101 Most Useful Websites You Dont Know About

 

The list primarily highlights the lesser-known or undiscovered websites and misses out all-time favorites like Google Docs, Wikipedia or IMDB that most of us are already aware of.

Useful Websites Worth a Bookmark!

The sites mentioned below, well most of them, solve at least one problem really well and they all have simple web addresses (URLs) that you can easily learn by heart thus saving you a trip to Google. [via]

01. screenr.com – record movies of your desktop and send them straight to YouTube.
02. bounceapp.com – for capturing full length screenshots of web pages.
03. goo.gl – shorten long URLs and convert URLs into QR codes.
04. untiny.me – find the original URLs that’s hiding behind a short URLs.
05. localti.me – know more than just the local time of a city
06. copypastecharacter.com – copy special characters that aren’t on your keyboard.
07. topsy.com – a better search engine for twitter.
08. fb.me/AppStore – search iOS app without launching iTunes.
09. iconfinder.com – the best place to find icons of all sizes.
10. office.com – download templates, clipart and images for your Office documents.
11. woorank.com – everything you wanted to know about a website.
12. virustotal.com – scan any suspicious file or email attachment for viruses.
13. wolframalpha.com – gets answers directly without searching  – see more wolfram tips.
14. printwhatyoulike.com – print web pages without the clutter.
15. joliprint.com – reformats news articles and blog content as a newspaper.
16. isnsfw.com – when you wish to share a NSFW page but with a warning.
17. e.ggtimer.com – a simple online timer for your daily needs.
18. coralcdn.org – if a site is down due to heavy traffic, try accessing it through coral CDN.
19. random.org – pick random numbers, flip coins, and more.
20. mywot.com – check the trust level of any website – example.
21. viewer.zoho.com – Preview PDFs and Presentations directly in the browser.
22. tubemogul.com – simultaneously upload videos to YouTube and other video sites.
23. truveo.com – the best place for searching web videos.
24. scr.im – share you email address online without worrying about spam.
25. spypig.com – now get read receipts for your email.
26. sizeasy.com – visualize and compare the size of any product.
27. whatfontis.com – quickly determine the font name from an image.
28. fontsquirrel.com – a good collection of fonts – free for personal and commercial use.
29. regex.info – find data hidden in your photographs – see more EXIF tools.
30. tineye.com – this is like an online version of Google Googles.
31. iwantmyname.com – helps you search domains across all TLDs.
32. tabbloid.com – your favorite blogs delivered as PDFs.
33. join.me – share you screen with anyone over the web.
34. onlineocr.net – recognize text from scanned PDFs and images – see other OCR tools.
35. flightstats.com – Track flight status at airports worldwide.
36. wetransfer.com – for sharing really big files online.
37. pastebin.com – a temporary online clipboard for your text and code snippets.
38. polishmywriting.com – check your writing for spelling or grammatical errors.
39. awesomehighlighter.com – easily highlight the important parts of a web page.
40. typewith.me – work on the same document with multiple people.
41. whichdateworks.com – planning an event? find a date that works for all.
42. everytimezone.com – a less confusing view of the world time zones.
43. warrick.cs.odu.edu – you’ll need this when your bookmarked web pages are deleted.
44. gtmetrix.com – the perfect tool for measuring your site performance online.
45. imo.im – chat with your buddies on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, etc. from one place.
46. translate.google.com – translate web pages, PDFs and Office documents.
47. youtube.com/leanback – enjoy a never ending stream of YouTube videos in full-screen.
48. similarsites.com – discover new sites that are similar to what you like already.
49. wordle.net – quick summarize long pieces of text with tag clouds.
50. bubbl.us – create mind-maps, brainstorm ideas in the browser.
51. kuler.adobe.com – get color ideas, also extract colors from photographs.
52. followupthen.com – setup quick reminders via email itself.
53. lmgtfy.com – when your friends are too lazy to use Google on their own.
54. tempalias.com – generate temporary email aliases, better than disposable email.
55. pdfescape.com – lets you can quickly edit PDFs in the browser itself.
56. faxzero.com – send an online fax for free – see more fax services.
57. feedmyinbox.com – get RSS feeds as an email newsletter.
58. isendr.com – transfer files without uploading to a server.
59. tinychat.com – setup a private chat room in micro-seconds.
60. privnote.com – create text notes that will self-destruct after being read.
61. flightaware.com – live flight tracking service for airports worldwide.
62. boxoh.com – track the status of any shipment on Google Maps – alternative.
63. chipin.com – when you need to raise funds online for an event or a cause.
64. downforeveryoneorjustme.com – find if your favorite website is offline or not?
65. example.com – this website can be used as an example in documentation.
66. whoishostingthis.com – find the web host of any website.
67. google.com/history – found something on Google but can’t remember it now?
68. errorlevelanalysis.com – find whether a photo is real or a photoshopped one.
69. google.com/dictionary – get word meanings, pronunciations and usage examples.
70. urbandictionary.com – find definitions of slangs and informal words.
71. seatguru.com – consult this site before choosing a seat for your next flight.
72. sxc.hu – download stock images absolutely free.
73. imo.im – chat with your buddies on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, etc. from one place.
74. wobzip.org – unzip your compressed files online.
75. vocaroo.com – record your voice with a click.
76. scribblemaps.com – create custom Google Maps easily.
77. buzzfeed.com – never miss another Internet meme or viral video.
78. alertful.com – quickly setup email reminders for important events.
79. encrypted.google.com – prevent your ISP and boss from reading your search queries.
80. formspring.me – you can ask or answer personal questions here.
81. snopes.com – find if that email offer you received is real or just another scam.
82. typingweb.com – master touch-typing with these practice sessions.
83. mailvu.com – send video emails to anyone using your web cam.
84. ge.tt – quickly send a file to someone, they can even preview it before downloading.
85. timerime.com – create timelines with audio, video and images.
86. stupeflix.com – make a movie out of your images, audio and video clips.
87. aviary.com/myna – an online audio editor that lets record, and remix audio clips online.
88. noteflight.com – print music sheets, write your own music online (review).
89. disposablewebpage.com – create a temporary web page that self-destruct.
90. namemytune.com – when you need to find the name of a song.
91. homestyler.com – design from scratch or re-model your home in 3d.
92. snapask.com – use email on your phone to find sports scores, read Wikipedia, etc.
93. teuxdeux.com – a beautiful to-do app that looks like your paper dairy.
94. livestream.com – broadcast events live over the web, including your desktop screen.
95. bing.com/images – automatically find perfectly-sized wallpapers for mobiles.
96. historio.us – preserve complete web pages with all the formatting.
97. dabbleboard.com – your virtual whiteboard.
98. whisperbot.com – send an email without using your own account.
99. sumopaint.com – an excellent layer-based online image editor.
100. lovelycharts.com – create flowcharts, network diagrams, sitemaps, etc.
101. nutshellmail.com – Get your Facebook and Twitter streams in your inbox.

