Simple Help http://www.simplehelp.net Common questions, simple answers Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:25:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 simplehelphttp://feedburner.google.com How to set selective (not all) tweets as your Facebook Status http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/6OloeGRqcis/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/19/how-to-set-selective-not-all-tweets-as-your-facebook-status/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:25:39 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3647

This brief tutorial will show you how to set selective, specific tweets to also show up as your Facebook Status.

You probably have a friend or two on Facebook who insists on sending every twitter message (tweet) they write to also update their Facebook status. This can get a little.. annoying.. if you follow them on both Twitter and Facebook. This tutorial will show you how you can set specific tweets as your Facebook Status, and the rest of them are only displayed on Twitter.

  1. To begin, sign into your Facebook account and visit the Selective Twitter app. Enter your twitter user name in the space provided, and click the Save button.

    selective tweets to facebook

  2. You’ll then be asked to allow access to certain parts of your Facebook profile. Click Allow.

    3. allow facebook app

  3. Now select the Settings tab of the Selective Twitter app. Place a check in the box labeled Allow the #fb tag anywhere in the tweet? and click on the Save Changes button.

    4. selective twitter to facebook settings

  4. At this point you’ll be prompted to grant Selective Tweets to allow posting access without prompting you before it does. This is fine – the only time it will make any updates to your Facebook status is when you tell it to. Click the Allow Publishing button.

    5. allow selective tweets facebook app

  5. Now sign in to your Twitter account. It doesn’t matter if you’re using the web-based version of Twitter, a mobile Twitter client or a desktop app. The only important thing is to add the tag #fb to your tweet. Once you do that, you’ll be telling Selective Twitter that the tweet you just sent – the one with #fb in it – to also update your Facebook Status with that message. If you do not include the tag #fb in your tweets, your Facebook Status will not update (but your tweet will be sent out normally).

    6. twitter update to facebook

  6. In the above screenshot, you’ll see that I sent out a tweet that included the #fb tag in it. And in the screenshot below, you’ll see that because I included the #fb tag, it also updated my Facebook Status.

    7. facebook status from twitter

  7. That’s it! Just remember to use #fb in your tweets, and they’ll update your Facebook status. If you want to be notified about tutorials like this one, via Twitter, you can follow me on Twitter. Warning: I also blather on about boring and irrelevant things on twitter. You’ve been warned.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/19/how-to-set-selective-not-all-tweets-as-your-facebook-status/feed/ 0 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/19/how-to-set-selective-not-all-tweets-as-your-facebook-status/ 21 Must-Have Android Apps http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/xgWF-T_SekQ/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/16/21-must-have-android-apps/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:30:30 +0000 Skyler Huse http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3541

Welcome to my must-have list of Android Apps! The list includes replacements for existing/included Android apps, social media apps, games, audio/video apps and a bunch of other helpful apps.

To install these, click on the name of the app. This will take you to AndroLib where you can scan a QR code. This will launch the Marketplace app on your Android device and take you right to the app. For help using QR codes with your Android device, see this tutorial. Alternately, you can just search for the app name in the Marketplace.

1. Replacement Apps
2. Internet / Social Networking Apps
3. Media Apps
4. Games
5. Miscellaneous Apps


Replacements:

Handcent SMS

Handcent SMS is a great app that can replace the default messaging app. It is highly customizable and just way better looking. It lets you easily set different notifications for different contacts, change the background for texts, change the color of bubbles for different contacts, and so much more. Check out the FAQ to make sure you only get one notification when you get a text.


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Dolphin Browser

Dolphin Browser is a replacement for the default browser. It has some great features like easy to get to tabs, gestures, and, of course, pinch to zoom. I find the interface a bit clunky, but if you’re wanting more than the default browser, this is your best bet.


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TuneWiki

TuneWiki is an alternative to the default music app. It has some nice features, like automatically downloading album art, displaying lyrics along with the song, music videos, etc. I do not use it because I found it a bit buggy, and it downloaded the wrong album art and failed to find lyrics for some of my more obscure music. However, you should give it a try if you have been let down by the default app.


