novoparatus :: technology explained for the rest of us.

Minimalist Gmail: How to Get Rid of the Non-Essentials

novo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:48:30 +0000

I’ve been running a Minimalist Gmail setup lately, stripped of nearly everything but, you know, emails … and I’m in love with its simplicity.

There’s something pure about having nothing but the essentials.

Here’s how I’ve made Gmail into a minimalist inbox:

1. Fire and Grease. First, be sure you’re running Firefox with Greasemonkey installed. I love the minimalism of Google Chrome — been running both the dev version and latest Chromium builds — but unfortunately it can’t do what Greasemonkey can, at the moment. So I mostly just use Firefox for Gmail now.

2. Remove gadgets. First thing I removed was gadgets — go to Settings, then Gadgets, and remove any you have installed. I had Twitter and Delicious. Then I went to Labs under Settings, and disabled “Multiple Inboxes” and the Google Docs and Google Calendar gadgets, as well as the option to move the Chat box to the right side of Gmail. Things were starting to get cleaned up!

3. Hide labels, chat, footer. I really wanted to remove chat but couldn’t figure it out. Also, the clutter in Gmail’s footer was bothering me. So I found this brilliant user script: Gmail 3: Hide Labels, Chat and Footer. Install it in a click, and voila! Lovely.

4. Remove ads. Ads on the right side of email messages also bothered me. Found a script to do this: Gmail Ad Remover. Added benefit of maximizing your screen space for messages.

5. Remove stars. It’s a minor thing, but the stars are unnecessary for me. I don’t use them for task management (did at one time), so what’s the point? Gmail Remove Stars to the rescue.

6. Gmail logo and searchbar. Found Gmail toggle searchbar area script. Cleans things up nicely. You can always toggle the search area back on if you need it, but most of the time when I’m processing email, responding, I don’t need this.

7. Menu navigation bar. This was the most annoying. I couldn’t figure out how to remove the navigation menus that run across the top of Gmail. Then found the Gmail Real Estate script. It actually toggles not only the navigation menus, but the search area too. This somewhat duplicates the logo and searchbar script’s function above, but I’ve found they actually work nicely together, allowing you to show just a minimal navigation bar if you like, or whatever you feel like showing at the moment. I normally have everything minimized.

And that’s it. It might sound complicated, but basically it’s turning off some options in Gmail’s settings, and then installing a few user scripts. It should just take a few minutes. See the before and after pics below.

How I Use Gmail, the Minimalist Way
Now that everything is stripped down — no gadgets, no chat, no labels or stars — I just process and reply to email, and empty my inbox. Here’s how:

1. Use keyboard shortcuts. See this list if you don’t already know them. Pressing a key such as “c” or “r” or “a” to do email messages, or “j” or “k” or “x” or “y” to navigate and select and archive, is much faster than using the mouse. I can process very quickly using shortcuts.

2. Remove all unnecessary incoming email streams. Very important. Unsubscribe from all newsletters, all ads sent to you from businesses, all notifications from other services you use. Filter out messages from people who just forward jokes or chain mail. I no longer publish my email address, and give people other options for getting the info they want, so only my closest friends or business partners email me. Leaves the inbox relatively uncluttered.

3. Process quickly. Just run through your inbox, processing like lightning. Each email requires instant action: archive or trash, reply then archive, put on your task list (see next item) and archive. Or just do the task now, and archive. Those are the only options. Should take 10 minutes tops.

4. Tasks. I use a separate task list these days (Anxiety, a very simple Mac app) to make a quick note of any tasks, so that I can archive an email without needing it in the inbox as a reminder. Gmail Tasks is another good option — I don’t use it these days because I keep my email closed most of the time, and want my small task list open when I need it without having to open Gmail.

5. Short messages. Keep things short, and it doesn’t take long to reply. I try to do it in 3-5 sentences. I rarely go over this.

Before and After Pics:

Before

After

Click the thumbnails to see full images.

Post Written By: Leo Babauta (Zen Habits)

Ah, yes. The infamous Google Buzz

novo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:07:59 +0000

We’re still convinced Google is attempting to control every piece of data in the world, and they’re certainly not doing anything to quell our suspicions by launching this guy.

What’s all this about?

