http://productivegeek.com/forums/ The Geeky Way to Get Things Done en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:15:00 +0000 http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-set-up-your-google-homepage-as-a-feed-reader#post-1787 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:42:24 +0000 Melissa Karnaze 1787@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/set-up-your-google-homepage-as-a-feed-reader/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/set-up-your-google-homepage-as-a-feed-reader/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-30-1-03-42-47.jpg" />Do you want to use your Google homepage as a feed reader? It's easy to set up, customizable, and more visually appealing than boring RSS columns. Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/set-up-your-google-homepage-as-a-feed-reader/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/the-7zone-desktop#post-1786 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:48:12 +0000 nintendofan345 1786@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>This is my customized, optimized, finalized, terrificalized desktop.<br /> [attach=f547f6d85eb9d1a6]<br /> Comment if you like, constructively criticize if you don't.</p> <p>I Used:<br /> ObjectDock Plus by Stardock, $19.95<br /> Yahoo! Widgets Engine by Yahoo!, FREE<br /> Coquette Iconset by Dryicons.com, FREE for non-commercial use<br /> Sound Wave by Vladstudio, FREE with watermark<br /> Aero ObjectDock Theme by Stardock, included with ObjectDock Plus</p> <p>All Yahoo! Widgets are included with the software. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-scheduling-versus-over-scheduling-how-to-find-a-balance#post-1785 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:54:31 +0000 Elise Hines 1785@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/scheduling-versus-over-scheduling-how-to-find-a-balance/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/scheduling-versus-over-scheduling-how-to-find-a-balance/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-28-1-14-53-04.jpg" />Creating a schedule and keeping on the schedule are key facets of productivity, but scheduling too much of your day can be counterproductive. Finding that balance can help you be more flexible while still getting tasks done in a constantly changing work environment. Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/scheduling-versus-over-scheduling-how-to-find-a-balance/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-transform-your-ubuntu-box-into-a-karaoke-machine#post-1784 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:01:34 +0000 Zainul Franciscus 1784@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/transform-your-ubuntu-box-into-a-karaoke-machine/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/transform-your-ubuntu-box-into-a-karaoke-machine/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-27-1-18-02-04.jpg" />Ever thought about turning your Linux Box into your own personal karaoke machine ? Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/transform-your-ubuntu-box-into-a-karaoke-machine/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/technical-10-desktop#post-1783 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:55:57 +0000 tbvnz 1783@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Wallpaper(grayscale mod):Technical 10 by ~thesuper @ deviantart<br /> Yahoo Widgets: Yet another scrolling banner, Ikonic, Neon gauges,Disk monitor, CPU Monitor<br /> Rainlendar:Vista Aero<br /> Cursor FX: Dark theme<br /> Crosshair Cursor<br /> Dexpot<br /> Uptime<br /> Tclock<br /> <a href="http://productivegeek.com/forums/attachments/desktop_screenshot_1279928349.jpg" rel="fancybox1779"><img src="http://productivegeek.com/forums/attachments/thumb_desktop_screenshot.jpg" alt="" /></a></p> <p>&lt;div class='attachments' style='margin-bottom:5px'&gt;&lt;/div&gt; </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/avatars-on-the-productive-geek-forums#post-1237 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:24:28 +0000 alexward1981 1237@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>I've noticed that quite a few of you don't have any avatars, obviously there will be some who simply don't want to have them but for those who would like an avatar and simply don't know how to get one its quite simple.</p> <p>Simply visit <a href="http://en.gravatar.com/">http://en.gravatar.com/</a> and click on 'Get your Gravatar today' and follow the instructions.</p> <p>If you don't know what avatar to get and you don't like the presets on gravatars site (if they still have them of course) then you can find a whole host of free to use avatars at <a href="http://www.avatarsdb.com/">http://www.avatarsdb.com/</a>, of course you can search for free avatars on google but be warned, there are a lot of spam sites under this search.