Install-It Creates Auto-Starting Installer CDs for Any Applications

Windows only: Free app Install-It puts a small auto-starting application on any removable drive that makes installing applications a double-click affair.

After downloading the Install-It package, you'll want to extract its files to somewhere you can reach, like your desktop, and open up the Install.ini file in your favorite text editor. This file is simply a list of program descriptions and the locations of their installer files. If you're creating a disc full of useful installers, just replace the default examples with your chosen verbiage for each app and the location/names of the setup files. You separate those two items with a comma, using slashes where necessary, and end each line with a semi-colon.

Here's an example Install.ini I made for a supposed Windows XP re-installation:

Copy all your installer files and Install-It's files into a CD-burning app, such as CDBurnerXP, and fire away.

Now you've got a CD that, on most computers, will pop up with a list of programs that can be installed without anyone having to guess which icon or cryptic filename means. If a computer isn't set to auto-start when it detects an autorun.inf file, though, you'll have to point the computer to install.exe—not a problem, though, if you've put each application in its own directory.

Install-It is a free download for Windows systems only.

Install-It [via The Red Ferret Journal]

via Lifehacker

Super Ubuntu Rolls Multimedia and Helpful Extras into Ubuntu

Most anyone using Ubuntu Linux has to install Adobe Flash, Java, DVD playback, and other plug-ins to actually enjoy it. Super Ubuntu packs all that essential in from the get-go.

It's basically just a re-compiled version of the official Ubuntu distribution, but with a whole bunch of features included that save you the time of grabbing them yourself. File-sharing apps, multimedia codecs, Windows compatibility tools (including WINE and support for PortableApps installations), and lots updates that haven't hit the official repositories are included, but you'll still get official security and application updates through Ubuntu. The creators seem pretty intent on keeping Super Ubuntu up to date, and offer a constantly-seeded ISO torrent and live USB creation tools for anyone looking to try it out.

Super Ubuntu is a free download for most any computer running on x86-based processors. It appears to be a 32-bit-only affair at this point.

Super Ubuntu [via DownloadTube]

via Lifehacker

Electronic Drum Kit Shirt

A coworker of mine has a brother that always walks around playing the "drums" on his chest. So, he bought him the Electronic Drum Kit T-Shirt for Christmas. The video is hilarious!

ThinkGeek :: Electronic Drum Kit Shirt

Push to Talk for your BlackBerry

Note from Tina: I don't ever post about non-free software or services, but I think this one has so much potential I just can't resist.

While many associate push to talk with this squawking sound you might hear walking down the street, it actually used most prominently for business. Many contractors use the technology to keep up with multiple job sites. The problem, until recently, has been that Nextel’s iDEN network has really been the only way to get reliable PTT. We saw the release of a few newer services this year, like Sprint’s QChat, Verizon’s PTT service, and one from MetroPCS. Now jkOnTheRun introduces us to an independent PTT service: HipVoice. It’s an application you can install on your BlackBerry and which will allow you to exchange quick voice hits with other users.

As jk notes, this isn’t exactly PTT, but it serves the same purpose. The procedure as he understands it: HipVoice records your message and pushes it through to your recipient. Hence, there’s a slight delay in conveying the message. That is, however, a small price to pay if you want PTT on your Berry. He does note that the audio quality on HipVoice bests other PTT services.

One added avantage is that HipVoice archives their messages. This can be useful when trying to identify the source of a mistake, or trying to recall the details of a conversation. You can also use the service between a cell phone and PC.

The service is available starting at $10 per month. Visit HipVoice’s website (linked above), where they’ll give you instructions on how you can call them and set up service.

via BBGeeks

WindowsPager Manages Multiple Virtual Desktops

Windows only: WindowsPager is a free and light-weight application for managing virtual desktops. The application is just over 300k and uses around 5MB of system memory.

Windows Pager requires no installation or administrative rights to run. After running the executable a small bank of four screens—see the screenshot at left— is placed on the Windows taskbar. Clicking on one of the four panes in takes you to one of the four virtual desktops. On a multiple monitor setup, WindowsPager treats all of the monitors as one enormous desktop and cycling through the virtual desktops will fresh all of the multiple monitors accordingly. WindowsPager was quick to respond to changes and bring up the new windows for each virtual desktop. WindowsPager is a free portable-application, Windows only.

