Are you travelling for business or going on a vacation? You can create out-of-office automatic replies for people who are trying to reach you via Twitter and they won't expect a response from you right away!
11 March 2013
How to Send Out of Office Replies in Twitter
Twitter Archive is now available in multiple languages
Twitter has just announced via tweet that now twitter archive is available in multiple languages including Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish & Spanish.
Twitter archive is twitter latest feature that allows you to browse every tweet you’ve ever sent.
The post Twitter Archive is now available in multiple languages appeared first on Hack Illusion.
ModernStart: Free Tool To Run Windows 8 Apps In Desktop Mode
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On Wednesday of last week, Stardock released a new software to run modern or metro-style Windows 8 apps on the desktop. The program not only adds close button to Windows 8 apps but also lets you pin apps to the taskbar. Stardock’s ModernMix is an excellent piece of software for PC users who don’t like [...]
10 March 2013
How To Change Height And Width Of Start Screen
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Ever since the release of first Developer Preview build of Windows 8, PC users have been complaining about the newly introduced Start screen. There are even users who just don’t like to upgrade to Windows 8 just because of the Start screen! As many of you know, there are tens of brilliant software available to [...]
PWGen – A Very Advanced Password Generator [Windows]
A few years ago, I went through a phase where I spent several hours in a single day revising all of my passwords and changing them on every site that I regularly use. Today, not a single one of my important accounts on the Internet have a password under 16 characters. Length isn’t the only strength of a solid password, and I’d like to show you a tool that will make sure you’re able to generate a secure one.
PWGen
It’s my opinion that PWGen is the best password-generation tool out there not only because of the methodology, but it provides us with freedom. A lot of password generators are a point-and-click tool that generate a randomized string of characters and numbers. Maybe it’ll let you pick how long the password is, but that’s it. Passwords are more than that to you and I.
On the face of the application, you’re immediately able to see how specific the generation can get. You can generate both passwords and passphrases.
With passwords, you’re able to set a length and determine the set of characters that can be used. This will allow you to create passwords of just one casing (upper or lower) or a password without numbers in it, for example. To the right of the field, you are able to see two icons which, from left to right, allow you to see the details of your current character set or access a small help menu.
This menu gives you all of the information you need to set up proper formatting for your passwords. Here are a few examples of types of passwords that you can randomly generate:
- Prc8nB2d06kU (alphanumeric)
- 4oC0f803ikiqF5 (base64)
- 91978b65f2d8d576 (hex)
- K9JUsvupzVkn9ezn (easy to read, no ambiguous characters)
- *;@}^%>}}?,& (symbols only)
Passphrases are totally different and are definitely a more uncommon form of security. Generating a passphrase is as simple as loading a word list and clicking a button. You can find word lists all over the Internet, and these are basically just text files with newlines between each word in a list (hence the name).
The icon of the magnifying glass, on the interface, allows you to browse for a word list. Otherwise, you can use the default list that ships with PWGen. It’s a list of 8,192 words. Here are a few examples of some generated phrases from the default list:
- leery grad bobbin rater payne
- neil trash wont 2u oasis
- quad boggy lr stingy gunny
You’re also able to generate a large list of passwords at a single time for display or to immediately save to a text file.
The application’s advanced options really allow you to refine the password generator methods so that everything is exactly the way you want it.
Being able to immediately exclude ambiguous characters is the type of extensiveness that a lot of simple generators would leave out. If the included ambiguous characters aren’t enough, you’re able to redefine the entire set.
Another option that stands out is the ability to prevent words in a passphrase from being separated by a space. This will essentially allow you to create passwords that are actually just a phrase strung together. Perhaps not the most secure option, but an interesting one nonetheless.
The last feature I want to highlight, and maybe one of the most interesting and unique, is the ability to create profiles for individual configurations.
How this can be useful is as limited to what your purposes may be. However, let’s say you wanted to consistently generate passwords or passphrases for one specific website that does not allow special characters and symbols to be included in the password. Knowing that, you can configure each field and option in the application, bring up the profile editor, and save this profile so that you can load it later. That way, you can easily play with PWGen without having to constantly redo old configurations over again.
PWGen takes password generation seriously and really picks up where other password generator alternatives may fall short. For some, PWGen may seem a little intimidating and too deep, but it’s incredibly easy to use and puts you in complete control of its options.
What do you guys think of PWGen and its features? Let me know in the comments!
