiki article. Now putting aside the possible earnings from buying and selling the currency itself, you can purchase a lot of things with bitcoins! A few websites such as Search Bitcoin behave as customized engines for locating items around the Web. For example I entered the keyword “iphone” and found this bitcoin classifieds page for a black iPhone 4 unit. But if you truly want a catalog of shops, you cannot go wrong with the official bitcoin trade wiki. This includes a detailed list of physical and digital items you can purchase with no shortages of URLs. These categories include clothing, video games, books, electronics, and so much more. Anonymity with Bitcoins and Tor On the surface it appears that these two topics don’t have much in common. But there are a lot of underground networks within the Tor project which discussed bitcoins as the next level of our world economy. It’s difficult to say where things will go from here at this point, but it’s certain that the underground community have created an astounding system. And both of these technologies are only in the early stages of adoption and development. (Image source: Fotolia) I feel the problem with a lot of monetary solutions is a general lack in privacy and security. I would not imply that PayPal is an unsecured website, but it’s difficult to understand why only a handful of people is allowed to control that website’s policy. In the bitcoin marketplace, digital exchanges are held between buyer and seller. Purchasing through the Tor/Onion network adds an extra layer of security. If you are interested, check out how you can maintain anonymity while using bitcoins. I really enjoyed this article by The Daily Attack. It goes over why security is so important and how the bitcoin marketplace has begun to plant its roots in modern civilization. I’ve included some additional links below which I hope you’ll find useful in further research! Resources on Tor/Onion Routing Tor Browser Bundle Goes Portable Configuring your browser to use Tor Create a TOR Button in Chrome for On-Demand Anonymous Browsing Onion Routing History Anonymous Routing in Wireless Networks Reddit onion links discussion Resources on Bitcoin How Bitcoin Works – BitcoinPlus we use coins Bitcoin basics Bitcoins: What are they, and how do they work? MtGox Bitcoin Currency Exchange Conclusion The underground Tor network and bitcoin marketplace are just two examples of emerging technologies. We may be at the verge of a technological breakthrough in restructuring how we access and trade currency through the Internet. I’m an early adopter of both these ideas and will be following the news closely on future developments!

How to Setup Messages + Facebook Chat in OS X Lion [Quicktip] Posted: 26 Mar 2012 03:35 AM PDT Messages is one of the features is offered in the recently announced OS X Mountain Lion, it allows you to integrate Facebook Chat so you can chat with your Facebook friends without using web browsers. But you might need to wait a while for Mountain Lion. Still, there is no reason why you cannot enjoy the fun Messages has to offer before the release. You may wonder how to set up Facebook Chat on your Mac, which is quite a good idea so you don’t have to always log in to Facebook every time you want to chat with your friends. There is no installer available or provided by Facebook that will allow you to install only its chat on your computer. That’s where Messages come into play. Messages Beta is a cool messaging client made for Mountain Lion, which will allow you to send messages accross many Apple products, for free. It also allows you to add Facebook Chat so you can directly chat with your Facebook friends. Messages Beta is now available for download, so why wait? Install Messages Beta Before you can set up Facebook Chat on your Mac, head over to Messages Beta page to download and then install. When installation is done, you will see the Messages icon on your Mac’s Dock. Set up Messages Beta Now you already have Messages Beta installed on your Computer. Since this is your first time installing, you will be prompted to register with Messages Beta. Click ‘Continue’. Now to complete the setup process, fill up your Apple ID and password, then click on the ‘Sign In’ button. That’s it, click ‘Done’ and your Messages Beta is now ready for use. Set up Facebook Chat on Messages Beta While Messages is still open, go to the main menu then ‘Preferences’. The Preferences window will appear; click on ‘Account’ and then the plus (+) button to add new chat account. Now there will be a form for you to fill up, use the following information; Account Type: Select ‘Jabber‘ Account Name: Fill with username@chat.facebook.com (don’t forget to replace ‘username’ with your own Facebook username) Password: Enter your Facebook password Server: Use chat.facebook.com Port: 5222 You can leave both ‘Use SSL’ and ‘Use Kerberos v5…’ unchecked. Once completed, click ‘Done’ and you are now ready to chat with your Facebook friends. Open your Messanger Beta chat window and you will see your online friends on the list, and ready to chat with you. Conclusion With Messages Beta and Facebook Chat integration, you can now chat with your Facebook friends without even logging in to your Facebook account. You can also add Google Talk, Yahoo! and AIM chat, and handle everything using one simple messaging client from your Mac.

