Steve Parker wants to stay in touch on LinkedIn

2010-12-08T07:48:00.001+10:30

Internet,

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Steve Parker

Steve Parker
Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning) at Flinders University
Adelaide Area, Australia

Backupify

2009-12-31T08:15:00.001+10:30

I haven’t posted to this blog for a while, but I have come across an online service that demands to be shared. It is Backupify. Backupify allows you to automatically backup data on other online services you use such as Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, Googledocs, and many more. Until 31 January 2009 it is free to join. After that, there will be a fee. Check it out now!

Technorati Tags: Backupify

OpenWith.org

2009-03-15T18:44:00.001+10:30

Have a file that you need to open but don't have the software to open it? This excellent site, OpenWith.org, has tons of free programs that will open all sorts of files — and create them too! You can search/browse the site by the file extension that you want software for, click on the link when you have found what you want, and download from a list of free software.

There is also a free software download to install OpenWith on your desktop so that you can find software for that file you have that you just don't know how to open. You right click on a file, select "How do I open this?" and OpenWith will show you the names of software that will open the file and download it for you, too!

Instant Resume Templates

2008-09-21T08:48:00.001+09:30

Going for a job? Not sure how to present your resume? Check out Instant Resume Templates for dozens of free, downloadable resume templates you can customise. Categorised for easy browsing — basic resumes, academic resumes, business resumes, chronological resumes, professional resumes, and more.

My USB Menu

2008-08-31T11:49:00.001+09:30

‘My USB Menu is a simple menu tool to open any type of file. You can start anything that can be run from any type of removable disk. Install My USB Menu to your USB stick for launching your files and applications easily without having to search the drive for them, even over your Network Computers. Unlike Windows shortcuts, My USB Menu uses relative paths. If your USB drive gets another drive letter when you insert it into another computer, your files and applications can still be started properly. This means you can also use My USB Menu to start applications you burn to a CD (and don't know the drive letter either). My USB Menu helps you take all your personal data wherever you go. The program also includes 3 small freeware USB utilities Autorun Repair, USB Format (bootable supported) and USB View.’ — from the website

SafeManuals

2008-06-28T06:41:00.000+09:30

If you’ve ever lost a manual or bought something without the manual, then you will love SafeManuals. With more than 800,000 manuals available to download you are sure to find what you are after. You can search for a manual, download it, and, if you register (free) the site will save the manuals you are interested in within your own area for easy reference later. Mauals are available for domestic appliances, sound and video equipment, phones, hardware, car, digital cameras, video games, and DIY. A great site.

Click here to access SafeManuals.

'The Software Awards Scam' (Successful Software)

2008-02-28T21:16:00.000+10:30

You have probably noticed all those colourful logos proclaiming software awards on your favourite software download sites. But are they reliable. Check out this very enlightening report of an experiment that proves they may not mean what they say.

Visible Body | 3D Human Anatomy

2008-02-07T09:19:00.001+10:30

Wow! Here’s a fantastic FREE!! resource... The Visible Body. Here’s how the website describes it:

Click here to check out the Visible Body

If I didn't need Outlook, I would use Noah

2008-01-21T11:16:00.000+10:30

If I didn’t need to use Microsoft Outlook for a whole lot of reasons, I would use NOAH - a brilliant FREE application that integrates email, internet browsing, and all your information in one place. NOAH has won a number of internet awards and, although currently in Version 1, Version 2 is soon to be released. It is presently available for Windows XP and Vista. It’s worth checking out the online video tutorial to see what this software can do - very impressive. You can download NOAH here.

How to handle telemarketers

2008-01-20T11:26:00.000+10:30

Bothered by telemarketers ringing you? Here’s how one person manages them -- and it is HILARIOUS!

Preezo - Presentations for the web

2008-01-12T09:24:00.000+10:30

If you

can’t afford PowerPoint
want to access presentations from anywhere via the web
distribute presentations to clients and colleagues without having to email huge PowerPoint files
collaborate on creating a presentation

then Preezo might suit you. Although Preezo is nowhere near as powerful as PowerPoint, you can still make decent presentations. And it is free! You can check Preezo out here.

Free Online Courseware from MIT

2008-01-10T18:04:00.000+10:30

Wow! Here’s real value... Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made all their lecture notes, exams and other resources available from 1800 of their courses. Study anything from Aerospace Engineering and Design to Rhetoric to Philosophy. It’s a great resource even if you are studying elsewhere or just want to be informed in an area of interest. Check it out here!

WhatTheFont?!

2007-12-30T11:35:00.000+10:30

Think about this scenario: you are reading a magazine or looking at an ad and you really like the font that has been used. You’d love to be able to use that font in your own work. But what is it called? And where do you get it? How do you find out?

WhatTheFont?! is the answer. Upload a scanned image of the font to WhatTheFont?!website. It will be automatically analysed and compared to the site’s database and will inform you of the name of the font. You can then do a search on the net to see if you can find a freeware version or commercially available version.

If the automatic process doesn’t work, you can submit the font to the authors of the site who will attempt to manually identify it.

You can check out WhatTheFont?! here.

Mac catches up to Vista!

2007-11-30T08:15:00.000+10:30

For a ruthless and entertaining read, check out Oliver Rist’s (PC Magazine) review of the new Leopard operating system for the Mac. Although the article, Leopard is the New Vista, and It’s Pissing Me Off is primarily a review of Leopard, on the way, Rist makes a lot of points about Vista which he says the Mac people have emulated in producing an operating system that doesn’t deliver. You can read the article here.

ClearContext IMS

2007-11-07T11:03:00.000+10:30

If you work in a busy job, managing your inbox and juggling your to-do list can be a nightmare. If you are a Microsoft Outlook user, ClearContext is a godsend.

ClearContext is a plugin for Outlook that is very flexible and particularly useful if you have an approach to time management that follows David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) model.

Once ClearContext is installed, a toolbar is added to Outlook that allows instant access to a range of tools to manage your time.

Topic Assignment

You can assign all of your emails to topics that are completely customisable by the user. You can file your messages manually by selecting a topic and hitting the File Msg button or set up AutoAssign rules that will filter and file messages automatically. This is an extension to the built in Rules of Outlook. In addition to filing individual messages, you can easily file an entire conversation thread if you wish.

Tasks

At the touch of a button, you can create a Task from an email. ClearContext automatically embeds the original email (which is later available by double-clicking on it) in the task where you can then set up the normal parameters for a task.

