Movie may not be visible in Google Reader. Please click through.

I am a big movie buff. I have a film degree and hundreds of DVDs cluttering up my house to prove it. My memories are more like scenes ripped from the big screen, full of intense action, gritty suspense, and random symbolism. They even have their own soundtrack. I am constantly using movies to describe what’s going on in my life, even using them as analogies in speeches and writing to better address a point. When I meet up with friends, it’s never long before someone is quoting lines from some movie we saw together. Needless to say, movies are an integral part of my life and if you’re anything like me, you’re going to love the new website, MovieClips.com.

The site is pretty much self-explanatory, it’s a site full of movie clips, old and new. If you’ve ever scoured YouTube looking for that one clip from that one movie to share with your friend in an email, on Facebook, or on Twitter, then this site’s for you. The beauty of this site is that its creators, Rich Raddon and Zach James, have spent countless hours negotiating with all the major studios for the right to display their content legally online. In other words, unlike YouTube, who is being sued by studios like Universal for allowing clips from their movies to be shown, clips on MovieClips.com will never be taken down for copyright infringement. You are free to share them as often as you want wherever you like.

The site is simple and highly searchable. They have armies of film buffs scouring movies daily looking for keywords to tag each clip with. They mark everything from mood, to actors, to product placement, and more. They even have a feature called “we [heart]” that contains categories such as “Awesome FX,” “Alien Attacks,” “Die Already!,” and even “”Projectile Vomiting” to aid you in your browsing.

Sharing on MovieClips is easy. They have links to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to make sharing even easier (I should note that Facebook embedding is not available yet, but is coming soon. For now it’s just link sharing). You can also use the provided “embed” code to embed the clip right on your blog or website. This is where I think the real value will come. I could probably find an applicable clip to any post I write (so be warned), and what better way to spice up a boring post than with a movie clip, not to mention the obvious application for movie critics.

Movie may not be visible in Google Reader. Please click through.

MovieClips.com is still in beta, which means they are constantly adding new features to the site. They have most of the major studios on board, but are still working on more, so if you can’t find a movie now, chances are it’ll be there soon. They even have clips from movies still in theaters, like Avatar. If you encounter any errors with the site, be sure to report them, their customer support is great. I heard back about my issue within the same day. So check them out and share some clips with your friends, I could easily spend all day reliving my favorite movies. Below is an interview my brother, Jesse Stay (@Jesse on Twitter) did with MovieClips’ founders talking about the site.

Movie may not be visible in Google Reader. Please click through.

You can also find MovieClips on their Facebook page or on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated by MovieClips.com for this post. This is simply a site I love and think should be more widely used.

Random Posts:

• Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist
• I Heart Google
• How To Save For A House
• Google Voice Update
• The Mighty AfroWhitey Will Save Your Life

Google Reader announced some new features yesterday, so I thought I’d continue the Google theme of my blog lately by breaking it down for the uninitiated. The idea of an RSS subscription manager, or reader is foreign to most internet users, but it can be very helpful, especially for mothers and estranged friends and family trying to keep up with the blogs of loved ones. What follows is my attempt to de-mystify Google Reader, using more familiar language. Feel free, as always, to leave questions in the comments below, or on Twitter or Facebook.

What is Google Reader?

Google Reader is an RSS-based subscription service and manager. I know, I’ve lost you already. Put more simply, Google Reader is a tool used to put all the blogs you check regularly in one central location. From Wikipedia:

RSS (most commonly translated as “Really Simple Syndication” but sometimes “Rich Site Summary”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

Google Reader takes the “RSS feeds” (or more simply, the constantly updated content) from your favorite blogs or news sites and constantly checks them for updates, so you don’t have to go to little Billy’s model rocket page 5 times a day just to see his latest launch. You just go to your Google Reader and wait for the post to show up.