Google Buzz allows you to share photos, videos, status updates and plenty more. You can choose to go public and share with the world or stay private and share only with your friends and family. Inversely, you can choose to follow your friends and family, or stalk totally random people.

Unlike other social networks, Buzz has out of the box integration with Twitter, Picasa, Flickr and Google Reader. Thus, you can still see your friend’s obnoxious Twitter updates without ever leaving your Buzz. Plus, you can import your RSS feeds and photos from Flickr and Picasa.

Gmail Integration

Deliciously, Google Buzz is completely integrated with Gmail, allowing you to do absolutely nothing to begin buzzing. If you’ve got a Gmail account, you’ve got a Buzz account. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly why Google Buzz is already larger than Twitter. Yes that’s right, Twitter.

With Gmail integration you automatically start following Gmail users you’ve already emailed. Buzz also sends comments and notifications right to your inbox. You can reply straight from there.

Buzz Mobile

Of course every social network has a mobile version, but Buzz takes it to another level. Yes sir, they added location based status updates using your phone’s GPS. So now you can see what your friends or random folks are saying in your area. It’s a fantastic way to waste loads of time!

Soooo?

We must admit, Google Buzz is pretty cool, but it’s nothing worth losing your pants about. For now, we’ll stick with our Facespaces and Twittpages… Because we’re old fashioned like that.

Also, you might want to check this out:

:: Source :: Google Buzz

Tags: Buzz, Gmail, Google, Network, Social

Clear Those Windows With Aero Shake!

novo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:36:01 +0000

No windex for you. You’re a professional now.

AeroShake brings the Windows 7 Shake feature to your Windows XP or Vista computer. You simply shake the current window you’re on and all other windows will be minimized. Shake again and all windows will return.

Instillation was a very quick process with nothing to configure. Once installed, the program takes up a minimal amount of processing power. You certainly won’t notice a decrease in speed. If you enjoy this feature, you’ll want to make sure it stays in your startup folder so it starts every time your computer does.

Before Aero Shake

After Aero Shake

If you’re a Windows 7 user, you’ll have no need for this since it’s already a standard feature, but if you’re still using Windows Vista or XP, you might want to give this a try. The best part is it’s completely free. Meanwhile, we felt the need to tell you that glass cleaner is potentially poisonous when swallowed… so you know, just keep that in mind.

:: Aero Shake

Tags: Aero, Clear, Shake, Windows

Clean Up Virus Feces

novo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:25:37 +0000

And you can do it without getting your hands dirty too!

Antivirus software is great, but what if it doesn’t rid your computer of the frustrating problems (poo) left in the wake of a serious virus? Many times a virus totally disables everything on your computer. You can’t open internet explorer, control panel or any of your favorite programs. Your only option is to delete everything and start over, or try your luck with Geek Squad. Virus Effects Remover seeks to eliminate this scenario and bring your PC back from the dead.

Even though this guy is free, it’s incredibly robust and a bit complex. Fortunately, you just need to stick to the basics: One Click Registry Heal, Scan Services, Scan Startup, and Check System Files. After scanning and healing these items, Virus Effects Remover should help restore your computer’s settings to normal. If that doesn’t work, you can definitely go deeper with a host of provided tools. We must warn you that tinkering in places you don’t understand could result in unwanted problems. Although, if your computer is mostly disabled by a virus, you don’t have much to lose so it might be worth your while.

The best way to use this tool is for virus cleanup. You’ll want to stick with your traditional antivirus software to completely remove the infection, but this is a fantastic pooper scooper.

:: Virus Effects Remover

Tags: Clean up, effects, Removal, Virus

Turn your Twitter feed into a newspaper

novo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:13:36 +0000

This should be how everyone views their Twitter feed.

twittertim.es is a brand new Twitter application that gives you a personalized newspaper-like layout generated directly from your Twitter account. It’s a really quick way to scan your feed and skip all the boring stuff. Basically, twittertim.es creates a traditional blog-style format that includes images and excerpts from the most popular articles of your feeds.

Each article is identified by the original tweeter as well as friends that have retweeted the article. The newspaper layout lets you retweet any article you find tweet-worthy. Plus, you can tweet your entire newspaper for anyone in the world to view.

Additionally, the site allows you to view feeds based on media sources, such as USA Today as well as Twitter Lists. It’s another way to flood yourself with news and blogs of your choosing.

