- Postica - Online Post It Notes plus file sharing
Most of us will agree that Post-It notes or sticky notes are one of the most popular tool that ever graced the office environment, and at home too. We love post-it notes because of its simplicity - write a simple note and paste it on the wall for a quick reminder of a future task or to-do list.
While its usage is still relevant today, there are better alternatives to Post-It notes in this IT era. One free service that will give the original Post-It notes a run for its money is Postica.
Postica is an online service that brings Post-It notes to your computer desktop or more accurately, your Internet browser. It allows you to create as many post-it notes as you want using your web browser. By bringing Post-It notes online , problems such as missing sticky notes, cluttered wall with huge amount of Post-It notes etc. can be eliminated.
And because Postica the notes are stored online, you can experience the same Post-It notes in any computer that you use, provided that it has Internet connection. Uber cool!
Postica has a minimalist, easy to use, AJAX-based interface that stays true to the simplicity of the original sticky notes version. To create a note, all you need to do is to click on the "STICK IT!" link and a box will pop-up. You can then type in your note and choose one from the six colours that you like. Lastly, press the "Stick It!" button to paste you notes on your own virtual noteboard / wall.
Additionally, you can arrange your sticky notes by dragging and dropping them on the screen. You can also move, edit and delete your Postica notes with ease. The best part of Postica is that your notes arrangement and location will stay intact even if you view them at another connected computer.
Postica innovates further by allowing you to add a file to complement each your notes. This way, you can use Postica to store related documents to your note or use it simply as a file storage tool. The service allows you to add up to 5MB of file per note . Just nice to upload an ad-hoc Microsoft Word file or a photo. A download link for a file will then appear at the bottom of each note if you choose to use this function.
You can also use Postica for a simple collaboration tool in your office or at home. With Postica, you can send your post-it notes to your friends or colleagues! They don't need to sign-up to Postica before they can read and receive the notes because it is all done using email. Moreover, they can accept or reject the notes if they are using this same service. To view all your shared notes, you can click on the "view your shares" link. Combine this feature and the upload feature above and you will have another nice, quick, group collaboration tool. Both features are available within the same "STICK IT! " notes creation pop-up box.
Last but not least is Twitter integration. By adding Postica as your Twitter friend, you can send direct notes to Postica to create a note without having to log-on to the actual service! The default colour of Postica notes created with Twitter is yellow but you can append a code in front of your direct message to change its colours.
For example; @p followed by a direct message will create a purple-coloured Postica notes. Combine this with the ability to tweet from a handphone and walla; you can now create Post It notes anytime, anywhere in the world, without having to open your computer and pasting lame post-it notes paper on a wall!
Overall, Postica is an uber cool tool for those who love to have their Post It notes online . With Postica, you can even play a small role to save the world by reducing paper usage while at the same time share and collaborate among friends with its file + note sharing feature. Don't miss to try out Postica and I am sure that you will absolutely love it! [via Online Tech Tips]
- Whozat - a search engine designed to find and display information about people. Searches cover social networks, the web, images and videos.
- Mozilla Weave Synchronizes Your Browsing Experience
The newest version of Mozilla's experimental browser-syncing tool, Weave, just hit the net, and it's seen a few marked improvements since it was first available. Going beyond bookmarks, Weave can match up your Firefox 3 settings, cookies, browsing history, and even tabs between browsers, with experimental support for passwords and form data-in other words, just about everything except extensions, themes, and plug-ins. There's a lot more to come, and it's still a pretty rough around the edges-this is, after all, just version 0.2-but follow along after the jump to see some of what Weave can do, or at least one day will do, to keep your Firefox browsing consistent and convenient.
The first step is heading to Weave's home page and installing the add-on. Firefox in Windows detected a security certificate problem and made me confirm Mozilla's worthiness three or four times before I could get in. After installing the add-on and restarting Firefox, you're prompted with a welcome screen (with a requisite warning about Weave's experimental nature), and then your first choice:
If you're setting up the first of your Firefox browsers that you'll grab and sync settings from, choose the left button. If you're trying to pull your settings from Mozilla's cloud for another browser or system, choose the right. If you're signing up new, you'll be asked for a username, email address, password, and then a separate "passphrase" that unlocks the encryption on your server-stored data.