It’s a lot like having an email account for your blogs. You don’t go to a hundred different sites to get messages from your hundreds of accounts, you go to one email account and let the messages come to you. Why should it be any different with the websites you frequent? Google Reader makes that happen. You go to one place and your websites come to you.

How do I get started?

Getting started is as simple as logging in. Go to the Google Reader homepage here, and either use your existing Google Account to log in, or register for a new one. If you use GMail or any other Google service, you already have an account and you should use that one, for reasons I’ll explain later. After logging in, you’ll be brought to this screen:

Google put some helpful tips in your feed to get you started. Go ahead and read them for a quick overview of what I’m about to talk about. There’s even a video to walk you through some of it. The first thing you’ll want to do is add your favorite websites. Click “Add a Subscription,” then enter in the address of any website. I’ll use this site just as an example. Enter http://www.afrowhitey.com and click “Add.”

You’ll notice “The Mighty AfroWhitey” shows up under the “Subscriptions” tab. Click on it.

Congratulations, you are now reading The Mighty AfroWhitey from your very own Google Reader. You can customize the way you see each feed by clicking on the “Settings” link. I prefer seeing my sites as a list, and using the “Previous Item” and “Next Item” buttons to scroll through them. To do this, click on “List” in the upper-right corner of the blue box. To go back to the old view, click “Expanded.”

As you add more subscriptions, you may prefer to read through all your websites in the order they posted. To do this, click on “All Items” and you’ll see all the posts from all your websites. You can then sort them by oldest or newest by clicking on “View Settings” (“Feed Settings” when in a specific subscription). “Oldest” puts the oldest posts at the top, “Newest” starts with the newest. I prefer to sort by oldest and cycle through the posts using the “Next Item” button.

Now what?

Now you’re pretty much on your own. Add whatever site you want to your reader using the “Add Subscription” button, or you can create a bookmark to add any site you’re viewing that will go in your toolbar. This can be found in the “Goodies” tab of your settings. To find out if a site is subscribable or not, check the address bar. If you see an icon next to the address that looks like a soundwave, you can subscribe and all updates will come to your reader (it’s the icon next to the star in the screenshot below).

I suggest starting with any family or friends’ blogs and moving on to news sites or even, like the New York Times or CNN or BBC, or even ESPN. You can also subscribe to specific columns, like sports or fashion, or specific contributors a lot of the time. I keep track of my movie reviews this way. You can subscribe to Roger Ebert or my personal favorite, Peter Travers. Just look for the icon on any page you’re reading and you’ll know if it’s an option.

Bonus features (A little on the advanced side):

One of the coolest features of Google Reader is the ability to share a post with any of your Google Contacts. This means that if you think your mom will like a post, you can email it to her without even leaving Google Reader. If you look at the bottom of any post in reader, you’ll see a bunch of links: “Add Star,” “Like,” “Share,” “Share with note,” “Email,” “Keep Unread,” and “Add Tags.” “Preview” is only there because I use a program called Better GReader for some added functionality.

“Add Star” is a way of organizing your favorite posts so you can come back to them later. You’ll notice a “Starred Items” link on the left below “All Items.” Clicking this will show you all the posts you’ve starred. You can also search all starred items by using the drop-down menu next to the search button.

“Like” is a new feature. Clicking like in Google Reader works just like it does in Facebook. Anyone who reads that post will see how many people have liked it. You can also see the individual people that liked the post. This is useful when looking for more people that share similar interests to discover more interesting blogs. Just click on the link below the title to see the individuals, then click on a name to see their shares.

“Share” will share the post with any of your Google Reader followers. Your followers are any of your Google Contacts you’ve allowed to see your shares. To choose who sees these, click on “Sharing Settings” under the “People You Follow” tab. You can also “Share with Note” to personalize any of your shares with a little message. My shares can be found here. Go ahead and follow me if you like. I share anything from cool technology, to movie news, to funny videos.