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Handycalc

Handycalc is like your built in calculator on steroids. It does everything you could want it to. It can graph and it has a unit and currency converter built in. It also comes with a good tutorial to show you what all it can do.


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Advanced Task Killer

Advanced Task Killer allows you to end all the apps running in the background, which slow your phone down and drain the battery. There are plenty of other apps like this in the market, this is just what I like. If you’d like to try something else, try Advanced Task Manager.


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Audio Manager Widget

Audio Manager Widget doesn’t work too well as a widget for me, but I find the app very useful for quick access to manage all the audio levels of my phone. It recently updated with a much friendly interface, so if you had it before and uninstalled it, why not try it out again?


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Mototorch LED

Mototorch LED is a Droid only app that lets you use the camera’s flash LEDs as a flashlight. It also has has a strobe setting and even an option to flash Morse code. The widget allows fast access to turn on the flashlight. If you don’t have a Droid, there are plenty of flashlight apps in the market.


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Astro File Manager

Astro is a file manager that will let you view and edit the files on your SD card. It does everything you could want it to do. Copy, paste, delete, move, create folders, open files, you can even install .apk files if you enable unknown application sources.


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Internet/Social Networking:

eBuddy

eBuddy is a great looking IM client that supports many different protocols. This includes Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Talk, and possibly more. One thing that it does lack is Skype support. If this is something you need, check out Fring.


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AnyPost

AnyPost is a ping.fm app for Android. If you don’t know what ping.fm is, it’s a site that allows you to update your status to multiple social networking sites at once. The app is simple and looks nice. It also allows you to add pictures or locations to your post.


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Wapedia

Wapedia is great for those who use Wikipedia frequently. Basically, it’s just a really fast way to access Wikipedia articles. It comes with a widget and it formats the pages to load fast and look great on your phone. I also like the option to switch it to a dark theme. I find that option great for looking up info about a movie while watching on in a dark room.


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Media:

Last.fm

The official Last.fm app could probably also go into the internet/social networking list, but I thought I’d add it here since it is for music. If you don’t know what Last.fm is, it’s a website that keeps track of what you listen to and offers recommendations of music you might like. The app lets you access Last.fm’s online radio system and also scrobbles all the tracks you listen to with the default music app. If you want something just for streaming music, check out the Pandora app.


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Aldiko

Aldiko is the perfect app for book lovers. You can download thousands of public domain books right from the app and you can import your own if need be. The only downside is that it only supports epub books. If you have a collection in some other format, Calibre is a great free ebook manager that can convert to epub.


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Movies by Flixster

Movies by Flixster is my favorite app for finding out what movies are playing where. It is teamed up with Rotten Tomatoes for reviews and can sync of with your Facebook to let friends know what you think of a movie. One feature I really like is being able to favorite movie theaters so you can quickly look up what is playing at your favorite place.


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Games:

Bebbled

Bebbled is a great puzzle game with a bit of a twist. It plays a bit like Bejeweled, only you can turn your phone upside down to reverse the gravity! It’s a lot of fun and pretty challenging at times. You can also press a button to reverse the gravity if you don’t want to be flipping your phone back and forth.


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Bitblocks

Bitblocks is the best Tetris-like app I have been able to find for free. It looks good and works well. What more can you ask for?


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Cestos

Cestos is what I would describe as a marble battling game. It’s a multiplayer game where you set your marbles against another player’s marbles. You try to destroy each other or knock each other off the stage. Everything about this game is great. You even level up and can customize your look. It’s made by Chicken Brick Studios, who I think make some of the best multiplayer games for Android phones.


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yongzh

yongzh makes a great number of emulators for Android phones. All the ones I have used seem to work great. My only complaint is that the image looks stretched, but it’s not really that bad. All the emulators have tons of great options and even on screen keys. I’d like to beg for the ability to load roms from archives though. I need to save as much room on my phone as I can!


