Lifehacker

Touchless Adds Multi-Touch to Your PC with Your Webcam [Featured Windows Download]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:00:00 PDT

Windows only: Microsoft Office Labs has released an open source multi-touch application framework called Touchless that uses your webcam as the input. Right now the Touchless Demo lets you play with four proof-of-concept ideas: Draw, Image, Snake, and Defend. The first is a free-form drawing application, while Image is an image manipulation utility that allows you to zoom in or out and move around on a map with marker gestures. The other two are games (Snake is exactly like the classic, and Defend is up to four-person Pong). To set up a marker that Touchless tracks, just grab something colorful, click Add A New Marker, then draw a circle around the object. From there on out, Touchless will monitor that marker wherever it is in the shot. Right now the application is a little clunky, but as a proof-of-concept it's not bad (and it's fun to play with). Before long multi-touch may not be limited to people who can afford several thousand dollar equipment, after all.

Yahoo Calendar Beta on Track to Challenge Google Cal [Screencasts]

Gina Trapani — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:51:32 PDT

Tester invites started going out to the dramatically-overhauled new Yahoo Calendar beta, and we were one of the lucky ones to give it a spin. The new look and feel brings YCal into 2008 (finally!) with a dynamic interface including drag and drop events, Flickr integration, multiple calendar subscriptions and—gasp!—a built-in to-do list. For too long, YCal has looked like it was stuck in 1998, even though it launched way earlier than Google Calendar or other flashy web-based calendar tools, so we're thrilled to see it get back in the game. Let's take a look at the new YCal beta in action; a full screenshot and a quick screencast are yours below.

As Webware reports, the YCal beta is based on Zimbra, the open source email, contacts, and calendaring solution Yahoo acquired last year. Here's a full-sized screenshot a monthly view, with the default Flickr calendar enabled, which right now shows you random photos on certain days (but will eventually integrate your photos by date):

Here's what the beta looks like in action as I click around it a bit:

As you can see, you can subscribe to multiple calendars in YCal, and you can also share calendars with other users, set reminders for events via IM, SMS, or email, and set up repeating events (like weekly meetings and yearly birthdays). The beta isn't complete yet; if you do get chosen to check it out you'll get a list of what you'll give up by using the beta (including syncing capabilities, Yahoo Groups calendar access, event search, and prefab time guides, all of which are "coming soon.")

Here's a narrated screencast of the new overhaul by a Yahoo employee.

To opt into the YCal beta, hit up this page to throw your hat in the ring.

InSSIDer Detects Wireless Networks [Featured Windows Download]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:01:00 PDT

Windows only: Free applicaiton inSSIDer scans networks within reach of your computer's Wi-Fi antenna, tracks signal strength over time, and determines their security settings (included whether or not they're password-protected). Previously mentioned NetStumbler has long been a favorite for this sort of functionality, but it doesn't work well with Vista or 64-bit XP. inSSIDer, on the other hand, works like a charm on both Vista and XP, and it's open-source to boot. This must-have for hunting down Wi-Fi networks on the road is free, Windows only, requires .NET 2.0. Mac users, check out previously mentioned iStumbler.

Sponsor Shout-out [Thanks Sponsors]

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Thanks to this week's sponsors: Adobe, Casio, Chevy Fuel Solutions, Energizer, Gyration, HP TouchSmart, IE8, The Last Remnant, Little Big planet, Sharp Aquos, Starwood Hotels, T-Mobile, and TiVo. Click here to advertise on Lifehacker.

Step Up to the Soapbox, This Thread is Open [Open Thread]

Gina Trapani — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:00:00 PDT

It's Friday—finally!—which means it's time to let your hair down, loosen the tie, and get nuts in the comments. We're opening up our weekly say-anything comments thread here, where you can ask questions, post links, videos, screenshots—whatever your little productive heart desires. Last week Asian Angel knocked our socks off with a fabulous Firefox Google Chrome clone experiment. Can you top that? Whether you're looking to show off your work or tap the collective Lifehacker reader pool of expertise, here's where to do it. Every Sunday we round up the best comment threads on this post, so make yours good. Ok go!

