Even if you’re not a boy scout, learning a few basic knots can be very helpful in everyday life.  Whether it may be securing a load, or tying a tie, here are 4 very valuable resources to help you tie knots better.

1. How to tie a tie

2tie a tie is a comprehensive guide to all things tie tying.  From traditional bow ties to office friendly Windsor knots, it provides you a step by step guide to wearing them properly.  It also comes with related guides like preventing wrinkles in ties, and cleaning them as well.

2. How to tie shoelaces in different stylish ways

Ian’s shoelace site helps you learn 33 different ways of tying your shoelaces so you can break out of the traditional methods of stringing up your shoes.  It also has an interesting tutorial on what it bills as the ‘fastest way to tie your shoelaces’.  It also has interesting tips on how to prevent shoelaces from slipping, preventing crooked shoe lace bows, and much more.

3. How to learn how to tie all kinds of useful knots

Aptly named ‘I Will Knot’ is one of the best resources online on knot tying.  It gives you animated images which show you how exactly to tie the knot, and makes for much easier reference than typical diagrams.  For further reference, you can also check out Mother Earth News’s guide on how to tie the 10 most useful knots.

4. How to carry about a guide about useful knots in your pocket

Infocard is an interesting project which sets out to collecting a few useful knots and putting them on wallet card for easy reference.  If you want to keep them handy, you can visit the page and print your own.

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There’s much more to file compression than simply zipping and extracting files using WinZip.  Here are 7 extra useful tools to make you even more productive when dealing with zipped files.

1. How to preview zip files before downloading them

ArchView is a Firefox extension which can open zip files online without downloading the whole archive. 

Not only can you see what’s in the zip file before you download it, you can even choose which individual files to grab.  This is extremely useful when you only want a few files not the whole zip archive.

This extension is also very fast since it merely fetches a small portion of the archive file from server. 

2. How to zip your files online

Just need  to zip up a few files without installing anything?  Simply upload your files to FileStomp, and it will create a zip file for you on the fly which you can download.

3. How to unzip your files online

While Filestomp creates zip files, WobZip is a way to unzip files online without the need of external software.  You can either upload the file, or point WobZip to the URL online, and it will be uncompressed and ready for download. 

Wobzip has a zipped filesize limit of 100MB, will also scan your zipped file for viruses, and even supports password protected zip files. 

4. How to create a full installer with a Zip file

ZipInstaller is a free tool which installs and uninstalls applications and utilities that do not provide an internal installation program.

It automatically extracts all files from the Zip file, copies them to the destination folder you select, creates shortcuts in the start menu and in your desktop, and adds an uninstall module to allow you to automatically remove the software in the future.

5. Where to get a free WinZip alternative

 7-Zip is perhaps one of the best known free alternatives to WinZip.  Capable of handling most popular file compression formats like Zip and RAR, you can either install it on your system, or carry it around with you on a thumbdrive with the portable version.

6. How to repair corrupted zip files

Zipped files are pretty sensitive where even a minor corruption of the file will cause it to fail an integrity check.  What DiskInternals Zip Repair will do is extract and move all the intact files to a new archive so you gain access to it.

7. How to hide zip files inside a JPG image

This is a really cool hack which allows you to hide zip files within a JPG image.  If you click on the file, the picture will display normally, but you can unzip the picture itself to reveal hidden contents!  Check out the video for more details.

What do you use to zip files?  Tell us in the comments!

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Let’s be honest, when we come home with a new shiny toy, we just want to unbox it and have a go at it.  Manuals, receipts and warranties get shoved in a drawer somewhere and are long forgotten…that is until you need them… and you can never seem to find them. 

Here are 3 practical ways to deal with these documents in an efficient manner.

1. How to organize your warranty information

Warranty Elephant allows you to organize your warranty information quickly.  After entering a few key details, you can upload a copy of your warranty itself and your invoice, so you have a softcopy of it.

