Thursday, June 30, 2005

SmartClose

SmartClose is a free program that will automate the process of closing all running programs. It can also save the state of the system to a system snapshot, so all the programs that have been closed can be also easily restarted later by SmartClose.
Many tasks that can be performed on PC's these days require you to close all currently running programs. For example, almost every installer asks you to close all other applications to minimize conflicts and to avoid replacing in-use files. Other high-end tasks, such as burning CD's and defragmenting or scanning hard drives can slow down or even fail when other processes 'kick in', like background programs, the screen saver or a scheduled task.
Of course, you can manually exit each program one by one, disable the screen saver… That is when SmartClose comes in! SmartClose will automatically close all running programs, disable the screen saver and halt all other processes that can interrupt without asking.
But what when you have finished the task that required you to use SmartClose and you want to restore the programs and such that were disabled by SmartClose? Restart the computer? No, because before SmartClose closes or disables anything, it will first save the current state of the system (running programs, screen saver…) to a 'system snapshot', that can later be opened and restored again by SmartClose.

ImgSeek

Photo collection manager ImgSeek helps you organize your photos. When you make a simple sketch of the photo you're looking for, ImgSeek pulls up the closest matches so you can find the right one. You can organize photos in HTML albums or group them by similar features. Edit metadata for images to make it easy to find desired images later.

Version: 0.8.5
Price: Free

i-health-info.com

Keeping yourself healthy can be an ongoing project. Watching what you eat, what you drink, what kind of vitamins to take (and not take), can be an a challenge. Sometimes we worry about the big issues, and forget about the little ones. Sometimes we get so caught up in the small issues, and don't pay attention to what turns out to be something big. With all the new medical information that is available in libraries, the media, and on the Internet, it is nice to find a site that helps make it easier to understand these medical issues, and to plan a path to deal with them.

The name of the site is called i-health-info.com. Here you'll find information relating to common men's health issues and women's health issues. We are all faced with different health issues, and depending on our age and sex, some can be more significant that others. This site's philosophy is that self-education can provide hope and self-confidence in ones ability to successfully address specific health issues.

There is a wide variety of information here, covering subjects such as yeast infections, high blood pressure, and acid reflux. They provide information and resources for a wide variety of health conditions, as well as some natural remedies. There is a free e-book report on weight loss (one that I will be reading) which as been called "the best on the Internet".

As always, if you suspect you are having any medical problem, you should consult a doctor or other medical help. This site can provide you with information on medical conditions, but is not a substitute for a healthcare professional. The information here can help supplement what those professionals tell you.

Add a "New Folder" Button to Windows Explorer

At last! With BxNewFolder, the smart folks at Baxbex Software have added to Windows Explorer's toolbar a much-needed button for creating a new subfolder of the folder currently selected. Just click the button and a dialog box appears, prompting you for the folder's new name. Don't like switching from mouse to keyboard? Press F12 to open the dialog box, type the new name, and press Enter to add your folder. (Or press Shift-Enter to finish naming the folder and navigate to it in one step.) To top it off, BxNewFolder is free for home use. What's not to like?

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Google Earth

The idea is simple. It's a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route. We invite you to try it now.

# Free for personal use.
# Sophisticated streaming technology delivers the data to you as you need it.
# Imagery and 3D data depict the entire earth - Terabytes of aerial and satellite imagery depict cities around the world in high-resolution detail.
# Local search lets you search for restaurants, hotels, and even driving directions. Results show in your 3D earth view. Easy to layer multiple searches, save results to folders, and share with others.
# Layers show parks, schools, hospitals, airports, shopping, and more.
# KML - data exchange format let your share useful annotations and view. thousands of data points created by Google Earth users.



yay! i was waiting for this. i knew google would rebrand, update, enhance and release this for free. i just didn't know when. if you thought google maps was amazing, and you've never used the keyhole software, you are going to be blown away!
System requirements

Mercora IMRadio

Legal Music Sharing

Mercora IMRadio lets you share your music with friends and other people on the network by Webcasting a stream of music. The service boasts 25,000 to 30,000 channels of streaming music at any given time, hosted by Mercora users. Here's the Web site:
http://search.mercora.com/

You can use Mercora in a number of interesting ways. The easiest is to add a few friends (in the same way you'd add friends in an instant messaging client) and browse through their music collections. A "Similar" button can help you find new friends by comparing your music library to those of other Mercora users.
Alternatively, you can search the Mercora network for songs currently being Webcast. That's a cool feature, but it's far from perfect. With fewer than 30,000 users logged on at any given time, you're obviously going to get better results searching for The Beatles or U2 than any of the random indie stuff I often listen to. Still, you can usually find something interesting playing at any moment.