MeetWays Finds a Meeting Place in the Middle [Maps]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:00 PDT

MeetWays is a Google Maps mashup with one simple but useful goal in mind: to help you find the perfect meetup point. In use it's simple—just enter the your address and the address of the person you're meeting with, then specify what sort of meeting place you'd like to find (e.g., coffee, pizza, library). MeetWays finds and marks the halfway point, then drops pins in the nearest businesses matching your search. We've covered a very similar app in the past, but MeetWays has a few small but important features that edge it a touch past Mezzoman.

Lifehacker Confessions: The Tips and Tricks I'm Not Using [Friday Fun]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:10:00 PDT

Reading Lifehacker can inspire you to reboot your computer habits, your workflow, your workspace, and even your home life. Believe me, I should know. About a year ago, I was a messy-desked, easily-distracted reporter who relished his lunch-break reading of Lifehacker's RSS feed. I asked to write a few posts, lucked into a real gig, and can now tell the story of becoming a task-minded guru who gets things done with the right software. That's not a true story, though. Inspired by an appearance by PostSecret founder Frank Warren here in Buffalo last night, I've decided to skip the authoritative "we" voice this afternoon and share my semi-secret Lifehacker failings and confessions. Read on to see what I'm not exactly getting done the right way, and offer up your own productivity penance. Photo by allaboutgeorge.

I've (mostly) forsaken Firefox for Google Chrome

It's easy to confess that every member of the Lifehacker team uses, and geeks out about, the open-source, infinitely extensible browser Firefox. It's harder to admit that, despite all the amazing ways it can help a blogger copy links, download pictures and files, customize webapps, and do so much more, I'm primarily using the no-add-ons-available Google Chrome to surf and write. I'm hooked because it's snappy fast, it lets individual pages crash without bringing down the house (no small thing when you're testing new web services in the wee hours), it auto-converts Google results links into normal URLs, and I just, well, like it for some reason. Google hype gone to my brain? Perhaps. But with extensions and user scripts on the way, I tell myself I'm just an early adopter with a thing for top-mounted tabs.

I gave up application launchers for the Windows key (also: I'm using Vista)

Until one month ago, I was an evangelist for the Windows application launcher Launchy. Smacking Alt+Space to pull up nearly anything on my system felt great, and I was amped to see it launch for Linux. My laptop came loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, however, and Launchy was one of many utility apps I always had running, but after a few months, I could definitely feel the drag. I re-installed Vista—because I'm cynical enough to believe it will, eventually, replace XP on most desktops—and thought about what I really needed. Our commenters have often noted that just hitting the "Windows" key and typing out what you're looking for is fast and works nearly as well. Turns out, for my uses, they were right. I still use GNOME-Do when I'm booted into Linux, but the open-source geek inside me feels dirty admitting it's re-assigned to the Windows key.

I'm pretty much useless with Microsoft Office

I majored in English at college and write for a living, but if you asked me how to divide a Word document into two columns and separate them with gray space, I'd need about 20 minutes to Google and poke around. It's not that you can't do cool things with Word, Excel, or (grudgingly) PowerPoint, but I've just never been called on to do them. So for my needs of writing words and spell-checking them, I'm using the auto-saving/syncing Google Docs, Notepad++, or our straight-text blog editor. Those charts and graphs in the browser speed tests? Yeah, those were pretty late nights.

My Getting Things Done kung-fu is easily beaten down

This one truly feels like confession, as the Getting Things Done theology is pretty strong amongst our editorial team and readership. I create task lists, I break them down into actions, I tag them with their context areas, and I use a cell phone, my iPod touch, and Remember the Milk for universal capture. But there are items on my to-do lists that seemingly never come off, and the first-in, first-out mentality is just not how my brain works. My best example? "Clean out grill." That's been in my personal list ever since, well, it made sense to be outdoor grilling in upstate New York. In any stretch of free time I've found, though, I never think to do it, and I'll actually add and complete tasks to the list instead of breaking out the hose and rags. I'll only realize just how important task management is when I open up that kettle and see the char from late July staring back at me.

