Though most computers today have multimedia keys, many a times the combination of keys required to activate the mute/unmute button is such that you need to have both your hands free to use the keyboard. SoundKeyDaemon has been created to allow mute/unmute sound using single hand.

SoundKeyDaemon is built using AutoHotKey, an application that allows you to create your own keyboard and mouse shortcuts. Its portable, executable application, so it doesn't require installation. If you wish to use it regularly,you will have to add the application to your Windows system's startup folder, so that it start automatically with your Windows.

SoundKeyDaemon, which has been created by Nyutech, is distribute under GNU Public Licence. So you can download, copy and distribute freely.

Even if the developers have kept the distribution size surprisingly small, you get lot more packed on to the LiveCD version of the Linux distro. It includes a text editor (you need to install a word processor separately), Firefox Web browser, disc burning tool and also an iso-burning tool that allows you to handle disc images. Also, it has a chat, IRC application. SliTaz also includes an FTP application, post-it-notes application, an IDE (used by software developers and designers) and an image editor. The distro also comes loaded with GParted, a tool for partitioning hard drives.


If you have the space and inclination, you can also install applications such as AbiWord, GIMP image manipulator and Inkscape drawing tool from SliTaz's distribution server.

Once you have installed all the desire application and made all the customizations, you can create an installation or LiveCD of your SliTaz flavour. Instead, you can pick a customized SliTaz from the distro's website. The Linux also has a tool to create SliTaz bootable USB keys.

You can keep a tab on the workload of the Linux with the performance ticker in its bottom panel.

What I liked: SliTaz Linux, which has four virtual desktops, is pretty fast to load. It also supports NTFS disks, making it possible to read your Windows NTFS partitions. It's simple and quick at its work. It is very memory-efficient; I could only manage to achieve a maximum memory usage of 180MB even after opening at least five applications simultaneously.

And what I didn't: The distro can handle only limited number of media formats. I wasn't able to play some of my videos, though it played mp3 music.Its application repository is very limited.

Moreover, SliTaz wasn't able to properly activate the touch pad of my laptop; it didn't support scrolling. It also failed to activated keyboard shortcut keys for capturing screen and controlling volume.

SliTaz

Ubuntu or Debian users can download the appropriate debian package from Getdeb.

A word of caution: You might have to struggle in the beginning with the application figuring out how things work. For example, the up icon for browsing the local disk has to be double-clicked to set it in action.

Smile

With LiVES, one can import audio directly from CDs (useful if you want to use some song etc. as background music for your video or some effect) and can also be cut and paste into video frames.

LiVES can be used to add effects to the video even during live broadcast. The effects are visible in real-time.

Ubuntu users can download a debian package of LiVES from Getdeb. The rest can download LiVES package for all Linux and Unix platforms, and also for Windows and OSX, from LiVES site on Sourceforge.

Go to download page of the project and choose to download debian (.deb) package for Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux systems. Once downloaded, run the debian package and install the applet.

Now click on the top panel (the one with menus and link icons) and right-click. Choose "Add to panel" option and then select "Computer Temperature Monitor" from the list. You can also select "CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor" to track the load on your system's processor.

Right-click on the icons to set your preferences.

Computer Temperature Monitor

Bringing Google and Wikipedia together

Googlepedia is a Firefox add-on that shows relevant Wikipedia results in your Google search results. Whenever you search Google for something, it will display a relevant article from Wikipedia in half portion of the browser. You can also hide Wikipedia entry from showing on every Google result page, and choose to show it only when required.

Ask the geek engine

Wolfram Alpha Google 0.5 integrates result from the new answer engine Wolfram|Alpha. Given the systematic organization of information in Wolfram|Alpha, it can save you from having to dig deeper into Google search results. This Wolfram Alpha add-on also allows you to toggle between Google, Wikipedia and Wolfram|Alpha results. Wolfram Alpha add-on is right now an experimental version but works fine.

If you want Wolfram|Alpha in your browser search box, you can get it for Internet Explore and Firefox on Wolfram|Alpha widget download page. The also have toolbars for browsers and Mac OS X dashboard widget, along with lot more options.

If you want Firefox to automatically show the next Google search result page, or want effortless navigation on just any website, add Autopager Firefox add-on.

