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I've found my weekend project. Maximum PC has published 9 awesome DIY projects, one of them being the steps to turn different gadgets into USB powered ones. They teach you how to make a USB powered fan or book light.

I'm thinking my blowdryer would fry my computer, but I have always wanted to make my electric toothbrush USB powered. Thoughts on what you would try to do? [Maximum PC]

Getting started with canning isn't as hard as you might think, but boiling jars in a stove might be a tad too much production just to save some great fruit. The halfway solution? Cut it up and make freezer jam.

Traditional canning requires both enough heat to sterilize jars and create a vacuum seal when closed, along with enough confidence to know you did everything right and that your last-of-the-summer peaches will be safe to eat at room temperature four months from now. Freezer jam, on the other hand, requires just straight-edged glass jars or nearly any kind of freezer-safe plastic, along with some pectin, and enough time to chop and mix your fruit and pectin together.

Along with keeping certain summer fruits fresher than if one had canned them, writer Stephanie Stiavetti says freezer jam makes the tykes happy to get sandwich variety, and saves her a good chunk of change.

If you have children in the house, you might also notice yourself spending less on lunch fixings because decent store-bought jam demands a pretty penny these days. When I make freezer jam, the cost comes out to around 50 cents per 8-ounce container, and I have to say that the taste of homemade jam blows grocery store brands out of the water.

Tell us what you've saved from spoiling in your own freezer in the comments.

Some people are better liars than others. The next time you want to gauge whether someone's pulling your leg, try searching for clues based on their hand gestures and smile.

It goes without saying that the following suggestions are not hard-and-fast rules, but more potential tip offs that someone may be fibbing.

At how-to and advice site Howcast, they offer some guidelines. Liars tend to excessively touch their faces and engage in nervous ticks like scratching their noses when speaking, more so than the average honest Abe. Liars also tend to smile half-heartedly, doing so with just their mouths rather than giving the warm and full-face smiles that accompany honest statements and real emotions.

Watch the above video for the other lie detecting methods, then check out our previous posts for phrases that may tip you off to a lie as well as an explanation on how our eyes indicate lies.

There are many times you need to trust someone without really knowing much about the person. Babysitters, new neighbors, school teachers, employees, tenants and landlords, janitors and plumbers are just some of the examples where we associate with people and even invite them into our homes. But what would you do if you found out that the person had a criminal record?

There are several paid services online where you can find out details of somebody’s shady past. In most cases, so-called ‘”free” sites are simply marketing tricks to get you to pay for the information you really need. However, since everything at MakeUseOf is truly free, here is how you can perform a free criminal background check online without paying a dime. Note that this is valid only for US residents.

Criminal Searches

Criminal Searches allows you to:

• Search criminal records by first and last name, optionally filtered by US state


• Search criminals in a neighborhood


• Search sex offenders in a neighborhood


• Sign up to receive alerts on criminal records of up to 5 names


• Get criminal statistics based on types of crime, ethnicity, gender and age

Search by Name

Criminal search results are categorized into Behavioral, Business, Drug & Alcohol, Sex Related, Theft & Robbery, Violent, and Traffic/Other. Not surprisingly, you will notice that criminals like to change names and the site shows you all the different names associated with that person.

Clicking the View Details button will take you to a detailed page with the free criminal background info about a specific individual. Where available, you can see information that can help identify a person such as age, height, race, eye color, hair color, etc.

A list of all offenses is seen along with details of each offense such as date and place of conviction, the verdict and sentence.

Free Criminal Background Check by Neighborhood

When you search an address or a neighborhood area for criminals, you get a Google Map mashup with the locations and types of criminals in that area. You can use the usual Google Map controls to move, zoom in/out, etc. Click on any of the offenders to see brief details from where you can jump to the full details of that person. For example, here is a map of criminals in Trenton, NJ:

Sex Offender Search

The Sex Offender search works in similar fashion, showing you a Google Map with locations of registered sex offenders. A search in Los Angeles for example revealed 77 registered sex offenders. Detailed information on each offender is seen on the left, when you click any offender icon in the map.

Advanced Search

If you know more details of a specific person you suspect, you can use the Advanced Search that allows you to do a free criminal background check using middle name, address, age range, or even date of birth.

Criminal Statistics

The statistics section of the website with pretty pie charts is compelling for anyone with even a passing interest in crime studies. The crime category chart allows you to further dig into each type. For example, Theft and Robbery can be further segmented into Stolen Property, Burglary, Fraud, Larceny, and so on.

Suspect someone? Want to check how safe is your neighborhood? Go to Criminal Searches and find out.

Important: Please be careful to use this website as a starting point. Remember that free checks work only on publicly available information and may not always be comprehensive. If your safety is at stake, it is best to get paid professional services before placing your faith in someone.

Also note that harassing anyone on the offender registry database is a misdemeanor and can be punished both by a fine and jail time.

You can also check out previously profiled SpotCrime for crime reports in your neighborhood and Family Watchdog to get a map view of the National Sex Offender registry. Did you find Criminal Searches useful? Liked this post? Tell us in the comments!

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Ah Belkin, you want to be the Cheers for home peripherals, don't ya? The new Home Base connects up to four USB devices —printers, external hard drives, etc. — and makes them wirelessly accessible from any computer.

Just plug an Ethernet cord into the Home Base and when you plug any USB device, including gaming consoles, into those nicely aligned ports on the back it will automatically become wireless. You can access an external hard drive over the air and even make a non-wireless printer wireless. It will also work the opposite way: you can back up files from your computer wirelessly to a hard drive that is plugged into the Home Base.

If you think your peripherals need a wireless home you can pick up the Home Base today for $130. [Belkin]

The hourglass does not require any electricity; simply combine 2 1/4 cups of coarsely ground coffee beans with 3 1/2 cups of water in the brewing chamber and allow the coffee to infuse with the water for 12 to 24 hours. When the infusion process is complete, turn the hourglass over and 16 oz. of extract instantly drains through a reusable stainless steel filter and into the extract chamber. Combine some of the extract with hot water for traditional coffee or cold water for iced coffee. The extract can be kept in the included carafe and stored in a refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The Acid Reducing Flavor Enhancing Coffee Hourglass.

(via Red Ferret)






http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/gQmHT402kZU/cold-brew-coffee-mak.html

Many companies and organizations limit their services on the Internet to users of a specific country. This is especially true for streaming based services that stream media like music or videos over the Internet. It usually comes down to usage rights as the main reason for the limitation. Others say the limits are there to save money and bandwidth as the target audience is usually also limited to the countries the services are allowed in.

One of the best ways of accessing these services from outside the supported countries is to use a VPN, a virtual private network. This is helpful for citizens on holidays who want to access the services abroad but also – obviously – for users from other countries who want to access the services.

UltraVPN was discovered by Nakodari from Addictive Tips and we have to say that it is one of the easiest solutions right now. It works great currently and gives access to Hulu, Pandora and all the other US-only websites and services out there. The streaming quality is excellent unlike that of other free competitors (like Hotspot Shield). Our guess however is that it is only a matter of time – thanks to popularity – before the performance of UltraVPN will get a dent or two as well.

