Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tips for Computing into 2012

Amplify’d from lifehacker.com

The Intermediate Guide to Living Entirely Inside Chrome











Kevin Purdy







The Intermediate Guide to Living Entirely Inside ChromeChrome OS is still in the works, and even when it launches, you might not need one of the specialty netbooks that run it. Make the Chrome browser you already have productive enough to do whatever you need instead—and hit Full Screen if you need less distraction.

What will you get out of this guide? Hopefully, you'll find out that Chrome can do a lot more than you gave it credit for, with the help of some great extensions and webapps. Even if you're on a borrowed computer, you'll have a handy means of loading up your favorite sites and utilities and getting things done.


I've previously provided some advice on working and doing personal browsing completely inside Chrome—I did it for six days, and still recommend the links and extensions detailed there. Since then, I've still been doing most of my work inside Chrome—writing, editing photos, managing email and calendars, organizing groups, and all kinds of chat and communication apps. Chrome can do a lot more than browse the web, in other words, but not by default.




Google built and released Chrome with a focus on making it fast, powerful, and minimalist. More features and helpful tools have fallen into place over time, but there are still many features that users of Firefox, or certain Firefox extensions, can't imagine living without. Enter the Chrome Toolbox.



Chrome Toolbox adds a button to Chrome's toolbar that offers a few handy functions, although most of them are accessible by keyboard shortcuts. It's in right-clicking the Toolbox button and hitting "Options" that you'll find its true power. You can tweak Chrome's behavior for videos, links, and images, compare Chrome's shortcuts to other browsers, set entire folders of bookmarks to launch from keyboard shortcuts, and, perhaps most helpfully, browse links to other power extensions from Google and third parties:



Chat and Communication, Without IM Clients


If you only keep IM open for the occasional pings, and mostly use AIM or Google Talk (a.k.a. Gchat), I recommend simply launching chat from the left-hand sidebar box, then keeping Gmail open in a (pinned) tab. With desktop notifications now baked into Chrome, Gmail gets the job of waiting for someone to distract you done pretty well. Plus, the ability to call anybody from that same window comes in quite handy, and the keyboard shortcuts are easy enough to learn. Hold Shift and hit the "?" key inside Gmail to both see the shortcuts and enable them, if necessary.


The Intermediate Guide to Living Entirely Inside ChromeNeed more chat protocols, or like a more robust interface than Gmail's solid-color blocks? Meebo is the reigning champ when it comes to multi-service IM, and a Chrome notifier can keep you informed on who's pinging you. When I need Skype or another service, I personally prefer Imo.im, mostly because it offers the same Chrome-based desktop notifications.




If you're going to put good time and effort into picking out great webapps, you should have them everywhere you work. Chrome's built-in syncing feature handles most everything on systems where you can install Chrome, but what about other systems, and maybe other browsers?



If you're mostly traveling among Windows systems, Google Chrome Portable, from the PortableApps.com suite, fits easily on your USB key drive, and that's exactly where you should keep it—on a keychain or something else you'll always have with you. Set up Portable Chrome like you would if it was on a desktop, with your favorite extensions and everything synced. When you load it up from your USB drive, it will take a minute to catch up to what you've been doing on other Chrome systems, but then it's ready to roll.


Free Your Startup Page with Jolicloud or MyFave.es


Before your find yourself at a computer without installation rights, or borrowing a friend or spouse's system, set up a start page you can get to from anywhere. Jolicloud's web-based desktop and Myfave.es' stylish start pages make for great web-based start pages.


The Intermediate Guide to Living Entirely Inside ChromeJolicloud is a Linux-based OS intended for lower-power computers and netbooks, but it's also a web-based, HTML5-coded Chrome webapp and web-accessible desktop. The "Apps" page is a very Chrome-like set of site links and icons, and serves its purpose. What's nicer is how you can link your Dropbox account, and your Google Docs access, to Jolicloud and get to them from a tab on your Jolicloud desktop. Sign up for an account, link in your storage, and have your important stuff available anywhere.