When I searched on Wolfram|Alpha for Mahatma Gandhi, I got the basic information about him, neatly organized on a page. I got to know his full name, date and place of birth, and his date and place of death. I also get to know that he died at the age of 78. And that it has been 61 years since his death. Though I would have got to know lot more about his life on Wikipedia, it is obviously better than a Google result.

When I searched for "Sin 30", the result displayed was 1/2. Then I searched for (30-20)*3. The result was 30. Now it was time for more complex problem, 20x=30-y. Again a result. Google had plenty of pages to show, but none of the results on the first result page had the solution. Wolfram|Alpha can be easily used to solve mathematical problems, becoming an ideal source for students to get their assignments done.

Also, it can give you statistics of any country. When I tried to search for India, it gave lot of information regarding the country, including what it termed as India's native name--Bharatiya Ganarajya. It had basic economic information of the country, along with its population and religion. All information was presented in tabular form, making it possible to scan all the information without strain. However, India's map shown on the site did not include Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, something that the Indian government won't be very happy about. But then, it also list its sources of information.

If I want to know what time is it right now in New York sitting in New Delhi, I just need to type New York. It will let me know what the current time is in the US city, along with other information about the city.

Wolfram|Alpha, which is powered by Mathematica software, was released to the public on 15 May by British businessman Stephen Wolfram. It can solve most of the nerdy problems that popular search engines can't. It can solve problems in mathematics and physics, lets you know about geography and also some English, but it has lot to learn about culture and people.

Wolfram|Alpha isn't very good at Chemistry either. It can identify elements, molecules and compounds but only if the letters are written in correct form, i.e. if you want to know about H2O, you need to type H2O with H and O cap as it occurs in the formula. It cannot let you know about the reaction that will happen when two compounds react. Neither "Zn+H2SO4" nor "Zn reacts with H2SO4" gave any results.

Its knowledge about personalities is also very limited. When I searched for India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, all that I got was his full name, date and place of birth and that he is a head of state. Which country does he head and what's his designation? Maybe he isn't considered important by Wolfram|Alpha, I thought. So I searched for Barack Obama. Again similar results.

It doesn't recognize Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, or adult-film actress Sunny Leone.

However, it seems to be good at history. "Independence of India" led to result "India gains independence". It listed "Jawaharlal Nehru and Lord Mountbatten" as persons involved. What about Mahatma Gandhi?

LAST WORD: If you have queries regarding physics and mathematics, ask Wolfram|Alpha, a product offered by British mathematician Stephem Wolfram. But if you need to know about sports or fashion, go to Google or Wikipedia or your regular search engine. If you need to search the Web, Wolfram|Alpha provides links in its sidebar for getting information from Google, Yahoo or Live.

Wolfram|Alpha

Flickr/Osde-info

The world is coping with an economic recession. What better time can you find to switch to open source operating system Ubuntu?

Companies across the globe have been realigning their businesses, trying to save money at all possible fronts. If the company invests significantly in information technology and computers, and most chances are it must be, it can save plenty of money by opting for open source Linux, of which Ubuntu is one of the best and user-friendly option.

Many businesses depend heavily on some proprietary application for successful execution of its various activities. They might not be able to switch to Ubuntu if their main application runs on Windows, but many of their computers and laptops might be in use for simple wordprocessing, creating presentations and writing emails. If the computer is required for functions that are not bound to Windows, the firms can opt for computers without Windows, and install free Ubunt operating system.

Canonical, the firm that develops and distributes Ubuntu, will send you a free disc of any or all versions of Ubuntu, including that used for servers. You don't even have to pay for shipping.

If you have made it till here, you might be interested in installing Ubuntu. Here is the most basic information that you will require for switching to Ubuntu:

1. Get a free copy of Ubuntu from Ubuntu Shipit website, or download it.
2. How to get started? You can find the answer in this guide on getting started with Ubuntu.
3. Now that you have a Ubuntu system , you will need to install some basic applications on Ubuntu.
4. If your computer has hard disk partitions other the ones which contain Ubuntu, you need to each time mount them manually. You can easily make Ubuntu mount partitions and drives automatically at startup.
5. If you have switched from Windows or have music that is not supported by default Ubuntu formats, you can activating restricted music formats, Java and Flash on Ubuntu.
6. In case you need to use a lone Windows applicatUsing ion, you can install install Wine and then install the Windows applicaatio in Wine. When you don't need Windows application, uninstall the application from Wine and then completely uninstall Wine from Ubuntu.
7. If you are into technology support (or a geeky user), you can install a Web server on Ubuntu home computer.
8. You can also tweak Ubuntu to suit your needs by installing Ubuntu Tweak.
9. If you want to installing Ubuntu along with Windows, here's a simple guide to dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows with common storage drives.

