4 more Vista tricks

Using your registry preferred settings on another PC

    The registry editor can save the most used keys as favorites. This will make them available more faster for reconfiguration. In order to use them on another computer or after you re-installed your operating system, you will want to secure your "favorites" outside the registry editor.
    Windows is saving the favorites directly from Registry. So, all you have to do is to export from a REG file and import it on the second computer in order to use it there. Here is how it works: in the registry editor open the key
“HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit\Favorites”.
    All the entries from the "favorites" menu are listed here.
Select the key and open „Registration/ Export registration file” or „File/ Export”.
In the next step, give it a name , select the option „Selected substructure” and the path selected there and click on „Save” button.
    On another computer, a double click on this file is enough to read the favorites in a second. These will be imediately available after you have approved their entrance in the registry.

Opening the files without extensions with Notepad

    If you double click a file without extension, Windows will pop up the „Open with” dialogue in order to select a program. You want to open the file in Notepad to check its content, but that option is not amongst the available settings.
Launch the registry editor and locate the key “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT”. Open “Edit | New | Key”, press [.] and then hit Enter. Click in the right side of the window and open again „Edit/New/Key”. Type in "shell" and hit Enter.
Same way, 1 level above, create the subkey „open”. Repeat the step and create the subkey „command”. Now double click "Default" in the current key “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.\shell\open\ command”. Change "value" into “Notepad. exe %1” and confirm with OK. Close the registry editor.

Controling access to registry depending on user account

    In many families, its members share same computer. As a main user and administrator, you want to ensure that the other users will not make changes in the registry.
    Specify on user level to which user it will be denied the access to the registry.
Windows XP:Select from the left side of the structure „HKEY_USERS” and open „File/Load Hive”. In the dialogue, navigate to „C:\Documents and Settings” -the folders of the different profiles of users are listed here.
    In the desired folder, select „ntuser.dat” and click on „Open”. In the next dialogue, type the name of user as name in „Key name”. You now have access to the specific settings of that account. Navigate under that user name to „Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Policies” and open the key „System”. If it is unavailable, create it with „Edit/New/Key”. Mark it and create the entry „DisableRegistryTools” from the „REG_DWORD” data type. Set value to „1”. Now again, in the left part of the structure, select the main folder of the profile of the user and click on „File/Delete structure”. Answer "yes" at the security question. From now on, Windows will block any attempts of accessing registry from that user.

Memory advice using Vista

    Vista is a vacuum for memory -1.024 is considered the lowest limit to run your programs smoothly. If you only have half from this necessary, you want to see if the performance of your computer can be improved despite the lack of RAM.
    If you have a fast USB stick, you can use the new "Ready Boost" facility. If this facility is configured accordingly, Vista is using the flash ram as an add to the system ram and it will write swap files on it. This thing will permit your programs to have more available ram. Despite the flash ram is not as fast as PC RAM, the performance of your system will have an increase.
    This trick also helps when are fast tunning a notebook. The essential part to increase the speed is to understand that a USB stick is not like a third wheel on a bycicle. To get more info on USB sticks, log on to www.grantgibson.co.uk./misc/readyboost/ . At this moment, there are over 500 products compatible with Ready Boost listed on this site. To activate this facility, insert the USB stick and click on "Increase System Speed" in the "Automatic Playback" dialogue. After testing the USB stick, Windows will open the properties for the stick in the ReadyBoost tab. Here, activate the option " Use this device". Use the silder in order to get the size of the memory that is ready for Ready Boost. To do this you should select at least the current value of your current RAM, but be carefully so it will not be only 2.5 bigger then your current RAM.
    In case you have 512MB for example, you can make a setting of "512 MB", but one that is bigger then "1.280" MB is too high. Confirm with "Apply" and click "OK".
    In future, when you start your system Vista will apply the same memory size without any other question and it will free it when your system shuts down. If your USB stick is not compatible and refuses the turbo acceleration thru USB, the only option is to try to access the removable device by making some changes in the Registry.
    Try this and see if the performance is improving. When you insert the USB stick, deactivate "Do not retest the device" in the "Ready-Boost" option dialogue. Confirm now the changes by clicking on "Apply" and then "OK". Remove the USB stick. The next step is to enter the registry editor. If you get a warning from User Account Control just click on "Continue".
Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\EMDMgmt" key and search for the USB stick subkey. In order to edit it double click on the DWORD value "Device-Status". Then change the value to "2" and confirm changes by clicking on "OK".
    Also, set the values "Read- SpeedKBs" and "WriteSpeed KBs" to "1000" using hexadecimal. Close the registry editor and insert the USB stick. You can configure the Ready Boost now using the method described above.

