4.11.11

Good afternoon lurkers, I'm back with more programs for you!


1) Ninite.com

Ninite is too sweet. It is a collection of free popular programs that you chose from. Once you have chosen what you want, it collects them into one installer. It then installs them with default settings (such as location) and will select "No" when a program asks to install a toolbar or something devilish and evil like that.

The only good thing about this is that it keeps me employed.


There is also a paid version that does the same thing, but it offers an offline version and will tell you if one of the supported programs is out of date. Personally, I love this program with all of my Mountain Dew-marinated heart because it makes my job so much easier.



The Dirty:
-FREE and paid commercial version
-Straightforward and easy to use
-Fairly large collection of supported programs





2) InternetButtons.org

The concept of this site is interesting and really good if you support a users personal computer. It lets you create a personalized homepage with one-click buttons for whatever site you might want.

The personalized site also has its own url you create and is password protected, so you can use multiple pages on the same computer.


The Dirty:
-FREE
-Customizeable




3) Ge.tt

I couldn't tell you how many times in my IT career I've had to explain to people that you cant send an email that has 745MB of pictures of Fluffy or Shnookums or whatever personifying yet dehumanizing name they have given the poor beast.

Cue the uncomfortable "d'awww"

Ge.tt is a web service that lets you upload a file to their servers. You give the recipient the created link and they can pull the file. Theres no need to register, no profiles, nothing. Quick and easy.


The Dirty:
-FREE
-Real-time sharing; means you can download a file at the same time someone is uploading the same file.
-Files stay for 30 days
-Sign up for a free account and your files stay for 90 days. You also get statistics and better manageability.

4.7.11

Ok, I know this post is a little late. But it is still Thursday. Unless you are on the other side of the world. Then yes, this post is late. Oops.

Then let me placate your rage with some programs....


1) Belarc Advisor

Your old computer is crapping out on you. Hard. You go and buy a new computer. You run home to tell everyone about it like you just found the golden ticket. Once you're in your room you fire it up and put the disk in for your favorite program. Then you realize: "Crap. I don't have the information for the disk anymore." Then it really hits you. "Holy sweet Baby Moses, I don't have the validation codes anymore!!!"

Guess who didn't backup his work?

That's where Belarc Advisor comes in. This sweet little puppy will give you a very detailed profile of the computer it's installed on. It will give you sizes, validation codes, rates, speeds, whats installed, what its hooked up to, and even what else is on the same network. It is like omnipotence in a .exe file.

The Dirty:
-FREE (see a pattern here?)
-Very very small program.
-Does not upload any information to anywhere. Creates the profile on a local web page. If you already have the installer you don't need the Internet at all.



2) Photoscape

Photoscape is nice in the fact that you can basically do whatever you want to a photo easily. You can even create gifs with it.

This is a gif. You're welcome.

True, there is other photo editing software out there that do just as much. But with Photoscape it is very easy for the uninitiated to get adjusted to it. My wife uses it all the time and she has saved some not-so-good photos from the delete button with the auto balance tool or by manually adjusting settings.

The Dirty:
-FREE
-Constantly updated
-Easy user interface



3) DownForEveryoneOrJustMe

Holy crap, Facebook isn't working. You start to panic. Your hands are sweating. You begin to convulse. But you have just enough strength and fortitude to try and find out why. This site can let you know if its just you and your laptop with 17 toolbars in your browser, or if Facebook has divided by zero and collided Higgs-Boson particles AT THE SAME TIME and created a tear in the fabric of time.

"Mittens sees everything that you do. And he does not approve."

All you have to do is type the offending  website address in the box and press enter or "or just me" on the site. Then it will let you know if it's you or not. That simple. That easy.

The Dirty:
-FREE
-Simple.

4.4.11

I don't know about you guys, but as I'm writing this, it's rainy, cold and all-around crappy out. So today's programs are going to help you get through it.



1) Songbird

Get tired of all of the extra crap that iTunes puts on your computer? Want a media player that doesn't make you feel like you're selling out to the man?

"You want to give me your money."

Then you need Songbird. It's an open sourced media player that allows for add-ons. You can get add-ons that show the lyrics of the song playing, help you find new music, or even customize everything about the program. Pretty much anything you would want it to do, it does or you can make it. It also allows syncing with damn near any mobile device you might want to put your music or videos on.. Phones, MP3 players, flash devices, whatever.

The Dirty:
-Cross platform
-FREE
-Open Source
-Compatible with anything and everything (except Linux. No love for you guys.)



2) Freeciv

Do you remember the game Civilization? You could spend an entire day creating and establishing your empire as the best in the world, or completely screw everything up in the blink of an eye. Well, that game costs money. This one is the same idea, same concept, but free and not as flashy. This is a perfect way to waste an entire 24 hours of your life. It doesn't take that much space, it doesn't use that much system resources, and its fun. What else could you want?

The Dirty:
-FREE
-Cross platform (even Linux!)



3)  Angry Birds

“Lemme tell ya, these ain’t no ordinary finches we’re talkin’ about. These here are the Angry Birds, the ones that’s gonna kick you in the ‘nads. And they’re the ones on your side. They must be from Galapadapados, or sumptin’.” – Col. Angus, Bird Expert.

This is on the site. I really don't know what else to say. It's like if you could get an app on your phone to give you crack. Angry Birds is a game for most mobile platforms. You take birds and you shoot them at pigs with a slingshot.

The game is remarkably easy, but very addictive (like your mom) and will easily fill hours in the day with something to do.


The Dirty:
-FREE
-There are multiple versions of the game (Angry Birds/Angry Birds Seasons/ Angry Birds Rio) so you aren't going to get bored easily
-Phenomenal game physics
-iPhone/iPad/Android/Symbian

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