Related Info & More Reading

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Top 100 Self-Help Tools On the Web

We all need a little help now and then becoming the people we truly want to be, and there are few people more able to help us than ourselves. If you're looking for some tools to help you nurse yourself back to health, break bad habits or just generally be a better person, check out this collection of resources. In it, you'll find tools and information that can help you help yourself no matter what you want to change about your life.

Personal Development

Check out these resources to learn about yourself and make a change for the better.

1. My Inner World: This interactive site lets you explore many aspects of your personality to let you get to know who you really are and what you want.
2. Personal Development Program: Here you'll find the plans for a personal development program that can help you change your life week by week.
3. The Big Five Personality Test: Take this psychology test to find out what your personality is really like.
4. Writing Prompts: Learn how to get out your feelings and work through issues using journaling with this tool.
5. Self-Awareness Tests: Become more self-aware by going through this series of questions.
6. My Self-Development: This site is full of articles, tools and support to help you make the changes you want to see in your life.
7. Self-Growth.com: Find a wide range of resources to help you improve yourself, from starting your own business to being a better partner.
8. The Change Blog: Do you want to make a change in your life? Check out this blog for tips and advice on how to do it.
9. Grow My Mind: This site offers a wide range of tools and articles for self improvement and personal development.

Mental Health

These tools will help you keep your mind in shape.

10. Mind Exercise Puzzles: Choose from puzzles like sudoku, logic puzzles and more to give your brain a workout on this site.
11. Mental Health.net: If you're struggling with depression or another mental health disorder, don't go through it alone. Tap into the resources on this site for assistance.
12. Live Your Life Well: This site is full of ways to help you live well, reduce stress, and be positive.
13. One Finger Meditation Tool: Try out this tool to improve your meditation skills.
14. Meditation Timers: Here you can find timers that will monitor how long you've been meditating so your mind can be elsewhere.
15. BrainMetrix: Give your brain the workout it needs to stay healthy through this site.
16. Neurobics: This site will teach you what neurobics are and how to use them.
17. BrainCurls: Check out this resource for loads of fun games that will keep your brain in top form.
18. NIMH: You'll find a large number of resources on mental health through this site.

Fitness

If you've been battling to lose weight and get fit, try out one of these helpful tools.

19. Calculate Your BMI: Use this site to find out if your body mass is within the healthy range.
20. FitDay: Here you'll find a useful fitness and weight loss journal to help you stay on track.
21. SparkPeople: This community site can help you track how much you eat and when you work out.
22. NutriDiary: Keep track of what you're eating to help yourself lose weight using this site.
23. PeerTrainer: Need some help getting motivated to work out? This site can help.
24. Calorie King: See just how many calories are in that fast food, or anything else, using this tool.
25. ExRx: If you're looking to learn more about your muscle groups and what exercises will work them, reference this site.
26. Nutrition Data: Do you know what you're really eating? This site can tell you so you can make healthier choices.
27. DietFacts: Make sure you're getting the right foods for your body by looking up what you're eating on this site.
28. Weight Loss Calculators: Livestrong offers this calculator that can help you figure out how many calories you should be eating if you want to lose weight.

Career

These tools can help you to finally meet your career goals.