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Photoshop lesson - creating soap bubbles

Step 1: Create a 300 dpi canvas and fills the background with Black color because in white background it is difficult
to see a bubble.
Step 2: Create new layer, select Elliptical marquee tool, press shift and create a big circle on the black background.
Step 3: Go into Edit > Stroke, Enter width as approx 10px, color must be “Gray” and Location - “Center”. Press Ok
Step 4: Before move further save the scene and also save the circle selection for future use in the tutorial. Go into
Window > Channels and press “Save selection as channel” button in the bottom of the tab. Now “Alpha” layer will be
automatically created in the Channel tab.
Step 5: Press Ctrl + D and blur the circle stroke. Go into Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and enter the value between
12 to 15, so all the edges can be blurred out properly but you can still figure out that as a blurred circle.




Step 6: Go into Window > Channels again and press Ctrl and
click on the Alpha layer which you created in the step 4.

Step 7: Create new layer and go into Edit > Stroke, Enter
width as approx 1px, color must be “White” and Location -
“Center”. Press Ok. Reduce the opacity of the layer to around
10%.

Step 8: Go into the previous blurred circle layer and resize it down
little bit so almost 90% blurriness will come under last created
stroke.








Step 9: Create new layer, select brush and change “Hardness to 0%”
and adjust the size of the brush as per your circle size and create 2
highlights as shown in picture.

















Step 10: Go into Window > Channels again and press Ctrl
and click on the Alpha layer for the selection and go into
Effect >Distort > Pinch and select value around -60, so your
highlights can bloat.

Step 11: Select brush and change the hardness to 100% and
create 2 more highlights on the previous highlights as shown
in picture
















Step 12: Select soft edged brush and paint a highlight in the bottom of the bubble.




Step 13: Select all the layers and merged them, create a marquee around a bubble and invert (Ctrl + I) the selection.
If you don’t invert it then you messed the brush, tried out yourself.



Step 14: Save this as a brush by Edit > Define Brush Preset and now you can select from the Brush Tip shape and
start painting on the image. But few settings need to be check before proceed and before painting set the foreground
color as white for transparency.


Tip: Don’t move the Angle Jitter much otherwise your highlights will come in the side or top.




Before conclude I like to mention “As light impinges on the film, some of it is reflected off
the outer surface while some of it enters the film and reemerges after being reflected back
and forth between the two surfaces.” So for color film you can use an Effect > Pixelate >
Color Halftone on the grey background circle with default values, feather delete the border
and reduce the opacity.
For reflection choose the image on which you are creating this bubble and use Effect > Distort
> Polar Coordinates with default values and adjust that image in the bubble by reducing
the opacity and feather out the borders.

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The best FREE software

157 software tools. No fees. No expiration dates. No problems. Sometimes even no
downloads.

I did the math: If you bought popular apps instead of trying their gratis counterparts,
at the manufacturers’ list prices you’d be out $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don’t pay for.

