Do you have too many usernames and passwords to remember? Are you keeping track of them using post-it notes? There’s a better way:

RoboForm. RoboForm is a heaven-sent username and password management solution that works with most browsers, Windows, USB devices, most smart phones, Mac, Opera, and Linux. All you have to do is remember one password and RoboForm remembers the rest. If you’re using the RoboForm toolbar in a browser, all you have to do is select the scroll-down “Logins” menu, choose the network you want to log in to, and RoboForm takes you there and logs you in with one click. Save time
and spare headaches!

RoboForm allows you to:

• Manage your passwords and Log In automatically.
• Fill long registration and checkout forms with one click.
• Encrypt your passwords to achieve complete security.
• Generate random passwords to maximize password strength.
• Back up and Synchronize Passwords between computers.
• Fight Phishing and Defeat Keyloggers.

Find out more about RoboForm (http://www.roboform.com/).

*Note: RoboForm doesn’t work with the latest version of Firefox, but rumor has it that the newest version of RoboForm (in beta) works with Firefox 3.6.

(click here to see a larger image)

Today I got into work and pulled up my browser to start the day. It struck me how much I rely on my iGoogle start page, and Google products in general, to handle my digital world.  I decided to start a series on using Google effectively, and I’m starting with the iGoogle start page to essentially introduce the major applications that I’ve been using before addressing each one individually.

A quick note on arranging your start page. I look at it as having three levels, or rows, for holding widgets (information). Then I put them in order of highest priority to lowest priority.

Level One: Things I need to see right away. If I only have a second to glance at the page and need to know what’s going on – what widgets would give me access to that? In my top level I have:

• Gmail: I can see if I have any new messages and quickly see if there are any that I have to read right away
• Google Calendar: Do I have any upcoming appointments?
• GQueues: My to-do list- is there anything overdue or due today?
• Countdown (optional): I also have a countdown widget on the top counting down to my next vacation…and when my boyfriend will be out of the army. These things have a high priority simply because watching those numbers get smaller each day makes me smile.
• Gchat: This is actually located on the sidebar, but it’s the chat application from Google where I can talk to my friends

Level Two: These are things that I want to look at when I have a little bit more time to browse and take in information.

• Google Reader: All the blogs and news sources that I follow to keep up to date on things going on in my industry as well as personal interests of mine.
• Google Calendar Details: A little bit below the top level I have a detailed list of all my appointments.
• Weather: I have the weather for my hometown at the top, followed my boyfriend’s hometown, followed by my family’s. Also conveniently happens to be the places I end up in most often.
• Google Docs: I use Google docs to share documents at work sometimes as well as a place to digitally store personal information.

Level Three: Other things that I think are interesting and helpful.

• Quotes of The Day: Three randomly selected quotes.
• Google Translate: Quick translator in case I need one.
• Google Latitude: You can sign up to broadcast your GPS location from your phone to your friends, and vice versa. Don’t really use it that much and neither do my friends so it goes at the bottom.
• “Someday” To Do Widget: This one wasn’t expanded so you can’t see it, but it’s a list of future goals.

Design: I use the Dynamic Dots theme, it’s fun because the dots change color throughout the day so every time I check back it’s a little bit different. But you can customize the theme to reflect your personality or change it up for inspiration.

So that’s my homepage and list of priorities. What does yours look like? Do you use Google or something else?

Also, let me know if you think this Google series will be helpful. You’ll be able to access the full series under the Google tag in the future (don’t worry, I’ll link to it in each post from the series.)

I saw this idea on Unplggd and had to share it because it’s already how I organize my wires and cords. Using plastic baggies to organize your wires is perfect because it’s cheap, you keep them from getting tangled up, keep all the same types together, and can use the label provided to write in what it is. In fact, I use this for arts and crafts supplies and for my medicine drawer as well.  As organizing tools, plastic baggies are cheap and easily adaptable to whatever situation you need them in.

I’m getting ready to head back to school in a few days as a guest speaker for a digital marketing class at my Alma Mater, ASU. Since I have school on the brain, this tip seems fairly timely.

When I was in school I’ll admit I had a bit of an obsession with buying super cute school supplies to keep all my notes and study materials organized. The one thing I never found a great system for were flashcards. Either you got a big stack of them tied with a rubber band or you bought little notebooks of them and invariably ran out at midnight the night before a test. Well now there are digital solutions to that dilemma:

Memorize.com is a web site where you can create and use flashcards to study a variety of topics online. You can save paper and space in your bag. They have lists of premade card sets based on category or you can make your own. You can even use diagrams and other tools.

Flashcardmachine.com has a little more oomph to it than Memorize. You can create an account and save packs for certain classes. Teachers can create flashcards for their students or students can connect with each other and share cards.

