It’s the end of the year, the time when everybody looks back at the year before and reflects on what happened. It’s navel-gazing time, people!

Yeah, there’s nothing really of value in this article, so you should check out our awesome Lego Wallpapers instead. I’ll try to make it quick…

Pixels and Charts and Numbers and Such!

Last year we ended up a little short of our 30 million pageview goal, but this year we smashed our goal of 40 million with ease, especially after the Windows 7 launch had the XP users scrambling for answers. I’m hoping next year that we have enough pageviews to require a 24-CPU server—really, just give me any excuse to get a server with 24 CPUs in it!

If you zoom in on those numbers you’ll start to see just how much we’ve grown… we went from 2.9 million pageviews / month last year to 4.9 million this month. If you include TinyHacker and now Productive Geek numbers, we’re way over 5mil/month for our network.

The only other interesting stat from Analytics is the number of Google Chrome users, which has hit almost 10% this month, and continues to climb—but it’s not just taking away from Internet Explorer, it’s also taken some points from Firefox as well.

So let’s take a quick tour through what happened this year…

January 2009: The How-To Geek meets Lifehacker

In January of this year, I started working as a staff writer over at Lifehacker, one of the largest blogs anywhere—and quickly realized that my writing skills needed a lot of work! Working with the crew over there has been a tremendous learning experience for me, and I’m very glad I agreed to it. Every Monday you’ll find my feature articles over there, like this week’s article: You Don’t Need to Regularly Reinstall Windows; Here’s Why.

April 2009: Mysticgeek Starts Handling the Editing

It didn’t take very long before I realized that handling a regular day job, How-To Geek, and also writing for Lifehacker was really starting to be too much to handle. Mysticgeek stepped in to take care of the day-to-day editing and much of the other administration, and freeing me up to take care of other stuff. He rocks! (literally).

May 2009: Asian Angel is Awesome!

When we found out that Asian Angel, the former Lifehacker intern, was available to work for us, we grabbed her as quickly as we could—and it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Before she came along, our readers would always complain that we didn’t cover Firefox enough—and she’s filled that void with loads of great articles about Firefox, Google Chrome, and now she’s started branching out into all sorts of topics.

It’s really more than that—she’s a wonderful, sweet, caring person that we’re just thrilled to be working with.

October 2009: TinyHacker Launched

We’ve never known what to do with all the extra random stuff that we find, so in October we launched TinyHacker, our random geek links site. It’s random! We’ve got some interesting plans for this site in 2010, so stay tuned.

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December 2009: Productive Geek (beta) Launched

After a year of being around Lifehacker, I realized that we really need a forum to discuss life, hacking, and Autohotkey. The Productive Geek forum just launched a few days ago, but it’s going to be great.

Fun Logos and a Lazy Geek

We started out the year with a bunch of fun logos, hand-drawn by yours truly. Sadly, the time involved just got out of hand, and I didn’t keep it up all year. In case you missed them, here they are.

Valentine’s Day 2009:

April Fool’s Day 2009:

Mother’s Day 2009:

Easter 2009:

Behind the Scenes

This year we’ve completed some serious milestones—we completely upgraded the platform the server is running on, built loads of new stuff like a better email newsletter system, and created the new Productive Geek platform that we’re actually going to use to launch more new sites. All of this is thanks to Shawn, our awesome programmer. Shawn, if you’re reading this, I’d just like to say: get back to work! =P

What’s Next?

At some point in the next month or two, we’ll be launching another new site geared at IT admin types, hiring a couple of new writers, and really branching out even further.

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It’s no secret that we love a great set of wallpapers around here, and when we stumbled on the first Lego wallpaper we knew what we had to do: put together another wallpaper roundup for our great readers!

You’ll probably note that not all of these images are big enough for some of today’s gigantic screens, so you’ll probably need to either tell Windows to stretch the image out, or put them on a different background color.

The first batch of images are all linked to the same place, a fun Lego-related site called BrikWars. The rest are linked from other places, but you can click on any of the images to get to the download site.

As a bonus, I found three square images that an enterprising reader could probably sew together, which would be great for a widescreen setup.

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Enjoy!

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The new Taskbar in Windows 7 is a great new feature, but sometimes you might have too many apps and not enough room. Today we take a look at Jumplist Launcher that allows you to consolidate the app launchers on the Taskbar.

Using Jumplist Launcher

Jumplist Launcher doesn’t require installation and you can run it directly from your hard drive or a flash drive and launch the executable.

After launching it you’re presented with a configuration dialog screen to begin setting up your jump lists. You can create different Groups and name them to suite your needs. You can browse to program and file directories, but the easiest way I’ve found is to drag shortcuts into Jumplist Launcher.

You can add up to 60 different Jumplist items.

After you have created the lists, make sure to pin the program to the taskbar and close out of the app. Then you can still access the items by right-clicking the icon on the taskbar.

