After my recent computer upgrade, I lost my Papier chrome extension that I previously recommended for taking notes in your browser. The website no longer works and it doesn’t exist in the chrome store and I was really bummed because it’s so useful to just be able to open a tab and have a space to write out your to-do list, or do a brain dump, or collect quotes. Thankfully, I was able to find an alternative created by a Google AI designer called Mindful (Beta). What’s better about Mindful is that it syncs with my chrome account so I can access my notes on both my desktop and laptop. — CD

My bookmarks are getting out of hand, so I knew I had to devote some time to finding a manageable solution. This is a great list of “Every bookmark manager ever made” (last updated November 2019). Thanks to that list, I went with the app that I found most visually-appealing, called Raindrop.io ($28 yearly), which lets me do a full-text search of every webpage I’ve ever saved. — CD

Since the beginning of time the keyboard shortcut to paste something has been Command/Ctrl + V. Not as well known — but should be, for the raging headaches it can cure — is that if you add a third key — the Shift — what you paste will be plain text wiped clean of any formatting it might carry from its source. I call it a clean paste. — KK

In your browser search bar, enter “five minute timer” (or whatever time you need) and Google will display a timer that beeps when it runs out. — MF

A while back I recommended some troubleshooting tips for forcing a public Wi-Fi login page to open. A Recomendo reader (“J.C.”) sent me a superior tip: just enter “http://neverssl.com” and the access point’s login page will load. On my last trip I used it at the airport and on the plane and it worked like a charm. — MF

Here’s a problem I frequently encounter when I’m trying to use public Wi-Fi at the airport — the login page won’t load on my browser. This troubleshooting cheat sheet lists the different things you can try to get a Wi-Fi login page to open. In short, they are: 1) Turn off alternative DNS servers 2) Try to open the router’s default page 3) Open a non-HTTPS site in incognito 4) Restart your device 5) Create a new network location. One or more of these actions usually does the trick. — MF

Lately, I’ve been listening to cassette tapes from the 1980s and 1990s on archive.org. I was able to download the entire collection of tapes by using a Google Chrome extension called Archive Downloader. Once it was installed, I went to the page at archive.org and clicked the Archive Downloader extension icon on my browser. Then I selected the mp3 files from a pop-up list and downloaded them. — MF

I use a Google Chrome extension called uBlacklist to stop Pinterest results from showing up in Google searches. You can create a list of other sites you don’t want to show up in search results, too. uBlacklist replaces Google’s Personal Blocklist extension, which it got rid of a while ago. — MF

This chrome extension does only one thing: reverses my Gmail thread views so that the newest message is always on top. Which is the way it should be. No more scrolling or collapsing old messages to get to the most recent. — CD

If you’re a Gmail user, install this Chrome extension (Simplify Gmail) that strips out all the distracting stuff (like the large Google logo) and leaves you with a streamlined interface. It was created by Gmail’s former lead designers. It’s Gmail as it should be. — MF

I uploaded a copy of my Chrome bookmarks to Mailist, and now once a week I get an email newsletter with 10 random links to pages and sites I have saved. It has reunited me with travel ideas, things I want to buy, and useful online tools like this fabric calculator chart. I also use it as a way to clean house and delete bookmarks I no longer have use for. — CD

The Internet Archive has a chrome extension for their Wayback Machine that has become essential to my browsing. I can search through previous versions, lookup domain info and traffic statistics, and I can even look at public tweets linking back to the website. — CD

You can easily look up the meaning of words by entering define:word in your browser’s search bar, like this define:doryphore. — MF

My current favorite chrome extension for optimizing a new tab is Papier. It’s just one single note page. This is perfect for taking quick notes without minimizing or closing your browser. Everything you type autosaves and syncs to Chrome. You can create lists with checkboxes, and there are even a few formatting and style options available. But I feel the simpler, the better. Right now I have saved a few lines to a poem I am working on, so that every time I open a new tab I’m reminded to stay inspired. — CD

I use Chrome, and when I want to read an article, I click the Reader View extension icon in my tool bar. It makes the text larger and gets rid of ads and clutter. (Safari has this feature built-in.) It also tells you how long it will take to read the article. — MF

I recently upgraded my Macbook to Mojave and I’m loving the new Dark Mode. Then I discovered Dark Reader, the Chrome extension that makes every website dark and now everything is easy on the eyes. You can toggle the extension on and off so you don’t have to commit to one mode. I find that it’s hard for me to free write on a dark screen, so I keep my Gmail and Evernote in light mode. — CD

To encouraging blogging, Wordpress is offering free .blog subdomains. They’ll give you a “x.blog” domain name that suits your x. I registered a blog for my next photobook called Vanishing Asia and got vanishingasia.home.blog. That’s pretty good, and for free. — KK

If you use Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, or Sites, here’s a tip. Just enter doc.new, sheet.new, etc. into your browser and it will instantly create a new, blank version. — MF

When troubleshooting anything my first step is Google/YouTube. But when an initial query does not yield much, I simply add the suffix “solutions” to the query. The terms “problem X + solutions” is more likely to yield sources that have answers, not just the same problem I have. — KK 

Type “movies” and your zip code to see what’s playing in theaters near you. Enter a flight number to see the status of the plane. Enter any shipper’s tracking number to see where your package is. — MF