Linux: Application launcher GNOME Do has a "theme" called Docky that we dubbed an intelligent Linux interface. Now Docky is its own (alpha-level) application, bringing many of its best features over and setting the stage for many more.
Docky was a clever app for GNOME Do to integrate with, offering application launching and an OS X-like Dock from a single screen space. It was, however, not quite a perfect pairing, as it tied together a lot of of processes, and was somewhat inconsistent and slightly buggy in how it operated. As its own separate software project and app, it's free to develop. It's only in the first alpha of a 2.0 release, so skip it if you can't stand the idea of things working wonky or breaking, but it's worth checking out as a desktop power tool.
The "docklets" and plug-ins that were present in GNOME Do, like battery, CPU, and weather monitors are still around, while smart items like a Gmail notifier and recent documents icon have been added. The interface is also more functional, allowing for dragging-and-dropping files from the desktop to dock folder icons, and opening files in certain apps by dragging files on them. You can run multiple docks, change each of their themes, icon sizes, and zoom levels, and run Docky in "Panel Mode," taking up the whole of a window edge.
Docky is a free download for Linux systems only; an easily installed Ubuntu repository and source code are available at the link.
The creator of Gmail hasn't tried Google Wave, Android and Chrome OS will likely become one at some point in the future, and AOL loses two capital letters and gains a period.
Mint Upselling To "Free"CreditReport.com We've been big fans of personal finance webapp Mint for quite some time, but Consumerist notes some shady credit report upselling on the recently sold-to-Quicken service. Blah. [Consumerist]
Readers offer their best tips for permanently pinning Chrome tabs, pasting your email address with a quick-access bookmarklet, and using less expensive coffee with Starbucks' fancy VIA cup.
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About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons—maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in—the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments or email it to tips at lifehacker.com.
We're a cheap lot around Lifehacker HQ, which is why we have a serious love affair with free software. As Americans get ready to give thanks over a big fat turkey dinner, we also want to remember the apps we're thankful for.
In the spirit of the season, we want to hear about the free applications you're most thankful for on your computer. List a handful of your must-have freebies in the comments, and as we've done in the past, we'll round them up for Thursday in a cornucopia of downloading deliciousness.
Windows: We dig MediaMonkey for its album art and tag-fixing powers, but the free jukebox software can do so much more—like sync to nearly any smartphone or MP3 player, and automatically manage your music library.
The marquee feature in MediaMonkey 3.2 is expanded device support, including WebOS devices like the Palm Pre and Pixi, the latest iPods and iPhones, Android phones (as general USB storage devices), and many more. MediaMonkey's also added automatic folder watching to the free version, something previously available only in its paid Gold edition. And MediaMonkey also added in support for Windows 7's right-click taskbar feature, jump lists, showing recently played tracks, playlists, and other controls.
If you're toting a Palm, iPhone, Android, or other phone, MediaMonkey's worth checking out as an alternative to iTunes, and as its own seriously full-featured media player—and a spot to buy and manage MP3s from online stores like Amazon. MediaMonkey 3.2 is a free download for Windows systems only.
We've previously posted the "why" of brining your Thanksgiving turkey, with delicious scientific evidence. Looking for the "how"? Serious Eats offers up food science savant Alton Brown's brining recipe. Slashfood has also posted a choose your own spices brine mix, and L.A. Times food writer Russ Parsons previously shared a dry turkey brining technique that he claims gives the final result a less "sponge-y" texture than traditional salt solutions. Feel free to drop your own brine mixture in the comments, of course.
If you're a wallpaper junkie and nature lover, National Geographic's International Photography Contest is a great source for well-shot, fresh, decently high-resolution images to adorn your desktop with.
The long-running magazine has an extensive wallpaper-focused photography section, but as Web Worker Daily points out, those shots max out at 1280 pixels wide. That's fine for some monitors, but on most modern laptops and widescreen displays, that's pixel-stretching territory.
Over in National Geographic's photography contest section, however, the submitted shots can be downloaded at 1600 pixels wide, making for some fairly nice desktop wallpaper. Better still, the shots are numbered and formatted in fairly algorithmic fashion, so using the auto-download features of John's Background Switcher or another automatic wallpaper changer makes it very easy to get a fresh look on every boot-up.
The creator of Gmail hasn't tried Google Wave, Android and Chrome OS will likely become one at some point in the future, and AOL loses two capital letters and gains a period.
We're a cheap lot around Lifehacker HQ, which is why we have a serious love affair with free software. As Americans get ready to give thanks over a big fat turkey dinner, we also want to remember the apps we're thankful for.
We've previously posted the "why" of 
If you're a wallpaper junkie and nature lover, National Geographic's International Photography Contest is a great source for well-shot, fresh, decently high-resolution images to adorn your desktop with.