For a more straight-up start page, try the very minimal and stylish MyFav.es (pictured above), which offers a good number of pre-loaded sites to add to your front page, along with lots of customization options. You can make your page public for easy, no-login-needed access, or put it behind a login.



The Intermediate Guide to Living Entirely Inside ChromePassword management tool LastPass is often mentioned and highly recommended by Lifehacker. It offers plug-ins for any browser, and it's accessible from the web, but if you're made to use another browser away from your beloved Chrome setup, you can turn to its "Fill this!" bookmarklet as a kind of makeshift LastPass plug-in. Add that bookmark to a browser toolbar, click it, log in, and click it again to fill in any user/password fields. When you log out, it's a useless link, so you need not worry if you forget to delete it.



Play Your Music From Chrome



Keeping a stash of music inside Dropbox for access anywhere you go makes good sense. In fact, the convenience of having all your music backed up, and treated as a single library, might compel you to sync iTunes universally with Dropbox. If so, you're going to want to get into DropTunes, a jukebox-style webapp that lets you hit Play on a folder of music and let it keep running from there. Take note of DropTunes' HTML5 link in the upper-right if you want to avoid the Flash interface.



Maybe you're into the newer, bigger hotness of Amazon's Cloud Drive and Cloud Player? Not a problem, as there's a stand-alone webapp for Chrome, along with a helpful keyMazony extension that makes Cloud Player respond to keyboard shortcuts.


I'd be remiss if I didn't mention mSpot, the cloud-based music service that can automatically upload your music to its servers, then stream them back to you through a very usable (Flash-based) webapp. A free mSpot account comes with 5 GB of storage, along with access through one smartphone.




Those are just some of the ways you can make Chrome a more universal window on your work. What else do you need from Chrome to make it a more all-in-one utility—say, as the centerpiece of an OS?
Read more at lifehacker.com
 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

US Women Surpass Men in Advanced Degrees

Amplify’d from www.seattlepi.com

In a first, women surpass men in advanced degrees

FILE - In this April 18, 2011 file photo, a woman at a job fair in New York talks to an employer. For the first time, American women have passed men in gaining advanced college degrees as well as bachelor's degrees, part of a trend that is helping redefine who goes off to work and who stays home with the kids. Photo: Seth Wenig / AP

For the first time, American women have passed men in gaining advanced college degrees as well as bachelor's degrees, part of a trend that is helping redefine who goes off to work and who stays home with the kids.

Census figures released Tuesday highlight the latest education milestone for women, who began to exceed men in college enrollment in the early 1980s. The findings come amid record shares of women in the workplace and a steady decline in stay-at-home mothers.

The census numbers come from the government's Current Population Survey as of March 2010. Among other findings:

—Among adults 25 and older, women are more likely than men to have finished high school, 87.6 percent to 86.6 percent.

—Broken down by race and ethnicity, 52 percent of Asian-Americans had at least a bachelor's degree. That's compared to 33 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 20 percent for blacks and 14 percent for Hispanics.

—Thirty percent of foreign-born residents in the U.S. had less than a high school diploma, compared to 10 percent of U.S.-born residents and 19 percent of naturalized citizens. At the same time, the foreign-born population was just as likely as U.S.-born residents to have at least a bachelor's degree, at roughly 30 percent.

Read more at www.seattlepi.com
 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Keeshond

Amplify’d from www.justdogbreeds.com

Keeshond

Keeshond

Keeshond:












Ease of Training
Intelligence
Shedding
Watchdog
Guard Dog
Popularity
Size
Agility
Good with Kids