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Miscellaneous:

Robotic Guitarist

Robotic Guitarist is a great app for those who play the guitar. It’s a chord guide, emulator, tuner, metronome, and more. I mainly use it for the tuner, which works great.


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Shazam

Shazam is an app that tries to identify a song for you. If you really haven’t heard about it by now, you just put your phone up to a song that it playing, tell it to listen, and it will try to identify the song.


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Torrent-fu

Torrent-fu allows you to remotely control your torrents from your phone. You need to be using either uTorrent or Transmission to set this up. Here’s the great getting started guide.


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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/16/21-must-have-android-apps/feed/ 1 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/16/21-must-have-android-apps/ How to read QR Codes with your Android Phone http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/ZBPn4s5euDo/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/15/how-to-read-qr-codes-with-your-android-phone/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:18:46 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3567

Simple Help QR CodeQR (”Quick Response”) codes (as pictured left), are two-dimensional bar codes that you might have started noticing on web sites, in magazines or on products when you go shopping. They allow you to quickly scan them with your camera and either launch a web site, show product info, display plain text, send an SMS message and much more. This tutorial will show you how to read and use them with your Android device.

 

  1. To get started fire up your Android phone and open the Marketplace
  2. Run a search for the name shopsavvy


    3. click to enlarge

  3. Select ShopSavvy by tapping it.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. Continue with the installation process as you would with any other app.


    5. click to enlarge

  5. Now that it’s installed, bring up your list of applications. Select ShopSavvy to launch it.

  6. Tap the Agree button if you agree with the Terms of Service.

  7. Now select Search for a product

  8. The ShopSavvy app will now go in ‘camera’ mode. Point your phone (camera) towards a QR code. Hold it still so the scanner can read the code.


    9. click to enlarge

  9. Once ShopSavvy has correctly read the code, a message will pop up with whatever the QR code was created to do (launch a web page, send an SMS, show product info etc).

  10. And then the ‘action’ will happen. If the code was a link for a web page, your browser will launch and display that page. If it was an SMS message, your SMS messaging program will launch with all the info pre-populated (but it wont’ send the message – you still have to manually click ’send’).


    11. click to enlarge

  11. QR codes are very helpful for Android in particular – some are created to point directly to an app in the Marketplace. So you can read about an app, and then scan the QR code to go right to the Marketplace to install it.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/15/how-to-read-qr-codes-with-your-android-phone/feed/ 1 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/15/how-to-read-qr-codes-with-your-android-phone/ New MacHeist Bundle http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/DaTmvyRQM9Q/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/05/new-macheist-bundle/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:25:36 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/05/new-macheist-bundle/

Well the latest MacHeist bundle has been released, and for $19.95 you get 5 (and up to 7 if enough people buy the package) useful apps.

The apps included in this bundle are: MacJournal, RipIt, Clips, CoverScout and Flow. Assuming the bundle reaches it’s “goal” (usually does) – you’ll also get a copy of Tales of Monkey Island and RapidWeaver. To sweeten the deal, you can also get 3 additional apps – Airburst Extreme, Tracks and Burning Monkey Solitaire if you ‘tweet’ about the bundle.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/05/new-macheist-bundle/feed/ 0 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/03/05/new-macheist-bundle/ Get a free copy of Squeeze from MacHeist http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/SSjXPM4FsQc/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/02/26/get-a-free-copy-of-squeeze-from-macheist/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:35:34 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3509

The folks at MacHeist are gearing up for another deal on a bundle of apps, but right now you can get a copy of Squeeze for free (regularly $9.95).

About Squeeze:

Squeeze is a background file compressor for Snow Leopard that transparently compresses the folders you configure it to process. Mac OS will read those files normally, they will just take less disk space.