29. MindTools.com: This site is full of tools and articles to help you improve your career, become more productive and fulfill your goals.
30. Illuminated Mind: Stop being ordinary and start being extraordinary with a little help from this site.
31. Monster Quizzes: Take these quizzes from Monster.com to learn more about your career goals and potential.
32. Career Toolkits: This site offers help with careers, school information, finding jobs and more for a wide range of careers.
33. Career OneStop: Find out what careers are right for you, find resources to pursue them, and determine what education you need on this site.
34. Manager Tools: You'll find an excellent collection of podcasts on this site that can help you to become a better leader.
35. Quint Career Tools: Quint offers career tests, job tools and a wide range of informative articles on this site to help you with your career.
36. Salary.com: Are you getting paid what you should? This tool can help you figure out what salary you should be aiming for.
37. Career Assessment Tools: These quizzes and tests will help you to determine if you're on the right career path.

Finances

If debt is your problem, these financial tools can help you learn to get your spending under control.

38. Mint: Try out Mint to monitor your finances and create a budget.
39. Wesabe: Get support and help with managing your money from the Wesabe community.
40. Zecco Share: If you want to learn more about investing, check out this online community.
41. Billmonk: Make sure your bills are always paid on time with this financial tracking tool.
42. Money Trackin: This site will help you ensure you stay on a budget and spend smart.
43. Debt Management Tools and Calculators: Consumer Credit Counseling offers a number of quizzes and calculators here to help you understand and deal with your debt.
44. Simpli.Fi: Need a little financial advice? Check out this site for help on everything from planning a vacation to planning for retirement.
45. VirginMoneyUS: Looking for a little help starting your business? You may be able to find it here.
46. Saving for a Goal: This calculator will help you determine how to save for a goal you have in mind.

Goals

These tools will help you to set and meet your personal goals.

47. The Goals Grid: Here you'll find a basic grid that can get you started achieving the things you want and avoiding the things you don't.
48. Joe's Goals: This easy to use site makes it simple to keep track of your progress towards your goals.
49. MyProgress: From finances to knowledge, you can track your progress as you go with this site.
50. eLifePlans: Create a life plan for yourself and track it as you meet your goals with eLifePlans.
51. GoalsOnTrack: Purchase this program to help track your goals, create action plans and ensure you're spending your time wisely.
52. 8Goals: This site lets you set your goals, track your progress and feel good about yourself when you complete things.
53. My Life Changes: Sign up for this site to find a community and help with making big life changes.
54. Goal Setting Toolkit: Success Begins Today offers this simple, printable goal setting toolkit.
55. Mind of Champions: Get tips on taking action, thinking big and setting goals on this site.

Addiction

No matter what you're addicted to, you'll find help through these tools.

56. Stanley Peele Addiction Website: Here you will find not only a book recommendation but advice from author Stanley Peele on battling your addiction.
57. Discovery Health Addiction Tools: These quizzes, worksheets and interactive tools will help you quit drinking, smoking or doing drugs.
58. Alcohol Addiction Self-Assessment Tools: Do you fear that you could be an alcoholic? Answer these questions honestly to find out.
59. Help Yourself Addiction Tools: Learn about addiction, find help groups and test yourself on this site.
60. Personal Recovery Tools: No matter what you're struggling with you'll find help with your addiction on this site.
61. Recovery Lane: Find wisdom, advice and help with addiction on this site.
62. Addiction Blog: This blog offers posts to help improve the health of your mind and body after addiction.
63. Addiction Recovery Blog: Get help and advice on getting into recovery and getting on with your life in this blog.
64. Alcoholics Anonymous: This well-known group could be the first step in helping you beat alcohol addiction.
65. Addiction Recovery Guide: Here you will find information on a number of addiction recovery programs.

Relationships

Get some tips and tools for improving your relationships through these sites.

66. Discovery Health Relationship Tools: Find tests and quizzes on this site to help you be a better partner.
67. The Toolbox: Find a wide range of resources on emotional and relationship health on this blog.
68. ADD Relationship Tools: If you have ADD, you can learn how to be a better and more attentive partner here.
69. TalkAboutRelationships.net: Get some tips on healing your relationship with these tools.
70. Relationship Help: This help guide offers some good advice on making your love last.
71. The Top Ten Best Tools for Improving Relationships at Home AND Work: Read this article to learn how to be a better communicator at both work and home.
72. Sexual Health Center: Learn about sex in marriage, STDs and other sexual issues that can affect your relationships here.
73. Better Relationships Through Meditation: This site will teach you how meditation can help your relationship.
74. Relationship Guide: Need some help and advice on relationships? This blog can be a great starting point.

Spirituality

Learn how to get in touch with your spiritual side and use it to help you make a change with a little assistance from these tools.

75. Livestrong Spirituality: Go through this article to more fully explore your spiritual side.
76. Meditation Warrior: Here you will find a number of guided meditations to try.
77. Journey With Spirit: There are several healing tool kits offered on this site to help you feel better spiritually.
78. BeliefNet: Explore faiths of all kinds on this site.
79. Spirituality and Self-Help: Learn how to help yourself through your spirituality on this blog.
80. HigherAwareness: This site will teach you how to grow as a person through higher awareness.
81. Spirituality.com: Read a wide range of articles on spirituality through this site.
82. What's Your Spiritual Type: Discover your spiritual type, regardless of religion, on this site.
83. Spirituality and Practice: Here, you'll find a wide range of resources for your personal spiritual journey.

