Software and Technology in World Market

Firefox with Greasemonkey: The LabelLinks4Gmail Greasemonkey scripts creates nested labels in your Gmail sidebar. If the idea sounds familiar, that's probably because the previously mentioned Folders4Gmail script has been included with Better Gmail for quite some time. The main difference is that LabelLinks4Gmail soups up the sidebar so that clicking on a top level folder will reveal the contents of every label inside that folder—a feature missing from Folders4Gmail. Unfortunately the script doesn't use the same label naming structure as Folders4Gmail, so making the change isn't as smooth as it could be (in fact, it's more confusing all-around). However, if you've been dying for fuller features from the Folders4Gmail script, the LabelLinks4Gmail script is worth a look. Thanks Benjamin!

Windows only: Free application Mazzick is a simple mouse gesture utility that you can carry on your USB thumb drive. Using Mazzick is simple: just invoke it using one of the default shortcuts (like holding Shift, for example), then draw the gesture you want. Creating your own custom gestures—like my 'l' for Lifehacker gesture in the screenshot—is a breeze. If you're a fan of saving time and keystrokes with global mouse gesture tools like prevously mentioned StrokeIt but feel lost at a computer without your favorite gestures, the portable Mazzick could be just the ticket for you.

The Gmail folks teamed up with Microsoft to make the latest and greatest version of Gmail compatible with Internet Explorer 6, so you people in IT lockdown can get label colors and Gmail Labs features using IE6.

Ever been curious how much of an impact your weekend trips have on the environment? The Carbon Planet Flight Emissions Calculator estimates roughly how many tons of CO2 your airline is dumping into the atmosphere each time you fly. [<a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tips/2008/09/05/calculate_your_flights_carbon_impact_with_carbon_planet.html
">via]

Windows only: Free system tray utility TabsLock launches and focuses a new tab in Google Chrome (and Firefox... keep reading) at the press of your Caps Lock key to give you, as the download page aptly puts it, "low-thought, global keyboard access to web search and navigation." Considering how much time we spend on the web these days, a quick, easy shortcut for going straight to your browser (that's also just off the home row) makes a lot of sense. Still want to use Caps Lock from time to time? Shift+Caps Lock toggles regular Caps Lock behavior. Like the idea behind TabsLock but wish it worked for Firefox? Keep reading to download my own homespun solution for Firefox users.

I know Chrome is all the rage right now with all its shiny newness, but—call me old-fashioned—my undying love for Firefox hasn't yet wavered. Since the functionality behind TabsLock is relatively trivial to implement, I decided to roll a quick alternative. If you don't want to hear any of the details, go ahead and download TabsLock Firefox (alternate download link) and enjoy.

Still here? Okay, let's take a quick look at how our old friend AutoHotkey came to the rescue yet again. Here's the meat of the very simple, lightweight script (you can easily copy and paste the source minus the first three lines into your existing AHK script if you prefer that to running the system tray app).

In a nutshell, when you hit Caps Lock, the script looks to see if you have any windows open with "Mozilla Firefox" in the title (all Firefox windows do by default in Windows). If a Firefox window already exists, TabsLock Firefox activates that window and then opens a new tab with Ctrl+T; if not, TabsLock Firefox just opens a new Firefox window altogether. Finally, the last line of the script allows you to toggle your normal Caps Lock operation when you need it by pressing Shift+Caps Lock (just like TabsLock for Chrome).

If you like this idea but have a completely different program you'd like to use it with, just edit the script to match the application you want. And if Chrome has won you over, follow the link below to grab the inspired original TabsLock. If none of this sounds good to you but you wish you did have a better use for your Caps Lock key, check out other ways you can use AutoHokey to put your Caps Lock key to good use.

Surely you come across web pages during the workday that are completely unrelated to actual work, but that you'd love to save for later—and the previously mentioned (and award winning) Firefox extension ReadItLater does just that really well. Once ReadItLater is part of your everyday workflow, it's super-easy to park long articles or interesting tidbits you want to look at over lunch or at home in a "staging area" that's available as an RSS feed, in your regular bookmarks, and even on other computers. ReadItLater may appear unnecessary to power bookmarkers who keep a "later" folder or tag, but on closer inspection it does offer features that make hitting the snooze button on a link much easier.

The Killer Feature: One-click Park

Without ReadItLater, to save a web page in your bookmarks in a "read it later" folder or tag, it takes a couple of steps. (Even with Firefox 3's one-click bookmarking, you still have to tag or file the link.) With ReadItLater installed, Firefox gets a checkbox in the address bar next to the regular bookmark star icon. Click on that checkbox to automatically add the current web page to your ReadItLater list in one click. That's it. Now you can get back to work.

