Google Chrome's product manager, Brian Rakowski, said Google is aiming for Mac and Linux releases of the search company's new web browser sometime in the first half of 2009, according to CNET. This news comes on the heels of the Chrome 2.0 pre-beta release for Windows, which took major steps away from dependence on the Windows platform.

You'd think that getting soundly beaten by Google and Yahoo over and over in the online space would mean that Microsoft would take the web a little more seriously. You'd be wrong.

Case in point: Today's epic failure around the distribution of the Windows 7 public beta download. This morning Microsoft's web servers fell to their knees under the pressure of constant web page refreshes by enthusiasts who want to volunteer their time to test Windows 7 after Steve Ballmer's announcement the download would be available at noon today. (Since noon today, the download was there, then pulled, and back up again only if you know the direct links, and the promised product keys still aren't available. There's "no ETA" when they will be.)

Is it fantastic that Microsoft is offering this freebie preview? Yes. Is it shameful that they'd be so woefully unprepared for the demand it would draw? That also would be a YES.

Sure, hosting a multi-gigabyte download on the web is an enormously expensive undertaking, but Microsoft has more money than God. Plus, while the download itself is large, it's only of interest to a relatively small portion of the population. If lack of infrastructure to handle an insane traffic spike over a few hours was truly the problem (even though these were conditions Microsoft created), there are lots of alternatives they could've used that would have kept their servers up. In fact, users have been happily downloading and distributing the Windows 7 beta build 7000 now for weeks using an efficient file-sharing protocol called BitTorrent.

(Think it's a crazy idea for a company to use BitTorrent to distribute large files? Ubuntu is always seeding a torrent of their main distro.)

Microsoft's not the only one who's blown web launches. Apple did it spectacularly with MobileMe, and even an occasional Google product craps the bed when the planets misalign.

But for a company that's pushing cloud computing and web services and trying so hard to prove that they're ready to move off the desktop and onto the web, today's Win7 borkfest proves Microsoft is still too clueless about how to do stuff online to be taken seriously.

The 2.4GB Windows 7 public beta download is now no longer available from Microsoft, and as of 2:55PM PST, the 2.5 million product keys Microsoft's promised are not yet being distributed.

Update, 1:30PST: Computerworld reports that a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company is shoring up their servers to deal with the unexpectedly high demand for the Windows 7 Beta download.

The Microsoft spokeswoman did not know when users could expect to download the beta. "No ETA at this point," she said via a follow-up instant message.

The direct download links below DO work.

Update, 1:45PST: The direct download links no longer work—they redirect to this page. Rats!

Update, 2:45PST: Thanks to Asian Angel, the direct download links have been updated to working versions below.

The direct download links to the disk image which you can burn, install, and run for 30 days are here:

• Download the Windows 7 Beta 32-bit version
• Download the Windows 7 Beta 64-bit version

What we're waiting on right now are the 2.5 million product keys Microsoft said they'd start handing out at noon today PST. Till that happens, you can get started on your download now using the links above. The beta (build 7000) will run just fine for 30 days without the key. Computerworld also reports that without an official Windows 7 product key, you can extend the trial from 30 to 120 days using the slmgr -rearm command.

If you're still hot to snag one of those 2.5M licenses, keep checking the Windows 7 beta page to get more info on key availability. Thanks Joe and all the commenters who helped us clarify this post!

Whether it's a diet or frugality, the problem with placing extreme limitations on yourself is always the same: Once we feel too deprived, here comes the inevitable binge. Photo by Alan_D.

Personal finance weblog The Simple Dollar discusses frugality and binge buying, pointing out the difference between frugality designed to improve your financial state and frugality as a tradeoff for financial binges.

Many people view frugality as exactly that - a bunch of little steps they can take in areas of their life that are less important so that they can afford to splurge in other areas. “If I eat a cheap meal the next few nights, I can afford to go out to that steak house with my date on Saturday.” “If I carpool, I can afford to buy that new gadget in a few months.” Instead of helping you build a financially stable life, frugal tactics are sometimes used as bartering trinkets to help you keep living the high life.

And that’s okay, as long as you’re honest with yourself about what you’re doing. This type of frugality doesn’t serve to put you in a better financial state - instead, it serves to help you maintain a lifestyle that, in some regards, is beyond your means.