The rest of them are pretty self-explanatory. The most useful of which being “Email.” Click on this and you can email a post to anyone in the world. It will even auto-fill for you if you used your GMail account to login. It’s vey handy for sharing with those who haven’t yet taken the Google Reader plunge.

So there you have it. I hope I’ve de-mystified Google Reader for those who may be weary of joining. As always, leave any questions in the comments, or Twitter, or Facebook. And don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook!

Related Posts:

• Google Voice Update
• I Heart Google
• Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist
• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders
• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Computers

This post is a follow-up to the recent post: “Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist.”

I started advertising my home consultation services on Craigslist last weekend using my new Google Voice number and I received my first telemarketing call as a result of that today. No problem, right? I’ve got Google Voice. With call screening enabled for all unknown numbers, I was immediately given the option to send them straight to voicemail, and send them I did. A few seconds later, I got my text with the transcription of the voicemail and sure enough, it was a marketing call.

I decided to ignore it and move on with my day until tonight, when I logged into my Google Voice account to see what I could do with it. The marketer’s voicemail was right there at the top of my inbox with two options: “Reply” and “More.” I clicked more and was given options to mark as unread, add a note, block, email, download, or embed. I clicked block emphatically. What followed is what prompted this post.

Apparently, anyone you block in Google Voice will from that point on be greeted with the following recorded message: “We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service … ” You will never hear from them again. This is my new favorite feature!

Related Posts:

• Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• I Heart Google
• Favorite iPod-Ripping Applications
• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders

The following is a post I did for LukeStay.com back in January 2008. It’s all still relevant and my recent Google Voice post reminded me of it, so I thought I’d post it again here since many of you have not read it.

It all started last year when I joined a Virtual Stock Exchange competition with a bunch of friends. We were to play the stock market for a year straight using $10,000 of fake money. Whoever had the biggest gain by the end of the year would win. I came in second, right behind a guy who made some last-minute shortsells, and I have Google to thank for it. I almost doubled my fake money.

I bought their fake stock about 6 months or so ago and it rose slowly in the next months. Then, rumors started about a Google Phone soon to be released and their stock exploded. It rose even higher after they actually released the “Google Phone” and continued to rise after that. What makes them so special? Release after release of easy-to-use, life-easing web applications. Let me just share a few that have struck my fancy.

1. Google Maps

“Google Maps is the best! / Trudat! / Double True!”

Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell knew what they were talking about. Even if Lazy Sunday was a year or so ago. I use it at least once a day without even thinking about it, it has become that much a part of my life.

What makes Google Maps so great is their constant innovation. I once used street view to prove the accuracy of a photo sent to me in an email (Proof here). I just used Satellite view last Sunday to see if there was anywhere to park near our new church building. Over the holidays, I used the route-drag feature to change my driving directions to use the Merrit Parkway to get from Boston to New Jersey, and then to add a pit-stop in Manhattan on the way back. For our wedding, I made my own embedded Google Map that contained markers for all the important venues in the area around our reception. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

2. Google Reader

I used to spend hours every week just checking my friend’s various blogs to see if they had updated anything. After a while I just gave up, it was too much to keep track of. I had heard of reader programs, but never tried any because they seemed so foreign. It wasn’t until I installed Lifehacker’s Better Gmail Firefox extension that I realized how great a reader program could be. It put Google Reader right there in my Gmail window (the new version does not have this feature yet, they’re waiting on someone to come up with an updated Greasemonkey script). I had to try it out.

Basically, like any other reader, it stores your blogs in one central place and updates when your blogs update. But what makes Google Reader so great (besides seamless integration with all the other Google products) is their new sharing feature. I can mark blogs that I think will be useful to my friends without having to email them a link to the site. I just click “share” and move on. Then it’s up to them to look or not.

My wife shares a lot of design possibilities to try in our house after we move and I’ve been exposed to a world I never knew existed with my brother’s programming blog shares. Sure, there’s programs like del.icio.us, digg, and StumbleUpon that do similar things, but with Google Reader, it’s all right in front of me as I read my blogs, no need to bookmark or install anything else.

