Technology

Thursday Buzz: Copy and Paste Just Got Cooler

A new browser plug-in tries to solve a common problem online—extracting text embedded in an image—and gets pretty close. Also: all the inspiration you need in a single viral clip.

You’re reading something on the internet and need to copy some text. After several failed attempts to highlight the text, you figure out that what you want to copy is embedded in an image. Cue a moment of rage.

Sound familiar? If so, check out this new Google Chrome plug-in.

Project Naptha, a piece of optical character recognition software that works inside your browser, makes it possible to select the text inside an image. It’s not perfect, but in certain cases—think a screenshot of a tweet or a letter someone frustratingly saved as a JPG file instead of a PDF—it could be a huge time-saver.

Basically, it’s a small tool designed to blow your friggin’ mind. Pretty cool, huh? It’s like the browser equivalent of flying cars.

An Inspired Clip

Need a little motivation? This mashup clip might help. It takes pieces of 40 inspirational speeches from 40 movies and turns them into a single, motivating whole. You’ll probably feel like you can take on anything after watching this. (ht Blue Avocado)

Other Cool Stuff

Salary negotiations are a dicey thing. Get Rich Slowly blogger J.D. Roth shares some of the best strategies with Lifehacker.

It may be easier to donate via social media, but as Know Your Own Bone‘s Colleen Dilenschneider notes, it also means that nonprofits are on the hook for showing results.

If you’re doing some spring cleaning, Wild Apricot recommends you don’t neglect your members-only offerings.

The American Occupational Therapy Association’s Maggie McGary highlights a new trend that’s gained steam in recent months—blogs turning off their comment sections entirely.

Download the plugin, then select the text within this image. It works. Really. (Project Naptha screenshot)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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