Time Management

Reduce your stress and get your life in order with the help of these time management tools.

84. 30Boxes: Track what you need to get done each month using this helpful calendar and to-do list tool.
85. Time Tracker: This simple tool will let you know how long you're spending browsing the web.
86. Rescue Time: If you're serious about getting more done, try out this tool to help you keep distractions at bay.
87. NowDoThis: This site is a simple way to help you make a to-do list.
88. Mind42: Map out your thoughts and figure out what you need to do using this great mind-mapping software.
89. Todoist: Stay organized and on task with a little help from this tool.
90. GoogleCalendar: Try out Google Calendar to lay out what you have to do and when you have to do it.
91. Stop Distractions: This program will put an end to time wasted surfing the web.
92. MeeTimer: This tool will let you see how much time you spend procrastinating versus working.

Stress

No matter what you're struggling with, it likely comes with a heaping portion of stress. Learn how to cut back on stress and live happier with these tools.

93. Stress Control Tools That Start With the Heart: Use these tools to reduce your stress and keep your heart healthy.
94. Anger Management Skills and Techniques: If you have trouble dealing with your anger issues, try out some of these tools for help.
95. Relaxation Tools: Here you'll find some helpful tools to make it easier for you to relax.
96. Stress Relief Tools: Get a leg up on your stress relief by trying out one of these tools.
97. Tranquility Is Yours: This site is full of articles and tips to help you relax and reduce stress. Try out one of the videos for some soothing noise and images.
98. Relaxation Tools for Health: This PsychCentral article offers some great techniques for relaxation.
99. Your Relaxation Toolkit: Learn to tame your tension with some help from this article.
100. Massage and Relaxation Tools: This article will teach you all about the different kinds of massage tools out there and how they can help you to relax.

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10 of the best free games online that you need to play

Whether you play games all the time or just want something to fill a few quiet moments here and there during the day, passing the time doesn't need to be expensive.

Yes, you need to break out your wallet if you want the latest big AAA shooter, but the free route is becoming increasingly interesting. Many older games are now opening out in search of a wider audience, and more and more companies are finding ways to profit from free releases.

For indie developers, it's the perfect way to make a name for themselves, either just for the glory or to build an audience for future games.

US company 2D Boy, for example, launched onto the scene with Tower of Goo, a game that involves building a tall tower out of bouncy balls of stretchy slime. This free download morphed into the amazing full title World of Goo, which took the net by storm.

We've gathered together 10 of the best free games around, covering releases new and old from every genre. With so much choice, you're guaranteed to find at least one you like. Give them a go – there's nothing to lose.

1. Spelunky

Spelunky is about anger, hate and, most of all, death. It looks like a simple enough platform game – an Indiana Jones pastiche set in a cavern full of tricks and traps – and it is. There's nothing complicated about it. Every enemy is avoidable. Every trap can be dealt with.

The catch is that every time you play, the entire game is randomised. In one game you'll stumble through screen after screen of spiked horrors and swarming monsters; in the next, the software will bend over backwards to give you gold and help you on your way.

The trick is learning the ropes, figuring out how to get past every obstacle, and then doing so perfectly as and when the game throws things at you. You will die. You will die a lot. But the important thing is that in death, you learn.

You discover ways of stealing from the shopkeepers who inhabit the levels, or find out that the damsels you can rescue for a health-boost can just as easily be taken to the nearest sacrificial altar, or thrown around to trigger traps before you go down yourself.

You learn how each randomised world ticks and which equipment will give you a fighting chance. And then you'll die some more. And scream. And restart. Again.

www.spelunkyworld.com

2. NetHack

Much like Spelunky, this open-source classic makes heavy use of randomisation to give you a new adventure every time you fire it up. However, instead of being a platform game, it's an epic RPG with the unofficial motto, 'The dev team thinks of everything'.

Do you want to blind a basilisk with a custard pie? Abuse shape-changing spells to lay deadly eggs that can be used as weapons? Get blasted by your patron deity if you try praying to them when they're in a bad mood? It's all in here, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

First released in 1987, NetHack isn't the prettiest game around. There are graphical mods out there, but it's still best played using ASCII characters, and until you can tell your Ps from your #s, it's somewhat confusing.

Unlike Spelunky, chances are that you'll have been adventuring for a while before you die. With only one savegame on your side, which is deleted if you snuff it, it only takes a single careless mistake to lose days of progress to a tough monster or a swig of a health potion that turns out to be poisoned.

With that risk comes great reward, though: retrieve the legendary Amulet of Yendor, sacrifice it to your deity and become king of the nerds.

www.nethack.org

3. Quake Live

This is how far the web has come: one of the best deathmatch games ever created is now available to play from within the confines of your browser.

Well, technically, no, it's not actually in it – Quake Live uses a plug-in and then goes full-screen when you play – but the spirit is still there.

Any modern computer is now able to handle Quake's modest demands, and the game's blisteringly fast action makes it quite unlike any modern shooter. Forget realism. Forget objectives. Sometimes, all you need is a rocket launcher, a perfectly timed shot and the lamentation of the noobs as time permits.

