Amplify Your Productivity on Windows Using Mouse Gestures

While working on Windows there are several ways by which you can increase your productivity, like using keyboard shortcuts, having dual monitor setup for more screen real estate or using autohotkey scripts to automate the repetitive tasks. Using mouse gestures is yet another way by which you can increase your productivity, though may not be as fast as keyboard shortcuts.

Mouse gestures has been around here for quite some time now, however Windows still doesn’t support mouse gestures out of the box like Mac OS X Lion coupled with Apple’s trackpad or mighty mouse to quickly perform gestures. But that doesn’t mean you cannot have mouse gestures on Windows. Thanks to StrokesPlus free desktop app, not only you can have predefined gestures but also create your own new gestures and quickly automate and perform different actions.

StrokesPlus is a mouse gesture recognition program that allows you to automate repetitive tasks by simply drawing a gesture with your mouse or performing mouse and/or keyboard modifiers to fire off an action sequence. StrokesPlus not only supports your traditional three button mouse but also keyboard keys such as control, alt key.

After you download and install StrokesPlus, you can access different options from StrokesPlus system tray icon. Right click on StrokesPlus icon and quickly enable/ disable features or open preferences menu to access advance and experimental options.

Using training mode you can train StrokesPlus to recognize your gestures, it is also helpful when you want to add your own gestures and want to test it how it’s working. While adding new gestures action you can either use existing set of gestures or create new gesture by drawing pattern on small window provided by StrokesPlus.

There may be circumstances like playing games where there is high probability that you might accidentally hit mouse gestures, in order to prevent that from happening; you can add those applications to Ignored Windows list, there by disabling mouse gestures specific to those applications.

For nerds and geeks, StrokesPlus uses Lua scripts and if you have programming skills then you may create your own custom & complex scripts to take Mouse gestures to next level.

Download StrokesPlus for Windows 32-bit.

Download StrokesPlus for Windows 64-bit.

Bye Bye Google Reader

Google announced that, they are going to shut down their RSS service Google Reader on July 1st, 2013. It was introduced by Google in 2005 and one of the best RSS readers available on the web. Google has mentioned in their blog that, the usage of Google Reader has reduced tremendously so we have planned to shut down the service in July. People who subscribe to other blogs using Google Reader can export their data using the Google Takeout. This is a big disappointment for many readers all over the web

Mobile - the best friend

As I sat in the back of a taxi rushing from one appointment to another this week… quick to check my phone for messages as soon as I jumped in the cab, the taxi driver asked “And how’s your day going?” I stopped and chatted and found out what he thought of the troubles with the state of the nation. The taxi driver lamented that most people were to busy on their mobile phones to chat any more. As I said goodbye and thanked the cab driver– I noted how great it was to have a chat and hear someone else’s point of view.

It made me wonder “what do I miss out on because I am often not ‘present’ as I focus on what my Phone presents to me. Perhaps it is pretty lonely being a cab driver now – if customers no longer interested in 'Baatchit’.

When a plane touches down – many simultaneous ‘ding dings’ chime out demanding the attention of their owner. Most business people seem completely addicted to their phones.

A friend of mine recently lamented that he had been unreachable because he was in an all day meeting – and the response when he did come ‘back to the grid’ was: "Is something wrong with your phone?". People seem to have a high expectation that if they send a message, the response will be instantaneous.

I note that I was off air for two days this week – no email, phone, sms or internet. And whilst I had quite a back log of emails and messages on my return – I was highly efficient at getting back to people because I was completely focused on that task in that hour.

Is all this ‘immediate’ communication really giving us the opportunity to do good work? How many emails or text messages are dashed off in haste only to be misunderstood or incomplete? Are we being truly present?

As the taxi went passed the bus stop, I noticed that most of the people waiting were all inspecting their mobile phones – not even noticing the existence of the other human beings around them.

In all this urgency to connect – are we not ‘seeing’ those around us? People who provide us services or who are part of our community.

I am often asked: "how do you juggle all the different responsibilities that you have?" My answer is be simply truly ‘present' – turn off your mobile phone and be with whoever you are with… does this same courtesy extend to those beyond business colleagues, family and friends.

2012 Flashback

it just 2 hours left 2012 to end and 2013 to begin. People might be busy partying, dancing, enjoying the ultimate moments of End of 2012. While someone would be busy enjoying leisure. Some might be thinking of new resolutions to be made in the new year.

I just want to take this opportunity to Thank Everyone who helped me in any way either direct indirect way in 2012. Its been a wonderful year with lot of memories and cherisable moments. The 2012 year is with lot of Ups and fewer Downs as i remember. I just loved the way i swayed into this year and molded into more better Human being. Improved myself and now have better understanding of things happening around me. Passed few relationship. Some of them ended wisely while others with a lesson to be learned.

In all loved 2012, One of the best year so far

Wish You all a Very Happy New Year!!
Make a resolution and I wish you stick to it for Long

Resume Blogging....

Its been a long time i have not written anything here. but its time now i should resume my blogging...... my love for writing.... before the end of 2012 today on the holy day of X-mas i want to resume blogging. i wish i be regular in posting and writing

hoping for best and keeping my fingures crossed