BARRY'S BEST COMPUTER TIPS

Vitamin D - Put your webcam to use as a security camera

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:57:45 PST

If you've got a webcam, it probably does nothing most of the time. Why not repurpose it? Want to see what happens when you're not around? Want to know who's been looking through your stuff? Whatever? Check out this free beta. Developer sez:

"We all want to know what's happening when we're not around. Now there's an easy way to find out. To try out Vitamin D Video, download the software and set it up with a webcam−even the one built into your computer. It's that simple."

Get Vitamin D

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MyDefrag - Excellent free tool for automatic defrag and optimization

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:32:37 PST

When I bought my current car I got 31 mpg. Just a few months later I'm getting 25. WTHH? I have no idea, because I don't know cars. But I do know computers, and I know that they can slow down over time (especially older machines) when the data stored on their hard drives get scattered all over the darn place. So utilities like this one can clean you up and set you on the straight and narrow. From the developer:

"MyDefrag is a disk defragmenter and optimizer (a maintenance utility to make your harddisk faster) for Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, 2008, Win7, and for X64. It is freeware, no time limit, fully functional, no advertisements. Fast, low overhead, with many optimization strategies, can handle floppies, USB disks, memory sticks, and anything else that looks like a disk to Windows. Included are a set of easy to use scripts for endusers, a scripting engine for demanding users, a screensaver, and a combined Windows plus commandline version that can be scheduled by the Windows task scheduler or for use from administrator scripts."

Get MyDefrag

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National Geographic Wallpapers - A goldmine of gorgeous shots

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:46 PST

Wallpaper fans this is for you. National Geographic has a veritable goldmine of beautiful photos you can download and use as your desktop wallpaper. Check it out.

Go to National Geographic Wallpaper

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LockThis! - Put a lock on your open apps

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:04:47 PST

If you want to keep inquisitive sorts from restoring your minimized windows, slap a password-protection lock on them with this simple app. Developer says:

"LockThis! is a tiny Windows utility that makes it possible to password protect almost any programs or documents that's currently running/open. This tool is perfect for people who often lend their PC to others, because with this tool they can keep the content of some programs or documents from other people eyes without need to close them first. Huge time saver if you really often lend your PC."

Get LockThis!

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Scan Tailor - Fix up your scanned pages

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:27:21 PST

If you are prone to scanning lots of pages and tired of trying to make them presentable, this app could save your life. OK, not your life, although anything is possible. Perhaps lots of time and stress. From the developer:

"Scan Tailor is an interactive post-processing tool for scanned pages. It performs operations such as page splitting, deskewing, adding/removing borders, and others. You give it raw scans, and you get pages ready to be printed or assembled into a PDF or DJVU file. Scanning, optical character recognition, and assembling multi-page documents are out of scope of this project."

Get Scan Tailor

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Celestia - Get yourself off-planet

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:09 PST

Need to de-stress? Thought about leaving the planet behind for a while? Then try this freeware space-simulation app and say goodbye to your troubles, at least until you get back, at which point they will probably be much worse.

Get Celestia

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Free Stocks Ticker - Put a scrolling stock and news feed ticker on your desktop

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:43:44 PST

Want to have a CNN-like news and stocks ticker on your own desktop? Who wouldn't? Developer's description:

"A highly customizable open sourced free scrolling stocks or news titles from RSS feeds. Default feeds include Fox-news, CNN and Yahoo news. Quotes are downloaded from Yahoo. The utility uses very little CPU power. Users can quickly change what is scrolled by selecting different feeds from the context menu. The utility allows multiple lines at the top or bottom of the screen. Easily change which stocks are being quoted and which RSS feeds area available."

Get Free Stocks Ticker

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XP Quick Fix Plus - Fixes 40 common XP problems

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:44:33 PST

Maintaining a computer's efficient operation means fixing problems as they come. But sometimes they accumulate, simply because the computer owner doesn't know how to fix them. This portable app makes it easy, with a grid of quick fixes for some of the most common XP problems. From the developer:

"There are a lot of excellent free Windows comprehensive repairing and fixing tools around the internet.

But there are times when you want just one quick fix for example when you are under a virus attack and you just want to enable the Task Manager or the Registry Editor so you can fight the virus back, or when some new installation changed your XP behavior and My Documents opens on every start up.

This is the right time to draw XP Quick Fix Plus with 40 common Windows XP problems fixes, only 0.58mb, portable, small and fast, a must have on every computer and with a small extra, a command line utility to fix 6 common problems directly from command line!"