The best part is that it will send you reminder emails at 6 months, 1 month and 1 week before your warranty expires. This will remind you to check your item and ensure it is in good working order. If it is not, you will have all the information needed, right in front you, to arrange for warranty service

2. How to find manuals for anything

Seriously, who reads manuals?  While you can get most devices up and running right out of the box, reading the manual actually allows you to discover the finer points of your device and gives you the chance to push it to the limits.  Of course when you feel like doing that, you can’t find the manual any more :) 

SafeManuals/Diplodocs is a huge resource of authorized manuals with more than 1.2 million manuals uploaded for almost everything you can think of with a manual – from domestic appliances, TV & Audio equipment, phones, to computers, cars, watches and digital cameras.  

3. How to dig up old receipts quickly

Evernote allows you to capture information, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time.  Some people think of it as an extension to your brain. 

One of the key features is it’s ability to recognize and index TEXT within pictures.  What this means is that you can snap a picture of your receipt from your phone, and Evernote will index it and make it searchable so you can find old receipts in a hearbeat!

Bonus tip: Flatten your boxes: If you plan on selling your electronics on eBay, you’ll find that having the original box is a big plus to potential buyers, and you can typically demand a higher price.  Of course, storing the box can be another space headache as well.  To get around this, flatten a box by simply cut along the taped join at the bottom and fold flat. Your box will be kept in good condition until it is ready for reuse.

Would you use any of the above services?  Tell us in the comments!

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Formatting is contextual.  One style may look great in one place, but look horrible in the next.  Here are a few quick tips on how to remove unwanted formatting from your documents.

1. How to remove unwanted formatting from your email

If you’ve received an email which has been forwarded multiple times, you’d notice that it can be hard to read if every line is prefixed with on more more ‘>’ characters.  Stripmail is a great piece of freeware which will help you strip any unwanted characters from your email and formats it into proper paragraphs and indentation so it’s much easier to read.  Stripmail is a free standalone utility which does not require installation so it’s incredibly light and portable.

2. How to remove unwanted formatting from any text in Google Docs AND MS Word and Powerpoint

Want a quick way to remove formatting in your document? Select the text you want to remove formatting from, and click Alt + Spacebar.  This built-in function will instantly do the job, and will work both in Google Docs and Microsoft Office.

3. How to remove unwanted formatting from Excel

The Alt + Spacebar trick doesn’t work in Excel, so what you can do is select an already unformatted cell, then click on the format painter button, and then select the area which you want unformatted.   

4. How to remove unwanted formatting when pasting web pages into MS Word

Things you copy from the web tend to end up looking really bad when you paste it into an MS Word file.  The way to get around this, once you copy the text, go to MS-Word and click Edit-Paste Special – Unformatted Text.  If you tend to do this very often, check out this excellent video tutorial on how to set up this up as a macro.

5. How to remove unwanted formatting when copying from your web browser

Have you ever copied something from your web browser to Outlook or Office and been annoyed that the text formatting (bold, font size, etc) came with it? Don’t you wish you could just copy the text itself, without having to copy it, paste it into notepad, then copy it again? This firefox extension gives you an option to copy text without the formatting. You can even set it to trim extra space in and around the copied text!

How do you deal with unwanted formatting?  Tell us in the comments!

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How to do an Online Background Check

Yes – it’s hard to get a lot of work done when there are just so many interesting things to do online.  People to reconnect with, games to play, discussions to join.  How do you keep yourself focused and get the job done?  Here are 12 geeky techniques which should help you get back on track and be much more productive.

The direct intervention methods:

1. How to limit your time on time-wasting sites

LeechBlock is a simple Firefox extension designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day.  You can block sites within fixed time periods (e.g., between 9am and 5pm), after a time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour), or with a combination of time periods and time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour between 9am and 5pm).

You can also set a password for access, just to slow you down in moments of weakness!

