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Ben Goldacre, The Guardian, Saturday 4 September 2010 Everyone likes to imagine they are rational, fair, and free from prejudice. But how easily are we misled by appearances? Noola Griffiths is an academic who studies the psychology of music, and she’s published a cracking paper on what women wear, and how that effects your judgement [...]Ben Goldacre

Submitted by: Unknown

Submitted by: Unknown

Readers offer their best tips for phones that keep searching for signal, a new iTunes mini-player, and cheap gaming mousepad solutions.

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About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons—maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in—the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments, share it here, or email it to tips at lifehacker.com.

Switch in and Out of Airplane Mode to "Reset" Smartphone Network Searches

Photo by Yutaka Tsutano.

Envador lets us know a quick way to solve smartphone signal problems:

Sometimes the iPhone falls into "Searching..." mode for a cell signal and NEVER finds it, forcing you to restart your iPhone. If you don't want to wait for a reboot, you can also go into Settings and turn Airplane Mode on, then off. That's always fixed the problem for me.

Of course, if you really don't have reception, this isn't going to solve anything, but if you're driving down I-5 and KNOW you should be getting signal to make that quick call, this can be a real time saver.

Use iTunes 10's Album Art Viewer as an Alternate Mini-Player

Artblanc shares a hidden feature in the new version if iTunes:

In iTunes 10, you can control your tunes from the previously useless artwork windows, and after a few moments the window's chrome will disappear and only sports the artwork. Cool but kinda redundant, cause it duplicates the function of mini-player. But I love this better than the mini-player.

Use a 3-Ring Binder as a Gaming Mousepad

Bryan.a.kendall tells us about a good, cheaply available mouse surface:

I went to the store today to look for gaming mouse pads. I found one by rocket fish for $20, but it didn't have any special features or secrets, just a plain black mouse pad. The front of the package had a place where you could feel it, so I did, and it instantly reminded me of a matte 3 ring binder (the ones without the glossy, clear cover sheet protector on the front).

Knowing that this rocket fish surface was supposed to be good for laser mice, I grabbed a binder from my supplies, and taped one flap down to my desk so it wouldn't move. Using this for my mouse pad has been the best experience I have had with the mouse, and I plan on taking the cover off the binder so I can preeminently affix it to my desk (and use the other cover as a travel gaming mouse pad!). Just something that I found today, and wanted to share! Made my life easier while gaming and I hope other people looking for high mouse control can try this out!

Use Department Store Samples as Travel-Friendly Toiletries

Monsterblues shares how he saved space while vacationing:

On a recent weekend trip, instead of using the hotel's low quality soap and shampoo, my wife packed the samples of the good stuff she get's while shopping. The samples took practically no space to pack, and all fit in a Ziploc bag.

Whitson Gordon

This week we made the most of your external hard drives, cleaned out our laptops before turning them in to IT, put together the ultimate exercise playlist, and more.

• Top 10 External Hard Drive Tricks
  So you've been computing for quite a few years now, and you've built a nice collection of hard drives, internal or external, collecting dust in the corner. Here's how to put them to good use.
• Use a Dab of Vaseline to Take Vintage-Style Photos
  The low-quality lenses and loose tolerances of vintage consumer cameras often gave photos a slightly distorted and dream-like quality. Capture that vintage-feel with little more than a dab of Vaseline.
• Repurpose an Old Computer for Any Room in the House
  Most of us have our computers on our desks or our laps, but there are so many other places in and out of our homes that can make a great spot for an old PC.
• What Should I Do to My Work Laptop Before I Leave My Job?
  Dear Lifehacker, I'll be leaving my job soon and will have to turn in my work laptop. How can I get my laptop sparkling clean so I can preserve my privacy and avoid running afoul of IT or any corporate policies?
• How to Create the Ultimate Exercise Playlist
  Studies show that the rhythmic speed of your music influences your athletic performance. Here's how to use that information to create the ultimate playlist for your workout.
• How to Remember People's Names (and Deal with Unusual Names)
  Accurately remembering names is one of the simplest yet most important components of interacting with people, no matter in what capacity. This article presents some tips I've acquired over the years with regards to remembering and using people's names.
• The Best iPhone Apps for Your Car
  Whether it's your daily commute or a random road trip, your iPhone can help you drive, park, and stave off passenger boredom. Here are our picks for the best iPhone apps for when you're on the move.
• The Best Android Apps for Your Car
  Having an Android along for your daily commute or occasional car trips can make the ride a lot easier, safer, and simply more fun. Here are our favorite Android apps to have on hand when it's time to hit the road.
• Stretching Before Running Doesn't Help, But Don't Stop Right Away
  Stretching, especially the static reach-and-hold kind we've previously suggested was all wrong, had virtually no effect on injury prevention in a study of 1,400 runners, ages 13 to over 60. Not only that, but stretching could actually hurt your workout.
• How to Run Windows, Mac, and Linux Side by Side and Pain-Free with VirtualBox
  Running multiple operating systems side-by-side gives you the chance to test applications, run platform-specific software, and tons more without ever rebooting. It's also extremely cool. Here's how to run Windows, Mac, and Linux simultaneously and pain-free as possible.

Adam Pash

This is Why Grammar Nazi’s Are Single … at Art of Trolling

Great Advice In This Economy, Grandma!
Crazy Things Parents Say

Please Tell Me This Was In The ‘Self-Help’ Section
Oddly Specific

The Robot That Might Destroy Us All
College Humor

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson gives an interview in which he says there was a massive left-wing bias at the corporation when he joined it 30 years ago. How do you think the Sun responded to his revelation?