3. GMail + Google Talk

Before I moved to New York City, I mainly used AOL’s Instant Messenger. I’ve had an account with them since junior high when AOL was the way to the internet. A few of my friends were on MSN Messenger, so I started using programs like Trillian (for PC), or Adium (for Mac) to talk to both in a single program. When I moved to New York, I discovered that I was years behind. Sure I had a gmail account, but I was not on Google Talk. Everyone was on Google Talk. I decided to check it out.

What makes Google Talk so great, is the fact that you don’t have to install any additional software, it’s right there in your web browser. This means I can chat with just about all my friends no matter where I am, whether on my computer or not. My wife uses it at work because it’s so easy to hide. It just looks like you’re typing an email. In fact, that’s how we got to know each other at first. She never would’ve married me if not for GTalk. Sure I use Adium for all my chatting purposes, but that’s only because a few of my friends still have not moved over to Google.

There’s not much to say about GMail that you probably don’t already know except that it’s great. I have about 4 different accounts that forward to one master account for easy labeling on emails like work, family, and online accounts. I use that same account to check my business email using POP, and I have most of my contacts grouped for quick mass emails. UPDATE: You can now drag and drop emails into labels (like folders) and labels onto emails. It saves a step when archiving.

So there it is. Call me a fanboy if you want, but I heart Google. Honorable mentions include iGoogle, Google Calendar (my wife and I share ours to keep up on each other’s appointments), and Google Text. Google Info has potential, but I have yet to see it give me reliable results.

And while I’m linking, check out www.japanesebugfights.com. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Related Posts:

• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• Google Voice Update
• Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist
• Favorite iPod-Ripping Applications
• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders

Some of my more astute readers may have noticed the little box to the left that appeared not too long ago. It’s the one that says “Call Me,” and it’s all powered by Google Voice. All you have to do is enter your phone number and the robots at Google will call you and me simultaneously, allowing us to connect and discuss your technology needs. I know, it’s amazing, and it doesn’t end there.

Google Voice is a free service that allows you to manage your contacts and phone calls in a way you never could before. It’s invite-only at this point, but you can get your invite here and they’ve been rolling it out slowly to those that have requested invites. I got mine a couple weeks ago.

On to the features.

The short video above provides a great overview and you can find more information on Google’s own about page. Basically, Google gives you one phone number to rule all your other phone numbers. For example, if you call my Google number (or click the box to the left) and you happen to be my wife, both my cell phone and my home phone will ring so I can be sure to hear it. If I don’t answer, she’s greeted by a special voicemail greeting that no one else can hear. If you’re a member of my family and I don’t answer, you get another greeting. If I haven’t entered your number in my Google Contacts, just my cell phone will ring, and if I don’t answer, you’ll get the standard greeting.

You can also set it to go straight to voicemail when you receive a call from specified numbers (very helpful for telemarketers) and you can record any call in progress (helpful for telemarketers and customer support calls). Any voicemail or recording is automatically stored in your Google Voice Inbox, where you can play it or read Google’s attempted transcription of the recording (still a work in progress as you can see in the screenshot). I have it set to text message me whenever I miss a call or receive a voicemail, so I can read the voicemail transcription without even calling. It makes a great business phone for any freelancer.

You can also send text messages and start your calls right from the Inbox. Other nice Inbox features are voicemail emailing, recorded call emailing, and text message emailing. You can send pretty much anything recorded to anyone you want. It’s all integrated seamlessly with Google’s other services.

All-in-all, it’s a great service that will only get better. There are rumors of Google porting their service through your existing numbers in the future, which would negate the hassle of telling everyone in your address book about the new number. Until then, Lifehacker has a great post on how to ease your transition to Google Voice.