Beware, though: if you haven't played id Software's classic shooter for a while, the frenetic pace of the online action might be terrifying.

www.quakelive.com

4. Beneath a Steel Sky

A classic adventure from British developer Revolution, and one that serves two purposes. First, it's fun – a comic-style sci-fi adventure with a wry sense of humour.

Second, it's a great way to experiment with ScummVM – a tool that enables you to play classic LucasArts games on modern systems. BASS isn't the only free game that runs in it, either.

If you're still thirsty, check out Lure of the Temptress, Drascula (sic) and Flight of the Amazon Queen.

www.scummvm.org

5. Desktop Tower Defence

It's not just a game, it's a whole genre. The idea is simple. In most RTS games, you build units such as soldiers or tanks and pit them against your enemy's army.

In Desktop Tower Defence games, you put down fixed turrets, each with different abilities, with the aim of stopping the enemy making it from one side of the screen to the other. It sounds easy and, like most casual games, for the first few levels it is.

The tactics come in finding ways to force your enemy down specific paths, and using your limited resources to build and upgrade a death-course that can take them all down. It's addictive and simple to play.

No wonder there are a million clones out there, from free Flash games to commercial offerings such as Plants Vs Zombies and Defense Grid: The Awakening.

Check out the other 5 at TechRadar.com

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50 Excellent Chrome Extensions

Basics [via aoc]

These extensions will help make Chrome more secure, allow you to change your tabs, or make it easier to browse.

1. RSS Subscription: Add this extension to Chrome to make subscribing to a blog’s RSS feed super simple with an icon that appears right in the address box.
2. Google Mail Checker: Here you’ll find a tool that gives you a small icon for your Chrome toolbar letting you know when you’ve got new mail in your Gmail account.
3. Visual Tabs: This extension makes looking at tabs a more visual experience, laying them out in a similar fashion to the display found in your iTunes library.
4. Tab Jump: Here you’ll find an extension that makes it simple to jump between all the different tabs you have open and even those you just closed.
5. WOT: It’s hard to know which sites are trustworthy and which will infect your computer or rip you off. This tool makes it easier by letting you know the dangers that lurk on the sites that you visit.
6. Docs PDF/ Powerpoint Viewer: This extension makes it simple to look at PDFs and PowerPoints on the web by bringing them directly into Google Documents.
7. LastPass: Never get locked out of your important accounts again with this free and functional extension that manages your passwords and fills out forms for you.
8. IE Tab Classic: While Chrome is a great browser, some websites just don’t work right in it. Use this IE tab to remedy the problem.
9. Vertical Tabs: Change how you use your tabs by getting this extension that lets you move them vertically rather than horizontally.
10. Mini Google Maps: You’ll never have to wonder where something is again with this extension that lets you get a mini-map of any location.

Educational Tools

Try out these extensions to learn more and keep your information organized.

12. Google Dictionary: Simply highlight any word on a website when you have this extension and you can get a definition right there. Better yet, it’s available in multiple languages.
13. Polyglot: If you want to test your langauge skills for class or just for your own intiative, this extension translates part of your website to a different langauge. Not sure what it says? Mouse over it for the translation.
14. Chromey Calculator: Need a quick calculation? This extension makes it simple to find out just about any mathmatical answer in seconds.
15. Google Translate: Sometimes the information you need will be in languages you don’t speak but with this extension you can translate it instantly.
16. myNotes: Try out this extension to keep notes about your web surfing and research readily at hand.
17. Note Anywhere: Put stickies all over the web to help you with research, tasks you need to do, or anything else using this extension.
18. ChromePad: With this extension you can leave quick notes to yourself for to-dos, projects, and more right in your browser.
19. French Word of the Day: Add this extension onto your browser to help improve your French language vocabulary.

Web-Based Research

Make finding the information you need on the web a snap with these great extensions.

20. Evernote Web Clipper: This tool makes it simple to share and save any cool or useful websites you come accross while browsing.
21. Session Buddy: If you’ve got to stop your research to go to class or meet friends, don’t start all over. Use this extension to simply save your entire Chrome session.
22. Diigo Web Highlighter and Bookmark: Try out this extension for some help when doing online research. You’ll be able to highlight pages, tag interesting content and leave yourself sticky notes.
23. Google Similar Pages: Make it simple to find similar content on the web by using this extension. You’ll be able to quickly see similar pages and flip through them while browsing or doing research.
24. Wikipedia: Using this extension, you’ll be able to more easily look for information on Wikipedia.
25. Snippy: Grab small snippets of web pages and save them in Google Docs using this tool.
26. GradeGuru Citation Manager: It doesn’t have to be hard to manage your references and citations for a paper when you use an extension like this.
27. Email This Page: Use this extension to more easily share fun or interesting web pages with others or send them to yourself for use later.

Productivity and Time Management

These extensions will help ensure you’re using your time wisely.

