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Filed under: Business, Internet, Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

Highrise introduces tags tab, multi-tag filtering



Highrise, the popular web-based contact and correspondence app from 37signals, has a new dedicated Tags tab in the dashboard. This will help users filter and sift through their contacts and notes much more quickly, especially since the company built in the slick ability to select multiple tags with which to filter. Clicking one tag in the cloud begins the process, while clicking another will switch to filtering by just that tag. After clicking a tag, however, the upper right of the tag cloud (pictured) will offer a 'Multiple tags' option. Once clicked, each subsequent tag you select will add to the filter, not replace it. This is a very smart way to offer the best of both worlds for everyone, no matter how they work and use tags to sort their correspondence.

Filed under: Design, Windows, Macintosh, Design Tips

Design Tip Series kick-off: Machine Wash filters bring the worn look to Photoshop

I would like to announce a slight shift in how we handle our image and design-related tips here at Download Squad. As a multimedia student myself, and with all the new talent we've been so fortunately gaining over the past weeks and months, we realized that we have a lot of general design talent to share with you readers that quickly surpasses the boundaries of mere 'imaging.' So as of today, our Imaging Tips series has evolved into a new, twice-weekly Design Tips series that will allow us to stretch our mice and expand our minds into video, illustration, web, motion graphics and a whole lot more. Look for tips, techniques, apps, plugins and linkage surrounding the whole world of design from here on out.



With that said, I present you the first post in our new Design Tips series which involves Photoshop and filters that can give your images that oh-so-cool worn look. Machine Wash filters from Mister Retro are three separate volumes of 60 filters apiece, all with their own unique attributes, that can apply texture, age and weathered aesthetics to Photoshop layers.

These filter sets are now at version 2, which was a very nice upgrade from v1. The first series were actually PDFs that were applied with a somewhat clunky custom action. Version 2 of these filters introduces a full-blown filter GUI for optimum live-previewing and application. Mister Retro also supplies a sample gallery online, which operates as a testing grounds for each filter set so you can get a good idea of just what you're paying for.

Speaking of money: as a happy customer, I personally recommend all three sets. They sell for $50 each, with volume licensing and bundle discounts available. The filters work in versions of Photoshop starting at 6.0 all the way up through CS2 (as well as Photoshop Elements 1.0 and above), with a free upgrade patch on the way for CS3 once Adobe officially releases it.

Filed under: Business, Features, E-mail, Productivity, Web services, Google, How-Tos

Five simple rules for keeping an empty inbox

If your email volume is anything like mine, it's totally insane. Thousands of messages constantly streaming in and, only a tiny fraction of those are messages you need to see.

Surprising then, that only a few years ago I was literally living inside Microsoft Outlook. Rigid folders, the nightmarish rules "wizard", and that annoying inbox chime that dings regardless of which folder your new distraction message ultimately wound up.

I completely believe that Gmail saved my life. Okay, that's pushing it. Gmail didn't save my life. What Gmail (and a little bit of GTD-inspired respect for my own time) did was save my attention span. Some careful filtering and a bit of common sense returned a half hour or more of uninterrupted concentration per day.

That's 2.5 hours a week, over 10 hours a month and more than one whole day per year.

So, how did I do it?

Read more →

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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