I'm sure we've all done the financial binge, but it's not as though the two are mutually exclusive, either. You can be thrifty, save tons of money, and still survive a binge or two without negating all the work you put into saving. Still, let's hear what kind of frugality you practice more often in the comments.

Thanks to this week's sponsors: Fox's 24: Day 7, Audible, ING Direct, Kaplan, HP Mediasmart Server, Mophie, New Egg, Pernod, Sharp, Vonage, Zune. Click here to advertise on Lifehacker.

Mac OS X only: Free Safari plug-in Glims adds a handful of new features to Safari, giving it the kind of features one might expect from a more customizable browser.

Okay, so the whole "browser worth using" thing is a bit harsh, but all of us at Lifehacker were born of a long line of customization freaks, and sometimes Safari's extremely well-built but relatively untweakable feature set can be frustrating. Sure there are the various plug-ins here and there (like previously mentioned GreaseKit, Keywurl, Inquisitor, etc.), but Glims ushers in a veritable boatload of useful features, including:

• Adds thumbnails to Google.com search results
• Adds thumbnails to Yahoo.com search results
• Adds full-screen browsing capability
• Adds Favicons to tab labels
• Adds keyword search from address bar
• Undo "Close Tab" (cmd-z)
• Re-opens last session when Safari starts
• Focus last selected tab
• Type-ahead support (auto cmd-f)
• Forms autocomplete always on
• Dated download folders

So while Safari is certainly worth using if all you need is a very capable, fast browser, Glims adds a little frosting to the already competent cake that is Safari. Glims is a free beta download, Mac OS X only.

Faced with company downsizing and concern about your financial security makes people work harder and not smarter at the office—killing productivity with a fear-fueled scramble. Business experts, psychologists, and human resources professionals gather over at the NYTimes.com to comment on how the recession is affecting what goes on at the office when everyone's stressed and freaked out. There's a reduction in creativity and risk-taking, but also a stronger bond between people having this common difficult experience. There's a higher appreciation among the employed for their jobs and a willingness to work harder. How is the recession playing out for you psychologically? Are you working harder and getting more or the same amount done? Feeling more fearful and less willing to take risks, or has nothing changed? Let us know in the comments.

With March 20th (the first day of spring) still an unfathomable distance in the future, Real Simple details how to protect your body in the face of the damaging, bitter cold. Photo by Tony the Misfit.

The article covers all things dry-hands, red-nose, rough-elbows, chapped-lips, and more. For example:

Dry Hands
How to Prevent: The thin skin covering the hands is particularly susceptible to dehydration during the winter. Protect it by wearing gloves outdoors and using rubber gloves when doing dishes. And each time you wash your hands, moisturize afterward. “Keep a jar of cream by every sink in the house,” says Leddon. RS pick: TheraSeal Hand Protection ($13 at drugstores).

How to Treat: For an extra moisture boost, apply a thick layer of hand cream
before bed, and sleep wearing white cotton gloves (available at drugstores). The gloves allow better absorption of the cream.

Each tip also offers a "When to See a Professional" section if the harsh winter has really taken its toll. If you've got your own methods of protection against the damaging winter cold, let's hear them in the comments.

It's Friday afternoon and you know the drill—this comment thread is now open, so dive right in.

Post up your tech questions, rants, raves, images, video clips, and productivity silliness in the comments below. Respond to a particular comment by clicking on the reply button on the bottom right of it. If you don't have commenter privileges, here's how to get them; if you've got a Facebook account you can use that, too. Happy Friday! Photo by fazen.

If you're dying to try out Windows 7 but aren't ready to give up your installation of XP or Vista, let's take a look at how to dual boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista.

Step 0: Download the Windows 7 Beta and Burn It to a DVD

Assuming you've already downloaded a fresh copy of Windows 7, you'll need to burn it to a DVD in order to do a fresh installation. To handle this task, grab a copy of the most popular CD and DVD burning tool ImgBurn, burn the ISO to a DVD, and move right along to step 1.