Hall of Fame

Adobe Reader www.adobe.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux | Mobile This simplest of Adobe’s PDF programs lets you do just about anything PDF-related (besides create new ones), including online collaboration. It includes a host of features to aid users with disabilities.
AIM www.aim.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux | Web One of the most widely used pieces of free software ever, AOL Instant Messenger offers a ton of capabilities.
Audacity audacity.sourceforge.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux Whether you’re recording or editing, Audacity is all about audio in practically any format.
Firefox www.mozilla.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux This PC Mag Editors’ Choice Web browser has been on top of the heap since version 1.5 came out in late 2005
GIMP www.gimp.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) does most of what Photoshop does; the Gimpshop project (plasticbugs.com) even makes it look like Photoshop.
iTunes www.apple.com/itunes
Windows | MacOS When you’re attached to the top media player in the land (iPod), success is a given. iTunes con tinues to build sales and refi ne its organization of songs, video, games, podcasts, and more.
OpenOffice.org www.openoffice.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux You can spend a lot for Microsoft Offi ce or nothing for this suite with full-function word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentations, even an equations editor.
Skype www.skype.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux You’ll pay to call regular phones, but if you sign up all your friends, Skype provides easy (and even international) calls and videoconferencing for nothing.
Thunderbird www.mozilla.com/thunderbird
Windows | MacOS | Linux Mozilla’s no-cost e-mail alternative is extensible, fast, and easy to master. And a wealth of free add-ons means there’s not much this program won’t do, from calendars to encryption.
Ubuntu www.ubuntu.com
Linux This Linux-based OS comes with many of these Hall of Fame products (Firefox, OpenOffi ce.org) preinstalled. (See “OS Wars,” page 87.)
WinAmp www.winamp.com
Windows After a decade of playing music, the “skinnable” WinAmp has several versions, including one with full CD ripping and burning.

Operating Systems

ajaxWindows www.ajaxwindows.com
Web A virtual operating system (aka Web OS), it uses Asynchronous Java-Script and XML (AJAX) programming to mimic the look and feel of a Windows desktop in Firefox or IE. It stores files (using Gmail) and runs its own applications, plus Web apps like Meebo and Google Maps. If you can launch a Web browser, you can get work done through ajaxWindows.
eyeOS eyeos.info
Web This Web OS has ultra-simplifi ed applications, including an RSS reader, satellite maps, a word processor, even a browser—yes, for browsing the Web while on the Web.
Freespire 2.0 www.freespire.com
Linux This community-driven OS is based on Linspire (formerly Lindows)—a Linux distro that looks like Windows, with an emphasis on compatibility with other platforms.
Glide www.glidedigital.com
Web | Flash Sleek style sets this Web OS apart, as does the ability (using a separate utility) to sync fi les, bookmarks, and e-mail from your real OS.
gOS www.thinkgos.com
Linux Ubuntu-based and powered by Google’s apps (just don’t call it Google OS), gOS comes with the $200 PCs from Wal-Mart, but you can download it for any PC.

Antivirus/Anti-Malware

avast! 4 Home Edition www.avast.com
Windows Spiffy-looking avast! notifies you by e-mail or IM if it catches a virus. You can’t schedule scans, but its recovery database can help if a virus damages your files.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition free.grisoft.com
Windows Its control center is awkward, but AVG scans fi les on demand, upon access, on a schedule, and in e-mail. Its rescue disks will help you recover from disaster.
Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic www.free-av.com
Windows AntiVir scans fi les on demand, upon access, and on a schedule; it doesn’t scan e-mail attachments until they’re saved, but it does go to work on rootkits. It’s especially good at coexisting with other security software. Like most good AV software, it has the Virus Bulletin’s VB100% award and certification for virus detection from ICSA Labs.
HijackThis www.trendsecure.com
Windows Run HijackThis, save a log, and then post the log on sites that support the program. You’ll quickly get personalized expert help to remove any malware.
NanoScan www.nanoscan.com
Windows | Web In less than a minute, NanoScan can analyze all processes running on your computer and identify viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, or other malicious programs.
ThreatFire AntiVirus www.threatfi re.com
Windows ThreatFire detects the bad guys by their behavior, not by outdated virus signatures. It’s surprisingly accurate and a good companion to standard antivirus apps.
Trend Micro HouseCall housecall.trendmicro.com
Windows | Web Use the venerable House-Call online scanner to get a second opinion, or use the app for cleanup when malware prevents installation of a local antivirus utility.

