20080718 - [Lifehacker] Five Best File Syncing Tools - By Adam Pash
If you work and play on multiple computers in the course of a week, keeping your important files in sync can be difficult. The day may come when you've got access to all of your files and data straight from the cloud, but until that day, a solid file syncing application is just what the doctor ordered. On Tuesday you shared your favorite file syncing tools, and now we're back with the five most popular answers. Read on for a closer look at the five best file syncing tools, then cast your vote for the app you like best.

20080717 - [Lifehacker] Top 10 Computer Annoyances and How to Fix Them - By Kevin Purdy
Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but too much of the time they can be frustrating, time-wasting, stubborn machines. From the irritating "Access Denied" message when you can't remember your 147th password, to all the useless email that clutters your inbox, to IT lockdown restrictions that keep you from getting your job done, let's take a look at 10 of the more common gripes amongst computer users and our humble suggestions for fixing them.

20080715 - [Rail Spikes] Why programmers should play Go - By Jon Dahl
Go is an ancient strategy game with simple rules and a profound degree of complexity.
Software development is the art of managing complexity using a limited number of rules, structures, and patterns.
Programmers should play Go.

20080714 - [Pick the Brain] The Three Stages of Language Fluency - By Steve Kaufmann
In the global information age, maybe it should be “you are what you can say”. Language, in its varied manifestations, is mankind’s defining achievement, and it also defines us. Language can be social, political, technical, practical, entertaining, sensual, philosophical, and much more. At the banquet of life, each language is another course. The better you can use languages, your own and others, the more you can enjoy the feast. At least that has been my experience.
I have achieved varying degrees of fluency in 12 languages, and look forward to learning more. To me, there are three natural stages in language growth, which I outline here. Billions of dollars are wasted on ineffective language and literacy instruction programs, which ignore these natural stages.

20080713 - [MakeUseOf] Learning The Linux Lingo - By Abraham Kurp
We here at Make Use Of try to make your switch to Linux as smooth as possible, which includes using simple and common terminology. However there are plenty of terms that are unavoidable or at least impractical to avoid. Some terms we can explain as we go along, but some are so common that they would need explaining in every article.
So here they are, but by no means is it a complete list since such a list would go on and on and bore us all to tears.
Instead I have collected a select few terms a new Linux user is likely to encounter, both on this site and other sources.

20080711 - [Lifehack] 5 Exercises Computer Guy Should NOT Be Doing - By Jamie Nischan
When designing yourself an exercise program, it is important to create goals and choose exercises based on their potential benefits as well as risks. As geeks we have to be mindful of our posture and the implications it will have on our workouts. It may not be a glamorous approach but in the long run, it will be the most effective approach regardless of what your goals may be. Remember, if you get injured working out it won’t matter what those goals are because you won’t be able to work out at all.

20080710 - [TechCrunch] OTOY Developing Server-Side 3D Rendering Technology - By Mark Hendrickson
Imagine you could play video games - and immerse yourself in virtual worlds - with 3D graphics comparable to those found in blockbuster films like Transformers or WALL-E. And then imagine you could experience and control those graphics in real-time from any internet-enabled device, whether it be a desktop computer, set-top box or even iPhone.
Sound far-fetched? It doesn’t to Jules Urbach, founder and CEO of a Los Angeles-based company called OTOY, who has been working with microprocessor manufacturer AMD since 2006 to make the idea of server-side graphics processing a reality. If all goes as planned, 3D rendering will become just another computer task that jumps from the client to the cloud. Call it gaming as a service (GaaS) if you will. No more Xboxes, no more PlayStations, and no more souped-up PC towers. Just a monitor, some controls, and a way to receive and display frames generated by a powerful server farm.

20080709 - [Freelance Switch] The Monster Collection of Moleskine Tips, Tricks and Hacks - By Skellie
Freelancers are more likely than most people to love Moleskine notebooks. We need to keep and manage our own schedules and to-dos. We’re creative, so we need a place to store and expand ideas. We need to take notes at meetings with clients–or at least look like we are. We need to appear productive and busy in coffee-shops–even when we aren’t.
Moleskine notebooks rank alongside the MacBook Pro, money and caffiene on our fictional list of ‘Most Beloved Freelancing Tools’. It’s a shame, then, that many Moleskine owners don’t realize the full potential of their little black book… much like many brain-owners don’t realize the full potential of their squishy salmon-colored companion.
Don’t be one of those people!
Inside this post you’ll find a goldmine of mini-hacks, recommendations, visual modifications, organizational systems, uncommon uses and creative tomfoolery, all for your Moleskine(s)!