The post PWGen – A Very Advanced Password Generator [Windows] appeared first on MakeUseOf.
Google Now Topics
Google Now has a cool feature that shows useful results for the topics you've recently explored using Google Search. Now you can find all the topics if you visit this page. Unfortunately, the links to the topic pages only work from a mobile device.
It's likely that Google notices when you're clicking a lot of search results and refine your query multiple times and creates a new topic. Google automatically classifies topics and it lets you filter the topics by time. Google Now Topics could be a modern version of Google Alerts if Google added more notification options.
{ Thanks, Florian. }
09 March 2013
YouTube’s Redesigned Channel Layout Now Available For Everyone [Updates]
Channel owners can now upload a piece of channel art that will give the channel a branded and consistent look across all devices. Google describes it as a way for channel owners to create a “visual identity” for their content, which will become identified with them and their brand. Channel owners can also create trailers for their channels, which will be visible to anyone who is not already subscribed to the channel. This is the chance for channel owners to hook in new viewers with an overall feel of what they bring to the table.
The next part of this update comes in the way content is displayed on the channel. Creators now have much more control over videos and playlists, and can fine-tune what users see when they enter the page. This should not only help channels owners get new subscribers, but should help them keep the ones they already have.
YouTube channel owners who want to switch to One Channel can go to www.youtube.com/onechannel, scroll all the way to the bottom and hi the “Get started” button. If you switch to the new YouTube One channel and decide it doesn’t work for you and your channel, Google is offering the option to switch back to the old channel design for a limited time.
Will you rush out to get the new layout? What do you think of it?
Source: YouTube
The post YouTube’s Redesigned Channel Layout Now Available For Everyone [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.
Download Gmail Touch App For Windows 8
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So far, Google has released its official Search app for the newest iteration of Windows operating system and hasn’t shown any interest in developing a dedicated Gmail client for Windows 8. While it’s possible to add your Gmail account to the native Mail app, a dedicated, official app would have been awesome. PC users who’re [...]
Google Search App for Android Tests New Colors
The Google Search app for Android experiments with a new search results interface that uses soft colors: light blue and orange. Right now, the regular interface uses the same colors like the web search interface: blue (#1122CC) for links and green (#009933) for web addresses.
While it's refreshing to see new colors in the search UI, orange makes URLs stand out too much. Blogger's new interface uses a similar color for headers and important buttons.
Here's the current interface:
{ Thanks, Andrew. }
How To Install The Ubuntu Touch Preview On Your Nexus Android Device
Warning: This is an early version of Ubuntu Touch. It’s been called beta, but it’s actually alpha. Many things don’t work and some apps are non-functioning placeholders containing mock-up graphics. Installing this preview release will also wipe your Nexus device’s data, so ensure you back up any important data before continuing.
If you’re still interested in trying out Ubuntu Touch and experiencing a preview of what the final Ubuntu Touch operating system will be like, feel free to continue. But be aware of what you’re getting into!
What’s Ubuntu Touch?
Ubuntu Touch is a touch interface for Ubuntu Linux designed for smartphones and tablets. Ubuntu plans on shipping Ubuntu smartphones beginning in 2014.
The most interesting feature of Ubuntu Touch is probably the way it can potentially integrate all hardware form factors into a seamless experience. The operating system can power smartphones, tablets, desktop PCs, and even smart TVs, adapting its interface to each different type of device. That’s the concept, at least. For a more in-depth explanation, watch Ubuntu’s official demonstration video below.
Prepare Ubuntu On The Desktop
We’ll be using Ubuntu on a PC to install Ubuntu Touch , as that’s the officially supported method. If you don’t have Ubuntu installed, you should be able to boot from an Ubuntu live CD and perform this process from the live Ubuntu environment without even installing Ubuntu on your computer.
To install the required software, open a terminal and run the following commands on your Ubuntu system:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phablet-team/tools
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install phablet-tools android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot
Unlock Your Device
To install another operating system on your Nexus device, you’ll need to unlock its boot loader. Note that this step will wipe all data on your device. (If you’ve already unlocked the boot loader to install a custom ROM or root your device, you can skip this section.)
To unlock the device, first power it off completely. Next, power it on by pressing the Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down buttons all at once. It will boot into fastboot mode.
