By The Awesomer, The Awesomer – November 21, 2012 at 12:30PM
Key & Peele crack us up once again with their public service ad for the Vincent Clortho Public School for Wizards, a school that’s clearly not as nice, or well-funded as Hogwarts.
Grad School Scam
Cheating in Middle School
Back to School Boot Camp
Wizard of Meh
Wizard Wars
By Melanie Pinola, Lifehacker – November 27, 2012 at 11:30AM
Portion control is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy weight. Instead of counting calories or using measuring cups, quickly estimate portion sizes for your proteins, veggies, carbs, and fat by looking at your hands, as these visual guides illustrate.
Using your hand to estimate your portions is familiar territory we’ve discussed before. While other guides have shown us how to measure an inch, teaspoon, or ounce with your hand, these portion control guides from Livestrong are much easier to remember and simpler to follow. You only need to know four hand equivalents for the portions of a complete meal:
-Your palm determines your protein portions.
-Your fist determines your veggie portions.
-Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
-Your thumb determines your fat portions.
There are two guides, one for men and one for women (click to expand or right-click to save):
While everyone’s hands are different sizes, Livestrong points out that because your hand size is relative to your body size, it’s a great personalized food measurement tool.
Check out the full article for more details on the recommended food portions and flexible meal planning.
A Quick and Easy Way to Estimate Portion Size | Livestrong
By Dieter Petereit, noupe – November 27, 2012 at 07:05AM
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2013 will see a new resource for web designers. ByPeople is going to bring you a market packed with icons, templates, PSDs, logos and lots more. ByPeople promises to deliver everything web-ninjas could ever need. To shorten the wait its creators decided to put up a large archive for free. The archive, containing hundreds of design elements, comes at a weight of around 700 MB to a desktop near you. All you need to do is get your hands at an app that’s able to unpack a 7z-archive and tell ByPeople your mail address.
By Simon Slangen, MakeUseOf – November 26, 2012 at 04:30PM
One of the harder steps in the creative process of developing an application is right between the idea’s conception and the baby steps of its implementation.
Sure, you can open Xcode and start populating your screen with preliminary code and interface elements. But if you jump right in, chances are good you’ll get stuck or end up with an application that doesn’t resonate with your original idea as well as you thought it would.
Especially with more complex application ideas, it can be useful to work out some of the general details before you take the leap. What form will the application take? What’s it going to look like, and feel like? Framework or mockup applications are useful to create such an application prototype. They’re the proverbial napkin you use to connect the dots of the idea forming in your head.
Below are three such tools for the iPhone and iPad, with the hope that they will aid you in the design process for applications targeting those same devices.
We mentioned the proverbial napkin above, but inspiration doesn’t always come from staring at a blank screen. More often, inspiration itself is inspired by mundane events, and you won’t always have your iPhone at hand when a solution starts forming in your head. It all comes down to this: be prepared to use an actual napkin.
Whether it’s circumstance or preference that has you prototyping an app on paper, you don’t necessarily have to recreate your doodles on your iPhone manually. POP, an acronym for ‘Prototyping On Paper’, helps you translate your drawings into a functioning interface prototype. Just take a picture of your interface drawings with your iPhone’s camera, and add links between drawn interface elements and other pages in your storyboard.
Afterwards, you can easily share the prototype with friends and colleagues, who can take it for a spin on their iPhone, iPad, or web browser, and leave constructive feedback.
AppSketcher is available for the iPad only, but you can use it to create apps for either platform. The app is aptly named, as it doesn’t provide any preset interface elements. Rather, it gives you a blank canvas which you can use to sketch different views of your application using a number of consecutive pages. This makes the app mostly useful for the design of applications that define their own interface elements and don’t always follow the storyboard app structure, such as games.
As you download the app, you’ll be able to access a number of different coloured pencils with a text box tool. Initially, only three application templates are available: the iPhone horizontal and vertical views, and a blank slate. Similar templates for iPad mockups can be acquired through an in-app purchase of USD 0.99, as can a grid paper template. When you’re done, you can save your app sketches as a PDF, to your Photos, or upload them to DropBox.
If you’re willing to pay a few bucks for a more complete prototyping tool, you should take a look at iMockups. At USD 6.99, it’s priced mid-range, but has surprisingly powerful features. iMockups is only available for the iPad, but you can use it to create wireframes and mockups for web, iPhone and iPad projects.
Populate your canvases using the many included interface elements, with snap-to-gridlines. The latter is very easy to get used to and not only makes iMockups a joy to look at, but gives you a highly professional mockup. The size, position and arrangement of your interface elements can be meticulously fine-tuned using the element-specific controls shown in the screenshot above. When you’re done, send your project files to your colleagues, or export it in PNG or Balsamiq BMML.
How do you work out the initial details of an app idea? Do you tend to use paper or a computer? Let us know your mockup tips in the comments section below the article!
The post 3 Tools To Create iOS App Prototypes On Your iPhone Or iPad appeared first on MakeUseOf.
