Autofill Forms

You probably don’t have a job anymore. Or the job you have is so crappy you want to spam the world with your resume, hoping someone will read it and hire you. Repetitively typing in your CV and contact information on web forms can cause (some say) carpal tunnel syndrome. Wouldn’t it be great if an addon could do that for you? Fill out that form? And the next? Autofill Forms does just that at the click of a button. Good luck!

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Yapta

Self-described as a “Comparison shop for the best fares on airline websites. Yapta will track fares for the flights you like and notify you when prices drop.”

Yes, you probably cannot afford to travel. I know I can’t. But if you absolutely must attend your aunt’s third wedding in Paris, wouldn’t it be nice if you could find the cheapest air fair? As an alternative you can check the shortest walking distance on Google Maps.

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Hoteloogle.com – Compare Hotel Prices

Out of town on business? Hahahah! Nah, you’re not! Sorry, bad joke.. Anyhow, if for any reason you’re away from home (see “aunt gets married again in Paris”), and you don’t have a car to stay in, you can use the Hoteloogle add-on to find hotel prices, and of course, go for the best deal.

Editor’s Note: Hoteloogle? “Imagination” people..

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iMacros for Firefox

Time is money. And you have no time and no money. So, this extension comes to Firefox to save you time. Time that you can maybe use to make money. iMacros automates just about everything you do while surfing the web with Firefox. No more click after click to get there. Click once and watch everything unfold. Very practical. Of course this carries the risk of you having too much time on your hands, and nothing to do. Get a hobby! Make gift baskets and sell them!

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Video DownloadHelper

Do you own a TV? I don’t. Can you afford going to the movies? I can’t. Problem? Solution! You can download videos from YouTube (and others) and pretend your PC screen is a television! Pop-corn not included.

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LinkedIn Companion for Firefox

But don’t turn into a couch potato, it will do little to nothing to improve your situation in the midst of the *drum-roll* Economic Crisis! Instead adopt a more active approach in actually going out there and getting a new job! I know, you’re probably trying already, but times are hard and all the help we can get in job-searching is welcome. So, LinkedIn’s companion is here to increase your chances of finding a good job.

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AniWeather

If you do the LinkedIn thing right, you should be getting some job interviews. Avoid adverse weather conditions, or be prepared for them with AniWeather. Plus, looking at cool, animated weather forecast icons is sure to get your mind off all the problems for a few minutes every day!

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Offer Assistant

Down to some more practical extensions now, Offer Assistant from Billeo is a shopping search assistant that will keep you informed of offers available to goods you need to purchase. Remember, “need” is different to “want” keep that in mind and don’t max out your last standing credit card with this.

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ReminderFox

Helping you remember. Set reminders for job interviews, and for other important things that can help you through the crisis. Like the personal favorite of mine “Remember to smile!”, or “Just a reminder of how awesome you are!”. Hey, it’s important not to let the crisis get you down!

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Adblock Plus

I cannot stress the importance of this add-on enough! What is the point of seeing all these ads flashing around the websites you visit when you cannot afford, or you really shouldn’t buy anything advertised? Block them I say! Begone evil ads!

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RetailMeNot

Coupons are important! Why pay retail prices when you have little to no money? RetailMeNot is a wonderful source of discount coupons you can use around the web. Again, exercise your right to buy with caution. Don’t buy things just because you can get them cheap if you are not going to use them.. OK?

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And this concludes my suggestions. If you know of any more money saving extensions for Firefox, don’t hesitate to comment, along with how that extension would save me (us) money. Good luck, and Remember to smile!

Web 2.0 SF 2010 Expo

The Web 2.0 Expo is well underway in San Francisco, where for the next couple of days the future of the web will be discussed by industry gurus, in between a scavenger hunt and other fun events. You can watch keynotes live here (hat tip: Nikos), while you wait for videos to be uploaded on their Blip.tv channel. Of course, you can follow everything happening on the expo’s official twitter.

Having access to all this information is almost as good as actually being there. Almost, but not quite. Note to self: travel more.

The current Google Books website

Seems a lot of people must still be reading books. Undeniable proof to this, can be found on various reports around the internets, claiming Google is set to launch it very own e-book store come this summer. The name is Google Editions, catchy isn’t it? Not many details are out at this moment, but it appears it will be a cloud service, operating much like Google Books, allowing buyers to browse, bookmark and keep their purchased books online.

Unlike competing e-book stores which offer books for download in various formats, Google Editions will make purchased books available to read via a web interface. This should mean you could access and read books via practically any web browsing enabled gadget at your disposal. It does leave questions unanswered about offline reading though. I know I’d like to be able to read an e-book at places where internet access is unavailable. And yes there are still some such places around the globe.