Step 1: Partition Your Hard Drive

Before you go installing Windows 7, the first thing you need to do is create a new partition on your hard drive to hold the new installation of Windows. Partitioning your hard drive will vary depending on whether you're running XP or Vista—namely because Vista has a partition tool baked in, XP does not.

Partition Your Hard Drive in XP

To partition your hard drive in Windows XP, you'll need to download some sort of third-party partitioning software. There are a lot of options available, but I prefer to stick with the previously mentioned GParted live CD, a free, open source boot CD that can handle all kinds of partitioning duties.

To use it, just download the GParted Live CD, burn it to a CD, then reboot your computer (booting from the disc). You'll boot right into the partitioning tool. HowtoForge's previous guide to modifying partitions with GParted is a great place to start, but it's a fairly basic procedure:

1. Resize your current OS drive to free up enough space for a Windows 7 partition (the minimum system requirements ask for 16GB).
2. Create a new partition from the newly freed space.
3. Apply your changes.

Partition Your Hard Drive in Vista

The folks at Redmond were kind enough to include a disk partitioning tool in Vista if you know where to look. So go to Control Panel -> System and Maintainence (skip this one if you're in Classic view) -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management. Once you launch the Computer Management tool, click on Disk Management under the Storage heading in the sidebar. It's partitioning time.

Luckily we've already gone down this road before in step-by-step detail, complete with pictures, so check out our previous guide to creating a new partition in Vista. In a nutshell, you'll need to shrink your current OS partition to free up at least 16GB of disk space (per the Windows 7 minimum system requirements), then create a "New Simple Volume" from the free space.

Step 2: Install Windows 7

Now that you've done all the heavy lifting, it's time for the easy part: Installing Windows 7 on your new partition. So insert your Windows 7 disc and reboot your computer (you'll need to have enabled booting from your DVD drive in your system BIOS, but most PCs will have this enabled by default).

Once the DVD boots up it's a simple matter of following along with the fairly simple installation wizard. When you're choosing installation type, be sure to select Custom (advanced) and choose the partition you set up above. (Be careful here. Choosing the wrong partition could mean wiping your other Windows installation altogether, so make sure you pick the new partition you just created.)

After you select the partition, go grab yourself a drink and let the installer do its work. Windows will run through some installation bits, restart a few times in the process. Eventually you'll be prompted to set up your account, enter your license key, and set up Windows. Keep your eyes open for fun new Windows 7 features, like your new homegroup (and the accompanying password). When it's finished, you're up and rolling with your new Windows 7 installation.

Congratulations! You should now have a new entry for Windows 7 on your boot screen when you first start up your computer. You've now got all the tools necessary to dual-boot Windows 7 and XP or Vista—or even to triple-boot Windows 7, Vista, and XP.

This isn't the only way to set up a multi-boot system by any means, but it's how I pulled it off. If you've got a method of your own that you prefer, let's hear it in the comments.

It may not gel with your health and fitness plans for 2009, but a new promotion from Burger King called Whopper Sacrifice is handing out free Whoppers to anyone willing to sacrifice 10 Facebook friends to the Whopper gods. (At least it should fit in with your "save more money" resolution.) Shameless promotion? Yes. But if you love a good Whopper, it's a nice way to score a free lunch. [via]

Update: Due to high demand, Microsoft pulls the download. Ladies and gents, start your (2.5 million) downloads. The official Windows 7 Beta is ready for download at Microsoft's TechNet site.

It looks like downloading the 32- or 64-bit versions requires a Windows Live ID account, but you can sign up during the click-through process, of course. As you might expect, the servers are a bit bombed, and it looks like the official page we were all watching hasn't updated with a link yet.

UPDATE: Many, if not most, commenters are having trouble with the link below, and some are landing on pages asking them to wait until this afternoon (PST, we'd assume). We'll keep you updated as the beta becomes more easily available, likely through the official Windows 7 page.

Having trouble getting through to download? Check out tips on getting the download, and post any workarounds/mirrors you find in the comments (other than, of course, "use BitTorrent").

Honchos at Microsoft's Windows Mobile division, looking to focus on boosting its capabilities, say they'll put the OS on fewer phones. Intriguing move, but what will replace WinMo on marginal smartphones? [via]

Windows only: ScreenMask is a small and portable application that allows you to mask off sections of your screen to minimize distractions or increase focus on a given area.