Keeshond Temperament



The Keeshond is an incredibly affectionate and devoted people-dog. One of the few breeds who has never been bred to hunt or attack, they have been bred for centuries solely for companionship. These are good-natured dogs who love everyone. Even so, they do make wonderful watchdogs as they are quick to sound the alarm if someone they don't know approaches their home. Keeshonden are renowned for their special fondness for children. They love to play with them and are incredibly patient with little ones. This is a dog who will be devoted to the whole family -- he is not a "one-man dog." The Keeshond is highly intelligent and has a tendency to want to do things his own way. For this reason, obedience training is important. These dogs are ideal for formal obedience competition because they are very smart, eager to learn, eager to please, quick to obey, and they love to show off. They also tend to love agility, rally, and flyball. The Keeshond is an energetic dog and requires daily exercise. In fact, he will take all the exercise you can give him. He loves to go for long walks, and he also loves to go for rides in the car. Keeshonden crave your affection and attention and want to go wherever you go and do whatever you do. They love life and they make it their job to love you. They are extremely sensitive to their people's moods and love to cuddle when you need it. For this reason, among others, they are popular therapy dogs. Keeshonden remain playful and bouncy well into old age, and some of them even smile. If they do get lonely, they can become destructive. They can also be chatty, but they are usually barking for a reason. The Keeshond can live anywhere, apartment or farm, as long as they are with their people. They are quick to housetrain and quick to bond with their families.

Read more at www.justdogbreeds.com
 

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Hive Five: Best Job Search Sites

Amplify’d from lifehacker.com

Five Best Job Search Sites

Indeed


Five Best Job Search SitesIndeed gets over a billion new job searches every month, and many people refer to it as the Google of job searching. The site allows you to post your resume, search jobs in your area, apply to thousands of opportunities from multiple job listing sites, newspapers, corporate websites, and job boards. It has one of the largest job listing databases on the web, and does a great job of filtering out duplicates and removing spam.




Craigslist


Five Best Job Search SitesCraigslist isn't just good for finding an apartment or selling your old gear. According to a number of you, Craigslist is also great for making real personal connections with people who are hiring for positions in your area. Your mileage may vary based on locale, but it's more likely that when you respond to the job listing you'll actually strike up a conversation with the hiring manager instead of a recruiting firm. If you do apply for a job on the site, you might want to follow these tips for applying for a job on Craigslist.




Dice


Five Best Job Search SitesDice is one of the most popular job search sites for technology careers on the Web. If you're looking for a job in tech, entry or senior level, initiate or experienced, Dice is one site that should be part of your job search. The site has thousands of tech jobs listed from some of the country's biggest companies like Hewlett Packard, Google, and Microsoft. If you're not looking for a career in technology however, there's likely not much at Dice for you.




Monster


Five Best Job Search Sites Monster is a job site that often elicits about equal parts love and hate. Many of you expressed love for Monster's massive database, but hate for the sheer amount of spam posted and how difficult it is to actually get your resume in front of someone instead of casting your net wide and applying to everything available. The site features millions of job postings, hosts the resumes of millions more, and has mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android.




LinkedIn


Five Best Job Search Sites LinkedIn is a social network designed to help professionals build a network of coworkers and associates. Recently, LinkedIn has added features like status updates and corporate profiles. While it does have job listings, its focus isn't on using them to get hired. Instead, potential employees are encouraged to connect with the company, leverage their own professional connections, and connect with other people in their field or at the company they want to work before sending in an application.

Read more at lifehacker.com
 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Leverage LinkedIn for Recruiting

Amplify’d from mashable.com

HOW TO: Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Profile for Recruiting

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.


LinkedIn offers companies the ability to provide more information about their organization via their company pages. On a company page, you can include information about your products and services along with information about job opportunities.

This is a relatively new feature, relaunched back in November 2010. Several Fortune 500 companies were part of the launch of this new feature including Dell, Eastman Kodak, JetBlue and Microsoft. But company pages are not exclusive to only large businesses — Harvard Business School, Rypple, Squarespace and other well-known, successful organizations have LinkedIn company pages.

Since one of the primary purposes of LinkedIn is career networking, it only seems logical to make sure your company profile is being leveraged as much for recruiting as it is for marketing. Here are five things to consider including in your LinkedIn company profile to attract candidates.



This might sound very obvious but, as we all know, sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. Candidates expect job openings to be listed under the “Careers” tab on your LinkedIn company profile. Job openings should be current and link to information regarding how to apply. Here’s a great example from CVS Caremark Corporation.