Alternately, if you don't even want to open the tempting link but want to save it for later, right-click on a link and choose "Read This Link Later" from the context menu.

If you're want to add a bunch of links on a single page to your reading list even more quickly, then activate "Click to Save" mode (Alt+M by default, or click the ReadItLater icon in the status bar). When you do, clicking on any link doesn't open it, it adds it to your reading list. This feature is especially good for shelfing several items of interest you might find on link-heavy pages like the Digg or Lifehacker front page.

Check Your Reading List

Once you've added a few pages to your ReadItLater list, you can click on the ReadItLater dropdown on the right of Firefox's search box to expand the list of items you've parked there. ReadItLater conveniently sorts the links by oldest added (by default, you can change this), so you see the stuff that's been hanging out there the longest at the top. You can quickly filter the list by tag, page name, site, or URL, too.

See that handy number 10 on the ReadItLater toolbar button? That's the number of unread items you have. This feature isn't turned on by default, but it's nice to instantly see how many items are in your reading queue. To turn it on, in ReadItLater's options, under Appearance, check off "Show number of unread items on the toolbar button," as shown.

Read Your Pages

Now that you've built up a reading list, you're eating lunch at your desk and want to do some personal browsing. Click on any link from that list dropdown to visit a page. All done? Simply click the ReadItLater checkbox to mark the item as read and immediately take it off your list. If you want tor permanently save it on your boomarks service of choice, hit the dropdown on that checkbox and pick your bookmark poison.

Syncing Your ReadItLater List

One of the really cool features of ReadItLater is that it automatically saves links to your Firefox bookmarks in a folder you specify. So if you're already syncing your bookmarks across computers with the likes of Foxmarks, your reading list goes to other computers even if you don't have the ReadItLater extension installed on them (but you don't get its neat interface).

ReadItLater has a syncing mechanism built in, too. You set up an RSS feed of your reading items, and then log in with your feed ID and a password to get your list on other computers with ReadItLater installed. Visit ReadItLater's Options dialog, under RSS/Syncing, to set that up.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Offline Reading

If clicking around Firefox ain't your bag, baby, ReadItLater has you covered. Customize your keyboard shortcuts for even faster access to your queue in the Options dialog.

ReadItLater also can save web pages you want to read on an airplane, for instance, to your hard drive for offline access. From the ReadItLater list dropdown, while you're online, click on the "Read Offline" link to make ReadItLater save local copies of the pages on your list.

Check out this three minute video demo to see ReadItLater in action.

How do you save links of interest to read later? Let us know in the comments.

Windows/Mac: Free application Docstoc Sync automatically synchronizes files between your desktop computer and previously mentioned document sharing web site Docstoc. Once installed, the application monitors your documents folders and automatically syncs any changes you make. Documents can be uploaded as either public or private (any file in your My Documents folder defaults to private), which means you can use the app to either share docs on the web or back them up privately. Docstop Sync is freeware, Windows and Mac only.

You've got a computer that backs up vital documents, launches applications at the tap of a key, and effortlessly pulls down the information you need from the web—and yet you spend precious weekend time doing menial tasks like watering the lawn and getting rice ready for dinner. You can apply the same geeky spirit to your home as you do your computer desktop, and we've got a host of projects that take a short time to tackle and free you up for the fun stuff. Check out our favorite home automation projects then tell us how you make your household self-maintaining.

10. Make your money handle itself.

It seems obvious, but a surprising number of geeks still manually shuffle their money around each month, paying bills as they come (or forgetting them) and saving when they think of it (and forgetting to). Your options may vary depending on your bank, but almost anybody can benefit from automating your finances. Think of it in GTD terms—the less time you spend worrying about where your dollars go, the more time and energy you have to spend them the way you want.

9. Back up your computer automatically.

Maybe you're an avid enough reader of this site to have gotten the religion of Hard Drives Always Fail, so you've set up your Windows or Mac system to automatically back up. You might use a nifty GUI tool like IdleBackup (which we walked through), or implemented a rock-solid tool like rsync. If that's the case, we're still going to suggest you make a weekend project of setting up your spouse, parents, siblings, or friends' computers to do the same. It's one less frantic call you'll receive, and it's one of the few guaranteed ways to feel no worries about the inevitable.

8. Skip unnecessary store runs with Amazon Subscribe & Save.

Not everyone needs or wants to have their paper towels, baby needs, or other dry goods delivered to them on a regular schedule, but for those of us who end up making last-minute drives to the store for something as simple as a cleaning sponge, Amazon's Subscribe & Save program could be a true blessing. It has free shipping, a pretty smart schedule creator, and saves you a bit of cash over buying the items per diem—or at drugstore markup rates.

