Turn your IM client into a domain checking tool

By Mark O’Neill

imifiednetlookup.pngI’ve previously posted about Imified but I have recently noticed a new tool of theirs that you can add to your IM client. It quickly becomes very useful if you are a heavy IM user and you also do a lot of domain checking.

Once you have added Imified to your IM contact list and opened up a free account, you’ll see a bot on the site called NetLookup.    By adding this to your Imified menu, you can perform a variety of domain-related tasks directly from your IM client.

As you can see from the menu on the left, you can ping a domain, perform a traceroute, get Alexa domain information, perform a WHOIS check and also carry out an “enum” search (I’m not sure what this is – can anyone explain?).

The results are fast and it is extremely convenient.   A worthy addition to any IM client.



Burn calories in your hot tub with the AquaFit 19DT

Progress never stops. The proof? This all-in-one gym/hot tub hybrid that allows you to exercise and relax in the comfort of your own home.

AquaFit 19DT

The Aquafit 190T is a gigantic tub divided in two parts. The largest one is a mini-gym in which you can do cardiovascular activities such as rowing, running or stationary swimming. The second side, which can be set at a different temperature and features adjustable hydrotherapy jets, will allow you to relax after your calorie-burning exercise session.

As far as I’m concerned, the only setback is the price: $40,000 + installation fees. A bit too pricey for a modest system administrator, like myself!

So Long, HD DVD

A few years ago when I first heard of you, I thought you had the coolest name. It was like love at first sight. You gave me great hope for the long-term, I believed in everything you said, and I invested in our relationship. But today, I heard the terrible news. You literally broke my heart. Today, is the end of our relationship. Today, is the end of HD DVD.

Toshiba is expected to finally show the white flag in its war against Sony for the next generation DVD format.

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Integrating Skype into Pidgin

After a long time obsessing over Google Talk, I am now slowly turning my attention to Pidgin. I was inspired to take a closer look at Pidgin after an excellent tutorial on Lifehacker and so now I am experimenting with my Google Talk contacts on the Pidgin platform to see how it goes.

But I was disheartened to see that out of all the IM networks that Pidgin supports, the one it didn’t support by default was Skype. So in the interests of trying to be more organized in my life, I went hunting to see if there was any kind of a plug-in based on the Skype API which allowed Pidgin to support Skype contacts.

And there is! The Skype API Plugin allows you to add your Skype contacts to your Pidgin application. But there are some drawbacks :

  • You can’t make phone calls through Pidgin. So this would only be suitable for Skype accounts which you use for instant messaging only.
  • For the moment, you need to also have the official Skype application on (which kind of defeats the purpose of integrating it into Pidgin in the first place). But the developer promises to fix this in future releases.
  • The plug-in imports EVERYTHING from your Skype list, including regular phone number contacts. This one actually forced me to uninstall the plug-in in the end as I have about 150 regular phone number contacts in my Skype app which were then imported into Pidgin. So this plug-in would be best for people who don’t use Skype for regular phone calls.

But if you only use Skype for instant messaging and you want to merge your contacts with your Pidgin contacts, then this is an excellent plug-in to install (it even shows the Skype contact’s icon). There’s even a Linux version.

Granted, it’s a pain in the rear to also need to have the Skype app open but I am hoping that in the future, new releases will take care of these minor irritants. In the meantime, you can hide the Skype app icon from the Windows system tray and pretend it’s not there.

If you’re a Skype and Pidgin fan, this is one plug-in to keep an eye on.

Total Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday

Mark your calendars folks! Next Wednesday, starting at around 8:43PM EST, a total lunar eclipse will occur over the Americas. The next one is not due until December 2010, so if the sky is clear, get your derrière up from your computer chair and head outside to observe this rare phenomenon.

A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes through the shadow of Earth. You might expect the Moon to grow even more ashen than usual, but in fact it transforms into an orb of vivid red.

Why red? That is the color of Earth’s shadow.

[Via NASA]

In To Africa … a Computer Geek in Lagos

By Lyle Bateman
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Its been too long since I wrote something for Geeks Are Sexy. I’ve been in a fairly non-geek period of my life recently, focusing on my stand-up comedy side rather than my techie side. In that spirit, I thought I might combine the two sides a bit with some (hopefully humourous) recollections of my life as a system administrator in Lagos, Nigeria from 1993-1998.

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Turn webpages into iPod-friendly reading files

By Mark O’Neill

In case it isn’t glaringly obvious yet, I love my iPod. So I am always looking for ways to expand its use beyond just playing music. It is an excellent device for carrying your email address book, reading e-books and for consulting Wikipedia. But you can also apparently turn webpages into text files for iPod reading with iPodulator.

The only downside to this plan is that it doesn’t show any images on the page and you obviously can’t visit weblinks.   All the service does is takes a webpage and turns it into a text file which you can then read on your iPod screen.

All you need to do is visit the website and insert the URL of the webpage you want to convert.   It will then give you a page which looks like gibberish but in actual fact it looks perfectly fine when you see it on the iPod.    Save the page to your computer then transfer it to the “notes” section of your iPod.

There’s even a bookmarklet available which you can click on to instantly turn any page you’re on into iPod format.   Webmasters can also create iPod-friendly content which they can advertise on their site.