PS: In the above blogposts, if any command fails to execute or gives error, that is because that terminal command has to be executed as the root user. To enter root user, open Applications-> Accessories-> Terminal and type "su" and press enter. It will ask for password.

Else, you can prefix "sudo" to all commands. For example, if there is a command that says "apt-get install opera", you will have to convert it to "sudo apt-get install opera".

Flickr/Kabils

Greasemonkey is a Firefox add-on that enhances Web browsing experience by allowing users to customize and control the way websites behave, using scripts written in Javascript. The rules are stored by Greasemonkey and come to play whenever the said Web page is opened in Firefox. Greasemonkey is available for Firefox, Flock and Epiphany.

Greasemonkey add-on just manages scripts and would not do anything on its own without any scripts installed. The user scripts have rules that can make a website more usable, integrate functions of two websites into one and lot more.

Once you install Greasemonkey add-on in your Firefox, you need to load some scripts. If you have no knowledge about how to create your own script, you can search for scripts that perform the desired action on User Scripts.

Here is a list some of the popular scripts available for download.

1) Folders4Gmail

Gmail allows you to organize mails using labels but lacks the facility to divide the labels into different categories. Folders4Gmail will enable you to organize your labels in a folder-like hierarchy.
Folders4Gmail

2) Page Scroll Marker

If you lose track of where you were on the page while scrolling, Page Scroll Marker will create translucent lines so that you don't miss it.
Page Scroll Marker

3) Google Account Multi-Login

If you use multiple Google acount, you know that Google won't let you simultaneously log in to multiple accounts through one browser. Google Account Multi-Login adds a drop-down menu to all Google pages, including Gmail, for quickly switching between different accounts. You can add several Google accounts to the drop-down. Of course, it is a bit of compromise with security, revealing your passwords to the script. Else, use two browsers to log in to two Google accounts simultaneously.
Google Account Multi-Login

4) Google Inline MP3 Player

Google Inline MP3 Player adds a [Play] link next to any linked MP3 file, making it possible to play them easily. It quickly inserts Google's player onto the page with the MP3 loaded for streaming. The player can be hidden by clicking [Hide Player].
Google Inline MP3 Player

5) AutoPagerize

As the name suggests, AutoPagerize automatically loads the next page and inserts it in the existing page. So next time you search on Google, you won't have to click on Next link to go to the next page. There is also a Firefox add-on that does the same.
AutoPagerize

6) Gmail Unread Message Count in Favicon

Gmail Unread Message Count in Favicon adds the number of unread messages in Gmail inbox to Gmail favicon in browser tab. The favicon keeps changing colour as the number of unread messages increases. Green icon means no unread message. The Gmail envelope icon turn orange and starts flashing when you recieve a new chat message.
Gmail Unread Message Count in Favicon

7) Tiny URL Decoder

Tiny URLs can be sometimes funny, sometimes disastrous. Many a times these link can be disappointing. Use Tiny URL Decoder to get the original URL behind the shortened URL. You can read more about URL shrinkers and expanders in a previous post.
Tiny URL Decoder

8) Twitter Search results on Google

Twitter is becoming the first source of information which comes from its millions of users spread across the globe. The tweets on the Mumbai terror attack and the aircraft landing in the Hudson river are two examples of Twitter serving as an important source of news and leads. This makes it logical for you to want to search Twitter for any particular information. Twitter Search results on Google will allows you to look at what Twitter has to offer. It shows real-time results from Twitter on Google search pages.
Twitter Search results on Google

9) Twitter Fantastico

Twitter Fantastico is supposed to "autopagerize" Twitter pages, refresh them every single minute and add retweet functionality. It didn't work on my Firefox in Ubuntu. Don't know why? Maybe it loves Windows.
Twitter Fantastico

If you wish to know the structure of a Greasemonkey userscript or want to write one, Drive into Greasemonkey is a free book about programming with Greasemonkey.