So just head over to MacHeist to grab your copy now.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/02/26/get-a-free-copy-of-squeeze-from-macheist/feed/ 0 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/02/26/get-a-free-copy-of-squeeze-from-macheist/ How to force your Mac to boot into OS X after intalling Windows using Boot Camp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/_yEytsFX0ks/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/01/25/how-to-force-your-mac-to-boot-into-os-x-after-intalling-windows-using-boot-camp/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:00:02 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3498 Windows

After you install Windows via Boot Camp, you may notice that your Mac will now boot up into Windows by default. This brief tutorial will show you how to set your Mac to load OS X rather than Windows each time it starts up.

  1. First things first – start your Mac in OS X. To do this, hold down the Option key while your Mac starts up. You’ll be presented with a list of each bootable Operating System on your Mac. Select the icon for OS X.

    2. os x boot screen with windows listed

  2. Once OS X has started up, click the “Apple” in your menu bar and select System Preferences…/

  3. In your System Preferences select Startup Disk in the System section.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. Now select the icon that represents your OS X disk.


    5. click to enlarge

  5. Finally, exit out of the System Preferences. That’s it! The next time you restart your Mac, OS X will load. You can always boot into Windows again by holding down the Option key when your Mac is starting up. Then just select the Windows disk.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/01/25/how-to-force-your-mac-to-boot-into-os-x-after-intalling-windows-using-boot-camp/feed/ 1 http://www.simplehelp.net/2010/01/25/how-to-force-your-mac-to-boot-into-os-x-after-intalling-windows-using-boot-camp/ Google Wave Invites http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/GvaAmCWUCT8/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/12/03/google-wave-invites/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:35:37 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3470

Update: I thought my 27 invites would be enough to cover anyone who wanted one. I was wrong. Sorry about that. The first 27 people who left a comment have been sent an invite. The remaining 7, I’m sorry – as soon as Google issues me more invites, I’ll send them your way.

Still not a Google Wave user? Well Simple Help has 27 invites for anyone interested. Just be sure to use the email address you want the invite sent to in the “Email (required, but never shared)” field of the comment form below.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/12/03/google-wave-invites/feed/ 35 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/12/03/google-wave-invites/ Free Simple Help Tee-Shirts http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/ewAy0P-1oSQ/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/30/free-simple-help-tee-shirts/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:00:31 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3458

Update: all 10 shirts have been spoken for. I’ll run another contest/giveaway in the not too distant future, so keep watching Simple Help.

That’s right, it’s free Simple Help tee-shirt time! The first 10 (ten) people who leave a comment will receive a brand new Simple Help shirt at absolutely no charge. No need to pay postage, no hidden costs etc. I’ll pay for it all.

All I ask is that you occasionally wear the shirt in public (the gym totally counts). If you plan on using it as a shirt to sleep in, or cut up and use as rags, I’d rather you not ask for one.

This offer is open to folks living in Canada and the US only (this time). When you leave a comment, please use a valid email address in the “Email (required, but never shared)” field. I’ll email you to get your shipping address shortly after you leave the comment. Shirts are available in the following sizes: Medium, Large, Xtra-Large and 2X Large. They are 100% cotton and pre-shrunk.

simple help t-shirt
click to enlarge

The shirts were designed by Jason of Print Market Direct and printed by Fred of Fred Cox Merchandising (join his Facebook page for more info). I would highly recommend the work of both Jason and Fred, and I wasn’t paid to say that :)

Shirts will be mailed on Monday, December 7th – one week from today.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/30/free-simple-help-tee-shirts/feed/ 17 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/30/free-simple-help-tee-shirts/ How to add a background image to your Google Calendar http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/pC-UfHhM0TM/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/23/how-to-add-a-background-image-to-your-google-calendar/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:21 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3452

This brief tutorial will walk you through the steps required to add set a picture as the background to your Google Calendar.

  1. The default Google Calendar view can be rather… dull.


    2. click to enlarge

  2. To make it a bit less boring, add a background image. To do so, start out by clicking Settings from the upper-right corner of your Google Calendar page.

  3. Then click the Labs link.

  4. Scroll down to the Background image section and select Enable. Then click the Save button.

  5. Now return to the General section of your Google Calendar Settings. Scroll down to the Calendar background: section and click the Choose image link.

