06.03.2012]blodic.us

LifeHacker|blodic.us

Novelty and the Brain: Why New Things Make Us Feel So Good

We all like shiny new things, whether it's a new gadget, new city, or new job. In fact, our brains are made to be attracted to novelty and it turns out that it could actually improve our memory and learning capacity. The team at social sharing app Buffer explains how.

Online Calculators Boost Your Chance of Retiring with Enough Money

Saving enough for a comfortable retirement is one of the most important and challenging financial tasks we all have to do. A recent study suggests that you can dramatically improve your odds of success if you just use an online calculator to find out how much you need to be saving.

EasilyDo Tells You What to Do Before You Need to Know (or You're Late)

Android: EasilyDo, the proactive personal assistant, launched for iOS a few months ago. Now the app is available for Android, and features the same proactive reminders and tools, from reminding you to make dinner reservations to suggesting you get flowers on the way home for your anniversary.

How to Install Linux on a Chromebook and Unlock Its Full Potential

There are some Chromebooks with awesome hardware out there, like the beautiful Chromebook Pixel, but they don't quite hit their full potential with Chrome OS. Here's how to install Ubuntu and get more out of your Chromebook.

Checkmark, Our Favorite Location-Based Reminder App, Is Free Right Now

iOS: Apple's Reminders is an okay app, but its location-based reminders aren't exactly quick to create. Checkmark is much better, making it a snap to create reminders at any spot, and it's free today (down from $4,99).

Pandora Premieres Streams New Albums Weeks Before They Launch

Pandora, one of our favorite streaming music services, unveiled Pandora Premieres today, a new channel that streams music from popular and up-and-coming artists well before their albums launch in online music stores.

Fit Radio Motivates You to Exercise with High-Energy Playlists

Android/iOS/Web: A little music to keep you motivated while you work out is always a good thing, and FitRadio has that in spades. The app packs dozens of playlists from multiple genres, all engineered by professional DJs to help you keep your energy up and push through your exercise routine.

The Air Travel Rights You Aren't Aware Of (and How to Get Them)

If you've ever sat in a plane on the tarmac only to have the flight cancelled, been bumped just before boarding, or landed at your destination only to be told your luggage will arrive sometime in the next 12 hours, you know how air travel can suck.

Producteev Goes Free, Unveils New Features for Group To-Dos

Android/iOS/OS X/Web: To-do service Producteev, one of your favorite group to-do management tools, unveiled a major overhaul to its webapp today that's aimed at making your personal to-dos easier to follow, and group projects easier to manage.

Clipping Magic Removes Image Backgrounds in Seconds

Cropping an object out of an photo in an image editor can be a tricky task, but Clipping Magic is a new webapp that does it for you in seconds. All you have to do is paint the foreground object one color, the background object another, and the app does the work for you.