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Filed under: E-mail, Productivity, Google, Freeware, Web

Using Gmail as an impromptu drop-box for any file type

Gmail Attachments

If you have the ability to install software on your work computer, by far the easiest way to move files back and forth between your home and work computer would be a file synchronizing product like DropBox. But if you don't, what's the best way to move a relatively large file between two remote computers? For small files, email is usually the answer, and for users of Gmail that expands to files of up to 25 MB in size. But with what can often be a big catch: Gmail won't allow you to transfer executable files, even if they are inside a zip archive.

However, if you're simply wanting to move a file between computers, you can exploit the fact that Gmail doesn't actually scan a file to see if it is an executable until you actually try to send the email containing the file. This means that you are free to attach any file up to 25 MB in size to an email in Gmail, as long as you don't send it. You can then log into your Gmail on another computer, and download the attached file, without ever running into the executable file restriction.

Of course, the other easy way around Gmail's limitation is to change the file extension of the file you are sending. If you have an executable file inside a Zip archive, and you change the archive's file extension from .zip to .zzz, for example, Gmail doesn't know what a .zzz file is and does not scan it. Voila, you can now easily send executable files through Gmail.

Filed under: Audio, Utilities, Video, Windows

Make your audio and video files executable without a media player

NIN exe

Want to send a friend an audio file, but don't know if they've got an audio player that can handle your OGG files? You could point them to the appropriate player and codec combo, or you could just make the file an executable. Audio/Video to Exe is a utility that lets you turn pretty much any audio file into a standalone media player.

The player is probably the simplest you've ever seen. There are no controls for play/pause or fast forward/rewind. In fact there are no controls at all. If you want the file to stop playing, you just close the program. But the media you create should be playable on any PC.

You can also use the program to convert files from one format to another. It can handle a wide array of audio and video formats, including 3GP, AAC, FLAC, MP2/3/4, OGG, and WAV, and WMA, WMV, FLV, SWF, ASF, and MOV. Audio/Video to Exe is available as a free download. Or you can buy the Pro version, which lets you adjust bit rates, for $32.27.

[via Technospot]

Filed under: Security, Windows, Web services

What's that mystery process? Ask exeLibrary

Windows Task ManagerexeLibrary isn't the only site of its kind, but it's certainly the simplest and least cluttered. It's a database of executables that you might unexpectedly find in your task manager along with descriptions and , in the case of ones that shouldn't be there, threat levels. My one gripe with the site is that when you enter a process that isn't in its database, it give you a scary notice that says it's "a potentially very dangerous executable" and then recommends that you buy a program called WinTasks through its affiliate link. But as long as you steer clear of those, exeLibrary is a great resource.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

CiviballsI have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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