To everyone who reads this, I apologize for the lack of updates as of recent. I am going to attempt a new updating schedule that will hopefully solve this issue. Instead of updating on a fixed schedule with three programs per entry, I will update with one program per entry as I find them. This will hopefully help since my free time to update this blog is in no way fixed or scheduled.
Everyone, thank you for hanging in there. This is definitely a work in progress!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
5.23.11
For all 3 people that actually read this, sorry about the lack of updates. Life catches up quick and I'm still trying to figure out a schedule. Anyway, onward with the programs!
1) Fellowup.com
Are you a social networking fiend? I'm not talking "Oh, I have a Facebook", I mean are you up all night looking for people to add to your "Friends List" when the only real friends you have on there are your mom and the weird homeless guy from the corner (who you're still not sure about how he has a Facebook in the first place)? Or maybe you are a band with aspirations of snorting brown M&M's that you thought was cocaine off of a halibut that you thought was a stripper's ass, so you have 17 different social media sites to showcase your terrible 3 1/2 chord songs about cookie cutter emotions using forced rhymes and stupid metaphors that makes Chris Brown's new song sound like the best songwriters in the world had a word-baby.
"I just wrote a song about that."
If you're something like that (God help you) then Fellowup.com can probably help. It is a webapp that will collect all of your friends lists and other information from your social media, networking and email sites and put it all into one dashboard for you. You can use it to comment on multiple platforms without having to jump back and forth between sites, and the more you use it the more it learns from you, giving you relevant updates.
The Dirty:
-FREE account
-Fairly easy to use
-iPod version released, with an Android app on the way.
2) Malwarebytes.org
Let me guess: you have no idea how all of the viruses got on your computer. You also have no idea why all of the popups have to deal with "sexy ladies." I'm sure it has absolutely no correlation to the extensive bookmark collection you have of questionable sites. Whatever the reason is, you are infected and you need it gone.
If you know what this is, it is either your job to know or
you are gross. Stay away from me either way.
Malwarebytes is an anti-malware program that is really good at removing most of your standard grade (and some more serious) infections, including a lot of the fake anti-virus infections. Based on the way it searches and removes infections, it is actually more effective if it is run in standard mode if possible (as opposed to safe mode.) All in all, a very effective program.
The Dirty:
-Free
-Paid version available with extra abilities
-Simple to use, and very powerful.
3) LogMeIn.com
For any of you that have parents/family/clients who look up to you to fix their computers, this is the tool for you.
"P-P-P-Parents?!"
After a user installs the client on their computer, you can access it through the website with the user's username and password. This allows you to take complete control of the client computer, using the client's resources. The only resources your computer uses are for input and video. Using the free version, you can add as many computers as you want to your account. The paid version allows you to move files between the host and the client computer through LogMeIn, along with other gizmos and extras. In my career, no other program has been as helpful as this one.
The Dirty:
- Free version, along with a stronger paid version.
- Ability to control remote computers.
1) Fellowup.com
Are you a social networking fiend? I'm not talking "Oh, I have a Facebook", I mean are you up all night looking for people to add to your "Friends List" when the only real friends you have on there are your mom and the weird homeless guy from the corner (who you're still not sure about how he has a Facebook in the first place)? Or maybe you are a band with aspirations of snorting brown M&M's that you thought was cocaine off of a halibut that you thought was a stripper's ass, so you have 17 different social media sites to showcase your terrible 3 1/2 chord songs about cookie cutter emotions using forced rhymes and stupid metaphors that makes Chris Brown's new song sound like the best songwriters in the world had a word-baby.
"I just wrote a song about that."
If you're something like that (God help you) then Fellowup.com can probably help. It is a webapp that will collect all of your friends lists and other information from your social media, networking and email sites and put it all into one dashboard for you. You can use it to comment on multiple platforms without having to jump back and forth between sites, and the more you use it the more it learns from you, giving you relevant updates.
The Dirty:
-FREE account
-Fairly easy to use
-iPod version released, with an Android app on the way.
2) Malwarebytes.org
Let me guess: you have no idea how all of the viruses got on your computer. You also have no idea why all of the popups have to deal with "sexy ladies." I'm sure it has absolutely no correlation to the extensive bookmark collection you have of questionable sites. Whatever the reason is, you are infected and you need it gone.
If you know what this is, it is either your job to know or
you are gross. Stay away from me either way.
Malwarebytes is an anti-malware program that is really good at removing most of your standard grade (and some more serious) infections, including a lot of the fake anti-virus infections. Based on the way it searches and removes infections, it is actually more effective if it is run in standard mode if possible (as opposed to safe mode.) All in all, a very effective program.
The Dirty:
-Free
-Paid version available with extra abilities
-Simple to use, and very powerful.
