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Written by Tom Beharrell
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Sunday, 22 July 2007 |
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One of the most frequent ways of navigating the web is to search for something on Google, and navigate through the first few links to find the best match to what you're looking for. Frequently this means launching the first link, hitting back, trying the next link, etc. Because pages frequenly have redirects, even the step back to Google can take longer than necessary. I searched for a long time for a way to get a Google search engine running within Firefox's sidebar (on Ubuntu Linux). This used to be built into IE and Mozilla back a few years ago, but seems to be missing from Firefox. There isn't even an extension to get this working. I have finally found a solution. I noticed that bookmarks can be set to open in the side bar. This is a great first step, however Google doesn't present itself very nicely in the sidebar, it's way too bloated with all the advertising and requires lots of horizontal scrolling. Then I remembered the Google Mobile version. This is designed for a small screen, however the downside of this is it converts the pages you link to also into Mobile versions for a small screen. I found the perfect version though, at www.google.co.uk/pda - it presents links cleanly in the sidebar and opens them in their original versions in the main page. So to summarise, create a bookmark (say on your Bookmark Toolbar) to http://www.google.co.uk/pda and hit the checkbox to open it in the sidebar. Then, you can do a Google Search from the sidebar, see all the results and open them one by one into the main window. Perfect! |
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Written by Tom Beharrell
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Thursday, 01 February 2007 |
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Railway Centre is one of my new projects. It is a railway community; a social networking forum (web 2.0 or what!  ) that can provide a central focus for the railway enthusiast and preservation movement. Rather than being just 'Yet Another' forum, it is a hub that incorporates functionality similar to Yahoo Groups, but also allows individuals and organisations to have their own areas in the site. These are controlled by each owner or group, and can evolve independently yet retain connections within the site. One unified community! Currently there are sites emerging within Railway Centre for the Met Cam Railcar Group (formerly the 692 Group before the purchase of another vehicle) and the Derby Lightweight Preservation Group. There is also a 2nd generation DMU gallery, containing a unique collection of photographs by Malcolm Clements taken over the past three decades. The Railcar Association is the definitive 1st generation Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) technical resource, and this also sits within Railway Centre. Parts of Railcar.co.uk that are currently difficult to maintain will be transferred into the Railway Centre giving the ability for many people to contribute and help maintain its content - this was not possible with Railcar's original "MS Front Page" localised design. Suggestions for improvements are very welcome, and new people are always encouraged to join in. Visit Railway Centre to find out more! |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 February 2007 )
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Written by Tom Beharrell
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company.
Read more! |
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Written by Tom Beharrell
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Thursday, 21 June 2007 |
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Not really a cash back site, but I kind of like these survey sites. And some of them give you cash for your time, this one included. I've made £34.30 on this one to-date, which isn't bad going, it's one of the best for payouts on filling in short surveys, so if you don't mind telling them the brands you like, car you drive, well worth a shot. Who knows it might even push the big companies into being more ethical, if that's the feedback they get. Pureprofile registration |
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Written by Tom Beharrell
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Tuesday, 27 February 2007 |
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Global warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to solve this problem: each one of us can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late. Here is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of them are at no cost, some other require a little investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term! |
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