Use Dropbox for your Shopping List on your phone

1. Save a regular old text file (.txt) into your public folder in dropbox, call it Shoppinglist.txt or something like that you will remember. Then right click it and go to Dropbox -> get Public Link (if you don’t have the right click menu, you can also get this via logging into the dropbox site).

2. Email yourself the link and open it on your phone.

3. Save it as a bookmark!

Now, changing or adding to your shopping list is as easy as typing a few lines into a text file, and it’ll magically be updated the next time you’re at the shops. For bonus points, put it inside a shared folder with your housemates or partner also having write access, and they can tell you what to buy!

This has been a public service announcement thanks to Dropbox.com – the most awesome ‘it just works’ application ever.

Google launches 2-step Authenticator login for Gmail and other apps

A few days ago Google activated 2-stage authentication on my account, and I jumped at it like an Irken Invader on snacks. I’ve used gmail since it was invitation only and have amassed quite a lot of important emails in there under various mostly well-organised labels. Things like site registrations, client relationship history, and funny photos of people who shop at Walmart. I want to keep that stuff private ofcourse, and I try to make up passwords that are hard to guess, but who knows how – or when – that password might be compromised? We all do it – immediately after you change a password, you feel bulletproof. Nothing could penetrate your ingeniously clever choice of password where you spelled “password” with dollar signs instead of S’s, and added a 1 at the end. Unbreakable.

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Don’t like the Like button?

If you’re like me and you don’t like the new way Facebook is trying to take over the internet, here’s a quick fix to make sure (until they change the address) they won’t follow you around.

Find your Hosts File

  • In windows, it’s c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
  • on a Mac, it’s /private/etc/hosts

Add this line:

127.0.0.1 connect.facebook.net

Save it, and then just to be safe, clear your browser cache to ensure the javascript file isn’t being saved. From now on you shouldn’t see a ‘like’ button anywhere, or if you do, it shouldn’t work and shouldn’t be able to track you.

To be even more safe, get in the habit of logging out of Facebook whenever you visit it, INCLUDING ON YOUR PHONE.

– K

“How do I make a website” Part 1: Domains and Hosting

I get this question all the time, usually from small business owners or friends of friends at parties. I’ve been doing it for so long now that it’s just second nature to me, but I guess to other people it’s shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty though. Anyway, here’s a very simple step by step guide to getting a website up so that when you type in www.whatever.com your site will show up.

(Keep in mind this is a very low level version, if you have any problems you will have to talk to someone who knows more about your specific situation.)

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