3) LogMeIn.com
For any of you that have parents/family/clients who look up to you to fix their computers, this is the tool for you.
"P-P-P-Parents?!"
After a user installs the client on their computer, you can access it through the website with the user's username and password. This allows you to take complete control of the client computer, using the client's resources. The only resources your computer uses are for input and video. Using the free version, you can add as many computers as you want to your account. The paid version allows you to move files between the host and the client computer through LogMeIn, along with other gizmos and extras. In my career, no other program has been as helpful as this one.
The Dirty:
- Free version, along with a stronger paid version.
- Ability to control remote computers.
Monday, April 11, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, April 4, 2011
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
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
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
3.29.11
Hello everyone! Its Wednesday, and as promised I have a new batch of app-y goodness. Today's list comprises of mostly of programs that allow you to see whats actually going on in the black magic wizard-box known as your computer.
Now that you are sufficiently terrified, lets get started.
1) Speccy
Speccy is a good program for knowing what and what size is in there (that's what she said). It is also a good troubleshooting tool because it shows memory and CPU usage, along with temperature of certain components (provided the components have sensors). This way if there's a memory leak, or if there is an overheating issue, I can watch it as it's happening and know what component is overheating. I use it a lot for those reasons in particular.
The Dirty:
-FREE
-A lot of information for such a small program (at 3.3MB)
2) CCleaner
CCleaner is one of those programs that has helped me time and time again. This little beauty (at 2MB) goes through your computer looking for junk files, useless duplicate files, log files, etc from windows and will delete them, freeing up precious space if you get the dreaded "Running out of free space" error. CCleaner also comes with additional tools that clean your registry (if you are a member of that school of thought) and help delete files "permanently". For the Average Joe trying to delete porn bank statements and other responsible-person forms, this is one easy way to do that.
Another aspect of this program that I use constantly is the ability to stop programs from running at start up. Some companies like Adobe, Apple and HP hate you* so much that they devised an evil scheme to slow your computer down as much as possible by causing every freaking piece of bloatware that you had to install with a program (I just wanted a printer driver!) to start at once. To get an idea of what this is like, take all of the work you do in one day, and do it ALL in 30 seconds after getting to the office. THAT is more than likely why it takes your computer 15 minutes to get to the point you can use it.
...Got a little angst-y there. Sorry about that.
The Dirty:
-FREE
-Comes with a 32bit and 64bit version
-Lots of extra tools
-Customizable to prevent unwanted removal of important files
3) PC Decrapifier
You just bought a new laptop from your local SortaGood Purchase. After buying the best option for you, you hurriedly run home, with hope and excitement in your eyes for all of the glorious time you and your new computa-buddy will have. You get home, open the laptop up, and start it. It hums away as the anticipation wells up inside of you like a tea kettle. Behold, your fresh and clean desktop appears with all of the free spa... wait, whats all of this crap? There's 19 different installers and trials for terrible online applications, 3 different anti-virus trials and a bevy of "help" applications from the maker that don't help anything. What is one to do?
That's where PC Decrapifier comes in.
"I am the program that your PC deserves."
This program will automatically uninstall and remove a hit-list of programs from your computer all at once. There is also a commercial version that you can add command-line switches to the program for automation and other options.
The Dirty:
-FREE version and a paid commercial version
-A limit is that it uninstalls only certain programs, but the list is pretty big.
-The program doesn't have an installer. It is a stand-alone executable.
Now that you are sufficiently terrified, lets get started.
1) Speccy
Speccy is a good program for knowing what and what size is in there (that's what she said). It is also a good troubleshooting tool because it shows memory and CPU usage, along with temperature of certain components (provided the components have sensors). This way if there's a memory leak, or if there is an overheating issue, I can watch it as it's happening and know what component is overheating. I use it a lot for those reasons in particular.
The Dirty:
-FREE
-A lot of information for such a small program (at 3.3MB)
2) CCleaner
Another aspect of this program that I use constantly is the ability to stop programs from running at start up. Some companies like Adobe, Apple and HP hate you* so much that they devised an evil scheme to slow your computer down as much as possible by causing every freaking piece of bloatware that you had to install with a program (I just wanted a printer driver!) to start at once. To get an idea of what this is like, take all of the work you do in one day, and do it ALL in 30 seconds after getting to the office. THAT is more than likely why it takes your computer 15 minutes to get to the point you can use it.
...Got a little angst-y there. Sorry about that.