I can't hack it running Linux full-time

I was, to be honest, pretty amazed when I installed my first copy of Kubuntu and saw that you could do pretty much every computer task—browse the web, open Word documents, play media and IM—from a completely free (and speedy) desktop. Ever since, I've been impressed with the concept of switching to Linux entirely. When I last wiped Vista off my ThinkPad, I thought about making a go of it with Ubuntu, a copy of XP running in VirtualBox (for app testing), and a little WINE. But the thing about working entirely on Linux is that you end up spending, to this day, a lot of time looking up how to make things work, to emulate this or that Windows utility, to share a printer between Linux and XP systems, to fix a strange dual-monitor problem—in other words, not really working. It also isn't fair to evaluate some Windows apps inside a virtual machine, I remind myself, but the truth is, the most user-friendly Linux just isn't ready to replace Windows entirely—as the Ubuntu founder himself will tell you.

Those are my semi-shameful confessions to you, our wise and loyal readers. Now let's open it up to yours. What productivity tips, tricks, or software can you just not adapt to? What old, busted software are you still using despite all the good things you know about in newer apps? What skill have you been putting off learning since, like, forever? Tell us your tale in the comments, and we'll round up the most intriguing tales of woe for a future post.

Adium Updates to 1.3.2, Fixes Bugs [Adium]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:50:30 PDT

Popular open-source chat application Adium has released a small update packed with bug fixes, including better support for MSN Messenger, status updates, and more. If you're on OS X and you're not using Adium, it may be time you grab the latest and check out what makes Adium one of the five best instant messengers.

OpenOffice.org 3.0 Final on a Server Near You [OpenOffice.org]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:30:00 PDT

If our first look at OpenOffice.org 3.0 has you salivating for the official download of this free Microsoft Office replacement, the final release has already been pushed to a mirror near you (like this one). Expect an official release announcement on Monday. [via]

GPass Boosts Browsing Privacy, Circumvents Censorship and Filters [Featured Windows Download]

Adam Pash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT

Windows only: Free application GPass helps you bypass censorship and blocked web sites by tunneling network traffic through encrypted proxy servers. After you install GPass, launching an application using the proxy is as simple as double-clicking the app from inside the GPass interface. GPass will launch the program with all the necessary tunneling in place. GPass is easy to use, and requires no setup on your part unless you want to do a little tweaking. It's also impressively fast for a proxy—it appears to choose the proxy server with the quickest response rate when it starts up. We've mentioned other tools for accessing blocked web sites with previously mentioned Hotspot Shield—whether they're blocked by location or by a corporate filter—but GPass looks like an excellent ad-free alternative. If you give it a try, let's hear how it worked for you in the comments.

TrayEverything Stashes Programs in the System Tray [Featured Windows Download]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:30:22 PDT

Windows only: TrayEverything is a lightweight portable application that minimizes windows to the system tray even when the program lacks native support for being parked in the tray. In addition to simply minimizing windows to the tray, TrayEverything also has options to add a button to the title bar of windows for minimizing to the tray, hot keys to minimize, and even using inactivity as a trigger to send a window to the tray. If you'd like to keep a program running but don't need to tend to it or would like to make sure nobody messes with it, TrayEverything can minimize it without a visible icon in the tray and even password-protect it. For more system tray goodness, check out Trayconizer a program that starts your program in the system tray from the moment it's run. TrayEverything is a free download for Windows only.

Writing Tips from an Economist [Writing Tips]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT

The Stepcase Lifehack blog pulls out a trusted tome, Deirdre McCloskey's Economical Writing, and extracts some wisdom from an accomplished economics professor on writing tight sentences that are thrifty with words (unlike, say, this sentence). Here's one bit especially relevant for online writers:

Always ask “So what?” ... Your reader’s time is very valuable, and he or she could be doing a lot of different things. They have decided, for whatever reason, to take a look at something you have written ... Hit them between the eyes with why what you have done is important. Convince them immediately that they should keep reading your work instead of picking up something someone else has written or playing with the kids.

What writing or reference books do our more writerly readers go to for inspiration? Share your bookshelf in the comments.