Get XP Quick Fix Plus

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OuttaSight - hide running apps with the click of a button

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:47:03 PST

I don't want to know your reasons, but there are many possible ones and this app will be useful for countless ones of you. I guarantee it. Developer description: "OuttaSight (outofsight) allows you to hide any application window from your desktop. You can choose to hide them completely, or to minimize them as icon to the system tray. The program also includes an auto-hide feature, that lets you hide specific windows automatically whenever they appear. Additional features include hotkey operation (Boss Key) to hide selected or all windows, and an option to hide desktop components like taskbar, start button and more. (Please note: OuttaSight is designed for 98/NT, however we tested it on XP and it worked fine, except for hiding of the Start button and system tray)."

Get OuttaSight

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TV-Browser - Put a nicely arranged grid on your desktop

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:25 PST

There are several ways to check what's on TV from your computer. This is a desktop client that seems to do it well. Developer's description: "TV-Browser gets the daily TV program from the internet and shows it clearly arranged - like a printed TV guide. An internet connection is only necessary during the data update."

Get TV-Browser

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Pyramid Scheme Alert - Don't be a victim

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:59:15 PST

Looking for a way to make money that will cost you money? Eager to be seriously embarrassed by your credulity? Simply respond to Internet come-ons for work-at-home and secret-shopper opportunities.

Want to make sure you avoid the above? Want to investigate an opportunity that sounds too good to be true? Read Pyramid Scheme Alert.

Visit Pyramid Scheme Alert

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Make Business Cards - Do it yourself cards for free

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:07:17 PST

Except for the paper, printer ink, Internet connection, etc. In this economy we have to save money, blah blah blah. Words from the developer: "Make your own business cards online. Type in your contact information, point to your logo and get a printable PDF that you can take to virtually any printer (Kinko's)."

Visit Make Business Cards

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The Form Letter Machine - Helps you generate form letters by component

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:05:42 PST

If you have the need to design and generate form letters using pieces of pre-written text then this free app is for you. Developer's description:

"The Form Letter Machine is a program that will help you to write letters and emails by mixing and matching from pre-written paragraphs.

It's useful for people who regularly need to send out emails which include different components in different circumstances. For example if you field technical support requests, or if you need to reply to various inquiries, etc.

It enables you to assemble text from multiple paragraphs, each one customized for a specific type of inquiry or response. You can build your own configurations using checkboxes and radioboxes and nested groups, and then easily write new letters or respond to inquiries by checking off the components you want to include. A real-time preview allows you to view the message as it is composed. The program also supports user defined variables, which allows you to quickly personalize the template with a name or other data that is specific to the task. The text is then copied to the clipboard and can be used in your e-mail program or word processor.

Get The Form Letter Machine

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Google Translate Desktop Client - A sweet translation tool

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:11:35 PST

Developer's description: "Just select text in your web-browser or other application and get instant translation by Google Translate Service. Google Translate is the most widely used free translation service. But translating a webpage or a piece of text can still be a tiresome process: you need to visit Google Translator website, copy/paste the text, choosing the language... Too long! Client for Google Translate is a free translator which translate text in every Windows application such as Outlook, MS Word, Internet Explorer, Firefox and so on."

Get Google Translate

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Lingoes - A Windows translation and dictionary app for language lovers

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:51:50 PST

You know who you are. You can't hear an unfamiliar word without rushing to a dictionary. Languages give you thrills better reserved for being with someone special. For you there is Lingoes. Developer's description:

"Lingoes is an easy and intuitive dictionary and text translation (application). It offers look-up dictionaries, full text translation, capture(s) word(s) on screen, translate(s) selected text and (offers) pronunciation of words in over 80 languages. These language are English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Arabic, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Thai and more..."

Get Lingoes

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Google Sidewiki - read/write your comments on any web page

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:12:04 PDT

Knowledge is precious and information is power, so they say. They're right. But knowledge and information are often lost or wasted simply because they aren't shared effectively, not stored in a way that's easily retrievable. Google's Sidewiki is one of those wonderful apps that is changing things for the better. Watch the video to learn more.

Get Google Sidewiki

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JumpTo - A context-menu-based launcher

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:21:13 PDT

I'm always on the lookout for launchers that make the steps to opening apps or web pages easier and faster. Check out this one. From the developer:

"JumpTo is a menu based launcher that holds static links to files, folders, programs, websites, and even command line commands. The links can be held inside of 4 customizable sub-menus or alternately launched through a text command. JumpTo also offers quick note taking, window management (hide and show windows), a runbox replacement with added functionality, along with other smaller less used functions like, importing the date & time to the clipboard for easy pasting and formatting the contents of the clipboard to plain text or converting a copied file or folder to its full path."

