lists

The top 10 reasons why music is compressed

First things first, I'm referring to soft-to-loud dynamic range compression, not MP3 or other types of lossy data compression. Dynamic range compression has been around for almost as long as recorded music has existed, but over the last decade or so the public has demanded ever higher levels of dynamic range compression. The so-called lowest common denominator approach to mixing and mastering music boosts all of the softer/quieter passages to be loud all the time. That process obliterates all of the original details, subtleties, and nuances of the instruments and vocalists. Once the mix has been compressed, it … Read more

Use the OS X installer to preview install locations

Many applications in OS X are self-contained applications packages, where all of the resources that the program needs to run are located within the .app file that you put in your Applications folder or elsewhere on your system. This .app file is actually a folder that contains the program executable, along with configuration files and other resources that can sometimes be quite extensive.

This approach to managing programs differs from the classic approach where program installers place them and their resources in specific folders or other locations on the filesystem (such as the system folder) that are needed for the … Read more

Manage your contacts with My Agenda

Most people these days keep their contacts stored somewhere that they're frequently used, such as on a cell phone or in an e-mail client. If you prefer a standalone program for this task, My Agenda is a no-frills option that lets you record contact information and even dial numbers automatically.

My Agenda's interface consists of a small rectangular box with a handful of buttons. Contact names are displayed in a scrollable list, organized alphabetically by first name; since there aren't separate fields for first and last name, you can easily change this by simply creating your contacts … Read more

Getting started with to-do list app Any.Do

Any.Do for iOS is like a less colorful version of Clear, but with three important differences: it's free, it supports voice commands, and it integrates with other apps on your iPhone.

When you first launch Any.Do, you will need to create an account using an e-mail address or you can log in via Facebook. Any.Do is also available as a Chrome extension, and your account is synced with any device you have running the app or extension.

When held in portrait mode, you can view by either date or folder. Swipe up from the bottom of … Read more

View DLL, OCX, and EXE files in the Windows Registry with RegDllView

The Windows Registry contains lots of useful information used by COM stored in a variety of keys. NirSoft's RegDllView is portable freeware that extracts and displays a list of all registered DLL, OCX, and EXE files. It shows lots of data about each file, such as the last time it was registered and all registration entries (CLSID/ProgID). RegDllView not only displays entries but also disables, unregisters, and reregisters them; deletes selected entries; and creates .Reg files for deleted entries. It can also open entries in RegEdit. RegDllView has a customizable view, and it can create and save HTML-based … Read more

Google tries, tries again with online shopping

Amazon may not exactly be quaking quite yet, but Google is taking another stab at revamping its lackluster online-shopping business by forging closer commercial links with online merchants and improving its product-related search function.

The Web giant rolled out a new initiative today that renames its fornerly uninspiring "Google Product Search" service as "Google Shopping" while also changing the ground rules:

First, by requiring merchants to pay for listings (Google calls them "product-listing ads") that were formerly free; Second, by inserting these paid product placements into general search results more obviously and with bigger … Read more

Google Voice update helps users screen nameless callers

Google announced today that it's aiming to help users control their settings to more easily avoid answering those pesky anonymous callers on Google Voice. Be it an unknown, restricted, or blocked number, the Web giant says users can now fit those callers into one specified group.

"Many users have asked us for controls aimed at people who are NOT in their address book," Google software engineer Tom Ford wrote in a blog post. "So today, we're adding two groups of callers for Google Voice users."

Besides grouping anonymous callers into one group so users … Read more

Prevent automatic list creation in TextEdit

Apple's TextEdit program is a basic text editor included with OS X, which like WordPad for Windows can be used to quickly create text documents in plain text (.txt) or in rich text (RTF) formats. Similar to Preview for image files, TextEdit is commonly used as a starting point for opening various supported file types in order to preview them and make small edits to their contents. This helps when you need to quickly edit scripts and HTML code, or system configuration files.

TextEdit is not only useful for quickly editing code (which is primarily stored in basic text … Read more

At AngelList hackathon, demand is for talent-poaching tools

SAN FRANCISCO--If there's one thing that technology investors would like to have an easier time doing, it's poaching highly skilled engineering talent.

That much was clear at the AngelList Hackathon, an event held here today at the offices of AngelList, a company built around connecting early-stage startups with investors. But unlike many hackathons, during which entrepreneurs build new products meant for the world at large, these hackers were showing off new tools aimed solely at the large AngelList community of startups seeking funding.

In about 90 minutes, AngelList team members showed off 10 tools all meant to add … Read more