Dear All,
The new Libraries feature in Windows 7 makes it easier to manage your files and folders. Today we take a comprehensive look at everything you can do with Windows 7 Libraries.
The Libraries feature in Windows 7 provides a central place to manage files that are located in multiple locations throughout your computer. Instead of clicking through a bunch of directories to find the files you need, including them in a library makes for quicker access.
Access Libraries
To access the libraries in Windows 7, type libraries into the search box in the Start Menu and hit Enter.
The default libraries in Windows 7 will open up in Explorer which are Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos.
Anytime you're in Windows Explorer, you'll be able to access libraries from the Navigation Pane.
Using Libraries
In these examples we'll take a look at the Documents Library, but the procedures will work for any library you want to add locations to. If you've been working in Windows 7 for a while and storing documents to the My Documents folder, when you open the Documents Library, you'll see those documents. Some applications install folders in the My Documents folder by default and you'll see those as well.
What if you have documents stored in a folder other than My Documents? You need to add it to the Documents Library. There are a couple of ways you can go about it. Right-click on a folder and select Include in library from the context menu, then choose the Documents Library. Keep in mind that when you add a folder to a library, that folder is still in it's original location.
Or when you have the folder containing your documents open, select Include in library and choose the library to put them in from the dropdown.
Here we take a look at the Documents library that contains files that are located in different places throughout the hard drive, including some on another partition.
You can also remove items from libraries as well. When you're in a library click on the locations link.
The Documents Library Locations window opens up and from here you can add or remove locations.
Create New Libraries
The default libraries are all well and good, but if you really want to take advantage of this feature, you'll want to create your own. While in the libraries directory click on the New library button and give it a name.
In this example we made a new library called Work Projects. The first time you open it you'll be prompted to include a folder.
Browse to the location with the files you want to add then click Include folder.
Now the files included in that folder will show up in the new library.
After you've created some libraries they'll be added to the list to select from.
Add Network Locations
While libraries are a handy new feature, it's not perfect. Not all folders can be added to libraries as Microsoft has stuck some rules on them. You can pretty much add anything from a local drive, including other volumes or partitions. External USB drives formatted as NTFS or Fat32 can be added as well. Things get kind of weird when you're trying to add network and non-indexed locations.
Thankfully there's a handy free utility you can use that makes adding network locations a lot easier. Win7 Library Tool is small and straight forward to use. Just click on the Create a new library button.
Then add the network location you want included in the library. Notice this tool will also allow you to easily change the library icon which is a neat additional feature.
In this example we've added a home network share that contains music files to a library named MP3 library.
Conclusion
This should help get you started using Libraries in Windows 7, which at first might take some getting used to. Once you understand how they work and start creating your own, you'll find they're actually pretty useful. Once you get going, you'll find the Win7 Library Tool makes adding network locations a snap. How about you? Do you use libraries in Windows 7? Leave a comment and let us know what you like or don't like about the feature.
Windows only: uTorrent is far and away the most popular BitTorrent client among Windows users, and they've recently pushed out a shiny new 2.0 release, bringing with it bug fixes, performance improvements, UDP support, automatic bandwidth regulation, and more.
We explained the UDP update when uTorrent 2.0 beta came out way back in August of last year, but in a nutshell it means better performance for torrent trackers and ultimately for you, the user.
We also discussed the new transfer cap when the release candidate hit the streets, but again, simply put, it allows you to set bandwidth transfer caps to limit how much your client uploads or downloads over time to help avoid going over ISP caps.
As for uTP (which is kind of like your router's Quality of Service functionality):
uTP is an alternative communication method for BitTorrent traffic that allows the client to automatically regulate its bandwidth usage to avoid adversely impacting your internet connection. This will allow you or other users on the network to download their torrents but still allow others on the network to function with little difference. This does not require any additional setup.
In addition, uTP in this version has added its own form of STUN, a method of getting incoming connections without direct connectivity to the Internet. This allows µTorrent to punch holes through routers and firewalls to increase connectivity and improve speeds. It is even possible to connect two firewalled peers through uTP's NAT traversal feature.
In a nutshell, uTorrent 2.0 is a download any BitTorrent lover will probably want to grab in short order.
uTorrent 2.0 is a free download for Windows. The app is available for the Mac, but this 2.0 release doesn't apply. Note: Be sure to skip the Ask.com toolbar when you're installing—unless of course you want it, which you don't.
Google Chrome: Setting a web site to refresh is old hat, but what if you want to refresh multiple sites and keep an eye on all of them? Revolver-Tabs refreshes and rotates your browser tabs.
Revolver-Tabs is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to refresh not just one, but all of your browser tabs, at set intervals. In addition to reloading the page it rotates through the tabs one by one so that the individually refreshed sites are displayed without any interaction from you.