2. How to make time-wasting sites turn blank before a certain time

If you want something more potent, you can try Lifehacker’s "Invisibility Cloak" Greasemonkey user script that turns time-wasting web sites blank before a specific time so you would not be able to use them until after a certain time.

3. How to avoid playing addictive Flash games

Flashblock is a Firefox extension that blocks ALL Flash content from loading. It then leaves placeholders on the webpage that allow you to click to download and then view the Flash content. 

Originally meant as a way to simply load up pages faster, this also acts as a final barrier so you can think again before you play that addictive Flash game which you know will suck out another few hours of your life.

4. How to completely block time-wasting sites

Don’t want to even get tempted?  You can block websites using the HOSTS files in Windows with this tutorial.  While this is probably the most effective way of blocking sites, it is juts as painful to unblock those sites when you DO want to visit them after hours.

The guilt trip methods:

5. How to track how much time you spend online

Don’t know how much time you spend online?  You can learn the truth when you install the TimeTracker extension for Firefox.  Not only does it track browsing time across sessions so you can get running totals even when you close your browser, it pauses automatically when you stop browsing or switch focus to another app. 

You can also ask it to ignore certain ‘work’ sites that should not count to your tracked online time if you wish.

6. How to track how you’re spending your time on your computer

If you’re searching for a more detailed breakdown of how you spend your time, look no further than Rescuetime Solo.  This freesoftware sits in your background and tracks all the sites you visit and applications you use so you can see how much of your time was actually in MS-Excel vs Youtube :)

7. How to track how much time you’ve spent on Twitter

If you’re a Twitter addict, you’d be surprised how fast those seemingly harmless 140 character messages add up.  Tweetstats will help you track your tweeting patterns and more importantly – show you when you tweet so you can check how much time you’ve spent on the additive this micro-blogging service. 

The laser focused methods:

8. How to cut out background noise from other apps

Jedi Concentrate is a free windows app which mimics the OSX feature called Exposé.  When "concentrate" mode is activated, all windows except for the current active window are smoothly faded out.

Its purpose is focus only on the app in use and to dim everything else in the background when you need to get to work.

9. How to write without any distractions

Dark Room is a full screen, distraction free, writing environment. Unlike standard word processors that focus on features, Dark Room is just about you and your text.  No distractions, no fancy fonts, no colors, nothing.  For a Mac version try WriteRoom.

The nagging reminder methods:

10. How to use a buzzer to control your activities

Just like a school bell telling you to switch classes, working with buzzer counting down also helps give you a sense of urgency and helps you limit your personal time at work if you stick to it.  For this, you can try e.ggtimer.com for an online buzzer which is incredibly simple to use. 

For example, if you tell yourself you’re going to take a 10 minute break, just load up e.ggtimer and tell it to run for 10 minutes before it beeps.  For more information, do check out this excellent related article on combating procrastination with this method.

The GTD methods:

11. How to avoid getting distracted by constant pinging

Turn off all IM and email notifications, and hide that Twitter sidebar.  These tools are perhaps the ultimate distraction for information addicts like myself, who want to be plugged in all the time.  Seriously though, you don’t really need to be notified in real-time that Martha has come online, or Bob has a new wall post on Facebook. 

12. How to do exactly the same amount  in faster time

After you’ve turned off your notifications, put aside that urge to constantly check your messages, and instead set aside 3 times in a day to check your personal email and address that Facebook fix.  By processing your downtime in batches, you’ll make your personal time much more effective as well.

What other techniques do you have to stop yourself slacking off?  Tell us in the comments!

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The computer desktop is an integral part of our workspace, much like its real-world counterpart. The state of a desktop not only affects work productivity, but also the psychology of its user. A clean, organized space with easy-to-reach and accessible elements in place is a good way to kick off a day of work. Here are some tips on how to do that.

1. How to easily reach frequently used programs

Rocketdock is a functional yet resource-light piece of software for you to arrange frequently-used items in an easily-reachable dock on any corner of your desktop. You can choose to launch any of these apps from a cool, sliding interface a-la Mac OS. The dock also makes it easy to recognize and pinpoint difficult icons.