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Hongkiat.com: Should Your Email Marketing Campaign Be More Interactive?

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Should Your Email Marketing Campaign Be More Interactive? Posted: 24 Mar 2012 05:59 AM PDT Editor’s note: This is a guest contribution by Amanda DiSilvestro. Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to background checks. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including document software to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory – Business.com. Companies are still working to discover the cure for email marketing deletion. You might have your list perfected, your newsletters segmented, and a lot of great images, but for some reason people tend to delete these emails even before they get to that great attention grabber you worked so hard to create. (Image source: Fotolia) Email marketing is a great way to get your content in front of consumers, but getting it to stay there, that part has yet to be perfected. The question then is this: What will get consumers interested in our messages? One of the latest and greatest tricks is interaction. Consumers like to be involved as much as possible with the things they see online, so bringing that element into an email marketing campaign is a great idea. Although most companies have stuck to catchy headlines and interesting graphics in the past, 2012 is going to move email marketing into an interactive state. After all, turning away from a piece of content and ignoring a link is easy, but it’s a bit harder to turn away from an opportunity to participate in something. The trick to email marketing interaction, however, isn’t to send readers to another webpage where you have something interactive planned. The cool, fun way to interact should be right there in the email marketing message itself. For this reason, some types of interaction work well, but others are better left for a different campaign. Consider the following types of interaction and whether or not you should use them when marketing through email. 5 Types of Email Marketing Interactions 1. Surveys and Polls [Good] Surveys and polls will not take up a lot of space in your email marketing message, yet it will give readers the sense of participation. If you’re trying to prove a point or ask for opinions, it might be a good idea to ask a question and hope for feedback. People will be more likely to pay attention to something that they know is quick and easy; and if they’re interested in the results they may be more willing to read the content. (Image source: Fotolia) After all, it’s much easier and faster to vote on an issue than read an entire piece of content on the issue. If you can configure the message to show a chart or graph after each vote, people will likely feel even more engaged. After all, why vote if you can’t even see the results? 2. Videos and Live Chat [Bad] Putting up a video or offering a live chat is a great idea, but not in an email marketing campaign. Videos are notorious for taking a while to load, and with email marketing you don’t have a large enough window of time. When people open up that email, they need to be engaged, and looking at a black screen that says “buffering” just won’t cut it. The same problem occurs with live chat. If you want to give readers the option of clicking a link to view a video or chat live with a team member, by all means go for it. Just know that this isn’t quite interactive within the actual campaign, so likely won’t gain any new readers. 3. Social Media Sharing [Good] Unless today is the first day you’ve been online since the 90′s, you know that social media has exploded onto the scene. Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now Google+, social networking is becoming more important than ever. According to Facebook statistics, one in every nine people on Earth has a Facebook account. In other words, people love to share things they find online with their friends and those starting a small business can’t get enough of these networks. (Image source: Fotolia) Place social sharing buttons on your email marketing campaign, and you’re sure to have more interaction than if you were to send out a plain piece of content. This will also show readers how often an article has been shared; thus giving it even more appeal (people tend to listen to their peers as opposed to the company trying to make money; nothing personal). 4. Infographics [Depends..] In general, I would say that infographics will help keep people engaged. Although this isn’t necessarily interaction, it is an alternative to plain text. According to Jungle Minds Digital Consultancy, ’87% of people who saw an infographic read the accompanying text, whereas only 41% read the text of an "ordinary" page.’ In other words, infographics can be extremely effective. They will work great in an email message if you keep the infographics simple. If you have a huge infographic that takes too long to load, you will lose your readers. If you can keep it simple and engaging, then an infographic will work great. 5. Directing people to another page [Bad] Directing people from one page to a different page for interaction simply won’t work. People enjoy interaction, but not enough to go out and find it. If it’s there, they’ll take a look, but otherwise they will probably pass. Simply clicking on a link is the most basic form of interaction. In fact, with all of the other types of interaction available, clicking on a link hardly counts. Conclusion Ultimately, having quality content is the most important thing in an email marketing campaign. You can have all the bells and whistles and fun interactive opportunities you want, but none of it will matter if your content is poorly written. People will be able to see through all of the exciting interactive elements, so make sure that interaction is the last piece to your email marketing puzzle.

