Windows users who are jealous of Quicksilver’s might on the Mac now have a glimmer of hope in Skylight.

Like Quicksilver, Skylight is an automation utility that lets you launch applications, find files, and execute actions with a quick series of keystrokes.

Skylight’s off to a good start, but it’s still not as robust as Quicksilver. It has a limited set of actions, no ability to create “triggers” or customized key commands, and no support for complex file manipulations. Despite its “infinite plug-in extensibility,” Skylight also has has very few plug-ins.

Of course, it’s in beta, so the future could very well be bright. But for now, that glimmer of hope for a true Quicksilver clone is just a glimmer.

To try it, download it here:

• Skylight

If you’re itching to try out some more automation apps, check out these other Quicksilver alternatives.

Have you installed and used Skylight? What do you think?

via Lifehacker

His tip is specific to MacBook Pro users with Skype, but it can be easily adapted to just about any laptop and audio conferencing service. The trick is to simply change the speaker balance so that the audio comes out as far away from the mic as possible:

To all you mac book pro users who use skype (and soon, Messenger) to make calls…

The microphone is located under the left speaker grille, and can contribute to horrible feedback during a call (the person on the other side hears himself coming out of the speaker on your machine, fedback into your mic).

I changed my speaker balance so that output was all to the right speaker, and the effect was fantastic. Conversations are in mono, but you can have a perfect conversation without requiring a headset.

Here’s how to change the speaker balance on both Mac and Windows:

Mac

1. In your Apple Menu, go to System Preferences and choose Sound.

2. Select the Output tab.

3. For Balance, move the slider all the way to the right if your mic is on the left. If your mic is on the right, move the slider to the left.

Windows

1. Double-click the speak icon on the bottom-right of the Windows Start Bar.

2. In the window that appears, move the Master Volume slider all the way to the right if your mic is on the left. If your mic is on the right, move the slider to the left.

Once you’ve adjusted your speaker output, just start an audio chat with your favorite buddy and enjoy.

Thanks goes to Matt Rolandson at MetaDesign, for sending this my way.

Lifehacker’s Adam Pash calls it the “the best productivity application on the market today,” aptly summarizing its power:

Quicksilver can be used to launch files and applications, manipulate data, and seamlessly plug into almost any application on your Mac so that you can perform actions as soon as you think of them in a few short keystrokes.

Sounds fantastic, but there’s gotta be a catch, right?

Yep, it’s Mac only.

Before you start shaking your fists and hurling rocks through Steve Jobs’ window, check out Scott Hanselman’s list of Quicksilver-like launchers for the PC. Scott’s done a great job summarizing each app with a review and shot. His list includes:

1. Slickrun
2. SmartStartMenu
3. slimKEYS
4. Colibri
5. Launchy
6. AppRocket
7. ActiveWords
8. Dave’s Quick Search Bar
9. Google Desktop
10. Find and Run Robot

While none of these apps perfectly replicate all of Quicksilver’s functions, Scott recommends Colibri for the closest experience.

Being a Mac junkie, I have little experience with Colibri. But do any of you? Does it truly compare to Quicksilver?

via Scott Hanselman

Check out the free widget with funny British spelling, ColourMod. This handy widget lets you pick colors and automatic convert their values into CYMK, RGB, HSV, and Hex. All at a glance.

It’s available for both Dashboard (Mac) and Yahoo! Widget Engine, formerly known as Konfabulator (PC & Mac).

Despite the hideous renaming of Konfabulator, it’s still worth the download:

ColourMod (Mac)
ColourMod (PC & Mac, requires Yahoo! Widget Engine)