The Dirty:
-FREE
-Comes with a 32bit and 64bit version
-Lots of extra tools
-Customizable to prevent unwanted removal of important files
3) PC Decrapifier
You just bought a new laptop from your local SortaGood Purchase. After buying the best option for you, you hurriedly run home, with hope and excitement in your eyes for all of the glorious time you and your new computa-buddy will have. You get home, open the laptop up, and start it. It hums away as the anticipation wells up inside of you like a tea kettle. Behold, your fresh and clean desktop appears with all of the free spa... wait, whats all of this crap? There's 19 different installers and trials for terrible online applications, 3 different anti-virus trials and a bevy of "help" applications from the maker that don't help anything. What is one to do?
That's where PC Decrapifier comes in.
"I am the program that your PC deserves."
This program will automatically uninstall and remove a hit-list of programs from your computer all at once. There is also a commercial version that you can add command-line switches to the program for automation and other options.
The Dirty:
-FREE version and a paid commercial version
-A limit is that it uninstalls only certain programs, but the list is pretty big.
-The program doesn't have an installer. It is a stand-alone executable.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8
Monday, March 28, 2011
This Is Relevant To My Interests.
Welcome and thanks for reading! My name is Steve and I work in the IT industry. What that means for those that might not know, is that 60% of the time I am actively fixing computer issues from the mundane to the absurd with on-hand knowledge. The other 40% of the time I am on a Google search trying to find out what in the hell an ID 10 T Error is. (Get it? Thaaaats right. I got jokes.) During my traipsing of the Googleverse/Blogosphere/dark inky depths of the internet, I tend to come across helpful programs that make either my work-life or my real-life-life easier. With this blog I intend to share what I find with you. So here it is, the first set of awesome programs:
1) Mint.com
Mint is a financial program that you can sync with your accounts to view purchases and income either graphically or by list, and helps you set a budget by letting you actually see how much the midnight runs for munchies can suck a bank account dry. With bank-level encryption and support for many major and mid-level banks (sorry Central Bank of Wallabangbang, no Mint for you) Mint.com could be just what you need to get your finances in some semblance of order.
The Dirty:
-Web based
-Android/IPhone mobile app
-FREE (the magic word everyone loves)
-Can send alerts through email or text
-Personalized recommendations for CDs, credit cards, etc.
2) FullScreenWeather.com
This is another web based application that I really like. It is just what it says: it uses the whole browser window to show a map of your location with the weather. Its simple with not a lot of frills, but it gets the job done. You can view local radar maps of areas for precipitation, cloud coverage, or temperature. It also allows for storm tracking and will give you info from the National Weather Service and Weather Underground (they also power the site).
The Dirty:
-Web based
-FREE
-Simple and easy to use
3) Grooveshark.com
Grooveshark is an awesome web-based music player. Users can upload their music (that was legally obtained, right?) to their servers and anyone can listen to the songs. You can also create playlists of your favorite songs and save them or share them, so instead of making a mix tape to give to the girl that wont give you the time of day/month/year, you can now make a playlist that you can send to her and still be ignored! Isn't the 21st century AMAZING!? It boasts an impressively large library of music and offers three tiers of service: The free, standard version; Grooveshark Plus, which doesn't have ads on the web app and allows a desktop application; and Grooveshark Anywhere, which has all of the perks of Plus, with a mobile application for quite a few different phones. The mobile application used to be a little strange and hard to deal with, but a fairly recent update to it has made it far easier to use.
The Dirty:
-Web based
-Desktop application (with subscription)
-Mobile app for Android/IPhone/Blackberry/Palm/Nokia phones(with Anywhere subscription
-Flash 9 or better to run
Also, best "server down" message. ever.
1) Mint.com
Mint is a financial program that you can sync with your accounts to view purchases and income either graphically or by list, and helps you set a budget by letting you actually see how much the midnight runs for munchies can suck a bank account dry. With bank-level encryption and support for many major and mid-level banks (sorry Central Bank of Wallabangbang, no Mint for you) Mint.com could be just what you need to get your finances in some semblance of order.
The Dirty:
-Web based
-Android/IPhone mobile app
-FREE (the magic word everyone loves)
-Can send alerts through email or text
-Personalized recommendations for CDs, credit cards, etc.
2) FullScreenWeather.com
This is another web based application that I really like. It is just what it says: it uses the whole browser window to show a map of your location with the weather. Its simple with not a lot of frills, but it gets the job done. You can view local radar maps of areas for precipitation, cloud coverage, or temperature. It also allows for storm tracking and will give you info from the National Weather Service and Weather Underground (they also power the site).
The Dirty:
-Web based
-FREE
-Simple and easy to use
3) Grooveshark.com
The Dirty:
-Web based
-Desktop application (with subscription)
-Mobile app for Android/IPhone/Blackberry/Palm/Nokia phones(with Anywhere subscription
-Flash 9 or better to run
Also, best "server down" message. ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)