Connect the Nexus device to your computer with a USB cable, open a terminal, and run the following command:
sudo fastboot oem unlock
Confirm that you want to unlock your device, then press the Power button to boot the device. Go through the typical Android setup process until you reach the home screen.
Device Preparation
Now you’ll need to enable USB debugging on your device. The instructions here assume your device is running Android 4.2.
First, open the Settings screen and select About phone or About tablet. On the About screen, tap the Build number field seven times. You’ll see the message “Congratulations, you are now a developer” appear on the screen.
Return to the main Settings screen and select the now-visible Developer options option. Enable the USB debugging option on the Developer Options screen.
Next, run the following commands on your computer:
adb kill-server
adb start-server
Connect the Nexus device to your computer and you should see a confirmation pop-up on your device. Agree to the message. (If your Nexus device has an older version of Android, you may not see this popup.)
On the About Phone or About Tablet screen, locate the build number you tapped earlier and write it down. You’ll need this number when you reinstall Android later.
Install Ubuntu Touch
If you’ve followed the instructions above, you should be able to install Ubuntu Touch by running the following command:
phablet-flash -b
This command will erase everything on your Nexus device, download the latest image of Ubuntu Touch, and install it on your device. After everything is done, your device will automatically reboot into the Ubuntu Touch environment. Be patient while the process completes.
(If you see an error message saying there isn’t enough space, uninstall some apps or remove some files from your Nexus device and try again.)
Reinstalling Android
There’s a good chance you’ll want to reinstall Android after playing with the Ubuntu Touch preview. To do so, visit the Factory Images for Nexus Devices page on Google’s website. Locate the factory image that corresponds to the build number you wrote down earlier and download it.
Extract the downloaded file, open a terminal, and cd into the extracted directory.
Connect your Nexus device to your computer and ensure it’s powered on.
Next, run the following command:
adb reboot-bootloader
After your device reboots into fastboot mode, run the following command:
sudo ./flash-all.sh
(If you see an error, be sure that you’ve extracted the factory image and that you used the cd command to enter its directory.)
This will reinstall Google’s official Android image back onto your device. After the process is complete, your Nexus device should reboot into Android.
If you have any trouble, you may want to consult the official installation guide on the Ubuntu Wiki.
Have you played with the Ubuntu Touch preview yet? Are you looking forward to Ubuntu phones, tablets, smart TVs, and PCs? Leave a comment and share your experience!
The post How To Install The Ubuntu Touch Preview On Your Nexus Android Device appeared first on MakeUseOf.
How to Write a Twitter Bot in 5 Minutes
Meet @DearAssistant, a Twitter bot that is like a mini version of Siri. You can tweet your questions in plan English and the bot will reply with an answer. →
The Twitter bot is internally using Wolfram Alpha so there’s a whole range of questions that it can answer. Here are some questions that people have asked @DearAssistant so far:
- How many calories are in Diet Coke? (link)
- When was Mahatama Gandhi born? (link)
- What is the distance between city A and city B (link)
- Who directed the film M (link)
- What is the price of Kindle Paperwhite (link)
You can also ask the bot for word meanings, weather conditions, language translation, to convert between time zones, date calculations (how many days until Christmas) and more.
continue reading.. Tutorial – How to Create a Twitter Bot
Google Support Will Use Hangouts
Google will start to use Google+ Hangouts to provide support. The screensharing feature is especially useful because a Google employee can see what's on your computer screen, so you don't have to take screenshots.
Here's the text used by the screensharing feature:
"Would you like to share your screen with Google? By clicking 'Share my screen' button you will enable screensharing. Your microphone and camera will remain off and your computer will be visible to your Google representative. Please make sure you close anything you do not want your representative to see. To turn off screensharing at any time click the 'Stop sharing my screen' button."
It's not clear which Google service will have this option, but the wording suggests it will be limited to businesses that use services like Google+, AdWords and Google Apps.
{ Thanks, Florian. }
08 March 2013
jQuery Tutorial (Part 4) – Event Listeners
Events – among other uses – let you react to things that happen on the page and user interactions – clicking, scrolling, and all that fancy stuff.
What Is An Event Anyway?
For those new to programming that involves a graphical interface of some kind, events refer to any kind of interaction between the user and the application; or can be generated internally by some other process. Applications choose which events to “listen for”, and when that event is triggered, they can react in some way.