As an example, if you select the first position, it takes you to a page with a job description, desired skills and company description. It also indicates how to apply, whether it’s via the company website or an introduction from a connection.

If the position selected doesn’t look like a good match, a candidate’s time has not been wasted — similar positions are listed at the bottom of the screen.


2. Employee Profiles Drive Information


Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of Social Media Delivered, an international social media optimization firm that offers consulting, training and marketing services, says “90% of information in a LinkedIn Company Page comes from employee personal profiles.” As such, it only benefits a company to make sure its employees know how to use LinkedIn properly.

One of the places that information is aggregated is in the statistics section located at the bottom of the “How you’re connected” box on the Overview page.

This section offers some very valuable information, as reported by employees. For example it includes annual company growth, years of company experience, as well as highest degree attained.

Orsburn adds, “If your company really wants to rule the LinkedIn universe and recruit top-notch talent, make sure ALL employees have completed and fully optimized personal profiles to improve content and effectiveness of the company page.”



Candidates are interested in understanding what it would be like if they came to work for your company. LinkedIn company profiles offer an opportunity for candidates to connect with the organization.

Shannon Seery Gude, vice president of digital and social strategy for Bernard Hodes Group, says, “Nothing communicates the heart and soul of a company like real employees sharing their personal narratives of their work experience.” Bernard Hodes Group helps companies find, keep and engage the best possible talent via recruitment communications and support, hiring process assessments and staffing technology.

One way to provide personal narratives is via video, like the example above from Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Seery Gude also recommends that companies include a variety of diverse employee voices to reflect your organization. “Our social strategy team commonly sees companies that only include quotes from the recruiting team, or from a single business unit in the ‘What employees are saying…’ section.” You want to provide a bigger snapshot of your company’s employees.


4. Talk Corporate Culture


If you’re trying to leverage your LinkedIn company profile for recruiting, it’s important to have it reflect the strengths of your organization. This isn’t the place for marketing spin, and you should take the time to customize the different job opportunities available. Also be careful not to duplicate text, which could be perceived as not putting forth effort. An example would be not using the exact same copy in the “Overview” and the “Work at…” sections.

Shally Steckerl, executive vice president at Arbita, Inc., a global consulting firm connecting leading employers with the best talent on the Internet, says candidates want to connect with interesting people who are doing the work the candidates wants to do. “Candidates want to find exclusive insights about a company’s culture, environment and products on LinkedIn. If they want to see an advertisement (or a job posting), they can go to the company’s website.”

A LinkedIn company profile becomes a great way to showcase your culture and share company best practices, recent awards or news articles, along with partnerships the organization is proud of.

Steckerl also suggests including the percentage of hires coming from employee referrals. “People want to connect with people. If employees really like working your company, they will tell their friends about it,” she says.



Once you set up a LinkedIn company profile and careers page, make sure your page is easy to use for both customers and candidates. Orsburn recommends including your company URL in the “Summary” section on your LinkedIn Company Page. Even though the URL is automatically listed on the right hand side, it’s not always noticeable.

It could also be valuable to include contact information for the recruiting team along with the best way to reach them (even career chat schedules if available). Seery Gude suggests “including links to their other social destinations, such as a Facebook Careers Page or to a custom section on their website. In an effort to be super-transparent, companies may even consider linking to their reviews on Employer Review sites, such as Glassdoor.”

If you’re looking for additional information about setting up and maintaining LinkedIn company and career pages, check out their FAQ section here.

LinkedIn company pages provide opportunities to leverage your business both in terms of marketing as well as recruiting. Optimizing each page for the target audience can help you yield the best results.

Read more at mashable.com
 

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Untethered Jailbreak iOS 4.3.1

Amplify’d from www.greenpois0n.us
iOS 4.3.1 untethered jailbreak has been released few minutes ago for bothPwnageTool 4.3 and Redsn0w 0.9.6rc9, the jailbreak support all iOS devices except iPad 2. You can follow the below guide to get untethered jailbreak for your iOS device.
Step 1: Download iOS 4.3.1 for your device (download links at the end)

Step 2: Update/Restore to iOS 4.3.1 firmware using the IPSW file via iTunes 10.2.1.