</p> <p>Just on the off chance you don't even know what an avatar is (or are wondering why I am making an obscure James Cameron reference) then an Avatar is the little profile picture you can see on peoples posts on this and other forums. They can help to identify you more easily to other members of the forum and can really help you to mesh with the community. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/macbook-vs-laptop#post-1781 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:07:50 +0000 b0ring 1781@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>I've been searching for a decent site or article to help me out but so far everything is either 100% pro-Mac or 100% anti-Mac, so I need some advice.</p> <p>I need to buy a new laptop ready to start my PhD study in October and was thinking about getting a Macbook, but the cost is scaring me away. Can anyone offer suggestions on whether or not it's worth investing in one over just a regular laptop? Really, the sole purpose of it will be to keep my research work and my personal life separate (I already have a PC for that). </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/minimalistic-dark-desktop-rathalos#post-1780 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:51:19 +0000 chainbullet 1780@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Any Monster Hunter fans out there? :] Just inherited an old tablet laptop and decided to overhaul it.</p> <p><a href="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/204/e/d/The_Monster_Hunter_by_chA1nBull3t.png" title="Rathalos by chainbullet, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4821991075_d430f7d349.jpg" alt="Rathalos" /></a></p> <p>Wall: Rathalos | by: me<br /> VS: <a href="http://jg-visuals.deviantart.com/art/base-124067665">Base</a> | by: jg-visuals // (<a href="http://albinoasian.deviantart.com/art/Myriad-Base-Suite-SHOWCASE-131214497?moodonly=1"> 7 Alternative</a> by: AlbinoAsian)<br /> LiteStep:<a href="http://gersoncarvalho.deviantart.com/art/Styllz-Suite-171861164"> Styllz</a> | gersoncarvalho MOD<br /> Firefox: <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&amp;section=&amp;global=1&amp;q=firefox+startpage#/d2ap80o">Start Page</a> | by: =Folter-x MOD<br /> Icons: <a href="http://cha1nbull3t.deviantart.com/#/d1awiae">cqlipse 2</a> | by: chrfb<br /> ImageViewer: ZeeD | by: ???<br /> Portrait: Monster Hunter | by: ekoputeh<br /> Winamp: <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=winamp&amp;order=9&amp;offset=24#/dbites">Exceed</a> | by: Nylons<br /> MiniLyrics </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-increase-your-efficiency-by-timing-your-tasks#post-1778 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:14:16 +0000 Elise Hines 1778@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/increase-your-efficiency-by-timing-your-tasks/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/increase-your-efficiency-by-timing-your-tasks/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-23-1-12-12-54.jpg" />If you are overwhelmed with work but short on time, basic time management strategies may not be enough. Use a timer to regain control, keep yourself on track, and break up the monotony of boring tasks or chores. Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/increase-your-efficiency-by-timing-your-tasks/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/looking-for-a-suggestion-for-a-wireless-router#post-1129 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:39:12 +0000 piercedjai 1129@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>I am not sure where this really needs to go, but I figured this category was better than any. I am currently running a Linksys WRT110, on my home network, but I am completely disgusted by outright flakiness. Can anyone make a suggestion for a good wireless router with wired gigabyte ports? I am no so much concerned about price or looks , than I am functionality and reliability. </p> <p> thanks in advance </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-monitor-trending-topics-favourite-blogs-and-more-with-regator#post-1776 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:38:16 +0000 Zainul Franciscus 1776@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/monitor-trending-topics-favourite-blogs-and-more-with-regator/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/monitor-trending-topics-favourite-blogs-and-more-with-regator/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-22-1-08-35-58.png" />Regator manages RSS feeds and finds the most relevant news from popular blogs on the web. You can think of Regator as your personal news curator, and customize it to give you the news the way you want. Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/monitor-trending-topics-favourite-blogs-and-more-with-regator/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/discussion-how-to-turn-a-rant-into-a-productivity-power-tool#post-1775 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:46:06 +0000 Melissa Karnaze 1775@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Discussion for: <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/how-to-turn-a-rant-into-a-productivity-power-tool/'>http://productivegeek.com/articles/how-to-turn-a-rant-into-a-productivity-power-tool/</a></p> <p><img src="http://productivegeek.com/public/thumbnails/sshot-2010-07-21-1-05-45-30.jpg" />Ranting doesn't have to be a waste of breathe and time. You can turn a rant into a powerful tool for productivity. Learn how to transform your sense of victim hood and irritability to self-empowerment and mental clarity. Not sure what we're talking about? <a href='http://productivegeek.com/articles/how-to-turn-a-rant-into-a-productivity-power-tool/'>Read the original article</a>, and then come back here to discuss. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/can-you-recommend-me-a-good-free-fully-functional-pdf-maker-editor#post-1764 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:05:07 +0000 goldwave84 1764@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hello All</p> <p>Here is my dilemma. I like reading articles on the net and wish to buy an ebook someday. I was thinking of converting all those articles into .pdf format for future reference. I have tried a few but none seem to do the job well, formatting wise. What program can</p> <p>a) retain the original look of the page?<br /> b) allow me to edit and remove unwanted pictures, texts and links?<br /> c) have dates, original sites and page numbers added?</p> <p>Hope to hear from anyone and everyone!</p> <p>Thx </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/script-suggestion-turn-off-music-if-inactive-5-minutes#post-1729 Tue, 18 May 2010 19:01:58 +0000 spirion 1729@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>I tend to get dragged into new tasks as I meander around the building and sometimes going for a drink of water ends of turning into an hour long tech support venture. If I'm just running to the drinking fountain I usually don't turn off my music. I'm wondering if anyone has written a script that detects both key presses and mouse movement simultaneously? Ideally I'd love to have a script that if neither are detected after 5 mins, it closes my music app. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/clear-clean#post-1468 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:18:13 +0000 A.Nonymous 1468@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>[attach=83c3ab2b040317bf]</p> <p>Well this is my Desktop Setup which I made a few days ago, it is a combination of:</p> <p>Customized <a href="http://redmile.deviantart.com/art/dESATURATED-for-Windows-Seven-139519425">dESATURATED Windows 7 theme</a> by Redmile (Thats makes the window borders like below)</p> <p><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/442672">The Lime Light wallpaper by Matchstick</a></p> <p><a href="http://rainmeter.net/RainCMS/">Rainmeter</a> <a href="http://www.espiox.net/uploads/10-Foot_HUD.zip">with 10-Foot HUD</a> and the integrated RSS Reader (which is set to fade in when moused over). Edit: I forgot to mention that I have tweaked the 10-Foot HUD clock a bit, I changed the font and distances between the time and date a bit to look good with the other font, I included that one in the attachments, just rename the .txt file extension to .ini</p> <p><a href="http://www.launchy.net/">Launchy</a> <a href="http://karl-moik.deviantart.com/art/MinimaLaunchy-97162149">with the Minimalaunchy skin.</a></p> <p>I also use <a href="http://www.autohotkey.com/">Autohotkey</a> with some scripts to <a href="http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic5727.html">control iTunes from anywhere</a> and I also use the <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/06/use-caps-lock-for-hand-friendly-text-navigation/">CapsLock remapping script from LifeHacker.</a></p> <p>Here are some more screenshots:</p> <p>[attach=fc1c1fac78f171bc]</p> <p>[attach=58c3287994e58078] </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/year-2052#post-1756 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:29:36 +0000 cashman3000 1756@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>[attach=fd72c82c8c93c0fa]<br /> Hello every one this is my very first post here so I am happy to show off my custom desktop.