Why would you want to mask your screen you ask? If you're watching a video on the web and the site doesn't allow full screen mode—or the full screen mode looks awful— you can mask away the web browser and site interface by highlighting only the actual video window. Alternately you might need to temporarily pay attention only a portion screen such as a notification window, while doing work at your desk but preferring to not be distracted by other things going on at your computer. ScreenMask has the ability to change the color the mask between navy blue and black, has a quick hide button, and the presets to allow you to save the three most common screens you use. ScreenMask is freeeware, Windows only.

Reducing your environmental impact by diet doesn't mean having to go entirely vegetarian. If you're intrigued by climate change and "flexitarianism," one meat-loving author says eating 3.1 ounces per day is just about right.

In his (long) piece for Audobon Magazine, Mike Tidwell consults with researchers and crunches the numbers to suggest that eating enough meat to make up a deck of cards per day, with only half of it red meat, is an ideal goal for having a real impact. Your ability to get by on that amount, or beliefs in climate change's importance, will certainly vary, but it's a good guideline to use for gradually switching to a less-meat diet. A shorter summation of Tidwell's findings is linked below. Photo by jslander.

Research firm Ofcom finds that the worst time for traffic congestion (in the U.K., at least) is 5-6pm on Sundays. Also weak bandwidth times: Right after school lets out, and from 9-10pm on weekdays. Maybe obvious to any home net user, but worth seeing in quantified chart form. [via]

While all you early-adopters are waiting for the Windows 7 page to offer the official beta, check out the How-To Geek's seriously extensive walkthrough of pretty much everything new there (and our best features rundown).

A pie chart drawn up by Windows 7 engineers shows how much each part of your laptop draws from your slowly-discharging battery. Check out where a typical Windows system spends its juice below.

The Windows 7 team, of course, says it wants to knock back the upcoming OS' draw on systems through a number of tactics: Better processor-speed scaling, "trigger-starts" for background processes, auto-suspension of idle USB devices, and more power-control offerings for third-party software and peripherals. They also promote using sleep/suspend mode more often than actual shutdowns to speed up start-ups, but given that Windows 7's beta seems to boast boot-up times less than 30 seconds, that's more a matter of personal patience (and battery condition).

Where would you like to see the Windows 7 team improve in the power management or startup/shutdown departments? Tell us (and maybe a few watching Microsoft employees) in the comments.

Google Chrome 2.0 is now available in pre-beta form from the folks at GOOG for anyone anxious enough to keep up with the cutting edge releases of Chrome. The 2.0 release boasts several fixes and updated features, including support for user scripts (à la Greasemonkey but not yet full Greasemonkey compatibility), easy profile switching, form autofill (à la every browser in the world), and full page zooming. You'll need to download the Google Chrome Channel Chooser and join the Dev channel if you're ready to get started on the 2.0 path. [via]

Everyone's excited about the free Windows 7 Beta download Microsoft's handing out tomorrow, but there's a catch: it's only available to the first 2.5 million downloaders. Here's how to make sure you're one of them.

UPDATE: The official public download will be available at 12 noon PST on Friday, January 9th.

According to Wired—which pulled the details from this official Windows blog post—you'll need to grab the download from a link on the Windows 7 page as soon as possible once Microsoft begins the release. To get a product key to use with the download, you'll have to go through a registration process with Microsoft. We'll keep our eyes open and let you know as soon as we spot the download out in the wild. It'll probably be sometime later in the day tomorrow, but you never know for sure.

Be sure to check out the full Wired post for a look at a few more possible gotchas. Then again, if you aren't lucky enough to make the cut tomorrow, there's always BitTorrent.

Whether you're timeshifting your TV with pre-built options like TiVo or rolling your own system with Windows Media Center or another third-party software, nothing beats a good DVR.

For this week's Hive Five, we want you to share your favorite DVR application. It doesn't have to homespun, so if you love TiVo best, go with it. Just let us know your favorite way to record and playback TV on your schedule.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: DVR App Goes Here. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get—"Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's Hive Five Best Online Job Search Sites.

Financial planning guru Suze Orman's latest book—Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan—is available as a free download from Oprah through January 15th.