2. How to post sticky notes on your desktop

Stickies is a simple tool that allows you to post nifty little notes on your desktop. They can be about anything – reminders, to-dos, motivational words and more. Just type in the text and it will remain on your desktop until it is removed – just like those good ol’ Post-it notes!

3. How to easily categorize your desktop icons

Creating color-coded images as wallpapers is easy even with Windows’ built-in Paint. Just split the wallpaper into a number of equal areas, and color them differently. When set as the wallpaper, just drag related icons into the color boxes, and these colors will act as categorizers – truly a fuss-free way to visually group desktop icons.

4. How to turn your desktop into a multi purpose tool

Google Desktop is a desktop utility that gives you access to news, weather, RSS feeds and other functions through its sidebar gadgets. Although similar to the Windows Vista Sidebar, Google’s has been redesigned for better security and blending onto the desktop.

5. How to minimize programs to the system tray

Tray-it is a powerful little tool that enables you to minimize any applications to the system tray instead of the taskbar. One good way to multitask with this tool is to minimize programs with less priority to the system tray, thus freeing up space in the taskbar for more important apps.

Do you organize your desktop?  Tell us in the comments!

This guest post was written by Chan Huey Hoong.  If you want to guest post for this blog, drop me a line!

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Whether you’re a designer who wants to experiment, or a client who wants to prepare a brief, or someone who just wants to show off a really cool idea, preparing a mockup goes a long way in helping people visualize ideas.  You get to improve visibility so people know what you’re talking about, get to agreement quickly, and cut down on spec writing time.

Balsamiq is an incredibly user-friendly tool which helps create mockups very quickly.  All you need to do is drag and drop various elements onto the canvas and you are able to build a user interface layout in a flash.  Check out this video for a demo on how to create an iTunes-like interface in 2 minutes 14 seconds:

Speed is Balsamiq’s main selling point here.  You’re not going to get shiny beautiful mockups which look almost like your finished product.  In fact, the graphics are intentionally designed to look like pencil sketches to give it an authentic ‘drawn-on-the-back-of-a-napkin’ feel to the sketches.  What you do get is raw ideas quickly translated into visuals at a frighteningly quick pace.  Speaking from personal experience, Balsamiq was simply a joy to use

Balsamiq comes in two flavors, a free one which you can try, and a registered version (USD 79.95) which has key features like exporting your mockups to image files, and loading multiple mockups.

FREE Giveaway: registered copy of Balsamiq woth USD 79.95

This month we’re giving away one free registered copy of Balsamiq to a lucky reader!  To be in the running to win this prize, all you have to do is:

Just follow me on Twitter & drop me a message @friedbeef, saying you want a free copy of Balsamiq.  That’s it!

Winners will be chosen at random and will be announced in a couple of weeks… You could be the lucky winner!

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It doesn’t matter how much bandwidth you have.  You know you still want to be faster online :) Besides the obvious solutions of upgrading your bandwidth or tweaking your browser for speed, here are 7 ways to speedily read web pages.

1. How to eliminate the need of clicking to the next page so you can read faster

AutoPager is a Firefox extension which automatically loads the next page of a site inline when you reach the end of the current page for infinite scrolling of content.  By default AutoPager works with a ton of sites, including Lifehacker, the New York Times, Digg, and, of course, Google.  If you want to add your own custom autopaging to unsupported sites – you can.  Autopager – because clicking the ‘next page’ link is just too difficult.

2. How to cut out distractions from other windows so you can read faster

JediConcentrate is a free app which smoothly fades out all windows except for the current active window. The purpose is to dim everything on all of your monitors when you need to get to work (or read web pages without constantly being distracted by shiny widgets and Instant Messages, or anything else really).

3. How to cut out ads so you can read faster

Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock Plus now and get rid of them.  Right-click on a banner and choose “Adblock” from the context menu — the banner won’t be downloaded again. In fact, this Firefox extension will block most advertisements fully automatically!