WindowsPapger [via Freeware Genius]

via Lifehacker

Productivity Meter Tracks Your Computer Usage

Windows only: Productivity Meter is a time tracking tool from Fruitful Time, makers of the task manager we reviewed earlier this year.

Once installed the software sits in the background and keeps tabs on your activity. Productivity Meter tracks the active versus idle time, how your active time is split among applications, which applications were used the most, and which websites you browsed and for how long. You can review the stats for the last day, week, month or a user defined block of time. One of the most useful features is the ability to tag programs, windows, and domains. It would be entirely useless to many users—myself included— if the program simply told you when you'd been using a web browser and time spent on certain domains. I use a web browser for nearly all the work I do on my computer. By using the tag function I can tell Productivity Meter which domains I access for certain tasks and jobs. It's tracking for how much time I spend doing Lifehacker related work became significantly more accurate when I tagged all the domains I use. Another concern was that with a triple monitor setup and a huge number of windows open at any given time it wouldn't accurately track what I was really focusing my time and attention on. After testing it for the better part of a day it does a fantastic job tracking what I'm actually working on. The program is free for personal use, with the small caveat that after 30 days the ability to generate time cards is removed. If you don't need to generate time cards to show a boss or client how your time was spent on a give project it shouldn't matter much. All the graphs and information in the main dashboard is available even after the 30 days window. Productivity Meter is freeware, Windows only.

Fruitful Time - Productivity Meter [via Productivity501]

via Lifehacker

DivFix++ Repairs Your AVI Files

Note from Tna: I've never posted about software that required a fee or subscription before, but i think this one might be worth it!

DivFix++ is a cross-platform .AVI repair program that rebuilds the index file within the .AVI container to restore your movie to a functional state.

DivFix++ can be downloaded pre-compiled for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The interface and operation is straight forward. Tell it where you want the repaired file to be saved, drag and drop some files to be repaired into the Source Files pane of the program and let it loose. Repair time was fairly quick on my mid-level machine and the resource utilization was lower than I expected. The program required no installation, just a simple unzipping, but beyond that I can't vouch for it's portability. DivX++ is cross platform and open source.

DivFix++ [via gHacks]

via Lifehacker

Must-Have Free Windows Programs

One of our favorite sources of free downloads, the Freewaregenius blog, posts their top 10 list of lesser-known, "must have" free programs and we're on board with most of the list, which includes Digsby, Everything, Launchy, Xobni, and the KMPlayer.

via Lifehacker

Updated: It would appear that the site is down, so here is the list:

1. Everything: lightning-fast free desktop search for files and folders.
2. Digsby: multi-protocol free desktop IM client, email notifier for regular and web mail, and social networking tracker.
3. Returnil: a free virtualization software that provides an "undo" option for your system.
4. Q-Dir: a multi-pane free file manager that offers a good range of functions and an excellent user experience.
5. Launchy: free search-box based launcher for your apps and files.
6. The KMPlayer: media and DVD player that is feature rich and will play anything you throw at it.
7. Threatfire: free, effective antispyware that offers real-time protection and behavior based (heuristic) detection of malicious software.
8. ArsClip: free, feature rich clipboard manager with hotkey-access from any application. Can store "permanent" clips for frequently used items.
9. Xobni: free Outlook extension that provides superfast searches in Outlook and threaded conversations.
10. 3RVX: free hotkey and mouse enabled volume control with cool visual effects.

YouTube Buffer Video Prevents Auto-Playing

Firefox with Greasemonkey (All platforms): YouTube Buffer Video prevents clips on YouTube from auto-playing, letting you buffer entire videos and prevent annoying snags when bandwidth is tight.

There's already a Greasemonkey script for this problem, YouTube Alternate Video Player, included in our Better YouTube Firefox extension, that replaces YouTube's JavaScript player with FlowPlayer to prevent auto-playing. This script, however, does it natively and, perhaps, without any third-party drag on loading.

