Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Wikispaces



Create simple web pages that groups, friends, and families can edit together

Whether youve created a product or service and want to create a community resource, or you just want to build a wiki for yourself and your family, there are plenty of options, and another one to consider is Wikispaces. After joining to create your wiki, you're sure to be pleased by the availability of their visual editor, which will make it easy for you to create what you want to create. One of the scary things about opening up a resource to the public is the possibility of vandalism and spamming, but Wikispaces helps fight this problem by backing up every version of a page, so that in a pinch, you can revert back to a previously accepted content structure. RSS feeds are also available to keep you informed of page changes and discussions.

Monday, May 01, 2006

GetByMail



If you do work in two locations--but don't want to messy with pricey, complicated remote-access software--consider GetByMail. This freebie lets you access another computer through your e-mail account. Your files bypass limited FTP access, firewall problems, and other roadblocks by going through the approved channel of e-mail.
"Well, duh, I can e-mail files," you might say. But there's more to GetByMail than that. The program lets you see remote directory listings and make changes, uploading and downloading files. GetByMail automatically compresses and splits files for downloads and uploads.
GetByMail supports SSL connections over POP3 and SMTP (the prevalent e-mail protocols). It's also compatible with Gmail.

Send Monk-E-mail

Send a Monkey email to a friend or the Boss even?

TrueCrypt

This open-source program can create encrypted "safes" that are as large as Windows and your hard drive will allow. It offers a selection of encryption algorithms, including AES, Blowfish, and Triple DES.

SIW v1.58--System Information For Windows

Do you know everything about your computer by heart? Hey, don't feel bad, neither do I. That is why I use SIW - System Information for Windows. It lets you know just about everything about your computer. The best part about this program is it is totally free to use. So what is SIW all about? "This program perform computer configuration analysis and diagnostics. It gives detailed information about your computer properties and settings, detailed specs for CPU, motherboard, chipset, BIOS, CPU, PCI/AGP, USB and ISA/PnP devices, memory, monitor, video card, disk drives, CD/DVD devices, SCSI devices, S.M.A.R.T., ports, network cards, printers, operating system, installed programs and hot fixes, processes, services, serial numbers (CD keys), users, open files, system uptime, network, network shares, as well as real-time monitors for CPU, memory, page file usage and network traffic. It displays currently active network connections, passwords hidden behind asterisks, installed codecs, and more." Having a tool like this one is always useful for looking to see what is going on under the hood of Windows and your computer. One of my favorite features of this program is the interface is really easy to understand. Usually with these programs, you don't know where to click or what you are reading. For being such a small download, this program gives you a lot.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Samarost 2

One of my favorite online games, Samarost has a new version available at Samorost 2. It has the same incredible graphics and the
same basic game play - click on something to see what it does and get from
one "level" to the next. Guaranteed to help you do some quality time
wasting! But PLEASE if you have never played the first version then try that one first----- GOOD LUCK.

Thanks to Common Sense Security for the link

Saturday, April 29, 2006

LimeWire 4.10.9 Clear, reliable and free file sharing so


LimeWire has arguably taken the position previously held by Napster, and more recently Kazaa, as the world's most popular P2P file-sharing client.

With a guarantee of no spyware, adware or bundled software, it also aims to be the most carefree.

You can look for pretty much anything - movies, pictures, games or text documents - and the clear and uncluttered interface makes for a surprisingly straightforward search.

The ability to preview files while they download is very useful and there is a marked increase in download speed compared to previous updates.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Brain Strainer.

You've got to try GlobalSpec's Brain Strainer. You set up items--launch pads, conveyer belts, and other things--to create a pinball-like mechanism for launching a rocket. I spent part of an afternoon lost in this challenging

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

FreeRAM XP Pro


When ill-mannered programs don't release your computer's RAM after you run them, FreeRAM can do the job. FreeRAM XP Pro is a freeware application that frees and defragments your computer's random access memory. As you use your computer, open applications, surf the Internet, and navigate Windows, your system's memory usually decreases. FreeRAM XP Pro frees up this memory, thereby increasing system response time, stability, speed, and efficiency.

This version introduces RAM-Cuts (shortcuts designed to free RAM).
I use this on my machine to good effect

Handy programs to put on a USB stick.


These FREE programs do not require any installation and can be run directly from a USB drive. Keep some useful apps handy while on-the-go!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Welcome to Instructables:



Welcome to Instructables: step-by-step collaboration

Instructables is a community for showing what you make and how others can make it. Making things is part of being human. Whether you make bikes, kites, food, clothing, protocols for biology research, or hack consumer electronics, good instructions are critical.