Function similar to Greasemonkey are available in other Web browsers as well. Opera has in-built user script functionality which can run Greasemonkey scripts along with Opera scripts. Safari web browser has Greasekit add-on for handling scripts. Open source Konquerer also supports user scripts.

Short URLs become important when you need to share the address of a Web page. They are not only easy to remember and to key in, but also are very economical in using characters. But then they also pose a problem. You might not know what lies beneath the short URL.

Here's a list of some of the best URL shrinkers and also expanders.

1) is.gd (17 characters)

Pronounced is good, is.gd shrinks your URL into 17 characters by default. It also allows users to see the actual URL behind the is.gd URL. This can be done by adding a dash [http://is.gd/zU38-] to the end of the is.gd URL or by setting your preference by visiting is.gd. A no-frill URL shortener.

2) bit.ly (20 characters)

Three extra characters over is.gd, and bit.ly gives you the power to track your shared URLs. Get to know how many people clicked the link and also what pages are referring to it. Get an account to use it along with Twitter. If you really cared, bit.ly is the current default URL shrinker for Twitter.

3) cli.gs (20 characters)

It is one of the most feature-rich URL shortener. Cli.gs gives you a very comprehensive analytics for your short URLs -- number of times the short link was clicked, who all blogged about it or shared it over Twitter or Friendfeed or other social sharing sites, and lot more. It can also directly tweet the URL.

4) SnipURL (25 characters)

SnipURL has bit too many characters but worth it for the convenience of editing the URL to which the shortened URL will point to. It also gives you a list of popular links on the URL shortening site.

5) TinyURL (25 characters)

There were days when TinyURL actually proved its name. Though it will use some extra characters, it can be recognized by lot more people as it is the first popular URL shortening site. If you want to preview any TinyURl [http://tinyurl.com/qmae35] link, just add preview to it [http://preview.tinyurl.com/qmae35].

6) LongURL

LongURL will show your a screenshot of the page along with the URL to which the short URL is pointing. It can be used by visiting their site or by installing a Firefox add-on or a Greasemonkey script. [You know what Greasemonkey is, don't you?]

7) LongURLPlease

LongURLPlease does what it says, nothing else. Go to their website or install the Firefox add-on. Currently, it will give you the target URLs of links shortened by 65 URL shortening services.

8) Untiny

Untiny is another URL expander that supports a large number of URL shortening services. It can be used from within the browser by adding it to the search engine list. At least Firefox and Opera support adding search engines to the default search box. If you have Greasemonkey installed in your Firefox Web browser, you can also add Untiny Greasemonkey script. There are tools for several other platforms and applications as well.

Short URLs bonus

If you happen to use short URLs extensively, and also get lot of clicks on them, you might want to cash in on the opportunity. Switch to adf.ly for shortening URLs. Adf.ly will make money showing ads before loading the page,a part of which will go to you.

Are you among those who find Gmail's spam mail count an eyesore? It's really helpful that Gmail filters spam and keeps them in a separate folder, but you don't even want to see the number of spams recieved?

Using Gmail's filter feature, you can either choose to hide the count of spam mails by marking them as read or delete them as soon as the are recieved.

Go to Settings -> Filters -> Create a new filter. Alternatively, you can click on the "Create a filter" option near the search button on the top of your inbox.

Create a filter with following parameters:

• Has the words: in:spam
• Do this: Mark as read

This will hide the number of spams in your Gmail inbox. This is very effective if you keep deleteting all spams without even glancing at them [except for when you want to amuse yourself with those horrendous Viagra and Nigeria scam mails]. But then it will make you skip even those mails that have been marked spam in error. The following filter will let you scan through those spam which might have been marked spam in error.

• Has the words: in:spam
• Doesn’t have: my name, school, work, other words, etc.
• Do this: Mark as read

This will show the spams with your name and other defined words as unread, notifying you to look at them. One can also choose to delete all mails while creating the filter.

The Quixotic Engineer

How many times have you been forced to customize Firefox so that it has the right icon in proper order, all the bookmarks and above all the desired add-ons? And, what about customizing Thunderbird mail client?

If you have got a new PC or have reinstalled Windows operating system, you know how frustrating it is do the chores. Given the recent scenario in the job market, many people would have been forced to do this because they changed jobs. And, of course, you cannot carry your old office computer to your new office.