Scheduling

In a similar way to setting a task, you can also schedule an email. Once again, the original message is embedded in the calendar entry where it is available by double-clicking.

Deferring

If you decide to defer a message until later, you can click another button on the toolbar and choose to defer it a certain number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months or have it returned to your inbox on a specific date and time in the future.

Delegating

Email messages can be delegated at the click of a button. You are given the choice of an Outlook managed task or a forwarded message assigned to someone else with notifications of future messages related to it.

Do Not Disturb

There is even a button to tell Outlook to not disturb you as you work with its messages so you can focus on the work at hand.

Alerts

It is possible to set an "unread message" alert on any message and ClearContext will remind you after the number of days you have set if you haven’t read the message.

Unsubscribe

If a message needs no action or is irrelevant, you can hit the unsubscribe button! The message is moved to a ClearContext unsubscribe folder where it can be retrieved later or the status of the conversation changed.

Dashboard

A great addition in the latest version of ClearContext is the Dashboard. Clicking on the button provides the user with a one-stop view of messages, appointments, tasks, and the status of each. You can create new appointments or tasks from the Dashboard.

Related View

Finally, clicking on a RelatedView button when a message is highlighted gives you a view of all related tasks, alerts, and a history of actions for the message.

Customisable

ClearContext is fully customisable with tons of options.

Analysing Contacts

A really nice feature of ClearContext is the ability to analyse past messages. ClearContext learns from the way you have handled messages in the past and presents the user with a list of "important" contacts and sets priorities for future email messages. Whether you get ClearContext to do this is a choice you can make.

Listing these few features doesn’t really give an indication of the power of this plugin. The power of ClearContext is really demonstrated when you use it! I have been using ClearContext for some time in a work environment where my Calendar and Tasks are essential to keep under control. ClearContext has been fantastic in helping me do this. Instead of confronting a list of 80+ messages each day with no way to immediately organise, prioritise, delegate, and track ClearContext brilliantly brings order to the chaos.

You can view an audio-visual demonstration here.

You can download a 30-day fully-functional trial from the ClearContext website.

TrakAxPC

2007-10-20T09:19:00.000+09:30

If you want to edit or mix video and music but can’t afford the sophisticated software available, then check out TrakAxPC. You can create professional music and video mixes in an easy-to-use environment completely FREE! Here’s what TrakAxPC offers:

mixing of tracks with different beats per minute with Beat-Matching technology.
drag-and-drop environment.
cut samples from your tracks and make detailed edits to audio and video tracks.
use any combination of photos, videos, and/or music.
add video, audio effects and transitions.
media browser to find and view or listen to all the media on your computer.
cheap royalty-free content if you want it.

You can check out and download TraxAxPC here.

Open Source God

2007-10-18T18:14:00.000+09:30

Looking for free software? Then check out Open Source God. You’ll find 480+ open source applications, listed in categories, and all free! A truly remarkable selection. One thing that would improve the site is some sort of rating of quality or popularity. You can find the Open Source God here.

Orbit Downloader

2007-10-13T08:30:00.000+09:30

A download manager is essential software to have for your computer. An excellent, free downloader is Orbit Downloader. Orbit Downloader is a fast, user-friendly downloader that only takes up about 3MB of your computer’s memory to run. It is able to download a very wide range of media from places like YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, and others. You can easily capture music, audio, and video. When you are browsing the web, you can put your mouse cursor over any media link and Orbit Downloader pops up a little button with ’Get It’ written on it. You click the button and the download starts. Very nice! And it is fast! You can check it out and downloadOrbit Downloader here.

YourDraft

2007-09-30T08:38:00.000+09:30

YourDraft is a fast, easy to use online collaborative document drafting tool. There is no signing up to do and no need to download software onto your machine. It is all done inside your web browser. Once you have created a draft document, you just email a secret URL to those you wish to share it with and they can edit it too (or you can make your document read only). It has an easy-to-use WYSIWYG interface and there are no passwords. Clever! Check it out here.

DriversKit

2007-09-20T11:50:00.000+09:30

Ever had an error message coming up on your computer saying there is something wrong with a driver? Got a camera, printer, scanner, sound card, video card, or some other piece of hardware not working right? Check out the DriversKit website where you can find drivers for all these and more categorised, alphabetised, and searchable. All freely downloadable. You can access the site here.

Wiredness

2007-08-19T09:29:00.000+09:30

If you are looking for a fast, easy-to-use online photo/image editing tool, check out Wiredness. You can resize or crop, fix exposure and red eye problems, apply a range of special effects, add text, and is integrated with FlickR and Picasa. Its fast, free and no ads. Check it out here.

StudyMinder Homework System

2007-08-14T07:29:00.000+09:30

Here’s a great piece of software for middle school, high school, college or university students who want to keep track of their homework or assignments. The StudyMinder Homework System

Organizes and tracks all homework
Reminds you of upcoming assignments, tests and projects
Displays your progress on each assignment
Automatically records daily study time
Tracks your grade point average for each class

... and much more. There is a free lite version that should be adequate for most students with a full version that has some extra features. You can download StudyMinder Homework system here.

NirSoft Freeware Windows Utilities

2007-08-11T07:49:00.000+09:30

NirSoft has a lengthy list of freeware Windows utilities that do things that others don’t do. They include utilities for password recovery, system utilities, desktop utilities, and much more. Check them out here and use with care!

List of Open Source Programs

2007-07-25T19:21:00.000+09:30

Looking for free programs to replace commercial software? Check out the List of Open Source Programs. There are lots of excellent software programs available that are free that perform just as well with as many features as the expensive commercial brands. For each piece of software, the list indicates what it compares to. Check the list out here.

Picnick - online photo editing

2007-07-25T19:12:00.000+09:30

Picnik is a fantastic, powerful, simple to use online photo editor that allows you to crop, fix red eyes, apply special effects and all sorts of other professional features to your photos. You can upload photos from your computer, or connect to Facebook, Picasa, or Flickr. And all this totally free! Check it out here.

Review of Major Word Processors

2007-07-04T19:41:00.000+09:30

If you are trying to decide which word processor is best for you, then you must read this massive Word Processor Review of major, second-tier, and online word processors. The reviews are incredibly detailed and will help you make a wise, practical decision.

Free Microsoft Software

2007-05-30T19:34:00.000+09:30

You may not believe it, but Microsoft actually provide quite a bit of free software. Here are two links: the first is free software for the latest Microsoft Office 2007 and the second for free software for Windows Vista. Enjoy!

