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The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Firefox 3.5 pulls data from certain file locations for randomized security purposes. Sometimes, though, that can lead to annoying slow start-ups in Windows. You can speed things up by cleaning out certain folder locations.
For whatever reason, having too many temporary, history, or recent document files sitting in your Windows locations slows down Firefox 3.5's data generation processes, as has been reported as a bug. The Mozilla Links blog recommends cleaning out these folders to move the browser's work along:
C:\Documents and Settings\*user*\Local Settings\History
C:\Documents and Settings\*user*\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Documents and Settings\*user*\My Recent Documents
C:\Documents and Settings\*user*\Temp\
On Vista or Windows 7 systems, simply replace "Documents and Settings" with "Users." Setting up Firefox to automatically clean out your temporary files after browsing, as explained at the link below, helps prevent the accumulation from building again, but users who trade browsing time with Internet Explorer may have to occasionally work this manual method to wipe out those files.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Google's upped its pace handing out invites to Google Voice, the service that controls all your phones with one number. For those just arriving, we're offering up a beginner's guide to setting up, transitioning to, bug-fixing, and actually enjoying Google Voice.
If you still haven't received an invite or want a clearer picture of what Google Voice actually does, peek first at our screenshot-packed first look and tips on whether you actually need it.
Once you accept an invite, register your number, and make your first text or phone call, you might be wondering how to go about actually using Google Voice—after all, nobody's calling you on that number just yet, and your number doesn't have any rules set up to begin with. That's where this guide starts off. There are lots of resources that explain how Google Voice's features work, but we're hoping to help you learn how to get people calling that number, work past the flaws in its system, and manage the callers for a better overall phone experience.
Until Google Voice lets you make a full-scale import of your existing phone number to their service, you'll have to pick an area code, remember a new number, and ask people who call you to use that number. But trust us, it's not as hard as it seems these days. Two of your Lifehacker editors have done it, and all it took was a little small group psychology.
Be firm: If you want Google Voice to be your universal phone hub, everybody has to call it. Don't be namby-pamby when you send out the mass email or mention it in conversation—this is your new number, not some experiment or trial or such. Is there any risk, however small, that a big project like Google Voice will go under and you'll have to send a red-faced follow-up request? Yes. Is there that same risk with Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail, Twitter, and Facebook? Yes. Say it's your new number, and say it's your only number. For those who don't follow-up, there's a next step:
The catch-all voicemail: Call your cell phone voicemail number and head into the options to record a new voicemail. Say that you won't be retrieving voicemail on it and list your new number. Even if you do check that voicemail once or twice for the first two weeks, don't let anybody know that. It's a hard line, but it pays off, and you'll probably be getting back to people quicker soon enough.
The stragglers: Some folks just don't want to edit their contact lists, and others feel like they'll catch you quicker if they've got your direct line. Don't take their calls. Call them back from your Google Voice number, through the Google Voice web site (explained later on), or by calling your Google Voice number from your standard phone and dialing them from there. They'll either take the hint and spend the 30 seconds to update, get lazy and start calling your Google Voice number from their Recent Calls list, or get used to having their messages returned at your convenience. Photo by jessicafm.
Changing your phone life will, of course, come with its share of kinks. Here are a few of them, and how you can sidestep the worst side effects. Note: The first two can be mostly avoided with Google Voice apps for smartphones, like GV for Android and GV Mobile for iPhones.
Text message replies: When Google Voice delivers your text messages to your phone, they arrive from a completely new phone number, although with a contact's name attached if you have it stored. Replying to that message is easy, but to compose a new message to that person and have it show up as being from your Google Voice number, you'll have to add that phantom Google Voice SMS number to their contact, perhaps under an "Other" phone. You can, of course, send and respond to texts from Google Voice's web site, and its mobile site works great from phone browsers, but when you're not near a computer or a net connection, this is the way to enforce your One Number.
Call-backs: Unlike text messages, Google Voice doesn't provide a magic call-back number to avoid re-introducing your "old"/carrier number to contacts. If Voice's mobile or desktop web sites are accessible, you have to call into your Google Voice number, hit 2 to place a call, then enter the number you're calling back. That's a pain in the rear, and even more so if you don't feel comfortable setting your cell phone to not require a PIN when you call Google Voice.
If you're calling certain contacts all the time and want the calls to go through Google Voice, you could search to see how to insert one- or two-second pauses into a phone number in your phone's address book. Then create an "Other" number for them that consists of your Google Voice number, then a pause, then "2," then a pause, then that contact's actual phone number, followed by a "#". That automates the Google Voice dialing, leaving you with just a bit of a wait while it goes through.