<br /> <b>The Dock</b><br /> I use rocketdock, which can be found here --&gt; <a href="http://rocketdock.com/">[Link]</a><br /> <b>Wallpaper</b><br /> The wallpaper I got from <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">deviantART</a>, Its called Land of Dogs by Akajork. You can get it here --&gt; <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/wallpaper/?q=planet&amp;order=9&amp;offset=264#/d1563k1">[link] </a><br /> <b>Other</b><br /> Rainmeter for system stats. <a href="http://rainmeter.net/RainCMS/">[link]</a><br /> The weather is a windows 7 gadget.<br /> The Skin for rocketdock is Vivid by Troyenne. <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/applaunchers/rocketdock/?order=9&amp;offset=24#/d1fmb9c">[link]</a><br /> And Finally the icons are called Token made by brsev. <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/icons/dock/#/d24gow2">[link]</a></p> <p>P.S. I am trying to find a good "now playing" display thing for rainmeter. If you know any good ones plz let me know. I would also prefer one with out player controls. thxs </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/icy-undertow#post-1504 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:09:12 +0000 OptimusComposite 1504@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p><a href="http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/BlackOps1941/?action=view&amp;current=IcyUndertowRSSHidden.png"><img src="http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/BlackOps1941/IcyUndertowRSSHidden.png" alt="Photobucket" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/BlackOps1941/?action=view&amp;current=IcyUndertowRSSVisible.png"><img src="http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii273/BlackOps1941/IcyUndertowRSSVisible.png" alt="Photobucket" /></a></p> <p>This is what my first experiences with Rainmeter have lead me to so far. It's a work in progress, but most things I do usually are. Most of the skins are based around the <a href="http://customize.org/rainmeter/skins/61120">GeoSans 2.0 Skin</a> by gberger. I'm using his skins for the drive icons, and have modified a few others to use the GeoSans font, which I've come to love. Other skins used include:</p> <p> - <a href="http://customize.org/rainmeter/skins/64456">SimpleMeter V1.02</a> by Chewtoy. I modified his clock setup pretty heavily to fit my needs.</p> <p> - <a href="http://customize.org/rainmeter/skins/61532">Yboris' ToDo List Skin</a> from yboris. Again, modified heavily to fit the theme. The font used here is <a href="http://glue.deviantart.com/art/Eight-One-45198536">Eight One</a> by =glue, another nice font.</p> <p> - The default Enigma RSS Reader skins. There are four of them used total - one for HowToGeek, one for ProductiveGeek, one for Lifehacker, and one for a basketball blog. They're all customized to use the Eight One font and are set to a high transparency, fading in when I mouse over them.</p> <p> - A custom built date skin, again using the GeoSans font set.</p> <p>I also modified the icons of my pinned Taskbar programs to a set called <a href="http://brsev.deviantart.com/art/Token-128429570">Token by brsev</a> in order to stick with the subdued color theme. The wallpaper used is <a href="http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/details/2122/icy_undertow.html">Icy Undertow</a> from TheReal7.</p> <p>I'm pretty happy with it so far. It's more minimal than I'm used to, which is nice. I use a fair amount of Autohotkey scripting to allow me to use the keyboard for mostly everything. I built a quick script to let me easily add a task to the ToDo list using an Input Box and the FileAppend command, making adding a task very quick. The next thing I want to do is change the start button to a darker one, as I feel it kind of stands out right now.</p> <p>I'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions, though. What do you think?</p> <p> ~ Optimus </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/compact-monochrome#post-1758 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:12:41 +0000 ktrom3894 1758@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Desktop (with registry-hacked right click menu shown)<br /> [attach=c45c2ef1f1732566]<br /> Bottom bar with sections opened<br /> [attach=7df75b395d3bbc81]</p> <p>Alright, basic stuff first.<br /> My desktop can be found <a href="http://wallbase.net/wallpaper/164934">here</a>.<br /> I'm using the Ka7ana Stealth theme, <a href="http://killaaaron.deviantart.com/art/Ka7ana-Stealth-Alpha-X86-X64-135175965">here</a>.<br /> Excluding the weather icons in my Samurize config, all icons are from the <a href="//brsev.deviantart.com/art/Token-128429570">Token icon pack</a>.<br /> And finally, my start orb is the <a href="http://ap-graphik.deviantart.com/art/steelOrb-for-Windows-7-139708279">steelOrb</a>.</p> <p>As for programs:<br /> I'm using the <a href="http://kaelri.deviantart.com/art/Enigma-for-Launchy-140641113">Enigma skin</a> for <a href="http://www.launchy.net">Launchy</a>, and the <a href="http://customize.org/rainlendar/skins/63524">Statica EN skin</a> for <a href="http://www.rainlendar.net/cms/index.php">Rainlendar</a>.