4. How to highlight keywords instantly so you can read faster

Firefox has an extremely useful native feature which allows you to highlight any specific text on a web page simply by searching for it (Ctrl F). and clicking the ‘highlight all’ button.  What this does is it highlights the keyword for you so you can easily skim through pages and find relevant text fast.  Google Toolbar also comes with a neat feature which highlights your search terms on any page.  This greatly speeds things up especially when you’re searching for answers on a page rather than casual reading.

5. How to just simply read faster

ZAP Reader is a web based speed reading program that will change the way you read on your computer. Current beta testers report reading twice as much in half the time—that’s a 300% increase in reading speed, without any loss in comprehension! There is nothing to install, it works with most popular browsers, and it’s totally free!

6. How to avoid squinting so you can read faster

Rather than reaching for your reading glasses or struggling to read small fonts on a webpage simply hold down CTRL and use your mouse scrollwheel in order to zoom in and out of a web page.  This tip works for both IE and Firefox.

7. How to convert text to speech so you DON’T have to read faster

OK, maybe you’ve just given up reading faster :)  For those people in this category, you can always try out Text to Speech so you can turn catch up on your reading in your car, or on your iPod by turning text into a sound file.  Here’s an excellent resource for this.

Do you use any quick methods to surf or read webpages?  Tell us in the comments!

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Telling me that 100m = 328 feet doesn’t really mean much to me. 

Telling me that 100m = 2 Olympic-sized swimming pools does.

SensibleUnits.com is a free unit conversion service which helps you understand how long, large, or heavy something is by equating it with physical real life objects which most people can relate to better.  Perfect for putting any measurement into context. 

Plus, if not for this service I would never have known that 16 human small intestines could stretch out to 100m :)

Do you use any measurement unit conversion tools?  Let us know in the comments!

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Printers are getting cheaper all the time – but printer ink is still priced at a hefty premium.  Here are 3 great tips to save ink, save paper, and save the world all at the same time. 

1. How to optimize a web page for printing

Ever print a web page only to find your printout is full of ads, empty space and other junk you don’t want? PrintWhatYouLike is a free web page editor that gives you control of how web pages look when printed.  All you need to is:

• Enter the url of a page you wish to print
• Edit the page until it contains only what you want to print
• Print It! Only your modified page will be printed

There is nothing to download- everything runs in your browser, and it takes just a few clicks to remove the backgrounds or images.  Feel free to have a go at it as all changes are undoable.  You can even combine multiple web pages together – edit and print them as one document!

2. How to pick the best font for printing

Ecofont is a project to optimize fonts for printing, without sacrificing readability.

Appealing ideas are often simple: how much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? After extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. After lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink.

3. How to automate optimization for printing

Greenprint is an interesting piece of freeware that scans through and helps to optimize the print layout.  With just a few simple clicks you can automatically tweak it so that you’re not wasting paper and ink.  The advantages to this over PrintWhatYouLike.com is that this works for printed materials outside web pages, but the disadvantages of it would be that you would actually need to install something not run it directly off the web.

Do you take steps to save printer ink?  Tell us in the comments!

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We all know how important a good password is, but how do you test how good it REALLY is?

Sure, many websites now come with password indicators which says ‘Weak’ or ‘Strong, but what exactly does that mean?

Well now you can get an answer :)

Hackosis has setup a calculator which estimates how fast your password would be cracked if it was run on a typical PC processor under ideal conditions.  Granted that the real world does not run in ideal conditions (with bandwidth limitations etc),but results are nevertheless – pretty scary.

Want to safeguard yourself?  Here are 4 password tips to get you on the right track.

What password tips do you have?  Tell us in the comments!

