- Google Sites now open to everyone
A few months ago we launched Google Sites exclusively as part of Google Apps for companies and organizations that wanted to use the service on their own domains. Now we've made it easy for anyone to set up a website to share all types of information -- team projects, company intranets, community groups, classrooms, clubs, family updates, you name it -- in one place, for a few people, a group or the world. You can securely host your own website at http://sites.google.com/[your-website] and add as many pages as you like for free.
Getting started with Google Sites is easy. You can create different types of pages from scratch with the click of a button, and you can embed documents, calendars, photos, videos and gadgets directly into those pages. Similar to Google Docs, built-in editing tools allow for popular text and formatting changes to be made in a straightforward, WYSIWYG manner. Once your site is up and running, inviting people to edit or view your content is as simple as entering in their email address (of course, you can change access levels at any time). And you (or anyone who has editing privileges) can add or edit information whenever you'd like. [via The Official Google Blog]
- Remove backgrounds from photos using FotoFlexer
Looking for an easy way to remove a background from one of your digital photos? Commercial photo editing programs like Photoshop have the tools necessary to erase complicated backgrounds from digital photos, but unless your a professional, you probably don't have this installed on your computer.
Luckily, there's a way to remove backgrounds without needing Photoshop and actually without needing any software! There are many online photo editing services that you can use, one of which is FotoFlexer, a free online photo editor with many advanced features.
It is by the far the most advanced online editor in terms of the GUI interface, which is super fast, and in terms of the number of tools available, including morphing, recoloring, layering, effects, animations, and lots more.
To remove a background from an image, first upload a picture to FotoFlexer. You do not have to create an account if you already have photos on your computer. You can also grab pictures directly from Picasa, flickr, Facebook, MySpace, and Photobuck, but you'll have to create a free account.
Now click on the Geek tab at the right and you'll see a couple of buttons like Smart Cutout and Smart Scissors. The Smart Scissors tool is what we want to use here. It's very similar to the magnetic lasso tool in Photoshop.
Now you will want to begin drawing a boundary around the part of the image you want to cut out from the background. Click at the starting point and then continue clicking in small increments along the outer edges of the object. You'll notice that on each click, the Smart Scissors will automatically snap the curved lines around the the object like shown below:
Continue clicking around the object until you get to the end. Then you'll need to join the last dot with your first dot in order to create a closed selection. Only then will you see that the option "Create Cutout" become available. When you hover over the first dot you had created, you'll see it turns green, click on it and the background will darken.
Your final image would look like something below. You'll have to play around with the scissors tools, but basically if you want a better cut, you'll have to create more points at smaller distances.
You can use this free service to remove a person from a large group or to merge two photographs together, i.e. take one part of one picture and join it with a different part of a second picture. Enjoy! [via gHacks]
- Startup feature in Mac
Where is the startup feature in leopard? In PC, whatever you put inside the Startup feature, the application will be running when you start the PC. In Mac, you will find this feature inside System Preferences.
How? Go to System Preferences > Account > Login items. Click the ' ' sign to add application that should run when you start your Mac, and check the checkbox if you want to run it in the background.
Now, if you need to temporarily disable this feature, meaning you don't want this applications to run when start up, press the Shift key when you start your Mac, and release it when the Apple logo comes out. This start up will take longer, though, about 3-4 times longer than usual. This is very handy if you need to trouble shoot your Mac. [via AppleDoes]
- Pendulum Lounger will sweep you off your feet
Care to lay your behind in the most out-of-this-world lounger ever? Then you might be interested in the astonishing Pendulum Lounger, which has been just featured on Hammacher. The patent-pending design is actually an over-sized recliner that is suspended from a sturdy frame covered with a canopy to give you the feeling of laying on one of those ski-lifts, the only difference being that this recliner stays put and doesn't hurl you up a slope!. The design is meant to keep your legs at an elevated position, taking the stress off of your peds. The UV-proof, waterproof, stain-resistant, vinyl-coated polyester upholstery stay fresh and new for longer, even when left out in the sun and rain while the 11-gauge tubular steel frame is finished in polyester resin for enhanced durability. The recliner is good enough to support over 600 lbs of weight so its should be good enough for you to curl up with the missus and her mother, although that might not be so relaxing for you. This Pendulum Lounger will set you back $1,000. [via Born Rich]
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