28. ChromeMilk: If you use the productivity site Remember the Milk, this extension will allow you to bring your to-do list right into your browser.
29. RemindMe: If you’ve got tasks you can’t afford to miss, try out this extension. It will let you know when it’s time to stop working or browsing and get to where you need to be.
30. Tab With Clock: Want to know how long you’re spending on certain time-wasting sites? This extension gives you a little clock on each tab that will let you know how long you’ve had each open.
31. StayFocusd: Do you have trouble avoiding getting distracted while working on your computer? This tool can help, blocking certain sites that are your biggest time sinks.
32. Rescue Time: This tool lets you find out just what sites you are wasting the most time on.
33. Things To Do: Every time you open a new tab you’ll get access to your to-do list and get reminded of the tasks you need to take care of using this extenson.
34. Google Calendar Checker: Make sure you rememeber all the important information you’ve put on your calendar by trying out this extension that checks and lists your tasks for the day and how much time you have left to do them.
35. Google Tasks: This tool lets you more effectively use Google Tasks to keep track of all the projects, homework and reading you need to get done.
36. Incredible StartPage: There’s no need to navigate between several different productivity sites when you use this start page that links you to notepad, your Google accounts, to-dos and more.
37. Google Chrome Dual View: If you’re working on something that requires looking at two sites at once, this tool can help to make you more productive by splitting your Chrome window into two.
38. My Shortcuts: This shortcut extension lets you easily create a new Google Doc, Calendar event or Email right from a browser pull-down.

Fun and Social

What would college be without a little fun, too? These extensions will let you talk to friends, listen to music and play games.

39. Last FM Music Player: Bring your Last.fm account right into Chrome using this tool that integrates your playlists into your browser and plays music in the background.
40. Chromed Bird: Make sure you never miss a tweet with this tool that adds a small Twitter icon to your toolbar letting you know when new updates are posted.
41. Cooliris: This cool tool transforms your browser into a 3-D wall that lets you search, view and share the web content you like in style.
42. Sports Scoreboard: Track your college basketball team’s performance using this fun extension for Chrome.
43. Fast Typer: Help boost your typing skills by installing this typing game on your browser.
44. Panic Button: Having a bad day? Hit the panic button for a laugh.
45. Facebook: This extension lets you know when you have messages or updates on Facebook.
46. Flixster Movies: Want to go see a movie or find out what will be out soon? This extension makes it simple.
47. Google Share Button: This extension button makes it simple to share webpages of interest with those in your social networks, via email or on your blog.
48. Shareaholic: When you use this extension you’ll get the option to share a web resource with people on Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Evernote and more.
49. Google Talk Browser: Those who use Gtalk to keep in touch with friends and family can try out this tool that lets them access their chat right from the main browser.
50. Blog This!: Post to your Blogger account with ease using this extension.

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10 Excellent Tools To Customize Your Windows

indows customization is just another step in personalizing our computers. Just like we personalize our office space with our favorite coffee mug or family photos to make it more comfortable, Windows customization gives us a more comfortable environment to work in. Consequently we get things done faster and have an improved efficiency.

While there are many Windows customization tools out there, getting by free and good ones is not that easy. That is why I am sharing 10 great freeware tools for Windows customization with all of you. Read each entry in the list and see which tool suits your needs best.

MouseExtender

MouseExtender requires no installation. It is a 110KB download overall and includes EXE which we run. The application is a small window that lets us customize our mouse menus. We can use the little window of the program to quickly access our control panel, shut down our computer, or set up a custom shortcut for any program, file, or folder.

Logon Studio

Many application lets us change the theme and background of our desktop but only Logon Studio lets us change the Windows login screen. The program works best with Windows Vista and is a 3MB download only. Brilliant backgrounds are included in the application that replace the default Windows login screen background. More backgrounds can be downloaded from the application’s website.

Fences

Fences is an application I used and got many friends to start using. The program is 9MB to download and creates docks on our screen with titles. We can arrange our desktop icons in these docks to keep things tidy and easily accessible.

Radian

I remember being thoroughly impressed by Radian. It gives our mouse massive shortcut power. We can hold down the right click button to bring into view a circle containing shortcuts for files and programs which we set. Radian is a brilliant technique to empower the mouse.

Window Blinds

If you are looking for an easy to use (yet very powerful) Windows theme changer, then Window Blinds will serve your needs well. The download is relatively large (33MB) but the interface is beautiful to justify it all.

Check out the other 5 over at smashingapps

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10 Simple Google Search Tricks

I’m always amazed that more people don’t know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my favorites. [via nytimes]

1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD site:webworkerdaily.com.

2. Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect, Google will suggest the correct spelling instead. Additionally, if you want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define: parasympathetic).

3. Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser, typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than firing up your calculator app.

4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the city. For example, try: time San Francisco

5. Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. It only has the more mainstream currencies, though — if you’re trying to see how many Peruvian nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you’ll be out of luck. If you would like to convert minor currencies, be sure to be specific about the country. So, if you want to find out how many nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you could try: 100 dollars in Peruvian nuevos soles.

6. Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD OR “getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com

7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell

8. Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try: GTD filetype:ppt

9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics 1950..1960

10. Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located? Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area, too. For example: 415

What are your favorite Google search tricks?

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The Best Free Software for Anything [196 free programs]

Get what you DON'T pay for: Here are 196 programs that cost nothing but will make your computing life richer—all while keeping your wallet fat.