JPEGCrops Makes Bulk Cropping Images a Breeze [Featured Windows Download]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:30:03 PDT

Windows only: If you need to crop a lot of JPEG images in a hurry, JPEGCrops is an invaluable freeware tool. Almost every image program offers the ability to crop images, resize them, and oftentimes do both in bulk. JPEGCrops stands out by allowing you to set the crop for each picture using a thumbnail system. Then, once you have set your specific crop for each photo it will batch crop and resize a set of image files. The cropping is lossless as JPEGCrops crops without repacking the file but instead discarding the data that is cut away without re-compression. JPEGCrops offers a host of preset file sizes you can crop to such as standard print and screen sizes.

Adding a crop size is easy in JPEGCrops is easy; I added a 320x240 size to crop pictures for the photo album on my phone. Additional features include having a golden rule and rule of thirds grid imposed over your photo to aid in cropping, cropping by ratio instead of fixed size, and the ability to bulk resize without cropping at all. If you read our recent post about rules for computing happiness and simplicity, JPEGCrops fulfills rule #2 of computing happiness "Use software that does one thing well." For more information about cropping, check out how to crop your pictures for maximum impact. JPEGCrops is a free download for Windows only.

ASApp iPhone Site Rounds Up Crucial Airport Data [Airports]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:00:00 PDT

Travel site WhereTraveler offers a free, iPhone-optimized site that compiles all the data you need to know before running out to catch a plane or while waiting at the airport. The ASApp tool shows air traffic delays, weather, security wait times, and maps at airports big and small. A lot of the data comes from the TSA, National Weather Service, and other sites you could bookmark, but ASApp makes it easy to flip through the data. You can, of course, browse the info in a normal browser—resizing the window to a narrow column made it a bit more readable for me. ASApp is a free service, doesn't require a sign-up.

Houdini Manages Hidden Files on Your Mac [Featured Mac Download]

Gina Trapani — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:30:59 PDT

Mac OS X only: You already know the command-line method for revealing hidden files on your Mac, but you have to Google the correct command every time—but free application Houdini saves you the trouble. Fire up Houdini to toggle hidden file visibility on and off, move, copy, open, or delete hidden files or folders on your Mac. Just from the few Mac users who have trouble trying out my todo.txt command line tool because of the hidden configuration file involved, it's clear that Houdini is a welcome alternative method to firing up the Terminal. Houdini is a free download for Mac only.

Finetuna Shares Images for Group Comments [Image Editing]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT

Free image notation service Finetuna isn't a robust photo editor in the mold of Picnik, but it does make it easy to share notes on images, photos, and other graphics files. Without sign-up or log-in, the site asks you to either upload a file or point to one online. You can add sticky-type notes, highlight sections, draw lines or underline text, and note that text should be added somewhere. Sending it out for review is as easy as entering an email address. Great for choosing logos, helping a photographer friend out with style points, and other types of editing help. Finetuna is a free service, and there's a Firefox extension available for right-click image choosing.

Get a Third Party to Help You Declutter [Clutter]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:30:00 PDT

Sentimental attachment, old ideas you can't let go of, familiarity—all these things and more can keep you from truly getting the junk in your house and in your workspaces out of the way. A column in the San Diego Reader chronicles a two-person effort—one holding on for old times sake, the other coaxing for change—to get rid of the junk and make the real useful stuff easier to get to. It's an inspirational read for any of us convinced we can never really let go. Have you had to call in a neutral, or just encouraging, third party to get your gear in order? Tell us about it in the comments.Photo by johntrainor.

Zoho Mail Launches, Offers Offline Access Through Gears [Email]

Kevin Purdy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:05:00 PDT

Zoho Mail, a web-based email client long in private beta in the Zoho office suite, is now publicly available. Those with Zoho accounts and Google Gears installed will notice that you can hit an "Offline" button to download a pre-set number of sent mail and inbox messages, and reply to them for sending when you're back online. Zoho Mail features both traditional folders and label sorting, or use of both, and POP import/export, with IMAP access promised in the near future. Zoho Mail is a free service, requires a sign-up with Zoho.