Installation is a breeze. All the user needs is to create an account at the UltraVPN website (only username and password required). The VPN setup is available for Windows and Mac OS. The username and password have to be supplied on startup. The vpn service will notify the user that the computer has been connected to it. What’s left is to access the websites and services to test the speed and quality of the service.

Head over to the Ultra VPN website to download the client, create an account and access additional information about the virtual private network. The vpn service has been successfully tested with Hulu, ABC and Pandora.

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You're never gonna buy an iTunes LP, but you wanna know what's inside those flashy 600MB attempts to revive albums, right? Spoiler, from Jay Robinson: A bunch of HTML and PNG files in a custom archive format. But no DRM.

You can actually dive right in yourself by changing the .ITLP extension to .ZIP, giving you full access to the files inside. What's interesting is that it does all of the animation using HTML 4.01, CSS and JavaScript—no Flash. Also "missing" is DRM—your iTunes account is just recorded inside the file.

Oh, and probably the best tip? Check out the custom visualizers inside of each album, they're great. Lots more tidbits, like accidental leftover files, here: [Jay Robinson via DF]

New research is suggesting that Stone Age Britons were arranging hilltop monuments in an elaborate grid of isosceles triangles—allowing travelers to navigate the country without maps. Apparently, these markers included famous sites like Stonehenge and The Mount.

Basically, these stone markers were a like a primitive GPS—and the accuracy was quite astounding. Researcher Tom Brooks explains:

'The sides of some of the triangles are over 100 miles across on each side and yet the distances are accurate to within 100 metres. You cannot do that by chance.

'So advanced, sophisticated and accurate is the geometrical surveying now discovered, that we must review fundamentally the perception of our Stone Age forebears as primitive, or conclude that they received some form of external guidance.

Yes, "external guidance." Egyptians, Mayans, Stone Age Britons—it's got to be aliens. Either that, or Google has invented time travel conquer ancient landscapes starting with "Pangea Maps." [Daily Mail via Digg]

Summer is finally winding down and it’s time for many students to get back into school and continue with their studies. For those who aren’t fans of literature, this means that dreaded reading assignments are on their way, with quizzes, tests, and book reports around every corner.

Sites like SparkNotes and CliffsNotes are often hailed as lifesavers for those reading-intensive classes, providing quick, easy-to-read study guides and summaries of books that students may not have even bothered to read at all. Still, these websites aren’t just for lazy bums, as they do make for great tools with understanding and analyzing the text.

If they don’t cover the book you’re reading, all hope is not lost. Check out these seven great alternatives to SparkNotes & CliffsNotes.

PinkMonkey

With over 460 free study guides, book notes, and chapter summaries, PinkMonkey is a great resource for students.

Along with detailed summaries, which include informative notes for further explanation, other helpful features like key literary elements, overall analyses, and study questions are offered.

Shmoop

Shmoop is one of the best sites on the Web for learning about not only literature, but also other school topics like U.S. history, poetry, civics, biography, and even current bestsellers. The website provides a brief “in a nutshell” introduction to books as well as in-depth summaries. Other features include exploring the story’s themes, quotes, characters, and literary devices, along with plot analysis and study questions.

According to Shmoop, most of its writers are Ph.D. holders candidates from top universities, so it’s all top-notch content.

JiffyNotes

If you find the book you’re reading on JiffyNotes, it’s worth looking into. While the website’s design isn’t that great, it’s the content that counts.

The site’s study guides focus on literary analysis and include chapter summaries and other unique pages like “Points to Ponder” and “Did You Know?”

GradeSaver

GradeSaver is another great place for students in need of help. A well-written summary and analysis is provided for the book’s chapters, with other helpful additions like a glossary of terms, character list, and major themes.

You can even test yourself about the literature. GradeSaver features quizzes to assess your knowledge of the book and hopefully prepare you for the real deal in class.

BookRags

BookRags has a sizable collection of free literature summaries and study guides. Along with chapter summaries, the site covers author/context, plot summary, major characters, objects/places, and quotes. Important topics about the book are also tracked and analyzed throughout the summaries.

Keep in mind that all of this is free and you don’t have to pay for BookRags’ premium service.

Bookwolf

Like JiffyNotes, Bookwolf’s design isn’t very appealing, but again, content prevails. The website goes straight to the point, offering full chapter summaries and interpretations of popular books, avoiding additional features that are common elsewhere.

Bookwolf’s literature notes are still worthwhile if you find the title you’re looking for.

WikiSummaries

At just over 300 summaries, WikiSummaries boasts a collection of mostly classic books and novels.

As a wiki, the site isn’t the biggest and greatest, but does offer good content, relying on its community for contributions and continued expansion.

Remember, don’t plagiarize! You’ll get caught. Here are some plagiarism checkers to help you out. Students should also be sure to check out these handy online learning tools and the 10+ Web tools to save your butt in school.

Do you use these websites for your assignments? What are some of your favorites and have they helped you? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: austinevan

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IT'S 2:02 A.M. ON A COLD SUMMER NIGHT.

I'm sitting in a book store next to a strip club.

Not that kind of book store. The inventory here is incredibly old and impossibly rare. And it has a secret--a secret that I might have just discovered.

I am alone in the store. And then, tap-tap, suddenly I'm not.

And now I'm pretty sure I'm about to snap my laptop shut, run screaming out the front door, and never return.

* * *

I SHOULD START AT THE BEGINNING.

I lost my job in the slumped-over spring of 2009. I applied for dozens of replacement gigs but was rebuffed, again and again. And I took only the coldest comfort when the companies doing the rebuffing were, themselves, forced out of business months later. I probably couldn't have turned them around single-handedly. Probably.

The job I lost was at the corporate headquarters of the New Amsterdam Bagel Bakery. I designed bagel marketing materials. Menus, coupons, posters for store windows, and, once, an entire booth "experience" for the bagel industry trade show.

I also ran the website.

Now, months into my unemployment, I'd started watching for "help wanted" signs in windows, which is not something you really do, right? I was taught to be suspicious of those. Legitimate employers use Craigslist.

Mr. Penumbra's Twenty-Four-Hour Book Store (text)








http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/GjS_GlG-ctw/magical-short-story.html

A little-appreciated downside of the technology revolution is that, mainly without thinking about it, we have given up "locational privacy." Even in low-tech days, our movements were not entirely private. The desk attendant at my gym might have recalled seeing me, or my colleagues might have remembered when I arrived. Now the information is collected automatically and often stored indefinitely.

Privacy advocates are rightly concerned. Corporations and the government can keep track of what political meetings people attend, what bars and clubs they go to, whose homes they visit. It is the fact that people's locations are being recorded "pervasively, silently, and cheaply that we're worried about," the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a recent report.

People's cellphones and E-ZPasses are increasingly being used against them in court. If your phone is on, even if you are not on a call, you may be able to be found (and perhaps picked up) at any hour of the day or night. As disturbing as it is to have your private data breached, it is worse to think that your physical location might fall into the hands of people who mean you harm.

Looking to add a little more stealth and a little less "Here I am, world!" to your web browsing? StayInvisible not only catalogs free proxy servers but provides tools to test proxies and information about anonymity and encryption.