If you find a collection or a Webcast you particularly like, you can record it and play it back later. You can't save those recordings indefinitely, but you can use the record function to time-shift good Webcasts much as you would use a TiVo to record your favorite TV shows.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Penguin remixed

This is an absolutely great cultural marketing initiative, spreading valuable passages from some of the best classical writings in remixes and mashups completely created by users. Penguin Books has in fact made available a good number of audio recordings containing the voices of some popular actors reading through classical passages. Users can freely download the recordings and remix them with music and sounds in any way they like.

The results are nothing short of astonishing.

In my personal view this has got to be one of the best ways to get exposure to the classics for today's youth. Not only. It is my personal conviction and experience that by listening to the spoken word when associated to repetitive and not dominant music patterns the human brain can memorize and remember those words much more effectively.

Don't think so? Give it a try:
http://www.penguinremixed.co.uk/site/rmx_intro.php


Screenshot Pilot 1.44

Doing a capture of your current Windows desktop is simple enough, right? All you have to do is hit a few buttons on your keyboard (Ctrl and Print Screen at the same time) and it is automatically copied onto your clipboard. So why would you need a separate program running to do something you can do already with just a few quick finger strokes?

Well, let me ask you these questions first. What if you just wanted to capture one window? What if you wanted to just see what was in your taskbar? What if you felt the need to get more control out of your desktop screen image? That is what Screenshot Pilot allows you to do.

Screenshot Pilot is a little program that sits in your taskbar and at any moment can quickly take a shot of the active window, active client, full screen, screen region, selected object, window under cursor, menu under cursor, cursor, and background image.
Preview it

Auction Explorer for eBay

Auction Explorer is the first and only Internet Explorer Add-on for eBay. Now you have access to the advanced eBay search features right from within Internet Explorer. Easily save and navigate searches on your terms. You can even sync your eBay Watches and Bids with one click access! Stay on top of your auctions with Auction Explorer for eBay.

KODAK EASYSHARE Software

A simple way to organize, print, and share
Organize your pictures to find them instantly
Print at home, online, or at your local store
Share pictures quickly with friends & family
Early Access v5.0 Now Available
Be the first to experience the latest release v5.0 (WINDOWS, English only)

NOTE I have been using this software now for the past week and it does everything you would expect of it and more. Its print at home facility is VERY impressive 10/10
Download the early access edition v5.0 to start taking advantage of these great new features

P h o t o F i l t r e

PhotoFiltre is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments
to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy
learning curve. The toolbar, giving you access to the standard filters with just a few clicks, gives
PhotoFiltre a robust look.

Click here for a screenshot

T u t o r i a l s

eHow

How-to manuals are very popular when you are trying to do something for the first time (or the second time, or the third time, you know what I mean). The success of the "…for Dummies" book series is a great example of that. But sometimes you need information faster than you can run to a bookstore. That is where the internet comes in handy, and today's Famly First Site comes in even handier.

The site is called Welcome to eHow. The motto of this site is "the fastest and easiest way to find out how to do just about anything. And get the stuff you need to do it". It is divided into distinctive areas such as automotive, college, real estate, health, and even weddings. Then there is search engine function that allows users to enter topics, and see if there is any information on that topic. For example, "change a flat tire" takes one to a page that describes a step-by-step procedure on how to do just that. But there are also links to related sites, such as how to check tire pressure, and safety when jacking up a car.

The variety of material covered in this site is truly unique. I would recommend book marking it for future reference (like when you're trying to change the plug on your vacuum, and you can't remember where the ground wire goes). It is a great reference source, and is continually growing and adding new material.


Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Tip of the Month

Have you been labeled a spammer? You may be able to find out. First determine what your Internet protocol address is by using a site like WhatIsMyIP.com:

Next punch your IP address (or your domain name, for business users) into DNSstuff's Spam Database Lookup site to see a list of antispam companies that recommend blocking your e-mail:

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

I Used To Believe

I Used To Believe is a collection of ideas that adults thought were true when they were children. It will remind you what it was like to be a child, fascinated and horrified by the world in equal parts. The following pages will reassure you that the things you used to believe weren't so strange after all...