Although the author designed the extension to be used for stand alone kiosks or during presentations—both great uses for it—it's also just as useful for keeping tabs on auction sites, status and announcement pages, and other frequently updated sites without any interaction. It's a great candidate to get tossed on your second monitor for watching sites that don't have RSS feeds or that you want to get immediate feedback from without waiting for RSS delays.
If you're a Firefox user make sure to check out Reload Every, you can set the frequency of reloads but can't set the tabs to rotate. Have an extension or bookmarklet that makes your web browser even more useful? Let's hear about it in the comments.
If you're looking for a way to organize all the information you find and research you do online, and you've had enough with bookmarking, copying and pasting, and cobbled-together techniques not cutting it, Zotero is a comprehensive information manager for Firefox.
Zotero is, at its heart, a citation manager. It was designed to facilitate research and to make organizing and including that research in essays and publications pain free. As such, it's an excellent tool for any scholar, researcher, or student to have in their toolbox. Its utility extends well beyond preparing to write a paper, however, as it allows you to grab nearly anything off the web and insert it into the Zotero system. The following video gives a quick overview of some of Zotero's features:
If the overview video caught your interest, read on and check out some of the other great screencasts to see the individual features in action.
You can add items in a myriad of ways to Zotero. From within Firefox, just click the Zotero icon in the address bar, on the status bar, or hit CTRL+ALT+Z to activate Zotero. You can add nearly everything on the web from books—Zotero will add in all the information about the book automatically—to highlighted portions of web pages, to full out saving entire web pages for future reference. Unlike bookmarking a web page, Zotero saves the page just like you would save it to your computer. Thus when you got to reference it later on, even if it is has moved or been deleted, you still have the images and text archived. In addition to capturing information from the web, you can supplement your Zotero archive by adding files right from your computer like images, HTML documents, PDFs, and more.
Zotero allows you to organize your research into collections. The collections are highly flexible and an item can belong to multiple collections simultaneously. They use the analogy of the playlist—and it's fitting—you can "mix" your research into as many collections as you need. Your Zotero library is the master collection of all your research, and from that research you can pull citations, clippings, PDFs and so on, and create a collection representing your current area of interest or research like "19th Century Medieval Literary Criticism" or "Potential Markets for Growth". Collections are easily modified and even shared.
Although Zotero was built to facilitate researchers using Firefox and working on the web, the system—through the use of plugins—allows you to work in your favorite word processor using Zotero. They've made plugins for Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, and NeoOffice. If word processor support is a deal breaker for you, make sure to check out their word processor compatibility chart. Check out the Word integration in the video below:
As the video shows, inserting citations and even changing them in-text is easy. You're not just limited to citations in word processors however, you can drag and drop citations right out Zotero into any text box. Zotero comes with a built-in library of common citation formats like AMA, APA, Chicago Style, MLA—over a dozen by default. If that isn't enough you can dip into the style repository and select from hundreds of alternative citations styles. On the rare chance you can't find a citation style—and it would be rare!—you can hop over to the Zotero support forum and put in a request that they add it to the archive.
Nobody wants to lug around a computer or flash drive and risk losing all the research they've done. Zotero has multiple channels for syncing your data to ensure your research is safe. Zotero syncs itself to the servers, if you have it installed on multiple computers you can sync all the instances of Zotero through the Zotero servers, and to further replicate your data you can share it with friends through the Zotero group system so that your joint research stored across multiple computers.
Zotero is a complex yet easy to manage research tool. Fully intended for academic research, you can use it outside of academia to manage your research on any topic from nearly any source on the web. Our overview here highlights some of the best features of Zotero, but a quick browse through the support section on Zotero's web site will show you even more capabilities and innovative ways people are using Zotero to help wrestle with the enormous amount of information web-based research provides.
If you have experience with Zotero or just have a research tip or trick up your sleeve, let's hear about it in the comments.
Windows: If you frequently switch between Windows and OS X you likely find yourself hitting the wrong hot keys and wanting for some of the Mac functionality in Windows. MaComfort can help bridge the gap.
MaComfort brings popular Mac keyboard combos to Windows—using the Windows key as an Apple key—but it isn't limited to just keyboard shortcuts. It also enabled virtual desktops, active corners you can program to perform specific actions, quicklook to preview files, and support for skins and plugins.
The free version limits the virtual desktops to four, limits your available skins, and disables plug-ins—all other functionality is left intact. MaComfort basic is freeware, paid versions start at $15. Have a program that helps you use the shortcuts from one operating system on another? Let's hear about it in the comments.
We've all been there, a less than computer-savvy friend calls and says something like "When I click the button my internet won't work." and you're left frustrated trying to help. ShowMeWhatsWrong lets you help your friends show you.
