You're busy. Your time is precious. Luckily, you've got a Mac. Follow us through a typical day and discover 10 ways that your Mac can save you time and trouble - and provide you with some entertainment, as well.

 

8:30 a.m. - Precommute Prep Time

 

Map out your day. Juggling balls, herding cats - whatever you call it, we're all a little too busy. Stikkit isn't like those "other” daily organizers that just add another plate (or cat) to your day. It's a Web 2.0 program that runs in Safari or Firefox and works like sticky notes, providing just the basics: what you need to do, by when, and with whom.

 

> Stikkit freeware

 

Create sticky notes that help you stick to your program.

 

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9:00 a.m. - Leaving Home (Bye-bye...)

 

Have your Mac answer the phone while you're out. PhoneValet 5 is a USB-powered answering machine that announces calls, lets you access your messages remotely, and even works with networked PCs. PhoneValet Podcast, which costs an additional $49.95, is one of the best ways to record a call for a podcast interview because the sound quality is better (by far) than what you'd get recording to tape, and you can easily post the AIFF files - or one of five other supported formats - to your website.

 

Yes, we admit that PhoneValet is a bit pricey for an answering machine, but for some reason we feel better buying this cool gadget than paying the phone company 20 bucks a month in perpetuity for voicemail service.

 

> PhoneValet 5 - $169.95 (plus $49.95 for PhoneValet Podcast)

 

Have your Mac screen calls for you.

 

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11 a.m. - While You're at Work

 

Keep your dates straight. Sometimes, being organized is just a matter of keeping the information you need close at hand. DesktopCalendar, as its name makes abundantly clear, is a calendar that sits on the desktop. Actually, "embedded into the desktop” is more accurate, because it looks almost like a background image. You can change a few display preferences - such as font and opacity - but it's mostly for looks.

 

> DesktopCalendar - freeware

 

Call up today's date instantly.

 

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3:00 p.m. - Afternoon Delights

 

Chat with a pal using a digital video camera and iChat. Any FireWire-enabled digital video camera (such as the Canon ZR800, $279, www.canon.com) will work with iChat - you don't need to have a Mac with a built-in iSight. Just use FireWire to connect your videocam to your Mac, launch iChat, and follow the prompts to enable video.

 

> Canon ZR800 - $279

 

The Canon ZR800 works with iChat to enable videoconferencing.

 

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5:30 p.m. - Let the Fun Begin

 

Learn to rock out for real. If you want to turn your air guitar skills into actual rock chops, try Talking Panda's iRocker. It loads your iPod with scales, chord charts, a tuner, a metronome, and even a few jam-along tracks. One tip: Try learning a new chord by playing an acoustic rock song by a band like the Fray.

 

> iRocker - $29.95

 

Instead of just music to listen to, iRocker loads music to learn from onto your iPod.

 

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8:30 p.m. - One Enchanted Evening

 

Watch a movie on the big screen. At night, a projector is the perfect companion to the Apple TV ($299), which streams iTunes content over a wireless home network. Bright and powerful, the Sony VPL-VW50 is meant for those with big Hollywood aspirations and a budget to match. Still, it's got a 120Hz refresh rate and full 1080p resolution, so you get what you pay for. Of course, you may want to skip the Apple TV and play a DVD from your Mac attached to the Sony projector since the iTunes Store didn't sell high-res, high-def movies at press time.

 

> VPL-VW50 - $4,999.99

 

Bring the big screen right into your living room with an HD projector such as the Sony VPL-VW50.

 

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9:30 p.m. - A Post-Prandial Stroll

 

Map a route for your after-dinner walk. If you already own a Garmin GPS device such as the Forerunner or the Edge, be sure to download the Garmin Training Center app. The free software lets you see where you've been and map out where you want to go using simple route planning. It works great for long hikes, bike rides, or casual strolls around your 'hood.

 

> Garmin Training Center - freeware

 

Change up your usual walking or running route.

 

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11 p.m. - Lights Out (Almost)

 

Find stars for telescope viewing.
This widget is so popular that, at press time, it was only available for download at certain hours of the day when Web traffic was light (such as early morning). Once you've installed it, type in your city's name to find constellations. Then, point your telescope as directed by the widget.

 

> Starry Night Widget - freeware

 

Select your location and the direction you want to look for telescope viewing.

 

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12:00 a.m. - Off to Slumberland

 

Play a slow screensaver on your widescreen TV. Another way to fall asleep faster is to watch a r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w screensaver. If possible, hook up your Mac to a widescreen display or TV in your bedroom, then go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screensaver, and click Flurry, then Options. Drag the Speed slider to Slow, click OK, and exit System Preferences.

 

> Screensavers - part of Mac OS X

 

Use the built-in Mac OS X screensavers set to a slow speed to help you fall asleep.

 

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1:00 a.m. - All Night Long

 

Let your Mac contribute to scientific discovery. You could shut 'er down for the night. Or you could let your Mac contribute its unused (by you) computing resources while you sleep. There are a considerable number of distributed computing projects going on all over the world. You've probably heard of SETI@home, for example, which is searching for signs of extraterrestrial life. But even if E.T. leaves you cold, there are a number of other worthwhile projects being forwarded by everyday citizens who "donate” their computing power. Click here for a complete list.

 

> SETI@home, folding@home - freeware

 

Distributed computing projects such as folding@home let your Mac contribute to scientific discovery.