Instructables is a step-by-step collaboration system that helps you record and share your projects with a mixture of images, text, ingredient lists, CAD files, and more. We hope to make documentation simple and fast. Show your colleagues how to operate a machine, show your friends how to build a kayak, show the world how to make cool stuff. Instructables supports the principles of open source development to encourage sharing of ideas and information.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre


Government fights online child abuse
The government has today launched a new law enforcement agency to tackle online child exploitation.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre headed by the former deputy director general of the National Crime Squad, Jim Gamble, will work with charities and IT firms to take down criminally obscene material from the internet.

Internet and online payment firms such as Microsoft, AOL and Visa will also co-operate with CEOP to track down internet sex offenders.

The centre will develop IT systems to track sex offenders and disseminate intelligence globally.

CEOP chief executive Jim Gamble says the launch of the new centre is the most significant development in child protection in years and is a response to an explosion in child abuse.

'What we have to understand is that behind every image online there is a child in the real world being abused. Behind every online chat there is the potential that your child may be speaking to a sex offender. That is a harsh reality,' said Gamble.

The agency will also launch an online awareness campaign to educate parents and children about the risks associated with chat rooms.

CEOP will also have direct input into the development of new security features online, which aim to make browsers and websites safer for children.

While activity by the Internet Watch Foundation has dramatically reduced the number of child abuse images hosted in the UK, paedophiles are also distributing images via chat rooms and emails.

A recent police operation seized over 750,000 obscene images, while over eight million children and young people in the UK use the internet.

'That is not to say of course that the internet isn't a great place. It is a great environment – one that is full of learning and fun opportunities. What we are saying to children, young people and parents is that by putting awareness first you will reduce the opportunities for harm,' said Gamble.

The agency will also increase its fight against the paedophiles spreading the images over the internet, he said.

'If you are a sex offender – get help or get caught. The internet will increasingly expose you to new policing powers and will cease to be the anonymous place that it once was,' said Gamble.

PLEASE NOTE



The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has set up its own young persons website which has been designed and written specifically for young people of secondary school age.

It will at a later date include content and interactive games for primary aged children.

The website is called 'thinkuknow' which you may have heard of already or seen a presentation at school. You can access the site at www.thinkuknow.co.uk

Get a free safety scan for your computer


Windows Live Safety Center is a new service that lets you scan your computer to help protect, clean, and keep it running at its best. The service is free and available directly from the Internet, and you can revisit the Windows Live Safety Center for subsequent tune ups as often as you like!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Visual Task Tips

Visual Task Tips is an image preview shell enhancement utility for the Windows Taskbar. It shows a thumbnail preview image for each window in the taskbar when you mouse over the taskbar icon, similar to the upcoming feature in Windows Vista. Instead of seeing meaningless Internet Explorer or Word titles in your taskbar you can quickly scan for the correct page.

ALARM

Alarm is a digital clock that you can set to display a message and play a sound at a time of your choice. It is meant to be of help when you want to be warned while you are working (and chances are big you are going to forget you have to do this very important thing later on)...

Thursday, April 20, 2006

101 Fabulous Freebies



The best things in life aren't just free--they're indispensable. Case in point: these outrageously useful downloads, sites, and services

With thanks to PC WORLD

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Liveplasma

The site allows you to search for your favorite band, movie, director, or actor, and based off of what you specify, a map will be created of similar items that may interest you. I tried a wide variety of queries, and each time, the results were comprehensive and very appropriate. In fact, it's a safe bet that you're sure to be interested in the majority of what they present to you. Links are provided to the items that may interest you, and this makes further research and purchasing a breeze.

HouseCall Scan your hard drive for viruses and spyware


Scan your hard drive for viruses and spyware with this free online tool. You simply choose the drives you want to scan and click on the "Scan" button. HouseCall can check more than 17,000 files in five minutes. Unlike Symantec's online tool, which only scans for viruses, HouseCall scans and fixes any infected files.

Friday, April 14, 2006

FoxIt Reader



Foxit Reader is small (the download is less than 1MB), so it downloads quickly. It doesn't need any installation, so you can start to run it as soon as you've downloaded it.

And It starts up immediately, so you don't need to wait for an annoying "Welcome" screen to disappear.

Foxit Reader is extremely easy to use, just double click it to start and then click open button to open your PDF document. If you want to print, click on "Print" button. If you want to change the page layout for printing, select "Print Setup" from "File" menu.

Foxit Reader runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP/2003. It is provided by Foxit Software Company free for non-commercial use. This product is provided AS IS without any explicit or implicit warranty.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Google Calendar


Google launched their much-anticipated Google Calendar today, dubbed CL2 (in beta, of course) Does Google Calendar deliver? Well, there’s certainly plenty to like about it. It has a slick interface and it’s fast (at switching between pages, anyway). So give it a try but just remember its still in Beta (but then again so is Google mail but that has still taken over the world)