Google SketchUp 6

Google SketchUp 6 is Released

Google has announced the release of SketchUp 6 -- powerful 3D modeling software that's easy to learn, simple to use, and compatible with Google Earth. SketchUp 6 includes a new tool called Photo Match, which lets you create 3D models from photographs and match existing models to background photos. There's also support for 3D text, watermarks and sketchy effects. As with the last version, you can output your 3D models to Google Earth (this is how the 3D buildings in the new "Best of 3D Warehouse" layer were created). You can download SketchUp here to start creating and uploading 3D models for Google Earth.

Copernic Desktop Search

I have this on my Computer and must use it at least 4 to 5 times a day. I recommend it.

Find any file on your computer

• Instantly find Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, Word Perfect, text, ZIP files.
• Quickly locate emails or attachments from Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora and Mozilla Thunderbird.
• Search for over 150 other types of files like MP3, JPG, WAV, MPEG.
• Power your search with specific refining fields or advanced search operators.
• Results and beyond



• Instantly preview filtered matching results.
• Easily find search keywords: auto-scroll to first occurrence and highlighted keyword.
• Use dynamic word-find buttons to trace keywords in document previews.
• Quickly find search keywords: auto-scroll to first occurrence and highlighted keywords.
• Easily sort and group search results.
• Act on result: open folders or files, open, reply or forward emails, etc.

FastStone Image Viewer 2.9

FastStone Image Viewer 2.9

 

Convert, edit, and view images in all major graphics formats with this powerful freebie.

This freebie lets you browse and view your images in a Windows-Explorer-like interface. FastStone image viewer supports all major image formats, including BMP, GIF, ICO, JPEG, JPEG2000, PCX, PNG, PSD, TAF, TIF, and WMF. It includes EXIF metadata support as well. You can crop, resize, flip, rotate, and adjust colors on your images and compare them side by side.

ALSO on the above link you will find the other Free FastStone Products.

Purplenova

Purplenova means Gigabytes of Secure hosting space for free… under your control

How much you host is only limited by the size of your disk space.

We believe everyone should be freely able to contribute to the web to the extent they want.

Our software is free to download, use and distribute.

top

It’s the Easy Web Server: effortlessly host/un-host content straight off your PC

Start Purplenova.

To Host, simply right-click your files in Windows Explorer and select  ‘Host’ OR Drag-n-drop files into Purplenova.

To Unhost, simply right-click on hosted files in Windows Explorer and select  ‘Un-Host’ OR select files in the Purplenova window and hit “unhost”.

Retro64 Great Games Site

Retro64

Small, independent developers have historically had a rough time competing in the computer games industry. But take my word  for it when I tell you that Retro64 can compete with AND outdo most if not all of the big boys.

Retro64, Inc. was created by a professional game developer, Michael W. Boeh, to revive the creative spirit of the C64. There games aren't Quake 3, and they don't want them to be! In There words:-

"We strive to make small, fast, polished games that take no time to learn, yet are fun to play over and over again. And while we do look back longingly at yesteryear, we understand that we want our games to play like those great games of the past- but not look that way! We use the latest hardware 3D accelerated graphics and digital stereo music to create game environments that are pleasing to the eye and ear. Sure, our games are based on concepts that are 10 years old, but they look great and are a complete blast to play."

 

"We also feel that with today's Internet technology, there is no reason for a small company to sacrifice service and support. At Retro64, we partner with only the finest services to keep our gamers happy. When you buy a game from Retro64, you can rest assured that your order is safe, and you will get your game right away. We also stand by the quality of our games and provide free technical support, even if you haven't purchased our games."

Retro64 has only begun to create great games, so look out!

ijigg

What’siJigg?
Artists from around the world can post their music on iJigg. As listeners, you can vote or "Jigg" music that you like and directly influence the music that becomes popular!

The iJigg player is good, and it's possible to embed the player for any song in a blog or on a site , which opens up interesting possibilities. See the video demo.

The World's Healthiest Foods

The World's Healthiest Foods

130 foods that can serve as the basis of your Healthiest Way of Eating. Links to the articles about these foods can be found below.

Of course, there are many other nutritious foods other than those that we have included on our list that we feel are wonderful, health-promoting foods; if there are other whole foods - such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc - that you like, by all means enjoy them. Just because a food is not on our list doesn't mean that we don't think that it can be included in a diet geared towards the Healthiest Way of Eating as long as it is a whole, natural, nutrient-rich food.

Geni: Finally, Genealogy made easy

Geni.com just launched. It's an ONLINE family-tree-making service that's easier to use than any other competing system I've seen. And it's free. It also has a straightforward way to invite other family members in the hopes that they'll put in their own data.
Have just spent the last half hour on there and its GREAT

(SCRIBBLE) Online Whiteboard

[SCRIBBLE] Sharable Web-based Whiteboard.

skrbl is a web whiteboard.
Just start skrbl, give your skrbl URL to your friends, and instantly
start sharing online.
Write notes, see & edit each others notes...
Everyone sees the same screen,
everybody stays on the same page.

PortableApps Suite

 PortableApps Suite

PortableApps Suite™ is a collection of PortableApps including a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client, antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably. Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.

PrinterAnyware Beta

PrinterAnyware Beta

 

Print

With PrinterAnywhere you can print documents and photos on other people's printers as easily as on the local one connected to your machine. No special technical knowledge is required from both - printer owner and user. It just works!