EditPad Lite

2007-05-18T07:00:00.000+09:30

EditPad Lite is a great little free text editor that can replace the Windows Notepad editor. Here are some of the features it offers (as listed on the website):

can open as many files in EditPad at a time as you want.
You change between the open files by clicking on their tabs. No hassle with heaps of overlapping windows.
EditPad does not impose a limit on the size of files you can open and edit with it. Also, the maximum length of a single line is not limited. (Most other editors cannot handle lines longer than, say, a thousand characters, even if they do claim to support files of unlimited size.)
You will enjoy EditPad’s unlimited undo and redo. You can even undo changes after saving them, as long as you did not close the file.
EditPad reads and writes UNIX (LF only) and Mac (CR only) text files (in addition to DOS/Windows CR+LF files, of course).
With EditPad you can directly edit Unicode text files and text files encoded in a variety of legacy code pages. EditPad supports all Windows and ISO-8859 code pages, plus a wide selection of DOS, KOI8 and EBCDIC code pages. This means EditPad can edit any text file, whether it was saved on a Windows or Linux computer, an old DOS PC or an IBM mainframe.
If you run EditPad again when there is already an instance running, the file(s) you wish to edit will be opened by the existing EditPad window. This means there will be at most one EditPad window open, which will save you from a lot of task switching. Of course, if you do need more instances, simply pick ViewNew editor from the menu.
Block functions: save parts of your text to disk and insert a file in the current text.
You can specify many print settings: font, margins, headers/footers, etc. and immediately see the effects in the print preview.
You have the option to keep the EditPad window on top of all other windows.
When you close an unsaved file, EditPad will either warn you, automatically save the file as you prefer.
Reopen menu that lists the last 16 files opened.
EditPad puts an icon in the system tray that remains visible, even if EditPad is closed. This way you have easy and fast access to EditPad, without the need to keep it running all the time. If you do not like this, you can, of course, disable this feature and make EditPad behave like a normal Windows application.
EditPad fully supports double byte character systems (DBCS) so you can edit texts written in Far East languages, such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean, as easily as those written in European languages.
Many settings such as word wrap, line numbering and auto indent can be made for each file type individually. You could activate word wrap but not auto indent when editing a plain text file, and just the other way around when editing source code. You can also define your own file types which will be used to build the filters for open and save dialog boxes.
Configure EditPad’s appearance to your own taste and eyesight. Select the colors, font face and font size that you like. Make text cursor highly visible by selecting its size, color and blinking style. Make the mouse pointer easy to spot by choosing its shape and colors.
Uppercase, lowercase, invert case and initial caps conversion
Easy and working installation and uninstallation, delivered with DeployMaster.
Free for non-commercial use.

You can read more about the program and download it here.

Word 2007 Interactive tutorial for Word 2003 users

2007-04-25T08:28:00.000+09:30

Have you recently upgraded to Microsoft Word 2007 and feel a bit confused with the different look and functionality. Well, Microsoft have provided an interactive tutorial for 2007 especially for users of 2003. You can hover your mouse pointer over any element in the new Word to see what it does. Check it out here.

Librarian Chick

2007-04-25T08:20:00.000+09:30

Are you a student or just into learning? Check out Librarian Chick's website for tons of stuff related to learning. It's impressive! See it here.

A+ Freeware

2007-04-25T08:15:00.000+09:30

If you go looking, you can find incredible amounts of genuinely free software on the internet. Some of it is excellent and often is better than commercial software. Check out A+ Freeware for a whole bunch of free software nicely categorised into different types of applications.

Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time

2007-04-07T09:06:00.000+09:30

April Fool’s Day (1 April) has come and gone for 2007. I was highly successful in playing a hoax on one of my daughters. But my little joke pales into insignificance when compared to those described on the Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time web site. Here’s the #1 hoax as described on the site:

#1: The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest In 1957 the respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in, and many called up wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. To this question, the BBC diplomatically replied that they should "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." Check out the actual broadcast archived on the BBC’s website (You need the RealVideo player installed to see it, and it usually loads very slowly). -More-

For more great laughs and evidence of human gullibility, check out the Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time website.

iGrab

2007-04-01T08:51:00.000+09:30

Now this is cool! iGrab is free software that will help you find video and/or images on the internet, download them, and view them. You just enter your search term into a box, hit the GO button, and iGrab will scour the net. You can choose how many files you want returned and there is a parental lock if you want your children to use the software (great for homework!!) but want to avoid inappropriate material being viewed.

Once the search is complete, you can browse through thumbnails of the results and just click on an image or video to view it without having to open other software. You can selectively delete files you don’t want and save what you do and return to view them at any time. It’s great! Download it here.

Amic Email Backup

2007-04-01T08:04:00.000+09:30

Amic Email Backup is a free piece of software that will backup email data files for:

Microsoft Outlook Express
Microsoft Outlook
Eudora
Opera Mail
Netscape Messenger
The Bat
Poco Mail
Incredi Mail
Pegasus Mail
Internet Explorer Favorites

Amic Email Backup is a handy software tool for Microsoft Windows based PCs designed to create backup copy of your email database. Amic Email Backup can save emails, address book, settings, mail and news accounts, message rules, blocked senders lists and signatures to a single, compact, compressed backup file that can be easily restored when necessary. (web site)

The backup can be carried out manually or set to run automatically at a period and time of your choosing. It simple to use and provides a much-needed function. Download it here.

MyHeritage Genealogy software and web site

2007-03-27T06:34:00.000+09:30

Are you one of those people who love to track down ancestors and research your family history. You will love MyHeritage! MyHeritage provides a free genealogy program you can download to create your family tree. It is awesome. It is, perhaps, the most sophisticated genealogy software available and includes face recognition for photos. The software is also integrated with a free website that you can create to publish your family history. It is an incredibly rich piece of software and online service. Check it out here!

