26 March 2014

Plan Ahead: The 5 Programs That Will Save You When Your Hard Drive Dies



hdd-plan-ahead

Sooner or later your computer’s hard drive will sing its swan song. You may be lucky and pick up on some signs that your hard drive is on its way out, or it may happen in a split second without warning. Even with a solid backup plan to protect your data, your backed-up files will be inaccessible until the hard drive is replaced. Even a day without your computer can cause problems, such as not being able to print important documents or submit project results. The following websites and tools provide ways for you to retrieve your data, no matter...


Read the full article: Plan Ahead: The 5 Programs That Will Save You When Your Hard Drive Dies



On A Diet? Google Lets You Compare Any Two Foods’ Nutritional Information



nutritional-info-google

You can now compare the nutritional content of any two foods by searching Google. This feature, announced in December but missed by many, gives would-be dieters a quick way to make decisions. Whether you’re avoiding carbohydrates or just generally interested in nutritional information, getting these comparisons couldn’t be quicker. Just type the two foods into Google, with the word “Versus”. For example, you might be curious about the relative merits of celery and carrots. Curious which morning beverage offers more caffeine? Type “Compare coffee vs tea” and you’ll see this: And, as NPR points out, with this tool you actually...


Read the full article: On A Diet? Google Lets You Compare Any Two Foods’ Nutritional Information



Deskman: The Advanced Desktop Security Manager For Restricting Access To PC Settings



restricted-access

Whether you’re a system administrator or a parent who wants more control on a public or group computer, it’s not easy locking down a computer, especially with customized restrictions. This is where Deskman from Anfibia will help tremendously (we previously reviewed their shutdown manager Switch). If there’s one thing they know, it’s customizing the PC easily and securely. This comes with a price, however — Deskman isn’t free, but we’re offering it to you for exactly that as part of MakeUseOf Rewards. Primary Features One-button security Kiosk mode Simple maintenance Tons of restrictions Block applications Safe web browsing Brief Overview...


Read the full article: Deskman: The Advanced Desktop Security Manager For Restricting Access To PC Settings



How To Search Google From Start Screen In Windows 8/8.1



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Without a doubt, Start screen is one of the most talked about and criticized areas of Windows 8 operating system. Even though Microsoft tried to enhance the Start screen with more customization options and even an option to boot directly to the desktop by skipping the Start screen, majority of Windows 8/8.1 users aren’t really […]

What To Wear: Compare Before You Shop For Your Next Apparel On picVpic



picvpic-clothing

I hate shopping for clothes. No, really. I do. I hate everything about it, from the blaring chart music emanating from the PA to standing in meandering queues which stretch to infinity, just so that you can try your $70 Urban Outfitters jeans in a stuffy, cramped changing room. Yeah, shopping for clothes sucks. With that said, ordering outfits online isn’t much better. Seeing if a T-Shirt or pair of jeans suits you is hard when you don’t actually have it in your hands. It’s hard to determine the quality of the stitching or fabric when it isn’t actually within...


Read the full article: What To Wear: Compare Before You Shop For Your Next Apparel On picVpic



Facebook Oculus Rift, HTC One M8, MS-DOS Source Code, IRS Bitcoin [Tech News Digest]



wearing-oculus-rift

Today in Tech News Digest, Facebook causes an Oculus rift, HTC One blah blah, Microsoft frees MS-DOS, IRS rules on Bitcoin, Disney buys into YouTube, Google launches Photowall, and lots of white guys wear the Oculus Rift. Facebook Buys Oculus VR For $2 Billion “I Kickstarted the Oculus Rift, what do I get?” You get a lesson in how capitalism works. — Andrew Vestal (@avestal) March 25, 2014 Facebook has acquired Oculus VR, the company responsible for the Oculus Rift virtual reality system. In doing so, Facebook caused consternation from early supporters of the Oculus Rift who funded the development...


Read the full article: Facebook Oculus Rift, HTC One M8, MS-DOS Source Code, IRS Bitcoin [Tech News Digest]



Facebook Oculus Rift, HTC One M8, MS-DOS Source Code, IRS Bitcoin [Tech News Digest]



wearing-oculus-rift

Today in Tech News Digest, Facebook causes an Oculus rift, HTC One blah blah, Microsoft frees MS-DOS, IRS rules on Bitcoin, Disney buys into YouTube, Google launches Photowall, and lots of white guys wear the Oculus Rift. Facebook Buys Oculus VR For $2 Billion “I Kickstarted the Oculus Rift, what do I get?” You get a lesson in how capitalism works. — Andrew Vestal (@avestal) March 25, 2014 Facebook has acquired Oculus VR, the company responsible for the Oculus Rift virtual reality system. In doing so, Facebook caused consternation from early supporters of the Oculus Rift who funded the development...


Read the full article: Facebook Oculus Rift, HTC One M8, MS-DOS Source Code, IRS Bitcoin [Tech News Digest]



Google Launches Photowall For Chromecast To Share Images On TV



Google-Photowall-For-Chromecast-Share-Images-on-TV

The $35 Google Chromecast is fantastic if you want to transfer stuff from phone to TV, and it just got a whole lot better. A bunch of Googlers have developed a new app called Photowall which lets many phones transfer images at the same time to a Chromecast-equipped TV, for collaborative photo viewing. We had said that the recently released Google Chromecast SDK will lead to big things and this is the first one from Google’s own stable. Photowall will require a Chromecast connected to your TV and a smartphone, with all of those devices simultaneously connected to the same...