It’s a cinch to set up. You just choose an area code, then either pick from a list of available numbers or try to make up your own (none of my word combinations were available in my area code). You then give it an existing phone number to work with, it calls to verify, and you’re good to go!

So go ahead, sign up for an invite and let me know what you think. And as always, feel free to ask me any questions, or call me using the fancy new box to the left! Oh, and don’t forget to become a fan on the Facebook page. I’ll be sharing links and other gems over there.

Related Posts:

• Google Voice Update
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• I Heart Google
• Favorite iPod-Ripping Applications
• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders

We recently discussed how to sync your iTunes Library between two different computers, but what happens when your computer crashes without a backup and you lose all your precious music? Is there an easy way to get the music off your iPod and back onto your computer? Luckily, thanks to a few great programs, the answer is yes.

There are many of these iPod-ripping programs these days, but I will stick to the two that I have used the most, Senuti for the Mac, and YamiPod for the PC and the Mac. As a disclaimer, I have received no compensation whatsoever for recommending either of these products.

Senuti

Senuti is my all-time favorite iPod-ripping program. Unfortunately, it’s strictly for Mac. It’s simple and easy to use, but packed with plenty of features. The interface looks just like iTunes and works every bit as well. It will even tell you which songs on an iPod are already in your library. You can choose to automatically add any songs transferred to your library, or to add them to a playlist, which is great for importing playlists. You just select the desired playlist on your iPod, set the transfer to playlist in the preferences, and it will automatically transfer the songs both to your library and to the playlist of your choosing. Unfortunately, Senuti is no longer freeware, but it is free to try for 30 days. It’s so easy to use though, and so packed with features, that it’s well worth the $18 registration cost. Be sure to check out their preview videos that walk you through some of the basic features. I found them very helpful.

YamiPod

YamiPod is my go to iPod-ripping program for PC. It used to be PC only, but they have recently added support for both Mac and Linux. Best of all, it’s completely free. They have added a lot of features since I first started using it like Playlist support, duplicate track removal, and more. It’s a bit more complicated then Senuti, but still straightforward enough for beginners to figure out. You basically select the songs you want to import and click the button. As an added bonus, it always reminds me of my friend Nathan Yamashita, who has a brother they call Yami.

The most important step to using any iPod-ripping program is verification. After taking music off any iPod, you want to make sure it ended up in the right place and that all your music is in your iTunes library. If you have lost your music to a hard drive crash or something similar, you’ll be warned that your iPod will be erased when you try to sync. After verification, you are free to restore your iPod and ignore any warinings that your iPod will be erased. As long as the same music that was on your iPod is now in your library again, you have nothing to worry about.

So there you go. Those are my favorite iPod-ripping programs. Feel free to leave any of your favorites in the comments below. As always, any questions are very welcome and I will do my best to answer them promptly!

Related Posts:

• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Users
• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Computers
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• Google Voice Update
• I Heart Google

I was looking for Mac-compatible syncing apps for the “How to Sync iTunes on Multiple Computers” post and Russell tipped me off to a great one.

I use the creatively named SyncTwoFolders for syncing on my mac.

I checked it out and it works great. I successfully synced both my iTunes folder and my wife’s (across the network) with my backup folder on an external hard drive. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Download the Program – Go here, click “Download Now,” then select either the “Mac Intel” link , or the “Mac PPC” (Power PC, for older Macs like the Powerbook) link next to the “SyncTwoFolders” icon. After the file downloads, unzip and drag the .app file to your Applications folder.

Step 2: Set Up Your Sync – Open the program and select your “Source” folder and your “Target” folder. For an iTunes sync, the source would be your iTunes music folder on the primary computer and the target will be the secondary computer, whether across the network or on an external hard drive.

Selecting your “Synchronization Mode” can be a bit confusing because of the terms used, so I’ll break them down for you. “Reciprocal” will only look at files that are in both folders, replacing any older file with the newer one. No files will be deleted in this mode. “Source up Target” will do the same thing as “Reciprocal,” but also copy any files from the source file that are not in the target folder (i.e. if you add new songs to your library). No files will be deleted in this mode either. “Source on Target” does the same thing as “Source up Target,” but also deletes any files from the target folder that are no longer found in the source folder (i.e. if you delete any songs from your library).

