If you've run into sites which don't work for some of the video download/capture methods I've posted, here's a new piece of software which might work - xVideoServiceThief. It's Open Source (which means it's free - you can use it freely, but can't take the software itself and sell it), works on PC, Linux, and Mac systems (!!), includes conversion capabilities and multiple downloads, will automatically update itself as new versions come out, and have I mentioned that it's free? The only caveat to mention is that this is alpha software, so it's still somewhat in the testing stage. However, it already does a lot of stuff really well, and should be marvelous by the time it's mature.
Also, a tip from Steve Mills via Mel Ming: YouSendIt is a site/service which allows you to send and receive large files, either one to one, one to many, or many to one. There's a free service, which allows files up to 100mb and caps both the total bandwidth used (1gb/month) and number of downloads per file (100), and numerous paid plans starting at about $10/month. The $10 plan allows much larger files (2gb), bandwidth (40gb), and downloads (500/file). For most of us I suspect the free plan will do nicely, and the $10/mth plan should take care of the rest.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
More Free Stuff
Hard on the heels of last week's article, here's another article from ComputerWorld with more free software and some services.
One that intrigued me right on the first page is a service to which you can forward emails you get when you buy stuff on the web. They'll find the tracking number and give you a unified page where you can see all the different things you're waiting for. This will save me a lot of time (though, sadly, no money whatsoever).
On page three there's a free program that lets you set up an encrypted "virtual drive" - great for keeping sensitive stuff safe, especially on vulnerable machines like laptops, as well as software for blocking spam and viruses.
There are pages full of some really neat stuff. Just one warning: you can "invest" a lot of time here, because there is so much excellent material to explore.
One that intrigued me right on the first page is a service to which you can forward emails you get when you buy stuff on the web. They'll find the tracking number and give you a unified page where you can see all the different things you're waiting for. This will save me a lot of time (though, sadly, no money whatsoever).
On page three there's a free program that lets you set up an encrypted "virtual drive" - great for keeping sensitive stuff safe, especially on vulnerable machines like laptops, as well as software for blocking spam and viruses.
There are pages full of some really neat stuff. Just one warning: you can "invest" a lot of time here, because there is so much excellent material to explore.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Free and Excellent Software
Here's an article from ComputerWorld which lists a bunch of software (from email to Office suites to graphics to money to antivirus to....) which is mostly free (a few items offer enhancements for a bit of money, like generally $10 or so). What is very exciting about the items on the list, though, is not only the low price, but also that in many cases the free stuff outdoes the expensive stuff - now THAT'S something I can really appreciate!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ease Office 2007 Frustrations
If you're frustrated by the changes in Office 2007, here's some help:
a cheat-sheat for Word 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9010482
a cheat-sheat for Excel 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9028228
a cheat-sheat for Powerpoint 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9063119
If this isn’t enough and you find yourself frustrated on an ongoing basis, you might want to invest in a copy of Classic Menu – free to try for 30 days at http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/, about $30 if you like it and want to add technical support (doesn’t seem to actually time-out). It adds the old menus and commands to the new office, so you get the best of both worlds. (Thanks to Mel Ming for making me aware of this one.)
a cheat-sheat for Word 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9010482
a cheat-sheat for Excel 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9028228
a cheat-sheat for Powerpoint 2007 – http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9063119
If this isn’t enough and you find yourself frustrated on an ongoing basis, you might want to invest in a copy of Classic Menu – free to try for 30 days at http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/, about $30 if you like it and want to add technical support (doesn’t seem to actually time-out). It adds the old menus and commands to the new office, so you get the best of both worlds. (Thanks to Mel Ming for making me aware of this one.)
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Easiest YouTube Conversion Yet!!
Thanks to Glen Davis, via Mel Ming, for this tip:
Check out the service and more importantly, the downloadable program, at http://vixy.net/. This is a one-step capture and/or convert process for YouTube and other web videos - basically converts from .flv to a number of formats (.mp4 for iPod etc., .avi for general PC use, .mov for general Mac use) or simply capture the .flv file.