You can add your own to the site and subscribe to our monthly newsletter and get the best twenty beliefs each month in your inbox. To see what subscribers have received in the past, view our previous newsletters. There are currently 37213 beliefs on the site.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Beginners Guides: Essential USB Memory Drive Projects & Tips

Encryption, Firefox browser, word processing, arcade games and yes even an operating system can be run off your USB hard drive... if you know how! - Version 1.0.0

Saturday, June 18, 2005

QuickTime 7 Player

On June 6, Apple released a public preview of QuickTime 7 Player and QuickTime 7 Pro for Windows, the industry?s first mainstream H.264 solution for streaming and playback of high-definition (HD) video on the Windows platform.

Ratified as part of the MPEG-4 standard, the H.264 video codec delivers pristine quality video across a broad range of bandwidths, from 3G for mobile devices to iChat AV for video conferencing to HD for broadcast and DVD. Both the DVD Forum and Blu-ray Disc Association have adopted H.264 for the next generation of HD DVDs.

QuickTime 7 also features multi-channel audio support, live resizing for smooth viewing and all-new playback controls, including jog shuffle and variable speed playback.

Check out the QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview today.

Konfabulator Creates Beautiful Desktop Widgets

This is one of those great discoveries that keeps you tinkering all day. I discovered Konfabulator and the rest was history. Here's why:

"Konfabulator is a JavaScript runtime engine for Windows and Mac OS X that lets you run little files called Widgets that can do pretty much whatever you want them to. Widgets can be alarm clocks, calculators, can tell you your WiFi signal strength, will fetch the latest stock quotes for your preferred symbols, and even give your current local weather.

"What sets Konfabulator apart from other scripting applications is that it takes full advantage of today's advanced graphics. This allows Widgets to blend fluidly into your desktop without the constraints of traditional window borders. Toss in some sliding and fading, and these little guys are right at home in Windows XP and Mac OS X."
a cool RSS reader, battery gauge, live weather forecast, Wifi signal meter, calendar, and so many others, it's just hard knowing what to keep on the desktop at all times, and what to pull up when you need it. (Like the very cool flight tracker.) There are web-cams and picture frames and everything can be dragged and placed on the desktop and then customized to be solid or almost invisible. Anyway, I could go on and on, or just try it yourself. The download is free and the graphics are extraordinary.

Why haven't these guys gotten more press?
PLEASE NOTE
I have just come across this site and have NOT as yet tried it out. It was mentioned on Real Tech News so I am assuming that it is fine to download.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Do you have what it takes to be British?

Here are some questions you would have to answer to get a British passport.
Do you think you have what it takes to be a royal subject ?


"You got 8 right!"
Dang.. I guess I will have to stay here.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Piky Basket

With Piky Basket, you can reduce repetitive tasks when copying/moving files and folders in Windows. Piky Basket allows you to select files/folders in to a "basket" from different locations. Once you are done selecting, you can paste them all at once to the target folders. It also allows you to selectively paste the files to the target folder.

Piky Basket is integrated with Windows Explorer. You do not have to run Piky Basket as a separate program. It can be accessed from the menu which appears by right clicking on any files/folders in Windows Explorer.

*

Piky Basket is a replacement for Windows file copy/paste operation
*

Piky Basket can save lot of time when organizing files on your hard drive
*

Piky Basket can be very useful when copying same set of files to different locations
*

Piky Basket can be used when taking backup of files and folders from different locations
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Piky Basket can be used when burning a CD which requires copying of files and folders from different location

LinkStash

LinkStash is an outstanding new Windows bookmarks/favorites manager which works for all later versions of Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera. LinkStash will open and close with your browser, and easily store and organize all your favorite links in a familiar Explorer-style tree arrangement. Add new links instantly with a keystroke or handy toolbar buttons in LinkStash or on the IE toolbar. All your bookmarks are contained in one compact file for easy synchronizing to other computers. LinkStash can also be configured with an infinite variety of different highlighting options for various folders, or individual bookmarks. LinkStash includes complete automated password control with fully automated logon to any website requiring username/password. LinkStash also includes a powerful search feature which makes forgotten links a breeze to find. It works so well, that 5 minutes with LinkStash and we are betting you will never want to use IE favorites or Netscape bookmarks again!