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Hongkiat.com: Showcase of Creative Magazine Covers

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Showcase of Creative Magazine Covers Posted: 23 Mar 2012 06:02 AM PDT There are literally thousands of magazines published every month, only the high quality and good ones make it mainstream. The quote “A picture is worth a thousand words” and “First impression is the best impression” apply greatly to magazines. It is the covers of these magazines that creates the impulse, that uncontrollable urge to grab hold of the magazine and flip it open. The following is a list of some 35+ magazine covers that will truly instill the urge in a person to pick up a copy. These covers are not only creative, but also inspiring. But I won’t spoil it for you, you be the judge. Computer Arts Computer Arts is one of the world’s best-selling magazine for digital artists, designers, illustrators, etc. With in-depth tutorials, and interviews, the magazine remains a favorite among designers. TNHB Magazine TNHB Magazine is an illustrated magazine by Grzegorz Domaradzki and StudioKxx. Since the magazine does not have an official website, not much is known about it. FEFE Magazine FEFE is an arts magazine, and project by Luigi Vernieri. The magazine covers various topics on art. The magazine is a platform for generating a cultural system centered on the “visual culture”. BE Digital Age ESPN JOiA Magazine JOiA Magazine is a visual and design related arts magazine. The magazine is full of the finest selection of visual art content. While JOiA only publishes 5 issues per year, their high standards have put them on a high position in the literature of Arts and Design – no less than the national level. Advanced Photoshop Magazine Advanced Photoshop Magazine is an Adobe Photoshop oriented magazine, that has everything related to Photoshop. From tutorials, to inspirational artwork showcases, to even artists interviews. Advanced Photoshop Magazine is one of the best Photoshop magazine out there at this moment. Lettering & Type Lettering & Type is a powerful and essential how-to book full of relevant theories, history, diagrams and excersies regarding typeface designs and typography. PAGE PAGE Magazine is created by creative professional people in design, advertising, and media supplies. Not only do they show portfolios of some great artists, they also talk about different fields of art, such as architecture, 3D, and many more. WebDesign HS7 Magazine WebDesign HS7 is a magazine by Mathieu Schatzler, who is a graphic designer & art director from Lille, France. Mathieu has worked on branding & rebranding concepts, along with some high-quality illustrations. This magazine is all about that. WOW WOW Magazine (now WOWMAGZ) is a free electronic/digital graphic design magazine that supports designers and creative communities around the world by shining a spotlight on them. Showcasing the greatest Artwork in Digital Art, Photography, Illustration, 3D arts, Motion Graphic and more. GOOD Magazine GOOD Magazine is a collaboration between individual parties, such as businesses, moms, kids, organizations, etc that work together to find what is good, prosperous and creative. Pixel Arts Pixel Arts is a magazine that is all about creativity in best animation works, cartoons, motion graphics and tv design. It is a company located in Romania. Red Bulletin The Red Bulletin is a Formula One magazine by Red Bull. The magazine covers the world of Formula One, especially the Red Bull world, events and happenings related to them. The Walrus Magazine The Walrus magazine was launched with a simple aim: to be a national general interest magazine about Canada and its place in the world. Ever since, The Walrus Magazine has started becoming ‘a little’ popular day by day. Gazele Biznesu Gazele Biznesu is a business-oriented magazine that gives out an annual ranking for developing small and medium businesses. The project is run jointly by nine newspapers belonging to Bonnier Publishing Group, based in Poland. Proyecto Diseño Due to the language barrier, I am unable to tell you much about this magazine except that looks good. IDEA Magazine

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