Help Wanted: Lifehacker Interns [Announcements]

Gina Trapani — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:00:18 PDT

Lifehacker's on the hunt for a couple of dedicated and passionate interns to help us out behind the scenes. Are you a total rockstar? Do you want hands-on experience working backstage at a leading online tech publication? If you want to work with the Lifehacker editorial team to keep the gears turning here every day, you're in the right place.

A candidate for a Lifehacker internship:

Is available for 12 hours a week for the next 3-5 months
Is an established Lifehacker commenter with a solid history of comment contributions to the site
Can be available on instant messenger to the Lifehacker editors
Is proficient using Google search and an RSS reader, and has basic HTML and image editing skills
Is at least 18 years old and located in the United States

As a Lifehacker intern, your job responsibilities would include approving incoming comment applications and helping with other comment moderation tasks; hunting down possible stories for posting on-site; closely watching news feeds for breaking stories and new launches; and assisting editors with research projects, like counting Hive Five votes.

To apply to be a Lifehacker intern, send an email to jobs at lifehacker.com containing the following information in the body of the email (no attachments!):

A link to your commenter profile here on site. (Hint: we'll only look at applicants with a solid comment history; if you've got a filled-out profile including a friends list, web site URL, and image, your chances are even better.)
The time zone you're located in, and what time of day you're available (morning, daytime, evening)
Any other special skills you might have (for example, Photoshop chops, programming knowledge, tech blogging, any journalistic experience)

This is a paid position, but it won't pay your rent—at most it'll buy you a few cups of coffee every month.

Note: We will not respond to every email application we receive. If you have questions about the position, ask in the comments below, not via email. When we fill the position we will update this post, so refer back here to find out the status of the position. Thanks.

SonicSwap Streams and Shares Your iTunes Playlists [Streaming Music]

Gina Trapani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:09:21 PDT

New webapp SonicSwap hosts your iTunes playlists on the web and streams the music in them free and legally without requiring you to perform tedious file uploads or use any of your computer's upload bandwidth. Unlike previously mentioned Anywhere.fm, SonicSwap doesn't host your gigabytes of music files—you just give it your current iTunes playlists, and it pulls the tracks and videos named in them from YouTube, and recreates them in a drag-and-drop web-based version of iTunes. Sign up for a free SonicSwap account, upload your iTunes playlists either via the web site or using an iTunes plug-in, and you can listen to and share your library's playlists (including Smart Playlists) at SonicSwap, which includes video playback of the YouTube clip. Here's a full screenshot what it looks like.

Here's a direct link to this playlist at SonicSwap so you can try it out.

In my tests, the Java applet that you upload your iTunes Library.xml file with failed, but the iTunes plug-in is an alternative method. Here's a video from the SonicSwap folks that explains how the app works.

Once you've uploaded your library, you can make it public, add friends, find other playlists, and even download others' playlists to your current library on your computer. TechCrunch reports that because of the YouTube API, occasionally you'll get a bum song (like a karaoke version), but my cruise through other users' playlists yielded good results.

Gmail Labs Adds Advanced IMAP Controls [Gmail]

Gina Trapani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:51:11 PDT

Google adds another opt-in feature to its roster of Gmail Labs experiments: Advanced IMAP Controls, a way to selectively decided which of your Gmail labels are available to your IMAP client plus other tweaks. With the new feature enabled, go to the Labels tab under your Gmail account's Settings area to select and de-select "Show in IMAP" on a per-label basis. Google describes a few other "obscure" IMAP features you can configure, as well.

The IMAP protocol allows messages to be marked for deletion, a sort of limbo state where a message is still present in the folder but slated to be deleted the next time the folder is expunged. In our standard IMAP implementation, when you mark a message as deleted, Gmail doesn't let it linger in that state — it deletes (or auto-expunges) it from the folder right away. If you want the two-stage delete process, after you've enabled this Lab, just select 'Do not automatically expunge messages' under the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab in Settings.