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Google Search

If you head to the GOOGLE Help Center, you’ll find search tools already online and devoted to books and many other things. In fact, that list of search engines is likely to contain something you didn’t know they covered. It’s a list that covers 25 tools and services (as of this writing).

Microsoft "Acrylic" opens up Public Beta

Microsoft's new rival to graphics programs such as Adobe PhotoShop and Corel PhotoPaint, code named "Acrylic," is now in public beta. It's a graphics manipulation program that has dozens of neat special effects image filters that let you make a photo look like a photocopy, watercolor, stained glass, painting, etc. You can also do all the usual resampling, rotating, adjustment of color, brightness, contrast, etc., layering, and most of the same functions that other high-end graphics programs do. You can download and try it out free
Note--XP only and it is BETA

Quote of the Week:

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing - George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950).

Hapland and Hapland 2

I posted these originally on my Games Site but they are so interesting I will put them on here as well.
Oh-and Good Luck

I just can't figure out how to finish Hapland 2, but I sure am having a lot of fun clicking around on everything. (You can have a go at the original Hapland as well.)

Monday, June 13, 2005

The ZoomQuilt

The ZoomQuilt is an amazing piece of werk. I just keep zooming in and out, staring in fascination. Take a look!

Sunday, June 12, 2005

FireANT FREE

FireANT is an RSS video aggregator and media player that can automatically download media content for you to watch and listen to. FireANT lets you subscribe to any RSS 2.0 feed that supports enclosures by adding the URL of the channel manually, browsing FireANT's Directory, or search for video on the web using Yahoo! Video Search. Requires major video players like Windows Media, QuickTime and RealPlayer for playback.
OS: Windows2000,WinXP,Windows2003,Mac OS X

Friday, June 10, 2005

the Google Help Center…

he Google Help Center is an interesting place. Of course it lists the usual help subjects on simple searches, the use of the preferences, and the Advanced Search page.

Also, it lists all the current tools and flavors of Google search that you can use in your struggle to get what you want from the Web. That listing seems to grow every day, so checking back isn't a bad idea. It showed ME a few things I didn't know. The spread of Google's tools keeps going in every direction. One of the newest is the Google translation service.

Check it out. There's a lot of fun stuff in there.

STICK FREE Win2k/XP

The more tasks we start doing on our computers, the better organizational tools we need. Thanks to Stick, we now can get quicker access to notes, folders, and more information just by clicking a dropdown menu on our desktops. This program gives you a free and simple way of adding useful tabs to your computer’s desktop.

Organize your desktop using screen tabs to access the Web, browse your hard drive or network, and take notes. With Stick you can do all these things with easy-to-use but out-of-the-way tabs that dock to the sides of your screen. With Note Taker tabs, you can quickly jot down richly formatted notes and access them at any time with ease. The integrated Web browser is based on Internet Explorer so you don´t have to worry about browser compatibility.

The most recent version includes a quick application launcher that lets you just type in the first few letters of an application to launch it. Use the Windows Key + Space bar to invoke the launcher.

The calendar plugin serves to demonstrate the extensibility of Stick as well as provide a simple, easy-to-use calendar to reference on your desktop.

Please try this program out and let me know what you think. Tools like this are the future of how we will eventually use our computers. Well, maybe not everybody, but the organized people will.

[1.0M] [Win2k/XP] [FREE]

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

NET Traffic Meter

When your network connection gets slow, is it because of something the cable or DSL provider did or are you bogging down your network connection with too much information? The only way to know how much data is coming and going from your network is to set up monitoring tools to track the data. Windows includes a feature limited network monitor as part of the operating system, but it never provides a clear picture of what's actually happening on your network. NET Traffic Meter delivers an in-depth look at all the traffic generated by sharing files using BitTorrent, downloading the latest movie trailers, streaming Internet radio, sending email and surfing for the latest apps to enhance your system. Audio alarms and on screen alerts send you warnings when traffic spikes or something on your system changes. These alerts can be an early warning sign that your system may be infected with the latest junk mailing virus or that you are openly sharing a file you never intended to provide for the convenience of everyone on a peer-to-peer network. Get a handle on where the bits and bytes on your system are coming and going. .NET Required. [Windows 2k/XP ONLY $0.00]

Welcome to Laptop for Dummies

Laptops for Dummies. It’s packed with tips, suggestions, examples, and just so full of laptop fun and frivolity that reading it will both inform and consume you. Consider your days of laptop bewilderment at an end. NOTE This link was sent to me by the author of the site and if you have a laptop I sugest you check THIS site out to cure your frustrations. THANKS Anonymous.