CDVista

2007-03-25T18:20:00.000+09:30

CDVista is an excellent, powerful disk cataloger available for free. With it, you can:

Create thumbnails with the pictures stored on the disks
Extract extra information from camera pictures (focal length, exposure time, ...)
Ability to use several disks catalogs
Simple and fast search with many criteria
Exploration of the removable disks as a virtual disk,
Special thumbnail panel to explore the image files
Use a special browser for each kind of file : video, audio and program files
Exploration of the contents of archive files (rar, zip)
Fast recovery of the cataloged files
Export the file lists to HTML and CSV formats
Retrieve from internet the titles and authors of your audio cd-roms
Extract information from avi, text, html, wav, mp3 and program files
Custom browser to display the file category you want
Extract information from avi, text, html, wav, mp3 and program files
Create HTML pages with the thumbnails stored in the catalogs
Can explore the catalog by file properties
Create play list for the media player
Create HTML pages with the thumbnails stored in the catalogs

You can download CDVista here.

Free Vista Drivers

2007-03-17T21:18:00.000+10:30

Have you made the switch to the new Windows Vista and need to update your drivers for printers, scanners, sound cards, etc? You can go to the Free Vista Drivers website run by RadarSync where they daily update there links to Vista drivers. It’s a free one-stop "shop" for all your driver needs.

Free Download Manager

2007-03-16T07:05:00.000+10:30

If you download lots of software, music, or other files from the internet you will need a good download manager. Check out Free Download Manager (FDM). Here are its main features according to the Free Download Manager website:

a vast variety of options to control and schedule your downloads. This is a light-weight but powerful download manager.
resume your broken download so that you needn’t start it from the beginning after casual interruption.
allows you to limit the downloading speed. There are 3 modes of network usage: Light, Medium and Heavy.
split download into several sections allows you to increase download speed up to 600%.
connect to the Internet at a set time, download the files you want, launch any program, disconnect or shut down your computer when it’s done.
specify the settings of network usage, such as login and password, maximum number of connections, default group, etc. So you can avoid adjusting these settings every time you need to create new download from the server.
download the whole web sites from the remote server. You can adjust FDM to download files with the extensions you have specified.
request other users’ opinion on the file you are going to download as well as write your comment on the downloaded file - right in the download window! In this way you will always be warned against useless and corrupted files or malicious content.

And it is free!

FreewareGenius

2007-03-12T08:36:00.000+10:30

Checkout FreewareGenius for a brilliant range of freeware software in all sorts of categories. The author of this site aims to replace as many retail/shareware software titles as he can with freeware software so that, eventually, every installed program he uses is free. So be a freeware genius and go look! You will find it here.

Zettels

2007-03-07T07:33:00.000+10:30

If you like to jot notes to yourself no matter where you are, you might be interested in checking out Zettels. The Zettels web site describes it as

... a personal web memo note box. This is not a software for local installation but an internet service. The access to your note box is restricted to your own private use. There is no public area accessible by other users of Zettels. Your privacy will be maintained. The connection from your browser over the internet to your note box at Zettels is "SSL" encrypted. In this way we ensure that only you have access to your memo note box. When using a PDA or mobile phone access Zettels with Zettels Mobile from any location.

A clever little service. Check it out here!

Fifty Ways to Take Notes

2007-03-04T11:19:00.000+10:30

If you take or write lots of notes, you will love this list of Fifty Ways to Take Notes by Brian Benzinger. Here’s what he says about his list:

I am constantly writing notes. Whether it be for my blog, work, meeting, new ideas, or just basic notes, I am always jotting something down. So I started thinking about all the services I’ve used for taking notes and thought it would be a good idea to share them with you and while I’m at it, to make a list of any others that I find. Now, when it comes to note taking, I personally look for quick and simple. If I have something on my mind, I don’t want to go through some advanced system and climb a mountain just to save a note for myself. There won’t be all the note taking tools out there on my list, but ones that I feel get the job done well.

Check the list out here.

Coping with new technology

2007-03-02T08:49:00.000+10:30

Some of you may miss the day when there were no computers were around and you didn’t have to grapple with new technology. But you might be surprised to learn that it has not always been as easy as you think. Check out this video to see what it used to be like.

Build the perfect browser (Computer World)

2007-02-18T09:46:00.000+10:30

There are many plug-ins and extensions available for internet browsers (IE7, Firefox, etc). Computer World have put together 46 of the best (and free) of these with a brief description of what they do, issues that might be related to them, and links to download them. You can find all the information here. Be warned though. As the article points out, the more of these you have loaded in your browser, the slower your browser may load and run. So be selective!

LibraryThing

2007-02-17T06:47:00.000+10:30

Now here is something you must check out if you are a booklover. It’s a new online service called LibraryThing. My heart is racing with excitement! It is so good I have signed up as a lifetime member already! Here’s what it will do:

Enter what you’re reading or your whole library—it’s an easy, library-quality catalog. LibraryThing also connects you with people who read the same things.
Searches Amazon, the Library of Congress and 60 other world libraries.
Get recommendations. Connect to people with similar libraries.
Tag your books as on Del.icio.us and Flickr.
Put your books on your blog.
Export your data. Import from almost anywhere too.
Enter 200 books for free, as many as you like for $10 (year) or $25 (life).
Arrange your books on a virtual shelf or as a list.

You can take a tour of LibraryThing here.

Safarp - alternative to Windows Add/Remove Program

2007-02-11T10:49:00.000+10:30

You may have noticed that the Windows Add/Remove Programs utility is very slow to load and use. If you would like something that is much faster, try Safarp. It is a free and fast alternative. One of the nicest features is the ability to type in any characters of the program you want to install and Safarp will give you a list of relevant programs. Then you can just hit enter to start the uninstall process. Some additional features are:

Search function
Obsolete list entries removal
Export program list to a file (HTML, RTF, CSV...)
New report templates can be written to export to other file formats
Accessibility via the Control Panel (optional)
Option to hide the Windows hotfixes
Standard Windows interface (no fancy UI that slows down the program)

You can download it here.

Bubbl.us

2007-02-11T10:30:00.000+10:30

If you like brainstorming as a creative strategy, you will enjoy Bubbl.us - a simple, intuitive, online bubble map tool. The editor is very straightforward. You start wit a simple bubble in the middle of your page:

You click and start typing:

The maps you create are very simple - nothing fancy here. You can’t change the format of the bubbles or fonts. But it has a nice interface that other software producers should emulate. You can check Bubbl.us out here.

BananaSlug

2007-02-04T10:54:00.000+10:30

Now here's an interesting idea. If you would like to online search results that you might never have received before, try BananaSlug. It is a search engine where you enter your search term (just like you do with Google, for example), then Bananaslug adds a word at random to your search to retrieve unexpected results!