Now for the caveats: the online service to do it didn't work when I tried it - simply never was able to contact the server. Could be all sorts of things, and you may have a different result. However, the great news is that there's a downloadable program (still in beta format) which is currently free, is available for Mac as well as PC, and it worked brilliantly, couldn't be simpler, and gave terrific results. This is a must have - check it out!
Check out the service and more importantly, the downloadable program, at http://vixy.net/. This is a one-step capture and/or convert process for YouTube and other web videos - basically converts from .flv to a number of formats (.mp4 for iPod etc., .avi for general PC use, .mov for general Mac use) or simply capture the .flv file.
Now for the caveats: the online service to do it didn't work when I tried it - simply never was able to contact the server. Could be all sorts of things, and you may have a different result. However, the great news is that there's a downloadable program (still in beta format) which is currently free, is available for Mac as well as PC, and it worked brilliantly, couldn't be simpler, and gave terrific results. This is a must have - check it out!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
"Fix" Vista
Many of my friends have expressed frustration over some of Vista's "features" which make it so power-hungry and slow. Here's an article from Information Week which talks about a program named vLite, which can strip Vista down to a lean and mean operating system. It is used in the installation mode, so unfortunately it is not designed for those who already have Vista running. (You use it during the installation phase: as the makers of the tool say, "vLite is a tool for customizing the Windows Vista installation before actually installing it.") It is excellent in this mode, and besides, it's free!
UPDATE: another journal article from Computerworld praises this tool and indicates that it can reduce the installed size of Vista from 15 gigs down to 1.4 gigs - a very significant reduction in footprint! And, by the way, there's a similar tool for Windows XP from the same programmer, called nLite. It's not nearly as necessary, as XP is not nearly as bloated as Vista, but for those who insist on the most finely tuned system it is worth using.
What about those who already have Vista installed? Here are a few sites and tools. The instructions from the folks at ExtremeTech are not as technically involved and dangerous as some I've seen. Also, check out Mobile Pedia, the instructions at the TweakVista site, and those at cucirca.com. The latter makes references to a tool called Tweak VI, which is available as a free download and will automate a number of the processes described on these other sites, which you would otherwise do manually. This (Tweak VI) is probably your best choice.
UPDATE: another journal article from Computerworld praises this tool and indicates that it can reduce the installed size of Vista from 15 gigs down to 1.4 gigs - a very significant reduction in footprint! And, by the way, there's a similar tool for Windows XP from the same programmer, called nLite. It's not nearly as necessary, as XP is not nearly as bloated as Vista, but for those who insist on the most finely tuned system it is worth using.
What about those who already have Vista installed? Here are a few sites and tools. The instructions from the folks at ExtremeTech are not as technically involved and dangerous as some I've seen. Also, check out Mobile Pedia, the instructions at the TweakVista site, and those at cucirca.com. The latter makes references to a tool called Tweak VI, which is available as a free download and will automate a number of the processes described on these other sites, which you would otherwise do manually. This (Tweak VI) is probably your best choice.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Totally Free Photos
A challenge in doing affordable but legal design work is finding a source for good free photographs. With a stock photo you pay based on how you are using the photo (and each time you want to use that photo). With a royalty-free photo you pay a set fee for the right to use that photo in just about any way and as often as you desire (google "royalty-free photos"). What I like is the totally free photo, which can costs you the time to download it and which you can use as you like (within reasonable limitations imposed by the site). Here are some of my favorite sources.
A disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that there are no offensive images to be found in these sites.
Sources of Totally Free Photos
http://www.sxc.hu
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://pdphoto.org/
http://www.freephotosbank.com/
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/
http://yotophoto.com/
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx (suggested by an anonymous commenter - thanks!)
There is no good way to know which of the images at http://images.google.com/ and http://flickr.com/ are in violation of copyright law and you're better off avoiding them. As you find other good sites, please let me know and I'll add them here.
A disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that there are no offensive images to be found in these sites.
Sources of Totally Free Photos
http://www.sxc.hu
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://pdphoto.org/
http://www.freephotosbank.com/
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/
http://yotophoto.com/
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx (suggested by an anonymous commenter - thanks!)
There is no good way to know which of the images at http://images.google.com/ and http://flickr.com/ are in violation of copyright law and you're better off avoiding them. As you find other good sites, please let me know and I'll add them here.
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