Select your preferred “Synchronization Mode” (I use “Source on Target” so I have an exact copy) and add any additional filters you want. If you hover over any of the options, a box will appear describing that option. If you want a test run to see what files will be affected without actually moving anything around, click “Simulation.” Click the right-most checkbox to see the log.

Step 3: Run Your Sync – Make sure “Simulation” is unchecked and click “Synchronize.” Then, just sit back and watch your files fly across the magical tubes. Now run to the kitchen sink and pour yourself an ice cold glass of Mother Nature’s life juice, because you just synced two folders.

I muted my sound because it copies each file individually and my computer was chiming non-stop. My only real complaint is that you can’t schedule regular syncs, but for a free app, that’s definitely not a deal-breaker.

Related Posts:

• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Computers
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Users
• Google Voice Update
• I Heart Google

This post comes at the request of sn9500, who writes,

“I have a couple of computers and all have iTunes which won’t let me use my Ipod on there without deleting what is on my Ipod, so I only use the Ipod on one computer. So even tho I have downloads on the other computers, I have not known how to add it to my Ipod.”

This is a common problem with iTunes. iPods only allow you to sync to one iTunes library at a time, but what happens if you are adding music on multiple computers? How do you add that music to your iPod?

The quick solution is to enable “Manually manage music” in the iPod preferences and drag the music manually to your iPod. But what if you travel and want to be able to access all your music all the time, whether on your laptop or home computer? What if you have multiple computers like our friend above and don’t want to worry about remembering what computer has what music? This post will attempt to resolve this more complicated scenario.

Step 1: Locate Your iTunes Library and Music – The key to making this work is tricking your iPod into always believing its syncing to the same library, no matter the actual computer or location. To do this, we must first locate the iTunes library on your primary iTunes computer, just as we did to enable multiple users. The easiest way to do this is to look in your iTunes preferences, then click on the advanced tab.

In the window that comes up, you’ll notice a box underneath “iTunes Music folder location.” Take note of this location. This is where both your music and library are located. Navigate to this folder and you should see all of your artists in their respective folders. Your actual library will be in a folder called iTunes, which may be in a separate folder from “iTunes Music,” usually still in your “Music” (Mac) or “My Music” (PC) folder.

Step 2: Sync iTunes Folder Between Computers – This step involves another application. Using a file-syncing application, you will copy both your music folder (and all sub-folders) and your iTunes library file to the other computer(s) you want to use. Make sure to put the folder in the same basic place, or wherever the iTunes music folder is on that computer. Then, using the same application, you will periodically scan all locations for any changes and make those changes on any computers necessary.

Lifehacker recommends SyncToy for PCs on a local network (under the same roof/wireless network). They even have instructions for setting it up here (scroll down the page to find the appropriate section).

For syncing computers across the Internet (i.e. to a work computer), Lifehacker recommends FolderShare. Instructions are at the top of the page here.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a good free file-syncing program for Mac. If anyone knows of one, please share in the comments. Until then, I recommend installing SyncToy on a PC on the same network as your Mac(s), then using that to sync two network folders (both the source and the source and destination folders will be your individual Macs on the network).

UPDATE (6/3/09): Russell gave me a great Mac-syncing app in the comments. Instructions here.

Step 3: Sync Your iPod and Enjoy – All that’s left is to plug your iPod into any of the computers you just synced and test out your new system. If you get the “iPod will be erased” message, something went wrong. If not, you’re good to go, just remember to sync your folders anytime you download a new song or make a change.

I hope that helps any of you with this problem. I used this method for years to create a usable backup of my Mac’s music to my PC and it works great. As always, if you have any other questions or tips, leave them in the comments below or email me. I make house calls to the Las Vegas area!