Many resources that provide proxy lists provide little else. StayInvisible has lists of proxy servers as well as online tools for testing just how anonymous your connection is: proxy checkers, IP verifiers, and email testers. In addition to the proxy tools, they also have a proxy encyclopedia to help you decipher the various terms used, and a basic text encryption tool.

Have a favorite proxy site or program? Sound off in the comments.

Some people love a movie so much that they watch it time and time again. But spinning a disc over and over will surely wear it down to the point that it’s not watchable anymore.

So, instead of buying a new DVD copy every time the old one has been scratched to bits; a better solution would be to convert the movie inside the fragile physical disc into a digital file, store it inside a computer hard drive or portable media player, and watch the copy as many times as you want.

Apple has succesfully made the iPod the most well known name of portable media players, thanks to the great design, intuitive interface, and the high quality of the product. This makes the iPod the perfect home for the converted DVD movies. This article will help you effortlessly put a DVD movie onto your iPod.

The missing ripper

No doubt the best free tool to extract the content of a DVD as a video file is Handbrake. This is like a one click solution for your DVD converting needs.

But there are many online discussions mentioning that converting the DVD directly using Handbrake doesn’t always give users the best result. To keep the result as good as possible, the DVD has to be ripped first to the hard drive before being converted by Handbrake.

There’s only one name that keeps popping up as the best free tool to rip DVD: MacTheRipper.

This is a free app, but you actually have to do a little web searching to get the download link. There’s a story behind these extra steps : MacTheRipper is developed in a country where ripping DVD’s (even the ones that you legally own) is forbidden by law, so the developer had to take the down the link.  To honor the developer’s goodwill, I will not include any link here either. But worry not, finding the app is not that difficult. -cough-torrent-cough- ahem. ‘Scuse me.

Rip the DVD into a VIDEO_TS folder, then open the folder as a source from Handbrake.

Choose Your Configurations

In order not to mess things up with all the complicated configurations, the first thing you need to do is to choose the resulting file you want to produce out of the (ripped) DVD.

There are some pre-configured settings that you can choose from the preset pane on the right. Choose iPod because that’s the topic today. Choose Low-rez if you only want to watch the video on your iPod, but choose Hi-rez if you are also thinking of plugging the iPod to your TV and watching the movie from the real tube.

The video configuration will always change, reflecting what setting you choose from the right pane. Unless you understand what you are doing, I suggest you don’t change anything from the configuration in the main window.

Instead, go to the Audio & Subtitles tab. I also prefer not to mess with the audio configuration, but this is the place to go if you want to add subtitles to the converted video. Just choose one subtitle from the available option.

The last step is to click the “Start” button above and make yourself some coffee while waiting for the process to finish.

If you have more than one movie to be converted, click the “Add to Queue” button after finishing the settings for one movie, then move on to the next movie. After all the movies are standing in line, you can click the “Start” button.

After the conversion process is finished, all of the converted movies will be added to iTunes and automatically synchronized to your iPod when the gadget is connected to your Mac.

Now you can safely keep those discs and enjoy the pod.

Handbrake is also available in Windows and Linux version, while MacTheRipper is Mac only.

How do you use rip your movies for iPod viewing?   Do you have an easier way to do it?   If so, why not show off your expertise in the comments below?

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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When you buy a Mac there will be tons of software on it. One of these is iMovie. This is a basic movie editing software that comes standard on all Macs just like Windows Movie Maker comes on all Windows PCs. A great starter program but it has its limitations.

In truth, it is really only intended for basic editing of family videos or short, homemade productions. It isn’t intended for the more complex tasks such as having several audio files overlapping at once, detailed transitions and perfect timing of video and audio insertion into a final draft.

For this I suggest getting HyperEngine – AV movie editing software. It’s 100% free and it’s the best movie editing software I have seen for a Mac at no cost to the user.

Basically, it succeeds where iMovie has failed. I think it is not focused on the home user who may only ever use iMovie once or twice. This is for someone who will use their video editing software on a regular basis, for example producing a regular video podcast or producing an online mini-series.

Once you have completed the download and it is installed, run the program. You will be greeted by the home screen where you can begin editing videos. Obviously this will be blank as you have not yet imported any video.

Firstly, I’d suggest you just look under all the different tabs along the top so you know where all the extensive tools are.

Open up your video folder with the videos you want to edit. Drag them into the HyperEngine window. This will import them into the program ready to be edited. Do the same for any audio files that you want in the video.

There is a capture mode in the program which allows you to use a camera connected to your computer (such as a webcam) to capture a video that can in turn be used in the final edit. Simply click the ‘Record or Playback’ function to open the video capture screen as shown in the screenshot. It will detect any cameras you have connected to the computer for your selection. Once you have selected a camera click record to begin recording the clip. When you have finished, click stop then click ‘OK’. The video will be imported along with the others.

When you have all the media you want in the video, begin to drag them onto the timeline. There are several different levels for video, audio, subtitles, effects and transitions. So if you are dragging in a video file, drag it into the allocated space for video. Edit the length of the video to select what section you want from it by dragging the sides inwards or outwards until it is of the desired length. Do the same for all the other different types of media.

You can edit the media further by clicking on it. So for example, with text (which could be subtitles) by clicking on it you can change the size, font, colour and whether or not the background is transparent. With transitions and video you can change the look and feel such as brightness, colour mode (sepia, black and white etc..) and size.

To add in dozens of different effects such as zoom, exploding shots and wipes and swipes, position where in the production you want to add the effect and then select ‘Effects’ from the menu bar. This will open the window seen here in the screenshot where each of these effects can be altered using the easy slider bars.

When you have finished your video, you can use the ‘text’ function to add a title and credits to the film. Like in most video software programs you literally have dozens of different styles you can choose from including the traditional scrolling credits to exploding pop-ups.

As with other creation software I have wrote about here on MUO such as BlueVoda Website Builder, there are hundreds of little adjustments you can make to your film which you will discover as you go along, all of which are easy to use with slider bars and simple options. I’m still finding new little tricks here and there, but for the majority of the time you’ll be using the methods outlined above.

A piece of advice that I’ll give about this software is to step into it nice and slowly. This can cut films accurately to the millisecond and its tools are astounding for free software. Once you edit a few small productions then you’ll be able to start producing that mini-series. Take your time and concentrate on the more directorial, artsy side of thinking and you’ll have a great film with video, music, a voiceover, good audio quality, great transitions and suitable colour saturation and mode. Enjoy!

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There are many websites which will let you play a lot of free online games. As per your taste and mood, you can choose games of different genres like action, arcade, strategy, puzzles, sports and many more. Among them, the free online Tycoon games are quite popular.

There are many online tycoon games which will grab your attention and give you immense pleasure and satisfaction while playing them. All these games have business structures as their main theme. The storylines of these games are similar to the way real businesses are run. You need to buy things, make investments and sell your stuff.

If you are in a mood to play free online tycoon games, then you should consider these 10 best ones:

Youda Marina

In this game you play the role of the business owner which controls a bay. It all starts with choosing a terrain on which you wish to start your business. Then you are given all the powers of a harbor master. Your primary task is to develop a harbor which can do great business as well as make it an awesome tourist spot. You can build hotels, restaurants, take your tourists to fishing, and construct yachts.

