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How to turn a Vine into an animated GIF

An ambitious developer, Esten Hurtle, has developed a way to quickly turn any Vine video into an animated GIF using a very simple Mac app. The app, VineGifR, is free and available to download by following the download link in the ReadMe section on Esten's Github page. It's a good idea to follow this page for further app updates as development continues. As you'll see below, the current version of the app is very basic.

Originally covered by Mashable, Esten posted the app on Hacker News asking for feedback.

The first time you launch the app on … Read more

How to enable two-factor authentication on popular sites

One of the safest and simplest computer-security measures available is also one of the least used. Two-factor authentication adds a layer of protection to the standard password method of online identification. The technique is easy, relatively quick, and free. So, what's the problem?

Critics are quick to point out the shortcomings of two-factor authentication: it usually requires a USB token, phone, or other device that's easy to lose; you sacrifice some privacy by having to disclose your telephone number to a third party; and it is subject to man-in-the-middle and other browser- and app-based attacks.

Still, for online … Read more

Get phone alerts for suspicious activity on your Google account

The end-user is at the mercy of the service creator when it comes to how secure their data will be online. Google, fortunately, offers extra opt-in features to help ensure than no one other than you will be able to log-in and access your information. One of these security measures is the two-step authentication process.

With two-step, the user decides if they want to enter a randomly generated code each time they log in from a specific place, or if they want to enter it only every 30 days. The benefit is that if you try to log in … Read more

A six-pack of useful Greasemonkey scripts

My Web habits differ from yours. Therefore, the Greasemonkey scripts that I find useful may differ from your idea of a useful Greasemonkey script. I use many of the same sites you likely visit, however, so perhaps you'll find these useful as well. If not, let me know which scripts you use in the comments below. Share and share alike, I say.

Before we get to my favorite six scripts, let's back up a bit. If you don't know a Greasemonkey script from Shinola, start with my post on how to get started with such things. If … Read more

WishPlz tracks price drops so you don't have to

You've got your eye on a solid-state hard drive. Or a MacBook Air. Or one of those cool Star Wars Force FX Lightsabers. Just one problem: you haven't saved up quite enough cash.

Sure, you can keep checking to see if the price has dropped, but that's a time-consuming hassle. What you need is a tool that will notify you when an item goes on sale.

Wishful thinking? Not if you sign up for WishPlz, a free service that tracks your favorite items and tells you when their prices drop.

WishPlz works a bit differently than other … Read more

Add expiration dates for shared Google Drive folders

It's easy to forget you've shared a folder from Google Drive with someone. There are visual indicators that show a folder is shared, but if you're busy working, or don't spend a lot of time logged into Google Drive, you may not notice them.

When you come across a situation where you want to limit the amount of time that your folder remains shared, there's a script that can help you add an expiration date to the sharing status. The way it works is by creating a duplicate of what you originally shared (minus the … Read more

How to post Instagram photos to a Facebook Page

Currently the default location to share photos on Facebook from Instagram is your Timeline or Wall. (The label of where the photo is shared depends on if you're using the Android or iOS version of the app.) If you manage a Facebook Page and want to share a photo on that page, you may have found yourself uploading the photo to Instagram, then going back to your Camera Roll or Gallery and sharing the photo from there. But you can set up Instagram to share with your Facebook page by default. Here's how:

To share a photo on … Read more

Five ways to hack a better Netflix experience

Making the most of your monthly subscription is much more than watching as many episodes of "The Walking Dead" in one night as possible. It's about effortlessly digging up the best available flicks, so that by the end of the month, you know you got your money's worth, and then some.

Sadly, there's no magic potion that will bring "Game of Thrones" to Netflix, but there are some best practices and little-known tools that will quickly transform you into a Netflix-watching maven.

1. Bookmark InstantWatcher Netflix's clunky content interface is hardly conducive … Read more

Use MagicScroll Web Reader for a better reading experience

Do you love reading articles online, but find yourself losing your spot often? The developer of MagicScroll Web Reader, Richard Wallis, proposes that the problem isn't social media and other computer distractions -- it's the way you scroll through large blocks of text online.

To combat the issue of scrolling and making your eyes search for where you left off, Wallis wrote a browser bookmarklet that changes normal scrolling to page-turning style. This means that instead of scrolling down a really long page, you can flip through it, just like you would do with a book.

Here's … Read more