The book—normally $10 if you get it through Amazon—covers everything from credit, savings, and spending to retirement, paying for college, and real estate. Here's the low-down from the Amazon product description:

If in late 2007 you were told that over the next twelve months housing would crater to 20% below it's all-time peak, unemployment would rise from below 5% to nearly 8%, stocks would fall nearly 50%, and a gallon of gas would spike to more than $4 (and then drop below $2) you would probably have shrugged it off as just a whole lot of doomsday-scenario crankiness. But that's exactly what we all had to live through and continue to grapple with in 2009.

My 2009 Action Plan is designed to make sure you are ready for the unexpected—this year and every year forward. I most certainly hope things get better for us all, but in the meantime I want to make sure you have a plan in place that will protect you no matter what “what ifs” lay ahead.

While you're grabbing free ebooks on surviving the recession, be sure to check out Leo Babauta's previously mentioned Thriving on Less.

So you survived your company layoffs but now you're shouldering more responsibility for no more pay. If work is a giant stressfest these days, Fortune magazine's advice columnist Anne Fisher has some tips.

The sad truth is that things are difficult right now, so most of her advice boils down to "buck up and make yourself useful." For example:

Set 30-day and 60-day goals. Share them with your boss and then, as you get closer to your targets, update him or her on that, too. "Not only will measurable progress keep you upbeat and creative," [executive coach Deb] Bright notes, but in practical terms, "your boss needs to know what his department is accomplishing, so he has ammunition if someone wants to chop it in half." Gulp.

How are you dealing with what's a pretty depressing time at most companies? Are you facing survivor's guilt PLUS double the job description for the same pay? Tell us your story in the comments.

If you ended up with a shoe box full of gift cards to stores you have no use for, you're in luck—the internet is here to help.

A new web site called Giftah lets you buy, sell, or trade gift cards to various North American retailers. If you're a buyer, you can find incredible deals on gift cards discounted anywhere from a few bucks to 50% of their actual balance. If you're holding onto a gift card that you're sure never to use before it expires, you can create an auction on Giftah to sell that gift card at a discount so that you can still at least get some cash out of the deal.

Giftah isn't the first site of its kind, though—and to be honest, it's probably not the best tool for the job out there. From features and looks alone, you may prefer checking out sites like Cardavenue or Gift Cards Again, both of which boast a wider selection and more consumer assurance. (For example, Cardavenue has a Cardassure feature that guarantees that the card you purchase matches the description of what you're buying. )

If you've ever done the online gift card swap, let's hear more about your experience—like what you used and how it went—in the comments.

Web site Wipee List is a new to-do list application with an emphasis on simplicity and attractive design.

Let's be honest, there's no shortage on great to-do list apps on the internet, and if our five best to-do list managers vote is accurate, most of the web-based to-do crowd is gaga for Remember the Milk, but that doesn't mean you won't find anything worthwhile from Wipee List. It features priorities, tags, notes, and a great Quick Reminders sticky where you can drag and drop any task so that it's visible everywhere you go on Wipee list. The site is still very young, so while it's not as full-featured as Remember the Milk, for example, it is quick, very easy to understand and use, and it's free. If you give it a try, let's hear what you think in the comments.

Author of new book The Power of Less Leo Babauta advises readers to simplify and focus only on the essential. Today he stopped by to tell us more about his timely message.

Lifehacker: In a culture that encourages the acquisition of things like gadgets and the idea of "living life to the fullest," what kind of paradigm shift is required to move from the "more is more" to "less is more" ethos? How does one shift their life into working with less without feeling deprived or limited?

Leo Babauta: I think the "wanting more" mode of thinking is attractive, because of the pull of the media and advertising that give us these images of very attractive things. The paradigm shift comes when we realize that while we might want to do and buy everything, we simply can't. We might want to do a million tasks a day, and take on every project idea that comes our way, but we just can't — and what's more, our lives suffer from trying to do too much. Something is always sacrificed — whether that's time with loved ones, exercise and health, time for ourselves, or pursuing our dreams.