JumpTo Tutorial from John-Paul LaBorde on Vimeo.

Get JumpTo

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Acer GridVista - Divide and conquer your screen area

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:27:21 PDT

Unless you're Al Gore and have 3 30-inch monitors (OK, that pic is old, he may have 4 or 5 by now), you need to carefully allocate your screen area to the various app windows you want to see at the same time. That's where GridVista steps in. From the developer's website:

"Work smart with the new and improved Acer GridVista! Now supporting multi-window viewing on dual displays, this handy tool accommodates up to eight windows at once, for superb multi-tasking efficiency. Tailor-made for Acer widescreen notebooks and featuring an intuitive interface with streamlined 1-2-3 setup process, being productive has never been this easy!"

Get Acer GridVista

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Signo - a monster of a hot-key manager

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:11:21 PDT

What would you like a hot-key combination to do? Insert text? Open a website or application? Shine your shoes? Manage your open windows? From the website:

"Signo runs silently in your tray bar and allows you managing multiple hotkeys and textkeys and their association with various actions. Signo intends to support everything you'd want to use hotkeys for and therefore is the most feature full hotkey manager you can find, including a very large range of feature such as action hotkeys, auto-replace textkeys, screen and windows management, screen are capture tool, etc."

Get Signo

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AllMyNotes Organizer - Smooth notetaking organizer for Windows

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:51:53 PDT

If you want a great system for keeping all your notes in one, easy-to-search file, it's hard to beat this free app. From the developer:

"AllMyNotes Organizer is a multi-functional hierarchical information manager for Windows. Store all your Notes in virtual folders in one file! Everyone is unique so AllMyNotes Organizer offers freedom of individualizing your notes in totally customizable tree structure. All Notes stored in a single AllMyNotes Organizer file and can be grouped into flexible virtual folders enabling easy, intuitive access, and instant search at all times."

Get AllMyNotes Organizer

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VistaSwitcher - A slick task-switcher for Windows

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:55:52 PDT

When it comes to the Alt-Tab task switching combo, I like fast, reliable and slick. This one has all three. Developer's website says:

"VistaSwitcher is an elegant and powerful task management utility for Windows OS. Once installed, it replaces the default Windows Alt-Tab dialog with a nice box that shows a list of all running tasks with their names and preview snapshots and enables the user to take actions on them using the mouse and keyboard shortcuts. With just one click, you can switch to a task, minimize, maximize, restore the main window or close the process."

Get VistaSwitcher

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BudgetSketch - See where your money WILL go

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:46:28 PDT

Everybody wants to know where their money has gone. It was in my bank account, now it's not; what happened? Like that. This budgeting tool does one better. From the website:

"BudgetSketch™ is an innovative, intuitive tool consumers are using to gain a handle on where their money will go, not where it has gone. Using a first in class proprietary system, BudgetSketch maps out where your money will go as it comes in, instead of simply showing you where it’s been spent. Isn’t it time to get intentional with your money?"

Watch the video to learn more:

Go to BudgetSketch

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AVG 9 Free Edition - Excellent free upgrade now available

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:06:34 PDT

AVG recently upgraded their commercial version to 9, but the upgrade has only just been applied to the free version. So knock yourselves out!

Get AVG 9 Free

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TrendProtect - Stay safe from malicious websites

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:14:33 PDT

The real danger of having your computer drafted into a botnet army comes from visiting malicious websites. You don't have to click on an attachment or link or do anything. So it helps to have a plug-in that'll warn you before you go to the wrong place. From the website:

"TrendProtect is a FREE browser plug-in that helps you avoid Web pages with unwanted content and hidden threats. TrendProtect rates the current page and pages listed in Google, MSN, and Yahoo search results. You can use the rating to decide if you want to visit or avoid a given Web page. To rate Web pages, TrendProtect refers to an extensive database that covers the following information for billions of Web pages:

* Content category
* Phishing scam detection
* Site reputation
* Page reputation"

Get TrendProtect

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PhotoJoy - Transform your photos into screensavers, wallpapers, etc.

bmahfood@gmail.com (Barry Mahfood) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:02:15 PDT

When you love photos you want to use them in everything. Here are some very neat ways you can spread the joy. From the website:

With PhotoJoy You Get:

Wallpaper Collages – The perfect way to relive your favorite moments
3D Screensavers – Make your photos look spectacular
PhotoToy Widgets – Display your photos in fun ways
Professional photos – 1000’s of them
So much fun and so easy to use

Get PhotoJoy

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