I did encounter one or two clips out of a dozen tested that still managed to start playing when a link was clicked, and, at least in my browser, mousing over the video with Buffer Video enabled blacks it out. But if you're looking for a lightweight way to get better control over your streaming, this script is just about right.

YouTube Buffer Video is a free download, requires Firefox with the Greasemonkey extension/scripting engine to run.

Youtube Buffer Video [via Download Squad]

via Lifehacker

Dealzmodo Hack: Outfit Your Camera Like a Pro (Hobo)

Whether your camera is brand new or an aging holdover, you want to accessorize it, but you don't want to pay. By now, you know the Dealzmodo Hack drill: Paying is for suckers.

For decades, photographers have engineered little tricks to get the most out of their cameras, and most of them have carried just fine over the digital divide. Here are a few, with some newer additions collected by our friends at Lifehacker.

Build your own stabilizer out of string
Shooting long exposures without something to prop your camera on is a pain in the ass, not to mention a blurry mess. So is carrying a tripod. This video shows how to build a pretty effective foot-looping camera stabilizer out of some string, a bolt and a washer. The results are surprisingly good.

Build your own L-bracket, for serious stability, vertical mounting
If you're doing portrait photography, or have a dumpy old tripod that can't accommodate vertically oriented cameras, you can build a sturdy L-bracket for about $30. It's a bit more involved than the piece-o-string stabilizer, but it's also a lot better, and much cheaper than something you'd pick up at Wolf.

The "David Pogue Special": Use a lamp as a tripod
To round out the camera-steadying tools, here's what I call the David Pogue Special, and it's great: Many lampshade mounts share a diameter and thread size with the tripod mount screw on the bottom of your camcorder, point-and-shoot or DSLR, providing quick and dirty stabilization in a bind.

Scrounge up household flash diffusers
Shooting with flash indoors is often necessary, but can wash out your subjects, making them look sheet-white, greasy and demon-eyed. With a diffuser, the light is softened and the photos are dramatically improved. Commercial flash hoods and diffusers cost money, but aren't much more effective than what you can make yourself. A coffee filter held in front of a flash, a translucent film canister with a notch cut into it, a simple piece of A4 paper or even a piece of matte Scotch tape over the flash lens will measurably improve your drunk party photography.

Calibrate color temperature with free flooring samples
Shooting a piece of paper, gray notecard or painted wall can give you OK white balance calibration, but this guy has a better idea: snag some free floor laminate samples and built a proper calibration board.

Make flash deflection umbrellas from actual umbrellas
If you really want to go pro-hobo, you can repurpose old umbrellas into flash-directing photography umbrellas. After all, there are always plenty lying around. Here's how you do it. If you're feeling lazy, you can even get away with just an old sheet and some tape.

Build still-life photography studio for free(ish)
Ever wonder how that creepy old photographer got such a soft, vivid, dreamy picture of you and your prom date all those years ago? This is how. The project doesn't call for much more than large pieces of paper and tape—relying on indirect sunlight for the adequate lighting—but the results are impressive. It is just a small-scale testbed though, so you'll be limited to shooting Lego models, action figures and the like, but what else were you going to shoot anyway?

Snap magazine-style portraits, beautiful macros with a homemade ringlight
Flickr user jedrek has written out a detailed how-to guide for converting your external flash into a ringlighting rig, mostly using kitchen wares. If you've never heard of ringlighting, have a look at this. The technique is usually reserved for professional photographers, because real ringflashes are comically expensive. This one costs a few bucks.

Foam-fit an old bag to hold your gear
If you're packing a DSLR with lenses and accessories, carrying a full-fledged camera bag is usually ideal, but they're expensive and tend to draw attention to your cargo. With some foam, cardboard and a ratty old military-surplus bag, you can put together a stylish, stealthy and highly-functional camera bag that won't make you feel like a snap-happy father of four.

Top image of proto-pro-photo-hobo Miroslav Tichy.

Dealzmodo Hacks are intended to help you sustain your crippling gadget addiction through tighter times. If you come across any on your own that are particularly useful, send it to our tips line (Subject: Dealzmodo Hack). Check back every other Thursday for free DIY tricks to breathe new life into hardware that you already own.

via Gizmodo