20080708 - [Dumb Little Man] 12 Ways To Become an Utter Failure at Work - By Tim Brownson
As a life coach I speak to lots of people about self-development. It’s one of the cool things about my job; I actually get paid to help people make their lives more fulfilling. However, every now and then somebody will say something along the lines of, “Yeah I know what you mean, but that sounds like really hard work.”
They’re absolutely right! Self-development is indeed a life long process, but so is brushing your teeth, eating healthy food and breathing. Guess what else is tough, being a miserable, unhappy and unsuccessful.
Do you think people with those traits got where they are by accident and taking things easy? Of course they didn't, they worked damn hard at it. They didn't become over night failures, they committed themselves to a lifetime of zero-growth and bitterness, especially in the workplace.
I wouldn’t normally do this for obvious reasons, but just in case you’d like to join their ranks, I’m going to offer you 12 tips that will guarantee a lifetime of misery at work.

20080708 - [The Simple Dollar] Ten Tactics for Improving Your Luck - By Trent
Yep, you read that right. Luck.
To me, luck occurs when a positive and fairly unexpected event happens in your life, whether it be financial or otherwise. Thus, improving your luck means increasing the chances of such positive events happening - and also increasing the chances that you’ll be able to take advantage of them.
In other words, there’s nothing supernatural about it. No hoping, no holding four leaf clovers in your pocket, no rabbit’s foot or lucky coin. No “think and it will happen” Secret nonsense. Just preparation, nothing more, nothing less.
Here are ten things you can do to make yourself more lucky.

20080708 - [CopyBlogger] Three Sticky Ways to Hold Reader Attention - By Sonia Simone
Your copy might focus on benefits instead of features, have the right balance of emotion to logic, and maybe you’ve even snagged the reader’s attention with an arresting headline. But after your reader clicks through, does your copy hold her interest?
If you can’t keep the reader’s attention, nothing else matters. And the online world demands your best techniques to hold reader interest, because tempting distractions are always just a click away. All writers and marketers have their favorite tricks to glue reader attention to their content, so here are three of mine.

20080708 - [MakeUseOf] 7 Ways To Stay Informed And Up-To-Date Online - By Abhijeet Mukherjee
The internet is undoubtedly the biggest information resource available to mankind today. Irrespective of where you are and what you do, you can visit Google News or any other such website to get the latest news from around the world.
Considering the huge information overflow online, you can have some excellent tools which help you to effectively organize the information flow and help you stay informed and up to date everyday. Let’s take a look at some of them.

20080707 - [Gamasutra] Nolan Bushnell: What The Game Industry Misses - By Brandon Sheffield
Legendary Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell is still in the biz, chairing the board of casual in-game ad firm NeoEdge and working on restaurant gaming startup uWink - and Gamasutra quizzes him in-depth on his projects and video games today.

20080706 - [Blender3D Tutor] Demystifying the Art of Video Games - By Brandon Phoenix
Every year, millions of video games fly off the shelves of retail stores around the world, and even more are purchased online. In 2007 alone the computer games industry posted a gross profit of $17.94 billion according to the NPD group, a number that far surpasses box-office cinema’s $9.7 billion gross profit (YVG Staff). After purchase, many hours are spent in the games, creating characters, building civilizations, defeating enemies, solving mysteries, and plumbing the depths of archaic dungeons in some distantly imagined world. As these games have progressed and hardware has improved, the experiences offered have become far more visceral and engaging as the artists behind these titles are given the freedom to imagine unique worlds, and they use today’s bleeding edge software and methodology to create them. According to nVIDIA Corporation, “As 3D graphics hardware has evolved over the years, new features have been continuously added resulting in steady improvements to image quality” (Technical brief pixel). Despite the universal appeal of these games, however, as they become more complex, and, more importantly, the processes used to create them become more intricate, the lay audience has less and less knowledge of how they are constructed and how they operate.

20080706 - [New York Times] Making a Game That Acts Like a Film - By SETH SCHIESEL
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots isn’t really my kind of game.
I play games because of the freedom they afford. In contrast to a book or a film or a theater performance, a game lets me decide what happens next, or at least lets me operate under the illusion that my actions matter — that within the bounds of the game system, my choices, conscious or not, will play the key role in determining the outcome of my entertainment.