Twittertim.es really came out of nowhere, but we are completely hooked by this new application. If you’re in need of a better way to scan your twitter feeds, this is definitely the site for you.

Check out the video to get a better idea:

The Twitter Times – Video Tour from Maxim Grinev on Vimeo.

:: twittertim.es

Tags: feed, newspaper, Times, Twitter

Youtube for reading addicts

novo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:43:05 +0000

Apparently youtube isn’t doing a good enough job entertaining people. Millions are deciding they’d rather read stuff to pass the time? That sounds like horseradish to me!

Scribd.com is a social network for documents. Oh my. We saw book excerpts, college papers, and even corporate fact sheets. We were astounded to see that Scribd has tens of millions of readers every month with over 10 million documents published and counting. We think this could be a fantastic source for college folk doing research or bloggers in need of ideas.

Since it’s a social network, Scribd has its own community of people you can subscribe to, including famous people. When someone uploads a new document, you can be notified. So it’s like following someone on Twitter, only their status updates are a couple pages long. I think I need a nap. Plus, you can easily start your own following by uploading and sharing your documents with the rest of the community.

We were pleasantly surprised with Scribd. It really is a great place to find detailed information on whatever you’re looking or, especially if you know how to read.

:: Scribd.com

Tags: Documents, Network, Online, Social

The future of computing looks terrific

novo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:21:48 +0000

Our faith in innovation has been restored thanks to the genius of one man. Barton Smith has created a future mobile operating system concept that changes depending on your geographical location. It’s called Locus OS for location based operating system. It’s designed for a tablet-like mobile device, but we envision even more uses. You create “Panels” within Locus that vary from “driving” for GPS, to “living room” for a media center, to “studying” for all your office software.

Quite frankly, it’s beautiful. Check out the video to see this awesomness:

Locus OS Interface from Barton Smith on Vimeo.

We might dare to say this is one of the most innovative design concepts we’ve seen in a decade.

:: Locus OS

Tags: device, Future, Locus, Mobile, Operating System

Mozilla issues security warning for 2 Firefox add-ons

novo — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:01:18 +0000

If you’re a Firefox user and you downloaded the add-on ‘Sothink Web Video Downloader’ version 4.0 or any version of ‘Master Filer’, you just downloaded the Win32.Bifrose.32.Bifrose Tojan virus. Congratulations!

This little guy doesn’t play well with others, so you’ll want to get rid of it as soon as possible. To do that you need to first uninstall those add-ons immediately. Unfortunately, this will not remove the Trojan from your computer. After you’ve uninstalled the add-ons, download one of these free antivirus tools:

Avast
AVG

When the download is complete, install the antivirus, update it and run a full scan immediately. Both Avast and AVG are known to detect and remove this specific trojan.

Windows is the only operating system known to be affected. Mac and Linux users can completely ignore this warning… as usual.

:: Please read: Security Issue on AMO

Tags: Add-on, Extension, Firefox, Mozilla, Vulnerability, Warning

Oh SBar! You make me smile

novo — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:24:51 +0000

If you’re in the mood for a better Windows taskbar but don’t feel like upgrading to Windows 7, you should ask your doctor if SBar is right for you. While you’re at it, you may want to ask if AeroSnap is right for you as well.

SBar replaces your boring, not-very-functional taskbar with a tasty little Windows 7 treat. After downloading and installing, your new taskbar will give you most features of the Windows 7 taskbar including:

1.Group taskbar buttons more efficiently
2.Thumbail previews for all opened windows
3.Jump lists with pin support
4.Additional tasks in the jump list
5.Pin support to taskbar
PLUS
6.Support to Skype 4.x and Firefox 3.x

Now my friends, you can do stuff that you never thought you could. View thumbnails of open things when you don’t feel like minimizing your current window, group and move buttons around the way you see fit, and pretty much everything else Windows 7 taskbar allows you to do.

We experienced a couple minor bugs, but they were remedied pretty quickly with the newest version. We also had some problems getting Windows Vista 64bit edition to work correctly. You may be out of luck if you’re in this category.

Meanwhile, SBar should only be a tweak to hold you over for a little while. We really do recommend upgrading to Windows 7 as soon as you feel comfortable. It’s definitely worth your time and money. Plus, you don’t need health insurance to do it.

:: SBar

Tags: SBar, Taskbar, Windows 7, XP