When you make this realization, simple becomes more attractive. Space in our schedule, a more relaxed pace, quiet, more time for things that are fun, the freedom to pursue projects that we're passionate about ... these things have great appeal. And these things come when we learn to set limits and focus on the essential. A great side benefit? You become more effective and productive, in the sense of accomplishments, not cranking widgets and being busy.

I'd like to point out that "living life to the fullest" doesn't require having and doing more. My definition of living life to the fullest means doing things I love doing, spending time with people I love, being passionate, enjoying each and every moment. And this doesn't require acquisition or doing everything ... it requires the desire to focus on what really matters, and not simply on everything that comes our way. When you do that, you don't feel deprived, because life becomes more enjoyable.

LH: Your book advises readers to focus only on the essential and cut out the rest. But most people with crazed, busy lives might say that everything they do IS essential—to pay the bills, to raise their children, to please the boss. When you audit your daily life, how do you know what's really non-essential? What's the criteria?

LB: If they have crazed, busy lives, they probably already recognize the need to change something — lives like that are difficult to sustain and not always fulfilling. Once you recognize the need to make a change, it's just a matter of figuring out what needs to change — are you going to try to keep doing everything and live that crazed life, or are you going to make some tough decisions and prioritize? Because these decisions aren't easy — but if you make small, incremental changes, it doesn't have to be overwhelming either.

First, I recommend people step back and take a big-picture look at their lives. That means making a list of everything you do, all your commitments, all the things you'd like to do and plan to do in the near future. Then, from this list, make a Short List — just 4-5 things that are MOST important to you, that you love doing most, that you're most passionate about, that are most in line with your life values.

This can be pretty difficult if you have a long list of things you want to do, but again, you either need to make the tough choices or try to do everything, which I don't recommend. Once you've made your Short List, compare everything on the long list to the Short List, and decide which things don't line up with your essentials. These are the non-essentials, and you need to try to eliminate them to make room for the essentials.

Second, the changes don't need to be made overnight, so while you might feel the need to pay the bills instead of doing work you're passionate about, you can slowly try to transition to that passionate work, rather than pay-the-bills work. I did this and quit my day job a year ago, but it took me a year of transition. Major changes like this don't happen overnight. There are smaller changes you can make immediately — tell people you can't take on a project, serve on a committee, play or coach on a team, etc. This will free up some time in the short-term to make longer-term changes.

LH: Does constantly saying "no" to things to focus on doing less make one live her life on the defensive, constantly protecting her free time and resources instead of embracing new things?

LB: It can be that way, if you say "no" to close yourself off to new things and remain defensive. I don't recommend it.

Instead, you can use "no" and limits to guard your time ... so that you're free to pursue things that excite you. If you say "yes" to everything, you don't have time for new things ... you're too busy!

I've found that simplifying my schedule allows me to do things that I never thought I could do before — getting in shape and running three marathons (and a couple triathlons), changing careers so that I'm now a full-time blogger, traveling with my wife, writing and publishing a book, becoming an entrepreneur. These things would never have been possible if I kept saying "yes" to everything, and if I never learned to free up my time by making the tough choices and saying "no" to things that didn't match up with my dreams and values.

LH: Do you think actually completing fewer tasks—but doing so in a fully-present, effective way—makes you more productive than someone who completes more tasks "well enough" but is run ragged at the end of the day? How did you do juggling your blog, book manuscript, and family?

LB: There's no doubt in my mind that I'm much, much more effective these days now that I've learned to focus on one task at a time and really pour myself into each task, each moment. Not only that, I'm much happier, less stressed, and more satisfied with my work and life.

I used to be busier — trying to do too much, taking on lots of different tasks and projects at the same time, working long hours, taking in more and more information and communicating rapidly and constantly — and at the end of the day, of the month, and of the year, I had very little to show for it all. I was churning my wheels but going nowhere.

These days, I actually complete the important tasks, and the work I do goes a long way. I finish each day feeling like I got a lot done.

How do I juggle my blog, book writing, and family? By doing one thing at a time. I cleared my schedule to write my book — it was too hard to try to do the blog and book at the same time (I was also trying to do marathon training and planning for a wedding and honeymoon). So I cleared everything else and focused on the book. My blog is just a series of tasks that I do one at a time. And when I make time for my family, every day — my family time is inviolate — I do only that. I don't do Blackberry or iPhone or any other work or email when I'm with my family. I leave everything else behind.

