Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Productivity, Windows x64
CinemaDrape blacks out distractions so you can focus on the task at hand
by Lee Mathews Feb 4th 2010 at 4:02PM
Avoiding distractions on while working your computer can be tricky business. Fortunately, there are plenty of great, free apps out there to help you get things done!
CinemaDrape, for example, is a great way to turn off the "background noise" so you can focus on one particular app or area of your screen. You can download an installable version of CinemaDrape or grab the portable remix and run it from your USB flash drive.
If you install, you can invoke CinemaDrape by pressing ctrl + F12 (or re-map to your preferred key combination). The portable version has to be launched, since it's not hooked into your system files. The screen area around your active window will be instantly blacked out -- you can also hover over the side and bottom border to resize or the top border to move. To turn the effect off, just tap your escape key.
Right-clicking on the blackout will open the configuration menu, where you can set up to nine pre-defined areas, reset to default, and change the bacground color and opacity.
CinemaDrape is free for both personal and commercial use and it runs on Windows 7, Vista, and XP -- including x64 builds. The .Net 2.0 runtimes are required if you're using XP.
CinemaDrape, for example, is a great way to turn off the "background noise" so you can focus on one particular app or area of your screen. You can download an installable version of CinemaDrape or grab the portable remix and run it from your USB flash drive.
If you install, you can invoke CinemaDrape by pressing ctrl + F12 (or re-map to your preferred key combination). The portable version has to be launched, since it's not hooked into your system files. The screen area around your active window will be instantly blacked out -- you can also hover over the side and bottom border to resize or the top border to move. To turn the effect off, just tap your escape key.
Right-clicking on the blackout will open the configuration menu, where you can set up to nine pre-defined areas, reset to default, and change the bacground color and opacity.
CinemaDrape is free for both personal and commercial use and it runs on Windows 7, Vista, and XP -- including x64 builds. The .Net 2.0 runtimes are required if you're using XP.
Chromatic is one of the best time-wasters I've recently come across. It's all about the gameplay -- no Flash graphics here. You play a "circle" (it doesn't really have a name in the game). You move around with the arrow keys, and you change colors with Z, X, and C.
You can either be red, blue, or yellow, and you can switch at any time during the game. Each color has different capabilities -- yellow can double-jump, while red has a longer dash (which is like a forward sprint, activated by double-pressing DOWN).
Each ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dodutils said 4:22PM on 2-04-2010
I know an other tool like this one (but no awfull .NET) called zorro on www.gabrieleponti.com
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stvaen said 7:08PM on 2-04-2010
Or you just buy iPad.
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jfjb said 1:01AM on 2-05-2010
Using Emerge Desktop, I only have to middle click and choose Hide Applets.
There are numerous enhancements and add-ons built right in this replacement shell for Windows.
Give it a shot, you'll forget installing and keeping up with ancillary files, alternative set-up, memory and disk clutter, etc., etc...
The drawback later will be to see so many programs or applets you won't need anymore because you just uninstalled them all to profit Emerge.
Hot keys, launcher, virtual window manager are self-contained. Environment clean Zen for minimalist aficionados. Top it off: it's free to download and use.
And no, I do not work for them. I work with their product.
Swing by: http://emergedesktop.org/
Surf's up, dudes and dudettes.
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jfjb said 1:09AM on 2-05-2010
P.S.
The current version is EmergeDesktop-2771.7z
The 32-bit package is 622.5KB.
For 64-bit machines, count with 1.7MB.
Don't ask...
dodutils said 3:59AM on 2-05-2010
jfjb may be you do not understand the goal of this kind of tool why propose a shell desktop replacement ?
We are not talking about hidding the dekstop or icons, but hidding all but part of the full screen regardless to applications/icons/windows/menus.
The goal of such tool is for example to help to focus to a special part of the screen when you make a presentation and hide all what is outside of it.
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Jan said 4:57AM on 2-05-2010
no multimonitor support ? agaiN ?
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Billy Goats said 7:28AM on 2-05-2010
Dropcloth works great, supports my dual monitors.
http://lifehacker.com/software/distraction/lifehacker-code-dropcloth-windows-245774.php
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Hellogramming said 8:17AM on 2-06-2010
@Jan: please download the latest build available on the site (CinemaDrape 1.0.0.5), it has support for multiple monitors. Please contact me if you encounter any problems, so that I can improve the program. Thank you.
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