That slight voice latency: As previously mentioned, there's a variable amount of audio delay when routing calls through Google Voice. Sometimes it's hardly noticeable, but other times, you seem more rude than you really are. Being patient is the obvious, but best, coping mechanism. If you sense there's a good second or so lagging in your connection, simply let them finish out their entire thought before jumping in with your own. Form experience, trying to time yourself slightly ahead of the end of their sentence simply makes you a bad listener, and it's hard to pull off.
Not every caller is the same. Your parents, spouse, siblings, best friends, business partners, and other VIPs can probably call whenever and you'd like to pick it up. Your over-sharing co-worker, friends who like to call from bars, and pushy sales reps of all kinds, though—they can go straight to voicemail. And what if you like being short and snappy with your friends, but need a more professional-sounding voicemail greeting for potential clients?
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Google Voice's Groups let you create multiple pools of people from your Google Contacts. If you didn't have any Google Contacts set up before, you will now, just by making and receiving calls. To create new groups or add and remove people from existing groups, hit the "Contacts" link in the left-hand toolbar of the Google Voice site, then select or search out names from the vertical scroll, then hit "Groups" to manage which pools they fall into.
To change what happens when a Group member calls, head to Settings, then Groups, then click "Edit" next to the groups that need special rules. You can set which phones ring, what greeting someone hears, and whether you want to "ListenIn" and have Google Voice read their name to you on calling, so you can decide whether to talk or let them ring through to voicemail.
If you've only got a few different folks who you want to have non-standard rules for, you can do that without having to come up with a clever group name. Select their name from your Contacts, click the "Edit Google Voice Setting" link under their contact information, and you can tweak greetings, where they ring to, and whether you see their call or not.
Google Voice's killer app is allowing you to keep one phone number, but have it route to multiple phones the way you want. Here's how to save money, avoid annoyances, and get more out of Google Voice's custom calling rules.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.After signing up with Google Voice, you'll probably have at least your cell phone set up with the service, under a new number. It's pretty easy to add a new phone—click on "Settings" in the upper-right corner, then hit the "Phones" tab and click "Add another phone." After entering your number and verifying, you'll have a new entry in your Phones list you can set rules for. Click Edit next to a phone, then "Show Advanced Settings," to set up when these phones ring,
Here are a few calling rules you can use as templates for customizing how Google Voice handles your calls.
Cell minute saver: If you've got any other kind of phone at home, or you don't mind routing certain friends and family to your office, you can have those other phones ring at the same time when your cell minutes are "regular," i.e. tracked by the minute. You could theoretically set your cell phone not to ring during day hours, but that would cut you off from calls you want to take when you're mobile.
What you want to do is set your non-cellular phones to not ring between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. (or whenever your cell plan goes "free" and when you're okay taking calls). On weekends, adjust those hours to whenever you're likely to be home. If you share one of those landlines with other people, create a group of the people you wouldn't want to bother your spouse/roommate/relatives and set them to ring directly to your cell phone at all times.
Whitelist your ring-throughs: Google Voice provides pretty good caller ID, and you can easily ignore a call and check the transcription to see if that unrecognized number had something good to say. You can do one better, though, by having unrecognized callers go right to voicemail.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Head first to the "Phones" section, and un-check your phones so your Google Voice number no longer "forwards to" by default. Don't worry, you're not actually losing connectivity! Head to the Contacts section and choose the callers for your trusted group by selecting them individually, or clicking another group like "My Contacts" and hitting Select: All, then hit the "Groups" button to add them to a group named "White list" or "People I Know," or something similar. Head to Groups, click Edit on that white list, then re-select the phones you want them to have access to.
Google Voice provides other default options for every caller in its settings: "Do Not Disturb," which sends every call to voicemail and doesn't forward text messages; "Call Presentation," which asks callers to record their name for you to hear when they call from an unrecognized number; and "ListenIn," which lets you listen as a caller you chose to ignore records their voicemail. Those options, however, seem a bit severe and all-or-nothing compared to a white list that's not too hard to add or subtract to. Photo by Ed Yourdon.
Mumblers, speed-talkers, and hanger-uppers: Sometimes, Google can't even try to understand what certain folks in your voicemail are trying to say, and some really impatient people leave empty voicemails. That could defeat one of Voice's great strengths, the SMS/email voicemail notice you don't have to call for. In this case, we're pulling out the secret weapon—honesty.
Head to Contacts and move everybody who tends to talk softly, quickly, or not at all into a group, or select them individually and change their greeting to a custom version. Name it "Transcription Reminder," and record a custom greeting. Don't patronize, but tell them that their voicemail is being transcribed, and to speak slowly "so I don't miss anything."
Formal/informal voicemail greetings: This one's easy, and fun. Head to Settings, then Groups. Click "Edit" under any contact group that should get a longer, more professional-sounding greeting ("You've reached the voicemail of Dr. Venkman. Your call is very important to me ..."), or make that the default. Set up your friends and family, however, to hear just a short message to save on their cell minutes and patience.
