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Microsoft revived and killed Clippy in a single day
The dream of the '90s was alive in Microsoft Teams this week when Microsoft's old office assistant, Clippy, showed up. If you used Microsoft Office between 1997 and 2001, you likely remember Clippy as the animated paperclip that popped up and offered tips for using the software. Microsoft did away with Clippy in 2001, so people were surprised to see Clippy stickers appear in Microsoft Teams this week. And they were even more surprised when, just a day later, Microsoft offed the little guy again.
Verbatim's Clip-it is a USB drive with paperclip ambitions
It sure is hard to differentiate yourself in the highly competitive world of ever-shrinking USB storage. To avoid this trend of disregard, Verbatim has sent its latest offering off to paper management school and the results are now apparent for us to see. The new Clip-it comes with an added incision in the middle of its lilliputian body that allows it to act as a paperclip or maybe even a handsome accessory to your geek chique outfit. Verbatim makes sure to tell us (about eleventy times) that the Clip-it has scooped up a red dot Design Award for its ingenuity, and prices the thing at eminently affordable €8.99 (2GB) and €11.49 (4GB) levels. Those correspond to $12 and $15.34, respectively, meaning you could have the whole set of seven colors for less than what you'd have to spend on just one iWatch.
Making/Money: Virtual Red Paperclips
A few years ago now, I heard a news story about a man who traded one red paperclip for a house. There were several intermediate trades, but the basic gist of it was that he started with a paperclip and traded up from there until, eventually, he was offered a house in Saskatchewan in exchange for a movie role. I remember thinking then what an interesting concept it was (and wishing I had thought of it first). He really did not need any particular skills except maybe negotiation. He did not need any money. In the early stages, he probably didn't even need a lot of buzz. Just some connections and a dream. In more recent times, I have seen similar things done in games. Using the auction house and connections with guildies, friends, or just willing participants in the streets, it is entirely possible to trade your way to fame and fortune without ever picking up a trade or completing a quest.
Paperclip notes to documents
Paperclip is an interesting idea for an application. Basically, it looks like Stickies but the notes are actually "clipped" to specific documents in other applications. For example, you can create a Paperclip note and attach it to a Pages document, then whenever you open that document the relevant Paperclip note will appear pinned to the side of the window. The notes themselves can contain rich text, links, images, etc.Paperclip does this by running as a menubar application with Universal Access active. In my brief testing I noticed that it will not work correctly with an unsaved document. For instance, if you create a new, untitled Pages document and try to attach a note, it will not work. If you save the document, however, it seems to work fine. I think this is a neat idea, and it could definitely be useful. The Paperclip notes are basically a form of meta-data, so its unfortunate that it doesn't integrate with Spotlight. Nonetheless, I like the concept and it will be interesting to see where it goes.Paperclip is $9.95 (introductory price) and Leopard only. A demo is available for download from Concentrate Software.[via Macword]
iPhone returns from service with 'official iPhone tool'
Call us crazy, but it certainly appears that Apple's unofficially official iPhone tool has ripped off MacGyver's lifeline. According to an iPhone user that sent his handset in for warranty service, it arrived back with this here piece of equipment, complete with Apple's famed display label and plastic bag. Heck, if having a malfunctioning iPhone is the only way to snag one of these bad boys, we're definitely crossing our fingers for an excuse to send ours in.[Thanks, Matthew V.]
Microsoft Clippy, RIP: 1997 - 2007
Not too long after MobileESPN breathed new life, now we've got the unfortunate duty of informing the world that Microsoft finally axed the most annoying aspect of Office has decided to leave "Clippy" behind in Office 2007. We suspected something was brewing when the iconic figure started donning a 3D skirt in Japan, but a brief interview with Office's group program manager revealed that the clip is indeed dead. While it had been fading for awhile due to an apparent lack of mass fanfare, and was even turned off by default in Office 2003, it seems that Clippy fans will be forced to stick with now-antiquated versions of the Office suite in order to keep their darling on screen. But don't fret too much, as the countdown until someone crafts a freeware app re-instilling a Clippy rendition into Office begins... now.[Via ChipChick]
DIY Nintendo Wii component cables
While finding a Wii system isn't out of the question this holiday season, getting your hands on component cables has been nearly impossible, with the connectors MIA at most retailers so far and occasionally sold out on Nintendo's own website. At times like these we must take matters into our own hands. We've made our own cables before but this time you'll have to follow the lead of the NFG forums, and MacGyver a connection together; since the composite cable included with the system doesn't have all the pins necessary, some clever modders have resorted to paper clip stand ins. We don't know how well this will work as a long term solution, but if you're waiting the long two weeks or so before the official cables hit store shelves this should definitely hit the spot.[Via Joystiq]