Given Google Editions is going to have to compete with the likes of already established e-book sellers such as Amazon’s Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble and Apple’s iBooks Store this is one market fight that will be interesting to watch.

Got tasks you need Teux Deux?

There are a variety of To-Do list management tools out there. Most of them started out as a To-Do list application anyhow.. Only to later suffer an overhaul of overwhelmingly redundant features – for someone who simply wants to manage a list of things to do. And that is where Teux Deux steps in to save the day.

I enjoyed the minimalistic design, along with their promise to keep it like so. Also, how clear everything is, and how easy and fast I can use this to keep track of things to do. I really couldn’t care less about whether a to-do list management tool can brew coffee. Teux Deux helps you note, and keep track of the tasks you have planned in style. Just about that. How brilliant is this!

Accounts are free to set up and it only takes a couple of seconds. Another benefit in my book of.. beneficial things I guess. Give it a try here.

Ubuntu's website announces 10.04 launch

The good people at Ubuntu announced today the release of the much anticipated 10.04 LTS (Long Term Support) version of their popular linux distribution. Ubuntu has long been a personal favorite of mine, and why wouldn’t it be. A free, open-source operating system that makes computers running it work faster and not crash. At least that’s always been my experience with it, and thus I say it’s not hard to love.

Ubuntu comes already loaded with the software you’ll need to browse the web, work on documents, and communicate. However, your options as to the applications you need or want to use are abundant. The built in Ubuntu Software Center gives you easy access to thousands of free, open-source applications to choose from.

More than 2,ooo years ago, Aristotle said about humans “We are social animals”. Then Facebook, twitter and a bunch of other online social services decided to act upon this assertion. Now, new in Ubuntu 10.04 is making your social networking ever so easy. Access, control and update your networks and conversations, through the Me Menu.

Also new is the integrated music store in Ubuntu’s music player, allowing for quick purchase of the music you want to buy, while the Ubuntu One free online storage service allows you to store your music and files online, and listen from anywhere.

You can find out more about this new release of Ubuntu here, and download for free here.

The Smart.fm website

Every so often I stumble upon a website which makes me feel like a child that’s been given a shiny new toy. And this certainly was the case with Smart.fm. A social learning network, which claims to help you learn faster and remember better. And these are not just empty promises, they have the science in place to deliver results. Although they started as a language learning tool in Japan, Smart.fm is now a platform which accommodates practically every learning goal you set.

I don’t get (too) easily excited, but the tools available to users, and the bustling community of eager learners, really made me say “wow” out loud. And of course, no matter how good an online service is, it would only go so far without a catchy video explaining what it’s all about (remember twitter’s early days). Watch the video below to get a better idea of what Smart.fm is all about. Registration is free and only takes a sec.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I cannot guarantee how much time it will take you to reach your learning goals. However, after having explored the service, I would easily believe them in that it would be one of the faster methods around.

Earth View at Google Maps

A new option to view maps in Earth View, takes the Satellite option one step further by incorporating 3D views, high resolution images and fly around the world navigation almost identical to that of the popular Google Earth software.

First time you select Earth on the maps page, you will be prompted to download and install a plugin that will allow your web browser to use this feature. Quite like Microsoft’s Bing Maps have been operating for some time.

I really enjoyed test driving the Earth View, and I’m looking forward to what’s next from the Google Earth and Maps team! You can view the video below for a more detailed description of this newest feature.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was developed by Getalime as an entry to the Rails Rumble 2008 contest, which is an annual competition for web applications programmed in Ruby on Rails.

You simply tell it what you want to be reminded of, when, and how. Reminders can be sent as e-mail, mobile text message, or to your jabber or twitter account.

Remindr has earned a place in my list of favorite web applications, and you can try it out and see for yourself by visiting here. No registration required, and it’s free.

This is an online community of travelers who offer and request free accommodation to and from other members. Which essentially means if you plan to travel to Rome, there is probably a fellow CouchSurfing member with an extra bed or couch you can crash on.

Quite unconventional way of traveling, skeptics might say. Having browsed through several member profiles and reading through testimonials of people who have chosen to travel this way, I am convinced “unconventional” is not bad at all.

This international hospitality exchange is catching on so fast, there are members in practically every corner of the world.

Many hosts may take the time to show you around their hometown, or give you insider’s advice on the best things to do and see while there. And whether you’re hosting or surfing other people’s couches, you will be a part of a vibrant, multicultural, community of world travelers.

CouchSurfing operates as a non-profit organization, with a worldwide reach, and has several safety measures and advice in place for members. You can read more about the project, and how it works by visiting their website here.

I’m not saying this type of globe trotting is for everyone, and I really would not recommend it when it comes down to planning your honeymoon, but it now has my attention and I’ll be telling everyone about it when the conversation rotates around traveling.