Next, you'll be asked what you want to back up and sync on the computer you're installing Weave on:
You'll see again that passwords and form data are "experimental" features. I tried to enable both, and while syncing to a new Firefox profile in Vista, Weave failed with a "failed to acquire lock" error-your mileage may vary, of course, but I found success by choosing the non-experimental defaults.
I'll note here that your initial sync is going to take a loooooooooong time-about 6 minutes for an XP machine to pick up the data from a previous sync, and my Vista system went for 10 minutes before I'd decided to move on-though it apparently worked, given that XP grabbed my bookmarks, cookies, and "awesome bar" shortcuts. If everything did go well, you'll see the screen at right, and you can resume your normal browsing.
To keep your browser synced up, Weave puts an icon in your status bar that lets you sign in or out, sync on command, and see your last sync and activity log. You'll also see a little spinning sync wheel in a pop-up window when you close down the browser-which can stick around for a minute or more, depending on the connection and what changes you've made. You'll also get a Weave menu added to your Firefox preferences, with some troubleshooting logs and syncing options, most of which you can access from the status bar.
I tried out Weave on two different profiles each in Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Linux. If you're willing to try out Weave, here's a few problems I encountered that you might also find:
- Linux = no go: At least on my system. Weave just refuses to accept my encryption passphrase, and it looks like it's a disconnect between a locally-stored file and Mozilla's servers. Let us know in the comments if you find a fix or work-around.
- Re-installation prompts: On my XP installation, Weave seemed to continually ask me to install an add-on called "Latest Weave" upon starting up Firefox. I agreed three times, until I realized it was misinformed.
Occasional syncing hang-ups: Even on systems where Weave managed to successfully install, sync attempts at start-up or shutdown would lag or sometimes outright fail. - Where's the bookmark trading?: Weave was said to let users trade read-only bookmarks with other registered users, but I didn't see any send or receive options in any dialogs or settings. Can you find the gateway?
Caveats aside, Weave is looking pretty exciting right now, and if it works fine on your system, it could be a major time-saver and mobility helper. [via Lifehacker]
- Microsoft issues Windows XP Service Pack 3 Update Fix
User reports began to spread on the Internet who encountered a blank device manager and network connections after upgrading their Windows XP system to Service Pack 3. The problem was largely attributed to software that was monitoring the Registry for changes, many Symantec customers had problems with a feature called SymProtect that would cause the post-installation problems.
Symantec issued a patch on June 5th and Microsoft released a patch as well a few days ago that should solve the issue for users who are experiencing blank device managers and are missing networks in the network connections menu.
Users now have the choice to use the Microsoft patch or the Symantec fix to correct the issue. Using the Symantec fix however makes only sense if a Symantec product was installed on the system during the upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 3. [via gHacks]
- Pest Repeller Nightlight gives you an excuse to fear the dark
When I walk out for a smoke and a spot of air in the evening (Yes, it's sort of oxymoronic. Gimme a break.), I have a nasty habit of leaving my door wide open. At night, tons of flying insects are drawn towards the light, attracting mosquitoes and moths galore into my home.
When I step inside and lay down in bed, the insects remain. And I must have some really sweet blood because mosquitoes just can't resist feasting on me. I'd light up one of those bug repellent candles, but the fumes would no doubt keep me up, let alone destroy my beloved brain cells. The Riddex Bug Repellent Nightlight is a fume-free method for keeping bugs away from you while you sleep.
The great thing about Riddex is that it's not only effective with insects, but also keeps rats, mice, and roaches away, great for run down apartment buildings. The Riddex device turns up to 2000 square feet of your home into an invisiable pest fence using your home's wiring.
So actually, the built-in nightlight is just a perk for the Riddex system. Just tell your friends the light is a crucial factor in the pest control. While it might not be the most honest statement, it will save you some embarrassment for still being afraid of the dark. Get your own for $20. [via Coolest Gadgets]
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