Occasionally there are errors while adding items to the Jumplist, but the problem seems to correct itself right away, so just click OK to the dialog box. If you do get errors or find any bugs it’s recommended to post them on the developers blog.

Conclusion

For this article we used Jumplist Launcher Version 7 on Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit). It looks like this project is in constant development, and there are still a few bugs, but it works and and can be quite useful. This cool little app is a great way to consolidate taskbar launchers and save space on the Taskbar.

Download Jumplist Launcher

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Navigation in Windows 7 is a lot easier with the new Taskbar, but it could be easier with everything in one central location. Mouse Extender is a free utility that allows you to navigate through Windows easier.

Mouse Extender

This handy utility doesn’t require installation and can be run from a flash drive. After you launch it, you can start building it up with different apps and other items. Right-click to access a context menu where you can add new tabs, files, web sites, and more.

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To add programs, files and folders, just drag the icon to the Mouse Extender interface.

Here is an example of a bunch of music and media apps added to a multimedia tab we created.

It allows you to add different Windows utilities, folders, and directories.

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You can customize where each icon in Mouse Extender points to.

The controls at the top let you to quickly access Control Panel from the interface.

You can also restart or shutdown your system from Mouse Extender and choose if the power down control is Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down.

Also included is a timer that will start a countdown and shut down your computer. You can set it for a few minutes up to a full hour before it shuts down.

If there are new updates when you check, a balloon notification is displayed to click on and download it.

Mouse Extender requires .net Framework 3.5 and will work on XP, Vista, and Windows 7. This is a small app which is light on system resources, but packs a lot of neat control and navigation features.

Download Mouse Extender from CodePlex

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Have you been wanting Firefox’s “Flagfox Extension” goodness in Google Chrome? Now you can get it with the Chrome Flags extension.

Installation

During the installation process you will see the following message window asking for confirmation about installing the extension. Click “Install” to add Chrome Flags to Chrome.

After the installation has finished you will be presented with this tab (instead of a small pop-up message window) that provides information about Chrome Flags…

Here is a closer look at the information that Chrome Flags provides for websites.

Checking the “Chrome Extensions Page” shows that there are no options for you to worry with.

Chrome Flags in Action

As soon as you visit a website you will notice the small flag icon at the right end of the “Address Bar” showing you where that website’s server is located.

To access information about the website that you are viewing simply click (left and right both work) on the flag icon. A drop-down window will open showing the country where server is located, the IP address, and a set of clickable links for more detailed/specific information. Notice that you can also view information from WOT and McAfee SiteAdvisor for the website.

For our example we chose two of the additional information source links to look at. Here you can see the McAfee SiteAdvisor listing…

And the Google Trends information for the How-To Geek website. Definitely nice…

Conclusion

If you have been wanting that “Flagfox” goodness in Google Chrome then your wait is over. This is definitely an extension that you should add to your Chrome installation.

Links

Download the Chrome Flags extension (Google Chrome Extensions)

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You might be interested in trying out Linux applications, but the idea of creating a dual boot system, using slow Live CDs, or setting up a VM doesn’t appeal to you. Today we take a look at andLinux which allows you to run Linux applications on your Windows computer.

andLinux is actually a full installation of Ubuntu that allows you to run Linux apps directly within the Windows environment. The user interface is the KDE flavor, which should be easier for Windows users to get used to. It’s completely free, easy to install, and is a great way for the Windows user to introduce themselves to Linux.?

Note: andLinux is in Beta 2 stage, so keep in mind there may be some bugs yet to be worked out.

Installing andLinux

There are several steps following the installation wizard that are self explanatory, but we will take a look at some of the more important ones. You will need to decide how much memory you want to allocate for andLinux. This will depend on how much memory you have installed on your machine…you can experiment with different amounts and see what works best.

You can select to run it manually from the command line or the easiest option is to have it start automatically with Windows which is selected by default.

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You can choose to have it access your Windows drives using Samba.

Select Install this driver software anyway when you get the unsigned driver message.

To complete installation, a reboot is required.

Using andLinux

After a successful installation and reboot, you will now see a small KDE icon in the notification area. This will essentially be your “Linux Start Menu” where you can select different included apps you want to run.

There are several KOffice apps included by default and you can start exploring programs like KMail, Kexi, KWord, and more.?

After you’ve become acquainted with the different Linux apps offered, you might want to download more using the Synaptic Package Manager. You’ll need to sign in using the password you created during the installation.

You can browse through the insane amount of different applications or search for what you’re looking for. You’re provided with descriptions of the different apps and when you’re ready, mark the package(s) for installation.

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When the latest app packages are downloaded and installed. Click on Details to see what is happening “behind the scenes”.

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You can use Konqueror to browse for the newly installed applications and launch them. Konqueror is a staple in a lot of Linux distributions that works as a file manager where you can browse by category and also browse the web.

Here is an example of the Multimedia directory where you can launch different apps.