To play this game, you need to be good with time management and should have the zeal to be a great harbor master. All you need to do is make a perfect and popular harbor.

Fish Tycoon Game

This game is very popular among the kids. You play a role of a fish breeder. Its whole layout is so colorful and this is the main reason why kids are highly attracted to it.

As a beginner, you start with a few adult and a few baby fishes. Then you breed them, feed them and sell them. You have an option to come up with new breeds. You can buy a few vitamin chemicals and interesting fish breeding supplies from the market.

Oiligarchy Game

This game takes you back to the time when World War II was over. You play the role of a CEO of an oil company of that time. The game is simply amazing when it comes to the tasks that the gamer needs to perform.

You start with some barren lands, where you need to search for oil wells. Once you find a few, you can drill to take out the oil which can be stored or sold. You are required to meet the yearly goals and if you fail to do so, then the shareholders will fire you. You also need to bribe politicians in the White House and clear some of the oil ordinances that would benefit your business.

Indecision 2008: Money

This is the ultimate free online tycoon game. You play the role of overlord in this game. You have to start with a piece of land with an oil well. You can build homes, oil refineries, hospitals, airports, shopping malls, apartments, movie theatres, parks, theme parks, and many more establishments.

The theme is simple, you need to earn money by building all the establishments. In between you will charged with some taxes, or your city might fall prey to natural disaster causing massive destruction to your properties.

Grand Prix Tycoon

Have you ever felt like placing yourself into the shoes of a F1 franchise owner? Then this is the best way to live your dream.

The best thing about this game is its detail.  It starts with choosing a franchise and a driver for it. Then you can upgrade each and every part of your vehicle. Your choice exists even in the selection of grid girls. This doesn’t end here; you can also have a close watch on your engineers and pit crew. If you want to keep yourself busy with a tycoon game, then this is the stand out option especially if you are a racing freak.

Youda Camper

Youda has always been into the tycoon games. Youda Camper is one of their best products. Like most of the other Youda games, this one is also based on entertaining tourists and earning money.

In this game, you are in charge of a camp site. You start with a barren terrain and some cash. You have to set up different types of tents to accommodate people. Then you also have to build good restaurants and bars, where people could chill out. You also need to take good care of the road system.

Your job does not end with this, as you also need to advertise your camp site. You have to make an attractive camp site where tourists would come in their summer break, which would fetch you a lot of money. It is a comprehensive tycoon game and while playing, you can unlock a number of interesting items.

Coffee Tycoon

Coffee shops are undoubtedly the best place to hang around. But what does it take to run a coffee shop? This game gives you a chance to build your own coffee empire.

In this game, you start as the owner of a coffee shop. You have a number of milestones to achieve along your journey to expand your business. You have to expand your menu in order to attract more customers. You can increase your income by establishing more coffee shops, advertising your services and by standardizing your brand by installing the latest coffee shop equipments.

You can build your own corporate houses to coffee plants. It also allows you to enter the stock market, where you can keep an eye on your market growth. This is an amazing game to play while enjoying your coffee.

Cinema Tycoon

Movie theaters are one the best places to have a fun time. But running a movie theater is equally difficult. What would you do if were given a chance to run a theatre? Jot down your plans; if you are looking forward to play this game.

Your career starts with an objective to make $1 million in one year. You can run the season’s biggest hits on your screen to earn more. You have to invest some money to improve the standards of your theatre by buying the latest equipment, comfortable seats and setting a nominal ticket price. Try this game and see if you can become a cinema mogul.

Now Boarding

Maintaining an airline company and taking it to new heights is not an easy job. You have to keep your customers happy, as they form the fundamental part of your airline empire. You need to make sure that flights are on time. You have to add all the latest technologies to your airport. You also need to maintain the quality in terms of the facilities provided by your airlines. Buy more airplanes, send them to more places and earn more money.

Imperium

This game will make you feel like the king of a budding empire. You have to build an empire with workers and an army. You have to construct farms, carpenters and markets. You have to generate income by exporting the logs, food and iron. At the same time, you need to build a huge army in order to capture the nearby kingdoms. This is authentic tycoon cum strategy game, where your planning comes into play.

These are some of the best online tycoon games that I have come across and I am sure that you would love playing them. Playing these online tycoon games can be a great stress buster and the best part is that you do not even need any management degree to play them.

Do you know of any other tycoon game which we have forgotten?  Let us know in the comments.

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Hotwire can net savvy travelers great deals, but only if "a four-star hotel in Atlanta" is enough description. My Money Blog details how to use other travel web sites to figure out precisely which hotel you're buying into.

No URL hacking or secret logins are required, just a little time to look around TripAdvisor, BetterBidding.com's Hotwire Hotel List, and some deductive reasoning, it's often possible to nail down the exact hotel you're getting the cheapest price on, which makes it a lot easier to plan everything else in your trip.

Know another way to figure out where a one-way blind bidding site is trying to send you? Tell us about it in the comments.

Buddy Holly is the story of Oliver Vale, whose mother was obsessed with Buddy Holly, and who one day discovers that Buddy Holly is on the TV, on every TV, on every station, with a guitar around his neck, standing in a bubble on the surface of Ganymede, disoriented, musical, and periodically reading out a sign saying that further information is available from Oliver, and supplying his home address.

The entire world chases Oliver at this point: cops, radio cops, televangelists and their flocks, aliens -- you name it. And Oliver begins a road-trip across America to Lubbock, Texas, there to exhume Buddy Holly's corpse and verify for himself that the famous musician is not on a distant, airless moon.

When this book came out, I was a bookseller at Bakka in Toronto, the venerable science fiction bookstore. If you were a science fiction reader in Toronto in those days, it's a damned good bet I sold you a copy of it. I hand-sold about 750 copies of that book, and would have sold more. Will sell more.

Bradley Denton is a stone comic genius and no two of his books are alike, but this is the one I love -- I worship -- as the apotheosis of a certain kind of gonzo, brilliant, marvellous thing that is to American science fiction comedy what Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' series is to British sf comedy.

To see it come back and to the big screen, too -- marvellous. Congrats, Brad, and well-deserved.

Jon Heder to star in 'Buddy Holly'

(via IO9)








http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/72eoydJ7OYE/buddy-holly-is-alive.html

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is as unique to a computer as a fingerprint is to us. An IP address enables one networked device to talk to the next. The downside of this inter-connectedness is that a logical location provided by the IP address is an open arms invitation to spammers and hackers. The art of war necessitates the importance of knowing who your ‘attacker’ is. Being able to trace an IP address to a PC is a direct way to remove the cloak of anonymity from a computer communicating with your own.

An IP address is a series of digits separated by dotted decimals and represented from 0.0.0.0 to 256.256.256.256. Currently we are following the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4), although the successor ‘version 6’ has been standardized.

A good hacker will take steps to prevent his IP from being revealed. A spammer might hide behind a proxy server. It is also important to remember that locating an IP address using online tools does not reveal the physical address of the guy on the computer. The basic tools merely tell us the location of the ISP providing the connection by using publicly available information. To go beyond that and actually nail down the guy sending you the dirty emails would require the law to be in the loop.