Step 3: Start Redsn0w and point it to the official iOS 4.3.1 firmware file.





Step 4: Now simply select “Install Cydia” and click “Next”.

Step 5: Now make sure your device is both OFF and PLUGGED IN to the computer before you click “Next”.

 
At this stage you will be presented with a screen where you will be guided on how to enter DFU mode. Quickly hold “Power” button and then while holding the “Power” button, you will now have to hold “Home” button too. Now after few seconds release “Power” button but keep holding “Home” button until installation begins.





 
Step 6: Wait shortly. Once done, your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will restart automatically and you will find it already jailbroken [untethered] on the latest iOS 4.3.1 firmware.



Download Redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (Windows)

Download Redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (Mac)

Download iOS 4.3.1 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV 2G

Download iTunes 10.2.1 for Windows / Mac OS X
Read more at www.greenpois0n.us
 

Sunday, April 03, 2011

12 Healthy & Tasty Foods for Under $1

Amplify’d from ecosalon.com

sandwich


Every time I go to the grocery store, I’m shocked to see how much the prices keep climbing. In a moment of penny-pinching madness, it’s tempting to live off 65-cent frozen burritos. That is, until you look at the nutrition information. So, I’ve done some research to find the healthiest foods that even the strictest recessionista budgets can afford – if you’ve got a dollar, you can get at least one serving (and often several) of the following foods.


Yogurt


yogurt


Rich in calcium, this nourishing breakfast or snack costs next to nothing. To get the most for your money, stick with bulk containers and stay away from yogurt that’s packaged for single servings (and packed with sugar).


Oats


oats


Oats are a great source of fiber and can even help lower your cholesterol. Although individual packets of instant oatmeal may shave some minutes off your morning routine, stretch your dollar by buying them in bulk.


Eggs


eggs


Whoever came up with the slogan “the incredible, edible egg” really hit the nail on the head. Whether poached, scrambled, sunny-side-up or hard-boiled, this protein packed food is as inexpensive, wholesome and tasty as they come.


Bananas


bananas


A great source of potassium and fiber, bananas are one of the most economical fruits around. Eat them plain or slice them up as a healthy topping for cereal and yogurt.


Beans


garbanzo beans


Whether you prefer garbanzo, pinto, black beans or other varieties, this filling food is high in protein, potassium fiber and zinc. Thrifty tip: go for dry beans instead of canned.


Broccoli


broccoli


Folate, calcium, fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C: broccoli has it all. Not only is it good for your health, it’s easy on your wallet, as well. Plus, it contains phytonutrients that can help keep diabetes and heart disease at bay.


Tofu


tofu


Unfortunately, tofu gets a bad rap when it comes to taste. But, this protein-rich meat alternative can make your mouth water with appetizing recipes like Korean-inspired soft tofu soup with kimchi or Southeast Asian tofu lettuce wraps.


Spinach


spinach


Crammed with iron and vitamin C, this low-cost, low-calorie vegetable tastes delicious in omelets and salads. Plus, it’s the perfect topping for a vegetarian pizza.


Sweet Potatoes


sweet potatoes


High in potassium, fiber and beta carotene, sweet potatoes are a cheap and healthy way to garnish salads and enjoy a snack between meals. Just don’t waste your money on cubed packages; peeling and cutting them yourself will save you some cash.


Apples


apples


An apple a day? Yeah, you’ve heard it before, and for good reason. This juicy fruit boasts loads of pectin and vitamin C, not to mention a low price tag.


Sardines


sardines


Like salmon,  the sardine is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Unlike salmon, it’s relatively cheap and eco-friendly. For a healthier meal, substitute mayonnaise with a little oil and vinegar.


Nuts


nuts


Nuts are rich in protein, essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Just buy them raw, in the shell, for the best bargain and stay away from costly varieties like pecans and macadamia nuts.

Read more at ecosalon.com