LifeHack.org is my recent favorite blog. It suggests a lot of pointers on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks. On the top of its popular list, I get Fifty Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark from Poynter Institute.

You will become handy with these tools over time. You will begin to recognize their use in the stories you read. You will see chances to apply them when you revise your own work. Eventually, they will become part of your flow, natural and automatic.

The first three tools are already good enough for me to use in my writing.

Tool #1: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, letting subordinate elements branch off to the right. Even a very long sentence can be clear and powerful when the subject and verb make meaning early.

Tool #2: Use verbs in their strongest form, the simple present or past. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.

Tool #3: Beware of adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it.

I will surely spare some time to read all of the fifty writing tools. Thanks lifehack.org and Roy Peter Clark.

Gapingvoid: How To Be Creative

This article suggests 30 tips about how to be more creative. The following lists some that I think them good and understand how to do. Spare some time to read the article. You might find something good for you.

• The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.
• Put the hours in.
• You are responsible for your own experience.
• Keep your day job.
• Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
• If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
• Dying young is overrated.
• The world is changing.
• Merit can be bought. Passion can’t. (The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does.)
• Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
• Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
• You have to find your own schtick.
• The best way to get approval is not to need it.

Via del.icio.us/popular, I get an image called trippy. Just have a look at this image for a few seconds, and you might be amazed by such an effective optical illusion.

The website gprime.net that provides that image is also a great place for having fun. Have a vist if you have time to kill or if you feel borning right now. Or, just remember the site name and visit it later for fun.

V-Gear LANDISK enables you to store data through LAN and establish your own network storage easily. Features include

• Easy Set-up! Auto Configuration
• Trustful & Power-saving
• SAMBA & FTP, 2 Servers in 1
• Best Cooling Tech for 3.5″ HDD

It costs around HK$ 1500 including a 3.5″ 250 GB hard disk. View the LANDISK User Guide to learn more.

The Internet Frog has many online tools for webmasters, domain owners, network administrators, and website developers. It is free to use. In particularly, it can tell

1. the IP Address of the computer that you are using
2. your current location (and latitude/longitude)
3. which ISP you are based to connect to the Internet
4. the speed of your connection

Try it yourself and have fun

A great list of freeware recommended by Sudeep Bansal in his weblog Brilliant Ignorance on August 17, 2005. I have used quite many of the applications listed and am interested in trying out some in the near future. EverNote is on the list.

Here is another list by nedwolf.

What’s more? See this: the 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities (by TechSupportAlert.com)