Netvibes Coriander beautifies the start page

Netvibes has announced a few colorful updates to their online service. The Coriander release brings with it improvements from numerous suggestions.

First off, Netvibes Coriander gets an improved RSS experience. Even though we really didn't think the old version was bad, Netvibes now has the ability to use multimedia content from blogs and news feeds without ever leaving the page. Listen to podcasts, view videos, and play games right on the start page.

Sharing customized Netvibes content is now pretty simple to do. Click on the arrow in your content feed window and choose whether you want to share the feed, module or widget via email, IM, or even drop it on a blog or website with some HTML code.

Maps now have a new search module in the Coriander release. Craigslist was brought on board in the first round of changes, and now there is a Map Comparison Search module that can be added to pages.

The final addition to the mix is the new personalization feature. Users can add a subtle touch to the Netvibes interface by changing colors of the module windows.

Google Fun - Personalized homepage hacks

Google recently launched their beautified personalized homepage themes. These themes provide a nice contrast to the once boring whiteness of the traditional Google layout. But lurking deep inside the XML there stands some interesting tidbits. The "Easter Eggs" that Marissa Mayer hinted about not that long ago are scattered about the themes, and appear at certain time specific interval. Two decimal places past Pi (3.14) as a matter of fact, will see a new skin overlay appear at 3:14 AM local time on top of your selected theme, and stay there for one minute.

The XML files for the overlays can be found here, with the time changes noted inside:

• Beach
• Bus Stop
• Cityscape
• Sweet Dreams
• Tea House
• Wintetrscape

For instance, here is a snapshot of good old Nessy:

Who wants to see more Easter Eggs in Google? I do!

[via Tony Ruscoe]

15 Hidden Mac OS X command line hacks

As you know, under the hood of that friendly Mac OS X system you're using lies the heart of a Unix machine, and the ultra powerful command-line that goes with it. For first time command line users it's a strange and mysterious place where dragons be, but long time users know the command line can help you get things done in ways you just can't work within the GUI. It's also a place to tweak settings not accessible from the GUI layers above.

Mac OS X Tips put together a really useful list of 15 hidden things you can change at the command line. From un-hiding icons to changing annoying defaults in iTunes, this list surely has some scratch for a nagging itch you have.

[via Del.icio.us]

Travel locally with 71miles

The definitive weekend trip guide has arrived. 71miles is an online destination focused entirely on local travel, providing users comprehensive reviews, trip notes, recommendations as well as narrated videos by local experts.

71miles has currently launched reviews of the San Francisco Bay area, as well as other Northern California hotspots, and will soon release reviews for the Washington DC Metro area.

Launching with virtually no money at all, 71miles merged many API's together making use of WordPress, and the Google Maps API. The whole site is built on the WordPress platform, and might be one of the most innovative uses of the WP blog framework ever created. So innovative that the creator of WorkPress has even said he thinks it is the coolest use of the Wordpress framework he's seen. That's saying a lot!

By the way, this isn't just another web 2.0 name that means nothing at all, 71 miles comes from a statistic which shows most trips take place within 71 miles from your home.

VMware Fusion Beta 2 available

VMware's desktop virtualization application for Mac OS X, codename Fusion (seriously, what isn't Fusion these days?), has hit Beta 2 and with it a handful of new features to boast: experimental 3D acceleration for Windows XP SP2 & DirectX 8.1, Vista support, improved networking, 64-bit OS support on Core 2 Duo Macs, and a slew of other improvements.

Having tested the first beta release, I can indeed say that this update is much faster and more stable. I don't know if I would give up Parallels for it, but the two are a close match. In fact, it almost seems like VMware Fusion is less processor intensive on my Core Duo iMac than Parallels is, but without any formal testing I'm just going to chalk that up to first impressions. Like Parallels, it allows custom screen resolutions for your Windows virtual machine after you install the VMware Tools, and also has drag-and-drop copying from Mac OS X to Windows, both cool features that I certainly appreciate. If you are interested in testing it out, you can sign-up and download VMware Fusion Beta 2 for free.

Vista's Bitlocker vs. OS X's FileVault, a duel to the death

Lifehacker organized a battle royale between the two common desktop drive encryption schemes available on Mac and Windows. It's a head to head that's a long time coming, although it may not be a fair fight until Leopard makes its appearance.

In one corner, the lightweight FileVault with its home directory encryption designed to keep your files reasonably safe without too much intrusion. In the other corner stands Bit Locker, the 800lb gorilla of whole drive encryption; a roach motel for data.. once it goes in, it doesn't come out (unless you have the key).

The verdict? Gina says, "I'd choose BitLocker - simply for the total-lockdown factor." Adding, "Yes, the annoying repartitioning rigamarole and cost of Vista Ultimate or Enterprise suck, but a thief ain't gonna come close to anything on that drive, no matter where it's stored, and I like it that way."