Cane Toad

Daz is a boffo bufo marinus (Cane Toad) who wonders where his buddy Baz has disappeared to. Oddly, all his musings involve Baz meeting a horrifically grim fate. Despite the cute Australian accents, this is not a film for the squeamish. Or cane toad lovers.

Font Diner Free Silverware

Fonts are just plain fun. Free fonts are even better. Font Diner, makers of fine retro fonts, typically based on pop-culture, have several free fonts in their Free Silverware collection. All the Font Diner fonts are available for both PC and Mac users, and chances are, you'll find something that fits your creative needs, or at least brings back a memory of mid-Twentieth century culture. My personal favorites are in the Brain Eaters b-movie font collection, which aren't free, but smack of all my favorite rock posters. [Windows/Mac $0.00]

Problems using this site? Ask The Dr.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Ten top tips for Windows XP

With these top tips for Windows XP, you can save time and get things done much more quickly, whether it's printing documents, finding files, or launching favourite applications

MyWebEx PC

MyWebEx PC is the only remote PC access provider to offer a free and secure remote PC work solution that's easy to set up and use.

Stunt City Video

Good little video taken in Stunt City?

Monday, June 06, 2005

Gizmo Richards

Gizmo Richards has done an excellent comparison of free versus paid
antivirus programs, and he recommends a layered approach to security. Visit
his site at http://www.techsupportalert.com and look for the "Is Free
Security Software Good Enough?" link under "This Week's Most Popular Guides"
for the article and his recommendations. (While you are there, check out
the guides and information he has - the newsletter is worth subscribing to!)

Thanks to http://www.commonsensesecurity.info for this link

Chaos Manager 2.15

Chaos Manager is a compact organizer that includes an appointment/to-do manager, a calendar, contacts, a notebook, print/import/export and more. It can remind you of appointments via popup dialog, or optionally send email reminders to a specified email address - allowing you to get reminders, even if you are away from home. If you commute between 2 computer locations, you can use the built-in FTP synchronization feature to exchange and sync data with another install of Chaos Manager (e.g in your office). Additional features include password protection, customizable interface with many skins to choose from and more. As far as features, Chaos Manager is a mostly basic PIM, but the FTP sync features and email forwarding add some good features that may be more useful to some, than other advanced organizer features.I use this program and it is just great

WYSIWYG Web Builder 1.8.1

WYSIWYG Web Builder allows you to create a standard HTML web page without the need for any HTML knowledge. You can simply position elements where you want them to appear (text blocks, images etc.) and preview your creation, then publish it with the built-in FTP uploader. The program supports standard HTML markups, as well as forms, and can help you insert various media types, including Flash, Java, ActiveX and more. The program also supports some enhancements, such as colored scroll bars, rollover images, ready-to-use Java Scripts, word highlighting and more. Advanced users can also edit and insert HTML code as needed.

HTTrack

HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility.

It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site's relative link-structure. Simply open a page of the "mirrored" website in your browser, and you can browse the site from link to link, as if you were viewing it online. HTTrack can also update an existing mirrored site, and resume interrupted downloads. HTTrack is fully configurable, and has an integrated help system.

WinHTTrack is the Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP release of HTTrack, and WebHTTrack the Linux/Unix/BSD release. See the download page.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Books On MP3

Books On MP3, offering a collection of mp3 versions of several Mark Twain short stories, along with The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot, The Monkey's Paw, and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal. All the free stuff is encoded at 64 kbps 44kHz, which is more than acceptable for spoken word. The narrator, John Born, doesn't have my favorite reading voice, but he won't put you to sleep either. The Monkey's Paw is performed by the Blue Ridge Audio Players and is a must-have addition to any audio book collection. Of course the site would like you to purchase other audio books after trying out these freebies, but there are no strings to grabbing the free offerings.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Animusic

Falling into the DVD, audio, screensaver and wallpaper categories, this site is beyond cool. Animusic has created a DVD performance, completely animated, of some musical machines performing orchestral compositions. 5 second clips of each instrument are available in Quicktime format and the Wallpapers taken from the animation are a must have for anyone who likes to change the way their background looks. If you have an ATI video card, there's a bonus screensaver available from the ATI site. The site meant for selling the DVD, but the wallpapers and screensavers are worth a visit even if you aren't interested in buying. The sample clips alone intrigued me enough to want to place an order.

