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Ever visit a website, see something you’d like to print, but find that the resultant printout includes a lot of unnecessary junk that you’d rather not read? For instance, when visiting a page about the latest football scores, you probably don’t want to waste your printer ink including a bunch of advertisements for DirectTV.

Extremely easy to use, the Clippable bookmarklet clears away the extraneous stuff and leaves you with a properly formatted page that includes only that information which is relevant.

No installation is necessary, as you need only visit the site and drag the Clippable box at the bottom to your Bookmarks Toolbar, which sits right beneath your address bar. Once there, you’re able to wipe away the ads and other clutter for those times when you just want to print what you’re interested in reading.

All you need to do, after visiting the webpage you’d like to print, is click on the “Clippable” bookmarklet.

An example of its value can be seen below, where you’ll notice that we’ve taken a website about customizing Windows 7 and stripped away everything but what’s pertinent. Once cleaned up, it’s ready for printing or to be copied and pasted in whichever editor you prefer.

Before Clippable:

After Clippable:

Should you be someone looking for a simple way to clean up those webpages you’d like to print or copy, give Clippable a shot.

You can grab it here.

Planning a trip that will see you taking long walks through an as yet unexplored city with winding streets and the confusing noise of bustling pedestrians? Bringing your smartphone along for the trip?

If your answer to the two questions above is “yes,” you might be interested in yet another innovative offering from Google, a nice accompaniment that aids those travelers looking to work those legs during their travels.

Part of Google Lab’s stable of services being tested before an official rollout, City Tours aids travelers in planning their trips, knowing that the uncharted streets of an unfamiliar city are part of the excitement we feel when traveling abroad.

When you input the city you’re visting, City Tours will craft a comprehensive tour for you, mapping out a three day itinerary that includes 10 suggested places to visit each day. Once they’ve offered their suggestion, you can add and remove sites, tailoring the tour to your liking.

Does your husband want to visit a location that famously served as the launching point for a popular band? Add it to the tour.

This great resource includes walking directions, names those locales you might want to visit, estimates the average length of time it’ll take you to go from one point to the next, and is just a generally welcome tool to employ when planning a trip.

Even if you’re not traveling, you might want to become more acquainted with the city in which you reside, making this just as invaluable a resource.

While it’s still being tested in Google Labs, you can use City Tours here.

In this age of social networking, where making the public privy to the happenings of our personal life has become something of an industry, picture sharing is as common as sending emails. Whether you’re uploading a picture to Facebook or any number of the other sites you frequent, it’s important to pay close attention to the size of the pic you’re uploading, many of these sites placing restrictions on the size of the picture you’re sharing.

In the past, resizing pictures was something you did manually, using one of the various photo editors that included a feature for that purpose. Now, there’s a tool that runs in the background, automatically resizing your photos whenever you  upload them.

It’s a free utility called Shrink Pic, and it’s an extremely convenient tool for those who frequently upload or attach photos. It monitors your uploading, silently resizing the picture whenever you upload, attach or – if transmitting via an Instant Messing client – send it.

According to the definitions you set before using it, Shrink Pic automatically resizes the images, uploading the compressed image once it’s complete. Even if you’re uploading multiple pictures, which can be the case when using Facebook, Shrink Pic works to resize every last one. It moves fast, too, working almost instantly.

Shrink Pic doesn’t touch your original picture, moving the resized pictures to a temporary directory. If you want to disable the program, you need only deactivate it with an option available in the system tray.

Free and available for Windows only, Shrink Pic can be downloaded here.

Google has proven to be a tremendous resource that many people reference for all kinds of information –  from the budding chef looking for the latest recipe, to a research assistant comparing their findings with an already published study.  Offering a myriad number of links, there’s nothing that Google  will not uncover, the extraordinary depth of its offerings the main reason it stands alone atop the peak of search engines.

While performing research, running multiple searches is a common task, one that can become frustrating when transitioning between multiple tabs. Alleviating you of that headache is a site called googlegooglegooglegoogle.com.

As the name of the website suggests, it affords users the opportunity to perform four Google searches simultaneously, splitting the screen into 4 separate Google windows.  Acting independent of each other, each screen serves as its own Google search, even allowing users to visit the links within that screen without impacting the content of the remaining 3 windows.

If you want to visit another website in one of the windows, click the green arrow at the top of that particular screen, where you’ll be prompted to enter the URL that you’d like to visit. This will not impact whatever you’re viewing on the other screens.

At the bottom, there’s a link – called “Menu” — that’ll draw up a list of options. You can restore previously closed google pages, switch to other Google services while maintaining the split screens, and alter the layout of the screens.

This is perfect for those of you performing a lot of research, especially if you’re a student who needs to cull information from a variety of sources.

Try it out here.

Nowadays, we’re concerned with what we’re consuming, as we’re reminded daily of the potential dangers inherent in the use of certain ingredients in the food we eat. If you’re one of the many who’d like an explanation of the nutritional composition of what you’re eating, the USDA Center for Nutrition has an informative resource that delivers a thorough rundown of the components that go into your food.