With our software you can print directly from your application such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, Photo Editor or any other program you work with to a printer connected to another computer next door or ten thousand miles away (anywhere!).

 

Share printer

With PrinterAnywhere you can share your printer in less than a minute and let other people connected to the Internet (your friends, relative and colleagues) print paper documents on it. You don't need to know or deal with specifics of network sharing, complex settings and figuring out Windows access rights.

Our software automatically detects printers connected to your computer including local network printers. As long as you can print in it yourself, you can share the printer and let other people use it.

2 FREE Great programs

Advanced  and IObit SmartDefrag

 

Find What Others Miss

Slow down, freeze, crash and security threats are over. Advanced WindowsCare Personal is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes an one-click approach to help protect, repair and optimize your computer. Scanning and finding what other utilities miss, it can keep your PC error-free and smooth than ever. This fantastic program is available free of charge for private use.

and also

Disk fragmentation is generally main cause of slow and unstable PC performance. IObit SmartDefrag helps defrag your hard drive most efficiently. With "Install it and forget it" feature, IObit SmartDefrag works automatically and quietly in the background on your PC, keeping your hard disk running at its speediest. Slow down, freeze-ups and crashes will be a thing of the past. IObit SmartDefrag is 100% free for personal, home and small business.

NetSetMan (Free)

NetSetMan

NetSetMan 2.3.3

Are you tired of changing your network configuration every day on your notebook or computer?
The same procedure every day?

On the go: changing..., at home: changing..., at the Internet café: changing...,
visiting a friend: changing...

Then NetSetMan is your solution. It will do the work for you.

EssentialPIM

EssentialPIM

EssentialPIM is the powerfully simple personal information manager. Automatically import your existing data from Outlook, Outlook Express, TreePad, Google Calendar, or pretty much any PIM software that just isn't doing it for you. All your data in one place, interconnected so you don't have to mess around, and just the data you need without a lot of clutter. EssentialPIM is powerfully simple. Get information whenever you need it. Print whatever you want and only what you want! Save your data to HTML, RTF, CSV, TXT, or synchronize your data with Outlook. Real information management that doesn't slow you down! Now syncs with Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone devices!

Pix2Fone

Pix2Fone is a free service that lets you make custom mobile phone wallpapers, backgrounds and logos in a snap. You can use it online or download as extension for MS Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. The browser extension adds "Save Picture to Mobile Phone" and "Upload File to Mobile Phone" options right to your browser.

ORB

 

"Orb is fantastic! The ability to stream so many types of media so easily is unmatched."If there is only ONE program that you are able to download this New Year the MAKE IT ORB

There just arent words that can describe this Web 2 application, but if you like to take your Music with you, or your Pics, Or TV, or ANYTHING else that is on your main computer then this is the program for you. Its shining light is its simplicity and as I am well into my old age I know from experience that it is SOoo easy to set up. If I can do it ANYONE can.

Thank you Guys for all the effort that has gone into this.

Magnifier (FREE)

/Magnifier v2.3

For all those people out there who struggle to read the small print in docs or want to see an image in close up THIS is the ONLY program you will ever need. It is superb.

 

This program is simple to use and does what it needs to do. One reason you might need such an application would be if you have older family members trying to use the PC for the first time. They do not want a program that has 200 or more features and is flashing and blinking at you. Magnifier does not do that. It does provide you with:

• Resizable magnification area
• Auto-hide window edges allowing increased magnification area
• Stay on top and smooth display options
• Choose to follow mouse or magnify as you move
• Adjustable zoom factor
• Overlay grid for quick alignment
• Image capture with ten second delay
• http://www.iconico.com/magnifier/

VideoJug

VideoJug

This site has had me mesmerised for the past hour or so and I will be going back there often. It contains how-to videos on what feels like almost every possible subject, and they’re well-done without taking themselves too seriously. You’ll even learn how to care for giant African land snails and how to use the shower, and I’m sure that your need for advice on those subjects has been keeping you up at night. Although there is some goofy stuff, you can also expect to find some fairly useful videos.

HIGHLY Recommended

ANY Video Converter

Any Video Converter With thanks to DOWNLOAD SQUAD

Posted Jan 6th 2007 11:18AM by Jason Clarke
Filed under: Video, Windows, Podcasting, Freeware

When you start dabbling with video files on a PC, one of the first things that happens is you realize that you need to convert a file from one of the myriad of video formats to another one. Then, as you start investigating how to go about doing that, you find that it's not such a simple task - at least that's what I found.
That's why I was very happy to discover Any Video Converter. This monster of a little utility can convert almost any video file to almost any others. The list of supported formats include DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for iPod/PSP or other portable video device, MP4 player or smart phone. Oh, and did I mention that it's free?
Although it claims to be fast at converting files, the reality is that converting video takes time, and depending on the level of compression and file size, sometimes LOTS of time. That's just how it goes.

ICE Storm Photos

Ice storm photos from US midwest  With thanks to

Boing Boing

 

Dean Cosgrove has ice images here as well(external link)

Mike Umscheid has ice images here as well(external linke) click on the main photo to go to others

ComicVine

 

A social encyclopedia for comic book lovers that everyone can edit.

ComicVine,  is a wiki about comic book superheroes. I think it's great, and I'm not even a comic book fan. The focus makes it fun, and the community is devoted and engaged.

A Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to one an` all.
May the year ahead bring all that you desire and more.
If that includes a substantial lottery win my address is available on
request.

Best Wishes
Tony