<br /> Running happily and silently in the background is my own <a href="http://www.autohotkey.com/">AutoHotkey</a> script.<br /> I'm using a cutom <a href="http://www.cdartdisplay.com/">CD Art Display</a> skin, that I based on the default skin.</p> <p>I've chosen <a href="http://www.samurize.com">Samurize</a> over Rainmeter, because for me, putting together a good-looking Samurize config is relatively easy, and I like being able to dock my config. No love lost for Rainmeter, however, I just prefer Samurize.<br /> I've created a series of custom configs for it. The main one is the bar visible in the top screenshot. It displays some basic info, including system and network info, as well as weather. It also has a few buttons on the right for various folders and other actions. The inovative part of this desktop, however, are the expanded sections in the second screenshot. Sitting in a hidden folder on the desktop are a series of shortcuts and small AutoHotkey scripts, which allow me to click parts of the main bar config, and open the smaller configs pictured above. For instance, clicking the System section of the bar opens a small window that displays the used space on 3 drives, more information about my memory and CPU usage, as well as uptime and processes. Down at the other end, clicking the bookmark icon opens a small menu of bookmarks, etc.</p> <p>As a result, I have a very simplistic desktop, but with a click or two can access any information I need about my system, or the world around me.</p> <p>PS: Yes, that is an apocalypse countdown clock on the bar. XD </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/different-workspace-on-2nd-monitor-of-a-different-resolution#post-1738 Mon, 31 May 2010 10:53:33 +0000 applejuice77 1738@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hey guys, I was wondering if you have a program out there that's free for xp that lets met switch between workspaces on my dual monitor setup. The reason is that I don't like I have to be sensitive near the the edges when I want to close something, Plus I don't want to drag something across the screen all the time.</p> <p>So Is it possible to have a program where I can see my 2nd workspace on my spare monitor and easily just switch between my current screen with the 2nd workspace?</p> <p>Thank you </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/my-ubuntu-desktop#post-1753 Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:59:03 +0000 zero_cool 1753@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>this is my new ubuntu 10.04 desktop which i made a few days agoooooooooooooooo.. and i am so excited..<br /> if u want the wall paper or anything else leave a comment..`[attach=44752f91f98d4e0e] </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/team-fortress-2-hud#post-1742 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:58:56 +0000 Aogu 1742@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hello all,<br /> This was the result of my first full go at rainmeter (own configs+own wallpaper) obviously its based on Team Fortress 2.<br /> I thought I'd post it up just to get some thoughts, I'd be grateful for any input!</p> <p>[attach=c4a359d93494f330]</p> <p>For an annotated version see: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aogu/4662803691/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/aogu/4662803691/</a></p> <p>(The configs were largely adapted from those of the themes "Three", "Enigma" and "GeoSans", font provided by Valve) </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/portable-software-vs-classic-software#post-206 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:57:32 +0000 mattl75 206@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hi everybody,</p> <p>We know all the advantages of portable versions and almost every software has its (official or not) portable version.</p> <p>What I'm wondering is why we SHOULDN'T use portable versions, in other words why everybody keeps using classic installer version?</p> <p>Thanks </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/tips-and-advice-on-saving-money-today#post-428 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:50:01 +0000 cat 428@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Money is tight for most of us and I am constantly challenged by the idea of saving <em>more</em>. How?!@ Don’t you need to <em>make more</em> in order to <em>save more</em>? Most of us contribute to our 401k and that’s about it. It’s hard to save when companies are freezing salaries and our living expenses remain the same or climb even higher. However, that age old saying “where there is a will, there is a way” applies. There are ways to save more, <em>really</em>… but it will require a change in mind set and in spending habit.