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• Pauker – An Easy-To-Use Freeware Java Flash Card Program (makeuseof.com)
• The web application that heps you memorize. (izitso.net)
• Top 3 Sites To Make Flash Cards For Your Kids (makeuseof.com)
• Quizlet Rocks! (andremalan.net)

*Photo credit: drcw (Flickr)

It’s pretty surprising how quickly your computer desktop can become cluttered with setup.exe files, PDF docs, random pictures, this week’s homework assignment, and who knows what else. Before you know it you’re doing a virtual breaststroke in a pool of icons before you can actually accomplish what you originally intended to use your computer for. Here’s my advice: say no to messy desktop nonsense. Create a “Desktop Files & Folders” folder on your desktop and throw your files in there for cleanup at a later date or to simply make it easier to sort and find the files you need. And viola! Your desktop has never looked so good!

There are over 6 billion people in the world. I do not kid myself thinking that I have the ONLY or even the BEST ideas for keeping your life and space in a constant state of chaos-less-ness. (If you browse the Chaos Cutting links in the sidebar you can check out just a handful of other people who I think have great ideas about the topic.) So I want to know what you do that makes your world a little less chaotic.

The {un}chaotic is hosting an open call for contributors.

• If you just want to contribute once or twice, click “Contribute” and follow the instructions there. Don’t have a tip to share today? That’s OK. Come back whenever you do and head to the contribute page to submit it.
• If you’re interested in being a regular author on the {un}chaotic, contact me.

Pass this on to your friends and family, coworkers or whoever – like that one person at work or school who always has their things just so, you know who I mean…tell them.

Thanks!

If you have a small (or even single person) household like mine, you know how leftover ingredients from various recipes can build up in your fridge and never get eaten. You’ve probably stood in your kitchen, surveying all the food you had, and thought there’s got to be a way to use it and save a trip to the grocery store for at least another day. Well now there is. Thanks to an article on Unplggd (and a commenter there), I’ve found two cool websites that will find a recipe to match what you already have in the kitchen:

Super Cook

Cooking By Numbers

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• Cooking By Numbers Helps You Make a Meal With Whatever’s in the Fridge [Timesavers] (lifehacker.com)
• Cornucopia Concept Food Printer From MIT (ubergizmo.com)
• My favourite ingredients (kathrynelliott.com.au)

This Christmas I got a few new (awesome) electronic gadgets. When I got home it was pretty apparent that I’d need to do something to make charging all my devices a little easier, and a little less of an eyesore. I looked at some typical charging stations for sale, but they didn’t really fit my needs. Most were sized to accommodate about three gadgets and all of them pocket size – no good for my netbook or Kindle. A quick Google search brought back some great DIY projects, but all of them seemed to require tools I didn’t have or building skills I definitely don’t have.

I finally came up with a solution that I could do myself in under 20 minutes. If you got some new electronics this holiday season it may work for you as well.

Supplies: I went to the store and picked up two baskets of slightly different shape. One larger (base) basket and one smaller (accessory) basket that would sit on top without falling in. I also made sure these baskets had ‘handles’ or holes that the wires could be fed though.

Setup: When I got home I cleared out an area under my desk and set up the baskets one on top of the other. Then I threaded the wires from a powerstrip on the wall, through the handles, and into the devices. I adjusted things just a little bit and I was done.

Bonus: One added benefit of this setup versus other charging stations is that it’s fairly easy to unplug the wires and remove them entirely. That way if I need to take the wires with me somewhere it’s not too much of a hassle.

Finished look:

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• Hide Your Electronic Clutter in a Clever Vase-Turned-Charging Station [DIY] (lifehacker.com)
• Duracell myGrid (everyjoe.com)
• Powermat: What The Bleep?! (viralblog.com)
• Callpod’s Chargers Now Available at Best Buy (shoppingblog.com)

Love lists? You need to check out Listography. It’s a cute little site where you can write and save as many lists, on as many different topics, as you can think up! You can list restaurants to try, places you’d like to visit, books to read – maybe even those shiny New Year’s resolutions you just made…whatever you want. You can browse the Sample User profile for more ideas. On the site you can customize the theme and create a profile, then share (or not) any lists you create. Here’s what the creators have to say:

Listography provides users (listographers) of all ages an easy-to-use tool for creative list writing and sharing. Through list making, you can shape an autobiography. Therefore, your listography is a perpetual work in progress, a time capsule you can share, and a map of your life for friends and family.

I’ll admit, some of the things they suggest you list actually make more sense, to me at least, to save in other places (for example: saving a list of movies you want to see in your Netflix queue) but this is a great catch-all for those lists that don’t have a home yet. And the ‘autobiography in lists’ idea is fairly interesting and isn’t something you would get from a Netflix queue or Amazon wishlist.

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• New Year’s resolutions (timesunion.com)
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• Round Up of “Best Of” Lists for 2009 and Decade (thecontrapuntist.com)
• The 11 Best Movies of 2009 (carefuleugene.blogspot.com)
• The Mobile Decade: Greatest Gadgets From 10 Years of Innovation (wired.com)

I saw these cable identifiers on GeekSugar and decided last weekend I would tackle the unruly wires around my entertainment center and desk. I made my own cable labels by using a left over sheet of return address labels and a red marker – a cheap, although admittedly less adorable, alternative. But now if I need to unplug or move something, I can easily find the right wire.