Mimic Handwriting with this Free Font

I really like this handwriting-like font called Coates. Great for letters that you want to handwrite but just don’t have the time.

A New Font for a New Year… plasticbag.org

Word of the Day: “Carabiner”

Yesterday, I was reading something by Merlin Mann (43 Folders, The Merlin Show, etc.) and came across the word “carabiner.” I always thought that “carabiner” was a weapon from Star Wars. But, after a quick Google search with the “define:” operator, I found that it is, in fact, a metal key ring (or, “used primarily in rock climbing to clip things to your harness easily”).

And, after a quick consultation of my Star Wars Visual Dictionary, I found that I was confusing it with three weapon-related Star Wars items:

• A blaster known as a Laser Carbine
• Chewbacca’s Bandolier
• Chewbacca’s Wookie Bowcaster

So, I now know the true definition of “carabiner.”

Quick Tip: Change the Launchy Hotkey

One more thing on the previously-mentioned Launchy application launcher:

I noticed that when playing Battlefield 2, some of my key configurations were messed up, such as the Space bar. I then realized that the Space bar was one of the keys used to call up Launchy. So, I opened Launchy, right-clicked, chose “Hotkey” and changed it to something not involving the Space bar. Now Battlefield 2 works fine. So, if you’re having trouble with any key commands, your solution may be as simple as changing Launchy’s hotkey.

For Students: Block Wikipedia Entries While Researching with Google

Much like my Opening Windows search engine for Firefox, this one allows students to research through Google without running into take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt Wikipedia entries.

1. Paste the following code into Notepad:
   <search
   name=”Google -Wikipedia”
   method=”GET”
   action=”http://www.google.com/search”
   queryCharset=”utf-8″
   ><input name=”q” user>
   <input name=”-” value=”wikipedia”>
   </search>
2. 2. Save the file as “google-wikipedia.src” in C:\Program Files\Mozilla
   Firefox\searchplugins (and be sure to select All Files from the
   drop-down, or else it will be saved as google-wikipedia.src.txt).

That’s it! Now, restart Firefox and start searching Wikipedia-free from your Firefox search bar.

NOTE: There have been some issues with the code. If Firefox rejects it, try replacing all of the backwards quotes with normal quotes. That should fix any issues.

Opening Windows RSS Icon

You may have noticed the new RSS icon in the sidebar.

Right-click to save.

I also have the GIMP file and the site to get your own manipulable RSS icons.

Track Your Progress with Joe’s Goals

Sometimes, a graphical representation is all we need for motivation. If you exercise daily or always keep your website up-to-date, shouldn’t you get a “personal” pat on the back? That is precisely what Joe’s Goals is for. Registration is free and takes all of ten seconds. Then, you are free to add both positive and negative goals in a simple, easy-to-use web interface. When you complete a goal, click in its square for the current day of the week (a click for a positive goal gets you a check, a click for a negative goal gets you an “x”). You can add as many checks as you want per day (if, perhaps, you updated your website seven times today, you can have seven checks). Then, you can view reports to view your progress. If you’ve been setting goals for yourself but just want to see them all in one place in a simple, visual way, then Joe’s Goals is for you.

Joe’s Goals – Free Online Habit Tracker

FireFTP: An Alternative for those who Live Within Firefox

About two weeks ago, I started having trouble with my previously-recommended FTP client SmartFTP. Since I spend so much time within Firefox, I went on the search for an extension to allow me to transfer files right from the browser. The highest-rated and most popular extension that I came across was FireFTP. The interface is clean and simpler than SmartFTP. Set your login information, click connect and you can immediately start moving files back and forth. I like the arrow buttons that tell me which way I am transferring (local storage or FTP); I’m a visual person. So, if you like Firefox as much as I do, give FireFTP a try. I think it may be more to your liking than a regular FTP application.

FireFTP – The Free FTP Client for Mozilla Firefox

(Note: As you can see, I’m going to start putting prominent links below the post body to make things easier to find.)

Launch Applications, Bookmarks and more with Launchy

I cycle through favorite applications, and for a few weeks now the top runner has been Launchy. Whether you need to launch applications, Firefox bookmarks, music, video, photos or anything else, Launchy can do it. All you need to do is specify which directories it should index and the file types it should look for. Then, press Alt+Space (or whatever key combination you define) and up comes a dialog box for you to type what you are looking for. Launchy will try to give you suggestions to save you keystrokes. Launchy is also skinnable, so you can customize it to look however you please. And if you are into portable apps, you can even put it onto a USB drive. But my most favorite feature of Launchy is its ability to handle Firefox quick searches. I’m a fan of political cartoons, so if I want to find one about Iran, I just key in Alt+Space, polcartsearch Iran, Enter. It is amazing. Once you check out Launchy for yourself, you won’t turn back to the Start Menu.

“9 Things The Non-Tech Savvy Do That Annoy Geeks” (via Spiraloz.com)

 Comical, yet very true. Site was down at last check, so link is to DuggMirror cache.

Spiraloz.com

For Updating Pro Websites, SmartFTP Can’t be Beat

The professional website that I work on (yes, I do have a day job) just underwent a major upgrade. New hosting, new domain name, the whole nine yards. This new site comes with FTP support. At first, I didn’t see the problem with a built-in HTML editor. But now, with this much larger site, I needed the powerful capabilities of a standalone FTP client. The first one I came across was SmartFTP. Once installed, I was logged in to the website and transferring files in minutes. I mainly use it for simple purposes, but I hear that you can make it as advanced as you want. If you are just starting out with FTP but still want room to expand, I definitely recommend SmartFTP.