In this week ’s roundup of utile Dashboard Widgets , I cover way to find oneself wireless hotspots and keep an eye on organization information , and I show you a merriment Dashboard crossword puzzle . I also discover a single gismo that obviates the indigence for any more “ countdown ” Widgets .
AutoCrossword (; devoid ) . If you ’ve ever used Apple ’s Dictionary Widget , or taken advantage of Tiger ’s bug out - up dictionary characteristic ( for model , by site the black eye cursor over a mystery story word in Safari and then press Control+Command+D ) , you ’ve view OS X ’s built - in lexicon in action . AutoCrossword uses this dictionary to create Dashboard - ground crossword puzzle : You choose the size ( 12×12 , 16×16 , or 20×20 ) and the level of difficulty ( Easy , Medium , or Technology Geek ) and the Widget does the rest . Once the puzzle is create , you use the definitions displayed at the bottom of the Widget to fill in the puzzle . If you get stuck , you may get either a letter intimation or a word hint , and an wrongdoing check shows you which of the alphabetic character you ’ve filled in are right / incorrect . The Widget even provides you with statistic ( full time , number of trace used ) once you ’ve wind up the puzzle . AutoCrossword is n’t as good as some of the commercial puzzle software out there , but it ’s innocent — and hone for a quick break from work .
JiWire (; innocent ) . Out and about with your PowerBook and look for a wireless “ hotspot ” ? JiWire ’s Widget provides a listing of hotspot in the area , including each spot ’s address , space from your “ family ” reference , and price ( free or for - fee ) . You provide the JiWire Widget with your address when you ’re unite to the cyberspace , and it downloads a listing of hotspot in your area ; this listing is hive away on your computer so you could get at it when you ’re no longer link . When viewing the lean , you’re able to browse free hotspots , for - fee locations , or both . If you ’re still connected to the Internet , you may also click the + clitoris or Map inter-group communication next to a hotspot to get more selective information about that location . Granted , only hotspot listed in JiWire ’s database are included in the Widget ’s list , but that should be enough to notice one nearby .
Sys Stat (; free ) . I ’ve come across many different “ organisation status ” gismo that display various bit of info about your Mac : innocent hard drive outer space , memory usage , processor usage , and more . But none show as much information in as efficient a manner as Sys Stat . It can display all or any compounding of the following bit of information : CPU usage ( text and graph ) ; memory usage ( text and graph , along with virtual memory and page in / out stats ) ; mesh stats ( including internal and external IP address ) ; surd drive capacity and detached space ; CPU shipment average ; system uptime ; and the top four processes from the Unixtopcommand . And since Widgets tend to take up more resources when Dashboard is display , you could exclude Widgets from the process list to get a more accurate showing of what your computer is doing when Dashboardisn’tdisplayed . If you ’re the type who likes to keep tabs on your electronic computer ’s every move , Sys Stat is the quickest way to do so .
Widget “ Why ? ” of the workweek
Each week , I give a serious - natured sack at a Widget that make me think , “ Why was this necessary in life ? ” But after cover Image Widget — which lets you display any picture you like on your Dashboard , thus eliminating ( I hope ) the need for anyone to ever design a “ depiction ” Widget ever again — I was inspired to find another “ genre killer ” Widget . And boy did I ever .
Along with “ picture ” Widgets , one of the most redundant musical genre of widget I ’ve watch is “ countdown ” thingmajig . These Widgets show the identification number of hours / days / minutes until a especial event occurs ; for instance , there are appliance counting down the clip until the Superman Returns movie debuts , until the next season of Battlestar Galactica beings , and until Santa Claus arrive . These Widgets lift two motion in my brain : One , is it really that imperative to have a by - the - second countdown to the next Grand Prix qualifying race ? And two , does n’t it seem like a waste of cherished Widget - establish gift for different people to create separate Widgets that do essentially the same affair , just with a dissimilar “ conclusion appointment ” ?
permit ’s say , for the saki of argument , that the answer to those question are ( 1 ) perhaps ; and ( 2 ) emphatically . In the spirit of efficiency ( and stopping the countdown literary genre in its growing rail ) , I call your aid toFlipCount . Via FlipCount ’s constellation screen , you allow for the text of the event to which you ’re enumerate down , and then the engagement and time — to the 2nd — at which it occurs . FlipCount create your customized countdown Widget , allowing you to count the seconds until the next season of Buffy is relinquish on DVD .
If you require a “ custom-make ” countdown Widget , you may even employ the aforesaid Image Widget to stick a motion picture above FlipCount .
And with that , I officially adjudge all single - design countdown Widgets to perpetually be Widget “ Why sulfur ” of the Week .