Stefan’s post on How to Trace Your Emails Back to the Source is required reading for a very useful application of IP address tracking. An interesting comment has been made by a reader who says that he uses IP address tracing to ‘find out the origin of potential customers who send e-mails and make inquiries through his company’s website’.

In the lines that follow, I am taking Stefan’s post as a stepping stone and extending it by listing sites which serve as tools to trace an IP address to a PC. Any one should be enough but is there any harm in bookmarking a few more?

Part 1: Trace an IP Address to the Country and City of Origin

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Whether Macs are the best computers for web development is up for debate, but one thing can be agreed upon – there are some great software apps for web development on a Mac.

Here’s a list of 10 essential software apps for web development on a Mac.

10. TextWrangler is a multipurpose text editor that works for editing code and plain text documents. It can even open files from (and save them to) remote FTP and SFTP servers.

9. Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator. It is the first open source program to adopt Spiro curves. You can also go through their clip art collection and find dozens of images made with Inkscape that are free to use or modify.

8. Cyberduck is the all-in-one FTP, SFTP, Amazon S3, WebDav and Mosso Cloud Files browser application. Web developers often need to switch between different file systems, and Cyberduck does this without a hiccup. It works with Textmate (which has a free 30 day trial), so you can open files from Cyberduck in Textmate, edit, save and upload. Read more about FTP clients for Mac here.

7. Gimp is the second-most popular photo editing software program on the market, second only to Adobe Photoshop. The difference? Gimp is absolutely free! You can do just about everything in Gimp that you can do in Adobe Photoshop, so web developers will find this a welcome and wallet friendly addition to their software arsenal.

6. Aptana takes up where Textmate leaves off in some aspects. It is a full featured code editor, but adds the FTP support of Cyberduck, as well as important web technologies like Ajax, Adobe AIR and PHP. Read more about Aptana here on MUO.

5. Firefox is a must have for web development because of three great add-ons – Firebug, the Web Developer toolbar and ColorZilla. Firebug lets you edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page; while the Web Developer toolbar adds additional tools like clearing cookies, disable CSS, display ruler and display source. ColorZilla lets you pick colors from websites or images online, so you can match them to your web designs, plus measure the distance between two points on a website.

4. JAlbum helps you make attractive photo galleries for websites. JAlbum comes with various templates built-in, but you can also customize your own template to better match a web project you’re working on. Read about 5 more Excellent Mac Apps for Graphic & Web Design

3. Colloquy is a basic IRC client that every web developer will use at one point or another. Many web platforms use IRC for support, including WordPress.

2. MAMP is what you need to manage websites locally when you are without an internet connection or want to test changes without making them live on a website. It is easy to install MAMP and have access to Apache, PHP and MySQL for Mac OS X. It is also a stand-alone program, so if you need to install it, it won’t interfere with your OSX installation. Plus, you can use it to install WordPress on your Mac.

1. iTerm is a feature-filled Terminal emulator for OSX. You can bookmark your frequently used sessions, have tabbed windows with multiple sessions and more.

Do you have any suggestions for better similar apps? Let’s hear them in the comments!

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BoingBoing Gadgets' netbook compatibility chart is a great resource for putting Mac OS on netbooks. But before taking the Hackintosh plunge, here are the major contenders' strengths, pitfalls and quirks to consider, plus guides for when you (carefully) jump in.

Rob's chart, with all its scary red marks and mysterious orange ovals, has the tendency to give the impression that the outlook is fairly bleak; almost every row of "confirmed working!" ticks is broken up by at least one pesky caveat, and some netbooks on the list are not sold anymore. But your prospects really aren't so bad. Buck up, kids! Here's what that chart means, practically, with a real-world rundown of what these netbooks can offer, what they can't, and how best to try your hand at Hackintosh.

The HP Mini 1000
Status: In production
Now that the Dell Mini 9 has passed on, in retail terms, this is your best option. Main components are compatible across the board.
What you get: A well-styled 10.2-inch machine with respectable guts, a notoriously great keyboard and an increasingly reasonable price. In fact, the slightly smaller Windows-less 16GB SSD version, a prime candidate for OS X-ification, is listed on Best Buy's site for $280 right now.
What you sacrifice: I think the styling works; some people get turned off by the large bezel around the screen, though it's on par with other 10-inch netbooks. Many Hackintoshers find little gremlins after install—lack of fan speed control and temperamental Wi-Fi control, to name two—which can generally be fixed, though rarely simply. By and large, though, this is as good as OS X gets on a cheap netbook.
Resources: Install guide, with video; support forums.

Dell Mini 9
Status: Out of production
This was, and still is, a fantastic candidate for Hackintoshing. As such, they're not that easy to find for a reasonable price. Even Dell's been getting in on the post-Mini-9 action, rereleasing the little laptop for brief period last week.
What you get: Just like the HP, Dell's Mini 9 lays claim to near-total hardware compatibility, including mobile broadband support. The fact that everything just kinda works is pretty wild, if you think about it. UPDATE: The Vostro A90, the Mini 9's equally Hackintoshable business counterpart, is still around in some retail channels.
What you sacrifice: Battery life isn't great. And since release, the Mini 9's hardware has aged a bit. That said, entry-level netbooks all more or less live on the verge of obsolescence by definition, so having a slightly older Atom processor than your friends shouldn't be much of a concern.
Resources: Our definitive install guide; support forums.

Dell Mini 10v
Status: In production
For some time after release this Mini 9 replacement was held up by Mac driver difficulties. Now it works fairly well, and could serve as a replacement Mini 9 for some Hackintoshers.
What you get: In some ways, this is better than the Mini 9. It's a newer unit, updated to address some of the general population's broader problems with the Mini 9: The screen is slightly larger, and more importantly, the keyboard has some room to stretch. It's cheap—often cheaper than the a coveted used Mini 9—at about $300 new.
What you sacrifice: The Mini 10v is patchier than its predecessor across the board. The onboard microphone is difficult to get working, video drivers are still a little precarious, often causing crashes when external monitors are connected, and sleep and hibernation modes aren't very reliable, which is crucial for a totable netbook. If you're willing to bet on driver support improving, it's a prudent purchase. That's a big if, by the way.
Resources: The Anguish Install+Fixes Guide; User forums.

Lenovo S10
Status: Out of production
Like the Mini 1000, the S10 is a worthy replacement for the Mini 9. Or, it was, before it was replaced by a touchier, more erratic S10-2. (More on that below).
What you get: Another capable machine, though it was—and still is—a little too expensive for what you get. Hardware works across the line, down to the webcam and two-finger touchpad scrolling.
What you sacrifice: Ethernet doesn't work, which could kill the S10's usefulness as a travel device (old hotels, etc) and the 3-cell battery is a little anemic. It too suffers from age: The cheapest version and most popular spec comes with 512MB of RAM, which will suck the joy right out of your OS X experience.
Resources: Multi-boot guide (attached to linked post in PDF); User forums.