By Saikat Basu, MakeUseOf – November 26, 2012 at 01:00PM
The Googleplex must be a busy place indeed. There is always something happening around Google. Take their flagship product, Google Search for example. Google Search alone is a maze and it takes quite something to use it in different ways to call oneself as a ‘power user’. Google Search operators and Advanced Search are just barrels of a multi-barreled canon.
Too confusing? No…look at it this way – each filter and operator on Google Search is designed to be a crosshair on a scope mounted on that ‘canon’. You need to use them appropriately for the relevant search result. So, I am advancing this article with the assumption that you don’t use most of the search tools as much as you should every day. Let’s explore a few neat search tools which we miss in the flurry of typing in the queries.
The Google Search page was minimalistic to begin with. But when there’s so much to dig around on the web, it practically turned into a maze. Earlier this month, Google went in for a more uncluttered look. The update took a cue from the Google interface on tablets and mobile devices. The idea is to provide “more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you’re looking for”.
Most of the filters that were on the left have been moved to the top. Now, the More menu hides other Google search services like news, books, blogs and a few more. Search Tools to its right gives you a set of filters to finetune the primary results. Let’s take a look with an example.
Yes, you can just search for free (or paid) applications on Google, completely removing the clutter of irrelevant results.
Put in the keyword for the app you are searching for.
Click on More – Applications to view filtered search results from a variety of app hosting sites and stores.
Now, you can click on Search Tools and filter the already narrowed down results by Any Price and Any Source.
You can use Search Tools with any of the other search services to finetune the results. For example, you can use Google’s Recipe Search for getting low-cal diet recipes that can be quickly prepared.
In my lazy hours, I also find it interesting to look at what major companies are up to. As you may know, every company is trying to make a beachhead in the patent wars. Also, filed patents give us an early teaser into how the world is shaping up. Check out this screenshot which uses Google’s patent search tells you about an interesting swim wear developed by an inventor which has a retaining device for swim goggles. Try out some of your own searches.
The Filters that you see in the above screenshot are supplemental to advanced search operators you can use. The filters make it a one-click deal as opposed to typing it out. Let’s look into how we can use each filter to not only get better content, but also cut short the time it takes to separate the wheat from the chaff on a regular Google Search results page.
A Use for Sites with Images: You can do a regular Google Image Search. But Sites with Images gives me a better view of images organized around sites hosting them. With a glance I can see how the image I am searching for and the sites hosting it are connected.
A Use for Related Searches: A related search helps you to cast your net wide and then bring it close. Let’s say, you are unsure about what you are looking for. Try a general search and then start narrowing it down by using related search. Alternatively, related search helps you go deeper into results and discover more. For example, you can use it to sieve out ‘brand’ names that have already been trademarked. One of the more common uses is to find related keywords for quick search engine optimization.
A Use for Reading Level: Filtering your results by reading level is very useful, from a teacher to a Nobel laureate. You’ll now see a percentage breakdown of results by reading level on a bar graph. If you are a teacher looking for basic reading material for kids, you can click on Basic. If you happen to be a Nobel laureate reading this humble post, click on Advanced.
A Use for Dictionary: This filter gives you the meaning of the word in a single click. It is also what you get when you use the [define] operator and click ‘More info’ below it. You will get links to definitions on other sites, and also an option to translate it to another language.
A Use for ‘Nearby’: Using this filter is a trigger for a local search. One of the uses could be to find local businesses or someone like a freelancer based near your city, state, or region.
A Use for Translated Foreign Pages: Translated foreign pages can have some great content too in comparison to the English ones. It is also a great language learning aid. If you planning a visit to a foreign locale, you can read through some of the native language sites in their translated English versions pr any language of your choice. As you can see from the numbers below, there are quite a lot of them.
A Use for Verbatim: A search using the ‘Verbatim’ filter gives you exactly or the exact literal word you search for. It makes Google ignore your browsing history, synonyms, similar terms, spelling corrections etc. It is also a replacement for the ‘+’ operator, that now finds use in Google Plus. But I didn’t find it absolutely accurate but nearly so.
Google Search tools and filters can be worked around in alternate ways. The idea is to grab the vast information out there and make use of it in ways not envisaged normally. What about you? Do you use these filters consciously? Have you explored them lately? Tell us if you use them in some specific ways. We would love to grab a few hints without ‘Googling’ around for them.
The post More Free Google Search Tools You Might Not Be Using So Much appeared first on MakeUseOf.
By Alan Henry, Lifehacker – November 25, 2012 at 11:00AM
The holiday shopping season is revving up, which means it’s time to search for some bargains so you don’t go broke buying gifts for the people on your list. There are dozens of deal sites out there, but not all of them are useful when it’s time to actually find discounts on things you actually want to buy. We asked you which sites you used, and this week we’re taking a look at the top five, based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week we asked you which deal sites you used to save money. You offered up plenty of options, and we tallied up your votes, but sadly we only have room for the top five.
Slickdeals is so popular and well known that at my last job, most of my colleagues in our IT group (and out of it, honestly) had Slickdeals as our browser homepages. We never wanted to miss a deal, and new ones were breaking and expiring all day. Slickdeals is largely community powered, with members floating up coupon codes and sales available at retailers all over the web for the community to see and take advantage of, and it’s not just on technology and electronics: apparel, local deals at nearby shops, travel and vacation packages, it’s all there. Or you can hop right to your favorite online retailer and see what they have to offer before you click purchase. The forums are active and lively, and the deals never stop.