If you read its article, it makes clear that Thompson was speaking about how the corporation was over a quarter of a century ago. If you just read its leader, well, here's what you'd read:

CONFIRMING what everyone knows, BBC chief Mark Thompson admits the Beeb has been guilty of "massive" Left-wing bias.

He insists impartiality is improving, claiming regular invitations to Coalition leaders prove his point.

Here then is a wonderful example of omitting a vital piece of information to paint a picture of an organisation the Sun's parent company is in direct competition with.

Yes, the BBC invites Tory and Lib Dem chiefs on air.

But it is the contemptuous way they are treated - and above all the failure to report fairly the reasons for the Government's cuts policy - that shows the BBC is as Leftie as ever.

Perhaps there's a hint there to the fact Thompson was referring to the past, if we're being completely fair. Why should we bother to be though when the Sun itself never is? "Failure to report fairly the reasons?" Can that really be anything like an accurate description of this blog by the deputy director-general and head of BBC journalism's Mark Byford detailing the BBC's season of programmes on exactly those cuts?

Why this sudden hand-wringing from Mr Thompson as he is carpeted by No10?

Could it be because the Coalition is looking at the BBC's bills - including his own salary last year of £834,000?

Two can play this game. Why this sudden reporting of Thompson's comments? Could it possibly be because these can be misconstrued, unlike his MacTaggart lecture last Friday, which attacked News International directly and accused Sky of not investing in original British programming? After all, not even the Times last week felt the need to make clear to its readers how Thompson had responded to the rant last year by James Murdoch. Indeed, here's the first possible opportunity for the Murdoch press to strike back at Thompson's impertinence, and it's been taken with both hands, in the usual wholly dishonest fashion.

Netflix lets its staff take as many vacation days as they want, and they can take them whenever they want, and according to news site The Telegraph, it works. Now we're wondering: How much vacation time do you get every year?

With a long weekend ahead here in the States, everybody's gearing up for a little government-sanctioned R&R. But how about the rest of the year, when it's not a government holiday?

How Many Vacation Days Do You Get Every Year?online surveys

Regardless of how many vacation days you get, it's also worth keeping in mind that you still need to, you know, use them—something Americans are particularly bad at doing. Photo by biker germany.

Netflix lets its staff take as much holiday as they want, whenever they want – and it works [Telegraph via @timoreilly] Adam Pash0394658868267688301906293554953682290133173325134188258483821061913972187166512611977667530585662757

Submitted by: Unknown

If you need to edit some video away from your home, free web-based video editor JayCut will likely get your project going, whether you need simple cutting and pasting or text, transitions, and impromptu audio recording.

Click on the image for a closer look.

JayCut is a remarkably full-featured video editor for the web, comparable to something like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker (as opposed to the more advanced Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut). You have two tracks, to which you can upload and add video clips, audio, and add text and transitions. You can also record audio straight from the webapp with your microphone, as well as video from a webcam. After you're done, you can publish your video to YouTube or export it to your computer as H.264 Flash video, H.264 MPEG-4, or an Xvid AVI.

There are definitely a few quirks that threw me off at first—for example, transitions need to be placed between videos on separate tracks overlapping one another, and you can only preview your movie from the beginning instead of placing the playhead somewhere—but overall, it's pretty incredible for something that runs in your browser. If you want to save projects and come back to them later, you need to create a free account, but for one-shot video edits you just need to fire up the demo. Also note that I had some weird issues in Firefox trying to export my video—it wouldn't let me input my information—so you might want to run a quick test in your browser of choice before editing a 3-hour masterpiece. Hit the link to check it out.

JayCut [via AddictiveTips] Whitson Gordon158354405488906453480124543863895559058306925351185350905271002094871538580418271419526820307271733303374310638591789896

Submitted by: Unknown

OK, maybe not "dogs" plural, but the (regular size) creator of this tiny grill, made from an Altoids Sours tin, says it can cook a small hamburger or a single hot dog, cut down to size, with ease. Awwww.

According to Instructables user vmspionage, here's what you'll need to make your own:

1 Altoids sours tin
4x 1.5" sheet metal screws with wide heads (or 4x washers to match)
8x nuts to thread on screws
70mm metal computer fan guard (similar style to the one shown)
92mm metal computer fan guard (similar style to the one shown)

The BBQ is powered by a single charcoal briquette—isn't that just adorable?—though the creator says a propane version(!) is coming soon. Sliders all around! [Instructables via Laughing Squid]

Kyle VanHemert080422535576388357470692535118535090527105457379203207316356092949250408566660160299271984780185060106133702831107670993061838381623471303691514614096210822233907462850281106143640085022082018097296110338037371397187257513699003415276568585

Submitted by: mh123

Well the lead member of it, she gets Ms. Perry what she needs when she needs it.

Android: If you prefer to use your Android as hands-free as possible, Taskos is a voice-driven to-do list manager that supports contexts, alarms, dialer integration and more.

Taskos supports easy task creation via voice input. Tap the mic button and throw your tasks at it, Taskos transcribes them without a hitch. In addition to voice-to-list transcription you can tag tasks with contexts like calls, home, work, errands, and more. You can also set priorities, reminder alarms, and add notes as well as rank by priority and context. If your task needs the assistance or input of someone else you can share your task via email, text message, Facebook, or Twitter.

Taskos is a free Android application. Download it by searching in the Android Marketplace for Taskos or by scanning the QR code at the right.

Taskos Jason Fitzpatrick1362364987936752550802992719847801850601