Digital Inspiration is an oft-linked blog here at Lifehacker, and its author is a very savvy digital worker. That said, Amit Agarwal learned a lot about safety precautions when both his Gmail and Google Apps accounts were hacked into.

Agarwal’s not entirely sure about how his accounts were broken into, given that he had strong passwords on them. After a few moments’ panic and some back-and-forth with the Google team, he regained control over his accounts. If he had to go through it again, he’d wish he had a whole bunch of backup and verification procedures on hand. Here’s one item that jumped out at us, despite having gone through a similar experience, as something neither we nor most Google/Gmail users probably have ready:

#3. Take a paper and write down the following information about your Google Account. You will need this to verify your identify to Google in case someone else takes over your Google Account and the secondary email address associated with your account.

* The month and year when your created your Gmail / Google Account.
* If you created a Gmail account by invitation, write the email address of the person who first sent you that invite for Gmail.
* The email addresses of your most frequently emailed contacts (the top 5).
* The names of any custom labels that you may have created in your Gmail account.
* The day/month/year when you started using various other Google services (like AdSense, Orkut, Blogger, etc.) that are associated with the Google account that you are trying to recover. If you’re not certain about some of the dates, provide your closest estimate.

Be sure to read the full Digital Inspiration post for more tips and advice on preparing for, and recovering from, hacked Google accounts, and share your own hack/spam recovery experiences in the comments.

More information [Digital Inspiration]

Hot on the heels of both Goo.gl and Fb.me, there’s now a Youtu.be! Its sole purpose: shorter YouTube links.

There isn’t really a lot more to this one, other than a brief explanation of how they work:

* Take the ‘key’ from the end of a YouTube video URL — The key, in the URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0 would be ‘oHg5SJYRHA0′
* Stick it on the end of YouTu.be — and… voila! http://youtu.be/oHg5SJYRHA0

The thing is, it’s not really all that short. The only real advantage, over something like Bit.ly, is that you now know it’s a video and not some stupid meme or phishing attempt. Also, as the YouTube Blog suggests, web developers can use the video key to bring up thumbnails, or embed videos directly. It’s also great with YouTube’s fairly-new AutoShare option: publish your youtu.be links straight to Twitter! Woo!

I know what you’re all thinking: Belgium has finally brought more than than just waffles or fries to this world; hallelujah!

More information [Download Squad]

Traditional computer security measures are not enough to protect your laptop and netbook. You have to pay attention on various laptop related security risks such as insecure public wireless network, laptop theft, laptop search, about which you don’t worry with your desktop computer. Whether your laptop is stolen or not, your privacy can still be at risk by simply traveling with your laptop. The Homeland Security Department and other authority can search your laptop to look for evidences on any illegal activity and illicit materials stored on your laptop such as unlicensed songs, movies, software or unlawful images of children. However, good laptop security does not necessarily cost you money. Here are 7 easy-to-use, useful and free software that can help you protect your laptop, your sensitive data and your privacy.

1. Encryption. TrueCrypt is a trustworthy encryption program that can protect your data against unauthorized access. www.truecrypt.org
2. Backup. Cobian Backup is a backup program that can protect your data against loss. www.cobiansoft.com. An alternative is Mozy free edition, which is an online backup software with 2 Gbytes space. www.mozy.com
3. Antivirus. AVG free edition provides protection against viruses, spyware and other malware. free.avg.com/ww-en/download-free.
4. Firewall. The built-in Windows firewall can protect your laptop against hackers while you’re online. (but make sure it is configured properly)
5. Alarm. LAlarm is like a car alarm for your laptop. The software can help prevent your laptop from theft, and can also recover and destroy your data in the laptop in case of theft. www.lalarm.com
6. Tracking. Prey is laptop tracking software that can locate your laptop if it is stolen. www.preyproject.com
7. File shredder. Eraser is a data sanitizing program that can permanently delete sensitive data such as passwords, Internet browse history, personal information from your laptop. www.forensicswiki.org/wiki/Eraser

Thanks Eric Lo for the contribution!