Tài liệu Lifehacker - 88 tech tricks to turbocharge your day

01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page iii Lifehacker ™ 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day Gina Trapani 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page ii 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page i Lifehacker™ 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page ii 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page iii Lifehacker ™ 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day Gina Trapani 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page iv Lifehacker™: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Gawker Media. Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN-13: 978-0-470-05065-1 ISBN-10: 0-470-05065-9 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/SZ/RR/QW/IN No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. 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The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Trapani, Gina, 1975Lifehacker : 88 tech tricks to turbocharge your day / Gina Trapani. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-470-05065-1 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-470-05065-9 (pbk.) 1. Computers. 2. Computer software. 3. Internet. I. Title. QA76.5.T6736 2006 004--dc22 2006033473 Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page v For Dad 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page vi 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page vii About the Author Gina Trapani (http://ginatrapani.org) is an independent web programmer and writer whose work has appeared in Wired magazine, The New York Times, and Time magazine. She is the founding editor of Lifehacker.com, the software and productivity weblog, updated several times daily. A Sun Microsystems–certified Java programmer, Gina builds web sites and Firefox extensions. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she now resides in sunny San Diego, California, with her partner. vii 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page viii 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page ix Credits Executive Editor Carol Long Development Editor Maryann Steinhart Production Editor Rachel Meyers Copy Editor Michael Koch Editorial Manager Mary Beth Wakefield Vice President and Executive Publisher Joseph B. Wikert Project Coordinator Erin Smith Graphics and Production Specialists Barbara Moore Heather Ryan Quality Control Technician Laura Albert Production Manager Tim Tate Proofreading and Indexing Broccoli Information Management Techbooks Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Anniversary Logo Design Richard Pacifico ix 01_050659 ffirs.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page x 02_050659 ftoc.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xi Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 xxi xxiii Free Up Mental RAM Hack 1: Email Your Future Self Hack 2: Manage a todo.txt File at the Command Line The Command Line Interface Why Plain Text? Install todo.sh Using todo.sh Create a Sortable, Searchable todo.txt List Tasks with todo.sh Prioritize Tasks More Uses for todo.txt Hack 3: Develop Your (Digital) Photographic Memory Tag Your Photos on Flickr Upload Photos to Flickr from Your Camera Phone Your Photo Reference Hack 4: Install Your Personal Wikipedia What You Need What to Do You’re Ready to Go Brief Wikitext Primer 1 2 5 5 6 6 8 8 10 10 11 12 12 13 14 15 16 16 18 19 xi 02_050659 ftoc.qxd xii 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xii Contents Hack 5: Keep an Instiki Wiki Hyperlinked Notebook Installing Instiki You’re Ready to Go Securing and Accessing Your Wiki Hack 6: Take Great Notes Method 1: Symbolize Next Actions Method 2: Split Your Page into Quadrants Method 3: Record and Summarize Create Your Own Custom Note Paper Chapter 2 20 20 22 25 25 26 26 26 28 References 28 Firewall Your Attention Hack 7: Limit Access to Time-Wasting Web Sites 29 30 Install the Invisibility Cloak Set Which Sites Should Wear the Cloak Customize the Script Hack 8: Permanently Block Time-Wasting Web Sites Windows Mac OS X The Result Hack 9: Reduce Email Interruptions 31 32 33 35 36 36 36 37 Shut Down Your Email Program Set Your Client to