Similarly, most IMAP systems don't share Gmail's concept of archiving messages (sending messages to the [Gmail]/All Mail folder rather than [Gmail]/Trash). If you'd prefer that deleted messages not remaining in any other visible IMAP folders are sent to [Gmail]/Trash instead, Advanced IMAP Controls lets you set your preferences this way. In the 'IMAP Access:' section of the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab, find the 'When a message is deleted from the last visible IMAP folder:' option. Select 'Move the message to the Gmail Trash.' If you want to take it one step further, you can select 'Immediately delete the message forever.'

Enable advanced IMAP controls in the Labs area; click the beaker on the top right bar inside your Gmail account to get there.

Experimental Extensions We'd Like to Go Mainstream [Experimental Firefox Extensions]

Adam Pash — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Finding new and useful Firefox extensions is a passion of ours, but sometimes we run across extensions adorning the daunting "Experimental" moniker at the Firefox Add-ons web site. We try to avoid these extensions as much as possible because they haven't been vetted by the folks at Mozilla, but even more importantly, we hate requiring our readers to register and sign into a web site just to download an extension. Most of the extensions that have hit the Experimental phase are ready to go despite their name; they just need a little extra push to get over the approval process. We've covered three awesome experimental extensions once before, and now we're back with a look at three more experimental Firefox extensions we're excited about.

Note: As I mentioned above, Mozilla hasn't officially approved these extensions, so do proceed with caution.

UrlbarExt

UrlbarExt adds six small buttons to the Awesome Bar adding gobs of wildly useful functionality. From left to right, here's what they do:

Copies the current URL to you clipboard.
Creates a Tiny URL from the current URL, then pastes the results in the address bar. Works great in conjunction with the copy button after the Tiny URL is created!
Runs a Google site-specific search using the site you're visiting as a starting point (e.g., site:lifehacker.com hackintosh). Right-click this button to enter your query.
Moves up the URL path one level or directory at the time. So if you were visiting http://lifehacker.com/5058888/five-best-media-converters, clicking once would bring you to http://lifehacker.com/tag/. Double-clicking this button takes you straight to the root (e.g., http://lifehacker.com/).
Click this icon to open a drop-down for quickly bookmarking and applying tags to the current page.
Want to do a little anonymous browsing? Click this button to surf anonymously or access filtered web sites automatically by redirecting your traffic through proxy servers. There's no set up—just click it and go. If you want to customize the proxy server, try the cached version of a page, or use the site's IP rather than the domain (which can get you around some blocking software), right-click this button for more options.

You Old Enough?

You Old Enough bypasses YouTube's age check verification, allowing you to watch any video on YouTube without logging in or registering for a YouTube account. Let's be honest: The whole age verification thing is kind of a joke to begin with, since all it requires is a user claiming to be old enough. On top of that, videos that require you to log in aren't always the kind of video you're excited to add to your account history. With the You Old Enough extension installed, a new pop-up window containing the video opens whenever you stumble onto a YouTube video that requires age verification, completely bypassing the login or registration requirement. Handy.

TV Manager

Like TV? The TV Manager extension lets you browse listings and set alarms for your favorite programs from the comfort of your browser. The extension supports most US channels and is completely customizable. If you set an alarm on a show, TV Manager displays a simple reminder when the show is about to start (perfect for ending your Wikipedia run before you miss your show).

Mozilla is shorthanded on testers, and a lot of time all it takes to push an extension through the experimental phase is a little popularity. If you see one you like, you can support it by creating an account, logging into the Firefox Add-ons site, and installing the extension. Know of any other interesting experimental extensions worth a look? Let's hear about them in the comments.

Best Windows Firewall? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Adam Pash — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:00:00 PDT

Your excellent antivirus application prevents nasty files from infecting your computer with all kinds of baddies, but when it comes to securing your computer against malicious attacks, that's not the end of the security story. Unless you're running a solid firewall, your PC is wide open to all kinds of vulnerabilities as soon as you connect it to an internet connection. The hardware router on your home network should take care of most of your firewall needs while you're at home, but when you hit the streets with your laptop, a software solution is a must. So for this week's Hive Five, we want you to tell us all about your favorite software firewall. Keep reading for details and to nominate your preferred firewall. Photo by for3w.

NOTE: We've covered this territory once before pre-Hive Five, but this is one topic that deserves the full Hive Five treatment.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: Firewall Application Goes Here. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get—"Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's Hive Five Best Media Converters.