With normal Google searching, there are many web pages that you may never have a chance to see. So BananaSlug throws in a random word from a category of your choice. This results in pages you probably overlooked. They all have your search term in them, but the added twist gives you something new every time! (from site)

You can select from a number of categories for your random term. Check it out and see what you get!

Stickies

2007-02-02T07:05:00.000+10:30

Do you have sticky notes plastered all over your monitor or desk? Then you will love the completely FREE Stickies by Zhorn software. It's a small, non-intrusive program that has lots of wonderful features like:

Once on screen, stickies will remain where placed until closed, even through reboots
Stickies appearance can be customised; fonts, colours and buttons may be changed, and styles saved. Stickies can be resized.
Stickies can snap to each other and to the sides of the screen to keep them neatly lined up
Stickies can be attached a web site, document or folder so they only show when it's on screen
Stickies can be transferred from one machine to another either over a TCP/IP network connection, or by using an SMTP mail server or MAPI client:
Hierarchical friends list, which may be automatically transferred from other friends
Play a sound file on receive
Signature for transmitted or emailed stickies
Favourite friends, and custom lists can be made
Stickies can be hidden for a certain period, until a specified date and time, or to wake every day, week or month, to act as reminders.
Stickies can have alarms set to ensure you notice them at a point you choose
Stickies can be transferred to and from your Palm or PPC PDA.
International language support
Stickies is small and simple, it writes to a single text file, and does not alter the registry
AD network administrators can use Group Policy to control settings
...and Stickies is completely free!

Check it out here!

Checking your computer for Windows Vista

2007-01-28T13:53:00.000+10:30

Microsoft are releasing Windows Vista, the new Windows operating system, at the end of January. It is a very significant upgrade and there are a whole range of issues that need to be considered by users before making the change. Microsoft have released the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor that can be run on your computer. It will scan your computer and provide information on whether your computer is able to cope with Vista, what version is suitable for your system, possible driver and software (in)compatibility issues, and so on. It is essential to run this advisor before upgrading to avoid any problems. You can download Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from the Microsoft Downloads website.

LetterPop!

2007-01-10T06:45:00.000+10:30

Here's a great new online service - LetterPop! If you want to create newsletters for any reason at all - Christmas, club news, your latest holiday - try LetterPop! (the picture is a sample of what you can do). Free to join and allowing you to send the results of your creativity to up to 100 people, it uses a drag and drop interface without the downloading of any software onto your computer. LetterPop! provides a range of templates which are customisable. When you have finalised your creation, you can print, email, or publish the results. Check it out here.

Internet Archive

2006-12-27T08:34:00.000+10:30

Would you like to find a web page that has gone AWOL from the internet? What about moving images, audio, or texts? The Internet Archive has BILLIONS of digital copies of internet sites, books, audio that you can search and find. Here's how it describes itself:

The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.

I found an article from a web site that no longer exists in about 2 seconds by typing in the original URL in the search engine there. Check it out here. It's a brilliant resource!

Free Commercial Software available from my blog!

2006-12-10T09:27:00.000+10:30

Notice the new Free Software of the Day area on this blog (just over to the right). If you (or anyone) visits the Internet Fork blog, you can download a completely free version of a commercial piece of software -- and there is a different one each day! So come and check out the blog each day to get your free piece of software, and let your friends know how to get theirs too! Send them to:

http://internetfork.blogspot.com/

Bear Bottoms Freeware

2006-12-10T09:21:00.000+10:30

The Bear Bottoms Freeware site is a list (with links) to the best open source or freeware software on the internet.

This site is designed to load fast and get to the point...freeware that stands out. No ads, no requests for donations, simply a place to help set up free security compainion "suites," find good freeware, technical help, and interesting or helpful websites. All program download links have been verified safe as much as possible.
I target programs that run on Microsoft Windows XP, though many of these programs are cross-platform.

Image Generator Links

2006-12-03T07:48:00.000+10:30

The sign to the right was made using one of the links found at the Image Generator Links website. Here you will find hundreds of links to interactive services that will allow you to make free customised graphics. The only problem is that you may get addicted to trying out all the different services!

If you do get addicted to these services, then make sure you listen to the advice of Confucius below, also made with another service found at the Image Generator Links website.

{extools} - free Excel add-in

2006-11-19T10:29:00.000+10:30

The free utilities are coming thick and fast today! If you are an Excel user, check out the free Extools add-in for Microsoft Excel. It adds a host of extra features such as:

Text edit tool - Change case, Insert, Trim, Remove, Combine.
Worksheet - Compare worksheets, Create Worksheet Map and more.
Unit Converter - Area, Length, Speed, Temperature, Volume, Weight and more.
Numbers - Math calculation on selection, Convert number types and more.
Check for duplicates.
Multiple selection copy.
Favorite Text Clips.
Clear recently used files list.

And this is just a few of them! You can download it here.

Safarp - Free program uninstaller for Windows

2006-11-19T10:10:00.000+10:30

If you've ever used the Add/Remove program in Windows to uninstall a piece of software, you will know how paaaaaaaaaaaaainfully slow it is to load up. The free little utility called Safarp is fast! I have a lot of software on my computer and it loaded in under two seconds! You can download it here.

Zamzar - free online file conversion service

2006-11-19T09:52:00.000+10:30

Now here's a truly useful online service. Zamzar allows you to upload a file and convert it to other formats. It's an extremely easy four step process all on one screen. You just browse to select the file (you can do more than one at a time if desired), say what format you want to convert it to, enter your email address, and click the convert button. You file(s) is uploaded and converted and you are sent an email to access the converted file(s) when it is ready. For example, have you ever wanted to convert a Word file to a pdf format? You can do it with Zamzar free of charge without buying or using any expensive software! The site can convert a range of image, music, video and document formats. And if the one you need is not listed, you are invited to let them know so they can add it. Check it out! A great service! And it's FREE! You can access the service here.

Postcode Power

2006-11-01T08:46:00.000+10:30

If you live in Australia, here is an interesting little online service provided by News Limited Community Newspapers. Type in your postcode and compare the lifestyle of your area with the National Average. Or type in two rival postcodes to compare the two. A fascinating window on your local community! Check Postcode Power out here!

BookMooch: a community for exchanging used books

2006-10-22T09:30:00.000+09:30

You have just have to check BookMooch out!! It's an online community -- free to join -- where you can exchange used books. The only cost is when you send a book to someone else. After you join, you:

Type in books you want to give away
Receive requestion from others for your books
Mail your books and receive points
Ask for books from others with your points

You also get points for books you type in.