Lenovo S10-2
Status: In production
This bears the outward appearance of a minor update to the S10. As far as Hackintoshing is concerned, it's a major step backwards.
What you get: Compared to the S10, a better touchpad, bigger keyboard, nicer case design, slimmer profile, more default RAM, and lower price. Great!
What you sacrifice: Any semblance of usability in OS X. Adding to the lack of ethernet support, everything from sleep to external video to stability is lost, to the point that the S10-2 isn't really much of an option.
Resources: The same S10 guide, with caveats; User forums.

MSI Wind U100
Status: Out of production
A perennial Hackintosh classic, it's still a safe choice, and fairly easy to track down used.
What you get: A Mini 9 level of compatibility, with very similar hardware. Styling is clean, but not as pleasing as the Dell, Lenovo, or HP alternatives, and the keyboard is usable.
What you sacrifice: Again, we're dealing with old-ish hardware here, and again, the three-cell battery won't run marathons. The touchpad is janky, and, I almost forgot, this guy really doesn't like them.
Resources: A whole bunch of install guides and support info.

Acer Aspire One
Status: In production
A hugely popular, widely available and all-around decent netbook, the Aspire One is a cautionary tale: No matter how tempted you are to pick one up, Hackintosh development has come too slowly to justify buying one for that. This rule applies to other netbooks not shown, too.
What you get: An expensive-looking, cheap-as-chips workhorse.
What you sacrifice: Virtually everything, including the biggest dealbreaker of them all: Wi-Fi. Lots of netbooks don't work, but I wanted to include this one as an example: Just because a netbook is wildly popular and bolstered by a huge community of support forums doesn't mean that Hackintosh will eventually work. Some hardware and software issues are just beyond the hobbyists' purview, so don't buy a netbook with the hopes that issues will be resolved. They might not be, and you'll be stuck swapping out hardware components just to get basic features working.
Resources: Install guide with some fixes, wi-fi recommendations; user forums.

Despite losing its greatest soldier (well, almost), the Hackintosh netbook movement is still alive and well, to the point that buying one of the more compatible netbooks listed above with the express purpose of turning it into an unofficial mini-MacBook is a great idea. Take your pick.

Boing Boing Gadgets' fantastic ease-of-netbook-Hackintoshing chart just got updated with three new models (all pretty promising) and a smattering of changes throughout. If you're thinking about a Hackintoshed netbook, check it, and our guide, out. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

• MALTA (Soundtrack to an Imaginary Film)
• The Summer Will Break Your Heart (Anti Summer Romance)
• Sweet Home Alabama (Delta Blues)
• Mute (Instrumental Mix)
• Kill Me Softly (Sweet Songs of Murder)
• Death and Texas (songs referring to the great state)
• Cover Me and I'll Cover You (Wink-wink covers collection)
• The Raw Ingredients (songs that have been sampled elsewhere)
• Jams of the Summer - 1989 (What it says on the tin)
• Count Me In (Numbers 1-10)
• Floor Fillers (Summery Funk Mix)
• BBQ Summer (BBQ Food Themed disclaimer: this one was submitted by yours truly)

(Kearney) was so pleased with the results that Ms Thompson did three more paitings for her before starting up her new business 'Ash 2 Art'.



"My brother and I did a bit of research on the internet and discovered nobody else is providing this sort of service," she said.

Just before a trip, I went into Wally World to get some stuff, and was thinking of getting a book to read while I was on downtime. Lo and behold! There was a man in a pirate suit selling a pirate book called, wait for it, “A Pirate’s Tale”. The man with the eye-patch is Gertjan Zwiggelaar, the author. Of course, fancying myself a writer, I struck up a conversation.

“Wow, self published, eh? That’s got to be expensive. I looked into it a while back.”

“No, not really. I found a publishing house that published it for free, and just takes a portion of the sales.”

“Really? That’s awesome! Who does that?”

“PublishAmerica.com. Here’s my card with the address on it.”

So I bought the book. It was awesome! Best pirate book I’ve read since Treasure Island. Okay, it’s the only pirate book I’ve read since Treasure Island, but I still recommend it.

I walked away with dreams of publishing that one book that someone said resides in all of us. PublishAmerica, you must be too good to be true. How can it be possible to publish your own book for free? But then I went to the site.

Here’s what I found…

You write your book. You e-mail or mail it in to PublishAmerica. They review it for quality and grammar and see if it will garner some sort of market. If that’s all good, they’ll talk to you about a contract. You sign the contract. They design a cover for the book. They market the book on their website and to different booksellers such as Barnes and Noble, Ingram, Borders.com and others. They also give you some advice on promoting the book yourself.

Your book sells and they send you royalty payments. No, really, that’s it! All of that and more for free,  while you retain complete control over their intellectual property and rights to it, for say, movie deals or what have you.

“But Guy, I can get my book vanity published or hire an agent to take care of that? Isn’t that easier?” you ask with smugness dripping from your disdainful face.

Well, vanity publishing costs a lot of money and unless you are a superstar marketer with a genuine bestseller on your hands, your odds of recouping what you paid to self-publish are pretty slim indeed. You have to take care of getting your own ISBN, or copyrighting the book as well as the cover design and art work. Or you can pay the vanity publisher more to do that for you.

If you choose the literary agent route, then you’re looking at trying to find an agent who will take on an unknown author, and will actually work hard to get you published. Then they take a slice of what you make on the book, on top of everyone else traditionally involved in publishing taking their slice. That might work out if you sell 4 million books, yet the odds are slim on that as well.

“Okay, Guy,” you inquire with some trepidation and eagerness, “so what’s the downside?”

Well, I don’t know exactly what the percentage is for royalties. They also do not accept manuscripts from outside Canada or the United States of America. Oh, and they don’t accept books in the genres of coffee table books, screenplays/scripts/movies, theses, text-books, gift books, or books of quotes.

While they don’t publish every manuscript that comes to them, they do take more risks than other traditional publishing houses. They have published over 40,000 authors since 1996. Some of those authors have gone on to make writing their career, have movie deals and receive some pretty significant critical praise.

Really, in the years that I’ve spent trying to find a way to publish that great Canadian novel I have in my desk drawer, this is by far the simplest and least expensive route that I have found.

Have you self-published a book? Do you know of any other publishing houses like PublishAmerica? I’d love to read about it in the comments. Put your literary skills to good use and leave us a note.

Don’t think your writing is good enough? Then check out 7 Online Resources To Help Improve Your Writing.

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Sam Baltrusis dishes on the latest plans for filming of Ben Affleck's bank-robbers-in-low movie in and around Boston - including bank robbery scenes filmed at an actual local bank.

Deb Geisler directs us to the work of Thomas Sniegoski, who sets his "young adult" books about the battle between Good and Evil in downtown Boston:

... He lives in Massachusetts (Stoughton, I think), but he writes mostly about downtown Boston -- particularly the Beacon Hill area, where I work. In one book, his main character points out that a clear sign of the impending Apocalypse (which that character is trying to avert) is that there is no wait at the Bourne Bridge. :-) ...

                

Yesterday, Bostonist had the excellent opportunity to be led on a walking tour of Mission Hill, learning about the area's history, architecture, and future. Sponsored by Discover Roxbury, the tour was led by some Friends of Historic Mission Hill and explored a number of notable stops, including several churches and historical homes.