<br /> <img src="http://productivegeek.com/forums/attachments/Savings1_1262889962.png" alt="" /><br /> Before you plunge into your plan of action to save, you need to set a savings goal for yourself. It may be a large goal (e.g. down payment for a new home or car) or a smaller goal (e.g. in 3 months I will save $XXX and pay off my credit card), but you need to set a goal. I think it’s easier when you set a series of short term goals. So with that goal in mind, consider the following when establishing your savings plan.</p> <p><b>Allowance please~!</b> Remember getting allowance from your parents when you were a kid? Agree to give yourself a weekly allowance in cash each Sunday for your spending during upcoming week. The key is not using your credit card or debit card during the week. That said, you can agree to certain specific exceptions, such as filling up on gas. It will be tough the first few weeks, but if you commit, you will definitely see a difference.</p> <p><b>Stop eating out so much!</b> Pack your lunch or stash frozen foods in your office fridge and eat in a few times a week. This is really hard for some people, but just tabulate how much you spend eating out for lunch in a month and you’ll see that you are spending too much! If you need another incentive, why not use your lunch time to burn off a few calories and rather than eating a big lunch, snack throughout the day? If your office has a gym, then no excuses for you! If not, what’s wrong with enjoying the outdoors for 30 minutes mid-day? This is totally doable and you actually get a lot more energy throughout the day. </p> <p><b>Carpool anyone?</b> If you can, carpool with co-workers a few times a week. If not, for whatever reason, then check out erideshare.com , carpoolconnect.com or find a Park &amp; Ride near you. Even if it’s just a few times a week or even a few times a month, you will end up saving a lot of cash in the long run.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ltd.org/cs/search/showresult.html?versionthread=40768765ded7431b2c3270ca3553bf5a&amp;SESSIONID=186a2fa41e9ff796306961e03">Table 1- Monthly Commute Cost for Driving Alone vs. Sharing the Ride (Based on AAA "Your Driving Costs 2008") </a><img src="http://productivegeek.com/forums/attachments/Savings2_1262889741.png" alt="" /></p> <p><b>Plan your weekly meals and use those coupons! </b>Plan your weekly dinner meals in advance and shop once a week for your groceries. Otherwise, you find yourself at the grocery store 2-3 times a week, buying and spending more than you need to. Also if you plan ahead, you can make better use of coupons and weekly deals at your local food mart. And apply for and use, use, use your Safeway, Harris Teeter, Giant, etc. club card for instant savings. </p> <p><b>Go with the generic brand.</b> Seriously, there is nothing wrong with buying the generic brand. I am not advocating that you buy generic for everything… but what’s wrong with buying the unmarked apple or orange over the Granny Smith apple or Sunkist orange? I don’t feel bad about paying ½ less for groceries by choosing the generic or grocery store brand over the brand named products.</p> <p><b>Keep track of your spending.</b> Keep track of your expenses and spending habits. Knowing is half the battle. If you keep good records of your spending, then you will find areas where you can cut and start saving.</p> <p>There’s no better time than now to grow your savings. And despite what people may say, I don’t agree that saving money is an easy thing. It takes a concerted effort and persistent will, but it is absolutely doable. Good luck~! </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/keepass-vs-lastpass-password-management#post-1457 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:08:06 +0000 c.barber78 1457@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Just wondering the opinion of others on this, now that KeePass has decent Firefox integration through KeeFox (keefox.org)<br /> I ruled out PassPack because 15 euros a year is a bit much when Lastpass is only $12 :)<br /> I will be using this on Firefox on my computer, my iPhone, and also other computers without admin access - so both of them offer these, just wondering which is better. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/web-hosting#post-1735 Sat, 29 May 2010 10:07:02 +0000 b0ring 1735@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hi all<br /> I'm thinking about making a personal website, essentially just a way to consolidate my online presence into one place. Blog, photos, etc. I'm going to presume that most of you guys, in your infinite geekiness, have already done this so I'm wondering what suggestions you can offer me in terms of web hosting. Sure, I'll get a domain to make life easier, but is it necessary to have a web host?