Entries about lifehacks

Jul 10, 2006

Good manners without Miss Manners

I love living in San Francisco, but despite the laid back quality, it’s certainly not free of rudeness. Fortunately, there’s help. New York Magazine’s The Urban Etiquette Guide is a manual of manners for the city dweller who doesn’t quite fit into Miss Manners’ target demographic. It has modern guidelines for topics such as love, [...]

Jun 27, 2006

Don’t buy stuff you cannot afford

Some people get money and know how to keep it. I’m not one of them. After four years of design school and three years of working since graduation, I’ve racked up a debt of over $33,000. This has gone out of control, and it’s clear I need other guidance for managing my money than the [...]

Jun 26, 2006

Five free ways to maximize screen space on your Mac laptop

At work, I have the luxury of having a large LCD display to do design work on. But at home, I have a cute 12-inch Powerbook. The size is great for fitting into my backpack, but the 1024 x 768 resolution can become a little tight. Here are the 5 things I do to give [...]

Jun 23, 2006

I just want someone to talk to, damnit!

Nothing causes me more dread than having to call a customer service number. We’ve all been there. Something goes awry with a credit card account, phone bill, or exclusive macramé membership, and the only action left is to call a number for help. Sadly, help usually comes in the form of confusing phone menus, redirections, [...]

Jun 22, 2006

One desktop background to rule them all

For many designers, size matters when it comes to monitor displays. I currently have a 20-inch Apple LCD display at work, and the larger screen real estate is great for opening multiple palettes and windows. The higher resolution and size, however, isn’t so great for gauging how a site might look on a standard monitor. [...]

Jun 22, 2006

Instantly tie your shoes like a magician

My friend, Fernando, amazed me once by tying his shoes in front of me. He grabbed a lace in each hand, and in a deft split second, the shoes were tied. It was like watching David Copperfield do one of those rubberband illusions on television. I had forgotten how he pulled off this miracle, but [...]

Jun 21, 2006

How to tame your overflowing buddy list

Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few buddies in the world of instant messaging. My list eventually swelled to over a hundred buddies, and I found myself spending more and more time scrolling down the buddy list window to find the people I talk to everyday. At first, I grouped names according to the [...]

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