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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware, Windows x64

Turn your keyboard LEDs into network activity indicators with a free app


Most keyboards built in the last twenty years or so sport three LEDs - number lock, caps lock, and scroll lock. I'm pretty sure that over those same twenty years I've used each one for a combined total of five minutes.

It sure would be nice if I could somehow force the LEDs to perform another duty. Say, for example, blinking in time with my network activity? That would be pretty slick.

And that's exactly what Network Lights does. Download the 44Kb .zip file, extract it, and run the executable and your LEDs will go to work, flashing in time with the flow of network packets to and from your PC.

I'd recommend against running Network Lights on a laptop which doesn't have a full numeric pad on the keyboard. As the app flicks the LED on and off, your dual-mode keys (usually on the right side around J-K-L) will periodically become unresponsive.

While this is an older app and hasn't been updated in quite some time, Network Lights runs just fine under Windows 7.

[via Raymond.cc]

Filed under: Internet, Google

Google's SPDY protocol will speed up the web - and Chrome OS, too

Over at the Chromium blog, Google has announced a project they've been working on called 'SPeeDY.' It's an updated transport protocol for the web which improves upon HTTP, reducing latency through network-fu like multiplexed streams, request prioritization, and header compression.

"We started working on SPDY while exploring ways to optimize the way browsers and servers communicate," says the official blog post. It continues, "We want to continue building on the web's tradition of experimentation and optimization, to further support the evolution of websites and browsers."

It's not all about altruism, of course. Improvements like those Google is seeking with SPDY, the Go! programming language, and Native Client will all greatly benefit the Chrome browser and Chrome OS. After all, an OS which relies heavily on the cloud for access apps and data will certainly perform better with an improved protocol powering the client and server. It's probably a safe bet that Google would roll SPDY on their own servers early on to give apps like Google Docs and Picasa Web a performance boost on the Google platform.

Whatever the motivation, I'm all for more speed on the web. My ISP is obviously in no hurry to improve things on that front, so if Google can pull off the estimated 55% performance gain then I'm all for it. You go, Google!

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Add URL tooltips to Firefox with a handy add-on

I'm not a big fan of status bars in browsers. Most of the time, they're just wasting 20 or so pixels of vertical display space.

That doesn't mean I want to miss out on the functions the status bar provides - like displaying the destination of links I hover over.

The URL Tooltip addon offers a simple remedy for that. Once installed, you'll see a tooltip balloon whenever you park your pointer on a link. And never mind the status bar - it's nice to see the link appear in the spot you're already looking at.

For those of you running a netbook, this is a great little add-on to make part of your add-on arsenal.

And no, I did not just buy a Maximus keyboard - just in case you were wondering...

[via Mozilla Links]

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Microsoft, Mobile, Web

Now you can browse Windows Mobile Marketplace on the web

Windows Marketplace
Want to know what kind of apps are available for Windows Mobile 6.5, but don't have a phone running the operating system yet? Or just want to look for apps on a screen with a resolution higher than 640 x 480? Microsoft has launched a web version of the Windows Marketplace.

Users can browse the web store without an account. If you sign in you can also purchase programs that will be installed on your mobile device wirelessly the next time you run the Windows Marketplace client on your mobile device.

One interesting feature is the ability to use the drop-down menu near the bottom of our page to change your locatino. SO if you want to see applications that are available in the Windows Marketplace for UK, Russian, Swiss, or Taiwanese users, you can do that.

[via Windows Team Blog]

Filed under: Internet, OS Updates

New Go integrates with Chrome and Chrome OS. Native, high-speed add-ons and web apps here we come!

You've heard of Chrome. You've heard of Chrome OS. Yesterday I brought you news of Go, Google's new programming language. Now... I bring you news of Native Client -- a tool that lets you run programs inside your web browser: Chrome.

A basic definition of 'Native' would be 'closer to the core of your computer'. Add-ons at the moment are executed at a great distance from your computer's processor. This is for security concerns mostly -- if the code is executed in the browser, it can't get at your core files. You're safe. But it's also slow. That's where Native Client steps in.

Google's Native Client software is special in that it runs at much higher speeds than your usual Firefox or Chrome add-ons. It runs much more like another application on your computer, rather than 'a web app' in the browser. It has security built-in that won't allow developers to program dangerous applications.

But it's not actually new. It's been around for months. What is new is that Go, Google's new language, will integrate fully with Native Client!

This means two very important things: a) web apps will be propelled to a new level of speed and complexity when coded in Go with Native Client and b) you are now looking at how applications in Chrome OS will be developed and run.

When you run programs in Chrome OS they will simply be Native Client web applications. There won't be a difference between Photoshop or Gmail, World of Warcraft or FarmVille -- they'll all be tabs in Chrome.

Everything will be a tab in Chrome.

One Google to rule them all. One browser to find them. One tab to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.


[via CNET]

Google's SafeSearch mode gets safer with new lock feature

If you've ever used Google to search for, ahem, "adult" content, you're aware of the site's SafeSearch feature. It filters out questionable content, to the delight of parents and the dismay of porn-seekers. Now there's a new "lock" function for SafeSearch, which keeps your account's settings locked in strict filtering mode until you enter a password and change them. The obvious use here is for ...

Fullmoon: delicious ten-minute Time-Waster

Fullmoon is one of those delightful little games where you almost don't want it to be over. A bit like Portal, I guess. You know the end is coming -- all too soon, usually -- but... you can't stop. The end be damned! You just have to shut your eyes, finish the last puzzle and pray there's a sequel (which I'm sure there will be in this case!) This isn't your standard pixel-hunting ...

Kiosk mode added in Chromium nightly build

Developers have a number of features they still want implemented in Google Chrome. In a recent nightly build of Chromium, one that I've seen requested numerous times on the official mailing lists has finally landed. Kiosk mode has arrived in Chromium, though it's an awful lot like full screen mode. In fact, Mohamed Mansour says as much in his note on the source: "Kiosk mode will just hide the ...

Twitter's new retweets stumble, but they're still coming (and it's good)

There's been a flurry of news and views surrounding Twitter's retweet feature as it rolls out to more users this week. To sum up, limited introduction of the new feature was announced, then it was halted to fix some bugs, and now it's back on again. No big deal, but the user reaction to the new retweets has been so enormous and so polarized that Twitter founder Ev Williams saw fit to write a rare ...

Bump for Android: slick contact-sharing app not iPhone-only anymore

Bump, the impressive iPhone app that lets you trade contact info and other data by physically bumping two phones together, isn't just an iPhone app anymore. Bump for Android has arrived (so sayeth TechCrunch, at any rate), and it covers Bump's biggest weakness: you had to have an iPhone to use it. Between iPhones and Android devices, Bump now has the potential to become a common way of swapping ...

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