Speegle

To most of us, searching for content on the Web is a text only affair. There are image and video concepts that are currently being worked on, but text still prevails. However, it’s not always the easiest thing to navigate, especially for those among us who have accessibility problems. Technology advances each and every day, and a service called Speegle will actually read the search results to you.

This may not be useful to very many of you, but those with vision problems will find it to be helpful. You select one of three voices to read the results, and the verbosity is strictly up to you. As soon as the results for your query are processed, a computer generated voice will begin to speak. When you hear a result that you would like to check out, just press the corresponding number on your keyboard. Advancing through the result pages is as simple as a keystroke, too.

Portello 1.05.0004

edit web pages from your browser

Portello offers a unique way of to edit and update your web site by using Internet Explorer. It works as a plug-in that is available from the toolbar, and once activated, transforms the current page into an editable version, that can be modified in a WYSIWYG mode - the changes can be saved and the page automatically updated on your server. In addition to simple text editing, you can also create tables, removed or change images (with support for absolute positioning), format text, edit links and more. Advanced users can also edit the HTML source directly. Portello is configured with your FTP account information, which allows direct upload of the changed files, as well as file access, similar to an FTP Explorer view. The program also includes a restore option, that allows you to Undo changes and revert to a previous version of the page. While Portello is not a full-featured HTML editor, it is very convenient for quick editing jobs, and powerful enough to perform some more complex editing or design tasks.

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 4.0.1

The progress of Windows has meant that some old software will not work properly with Windows XP. The Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit is the best way to get them working again.

Just installing the toolkit will improve compatibility with older software but if you still have problems the toolkit offers lots of different options for finding out what is wrong and fixing the problem

Friday, June 03, 2005

Free PC utilities - Part 1

Why pay over the odds for PC utility software when you can get it for free? We round up 50 essential utilities that can help keep your PC perfect


Free PC utilities - Part 2

We continue our round-up of 50 essential utilities to help keep your PC perfect. Why pay over the odds for utility software when you can get it for free?

Cheetah DVD Video

Cheetah DVD Video v1.0 - Convert your WMV, AVI, and MPEG files to DVD!

Convert your WMV, AVI, MPEG1 and MPEG2 files to DVD compatible AUDIO_TS, and VIDEO_TS folders. The output will be in standard DVD format, compatible with all home DVD players. The program will also append all added videos together, to create one video. Just drag the files into the main window, and click convert and that's it!.

System Requirements - Windows XP

Cheetah Audio Converter FREE

Convert your Audio files to WAV, MP3, WMA, and OGG formats.
Just drag them into the program window and click convert.

System Requirements - Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP
Note---Scroll down to the program on the main download page

Holding Pattern A screensaver that simulates an aeroplane flight

If you're sitting at your computer whiling the hours away, let Holding Pattern whisk you off on an exotic voyage on an international airliner.

The flight features big cities at night, rolling green landscapes and snow-capped mountains, amongst many other views.

The screensaver is created out of lots of photos taken from an aeroplanes window seat, with animated backgrounds added later. The result is a pleasant and soothing experience that could relieve some of that working day sress.
Includes a Mac Version

SpywareBlaster 3.4

Spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers are some of the fastest-growing threats on the Internet today.
By simply browsing to a web page, you could find your computer to be the brand-new host of one of these unwanted fiends!

The most important step you can take is to secure your system. And SpywareBlaster is the most powerful protection program available.

# Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software.
# Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox.
# Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.


SpywareBlaster can help keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the "good side" of the web.

And unlike other programs, SpywareBlaster does not have to remain running in the background.

SpywareBlaster is freeware for personal and educational use.

Nvu FREE

Powerful Open Source Web Editor (IDE)
Got Dreamweaver envy? Go on, admit it. Macromedia Dreamweaver (and Adobe GoLive, among others) is a powerful tool that can help make Web design an enjoyable, creative experience, rather than a menial coding headache. But if you are a Linux developer, or if you simply couldn't afford expensive software, you were out in the cold... until now.

Even Dreamweaver users may want to stop and take a look at Nvu, a free, open source Web design environment with Mozilla's Gecko rendering engine at the heart of its WYSIWYG HTML editor.