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An easy way to store away multiple presentation files from a conference or event is simply to merge them all into one single Powerpoint file.  That way you:

1. Reduce clutter in your folders
2. Don’t have to wonder which was the one-of-20-presentations you were looking for

No, you don’t have to copy and paste slides from each presentation.  Just use Powerpoint Joiner, and it will run a script which will take care of all the merging of files with just a few clicks. 

Also useful if you have to regularly compile a standard set of Powerpoint files from various sources.

Do you like Powerpoint?  Tell us in the comments!

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Need to populate a database with some dummy figures?  Here’s perhaps the fastest way you’ll be able to do this.

GenerateData.com is a free service which quickly generate large volumes of custom data in a variety of formats (eg. Excel, CSV, SQL, HTML).  What I like most about GenerateData.com it is you can choose the type of data to generate, for example – phone numbers, email, names etc.  Everything just gets neatly generated based on whatever you select and it really saves time trying to come up with quality dummy data.

Also, if you want this service to run on own server (in case you need to run some heavy duty data generation), the script is open and available for download on the site – for FREE.

Thanks Skeevs for sharing this :)

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Universal Document Converter (UDC) is a piece of software that will allow you to convert documents of any type can be exported into Adobe PDF or graphical files in 7 popular formats: TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, DCX, GIF or BMP.  Once installed, UDC will be listed alongside your printers, so within any application, just click print and select UDC and you’ll export that document to the file format of your choice.

The good:

• The fact that the application functions as a virtual printer means that you can convert files directly from any application which supports printing.  This saves an extra step of having to launch a separate conversion program every time you want to generate a file in a different output.
• Support for less popular but industry formats like Autocad & QuarkXpress.  These file types are usually forgotten by many of the other converters out there.

• High resolution. The ability to export documents with a resolution up to 2,400 DPI enables you to save all elements of design of advertising materials and the minutest details of drawings and electronic diagrams.

• Automatic margin cropping. The function of automatic cropping of empty margins makes it unnecessary to edit graphical copies of tables and diagrams before placing them in presentations or text documents.

• Scalability. The possibility to share Universal Document Converter over a network and use it from workstations allows for a significant increase in speed for the conversion of documents.

• Ease of use.  The software is pretty intuitive, and the tutorials are very straightforward in case you every get stuck.  If all else fails, there’s also software support.

What could be better:

Price.  For the most popular conversions like document to PDF, there are free alternatives which function the same way (acting as a virtual printer) and work just as well.  Even for other conversions, PDF to picture etc. there are other alternatives as well.  With prices starting at USD$69, UDC can be too steep for most people.

Tipping point:

Is it worth the price?  The key consideration in this decision is – how often you convert files.  Due to its universal nature and software support, over a long run, this will save you time (and as a result – money) if you convert files on a very regular basis.   My advice would be to try out the demo version first, and then try the free alternatives for PDF writers (they another here), and and other converters.   – then make your decision.

Links: Universal Document Converter

What do you use to convert documents?  Tell us in the comments!

Disclaimer: UDC has paid me to test and review their service – and to give an honest opinion. Please note that all opinions expressed in this post are completely my own, and have not been influenced by UDC in any way.

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Microsoft’s Windows Clipboard (The virtual space which stores your ‘cut/copy’ so you can ‘paste’ it), is perhaps one of the most underdeveloped features of Windows.  Its ability to only store ONE item at a time has been the bane of many a Windows user who just needed something more than that. 

Fortunately, the community has responded and there are quite a number of good tools out there which will extend the functionality of the clipboard.  I’ve tried several of these Clipboard managers, but after putting it to the test, Ditto is perhaps one of the most powerful of these such tools.

Among many others, here are some of my favorite features:

1. Stores as many copied entries as you want
2. Sort those copied items so you can use them later (e.g. Address details)
3. Search as you type feature – which allows you to filter through all the items you copied to your clipboard
4. Thumbnails for images on clipboard
5. Portable and can be run directly from a thumb-drive

Ditto is also open source and completely free :)

What’s your favorite clipboard manager?  Tell us in the comments!

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