Check for Messages Once an Hour 37 38 Hack 10: Split Your Work Among Multiple Desktops 39 Windows XP Mac OS X Hack 11: Build a No-fly Zone Set Yourself up to Get into the Zone Make Yourself Inaccessible Work at Quieter Times and in Zoned-Off Spaces Hack 12: Filter Low-Priority Email Messages Filter Low-Priority Messages Filter CC’ed Messages Hack 13: Clear Your Desktop Windows Mac OS X Hack 14: Make Your House a Usable Home Create a Place for Incoming Stuff Put Items You Need to Remember in Your Path Stow Away Stuff You Don’t Use; Put Stuff You Do Within Easy Reach Strategically Place Items to Make Tasks Easy Make Task-Based Centers Leave Writing Material Everywhere Set up an Inbox Collaborate with Housemates 39 41 42 42 42 43 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 48 49 49 49 50 50 50 50 02_050659 ftoc.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xiii Contents Hack 15: Sentence Stuff to Death Row Hack 16: Drown out Sound with Pink Noise Mac OS X Windows Chapter 3 52 52 Hack 17: Keep Software from Stealing Focus References 52 53 Automate Repetitive Tasks Hack 18: Automatically Back up Your Files 55 56 What You’ll Need Configure the Backup System Off-Site Backup 56 57 61 Hack 19: Automatically Defragment Your Hard Drive Hack 20: Automatically Empty Your Digital Junk Drawer Hack 21: Automatically Download Music, Movies, and More 62 65 69 Install and Run Wget Mirror an Entire Web Site Resume Partial Downloads on an Intermittent Connection Automatically Download New Music from the Web Automate wget Downloads on Windows 69 70 71 72 72 Hack 22: Automatically Email Yourself File Backups Set up the Email Script More on Emailing Yourself Backups Hack 23: Automatically Reboot and Launch Applications Automatically Reboot Your Computer Automatically Launch Software or Documents Automatically Start a Web Browsing Session Chapter 4 51 51 73 73 75 76 76 77 78 Hack 24: Automatically Log Your Progress in a Spreadsheet References 79 81 Streamline Common Tasks Hack 25: Search the Web in Three Keystrokes Hack 26: Quick-Launch Software Applications 83 84 85 Windows: Essential, Built-In Keyboard Shortcuts Windows: Define Your Own Keyword Shortcuts Mac OS X: Quicksilver Keyboard Commander Hack 27: Save Time with Text Substitution AutoHotkey Hotstring Personalize the Script Hack 28: Text Message Efficiently What You Can Do with SMS Quick Start Guide for SMS Beginners Save Your Thumbs SMS from Your Computer Hack 29: Batch Resize Photos 86 87 89 90 90 92 95 95 96 96 96 97 xiii 02_050659 ftoc.qxd xiv 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xiv Contents Hack 30: Send and Receive Money on Your Cell Phone PayPal Mobile Send Money to an Email Address PayPal Alternative Hack 31: Bypass Free Site Registration with BugMeNot Hack 32: Speed up Web Pages on a Slow Internet Connection Configure Your Web Browser for a Slow Connection Block and Disable Bandwidth Hogs Use Tabs to Load Pages While You Work Work Offline Wherever Possible Chapter 5 98 99 100 101 101 103 103 105 105 106 Hack 33: Securely Save Web Site Passwords 106 Get Your Data to Go Hack 34: Carry Your Life on a Flash Drive 109 110 Portable Applications Useful Data to Store on Your Thumb Drive Secure Your Drive Using Your Thumb Drive Hack 35: Run a Home Web Server Step 1: Disable Other Servers or Firewall Software Step 2: Install Apache HTTP Server Step 3: Configure Apache to Share Documents Step 4: Password-Protect Your Web Site Documents Hack 36: Remote Control Your Home Computer Step 1: Install the VNC Server Step 2: Install the VNC Client More Tips 110 112 112 114 114 115 115 117 118 120 122 123 123 Hack 37: Give Your Home Computer a Web Address 124 Step 1: Set Up Your DynDNS Account Step 2: Set up Your Computer to Update DynDNS Step 3: Give Your New Domain a Spin DynDNS Options 125 125 126 126 Hack 38: Search the Web from Your Phone 126 Get Help Test Drive SMS Search on the Web Pre-Schedule Search Result SMS Alerts 129 129 129 Hack 39: Optimize Your Laptop Extend Your Battery Life Save Your Keyboard and Screen Keep It Cool Set Yourself up to Work Offline Secure Your Data Carry with Care Back Up 130 130 131 131 131 132 132 132 02_050659 ftoc.