Nvu runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and even though this is only the second beta release of the software, it's already got a solid feature set, including:

* multiple file editing with tabs
* multiple views per file: HTML, tags, WYSIWYG, and Preview
* strong CSS support
* site file management with integrated FTP
* on-the-fly spell checking

Power users may miss a few features of the commercial packages, like Secure FTP (Blane suggests a work-around in his blog entry), pop-up code hints, server-side coding, and testing servers. But if the momentum of this project is maintained I expect all that and more will eventually be added.

dBpowerAmp Music Converter 11.0

Often called a Swiss army knife of Audio, dMC is able to:

* Rip digitally sound from Audio CDs and store in a multitude of formats, dMC is the Fastest CD Ripper and now AccurateRip Compatible
* Convert from one format to another, just about every audio type is supported: mp3, mp4, Windows Media Audio (wma), Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Monkeys Audio, FLAC and many others [Codec downloads], whilst preserving ID Tags,
* Volume Normalize audio files,
* Windows Explorer Integration - right click Convert To & popup useful information on audio files (such as bitrate, length).
* ID tag editing [Power Pack Option],
* Record from LPs or anything [optional Auxiliary Input install],
* Fully compatible with Windows 95/98/ME NT4/2000, Windows XP and Linux (using Wine).
* 100% Free (mp3 encoder on trial license), No nags, popups, hidden spyware or bundleware.
Very Important

> Please Read

dBpowerAMP Music Converter™ is Freeware, without Spyware, Bundling or Ad-ware and does not install or alter system files. At anytime uninstall dBpowerAMP at any time using Start >> Control Panel >> Add / Remove Programs.

Important part: dBpowerAMP's mp3 encoder (writer) is on a time limited 30 day trial license, illustrate has provided a 100% free encoder for many years, but a legal challenge (claims of patent infringement) has forced a change, the world cannot have a free mp3 encoder so it seems. This license is purchased through the Power Pack license (a series of enhancements to dBpowerAMP: Faster CD Ripping, Handles Compilation CDs, Preview CDs, ID Tag Editing, DSP Sound Effects and more)...all for $14 [Registration can be made here].

Put into a nut shell - if you wish to pay nothing, ignore the 30 day registration reminder and all that will happen is the mp3 encoder & Power Pack enhancements will deactivate. You will still be able to Rip CDs and convert files to any other format (WMA, Ogg Vorbis, etc).

Straight after installation dMC Configuration is presented, default options should be find for most people, for details on each configuration dMC Configuration options.

At anytime in dBpowerAMP click or (on the title bar then click on an item on the page) to instantly receive help on a certain area or aspect of dBpowerAMP.

Flickr Postcard Browser

This application lets you browse Flickr's huge image database, by searching for tags (keywords). Flickr Postcard Browser uses the real-world metaphor of a set of postcards shuffled onto a surface.

Requires Flash.

Very COOL

Spell Checker For OE

You shouldn't have to be a spelling champion to use Outlook Express--but since the program doesn't have a spelling checker, that seems to be the target market. Spell Checker for OE integrates with Outlook Express to help you catch those pesky typos and misspellings.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Welcome to World Of Quotes!

People like to have a repertoire of quotes that they can pull out from time to time, and you can quote me on that. Many of our world’s brightest minds from both the past and present have contributed succinct lines of reasoning that continue to stick with us. For an example of one of these visionaries, just look at Paris Hilton. The phrase “That’s Hot” packs so much meaning into two words. It’s a versatile saying that can apply to anything from the sun to a bowl of soup. Pack your brain with more quotes than you’ll ever need
The quotes are categorized by topic and author. Alternatively, you can search directly for a specific thing that you have in mind. On top of quotes, you can also browse through proverbs from many of the nations in the world and documents that contain a lot of history. This information may not necessarily make you that much smarter, but it will help you to fake it 'til you make it.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

GMail Drive v1.0.5

Google's GMail gives you a hefty 1000 megabytes of storage--more than most of us need for e-mail. GMail Drive lets you turn your GMail account into file storage. This shell namespace extension creates a virtual file system on top of your GMail account. You can copy files to and from the GMail Mail Drive folder by dragging and dropping, just as you would with any other drive.
Works with XP only
Note: The GMail service is a Google product, and GMail Drive is not. Changes to the GMail service may make GMail Drive unusable.