Mac Security Update Out Today [Mac OS X]

Gina Trapani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:45:30 PDT

Hit up the old Software Update on your Mac this afternoon, because Apple's posted a Security Update to Leopard 10.5.5 that includes vulnerability plugs and bug fixes; the direct download is available here.

Nodobe Viewer Brings Lightweight, Inline PDF Viewing to Firefox [Featured Firefox Extension]

Adam Pash — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:00 PDT

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Nodobe Viewer is an inline document viewer for Firefox intended to replace the bloat of plugins like the dreaded Adobe Reader. Nodobe Viewer supports 38 different file types, including PDF, Microsoft Office documents, and OpenOffice documents. When you're about to download one of these document types but would prefer just a quick inline view, right-click the link and select Open Link in New Tab with Nodobe. The tool works in conjunction with web application Vuzit (pronounced "views-it"), which handles the document conversion and displays the results in your browser.

The downside: You actually have to sign up for a free account with Vuzit to use Nodobe Reader. If you're willing to take that small step, Nodobe is a great little alternative for quickly viewing a document when you either don't have the right application installed or you don't want to fire up bloatware to view it. This extension would also pair well with previously mentioned Link Alert.

Political Streams Tracks Hot Election News [Politics]

Gina Trapani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:33:32 PDT

Microsoft Live Labs launches Political Streams, a constantly-updating page of hot stories in politics right now in the news and on blogs. Similar to Twitter's Election site in that it gives you up-to-the-minute updates on what folks are talking about, unlike Twitter the items are more than 140 characters in length and they're also ranked by popularity with trending information so you can see what's getting more chatter and what's getting less. [via]

Xbox 360 Fall Update Coming November 19th [Xbox 360]

Adam Pash — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:00:00 PDT

The Xbox team has officially announced November 19th as the release date for the new Xbox experience. Why do we care? Because the update brings support for Netflix Watch Instantly video streaming, and considering the addition of the Starz catalog to Watch Instantly, that means lots of great movies at your fingertips. Can't wait until November? Turn your 360 into a streaming Netflix player right now.

Battle of the Tricked-Out Computer Desktops [Lifehacker Faceoff]

Gina Trapani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:00:00 PDT

Ever since we started the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell group on Flickr, readers have been contributing and explaining their computer desktop settings in droves. A few times a week we pick out one that's unique in some way and post it here on site, to both cheers and jeers. Now that we've got more than three months' worth of featured desktops, it's time to round them all up into a giant poll, where you get to tell us which desktop impressed you the most. Any of these inspire you to try new software, or make your desktop just a little nicer? Pick your favorite desktop from the group and let's see which one comes out on top.

All of these desktops represent a lot of love and care by their owners, so as far as we're concerned they're all winners. Thanks to everyone who has submitted their screenshots. If you want to tell us about your desktop, upload yours with a description and links to what you're running to the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell group.

Application Monitor Automatically Restarts a Crashed App [Featured Windows Download]

Adam Pash — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:00:00 PDT

Windows only: Application Monitor is a free utility that monitors user-specified applications to ensure they're running. If a program is not running, Application Monitor restarts it. Let's say, for example, your roommate is prone to shutting down your BitTorrent client when you're away from your computer. You return home expecting the movie you'd been downloading to be ready for your viewing pleasure, then discover the download hasn't even been running. If you had set Application Monitor to keep an eye on your BitTorrent client, it would have automatically restarted your BitTorrent app and you'd be enjoying a fresh bowl of popcorn right now. Application Monitor isn't something you'd want to set up with every application on your system, but under the right circumstances it's really handy. OS X users, check out previously mentioned Lingon.

Netflix Charging $1 More for Blu-Ray [NetFlix]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:45:00 PDT

DVD rental service Netflix is adding a $1/month charge, starting Nov. 5, to any accounts that have higher-def Blu-Ray discs in their queue, or have turned on a preference to get Blu-Ray discs. Customers can turn this off, however, in their account settings. Does $1/month extra seem fair for higher-def flicks, or are you switching back to standard DVDs? [via]