saving

With SXSW and Coachella on the horizon, Foursquare and VH1 have partnered to increase visibility and raise money for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, according to the tech news site Mashable.

How it works is concertgoers can follow VH1 on Foursquare to earn a limited edition "VH1 Save The Music" badge, then when they check-in at music venues across the country they'll be able to unlock the badge and $1 will be donated to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

This foundation launched in 1997 with the goal to give public schools musical instruments and also … Read more

How do you improve a staple function like copy and paste? Simple. Make it smarter.

Clipboard is a content-centric utility designed for copying and saving content on the Web. With Clipboard, you can copy and paste custom elements from any Web page, whether it's images, articles, videos, or a combination of all three. No more worrying about precise highlights and tedious Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, etc. Simply register and log in to the Clipboard site. Clipboard will show you a quick tutorial video on how to add Clipboard to your bookmark bar.

After finding an … Read more

Many programs install services such as update helpers that start with Windows yet are rarely needed. Turning off or modifying the startup behavior of unnecessary services can cut the time it takes Windows to boot and boost your system's performance. Power users are familiar with such tweaks, but the inexperienced user who has the most to gain is often too intimidated to even try it.

Help is available in the form of Vista Services Optimizer, a free program that tweaks your Windows PC's performance by shutting down or modifying services that you don't need or don't … Read more

Please bear with me while I explain the process for accessing a message draft that you just started, but had to save in order to check something else in the Mail app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Take a deep breath.

First, assuming you have more than one e-mail account (I have four on my iPhone) and you are starting in the "All Inboxes" window, you'll have to tap "Mailboxes" in the upper-left corner. Then, scroll down to the Accounts section and select the proper account for your draft. Now, tap the "… Read more

Everyone with a live mind who happens not to work for an oil company knows that we must harness our energy.

The possibilities are vast. Consider, for example, Heather Patron of Studio City, Calif., and her Prius. Everything plastic on it began to melt. The side-view mirrors, for example.

This seemed a little odd. She took it to Toyota. The company said there was nothing wrong with the car.

And then she noticed her neighbor's energy-efficient windows that seemed to be directing a concentrated beam of energy-efficient light towards her energy-efficient vehicle.

Patron told CBS Los Angeles: "I'… Read more

When it comes to protecting your PC, there's no substitute for full backups capable of resurrecting your system from total disaster. But we're also big fans of regular targeted backups of personal files, favorites, and other data you don't want to lose, especially if your big backups are fairly infrequent. To be sure none of your important stuff falls between the cracks, we recommend a specialized backup application like Yadis Backup from Codessentials. This free tool creates full, one-to-one backups of your important personal data, settings, and documents that you can access normally, without having to restore … Read more

Default Folder X is a system preference pane that can save you a lot of time finding and flipping through folders, especially when opening and saving files.

The primary interface pops up with every open and save dialog, across all your applications, giving you faster access to multiple folders and commands. You can jump to favorite and recently used folders (even by clicking on open windows), enter Spotlight metatags, and manage files and folders right from the dialog--so you don't need to go to the Finder for simple tasks like renaming and deleting.

Default Folder X also lets you &… Read more

Mint is the iOS mobile companion to Mint.com, the popular financial services site that helps you track all of your accounts and budgets.

You have to set up an account with Mint.com to use the app (which involves giving Mint.com access to your bank, credit card, and investment accounts), then you can monitor your accounts, budget, and cash flow from the site or the app. The passcode-protected app presents your finances in summary form, with the capability to drill down to the item level of a purchase. Follow the trail to the end to edit an item'… Read more

Lucky Supermarkets, a chain in California, has been hit hard with a credit card scam.

The company announced the scam in November, saying customers and employees who used the self-checkout kiosks in more than 20 of its 234 stores might have fallen victim to tampered credit card readers. The hackers reportedly used devices called "sniffers" that recorded credit card numbers.

Soon after the information was made public, Lucky Supermarkets, as well as its parent company, Save Mart Supermarkets, said it was unsure how many people might have been affected but urged customers to monitor their accounts.

"We … Read more