  6. Select the Upload photos link, navigate to the picture you want to use as your Google Calendar background, select it and click OK. Once the image has finished uploading, click the Save button.

  7. Depending on the size of your image, select one of the view options. For my image, I opted to use Scaled to fit.

  8. And now your calendar will have an image as its background!


    9. click to enlarge

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/23/how-to-add-a-background-image-to-your-google-calendar/feed/ 2 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/23/how-to-add-a-background-image-to-your-google-calendar/ How to easily upgrade CyanogenMod using CM Updater http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/Gcvn8_jq_sA/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/17/how-to-easily-upgrade-cyanogenmod-using-cm-updater/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:03:27 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3432

This tutorial will show you how to use CM Updater to easily update your version of CyanogenMod on your Android phone

 

Update: thanks to Nick for pointing out that you can actually download CyanogenMod Updater via the Android Market. If you opt to do so, you can skip steps #1-4 below. In the Market search for CyanogenMod Updater to find it.

  1. Start out by opening your Settings. Scroll down to the Applications section and select it.

  2. Make sure there’s a “check” in the Unknown sources box. Exit out of your Settings.

  3. Now launch your Android browser. Open the URL http://code.google.com/p/cyanogen-updater. On the right side of that page look for the Featured downloads: link. Click the cmupdater_x.x.x.apk link to download the file.

  4. Once the download has completed, tap the file to launch the installer.

  5. You’ll be asked to confirm that you want to install CM Updater. Tap the Install button.

  6. And now CM Updater will install.

  7. Once the installation has completed, click the Open button.

  8. Tap the Check now button and CM Updater will look for any new version of CyanogenMod.

  9. It should only take a moment…

  10. … and if an update is found, it will be displayed (see screenshot below). In the Please select the ROM to download: menu, the latest version of CyanogenMod will be displayed. If it has an “anchor” icon next to it, that means it’s a stable release. If it has a “beaker” next to it, that means it’s an experimental release (and thus more likely to have bugs etc.). Tap the Download button to download the latest version.

  11. CyanogenMod is typically somewhere around 35MB (give or take) so if you’re using 3G it can take a while to download. If you have access to WiFi, you may want to use it instead.

  12. Once the download has completed, you’ll be prompted to install it. Here you have two choices – Apply Now will immediately begin the installation process – which will involve rebooting your phone. Apply Later will close out of CM Updater and the latest version will not be installed. The benefit of installing later is that you can perform a backup first, if you haven’t already. The latest version (the one you just downloaded) will remain on your SD Card so that it can be installed after performing a backup. For the sake of this tutorial, lets jump right in and apply the latest version. Tap the Apply Now button.

  13. Tap the Update button on the confirmation window.

  14. At this point you’ll probably be prompted to allow the program to run as root. Place a check in the Remember box, and then tap Allow.

  15. You may be prompted to repeat steps #12 and/or #13. If you are, just repeat them, and your phone will reboot. If you’re not, your phone will reboot. The installation/upgrade will now begin.

  16. Let it do its thing, and once completed, select the reboot system now option from the Android system recovery list.

  17. Your phone will once again reboot – and this time it will almost certainly take longer than usual to start up. Don’t worry if it appears to have ‘frozen’ – just give it more time. Once it starts up, you’ll be running the latest version of CyanogenMod. That’s it!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/17/how-to-easily-upgrade-cyanogenmod-using-cm-updater/feed/ 10 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/17/how-to-easily-upgrade-cyanogenmod-using-cm-updater/ How to tweak your Linux machine’s history command http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/6uumLoK-QKc/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/11/how-to-tweak-your-linux-machines-history-command/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:16:51 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3382

If you are somewhat familiar with using the Linux or UNIX command line interface it is quite likely that you have used the history command. For those not familiar with it the history command allows you to search through the commands you have already run on your computer’s command line.