</p> <p>I'm not really looking to spend a lot of money on hosting since it's a personal thing, could I achieve it with ISP provided web hosting, since I'm not sure what restrictions they put on scripting.</p> <p>Thanks! </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/thinking-about-starting-a-small-business-need-some-advice#post-1731 Wed, 19 May 2010 11:31:05 +0000 thedukehimself 1731@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Greetings fellow geeks! Due to my wife recently accepting a new job, I have recently decided that I want to start my own small business. Because I will be moving to a small town I would like to focus on offering remote technical assistance to residential customers. However, the town I will be moving to has only one retail location for computer repair so I might offer local support services too but do not want to open a retail location. I currently have a B.S. in Finance and have no certifications. So there's my background. Now I need advice from all of you.</p> <p>From what I have researched comTIA A+ seems like a must but have noticed various other certifications. What online training and certifications would you suggest?</p> <p>For remote software I prefer LogMeIn but it is quite expensive. Teamviewer seems reasonably priced for a lifetime license. As far as I am aware VNC doesn't offer a one click link option such as Teamviewer and LogMeIn rescue.</p> <p>Marketing seems to be the real issue. I plan to do some web advertising and some local advertising in newspapers etc. Also, my university offers free advertising for its former students so I will take advantage of the that. Ideas?</p> <p>Thanks to everyone for their advice in advanced. </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/would-like-a-chinese-character-supported-media-center#post-1732 Fri, 21 May 2010 13:21:17 +0000 applejuice77 1732@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hello all, </p> <p>I would like to thank you all for all your computer knowledge so I can help my non geek family members with their technical stuff. Here, I'd like to discuss about setting up a media center for them. I've tried lifehacker's xmbc setup on the revo, and it really failed on me. Let's just say there's too much weird detail about the font and character set not working. I've tried asking for hlep on the xmbc, but no help. </p> <p>So I ask if you have any alternatives any of you may have in mind? I will tell you I have all the hardware listed on lifehacker's xmbc setup, remote + hdmi cable+ acer revo (cheap one) so I hope hardware/resources isn't a problem? </p> <p>You see, if I play the videos on VLC player, the subs will display correctly with the right characters. This SAME font I loaded onto xmbc failed to display the right ones (displayed japanese characters too...) </p> <p>So I hope I can link up vlc player with this new media center? Unless there are some open softwares that are like vlc player? I might try boxee later if it comes to it.. I was thinking of using the windows media center loaded on revo and launch it from there, except I'm not sure if the player can support holding subs or even chinese sub files. I have the right font for it...</p> <p>Thank you very much </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/ultimate-usb-flash-drive-help#post-1670 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:14:24 +0000 srvrgeek 1670@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>I'm putting together a usb flash drive with multiple portable applications that will help troubleshoot and fix computers and servers in the field. Does anyone have some good suggestions on the essential toolkit for such an application? I'm using the Lupo Pensuite and a bootable grub4dos for my base.</p> <p>-srvrgeek </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/help-and-tips-with-mobile-app#post-1721 Sat, 15 May 2010 01:31:12 +0000 jitsejan 1721@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p>Hello,</p> <p>I need to make an application on a mobile phone which reads the accelerometer and sends the data through BlueTooth which is then received by a computer. Does anyone here has some experience with developing on mobile phones? It has to work on most of the recent cell phones (the ones with accelrometer ofcourse). Should you really use all the seperate SDK's or is there something more easy?</p> <p>Best regards,</p> <p>JJ </p> http://productivegeek.com/forums/topic/top-ten-android-apps-for-uk-users#post-1720 Fri, 14 May 2010 18:07:21 +0000 alexward1981 1720@http://productivegeek.com/forums/ <p><a href="http://www.digitalfusionmag.com/blog/technical/top-10-android-apps-for-uk-users">http://www.digitalfusionmag.com/blog/technical/top-10-android-apps-for-uk-users</a> </p>