You’ll lose the ability to stand out among applicants. Try sending a letter directly to the hiring manager telling them you understand their challenges. It’s more friendly and human than a cover letter is, too. You’ll avoid the Black Hole completely. This tip could be risky depending on the job. You’re breaking the rules before you even start. You might send it through the normal software process and the hiring manager just to play it safe....

Check out the link for other ways of knowing you are hiring the right handyperson. How to hire a good handyman| Living On The Cheap Photo bySteve Snodgrass.

We recently covered Microsoft’slesser-known Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET)that adds protection against malware. Microsoft recently upgraded it to version 5.0 with even more protection against Internet nasties. Check the link for the rest of the 5.0 features, including more 64-bit functions. General Availability for Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 5.0| Microsoft viaComputerWorld

For many of us, August is the best time to take a vacation. You’ll have fewer emails and phone calls to return. Who doesn’t want an easy way to skip those all staff meetings? Look around your empty office and check the link for other reasons to skip an August vacation. 7 Reasons to Skip Vacation in August| Inc.com Photo byDan4th Nicholas.

Try taking a picture when you start so you’ll keep track of all you’ve accomplished. If its writingremember that blank page and the first words we wrote down. When you get overwhelmed, stop and look at that before picture. You’ll focus on your accomplishments and the picture will boost your motivation to continue on. After all, look how far you’ve come already. Tips for Attacking Any Big Project| Elizabeth Spann Craig via99u...

32GB models and up only. [Groupon] Whether you want to clean your floors, or dothings like this, Roombas are awesome. [Several SodaStream Drink & Soda Mixes are On Saleat Best Buy] Need a SodaStream? The Fountain Jet is only $49 right now after a $20 mail in rebate. Amazon is offering soliddiscounts on over 300 titlesin their digital games store from now until September 1. [Amazon] We know you all love SSDs, butwhich one is the best for your money?...

iOS: For some reason, coins still exist. Most transactions will leave you with an arbitrary number of them either literally or digitally in your account. Acorns puts them to good use by rounding up your transactions and saving the difference. The company states that an Android app and web app are in the works, as well.

The tool you’ll use here is textutil, which can convert any single text file into another. Converting one file to another is pretty straight. you’re free to also use it tobulk change fonts, font sizes, and more. Convert various text file formats in the OS X Terminal with textutil| MacIssues

The build here uses a Raspberry Pi, a USB camera, and a cheap accelerometer. Intruder detection with Raspberry-Pi| bitreactive

Here are a few tips that can help you get your ideas across. This post originally appeared onThe Muse. It’s reallythe basics about workplace communicationthat seem to trip most people up. Becauseyou completely invalidated it with the “but” and everything that came after it. In her bookBossypants, Tina Fey breaks down the rules of improv. Same goes forcommunicating at work. I always respond with a few questions: “Is that a fact?...

Want to learn everything you might in an MBA programwithout having to pay for the expensive classes? So if having the “MBA” designation is essential for you, this won’t fulfill that requirement.

Google andDropboxhave some ridiculously low-priced 1TB storage options. With so much space for so little money, what could you do with it? Well, for starters, you could turn them into your own personal media servers. This is an excellent solution, but it also means you’re limited by your own hardware and bandwidth. With Dropbox and Google Drive, that’s all handled for you. You get your own space on the internet where you might access your media from anywhere you want....

You know, that guy or girl that has their s*** together. This is part of Lifehacker’s newbook reviewseries. Chances are you’ve heard of Ramit Sethi and his bestselling (and somewhat hyperbolically-titled) book before. Essentially, it’s Money Management 101. One Trick You’ll Take Away There are a lot of useful tips in this book. But out of context, they feel inaccessible. In fact, they’re incredibly simple for us average Joes. Sethi explains in his book’s introduction:...