It's a wonderful idea, so check it out here!

FREE Bibliography Reference Managers

2006-10-11T05:44:00.000+09:30

I had a request from a friend recently: Did I know of any freeware bibliographic reference managers? He had a teacher colleague who wanted to teach basic ideas of literature referencing without having to pay for expensive licenses for software. Here's what I came up with. Please note that I haven't tried any of these, so you will need to try them out to see if they work as claimed and/or suitable for your needs. Descriptions are from the respective websites. BiblioExpress

BiblioExpress is a simple reference manager for researchers. It is the freeware edition of the company's flagship product - Biblioscape. BiblioExpress can be used to collect literature references of different types, to explore bibliographic resources on the Internet, as well as to serve as a free viewer of bibliographic data. BiblioExpress can format records in several popular styles, including ACS, APA, and MLA. BiblioExpress is designed to be small and efficient. You can run BiblioExpress from a floppy disk.

EF Pro-References

EF Pro-References is a Microsoft Access application for managing bibliographic data. The program is fully functional, user-friendly and flexible. It produces external data files that can be shared with other users. Requires Microsoft Access software. The latest version, v1.3, allows access to all internal elements of the application, so you can easily upgrade it to newer versions of MS Access or modify the code to suit your needs. My Notes - MS Access application for entering and querying bibliographic information and notes Scholar's Aid 4 Lite Scholar's Aid 4 Lite is a freeware version of Scholar's Aid. For information about Scholar's Aid, see this page.

FastStone Capture

2006-10-11T05:09:00.000+09:30

If you need to capture images from our computer screen, then look no further than FastStone Capture!

FastStone Capture is a powerful, flexible and intuitive screen-capture utility. It allows you to capture anything on the screen including windows, objects, full screen, rectangle regions, freehand-selected regions and scrolling windows/web pages. It has innovative features such as a floating Capture Panel, hotkeys, resizing, cropping, text annotation, printing, e-mailing, screen magnifier and many more.

Download here! It's FREE for personal use.

Flickr! Photos

2006-10-02T12:38:00.000+09:30

Flickr! is a great online service for sharing your photos publicly or privately, viewing other people's photos (there's millions of them!), and storing/managing your own. Check Flickr! out here.

150+ Free Programs from Microsoft

2006-09-17T08:57:00.000+09:30

Did you know that Microsoft have more than 150 free pieces of software you can download and use? Until now, it has been difficult to find them all. But Road to Know Where has provided a list and links to them all. You can check them out here.

The Great Software List

2006-09-08T05:12:00.000+09:30

The Great Software List is a stunning list of the best software in a number of categories, some of it free. For each piece of software there is a review to help you decide whether it will be useful to you. There's a link to an associated blog, but there is too much foul language and other doubtful stuff -- so avoid the blog link. But the list is excellent. Check it out here.

T H E T O Y M A K E R

2006-08-06T10:40:00.000+09:30

The Toymaker is a delightful site with a range of toys you (or your children) can make. The author describes it as an

odd, little world of paper toys, holiday cards, valentines, sun boxes, baskets and bags, origami and ephemera... all for you to make. My goal is to help grownups and kids spend time together making things. It is my wish to amuse and delight.

Amusing and delightful it is. Check it out here.

Upload and share your files

2006-07-20T19:31:00.000+09:30

If you need a free service for sharing files with others, check out this beta version of in.solit.us. You can share or access public files, share files for specific people to download, or a group of users. There is no limit to the amount of space you can use. Note well that it is a beta version, so take care.

List of open source software packages

2006-06-15T21:43:00.000+09:30

There's an astounding number of free software packages "out there". Check out this Wikipedia article for a comprehensive list. It is all open source software and is free to use.

Shrink Pic - Free photo resizer

2006-06-03T11:37:00.000+09:30

If you've ever sent someone a photograph or picture by email, you will know that the files can be extremely large unless you edit them in a photo editor and reduce the size before sending. This is quite inconvenient and time consuming, especially if you have a large number. Shrink Pic is a free piece of software that automatically shrinks pictures when you send them by email, MSN Messenger, or upload them to web galleries. It detects when any of these activities are being done and does it for you without changing your original. You can download Shrink Pic here.

Coolringer - Make your own ringtones!

2006-06-02T23:39:00.000+09:30

If you've ever tried to make your own ringtones from mp3 music files for your mobile then you know how fiddly it can be. You have to find a good segment, use software to clip the segment you want, and upload it to your phone. I've come across a cool little application called Coolringer that can do it all for you! Once installed, you can right click on any mp3 file, choose Make a Mobile Ringtone from the context menu, and Coolringer will locate the best part of the music and create a ringtone which you can upload to your phone. It's excellent! You can set how long you want the ringtone to be. The resulting ringtone is created in the same folder as the original mp3 file making it very easy to find. And it's free! Check out Coolringer here.

4c IE Plug-In

2006-06-02T23:16:00.000+09:30

Now here's an innovative add-in for Internet Explorer. 4c by Euris allows you to use tabbed browsing and provides snapshots for visual navigation of websites. For example, when you click on your Favorites button in Internet Explorer, you get snapshots of the web pages so you can instantly see which one you want to go to and click on the snapshot to get taken there. When you have more than one page open, a window opens with a list of snapshots of the pages so you can quickly see which one you want to change to. There is also a special taskbar for the Windows desktop with snapshots of your programs that are running. You can then click on a picture to switch to the program. Check it out here.

PDF Printer

2006-05-27T06:08:00.000+09:30

Want to produce your own PDF files that can be read with Adobe's Acrobat reader? BullZip's PDF Printer is a freeware application that will allow you to print to a PDF file from any Microsoft Windows application. You can read more about it and download it here.

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

2006-05-19T07:49:00.000+09:30

A fantastic handpicked list of The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities can be found here. Check it out for some great free software.

List of portable applications - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-04-20T17:45:00.000+09:30

If you would like to use your USB memory device to run software from anywhere then you will be interested in Wikipedia's list of portable applications. It includes networking and internet software (eg, SMS messaging, email clients), media players and recorders, office suites, word processors, cd/dvd burners, graphics, and more which will all run from a USB device without the need to install it onto the computer! Your software can be completely portable. Check out the full list here.

