In “How to Reset Your DIRECTV DVR When it Locks Up”, Mr. Noobie shows you that you don’t have to pull the power cord the next time your DirecTV set top box refuses to respond. There’s a reset button hidden under a door panel, next to the card slot.
It’s also worth nothing that not one but three resets did the trick for him.
uTorrent Web is a web-based app that lets you control torrents on your home computer via your iPhone.
Why is it a web-based app and not a native iPhone app? Because Apple won’t approve anything that potentially can violate copyright. That’s a shame since there are many legitimate uses for Bit Torrent, such as downloading free artist-approved live music recordings.
Link via “uTorrent Web lets you control torrent downloads on your iPhone” by Lee Mathews for Download Squad.
The How-To Geek has instructions for removing the Office 2010 upload icon from your taskbar. Apparently it sits there even after you have completed your uploads and moved on to other tasks.
SoundOff is a windows application that will mute all Windows sound effects — very effective for preventing interruptions when you are listening to music or watching a movie on your PC.
Link via “Turn off all Windows Sounds while Watching a Movie or Listening to Music” by Online Tech Tips.
For roughly $19 you can make a moleskine case for your iPad. The author spotted a commercially available moleskine-inspired iPad case, but the product has a 4-6 week wait and a $50 price tag. Naturally, he decided to make his own.
Link via “DIY Moleskine Case Protects and Camouflages Your iPad” by Kevin Purdy for Lifehacker.
GetFoldersize is Windows software that allows you to take inventory of your hard drive usage by determining the size of folders and sub-folders, and listing them in order of size. The program is free for both private and commercial use, and requires Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, Sever 2003 or Server 2008.
Link via “GetFolderSize: scan and sort your hard drives by folder and file sizes” by Freeware Genius.
How-to site Make Use Of has three articles that cover a variety of proxy servers you may be able to use in order to bypass geographic restrictions and watch the World Cup streaming live online:
Ever stumble upon an interesting web page but not have the time to read it? Save-to-Read is a Firefox extension that saves links to a sidebar so you have a list of content to read later during your free time. “Save Links for Later Reading in Firefox” by The How-To Geek has a detailed screenshot tutorial on using this extension.
“Enjoy Vuvuzela-Free Football Matches With VLC And Mplayer” by Martin for gHacks contains advanced settings and a free download that configure the VLC and Mplayer software to strip the ear-splitting sound of vuvuzela horns from World Cup matches.
“How to Silence Vuvuzela Horns in World Cup Broadcasts” by Adam Pash for Lifehacker covers removing the vuvuzela drone from your TV using a stereo equalizer.
“6 Ways To Sync Your iPod To Computer Without iTunes” by Steve Campbell for MakeUseOf reviews six applications for Mac, Windows and Linux that are capable of connecting to your iPod and syncing music: Foola, Songbird, Amarok, Ephpod, YamiPod and Banshee. If you are frustrated with iTunes, try giving one of these programs a shot.