7. Make your computer get back to work (or play) when you sit down.

Those who work from home, or in frenetic office environments, know that it's almost impossible to actually sit in one place and type for 8 hours—you get up to check the mail, use the bathroom, grab more coffee, chat with co-workers, and so forth. Even if you're just an easily-distracted user at home, Adam's guide to proximity and location-based computer actions can turn your computer into an eerily sentient device. If you're carrying your cell phone with you, the Home Zone software can make your computer wake up, turn down the music, unlock the screensaver, and do other tasks once you return to your system, and go back into security or media center modes when you leave. HAL is here, and he'd like to fire up your Work Music iTunes playlist for you

6. Document your parties without carrying a camera.

Senior Editor Adam Pash throws some mean parties, but he doesn't have the types of friends who bring their DSLR rigs and send him back great shots of the festivities. So he fired up his computer, and imagination, and found a host of ways to effortlessly document his party with simple photo projects, which anyone can implement. Give friends photo-booth-style strips, show pictures from the party as it happens, and forget having to bug everyone to pose every 10 minutes.

5. Turn a webcam into a security camera.

Webcams are a great way to keep track of tempted kids (and their babysitter) or otherwise monitor what's going on back at home. They're a lot cheaper than installing a video surveillance camera, they're so commonplace and small as not to be noticed, and you can access them over the net. Check out Adam's guide to turning a Mac into a FTP-backed-up security camera, or try Windows software like HomeCamera or the motion-sensing Yawcam.

4. Pre-load breakfast and dinner with a fuzzy-logic rice cooker.

A good, timer-driven rice cooker is like a Ultimate Edition of that trusty hot pot that saw you through college, with way more convenience. As readers of Cool Tools point out, a fuzzy-logic model like the Zojirushi 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker can be loaded at night to wake you up with hot breakfast, and filled before leaving for work with rice, beans, soup, or another warm side for dinner. There are cheaper and smaller models than the $165 Zojirushi make that can get the job done—anything with a start and shutoff timer will make daily cooking much easier.

3. Find your food easily with a DIY pantry auto-light.

When you catch a late-night cookie craving, nothing's more frustrating than spending precious munching time looking for the goodies in a dimly-lit pantry. Gina's father-in-law refused to stumble about his dry goods in the dark, so he built a DIY pantry light out of a Timex watch holder and some rope lights. It's super convenient, and looks a lot cooler than a bulb and hanging switch.

2. Control any plugged-in device from your computer

Have you ever dreamed of opening a terminal, typing in start coffee, and smelling the hot stuff brewing minutes later? The geeky magic of X10 makes it possible, along with scripts that open your curtains based on the sunrise time, turn off the lights when you leave the room, and much more. Wired's How-To Wiki runs down the basics of X10 in handy fashion. Change a few plugs, learn the software, and soon enough, you're saving time and money with things like a remote-controlled deadbolt.

1. Keep a perfect lawn with automatic sprinklers

Like your garden, your lawn likes to get a deep dose of water before the sun comes out to bake it. You can spend a lot of money or manually drag your sprinkler around the yard, or you can do what contributor Jason did and make your own DIY automatic sprinkler. His total cost was $100; your mileage will vary with your lawn size and sprinkler needs, and you can knock at least $30 out of it if you feel like building your own timer.

We know our readers apply the same DIY, make-it-work-for-you spirit to their homes as they do their computers. Let's hear about your favorite and most convenient home automation projects in the comments.

Windows only: Desktop app iRinger converts any video or music file into an iPhone ringtone, including YouTube videos. You already saw how to make a ringtone using only iTunes, but iRinger brings audio effects (like fade in and out, flanger, and delay) and video support to its single, simple interface. You can download any YouTube clip, for example, and import it into iRinger to create a tone. iRinger does nag you with a pop-up sponsor window that you can't close unless you donate to the project; otherwise it's a handy all-in-one iPhone ringtone utility. iRinger is a free download for Windows only. Non-iPhone owners, here's how to turn any MP3 into a ringtone. Thanks, nyifan!

Popular author Stephenie Meyer put her eagerly-anticipated vampire genre sequel Twilight Sun on indefinite hold after copies of her rough draft showed up on BitTorrent sites. The (obviously somewhat biased) TorrentFreak takes authors to task for not using online leaks as a promotional tool, but I have to ask: Would having access to a digital copy of a nearly-complete book inspire you to purchase the ink-and-paper version? Would having an advanced ebook reader, like the increasingly popular Kindle, change you answer? Let's hear both sides in the comments.