One thing at a time. That's been a godsend for me.

It's a new year, and sitting squarely at the top of your list of resolutions: Get in shape in '09. Sounds like a good time to print out weblog Squawkfox's free workout log.

The workout log is a once-a-week printout, helping you plan or track your workouts, weight, results, and more as you progress in your exercise. It's a simple, cheap, but excellent motivator to keep you honest with your workouts. Thanks Kerry!

• I am selling an expensive item on Craigslist. How should I ask for payment?
• Easiest way to add keywords to bookmarks in Firefox?
• What's the normal lifespan of a wireless router for home use?
• Do I really want a new computer if I'm writing a book?
• How do I prevent Firefox from adding 'www' and '.com' to local URLs?

Popular media center application and XBMC-spinoff Boxee has opened its alpha to all Mac and Linux users and is ramping up invites for the Windows private alpha, meaning that if you've been dying to try Boxee, you should be able to do so sooner than later. Apart from that, Boxee has also released an update supporting MTV Music, Joost, and BBC iPlayer (UK only), along with more bug fixes and improvements.

If you're excited that Windows 7 Beta will be available as a free download on Friday, Microsoft also detailed the minimum system requirements for Windows 7. According to PC World, the requirements are:

• 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
• 1GB of main memory
• 16GB of available disk space
• Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)
• A DVD-R/W drive

Skype Lite, a pared-down version of the popular, cheap VoIP calling software, is expected to be made available on Android-powered phones today (i.e. the T-Mobile G1).

Skype Lite has been available in beta form for select LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Ericsson phones for a while now, letting users trade instant messages and place calls over cellular networks. But today's release on the Android Marketplace should bring the software up to release stage, according to PC World. It's somewhat odd that Skype Lite requires a cellular connection to make a cheaper international call, but those whose bills recognize "local calls" might save some cash.

If you're looking for a few spare bucks to finance your next tech purchase, cleaning out your hardly-touched-anymore video games is a no-brainer. But where are the best venues to trade in used games?

Forbes.com suggests there are three approaches to take—easy but low-return chains like GameStop, the take-a-shot nature of auctions or Half.com/Amazon selling, and the higher prices one might fetch at sites with less mainstream recognition like Goozex. Having only a handful of Wii games around, Lifehacker East is asking the more experienced thumb-battling veterans: Where have you gotten the best buck for your used titles? What did you do in the listing, or posting, to ensure a higher dollar? What's a good return to expect on a used video game?

Post your successes, lessons learned, and other game-swapping stories in the comments.Photo by iwantanimac.

If you're struggling with decreased performance on a Windows based machine, it's a simple fix to check to make sure your IDE drives aren't operating in a slower, ineffective transfer mode.

When fresh from the box—or your workbench— your computer should have had all it's IDE drives set in Direct Memory Access mode. This is a far speedier method of disk access than Programmed Input/Output mode. The technical side of the two modes is dense but let it suffice: DMA is a the fast and preferred method and PIO mode is the slower method Windows defaults to after having six redundancy checks fail. Things like power outages, doing a hard reset and other disk interruptions can cause these errors. Your Windows box may be operating in the slower transfer mode because mistakenly thinks that your system is unstable or that there is something wrong with your disks. The fix for your computer downshifting into PIO mode is simple. Go to your Control Panel, click on the System icon, open up your Device Manager and pull up the properties for your Primary and Secondary IDE channels. Under the Advanced settings tab you'll be able to set the Transfer Mode to "DMA if available". Reboot and you should be in business. MakeUseOf has a full step by step guide with screenshots if you'd like a visual reference.

gOS, the Ubuntu-derived Linux desktop that's focused squarely on Google products and other webapps, has updated with newer versions of its core products, including the Windows-app-running WINE, Firefox 3, and support for newer Google Gadgets.

If gOS is new to you, check out Adam's tour of its monstrous webapp powers. Along with some pretty refined theming and taskbar implementation of the standard Ubuntu look, gOS can run as a fully-fledged Linux system in itself.

gOS 3.1 is a free download, requires an x86-based computer with 256MB of RAM to run or install.

Times tech columnist Da