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20 Tech Topics To Get Passionate About [We Ask You Results]



we-ask-you-logo

We here at MakeUseOf have technology oozing from our pores. We eat, sleep, and breathe tech to the point that our lives are somewhat consumed by this vast subject and all its various intersecting strands. We’re only here to entertain and inform you, the MakeUseOf readership, without whom this website would be absolutely pointless. So we asked you to tell us what instills passion in your hearts – the answer to which follows this overlong lede. 20 Shades Of Geek We asked you, What Tech Topics Are You Passionate About? The response was tepid, with only a handful of comments...


Read the full article: 20 Tech Topics To Get Passionate About [We Ask You Results]



Bring Back Forum Search, Recipe Search and More



Google Search used to have an option that allowed you to restrict results to forum pages. You'll often find helpful discussions and it's nice to be able to exclude blogs, news sites, videos, shopping sites when searching for a software bug or other tech-related issues.



Fortunately, you can still restrict results to discussions: just add &tbm=dsc to a Google Search URL.






This also works for:



- blog search: add &tbm=blg

- recipe search: add &tbm=rcp

- patent search: add &tbm=pts

- local search: add &tbm=plcs



Here's a screenshot for recipe search:






Blog Search and Patent Search also have standalone sites, while Google Maps is a good place for local search.

Crop Images in Google Slides and Google Drawings



Google Slides and Google Drawings now let you crop images. You can even crop them to fit a shape like a donut, a smiley face, a star, an arrow and more. This is called a mask and you can choose various shapes, arrows, callouts or equations.



Just select an image and click the "crop" button from the toolbar to crop an image. "Drag and drop the the blue handles until the image has been cropped the way you want. A shadow of the original image will be present to help you see how much you are cropping. Click Enter on your keyboard or click back onto your slide to save the cropped image," explains Google. To fit the image into a specific shape, select it, click the arrow next to the crop button and choose a shape.






You can also add a border to your image: click the line weight icon and change the line color.





Chromecast Photowall



Photowall for Chromecast is a cool experiment that makes Chromecast more useful. It's a simple way to upload photos from multiple devices and display them in real time on the TV.



"Setting up a Photowall is easy. You'll need to have a Chromecast plugged into your TV, then you can create a Photowall from your laptop, phone or tablet. Once you're set up, you and your friends can start sending photos directly to the big screen. When you're finished, a YouTube video of your Photowall is automatically generated, which is perfect for sharing with everyone who took part," explains Google. Photowall works even if you don't have a Chromecast: it will use your computer screen.












Google also developed apps for Android and iOS. You can also upload photos from your favorite mobile browser by visiting g.co/photowall. Google even lets you tweak the photo before sending it to the TV: you can crop it, add captions and draw using the "doodle" feature.

5 Tools To Migrate Your Data From Windows XP



old windows xp pc

With the April 8, 2014 end-of-support date looming, it’s long past time to upgrade from Windows XP. If you have a Windows XP system filled with your personal data and settings, upgrading can be daunting. These tools will help you easily migrate your data from Windows XP to a modern version of Windows, Mac OS X, or even Linux. PCmover Express Microsoft is now providing a free copy of LapLink’s PCmover Express to all Windows XP users. This tool will only work if you’re transferring data from a Windows XP PC to a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 PC. It...


Read the full article: 5 Tools To Migrate Your Data From Windows XP



Google Now for Almost All Desktop Chrome Users



Back in January, Google Now was available as an experiment feature in Chrome Canary. Then it was added to the other Chrome channels, but you had to manually enable it. Now this feature is rolling out to almost all Chrome users: Windows, Mac OS and Chrome OS are supported, while the support for other Linux distributions is coming later.



"Starting today and rolling out over the next few weeks, Google Now users in all languages will be able to get these notifications in all channels of Chrome. To enable this feature, simply sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account you're using for Google Now on Android or iOS," informs Google. "If you use Google Now on your mobile device, you can see certain Now cards on your desktop computer if you're signed into Chrome, including weather, sports scores, commute traffic, and event reminders cards. Some of these cards may be based on the location of your mobile device," mentions the help center article.






"If you'd rather avoid the wait, the option can be enabled immediately by visiting chrome://flags in your browser and toggling Google Now notifications to enabled," suggests The Verge. You can paste this:



chrome://flags/#enable-google-now



in the address bar, press Enter, select "Enabled" in the drop-down next to "Google Now" and click "Relaunch now" at the bottom of the window to restart the browser.






{ via +Chrome }


Rounded Google+ Notification Badge



After making profile pictures from the navigation bar round, Google+ tweaked the badge number displayed next to the bell icon. The counter is now in a red circle like in iOS, instead of a red square.






Here's a similar screenshot from July 2013:






As you can see there are many subtle changes: there's a "+" next to the name, the bell icon has a different color, the "share" button is smaller, the profile picture is circular, borders and the arrow icon are missing.



{ via Moritz }