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xv Contents Pack Helpful Extras Find a Hotspot Hack 40: Back up Data to Your iPod 133 Encrypt Your Data Take Your Software with You on the iPod 134 135 Hack 41: Turn Your Cell Phone into a Modem 135 What You’ll Need Configure Your Cell Phone as a Modem Keep an Eye on the Meter Hack 42: Use Gmail as an Internet Hard Drive Windows: Gmail Drive Extension Mac OS X: gDisk Chapter 6 132 133 Control Your Email Hack 43: Craft Effective Messages Composing New Messages Replying to a Message Hack 44: Highlight Messages Sent Directly to You Color Me Blue All Other Email Programs: Create a Not-to-Me Filter Hack 45: Use Disposable Email Addresses Web-Based Public Email Addresses Multi-Domain Email Addresses Hack 46: Decrease Your Email Response Time Respond in Batches The One-Minute Rule Respond to Task Requests — Even When It’s Not Done Don’t Leave It in Your Inbox Hack 47: Empty Your Inbox (and Keep It Empty) The Trusted Trio What to Do Keep It Empty The Catch Hack 48: Master Message Search Search Criteria Saved Search Folders Hack 49: Future-Proof Your Email Address DON’Ts DO’s Bottom Line Hack 50: Script Repetitive Responses Hack 51: Encrypt Private Email How PGP Email Encryption Works Configure PGP in Thunderbird References 135 136 138 138 138 140 141 142 142 146 148 149 149 150 150 150 151 151 152 152 153 153 153 154 155 155 156 156 159 160 160 161 161 162 164 165 165 167 xv 02_050659 ftoc.qxd xvi 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xvi Contents Chapter 7 Organize Your Stuff Hack 52: Organize My Documents A Word About the Windows XP Default Home Directory Beyond the Big 6 Hack 53: Instantly Retrieve Files from Your Hard Drive Google Desktop Installation Configuration Files Google Desktop Indexes Search Operators Hack 54: Overhaul Your Filing Cabinet Give Your Paperwork a Spacious Place to Live Limit One File Folder Per Hanging Folder Choose a Simple, Logical Naming Scheme Use a Label Maker Purge and Archive Hack 55: Choose Secure, Memorable Passwords Don’t Use the Same Password for Everything Remember 100 Different Passwords with One Rule Set Hack 56: Securely Track Your Passwords One Master Password to Rule All Find and Use Your Passwords with KeePass Hack 57: Tag Your Bookmarks Getting Started with del.icio.us Add a Bookmark Tags, Not Folders Navigating del.icio.us by URL Other del.icio.us Features Hack 58: Encrypt Your Data Set up the Encrypted Volume Location Store and Retrieve Files from the Encrypted Volume Hack 59: Design Your Own Planner Why Build Your Own Planner? How to Assemble Your D*I*Y Planner D*I*Y Planner Templates and Sizes Chapter 8 169 170 172 173 173 174 174 175 176 178 178 178 179 179 179 180 180 180 182 182 185 186 186 187 187 188 189 189 190 191 193 194 194 194 References 195 Kickstart Your Productivity Hack 60: Make Your To-Do’s Doable 197 198 Finish Thinking Before You Start Doing Chunk up Your Tasks into Five-Minute Actions Get Physical Include as Much Information as Possible Essential Elements of a To-Do Task Purge Your List Keep an Auxiliary Someday/Maybe List 198 199 200 200 200 200 201 02_050659 ftoc.qxd 11/9/06 9:46 AM Page xvii Contents Hack 61: Set up a Morning Dash 201 Get One Thing Done First Park on a Downward Slope 201 202 Hack 62: Map Your Time 202 Your Ideal Time Map Sub-Maps Your Actual Time Map 203 204 204 Hack 63: Quick-Log Your Work Day How to Keep Your Work Log Hack 64: Dash Through Tasks with a Timer 205 209 Choose Your Timer Adjust Your Dash Employing Constraints Timer Software Applications 210 210 210 211 Hack 65: Control Your Workday 211 Get Your Priorities Straight Stop up Your Time Sinks Make Post-Work Appointments Wrap-up Alerts 212 213 213 213 Hack 66: Turn Tasks into Gameplay7 213 Make It to the Next Level Earn Points Collaborate, Compete, and Reward Bribe Yourself Time Yourself 214 214 214 215 215 Hack 67: Schedule Think Time What You Need for Think Time Creating Think Time Chapter 9 204 215 216 216 References 216 Master the Web Hack 68: Google Like a Pro 219 220 Exact Phrase with Quotations Include and Exclude Words with + and – Search Within a Site Search Certain Types of Files Calculations Synonyms Combine Criteria and Operators 221 221 221 222 222 223 223 Hack 69: Subscribe to Web Sites with RSS 224 How to Subscribe to Web Site Feeds Other Popular Feedreaders Dynamic Feeds 224 226 226 xvii