#webapps Visit web site Support Details and it'll quickly round up your system information, including operating system, browser, IP address, and more. Sure, you know that info by heart, but the site comes in particularly handy when you're helping someone else out. More »

#diy Want a backyard fire pit but would like something more unique than your basic fire pit DIY? Check out how a clever user at DIY site Instructables made an attractive fire pit from a stainless steel washing machine drum. More »

#forwhatitsworth A Firefox-extension-as-art-project demonstrates how deeply Google services are embedded in most web sites, Ask.com returns to its roots, and maybe cellphones at the dinner table are an inevitable part of our future. More »

#downloads iPhone: Campfire is a popular web-based group chat application (we've been known to use it around Lifehacker HQ from time to time), and starting today, it's available as a free native iPhone application. More »

#hivefivefollowup Last week we asked you to share your favorite place to get a good book recommendation, then we rounded up the results for a vote. Now we're back to highlight your favorite. More »

#timesavers Almost everyone's carrying portable electronic devices in their pockets, and a guest in your home is likely to have at least one device that needs juice. Tuck an extension cord away to serve as an immediate and accessible guest recharging station. More »

#downloads Windows/Mac/Linux: Firefox is out with another beta of its improved and redesigned Firefox 4. This second early release gives Macs the same tabs-on-top look as Windows, and adds an "App Tabs" mode for sites you want to keep an eye on. More »

#windows The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a command-line tool built into Windows that helps you repair corrupted system files. If you can't boot your PC, the Winhelponline blog explains how to use it from the install disc. More »

#featuredworkspace It's easy to take a bunch of tech gear, cram it in a space, and call your home office complete. It's a much more delicate affair to put your gear in a space while keeping the space pleasing to look at. More »

The height of the ceiling in a space can seriously influence the way you work or interact within that space, according to behavior web site Psychology Today. The short version: We're more creative when ceilings are higher, feel crowded and want people to stay away from us when the ceiling is below nine feet tall, can't get cozy in spaces with really high ceilings, and benefit when ceiling heights vary from place to place. Good stuff to keep in mind when you're looking for a good place to get work done. [Psychology Today] More »

#downloads Windows only: Notes is a free, portable, no-nonsense note-taking application for Windows based on Notational Velocity (Mac only). It's fast, keyboard friendly, and in the beta release, supports syncing with Simplenote. More »

#broadband Net Index is a free service that ranks and compares download and upload speeds, quality of broadband connections, and internet service providers across the globe using data obtained from the popular Speedtest.net and Pingtest.net online tests. More »

#dealhacker Discounted laptops, HDTVs with inches to spare, and portable gear with bargain basement prices all await you in today's Dealhacker roundup. Don't worry, if you're short on cash the only thing bigger than our love of discounts is our pile of freebies. More »

#focus Most people who click on this article won't finish reading it. So says Nick Carr. The New York Times will remind you that you'll probably forget it in a few minutes. This idea's so prevalent, even the Onion has started taking jabs. More »

#newsaggregation Fwix is a news aggregation service focused on dishing the dirt on hyper-local news stories to help you stay on top of what's happening right in your backyard. Fwix is available both in the US and select countries abroad. More »

#askthereaders An organized, non-cluttered home isn't supposed to have many, if any, of them. But weird, single-use tools, be they bacon flippers or niche office supplies, are sometimes irreplaceable by common tools. We want to hear why you love your own esoteric items. More »

#privacy Reports have recently spread around the web that Facebook is showing a select group of accounts a different kind of account deletion—one that doesn't make you wait 14 days and instantly re-activates on any log-in, and which promises to "permanently delete all your account information including anything you have shared." That kind of yes-I'm-serious option sounds like a change long in the making, but consider quitting Facebook without really quitting first, or getting back to the privacy you've always wanted. [The Next Web via Boy Genius Report] More »

#maps Web mapping spot MapQuest has been quietly making their app much more convenient and easy to get around. Maps can now go nearly full-screen, zooming can be done with a mouse wheel, and Live Traffic covers thousands more roads. More »

#downloads Windows: If you'd like to keep your shortcuts and favorite applications close at hand without jumping back to the Start Menu, Radian is an open-source application launcher that centers your favorite and frequently launched applications right around your mouse. More »

#trackpad Along with hardware upgrades to their Mac Pro, iMac, and Cinema Display lines, Apple unveiled something entirely different for owners of their desktop computers: a fully functional, stand-alone "Magic Trackpad" that offers the same multi-finger control of the MacBook trackpad. More »