For example, tapping on your iPhone screen will generate a single “tap event” with an x,y coordinate of precisely where you tapped. If you tapped on a particular object, like a button, it’s likely that the button was listening for that event and will perform some action accordingly. If it was just a blank part of the interface, nothing was attached to the event and so nothing will happen.
Dragging your finger across the screen would generate another event, one which includes information about the start and end point of the drag movement, and perhaps the velocity. Events provide us with an easy way to react to things that happen.
Easy: Clicking
Perhaps the easiest event to listen for is the click event, fired whenever a user clicks on an element. This needn’t be a specific “button” – you can attach an event listener to anything on the screen, but as a web developer, you obviously need to make that intuitive. Creating a pseudo-button out of the letter a hidden within a paragraph of text is possible, but somewhat stupid.
The methods for attaching an event listener have changed significantly over the years as jQuery has developed, but this is the current accepted method, using on():
$(selector).on(event,action);
To listen for a “click” event on any elements with the class .clickme, and then log a message to the console containing the text of the element clicked on, you would do:
$(".clickme").on("click",function(){
console.log($(this).text());
});
You should be able to see that the action we’ve embedded here is an anonymous function which uses the this selector (which refers to whatever object jQuery is currently dealing with) – in this case, the thing that was clicked on. We then extract the text of that clicked object and log it to the console. Easy, right?
Stop The Default Action:
At some point, you’ll want to attach to something like a link or form submit button which usually does something else. In which case, it’s quite likely you don’t want that original action to be performed – instead, you want to do some fancy AJAX or special jQuery magic.
To prevent that default action from happening, we have a handy method called preventDefault. Obviously. Let’s see how that would work when dealing with a submit button for a form
$("#myForm").on("submit",function(event){
console.log(event);
event.preventDefault();
return false;
});
A few changes here – firstly, we’re attaching to the submit event instead of click. This is more appropriate when dealing with a form as the user might tab-space, hit enter, or hit a submit button – all of which would trigger the form’s default action. We’re also passing the event variable into the anonymous function, so we can refer to the event data. We’ve then used the event.preventDefault() in combination with return false to stop all the usual actions from completing.
In this case, it’s only logging the event to the console, but in reality you would probably have an AJAX handler here, which we’ll tackle in the next lesson.
Events Can Also Be Triggered By You
In the past two examples, we used the on method to listen to an event, but you can also manually trigger an event by calling it as a method instead. It’s difficult to see why you might use this to force a “click”, but makes more sense if we look at the focus event.
Focus is typically used with input fields to fire off a message when the user clicks in the box to enter text – an instructional message on the format to use, for instance. But you could also use it to force the user into the username field when the page has loaded – so they can immediately begin typing their login details.
$(document).ready(function(){
$('#username'.focus();
});
If you had also attached a focus event listener to that username field, it would also be triggered when you forced focus. Events can therefore be both triggered and listened for.
For now, practice by attaching to various events on the page – you can find a full listing of all the events available here – remember to use preventDefault if it’s a link or button, and see what output you get from the console about event data.
I’ll leave it there today as we near the end of this mini-series of jQuery tutorials. You should, by the end of it, be confident enough to throw some jQuery on your page and make it do something. Next week we’ll look at AJAX – an important part of the modern web that allows you to load and send requests in the background without interrupting the user.
As ever, feedback, questions, comments and problems welcome below, or post your questions over to our very own MakeUseOf Answers.
Image credit: Touchscreen via Shutterstock
The post jQuery Tutorial (Part 4) – Event Listeners appeared first on MakeUseOf.
Show the Number of Results When Using Google Search Tools
Google used to display the list of search tools in the left sidebar, below the list of specialized search engines. Now search tools are placed below the search box and use less space. Unfortunately, when you click "search tools" and select one of the features, Google no longer shows the approximate number of search results.
It might not seem obvious, but clicking the "Search tools" button again replaces Google's advanced search options with a line that includes the number of results and the time used by Google to generate the search results page. Clicking "Search tools" doesn't disable the advanced filters, you need to click "clear" to do that.
The number of search results is a very useful information because it shows if there's enough content for your query. If Google only returns 50-100 results, you may need to remove some of the keywords, fix some mistakes, disable some of the filters. It's sad to see that Google no longer displays the number of results in the mobile interface (for both smartphones and tablets) and you need to switch to the "classic" interface to find it.
Obviously, Google can't find the exact number of search results, so it only shows an approximation truncated to the first 3 significant digits, but even this imprecise number is useful.
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