Three years ago we highlighted a simple to use Java-based screencasting tool called Screencast-O-Matic. Someone took that ultra simple screen casting tool and made it require even less input from the user and automated almost the entire process with a focus on helping your non-techie friends and family show you what is wrong with their computers instead of giving you instructions over the phone like "Why does it do that? You know, when I click the thingy I normally click it doesn't make the blue box open." or other equally as cryptic messages.
When you visit ShowMeWhatsWrong you input your name and email. This generates a link for you to give to friends and family. When they visit the link they are given a very simple message, that you would like to help them by recording a video of their computer. They enter their name and click "Start Recording" it records their screen and ends when they hit the little floating stop-sign button, and then the video is automatically compressed, uploaded to the site, and an email is send to you indicating that your friend has taken a screencast of their computer screen to share with you. All your friend has to do to use the service is click the link, start recording, stop recording, and the rest is handled automatically. The service even supports audio from microphones and webcams with microphones so you'll finally know exactly what "doesn't make the blue box open" means.
ShowMeWhatsWrong is a free service and requires no information beyond your name and email to generate a link to share with your friends. Have a favorite service or tool for helping your non-techie friends out? Let's hear about it in the comments.
You don't need overpriced "recovery" products after exercise, but eating a low-carb meal can have real benefits for your next workout, and for your general health and metabolism. It all has to do with tissue storage and insulin reception.
Photo by SuziJane.
After a round of aerobic (active movement) exercise, eating a lower-carb meal helps the body store sugar from your bloodstream in muscles and other tissues, making more energy available for your life, and your next exercise, if you're fairly regular about it. The side benefit is a generally improved metabolism, and a means of helping avoid insulin insensitivity, a pre-condition that often lead to diabetes.
As part of a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers fed one of three meals to test subjects after 90 minutes of exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike. One was relatively balanced between carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and had a moderate amount of calories. One was otherwise balanced, but scaled back on the carbs. A final meal was lower-calorie, but had a higher amount of carbs. The results:
In all three exercise sessions, researchers say there was a trend for an increase in insulin sensitivity. But when the participants ate the low-carbohydrate meal following exercise, it increased their insulin sensitivity even more.
Researchers say the results show that people can reap important health benefits from exercise without starving themselves after exercise or losing weight.
While you're plotting your perfect low-carb, post-workout meal, be sure to replenish your fluids as well. Tell us what makes for a great meal after a hard workout in the comments.
Remember that “If You Printed Twitter” image that made the social media rounds two weeks ago? A similarly formatted graphic that describes the state of Internet use and adoption has been published today for your infotainment.
The focus is on exactly who uses the Internet, and how often. It breaks things down by gender, age, income level, and nationality. It even serves up average broadband speeds for both landline and mobile users at the bottom. Some of this stuff surprised us a bit — For example, desktop computers are still much more common than laptops. You wouldn’t guess that in day-to-day life in the developed world — at least not when it comes to personal use.
Here are some of the other points (the image itself is farther down):
- There’s no gender bias when it comes to the Internet; 74% of men use it, and so do 74% of women.
- The older people are, the less likely they are to use the Internet. 93% of people ages 18-29 use it, but only 38% of people 65+ do. 65 is where the big drop off happens, though; 70% of people 50 – 64 are online.
- As you might expect, the higher their income level, the more likely it is that someone has broadband access.
- Education is correlated as well. 94% of college grads are online, while only 39% of people with less than a high school education are.
- Internet use is up significantly in just the past five years. In 2005, 27% of people surveyed used the Internet “several times a day.” Now it’s 38%.
- 58% have a desktop computer. 46% have a laptop.
- Ages 25 – 44 make up the majority of people who blog. Only 7% of people under 25 do — that’s an even lower percentage than people 55 – 64! Have the youngsters latched on to other new media?
- 54% of bloggers consider themselves experts on whatever it is they’re blogging about.
- Norway is the country with the highest level of Internet penetration. The United States is in fifth place.
- Korea has the fastest Internet connections on average. No surprise there.
- The average mobile Internet connection clocks in at around 700 Kbps.
Tags: broadband, demographics, social media
Windows only: Explorer extension Lammer Context Menu adds a number of very useful features to the right-click menu, from standard stuff like Copy Path all the way to wild cards, batch rename, and mounting virtual drives.
Once you've installed the extension, you can simply right-click on a file or folder to access the new utilities—you can open a command prompt, copy the path, search, mount folders as a virtual drive, register DLL files, or use the very useful feature to select all files of the same type in the current folder. There's also some more advanced dialogs, like the path operations screen where you can move, copy, delete based on wildcards, or the batch rename files dialog.
Lammer Context Menu is a free download for Windows, works in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, and is compatible with UAC in Windows 7 or Vista.