Related Posts:

• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders
• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Users
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• Favorite iPod-Ripping Applications
• Google Voice Update

This post comes in response to Natalie, who wrote, “Ugh, I hate computer/tv/charger/usb/whatever cables. Do you have any tips on how to keep them organized?”

Photo by thatgrumguy on Flickr

Anyone who owns more than one electronic device in their home or office has run into this problem at one time or another. You’re just minding your own business, upgrading and optimizing your workspace or home theater when out of nowhere, a giant cable spaghetti monster is staring you right in the face. Do you cower in fear, crying for your mommy, or do you stand up and fight? Whatever your answer, I’m going to provide you with some tools to either aid you in your battle, or protect you from future attacks. I have scoured the internet over the past few years and will now bring you my favorite methods of cable organization.

1. Velcro Ties – I’ve tried zip ties, but I change things around so often that they didn’t last for more than about a week before I was cutting them off in a frenzied fit. The geniuses at Velcro have me covered with their Velcro One-Wrap cable ties. They give you the security of a zip tie with the pleasant bonus of being able to rip thousands of tiny hooks from their respective loops whenever you feel the urge. Plus, they come in a variety of different colors so you can color code your various components. Just wrap them around the cables with a common path and tuck them neatly to the edges of your workstation and/or entertainment center.

2. Plug Labels – We’ve all been there. We’ve all followed what we thought was the power cord for our external hard drive through the web of tangled cables tucked discretely behind our desk only to pull our computer’s power cord instead, losing the latest draft of our memoirs, aptly titled “Knotted Cables and the Therapy They Induced.” Enter ID Pilot (via Lifehacker), stickers that may save your Great Grandma’s life some day. Put the hard drive label on the hard drive plug and the life support label on the life support plug and you’ll never have to console a room full of Geriatrics ever again. Yeah, you could probably make your own with some simple stickers from Office Depot, but then I wouldn’t be able to justify this ridiculous paragraph.

3. CableDrop Cable Holder – If you ever have trouble keeping your cables within reach, or if your cables are always slipping out of your grasp, this is the hot new product for you. The CableDrop cable holder sticks right on your desk and holds your cables for you so you can rest your lazy little fingers. Now, the ordering page is in Chinese or some such language, but if you can find a translator, or learn Chinese, your cable holding woes will be forever gone. You may be able to fashion some sort of clip in its stead, but that may require a revisit to your favorite episode of MacGuyver, and this site will not be held responsible for any mullets grown or plots of world domination foiled with duct tape as a result of this post.

4. Go Wireless – Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this one for your home theater, but it should work wonderfully for your office. There are countless types of wireless keyboards, mice, printers, usb hubs, and even monitors you can find in stores these days. Connecting everything wirelessly will cut your cable clutter at least in half. It’s a little on the expensive side, but what’s a little consumer debt matter when your desk is completely clutter-free?

5. Shove it Under the Rug – This is my preferred method for solving most of my life’s problems, so why not use it to solve your cable isssues? Lifehacker’s got a slightly more refined method, but the idea’s all the same. Basically, hide them anyway you can. Just like your inner demons, if your mom can’t see them, they’re not really there.

So there you go. Hopefully that answered your question, Natalie, or at the very least, got the ball rolling. Got a question of your own? Leave it in the comments or email me: luke (at) afrowhitey (dot) com, and I’ll do my best to answer it. Short on time? I also do house calls!

