Translate directly from search bar

Google added new function to its search bar to allow translation from English in 9 languages and vise versa. The 9 languages are: French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinses, Hindi, Italian, Korean and Portugese. That came handy. Type translate followed by a word, or type translate WORD into LANGUAGE. [via Lifehacker]

Entry example: translate 优点

Entry Example: translate good into Chinese

You can perform quiet a few other tasks from the search bar as well:

• Dictionary: type define followed by the word you want to look up, Google will return the definition of the word from couple major sources.

Entry example: define good

• Unit Conversion: type ## INPUT UNIT in OUTPUT UNIT, Google will give the converted unit.

Entry example: 58kg in pounds

• Currency Conversion: type ## CURRENCY in OUTPUT CURRENCY, similar to Unit Conversion, currency conversion convert currency.

Entry example: 10 us dollars in yuan

• Calculation: function similar to excel spread sheets, Google will return the result of function typed in.

Entry example: 1024/2

Export contacts from Lotus to Outlook

A colleague asked to help her transfer all my contacts from Lotus to Outlook. I thought this would been a very simple thing at first, but there are actually quiet some hassle in this. Let's see some of the solutions that seemed to work, but don't first:

1. CSV & Tab-delimit: These formats is accepted by both software; however, Lotus Notes refuse to export full information for each contact for neither format.
2. VCard: Vcard is also accepted by both software, and Lotus does export all information of each contact into one Vcard file. However, Outlook refuse to read beyond the first entry of the VCard file.
3. Buy a product or twig some complicated configuration: I don't want to put her through neither process.

That was some frustrating process for somthing so simple. Then I though Gmail. =)

1. Export all contacts from Lotus Notes into VCard format.
2. Sign-in Gmail (or Sign-up for one, it's great! ;]) , click on Contact on the left side.
3. Create a temporary group to store the imported contacts. (this will help to identify the newly imported contacts, and help to clean up your Gmail contact after you are done)
   
4. On the right of contact page, select Import. Find the .vcf file, and in Also add these imported contacts to: select temporary (you just created).
5. In the temporary group, select all contacts, and click Export. Under What format would you like to export to? select Outlook's CSV format.
6. Now you have a CSV file, import this file into Outlook, wola! You are all good. =)
   

Walkability: find a suitable neighbourhood

WalkScore.com is a website that measures the walkability. So what's walkability?! A check in Wikipedia shows it's "the measure of the overall walking conditions in an area". So in my lay term that means how convenient is it to access services you need on a regular basis by walking. Without taking the car, can you do the grocery, din out, have a drink, go shopping with a friend, take kids to school, do some reading or research in a library etc, etc. WalkScore.com should be a really good tool to help check out the neighbourhood you might want to live in. However, there are some services that's not measured in WalkScore.com yet, which I think really should have, like post office, atm and family doctors. Hopefully that will be added soon. =)

via Lifehacker

DIY: reuse empty CD spindle

Recycle CD Box - video powered by Metacafe

From Lifehacker, a video to show how to reuse empty CD spindle in four ways: toilet paper bin, sandwich container, battery lamp, and thread roller. I'm not sure if I'd want to use it as my lunch box, but toilet paper bin, and thread roller seem to be quiet interesting and useful ideas. In the past, Lifehacker had also mentioned reuse paper towel tube to organize cable, which I find really quiet useful!