An example of its usage is:

# history | grep “kill”

This will search for a command containing the term kill through the history of commands you have run on your computer. This is a basic example of the history command. There are certain limitations in this command. Let’s take a look at how you can tweak it a bit to work more effectively for you. One of the limitations I find bugging me quite often is that if you are running two terminal session at the same time the commands from the first session are erased from the history of commands. Not the smartest way the command should work, I think. Well let’s fix it then.

Log in to your account and launch a shell terminal. In your user’s home directory you should find a file called .bashrc. If this file does not exist, create it. To open the file use a command like the following, replacing user with your username:

# vim /home/user/.bashrc

Add the following lines to the .bashrc file without any changes whatsoever:

shopt -s histappend
PROMPT_COMMAND=’history -a’

And voila, problem solved. Henceforth all your commands from single sessions as well as simultaneous sessions will be written to the command history file, and no overwriting will happen.

Another useful change I like to make to the history command’s configuration is removing duplicates from the history of commands. This way I get access to a lot more data and get it quicker. Open the .bashrc file once again and add the following lines in a new line:

export HISTCONTROL=”ignoredups”
export HISTIGNORE=”&:ls:[bf]g:exit”

Save the file and exit the text editor. Now the history command will check to see if a command already exists in the log file or not before adding any new information. A last modification I make to the history command’s configuration is adding spell check. Add the line shown below to the file .bashrc to help the history command check for spelling errors in command and suggest a valid command:

shopt -s cdspell

Save and exit. Now your Linux machine will be able to figure out when you type gerp instead of grep.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/11/how-to-tweak-your-linux-machines-history-command/feed/ 1 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/11/how-to-tweak-your-linux-machines-history-command/ How to convert HTML pages to PDF in Ubuntu Linux http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/X7f7crJgdXk/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/10/how-to-convert-html-pages-to-pdf-in-ubuntu-linux/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:50:08 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3376

A really neat tool I was introduced to a few days back is wkhtmltopdf, a freely distributed tool that allows you to convert HTML pages into PDF documents. This is not something I’ve found a lot of use for too often, but when I’ve needed it it’s been a life saver. Let’s take a look at how to set it up and use it.

The installation of wkhtmltopdf is a lot less difficult that trying to pronounce the name of the project. As the project is not yet distributed as installable binaries you will need to compile it.

Requirements:

- QT 4.4 or above
- CMake 1.6 or above
- Subvertion

On Ubuntu do the following to install the tools required to compile:

# sudo apt-get update
# sudo apt-get install libqt4-dev qt4-dev-tools build-essential cmake

Now check out the latest code for the application from the project’s SVN repositories.

# svn checkout http://wkhtmltopdf.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ wkhtmltopdf

Time to build and compile it:

# cd wkhtmltopdf
# cmake -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr .
# make
# sudo make install

Once you are done with the previous steps using wkhtmltopdf is a piece of cake. To convert a web page from HTML to PDF all you need to do is to run the following command:

# wkhtmltopdf http://www.simplehelp.net simplehelp.pdf

The previous command will access the website http://www.simplehelp.net and create a PDF document with its contents. You obviously need a working Internet connection for this to work. You can also modify the above command slightly to convert an HTML file stored on your computer into a PDF document:

# wkhtmltopdf /home/calvin/sevenacross.html sevenacross.pdf

Pretty neat stuff, eh! wkhtmltopdf has several options allowing you to make the PDF document in Portrait mode or Landscape, and so on. Visit the project’s website for more info on it.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/10/how-to-convert-html-pages-to-pdf-in-ubuntu-linux/feed/ 1 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/10/how-to-convert-html-pages-to-pdf-in-ubuntu-linux/ How to setup Ubuntu to synchronize its time over the Internet http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/csF8-VoKCOs/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/06/how-to-setup-ubuntu-to-synchronize-its-time-over-the-internet/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:45:48 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3367

Oftentimes my Ubuntu desktop loses track of time. Really. What happens is that the time it maintains goes a few minutes here and there every month. So I like to use a very useful Linux service called NTP to help keep the clock on my Ubuntu desktop in sync with well maintained clocks over the Internet. Let’s look at how to set this up.