It’s called MyFoodapedia, an online database that lists the nutritional value for all types of food.

After visiting this website, you will see a field in which you can enter the treat you’re searching for, your input resulting in feedback that includes an assortment of potential matches to what you’re inquiring about. Additionally, it’ll give you examples of recipes that include the food you’re inquiring about. Should you have your own recipe, you can enter all of ingredients you’ll be using, and MyFoodapedia will list the nutritional information for every facet of the dish you’re preparing.

If you’ve become more mindful of what you put on your plate, visit MyFoodapedia and take a look at just what it is you’re eating.

With the recession still thinning our pockets, saving money has become a priority for many, seeing us cut back on expenses that we now look at as unnecessary.

One such expense is eating out, a delight that many of us love to indulge in.

If you’re someone who’s found that going to a restaurant or ordering takeout is no longer a pleasure your wallet can withstand, we have a great website that aids visitors in preparing meals at home, giving you all the necessary ingredients – absent food, of course – to prepare a dish that you’ll probably find more fulfilling than yet another order of pad thai from the restaurant down the street.

NoTakeOut is a website that helps you plan your meals, offering appetizing recipes for culinary wonders that help you both save money and eat dishes that are healthier than your standard takeout fare. In addition to having actual recipes, NoTakeOut walks you through every step of the meal’s preparation, detailing the exact ingredients required and the tools you’ll need to see the meal to its completion.

This website leaves nothing for chance, even going so far as to assist you in organizing the time spent on each step. Each new day brings a new recipe, including not only the main course but the side dishes that go a long way towards complementing your entrée. If you’re not interested in the daily offering, there’s an archive of past recipes, giving the brave chefs amongst you a chance to mix it up a bit.

You can either visit the website for the daily menu or sign up to have them email you a new recipe each day. Until we’re relieved of the economic climate currently weighing us down, this is a fantastic site that encourages you to keep both your pockets and your stomachs full.

You can visit NoTakeOut here.

Suffering a bit of a delay, Firefox 3.6 – currently in its 5^th beta, which can be obtained here – has been pushed to the first quarter of 2010. Its successor, Firefox 4.0,  is scheduled to enter beta testing next summer, with its final form slated for release in the winter of 2010. Recently overtaking Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the most popular web browser, Firefox has charged to the front of the pack, a result of its extensive flexibility and Mozilla’s vigilant attention to security.

As Mozilla continues to improve upon their award-winning browser, Geek Choice will update you on the changes they introduce.

The holiday season is upon us, which means a good deal of you are probably in the mood for some holiday themed wallpaper. Looking below, you’ll notice that we’ve listed an assortment of desktop treats.

If you see something that catches your eye, click on one of the pictures, which will bring you to the page featuring that particular wallpaper.

Once there, you can right-click on the wallpaper, bringing up a menu from which you’re able to set it as your desktop background.

Over here at Geek Choice,  we’ll be closed for Christmas Day, but we’d like to wish all of you a Happy Holiday.

If you use either Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010 or McAfee Virus Scan Plus 2010, you might be interested in knowing that a recent report by AV-Comparatives — an Austrian non-profit that assesses differences between anti-virus software, informing the public of their findings — concludes that Microsoft Security Essentials runs faster than the two aforementioned competitors.

Still, Microsoft Security Essentials placed 6th overall amongst 16 products tested by the firm. Coming in at the 8 spot was Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010, while McAfee VirusScan Plus 2010 came in 10th place. Microsoft Security Essentials was rated “very fast” in every test category, with just one other anti-virus program — F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 — qualifiying for the “very fast” honor in every test category.

This is of particular significance for those of you looking to install a security solution that doesn’t hinder the performance of your computer, a problem that persists with many anti-virus programs.

Microsoft Security Essentials has received high marks for its relative lack of bloat and fast performance. More enticing, Microsoft Security Essentials is free, making it the superior alternative to anti-virus solutions that are both costly and less efficient.

You can grab Microsoft Security Essentials here.

If you’re interested in reading more about the findings from AV-Comparatives, here’s their PDF.

Below, you’ll find a chart detailing the results of their assessment:

Though many us will be traveling over the holidays, we’re still bound by our responsibilities at work, with wireless access keeping us connected to the office wherever we find ourselves. Even if you’re not obligated to work during your vacation, you might still be one of millions who’re hopelessly addicted to the internet, needing access on the fly.

If you’re looking for free WiFi access while traveling, PC World has compiled a wonderfully informative list of nationwide businesses offering WiFi access, distinguishing those that charge from the establishments offering such access for free.

As someone who requires internet access at all times, for both personal and business matters, it’s nice to have this resource as the holiday season approaches.

If you’re similarly dependent on immediate WiFi access, you can find their WiFi Guide for Travelers here.