All-Encompassing Trip

Instead of copying & pasting your theme code back and forth on the customize page, or even worse, editing it directly there, copy your CSS to an external style sheet, put it in your Dropbox public folder, get the public address, and link to it in your theme. Now you can edit the CSS, and your changes will be reflected automatically in your theme as soon as you save the file, since Dropbox will upload it automatically each time you save it. After you’re done and you’re happy with your changes, you can copy the CSS back into the theme, or save the external style sheet to your own server.

Here’s a little hack I came up with while I was in New York. Since I don’t have an iPhone, and even if I did, I can’t afford the outrageous prices of international data roaming, I needed a way to keep directions to where I wanted to go without an Internet connection, in case I couldn’t find a Wi-Fi hotspot for my iPod touch. Maybe this will come in handy for someone else in the same situation. Here’s what I would do:

1. Before leaving the hotel in the morning, I’d go to Google Maps on my computer and get directions to all the places I wanted to go to that day.

   

2. Hit the “print” button right above the map to open the print version of the directions.

   

3. Print, and use Mac OS X’s “save to PDF” option to save the directions to my Dropbox folder. If you’re using Windows, you can install CutePDF to get the same functionality. (Thanks to Steve for the tip.)

   

4. Repeat for any other directions I might need.

5. Once Dropbox finishes syncing the PDFs, open the Dropbox app on the iPhone or iPod touch, find and open the PDF, and tap the star at the bottom of the screen so it gets saved as a favorite. That way it gets stored locally and you can open it whenever you need to check the directions, without an Internet connection.

   

That’s it. I plan to use this a lot in San Francisco, despite the obvious downside that you need to know your plans before leaving the hotel, but it beats getting lost or having to hunt down a Wi-Fi hotspot to use the Maps app. Hope this helps!

Here’s a quick way to start BitTorrent downloads remotely, if you’re using Dropbox. First, make sure Dropbox is installed in the computer where you regularly download your torrents, probably your main computer at home. For those not using Dropbox, you can get an account here. You’ll have to download a small application, which creates a “Dropbox” folder in your “My Documents” folder in Windows or in your “Home” folder in OS X. Dropbox keeps that folder synchronized across all the computers where you have installed it, so that if you move a file into that folder, it will show up on all the other computers. You can also access and upload files via Dropbox’s web interface.

Now, most BitTorrent clients have an option to automatically add torrents copied on a certain folder. In Transmission, it’s in preferences, in the “transfers” tab. Check the Watch for torrent files in option. Optionally, check the Trash original torrent files so your folder doesn’t fill up with old .torrent files.

In µTorrent, the option is in the preferences (the cog icon in the toolbar), under “directories.” Check Automatically load .torrents from and optionally, Delete loaded .torrents.

What you want to do is set those options to watch your Dropbox folder (or a folder inside your Dropbox, if you want to keep things tidy) for new .torrents, so they’ll start downloading automatically when a new file appears. Do not, however, set your client to save the resulting download into your Dropbox folder. Save them elsewhere.

Now as long as you keep Dropbox and BitTorrent running, you can start torrents remotely. All you have to do is upload .torrent files to the Dropbox folder from wherever you are, using the web interface, and it should start downloading almost immediately on the other computer. I started doing this at the office, because for some reason I can’t use Transmission’s web UI from there, and it’s worked for me without a hitch; by the time I get home, my downloads are usually ready. Give it a shot, and let me know what you think.