Related Posts:

• Optimize Your DTV Antenna with AntennaWeb
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• Google Voice Update
• I Heart Google
• Google Voice is Your Own Personal Receptionist

Everybody has an iPod these days, but managing multiple iPods under a single roof can become quite a chore. Chances are, little Suzie doesn’t want to listen to Dad’s Led Zeppelin box set and Dad certainly doesn’t want to fill up his iPod with the latest Jonas Brothers albums and videos. Creating playlists and dragging songs over manually can be a real pain, so one of the most common questions I get is, “Is there any way to give everyone separate iTunes libraries using a single computer?” The answer is yes, and I’m going to break it down so you can do it yourself.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have the Latest Version of iTunes - This can be done by either going to the iTunes download page and checking the latest version against your version (found under “About iTunes” in the iTunes menu), or by clicking “Check for Updates” in the iTunes menu. These instructions should work for iTunes 7 and above.

Step 2: Create a New iTunes Library – This part can be a little tricky. Make sure iTunes is closed and then you can either hold down “shift” (“option” on a Mac) while you double-click the iTunes icon, or you can click on the iTunes icon, then hold down “shift” (“option” on a Mac) and press enter. A dialogue box should then pop up (don’t let go of “shift,” or “option,” until you see the dialogue box. If iTunes opens up without the dialogue box, try again), giving you 3 options: “Quit,” “Create Library,” and “Choose Library.”

Click on “Create Library,” and a new window will pop up asking you to name your library.

You want to choose a name that’s very specific to your library so it’ll be easy to find later on, like “Suzies Music,” or “Dads Library,” or “Mom’s Shuffle.” You also want to make sure you save it in the same place as your regular old library. In Windows, this is usually in “C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\” On a Mac, this is usually in “Music\iTunes Music\iTunes” and you will need to click the “down arrow” next to the file name to enable folder browsing. A new, empty iTunes library will then open up.

Congratulations, you now have your own, private library.

Step 3: Add Your Tunes – Now comes the fun part. Now you get to browse through all your music files and pick the exact tunes you want to listen to. Go to “File – Add to Library” and a new file browser window will open.

Go to the folder that contains your music (should be the same general place your libraries were, i.e. “My Music” for PC, “Music-iTunes Music” for Mac by default). If you changed the default music folder and don’t remember what it is now, you may have to do a search for music files. Just search your hard drive for “*.mp3, *.m4a, and *.m4p” for the standard iTunes music files.

Now that you’ve found your music, you have two options for adding the actual files. You can either select all the folders (“Ctrl-a” on PC,” -a” or “command-a” on Mac), hit enter, and delete the files you don’t want from your new library, or you can go through and select all the folders or files you want individually (hold down “alt” on a PC, “” or “command” on a Mac to select multiple files or folders) and hit enter. If you choose to delete the files from your library, make sure you do not send the files to the trash or recycle bin, they would be unusable by other libraries.

Step 4: Quit iTunes and Try Out Your New Digs – You have now succesfully created your own library, but you need to know how to access it in the future. Quit iTunes and do the “shift-double-click(PC)” or “option-double-click(Mac)” maneuver again on the iTunes icon. The old dialogue box will pop up again. This time, click “choose library” and select your new library (everyone who uses iTunes will have to open iTunes this way or it will just open up the last library used).

You can now use your library as freely as you like. Create your own playlists, get rid of stuff you don’t want, whatever you want to do. When you sync your iPod with the new library however, it will completely erase your iPod and fill it up only with the songs on your new library. If you don’t want this to happen, enable “Manually select files” in the iPod preferences and drag over the songs you want synced.

It is a bit of a pain, but until iTunes comes up with a simpler way, it’s either this or the old-fashioned select-and-drag. There are third-party applications that will manage multiple libraries with a little less hassle, but I’ve never tried any, so I can’t vouch for any of them. A quick google search for “iTunes manager” should turn up a few options. Either way, sit back wipe the sweat off your brow, turn up the volume to Queen’s We are the Champions, and throw back a bottle of your favorite syrup, because you have just conquered the iTunes libraries.

Related Posts:

• Favorite iPod-Ripping Applications
• How to Use iTunes With Multiple Computers
• What is this Google Reader Anyway?
• Sync Two Folders on a Mac With Aptly-Named App, SyncTwoFolders
• Google Voice Update