Despite the fact that the internet is quite mainstream, it's hardly lost its Wild West ways. Which tools do you use to tame rowdy content and make your computer kid and co-worker friendly?
We're huge advocates of the freedom of information and the personal responsibility that comes with access to a tool as powerful and far reaching as the internet. Nonetheless, there are times when it's necessary to filter the information coming down the pipe into your home or workplace. Whether you want to keep your kids away from disturbingly graphic internet memes or keep your employees more on task and less on non-HR approved sites, content filtering applications are available for nearly every situation. This week we want to hear about the software-based solutions you use to filter content on machines in your care.
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: Content Filtering Software. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. 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 Online Image Editors.

Your PPC Report Card – What’s Your Grade? Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Time: 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT Are you running a pay per click (PPC) program and would like to benchmark your performa...
Started by Owen Geronimo Apr 13.
Topic: How to Grow Your Business Online Date: Thurs. April 23 from 2- 3 p.m. EST To register visit: [url=http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.bi sales for Canadian businesses now exceed $6...
Tagged: Internet
Started by Owen Geronimo Apr 13.
Since, I have not made it to this cool event ... let's take a peek... SXSW Interactive: March 13-17, 2009 The Brightest Minds in Emerging Technology The SXSW Interactive Festival features fi...
Started by Owen Geronimo Mar 22.
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We’ve highlighted the problem of malicious links and spam permeating Twitter trends several times before, but the problem is getting worse, fast. If Twitter doesn’t fix it soon, Twitter Trends will simply become a huge pile of irrelevant content, spam and links that lead to viruses and spyware.
Case in point: “Bruno” is trending right now. I’ve clicked the trend to see some early user reviews, but instead I got overwhelmed with spam, pointing to http://stream-onlinemovies.com or http://buffermovies.com/, sites that offer “full movie downloads.” Since this is a legitimate trending topic, many of the tweets are real, but if spammers start infusing their links into trends for every hit movie, finding useful tweets will become a chore.
Then, there’s “Pirates“. It’s a Facebook game, and it’s trending because a bunch of spammy accounts are linking to it. It might have started from another Somali Pirates incident, which happened a couple of days ago, but right now, it’s a completely illegitimate trending topic, overwhelmed with thousands of messages such as “Hey, just did a Plunder in Pirates, can you send me an Energy Boost?” Interestingly enough, it seems that other spammers are freeriding this topic to infuse links to their own sites; for an example, check out this tweet (but don’t follow the link). Yes, it’s that bad: spammers are spamming other spammers.
Finally, there’s “goodnight“. This topic is reaches trending topics almost every day, simply because somewhere around the world, people are always going to sleep. But is it useful? It’s debatable. It is a legitimate topic and therefore there’s nothing wrong with it trending, but since it’s always there, one could argue that it’s taking the place of other, perhaps more interesting topics. Twitter should seriously consider permanently banning certain words from the topics; but it opens a Pandora’s box of possibilities; what if a movie called “Goodnight” comes out, and thus this topic suddenly becomes legit again?
Twitter is becoming very big very fast, which is every company’s dream come true, but it can also bring a lot of problems to the promising startup. Trending topics are becoming a very important part of the Twitter experience, and Twitter needs to find a way to deal with spam and fake accounts.
On one side, human conversations are fluid and ever-changing, but they also often fall into predictable patterns (goodnight). Figuring out the best possible way to deal with all the issues that Twitter is facing is going to be hard to solve algorithmically, and having editors constantly monitoring everything costs money and raises other issues, such as censorship. A combination of the two – seen in examples of other human-powered sites, such as Digg – is probably the best way to go, but Twitter needs to act fast, before it drowns in its own success.
Reviews: Digg, Facebook, Pandora, Twitter
Tags: trending topics, twitter
There’s been an interesting and ongoing saga occurring between two companies: Facebook, the world’s largest social network, and Power.com, a social media aggregator that has significant traction overseas and launched its U.S. version late last year. Facebook threw a wrench into Power.com’s gears when it filed a lawsuit claiming that it used Facebook data without authorization.
The result? A heated debate over data ownership that ended with Power.com removing access to Facebook. But the battle over user data isn’t over, as Power.com has just filed a lawsuit in California court denying Facebook’s allegations and counter-suing with claims of unfair competition.
Power.com, for those unfamiliar, allows you to log into all your social media accounts simultaneously via the Power.com interface. This means that you can use your MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Orkut, and Hi5 accounts all at the same time. Facebook though, is noticeably absent from the list of supported accounts due to its December lawsuit with the social networking giant. Their big objection was the storage of user credentials on Power.com, and in turn they requested that the service use a solution involving Facebook Connect instead.