You need an Ubuntu computer with Internet access. The access need not be on all the time, it’s fine even if the computer gets access on and off so that it can check with the clocks online and get in sync. Log into your Ubuntu computer and click on the System button at the top of you screen. Navigate to Administration -> Time and Date. You’ll see a window pop up with the time and date setup in it. Click on the Unlock button and enter your password to proceed.

image01

In this window click on the drop down menu next to item titled Configuration You’ll see two options – Manual and Keep synchronized with Internet servers. Choose the second option. If you don’t have the NTP tools installed Ubuntu will inform you of it and ask if you want it to install them for you.

image02

Click on the button titled Install NTP support. It will ask you for your password then begin installing the required tools. Now we can proceed with setting up time synchronization. the next step is to tell Ubuntu which server you want it to sync the time with.

Click on the Select Servers button to pick which server you want to Ubuntu to use.

image03

The window shown in the screenshot below will pop up, giving you several options. Note that you can pick more than one server. This way if a server goes down for some reason Ubuntu will try getting the time from another server.

image04

Click on the Close button once you are done picking servers. One last thing you need to check is that the NTP is set to run at boot. To do this go to System -> Administration -> Services and make sure that the item titled Clock synchronization service (ntp) is checked.

image05

Voila. Now the clock on your Ubuntu computer will sync with the clocks online periodically, making sure you are always on time.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/06/how-to-setup-ubuntu-to-synchronize-its-time-over-the-internet/feed/ 3 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/06/how-to-setup-ubuntu-to-synchronize-its-time-over-the-internet/ How to block someone on Facebook http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/bqUC9hEq5Ys/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/05/how-to-block-someone-on-facebook/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:45:07 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3415

This tutorial will guide you through blocking people on Facebook.

Whatever the reason – a stalker, an ex – just someone you don’t want to have any contact with – you can quite easily cut them out of your Facebook life. Follow the steps outlined below to do so.

It’s important to note this up front – by blocking someone you are not 100% completely blocking absolutely every possibly interaction on Facebook with that person. As Facebook explains:

If you block someone, they will not be able to find you in a Facebook search, see your profile, or interact with you through Facebook channels (such as Wall posts, Poke, etc.). Any Facebook ties you currently have with a person you block will be broken (for example, friendship connections, Relationship Status, etc.). Note that blocking someone may not prevent all communications and interactions in third-party applications, and does not extend to elsewhere on the Internet.

It’s also worth mentioning that when you block someone, not only will they not be able to see what “you’re doing” on Facebook – you won’t be able to see what they’re doing either. It is a two-way block.

  1. First up, sign in to your Facebook account. Towards the upper-right corner, hover your cursor over the Settings link. A little ‘drop-down’ menu will appear. Click Account Settings

  2. Click the manage link in the Privacy section of your settings page.

  3. Enter the name of the person you want to block in the Person field. Alternately, you can enter their email address in the Email filed, but you’ll need to know exactly which email address they have associated with their Facebook account. Now click the Block button.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. If the name you entered matches more than one person, a list will appear displaying all of the possible matches. Locate the person you want to block, and click the Block button.

  5. If at any point you want to remove this block, return to your Account Settings page, and click the remove link next to the blocked person.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/05/how-to-block-someone-on-facebook/feed/ 4 http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/05/how-to-block-someone-on-facebook/ 3 Google Voice Invites http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/cQg4KGDgme4/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/11/04/3-google-voice-invites/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:45:57 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=3404

Update: invites all sent. As soon as I have more, I’ll be sure to offer them up here.

I have 3 Google Voice invites for the first 3 readers who leave a comment on this post. Please make sure to use a working email address in the “Email (required, but never shared)” field (not in the body of the comment).

Please remember that Google Voice is currently only available to US residents (the service does not work outside of the US).

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