Writely - The Web Word Processor

2006-04-20T17:39:00.000+09:30

Google is amazing. They have just acquired the web-based word processor, Writely. This is an incredible service. You can log in to Writely and create documents, edit them from anywhere as long as you have a browser and connected to the internet, share them with others so they can edit them with you in real time, store documents online, release updates when you want, upload Word and other formats, save documents in Word and other formats (including pdf), use it to publish to your blog if you have one, and much much more. It's a free service too! Unfortunately, you can't register just yet -- Google are moving Writely over to their own system. But you can register and they will email you when the service becomes available again. In the meantime, check it out here. It is stunning!!!

LostGoggles - Stop Looking. Start Seeing.

2006-03-09T08:30:00.000+10:30

One of the most useful plug-ins I've come across for Internet Explorer is Lost Goggles. After downloading and installing it, new features are added to Google searches. When you get your search results back, you can see page preview thumbnails before clicking on the links to visit the page; there's an 'Open in New Window' button that lets you do just that; there is no toolbar so it doesn't take up any extra screen space; you can see live Amazon.com product information if its available; you can obtain accurate site access statistics; you can retrieve older versions of the websites; and find more related websites. It's a fantastic little utility. What's more -- it is totally free with no ad-ware or spy-ware. You can get it here.

SiteAdvisor

2006-02-17T06:37:00.000+10:30

Here's an excellent new web service that is, at the moment, free. It's SiteAdvisor. You download an Internet Explorer or Firefox plug-in (depending on which browser you use). After installation, a small button is added to your browser's toolbars. When searching Google, a small icon appears next to each site in the results list indicating how safe it is to visit that site in terms of adware, spam, downloads, and so on. When you visit a site, the SiteAdvisor button on the web browser toolbar also changes colour depending on the potential threat of spam, etc from that site. You can hold your mouse over the icons or the button on the toolbar to get more detailed information about the risks of the site. It could be one of the most significant web browsing "safety" services developed for a long time. It is currently in beta but appears to work well. To use the service, all you need to do is sign-up, download the plug-in, install it, and you're on your way. As always, no service like this is 100% reliable. You'll need to use common sense as you browse - even if the testing done by SiteAdvisor indicates that the site is safe. But it looks like a great service. I've started using it and it looks great.

FreeFullText

2006-02-14T04:51:00.000+10:30

The FreeFullText provides links to more than 7,000 (that's right - 7 THOUSAND) scholarly periodicals which allow all or some of their content to be FREELY accessed by ANYONE with an internet connection. A subject index would have been useful, but if you already know the reference for an article then this site is perfect for possibly finding it free of charge. Particularly useful for those who don't have an affiliation with an organisation that provides access to online journals.

Best Free Reference Web Sites Combined Index

2006-02-14T04:45:00.000+10:30

This valuable site is an index of the best free reference websites according to the Reference and User Services Association. It's a long list and all in alphabetical order. It would be improved by organising the sites into categories. But it is interesting browsing and clicking here and there! Check it out here.

BlogCode.com - the weblog directory and recommendation tool

2006-02-14T04:34:00.000+10:30

'BlogCode.com is a fast, easy and intuitive source of blog recommendations based on the StoryCode.com model. It allows you to start with your favourite weblog (or perhaps even your own) and find others like it. Recommendations are based not only on subject matter, but also on the style and input of the bloggers themselves - and their readers. Plus the recommendations are formed by the collective view of those who have read and enjoyed these same weblogs.' - BlogCode.com

Clean My Registry

2006-02-05T08:48:00.000+10:30

The registry is an absolutely vital part of your PC. Regularly "cleaning" it helps to make sure your computer continues to run smoothly by removing invalid entries or outdated information. Smart PC Solutions has a free, award-winning registry cleaner and optimizer called Clean My Registry. You can download it here.

Cute Overload

2006-01-22T08:46:00.000+10:30

I can't help but pass this site along to you - it is filled to the brim with cute photos. Have a look here.

Diskeeper Lite 10

2006-01-19T08:23:00.000+10:30

Diskeeper Lite is one of the best disk defragmenters around. You need to defragment your hard drive on a regular basis. Many defragmenters cost quite a bit and the one that comes with Windows is slow and cumbersome. Diskeeper Lite is an excellent alternative. And it is FREE! You can download it here.

Windows Product Activation (WPA)

2006-01-18T17:20:00.000+10:30

When you purchase Microsoft Windows products now, you are required to activate them within 30 days of installation otherwise they stop working. If you'd like to know how Windows Product Activation works, check out this document. It is quite technical, so won't be attractive to some!

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 Released

2006-01-18T17:10:00.000+10:30

For those of you who are using Mozilla's Thunderbird email package, a new version has been released with significant improvements to its features and stability. It also now has an automatic updating feature which means you can always have the latest version easily. You can read more about Thunderbird and download the update here.

FileFactory - free unlimited file hosting up to 500MB

2006-01-18T17:02:00.000+10:30

I can't do better in describing this service than to quote the site itself:

Want to email a file to your friend, but the file is too big to attach to a regular email? Don't flood your friends' mailboxes with huge files - send it the easy way with FileFactory.com.
Simply select the file you want to send, upload it to our servers, and enter your friends' email address. When your friend receives the email they can click the link contained within, visit our site and download the file. Files are automatically deleted after 7 days or 25 downloads.

The site also provides image hosting and it's all completely free! Check it out here.

Protopage

2006-01-16T14:35:00.000+10:30

Ever wanted to have your very own startup page for your web browser? Now you can design your own using Protopage. Protopage allows you to have your own home page with sticky notes, to do lists, reminders, favourite links, a calendar, and more. It is very clever and requires no registration. Check it out here.

EasyRead lets you view webpages at the size you want

2005-12-17T15:53:00.000+10:30

If your eyesight is failing or the text on those web pages are just too tiny to read, you will find EasyRead helpful. EasyRead installs some buttons on your Internet Explorer toolbar. You can then just click on the buttons to make the text larger as you wish. It will even print web pages magnified! EasyRead is 100% free -- no adware, no popups, no spyware. You can download it here.

eClean 2000 - The easy way to clean your email

2005-12-15T10:56:00.000+10:30

Have you ever received an email looking like the picture on the right? Have you wanted to throw it in the trash can and not bother to read it because it looks so messy? Have you needed to forward it? But you couldn't be bothered cleaning out all the >s and returns and blank lines? So you either forwarded it like it was or didn't forward it at all? Here's the answer! eClean 2000 is a piece of software that automatically cleans up messy email like this. It removes all the extra characters, blank lines and spaces, and puts it back the way the original author intended it. eClean 2000 can be run as a standalone program, from an icon which resides in your system tray, or can be integrated with Microsoft® Outlook®. If you use it with Microsoft® Outlook® you just click on the email message and click on the icon in the Outlook® toolbar and it reproduces a clean version of the email in your inbox. It's a great tool. You can download it by clicking here.