Now on, you can depend on MozBackup to do the chores for you. Just backup your Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird, save it in your USB (or just mail it to yourself) and use it to customize Firefox, when required. MozBackup is a small (less than 1MB) portable application for Windows that can backup several Mozilla applications, including Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird and Seamonkey. It backs up and restores almost everything, including bookmarks, mails, contacts, history, saved passwords and installed add-ons.

Alternatively, you can use Mozilla Weave, which is still in development phase.

If you are looking to synchronize the different your Firefox browsers so that all of them have same bookmarks, you need Xmarks Firefox add-on. It comes really handy for me as it allows me to have same set of bookmarks on both Windows and Ubuntu on my dual-boot laptop.

MozBackup [Tech Raga]

If you think it takes expensive publishing applications to design and create a magazine or a newspaper, you are mistaken. Scribus is an open source multi-platform desktop publishing application that you can use to create and print your own newspaper, magazine, tabloid or pamphlets.

Scribus is known for its page layout features comparable with leading non-free applications such as Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress. It supports publishing features such as CMYK colour separations and create versatile PDFs of your magazine. It can also be used to create interactive PDF documents and presentations.

People familiar with QuarkXpress will be able to find many similar commands in Scribus, but will have to also deal with some different ways of handling works. Though it includes most of the features available in popular desktop publishing applications, it lacks some comfort and ease. Sribus manual should help you make sense of the application and create some good magazines with it.

One can also find plenty of templates on various sites, including Scribus Stuff, to begin work on various projects. Also, there are portable versions (PortableApp Scribus, Portable Scribus) of the desktop publishing software, which you can carry in a USB drive or a disc.

Scribus is available for several platforms, including Windows, Debian and Ubuntu Linux, OSX, Open Suse, Red Hat and Fedora.

Scribus

Scorching heat of summer sun is sucking up all the life in this part of the world. It won't be long when people will want to see clouds in sky for some respite from oppressing Indian summer. Though it will take some time for clouds to arrive in India, it is already there on the Internet, and it's getting more and more pleasant out there. After several applications, it's time for an anti-virus.

Panda security has released free Panda Cloud Antivirus that scans and cures your system from cloud, i.e. Internet. Unlike regular anti-virus applications, Panda doesn't gets any updates on virus definitions. It is a small application (16MB) with light footprint on the system. At present, it is available as a free download for Windows 32-bit systems only. Since it is in beta stage, you can expect some cranky parts.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

Flickr/Drtran

Microsoft has said it will provide updates even to pirated versions of Windows 7. Good for those who depend on "free versions" of the most popular operating system.

What ever Microsoft may say in public, the company's stronghold on the market is only because a large number of users can easily get and use pirated Versions of Windows. It might be a huge loss in revenues but it must have other benefits to offer that the company is soft on pirated copies of the operating system. If users don't get a free copy of Windows, a large number of them will flock towards Linux.

One of the reasons why Vista didn't really click like Windows XP was that there wasn't any hassle free pirated version of Vista available. Of course, it was a clunky operating system that consumed lot of energy and brain. But a lot of people actually liked Vista but couldn't really get a free copy of it.

Microsoft director of Windows Client Enterprise Security, Paul Cooke, has told Maximum PC that all Windows 7 users -- even those running pirate copies -- will receive security updates. “Rest assured that we at Microsoft are committed to making sure that security updates are available to all of our users to help ensure a safe online experience for everyone.”

Does this mean that Microsoft would leave scope for piracy of the new version of Windows? Yes, but then Microsoft will flip the Starter switch and limit the unlicensed system to run only three programs at a time. A compromise for updated "free" copy of Windows that many users won't mind. [Thus it will help Windows retain users from switching to rival Linux.]

Microsoft has always been soft on piracy, ignoring it straight away, often condoning it. That's an open secret. Bill Gates accepts it as an strategy to increase user base, which ultimately helps boost the software giants revenues.

Right now Microsoft provides updates and patches for the operating system even to pirated Windows XP. [If you have a pirated copy of Windows XP, don't hesitate to turn on automatic updates. It will keep your Windows copy safe from several security threats such as the latest Conficker virus. Just take care that you don't upgrade to Windows Media Player's latest version which requires "genuine copy" of Windows. Above all, go for licensed copies of applications and operating systems.]