The Dealnews network of sites, including DealMac and the old DealRAM and DealCam (which have now been absorbed into Dealnews) offer daily, regularly updating deals from around the web on computer equipment, home electronics, apparel, and much much more. Almost nothing escapes Dealnews’s eye: monitors and displays, TVs and home entertainment gear, headphones and audio equipment, GPS systems, even sunglasses and clothing are all available. The backlog of deals is huge, and you just have to search for the product you’re interested in to see what deals are active in that area and which ones have recently expired. They also get a ton of exclusive deals you’ll only find at Dealnews, and an excellent collection of holiday and Black Friday bargains. I’m pretty sure half my gear I got thanks to Dealnews, and they’re always worth a check for bargains before you start shopping.
Woot started off as the original daily deal site, and since being purchased by Amazon back in 2010, has expanded its empire to not just daily technology deals, but deals on wine, kids clothing and toys, technology and home electronics, independently designed t-shirts and apparel, and more. They’ve also launched Deals.Woot, a community powered site full of bargains on virtually any item you can think of, from lingerie to computer components, all upvoted or downvoted by the community so you only see the deals that actually save you money. The other Woot sites also go out of their way to offer more than just one deal a day, with many offering exclusive bargains and super-deep discounts for limited times, most notably their repeated and regular discounts on Gunnar glasses.
Fatwallet is another deal site that’s been around for a long time, but they’re worth a check before you go shopping online to make sure you’re not missing a coupon code or a retailer that has the item you want on sale. Fatwallet covers major retailers and niche ones, in categories that are largely electronics and computer gear, but also include apparel, cosmetics, jewelry, and local deals in your community. Fatwallet’s biggest resource is its community though: its active forums are full of regularly churning deals that appear, make it big all over the web, and then vanish when the coupon code has been used up or every other deal site on the web links to their forum threads. The site boasts millions of members, and the while the front page is great, the forums are where the magic happens.
While many deal sites focus on technology deals and electronics discounts, BradsDeals offers up discounts, price alerts, and coupon codes on other items we all buy: clothing, apparel, toiletries and small electronics (shavers, razors, etc), and jewelry. The site has a wealth of coupon codes for popular retailers and big box stores with names you’d recognize, and even offers printable coupons as well so you can run to a brick-and-mortar store when you don’t want to wait for shipping. If you’ve felt that other deal sites are huge electronics stores with tiny household sections and other departments, BradsDeals will fix that for you—think of more like a traditional department store, just only stocked with discounts and coupons you can use anywhere you want to shop.
Now that you’ve seen the top five, it’s time to put them all to a vote to decide the winner.
Honorable mentions this week go out to RetailMeNot, which does host plenty of deals and bargains in addition to the coupon codes for sites around the web that made it famous. If you don’t already check RetailMeNot to see if there’s a coupon for the site you’re shopping on before you click purchase, you really should, even if you wind up being disappointed when there aren’t any. A little love goes out to Passwird, another deal site run by one person, and while it doesn’t have the broadest list of deals, the ones it does have are hand picked and frequently updated. That site hasn’t changed in years, but it’s still worth a bookmark.
Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn’t included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Make your case for your favorite—or alternative—in the discussions below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it’s not because we hate it—it’s because it didn’t get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it’s a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
By Lambert V., The Awesomer – November 23, 2012 at 09:30AM
Neil Cicierega’s blog Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks will not help you run the obsolete OS. But it will help you to not sleep tonight. We never want to be alone with our computer again.
Teardrop Windows
Gladwell Book Generator
Project Glass: Windows Version
Inside Windows 7
Movie Title Mix-Up
By Brian Barrett, Gizmodo – November 21, 2012 at 03:18PM
The Onion’s TED parody series rolls on, with what may be the best—and most scathing—round yet. The target this time? Social media, a joyous place where ideas are a waste of time, and talent is irrelevant. More » 
By Brad Hill, Engadget – November 20, 2012 at 04:34PM
Something startling happened over the weekend. It came and went in a flash, but the repercussions could, and should, be lasting. An unexpected and most unusual policy brief from the Republican Study Committee was released. (The RSC is a 165-member congressional policy review group.) Entitled Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix It, the eight-page document is an astonishing declaration of revisionism, bristling with policy arguments that align with the most excitable rants of P2P advocates over the last 10 years. It is a devastating indictment of American copyright law.
Then, in less than 24 hours, the paper was rescinded. The committee’s Executive Director, Paul S. Teller, offered an obscure apology with no explanation. Of course the thing is easily available, and its message remains a permanent part of the conversational record, deletion be damned.
By arguing that the current iteration of American copyright law is broken in several respects, and by proposing extreme solutions, the rogue document debilitates the talking points of institutional copyright holders and their agencies such as the RIAA. Anyone who has been following the hardened rhetoric over what copyright should be in a copy-share digital world will be startled by the accusatory language and sharply reformist intent of this document.
Filed under: Internet