A false Wikipedia 'biography' - USATODAY.com

2005-12-11T21:32:00.000+10:30

Here's a story that should make us stop and think about the (un)reliability of online information. John Seigenthaler Sr discovered a Wikipedia entry about himself that was false and malicious but found he couldn't do much about bringing the perpetrator to justice. It's a timely warning that we can't trust everything we read online even when it is found in 'reputable' sources.

Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP

2005-11-27T12:12:00.000+10:30

Microsoft has released a Windows Media Bonus Pack for XP which if free of charge. 'Fully packed with utilities, PowerToys, visualizations, skins, sound effects, and much more, you can install the Windows Media Bonus Pack on your Windows XP-based computer and let your creativity shine.'

25 Best License-Free Quality Fonts

2005-11-17T19:03:00.000+10:30

Looking for some free professional fonts to enhance your documents? Vitaly Friedman has scoured the internet and found 25 of the best license-free high quality fonts. Check them out and find download links here.

ZonedOut

2005-10-20T10:18:00.000+09:30

ZonedOut is a great little utility for managing the various Internet zones in Microsoft Internet explorer. You can Add, Delete, Import, Export, Build a WhiteList. Now includes Restricted, Trusted and Intranet Zones.

spamgourmet - free disposable email addresses, spam blocker

2005-10-19T20:06:00.000+09:30

Here is a remarkable service - spamgourmet! If you are sick of receiving spam in your inbox, check out this website which offers disposable email addresses. You let it know your personal email address and then, when you are asked for your email by a company or someone from whom you don't wish to received junk mail in the long term, you can make up a special email address on the spot which includes how many emails you are willing to receive from that company or person. When they send you email, spamgourmet forwards it on to you until the number you have specified is reached then it starts eating the junk mail. It's a very clever service. You can read more about it here. What's more, it is FREE! Definitely worth checking this one out!

Google Blog Search

2005-09-18T12:51:00.000+09:30

Google have done it again! They have created a beta version of a Blog Search engine. Here's what they say about themselves:

Blog Search is Google search technology focused on blogs. Google is a strong believer in the self-publishing phenomenon represented by blogging, and we hope Blog Search will help our users to explore the blogging universe more effectively, and perhaps inspire many to join the revolution themselves. Whether you're looking for Harry Potter reviews, political commentary, summer salad recipes or anything else, Blog Search enables you to find out what people are saying on any subject of your choice.
Your results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger; our blog index is continually updated, so you'll always get the most accurate and up-to-date results; and you can search not just for blogs written in English, but in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages as well.

Check it out here...

QuikUninstall

2005-09-17T07:17:00.000+09:30

QuikUninstall - An extremely compact and fast replacement for the add/remove programs functionality in Windows. Runs up in only a few seconds, allows filtering of program names in the uninstall list, and with a few mouse clicks allows the user to remove a program (using the programs very own uninstaller). Requires .Net Framework 1.1 or above - usually installed with Windows XP or higher. FREEWARE

Making Windows XP Start Faster (Book Excerpt from PC Magazine)

2005-09-14T06:46:00.000+09:30

Some very useful information on how to get your Windows XP to boot up more quickly:

Whenever you start your computer, you are faced with a few moments of thumb twiddling while Windows XP boots and prompts you to log on. Although you should expect to wait for a few moments, sometimes Windows XP seems to boot rather slowly. In fact, you may notice that over a period of time the PC that used to roar to life seems a bit sluggish instead. Fortunately, you can perform several techniques that help Windows XP get the bootup speed you want. This chapter explores how to put these techniques to work.

See the full article here.

XPepius - FREE Suite of WinXP Tweaks and Utilities

2005-08-23T17:00:00.000+09:30

XPepius is a freeware piece of software that has a number of useful functions and utilities. With it you can tweak various aspects of Windows, optimise and tune Windows, check the registry for errors, clean up your hard drive, and apply new Windows XP styles.

The Worst Jobs in History

2005-08-21T08:16:00.000+09:30

Have you ever sat slumped over your desk at work feeling depressed about going on because you did not enjoy your job? The Worst Jobs in History website may help you to feel better. This website take it on a journey through 2000 years of British history and the worst jobs of each era. For example,

The 13th century is boom time for the wool trade. With three sheep to every man, woman and child, wool is our biggest export. But nobody likes stiff and itchy cloth that falls to pieces, so we have several openings for fullers.
As a fuller, you are expected to walk up and down all day in huge vats of stinking stale urine. The ammonia produced by the rotten wee may make your eyes water, but it creates the softest cloth by drawing out the grease (lanolin) from the wool. If you can dance up to your knees in urine for around two hours per length of cloth, you'll succeed in closing the fibres of the wool and interlocking them to produce cloth that is kind to the skin. You will be doing your part, along with the weavers, dyers and merchants, in making it a world-beating export. You may stink and regularly have to fight back the urge to throw up, but you are guaranteed very clean toenails.

You can read about Roman/Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, and Victorian periods. After reading information on this site I am sure you will feel better about what you are doing now!

How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data

2005-08-21T07:25:00.000+09:30

Everyone at some point will need to reinstall their Windows operating system. Usually, that means you need to reformat your hard drive. However, there is a way to do it without losing all the data on your system. Go to this website and print off these directions for later use. If you have a lot of data that you don't want to lose you will be eternally grateful you did.

Build an XP-SP2 Recovery Disc (PC Magazine)

2005-08-16T10:31:00.000+09:30

It is absolutely essential to have a recovery CD for your computer in case something horrible goes wrong. When you initially installed Windows Xp on your computer, you would have been prompted to create a recovery disk. If you did (and many of you probably didn't!) it is most likely out of date now due to automatic upgrading of the operating system, new drivers, and so on. And, in particular, if you have upgraded Windows to SP2, then you won't be able to reinstall your original version of Windows anyway. So you need to make a new recovery disk NOW! But how do you do it? PC Magazine comes to the rescue with instructions on how to build an XP-SP2 recovery disk. Don't delay!