In today’s twenty-three page lawsuit, Power.com lays out a case with several main points, the big one being that users own their own data and Facebook has no right to restrict that data from the user. The company also claims Facebook is participating in anti-competitive practices. From today’s lawsuit:
“The bulk of the Facebook site is comprised of “User Content.” This “User Content” includes “photos, profiles, messages, notes, text, information, music, video, advertisements, listings, and other content that [users] upload, publish or display” on the Facebook site. This data is not owned by Facebook. It is owned by the user. Although users’ ownership of their own data seems self-evident, and it has been one of our core principles since Power was founded, Facebook historically has been criticized for not respecting its users’ rights to ownership of their own content – and that is the crux of the dispute. Facebook is attempting to prevent Power from providing tools to Internet users that allow those users to exercise ownership and control over their own data. Facebook is also attempting to stifle the development of Power’s innovative new technologies that will liberate Internet users from proprietary restrictions that prevent them from controlling access to their own data.”
The rest of the lawsuit deals with two things: denying allegations that Facebook made in its December lawsuit and a series of demands, including that the court take action against what it calls “unlawful and anticompetitive” practices by Facebook. Here’s Power.com’s full list of demands:
1. That plaintiffs take nothing by the Complaint, and that judgment be entered against Plaintiffs and in favor of Power
2. That Power and Vachani be awarded costs of suit incurred in defending this action, including reasonable attorneys’ fees;
3. That Facebook be permanently enjoined from the unlawful and anticompetitive practices identified herein;
4. That Power and Vachani be awarded monetary damages for the injuries caused by Facebook’s unlawful and anticompetitive practices;
5. That such damages be tripled under 15 U.S.C. § 15(a);
6. That Power and Vachani be awarded reasonable attorneys’ fees, expenses and costs associated with prosecuting their claims; and
7. For such further relief as this Court deems necessary, just or proper.
Clearly, the move is important for Power.com – their service is far less useful without access to the biggest social network around. But how will Facebook respond? Will this be thrown out, settled in the boardroom, or go to court? And does Power.com really have a chance to win with its case?
We’re going to analyze the entire lawsuit carefully and give you our assessment, but in the meantime, if you have a thought on this lawsuit, whether it’s got merit, and how Facebook will respond, we’d love for you to voice your opinion in the comments. Here’s the lawsuit in its entirety if you would like to read it:
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Reviews: Facebook, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter
Tags: facebook, lawsuit, Pokwer.com
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Dr. Linda Dickens speaks with participants in this year's Assessment Institute at the Thompson Conference Center.
diia.potd posted a photo:
Rob Bruce and Michael Jones investigate LAITS's accessible touch panel and control system in Burdine Hall.
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Participants in this year's Assessment Institute at the Thompson Conference Center
TechShowNetwork posted a photo:
Scenes from Web 2.0 Expo 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This photograph represents a low-resolution version of the original image. © Copyright Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork.
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Scenes from Web 2.0 Expo 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This photograph represents a low-resolution version of the original image. © Copyright Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork.
This photograph is licensed for use under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. It is OKAY to use this photograph on the web in compliance with the CC BY-NC-ND license, HOWEVER you need to link the image back to TechShowNetwork.com (http://www.techshownetwork.com) and GIVE CREDIT as "Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork". Do NOT remove the watermark.
Please contact via email to jas@momentimedia.com to inquire about licensing for other usages or higher resolution of this image or to order prints.
All other rights reserved Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork. The TechShowNetwork is a MomentiMedia publication.
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Attendees and Media during keynote at Web 2.0 Expo 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This photograph represents a low-resolution version of the original image. © Copyright Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork.
This photograph is licensed for use under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. It is OKAY to use this photograph on the web in compliance with the CC BY-NC-ND license, HOWEVER you need to link the image back to TechShowNetwork.com (http://www.techshownetwork.com) and GIVE CREDIT as "Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork". Do NOT remove the watermark.
Please contact via email to jas@momentimedia.com to inquire about licensing for other usages or higher resolution of this image or to order prints.
All other rights reserved Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork. The TechShowNetwork is a MomentiMedia publication.
TechShowNetwork posted a photo:
Scenes from Web 2.0 Expo 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This photograph represents a low-resolution version of the original image. © Copyright Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork.
This photograph is licensed for use under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. It is OKAY to use this photograph on the web in compliance with the CC BY-NC-ND license, HOWEVER you need to link the image back to TechShowNetwork.com (http://www.techshownetwork.com) and GIVE CREDIT as "Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork". Do NOT remove the watermark.
Please contact via email to jas@momentimedia.com to inquire about licensing for other usages or higher resolution of this image or to order prints.
All other rights reserved Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork. The TechShowNetwork is a MomentiMedia publication.
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