We don't want to make you feel bad, but, uh... are you really still paying for software? Wow.

Well, PCMAG is here to spread the word: There's no lack of free software to be found online. Some of it is as powerful, if not more so, than the name-brand packages found on shelves at Best Buy for big bucks. By free, we mean you don't pay a dime except for what it costs to download and install the software. There are even times when you don't have to install anything, since there are a lot of great Web-based applications available these days.

Knowing all this, every year PCMag puts together a fresh look at the Best Free Software. We check the previous year's picks to make sure they've still got the chops (and the $0 price tag) and cull through other options that have come our way. We concentrate on productivity apps and utilities for Windows users, but make note when a program also works for Mac OS X and Linux distributions. Every one of the products in this list that is classified as a Windows product is compatible with XP up to Windows 7—unless otherwise noted.

In addition, we know there's plenty of free software available for smartphones, so we've made a notation if the app has a mobile component, but we'll leave the full list of no-cost apps for your phone to our mobile experts (See "The Top 100 Free Apps for Your Phone.")

Many of the apps rounded up here are also "portable," meaning that they have versions that can be placed on a USB Flash Drive and run without installation, sometimes as part of the PortableApp.com platform; we've marked them as such.

Did we miss any great no-cost programs? Leave a comment on the story and let us—and the rest of the world—know about your favorite freebie.

Check out the free software over at PCMAG.com below:

Anti-Malware	Instant Messaging
App Launchers	Maps
Audio	Media Manager
Backup/Synch/Storage	Networking
Blogging	Office
Browsers	Operating Systems
Calendar/PIM	Printing
Conferencing/VoIP	Process Monitors
Displays	Remote Access
Email	RSS Readers
File Transfer/Sharing	Search
File Viewers/Converters	Security/Encryption
Finance	Social Networking
Fun/Home	System Utilities
Graphics	Video

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18 Firefox Add-Ons that Help You Save Money

Let’s face it, times are tough and every penny counts. Instead of just money saving websites, here is a list of 18 Firefox Add-Ons that will help save you money on a daily basis. [via 4past4]

1. InvisibleHand — This handy extension will act like its namesake and point you to better deals whenever you shop online. A discreet notification will pop up if the InvisibleHand extension finds a lower price in its database of over 100 different online retailers from the US, UK, and Germany. With information from major shopping sites like Amazon, Wal-Mart and Sears, InvisibleHand will help you find the best deals and save a ton of money in the process.
2. Listia – This is an auction site where everything is free; instead of cash, people use credits to get free stuff. You get credits for free when you join, or list items for auction that you no longer want, such as, old vhs tapes, cell phones, books, clothes, ect. The more stuff you give away, the more credits you get. Then use those credits to get new things for free. Use this firefox add-on to help sort through all the free stuff on Listia.com.
   
   
3. Offer Assistant — Tired of hunting down those discount and coupon codes when you shop online? The Offer Assistant is here to bring the offers to you! The extension helpfully includes any promo information regarding your item in your Google, Bing, and Yahoo! search results. Could it be any more convenient?
   
   
4. Advanced Travel — Traveling can get really expensive, and so people spend hours upon hours trying to find the best travel deals online. Advanced Travel makes things a lot simpler by displaying search results for the most popular travel websites. The extension’s engine reads your IP address to find out what area you’re in, and will alter the search results accordingly.
   
   
5. Ookong — Have you ever found yourself burning the midnight oil looking for the best prices for your Amazon.com item? Get some sleep and let the Ookong extension do the work for you. Ookong takes a look at an item’s price history, tracks any price changes, and tells you when the price drops. It’s like having a broker telling you exactly when the best time to buy is.
   
   
6. Woot Watcher — Woot.com is a quirky website that allows for major savings. The catch is, the site sells only one product for each day, in limited quantities. If you’d really like to get something you want at Woot’s rock-bottom prices, then, you need to watch the site religiously. This great extension does the watching for you, alerting you on the day’s product, price, and stock left.
   
   
7. Buy It Online — Ever found an item online you couldn’t wait to get your hands on? Didn’t want to waste any time browsing around for sites that might offer it at lower prices? This extension allows you to do that within seconds. All you have to do it right-click on the product, click “Buy it online”, and the extension will display several sites that sell it, too!
   
   
8. Savvy Circle Plugin — The Savvy Circle Plugin sends you an email whenever an item you have your eye on goes on sale. All you need to do is add the item to your Savvy Circle wishlist, and everything else will follow. With support for over 100 different online stores, you’re sure to save money with this extension.
   
   
9. ReminderFox — The fees on unpaid bills can add up, making your unnecessary expenses pile up into astronomical amounts. Do yourself (and your wallet) a favor by installing this extension. It acts like a to-do list in your browser, reminding you when important matters need to attending.
   
   
10. Lonely Planet — Looking for the best possible way to enjoy your trip? Save a few bucks by installing this extension. It’ll give you access to the Lonely Planet travel guides without having to buy the guides themselves. You can even plan a budget trip with the helpful information contained in the guide.
    
    
11. World Travel Guide — Are the Lonely Planet guides not enough for you? Blow your options wide-open as this Firefox extension gives you access to even more travel guides. It’s easy, convenient, and best of all, free!
    