Mission Hill was once called Parker Hill after the Parker family that owned much of the area (Parker Hill is where Boston's reservoir was once located), but the name gradually changed after the Mission Church (Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) was founded in 1869. The church was part of what drew thousands of Irish Catholic immigrants to the area, doubling the Mission Hill population between 1870 and 1890. You might think of Jamaica Plain, home to the Sam Adams brewery, as Boston's beer capitol these days, but Mission Hill used to have its share of the booze: in 1900, there were as many as 25 breweries within a mile of Roxbury Crossing, and many of the churches in the neighborhood were built with "beer money." (Sadly, beer was not included with the tour, but at least the tour was free.)

We began our Mission Hill tour on Saturday at the adorably outfitted Butterfly Cafe next to Roxbury Crossing. Discover Roxbury's Derek Lumpkins (also of The Third Decade) welcomed us, then Butterfly Cafe owner Mash Abdirahman distributed materials from Mission Hill Main Streets. From the Butterfly, we proceeded down Tremont, Parker, Calumet, and St. Alphonsus Streets to a variety of local landmarks, which tour guide Mary Ann Nelson explained in detail.

The first major stop on the tour, a stone marking a distance of a mile from John Eliot Square in Roxbury, set the tone for the rest of the day. The stone, nearly hidden by an electrical box, was worn almost beyond comprehension, and formed part of a stone wall. You’d never know it was there—or realize its importance—if you didn’t make the effort to learn. Likewise, there’s a lot about Mission Hill that we would have never known if we hadn't made the effort to tour the area.

Some portions of the tour were of obvious interest: the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the Parker Hill Branch Library, Mission Hill Playground. But other areas, from German brewers’ homes to puddingstone worker housing to Calumet Square to Mission Hill Playground, represent aspects of Mission Hill that are easier to overlook. Calumet Square, for example, hosted the launch party (attended by 15,000 folks) for Maurice Tobin’s 1937 mayoral campaign, in which he beat out incumbent James Michael Curley, becoming the only challenger to unseat an incumbent in a Boston mayoral campaign. Mission Hill Playground is located near the former site of housing projects where residents were harassed in the aftermath of the Charles Stuart case in 1989. These physical spaces provide important reminders of major parts of Boston's history—good and bad—that are all too easily forgotten.

Not only did we see some great buildings on the tour, we also met a number of interesting people. A brother from the Little Brothers of St. Francis spoke to us, we were treated to a live overview of the Roxbury Community Gardens, and we even got to drink tea in city council candidate (and Northeastern econ professor) Oscar Brookins’</a> backyard. (He’s got a pretty rad swing back there.) Our fellow "tourists" were fascinating, too: many were locals who shared their memories of the area's evolution, from protests of the Southwest Corridor (local jazz singer Fulani Haynes remembered lying in the streets to block the progress of bulldozers) to the recent student influx that's blamed for raising rents in this formerly family-friendly area.

The Discover Roxbury tour of Mission Hill was entertaining and informative, and demonstrated that there are many more Bostonians who care deeply about their city—especially their neighborhood—than things like poor voter turnout might lead you to expect. Based on our experience, we strongly encourage you to step off the Freedom Trail and explore other aspects of historic Boston and its neighboring cities this summer.

Discover Roxbury's current focus on Mission Hill continues through July 18, when you can participate in a glassblowing demonstration and workshop at Diablo Glass School. Even if you can't make it out to Mission Hill, check out Boston Main Streets and make an effort to explore a new part of town that you've never been to soon. It'll be worth it.

Last year, my brother-in-law introduced me to a free online strategy game called Ogame. Ogame is a massively multiplayer game by anyone’s standards. It consists of 43 “Universes,” with each universe holding many thousands of planets – each home to a particular player who wants to become the master of that particular universe. Ogame is completely free to join and play, and there’s a staff of avid gamers who moderate and maintain the entire game system. Not only do they manage technical issues such as server maintenance and software glitches, but they also serve as the judge and jury whenever player conflicts arise (and they arise fairly often).

Ogame – A Space War Like No Other

When I first started playing the free online strategy game known as Ogame, I figured I’d play for about a couple of weeks and call it good. I was on vacation from work and looking for something to pass the time with a few of my online friends. We each signed up for a free account in Universe 36, claimed our first planet, and started our slow climb up the ranks.

The opening login screen itself really captured my interest unlike any other online game I’ve ever played. While the fact that I’ve always been a sci-fi fan might explain my fascination with the graphics, the animated front page filled with fascinating and subtly moving images of space sparked my imagination. It reminded me of a game I was once hooked on as a young kid in high school called Sentinel Worlds by Electronic Arts. That sense of adventure and excitement from those long ago late-nights of game playing came rushing back to me, and I knew that Ogame already had me hooked.

Navigating Through Ogame

While there’s a lot of detail, complex game play and a lot of strategy involved in this game, overall navigating through the various control screens is a piece of cake once you get used to it. From the main screen, you have an overview of all of the planets that you’ve colonized.

Yes, there’s also an interplayer messaging system that can get pretty busy at times, especially when you’re trying to coordinate an attack of several battleship fleets between you and your buddies against another team (or “alliance”). Clicking on any one of your planets takes you to a “planetary control” menu, where you can build additional structures to further colonize your planet (and add functionality). You can access these building options by clicking on the “buildings” link on the left menu.

Or you can assign fleet production tasks to a particular planet – like building a fleet of fighters, cargo ships, or whatever else you feel you need added to your existing “fleet.” You can access your ship building area by clicking “Shipyard” in the left menu.

Just keep in mind that in many corners of this space world – the size of your fleet defines you. In Ogame, size matters. Of course, the clever players understand that all brawn and no brains just makes for an easy target, so ultimately you’ll turn to your “Research” area in order to build up your capabilities and your strength in battle.

As you build up your various technologies (all “building” activities are time-based), you’ll achieve more powerful “hits” against your opponents in battle, when spying on their planets, or the various other activities where you’re trying to gain additional resources.

The Game Play and Action

The “coolness” factor of Ogame comes down to the action. You could literally spend weeks just building technologies, fleet ships and buildings – but what good is it if there’s no action? The action in this game comes from “raiding” other player’s planets for their resources. And the addictive part of the game comes from the need for revenge when someone “crashes” your planet, wipes out your fleet, and takes all of your resources. That happens only once or twice, and you’ll discover that you’ve taken a sworn oathe of revenge, and you are officially an Ogame addict.

When you click on “Galaxy” in the left menu, you’ll see a screen like that above, where you’ll be spending most of your time, sifting through from one “system” to the next. What are you searching for? Ultimately you’re hunting for vulnerable planets – those with a code letter “i” or “I” signifying that the player has been idle for a long time. You send over your “probes” to check out whether there’s a fleet, defenses or resources on the planet – and when you see an undefended planet with lots of resources, you send in your fleet to sweep up the goods and add them to your stash. Sounds easy enough doesn’t it?  That is, until one of their buddies “ninja’s” you, landing a fleet twice as large as yours on the planet just before your fleet gets there, wiping out your attack. Or someone much higher than you sends over a “deathstar” to wipe out anything you’ve got on your planet.