Here are a few shots of how different Linux apps look running in the Windows 7 environment. Here we take a look at using Konqueror as a web browser in Windows 7.

KSpread is a Linux app for creating new spreadsheets and running in Windows 7.

Synaptic Package Manager allows you to download and install new Linux application packages.

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Remember andLinux is still in Beta stage so expect some bugs and some things not to work correctly. If you already have a Windows virtual machine set up, you might want to try it out there before installing it on your real machine. This provides and easy way for a Windows user who’s curious about the Linux world to explore Linux apps without much difficulty. There is currently no support for 64 bit systems, but andLinux will run on Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows 7 (32-bit Versions Only).

Download andLinux

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Want an easy way to remove all the junk from a webpage and retain the formatting so that you can copy/paste or print it out nicely with a single click? See how simple it is with the Clippable Bookmarklet.

Get the Bookmarklet

To install Clippable just go to the website, grab the bookmarklet, and drag it to your “Bookmarks Toolbar”. Now you are ready for instant one-click “webpage cleaning”.

Using Clippable

For our example we decided to visit the Microsoft webpage with information about customizing Windows 7. Notice all the items at the top of the page and on the sides…

Just one click and all the excess items are gone leaving just the article and pictures related to it. That is about as quick and simple as you can get for functionality. Now you can easily copy/paste the article into your favorite note-storage program (i.e. Evernote or other) or print it out without losing the original formatting.

Easy-Style Printsheet for How-To Geek Articles

Recently a new easy-style printsheet was set up for the How-To Geek website, so here is a quick look at it for those of you who may not have heard about it yet. Here we have our sample article with all the normal webpage extras on display…

If you need to print one of the articles, you will certainly be pleased with the new printsheet setup. To access it make certain to use the “Print Button” at the bottom of the articles.

To show how nicely the pages turn out, we printed the article directly to a pdf file. All the top, sidebar, and bottom items have been removed so that you are able to print exactly what you need. No more wasting your printer’s paper and ink on unnecessary webpage items.

Conclusion

If you have been looking for a quick “one-click” way to clean up webpages for copying/pasting or printing out, then you will definitely want to add the Clippable Bookmarklet to your favorite browser. Remember to use the easy-style printsheet function to print out your favorite How-To Geek articles.

Links

Add the Clippable Bookmarklet to Your Browser

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Sometimes you need a quick and easy way to resize your pictures to email, post on your blog, or put on a mobile device. Today we take a look at the Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows that allows you to resize pictures and images.

Image Resizer Powertoy Clone

This is a clone of the popular Image Resizer Powertoy developed for Windows XP. To use it, right-click on a photo and select Resize Pictures from the Context Menu.

In Basic Mode you can select between 4 different sizes…Small (854?480), Medium (1366?768), Large (1920?1080), or Mobile Device (320?480).

Click on the Advanced button to get more options and resize a picture to your own custom size.

It puts the resized image into the same directory as the original with the size type in parenthesis in the file name. Also, I was also able to select multiple pictures at a time and resize them…which saves a lot of time.

It provides an easy way to quickly resize your holiday photos and get them to family and friends through a variety of ways. It’s completely free and works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 with a version for 32 & 64-bit users.

Download Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows

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Sometimes you need a quick and easy way to resize your pictures to email, post on your blog, or put on a mobile device. Today we take a look at the Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows that allows you to resize pictures and images.

Image Resizer Powertoy Clone

This is a clone of the popular Image Resizer Powertoy developed for Windows XP. To use it, right-click on a photo and select Resize Pictures from the Context Menu.

In Basic Mode you can select between 4 different sizes…Small (854?480), Medium (1366?768), Large (1920?1080), or Mobile Device (320?480).

Click on the Advanced button to get more options and resize a picture to your own custom size.

It puts the resized image into the same directory as the original with the size type in parenthesis in the file name. Also, I was also able to select multiple pictures at a time and resize them…which saves a lot of time.

It provides an easy way to quickly resize your holiday photos and get them to family and friends through a variety of ways. It’s completely free and works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 with a version for 32 & 64-bit users.

Download Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows

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Sometimes you need a quick and easy way to resize your pictures to email, post on your blog, or put on a mobile device. Today we take a look at the Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows that allows you to resize pictures and images.

Image Resizer Powertoy Clone

This is a clone of the popular Image Resizer Powertoy developed for Windows XP. To use it, right-click on a photo and select Resize Pictures from the Context Menu.

In Basic Mode you can select between 4 different sizes…Small (854?480), Medium (1366?768), Large (1920?1080), or Mobile Device (320?480).

Click on the Advanced button to get more options and resize a picture to your own custom size.

It puts the resized image into the same directory as the original with the size type in parenthesis in the file name. Also, I was also able to select multiple pictures at a time and resize them…which saves a lot of time.

It provides an easy way to quickly resize your holiday photos and get them to family and friends through a variety of ways. It’s completely free and works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 with a version for 32 & 64-bit users.

Download Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows

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