    
12. Biet-O-Zilla — Did you ever find an incredible bargain on eBay, bid on it, only to have it stolen away from you just before the auction closes? This amazing extension helps you make last minute bids with ease. You’ll end up saving a ton of cash on your eBay purchases when you have the speed to get the best deals.
    
    
13. UpName Expired Domains Search — Working on an online business? The right domain name can have a significant effect on the traffic to your site. You can find top-ranked domain names for cheap by purchasing expired or deleted domain names. This handy extension searches all major domain sellers for these discount online gold mines, saving you the effort of tracking them down, and saving you money on a worthwhile investment.
    
    
14. Product Seeker Search — This Firefox search bar add-on is a boon to online shoppers. Simply enter a product into Product Seeker Search, and it’ll give you results for all the major retailers that handle that item. You can then organize results by price, product rating, and store rating to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.
    
    
15. PriceTrace Toolbar — Smart shoppers and bargain hunters alike will be drooling over this money-saving extension. The add-on gives you one-click access to price histories and price comparisons for over 40 major online retailers. The “Find Fillers” function will alert you of any special offers that you might qualify for while making your purchases. Best of all, the extension will inform you if an item you’ve had it track drops in price. What more could you want?
    
    
16. PriceBlink — If you like your Firefox extensions a little more discreet, then PriceBlink is for you. This browser plug-in works in the background, so you probably won’t even notice it’s there. Unless, of course, it can save you money. Whenever you go online shopping, PriceBlink will pop up if it’s found the same item at a lower price, or if it’s included in any special offers.
    
    
17. Dympol Discount Entertainment — Music-lovers can now keep their wallets nice and full with the discount offerings of dympol. Install the toolbar on your browser, and discount prices pop up in third-party music retailers like AmazonMP3. When you make your purchase at full price, cash-back rebates equal to the discount will automatically be sent to your dympol account. These funds can then be easily transferred to your PayPal or Amazon Payments account. You can use them to avail of discounts with dympol’s sponsors.
    
    
18. TimeTracker — As the old adage goes, “Time is Money”. The time you spend leisure browsing could be costing you, especially if it’s decreasing your productivity at work. Hold yourself accountable with the TimeTracker extension. It records how much time you spend leisure surfing, and can be set to ignore the time spent at work-related sites. Once you see how much time you’ve wasted on YouTube, Facebook and the like, you’ll find yourself actually doing some work for a change.

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Five Best DVD-Ripping Tools

You pay good money for your DVDs, but they're hardly the only format you need these days. These five ripping tools ensure you can back them up, keep them on your media server, and load them on your favorite portable player. [via lifehacker]

Photo by jonasj.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite DVD-ripping tool. We tallied up the votes, and now we're back to highlight the five most popular tools used by Lifehacker readers to rip, backup, and encode their DVD collections.

DVD Shrink (Windows, Free)

DVD Shrink is a free and capable ripping tool that excels at, as the name would imply, shrinking DVDs. DVDs come in two common formats: DVD-5 (4.7GB) and DVD-9 (8.5GB); the Reauthor mode in DVD Shrink helps you to ditch disc extras and strip most larger DVDs down to fit into a standard (and less expensive) DVD-5 disc. DVD Shrink does a good job handling many protection schemes, but hasn't been updated to remove some of the newest schemes.

DVD Fab (Windows, $50)

DVD Fab is a commercial DVD ripper that supports the removal of all current DVD copy protections. In addition to being current on protection schemes, it boasts a large array of options for stripping and repacking your DVDs once the copy protection is removed. You can rip the entire disc, rip only the main movie, or split it into pieces—among other options. Like DVD Shrink, DVD Fab also supports compressing DVD-9 discs to fit on DVD-5 discs.

Handbrake (Windows/Mac/Linux, Free)

Handbrake is a DVD-ripping tool with a strong emphasis on not just ripping media but recoding it for playback on computers, portable devices, and other non-disc based systems. Handbrake can help you convert DVDs and other MPEG-based video into MP4 and MKV files. You can tweak settings like video frame rate and audio codec playback to your heart's content with Handbrake, and even batch encode all your media at one time to make filling up your iPod or other device relatively painless. The one major shortcoming of Handbrake is that it doesn't have any copy protection removal tools built in, which means you may occasionally need to use a 3rd-party stripping tool to prepare your DVD for conversion.

AnyDVD (Windows, $60 per year)

AnyDVD is another commercial entry in this week's Hive Five. It's not cheap, with a one year license running $60—although the multi-year discounts quickly stack up—but it can boast that it stays on top of current protection and encryption schemes to make sure you're never locked out of your own discs. In addition to stripping protections from the disc, it also has the ability to control DVD playback speed so that DVDs played on media center computers will play slower and quieter, and it allows you to remove things like forced subtitles, warning screens, and disc material you don't want.

DVD Decrypter (Windows, Free)

Although DVD Decrypter hasn't been updated since 2005, it still works on a significant number of DVDs and has a strong following resulting from both its original user base and new users who find it cuts through the copy protection on their current DVDs protected with CSS, Macrovision content protection, region codes, and other hindrances.

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