If you’ve a savvy and clever player, you’ll quickly team up with a good alliance of gamers and after many, many months of building up your planets, your fleet, and waging war against other alliances and other worlds, you just might become the king of Ogame… at least in your particular Universe. Once you’re done there, you’ve got dozens of other Universes that are also available for conquering.

Have you ever played Ogame, or any similar free online strategy games? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

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Is there anything quite so lovely as the blush of a summer peach?

A perfectly ripe peach, juicy, full of flavor, the essence of peachiness?

Does such a creature exist anymore?

If so — tell me where! (more…)

On July 8th, Ancestry.com hosted a webinar called “Genetic Genealogy Made Easy.”  The webinar is now posted and can be accessed at any time.  One great thing about a webinar is that it can be multimedia; indeed, this webinar uses both slides and video.

The presentation is pretty basic, but a good source of information for people who are new to genetic genealogy.  The following topics are covered, according to the site:

- DNA testing for genealogy works–in easy terms.

- To understand and apply your results to grow your tree.

- Ancestry.com DNA testing can continue to pay off for years.

- Women can benefit from a paternal lineage test.

- To use Ancestry.com DNA features: Groups, Transfer to Tree, and Ancient Ancestry.

Ancestry.com is planning more advanced genetic genealogy webinars in the future.

What is interesting is that the last question from the audience addressed by the webinar regards using genetic genealogy by adoptees.  Whenever I give presentations, I almost invariably receive this question in one form or another.  Seems to be a very common question.

Every month, the Awesome Foundation gives $1,000 to somebody with an awesome idea. Xconomy has an awesome writeup.

Even back in 1869, our little streets confused tourists, as Mark Twain notes in his account of a trip here, starting with his effort to get from the train station to the hotel with the aid of a little kid who charged him 30 cents:

"Boy, why do you wind around in this way -- why don't you go straight?"

"Sir?"

"Why do you poke in and out and wind around and about in this involved and sinuous way? Why don't you go straight?"

The boy turned and surveyed me impressively for many minutes, and then said, as if to himself:

"Go straight in Boston -- ain't he innocent, though?"

He then marched on. But I had lost all confidence, and so I took refuge in the first hotel I came to and discharged James, satisfied that no virtue could abide in a boy whose ways were so crooked. In going from the depot to the hotel we passed one spot seven different times and approached it from a different direction every time.

India decriminalized homosexuality today, marking a major victory for gay rights activists worldwide. But there's still a long way to go, according to international watchdog ILGA.

Being gay in India carried the risk of a lifelong prison term, reports the ILGA's May 2009 world map of gay rights. At least five other countries -- Mauritania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran -- substitute the death penalty in place of imprisonment. Only six countries afford gay couples marriage with full legal rights: South Africa, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Canada.

Dilemma: You want to look sexy but not too sexy—and certainly not all the time. You're busy and have errands to run, and you can't have post office employees rubbing up in your junk like pups in heat.

So do what we do: Don't workout. Eat terribly. And only copulate with partners who promise to either ignore Cheetos-induced stretch marks or allow you to wear your RIPT FUSION t-shirt in a jacuzzi.

What's a RIPT FUSION shirt? Well it's "a classic men's undershirt injected with steroids," of course. For just $58, it'll add pecs and abs all while sucking in the flabby parts. But even more critical to society, it'll put geeks on the same playing field as jocks, the lazy on the same playing field as the obnoxiously active.

Even if the Ript Fusion is too gimmicky to make you look good, it could eventually make muscles look bad. And in the long run, that's really just as beneficial. [RIPT via Super Punch]

Mac is famous for their “drag and drop” installation/uninstallation process. Most of the time, the term “installing an app” simply means copying the app into the Applications folder (or anywhere you want the app to be). And likewise, uninstalling an app means simply deleting it from the computer - something that you should never, ever do in Windows.

Even though most Mac apps are stand-alone software (the files required for them to work are compiled into the app itself), some of them do leave a few preferences and configuration files behind after dragging the app to Trash. These files won’t affect the operation of the system and most of them are small in size. However, you can sometimes find a large unused chunks of files (such as saved data files from games) that will occupy a huge portion of your hard drive space.

To really swipe everything clean, you’ll need the help of an uninstaller. Here are three free alternatives for Mac.

AppCleaner

AppCleaner is an uninstaller for Mac which will allow users to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps. It will search your Mac for every file distributed by other applications.

To use it, just drop an application onto the AppCleaner window. It will find the related files, list everything down and let the user delete them. Users can also choose applications, widgets and other items (mostly plugins) to uninstall.

AppCleaner has the ability to prevent certain important apps from being deleted accidentally. Users can add any application to the list of their favorite apps in the Preferences.There’s also SmartDelete - the option to delete an app properly when it’s moved it to trash.

Jackson also listed AppCleaner in his list of Free Alternatives to 10 Popular Commercial Mac Apps.

AppTrap

AppTrap is like a watchdog for the Trash. It will wait until the user deletes an app, then it will pop a dialogue up, asking if all associated files should be trashed together with the application, allowing for a more complete clean-up of the system.

This uninstaller resides in System Preferences as a preference pane.It’s inactive by default. Upon installation, the user needs to activate it. There’s also an option to automatically start this app on login.

AppTrap is no longer being maintained or developed but still works fine under Leopard.

DesInstaller

DesInstaller is a simple tool that reads the receipts generated when you install a “.pkg” file with Apple’s Installer. User can opt to remove every file installed by a package, even if it has been modified, and/or archived.

Caution!

No matter which uninstaller you use, please always double-check the list of associated files to be deleted. Sometimes the app will make mistakenly include unrelated file(s) to the list.

To be sure, you can also confirm the files you’re about to delete by looking inside the Trash before emptying it.

Do you use uninstallers for Mac or you only depend on Trash? Do you have other alternatives? Share using the comments section below.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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If you tried out the technique we shared earlier this week for easy homemade bread and want to bolster your baking chops, you'll definitely want to check out this detailed guide to homemade sourdough bread.

Laura and Barb, the two sisters behind the culinary blog My Sister's Kitchen, post an excellent and detailed tutorial on homemade sourdough. It isn't as simple as some of the other bread recipes and bread baking techniques we've shared in the past, like the aforementioned easy homemade bread, or five-minute quickbread, but based on the rave reviews their technique has received, we think you'll find it worth the extra effort. While it's a bit more intensive than some of the other methods we've covered, it's still quite economical:

A very important detail to note is that this method makes extra large loaves that are approximately 4.5 pounds each. Each loaf costs only $0.68 to make. That is sixty-eight cents. I buy flour and yeast in bulk, so it's possible that if you buy your ingredients at a regular grocery store, your loaf might cost twice that....a whopping $1.36! As you'll see, that's for a loaf that's about 3 times the size of a loaf of grocery store bread.

They have a step by step tutorial on Instructables, linked below, and then a companion post on their blog with additional information about sourdough, creating your own sourdough starter, and various recipes. If you bake your own sourdough bread, due either to thrift or refined taste, we want to hear about it in the comments below.