Filed under: Internet, Web services, web 2.0
Never get Rickrolled again with LongURL
All you have to do is copy and paste a shortened URL into the text box on LongURL, and the site will let you know where the link leads. Better yet, you can install a Firefox extension or Greasemonkey script that will automatically show you the full URL for any shortened URL whenever you mouse over one.
LongURL supports more than a dozen popular URL shortening services including TinyURL, SnipURL, and Tweetburner.
[via Lifehacker]
Neon Maze
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Superevil said 1:43PM on 9-16-2008
I didn't realize rickrolling was such a widespread epidemic. Only you can prevent rickrolling.
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GP said 2:45PM on 9-16-2008
the plug in is perfectly sensible but why open a new page to paste the link in when you could just click the damn thing and find out sooner
*copies link to paste in website* Aha! I recognise that video code!
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Brad Linder said 2:46PM on 9-16-2008
That's where the Firefox plugin comes in handy
Bufsabre said 3:02PM on 9-16-2008
some of us like rick astley, i rick roll myself often
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DiRT said 3:39PM on 9-16-2008
You'll go blind if you keep Rickrolling yourself.
Fred Thompson said 11:57PM on 9-16-2008
Link Report for Firefox https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5340 will do this. You will need to unzip the xpi and update the maximum firefox version number in the chrome file then rezip to xpi.
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James said 12:43PM on 9-17-2008
Can't you just go to TinyURL.com (without following a tiny-link) to set a cookie that shows you the URL before you visit it? Waitasec...
Here: http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?enable=1
That sets a cookie so instead of being forwarded immediately, you get a chance to look at the full URL first. No extensions or external sites needed...
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Sean Murphy said 7:00PM on 9-17-2008
Right, James, you can do that for TinyURL.com. But that only works for TinyURLs.
The reality is that there are tons of shortening service out there, very few of which support cookie based previewing, and even if they all did, I wouldn't want to have to enable it for every service.
Another nice thing about the extension is that you don't have to *click* the link before knowing where it goes. It keeps things just a little bit more in context.
PrevURL.com said 11:08AM on 9-25-2008
http://PrevURL.com uses LongURL to expand shortened URLs and Thumbalizr for generating screenshots. Browser addons and GreaseMonkey scripts are on the way.
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