Firewalls

Comodo Firewall Pro www.personalfirewall.comodo.com
Windows This protective dragon for XPand Vista keeps hackers out of your system, controls which programs can access the Net (its whitelist of about one million means you get fewer pop-ups), and blocks tricky “leak test” techniques. It’s both tough and good-looking.
ShieldsUP! www.grc.com
Windows | Web Be sure your fi re walls are keeping your always-on Internet connection
hidden from attackers. Shields UP! provides a quick confi rmation.
SmoothWall Express www.smoothwall.org
Linux Got a spare PC running a Pentium 200 MHz or higher with 128MB of RAM? Turn it into a dedicated network fi rewall with this open-source download.
ZoneAlarm Free www.zonealarm.com
Windows The free edition remains a useful protector against hack attacks and against programs that abuse your Internet connection.

Security

EULAlyzer www.javacoolsoftware.com
Windows Wonder what you’re agreeing to when you click “I Accept”? Don’t
worry; just drag EULAlyzer’s target icon onto the EULA for a quick report on any troublesome language.
Hotspot Shield www.anchorfree.com
Windows Create an instant virtual private network (VPN) tunnel between your laptop and the router at any Wi-Fi hot spot to protect your data from snoops on the public airwaves, even if you’re using extra encryption. If you’re on a network that limits the use of certain apps (such
as Skype), the VPN could give you unfettered access. It even works with your wired connection for an extra layer of security.
Kruptos 2 www.kruptos2.co.uk
Windows Kruptos makes a fi le accessible only to someone who knows the password; it includes a fi le shredder.
PC Flank www.pcfl ank.com
Windows | Web While ShieldsUP! tests your fi rewall’s ability to stealth all ports, PC Flank performs surgical strikes that emulate specifi c malware attacks to verify that your fi rewall blocks them.
SendShield www.sendshield.com
Windows This Outlook add-on strips out extra info and tracked changes in Word documents attached to messages.

Finance

GnuCash www.gnucash.org
Linux Linux users can track their bank accounts, stocks, and expenses in this financial program using a double-entry accounting method.

Office AbiWord www.abiword.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Volunteers keep this open-source word processor alive. It closely mimics the look and feel of Microsoft Word 2003 and earlier.
Adobe Buzzword www.buzzword.com
Windows | Web | Flash Adobe takes on Google with this online word processor built (naturally) in Adobe Flash. The interface is splashy; controls are simple.
Gliffy www.gliffy.com
Web | Flash An online-only diagramming tool with more options than you can flowchart. The free version is limited to five diagrams.
Google Docs docs.google.com
Web | Mobile Google’s slickly designed office suite offers online shared word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations—and best of all, fi nally a solid alternative in the offi ce-suite space to the totally dominating Microsoft. Upload or e-mail your current documents for storage and editing.
IBM Lotus Symphony symphony.lotus.com
Windows A much prettier version of OpenOffice.org, Symphony is prepped for presentations, spreadsheets, and word processing in a single window (but lacks OO’s drawing and database
modules).
KompoZer www.kompozer.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux A full WYSIWYG Web-page authoring tool akin to Dreamweaver,
KompoZer integrates an FTP site manager for fi le uploads.
NeoOffice www.neooffice.com
MacOS This version of OpenOffice.org has the same great tools and price (free), but with an interface designed specifically for the Mac OS.
Notepad++ notepad-plus.sourceforge.net
Windows Notepad++ handles text—especially source code—in ways the basic Windows Notepad could only dream of, with embellishments like tabs and color coding.
Scribus www.scribus.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux This open-source page layout tool has features comparable to big names like Page maker, plus support for PDFs and scalable vector graphics (SVG).
Windows Live Mail get.live.com
Windows Live Mail not only reads your Hotmail, but also can check POP, IMAP, or HTTP mail accounts. It works as an RSS feed reader and a newsreader.
Zoho www.zoho.com
Web | Mobile Zoho features every tool you could want—word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, database, even a wiki—and several you never knew you needed. Some are also available off-line.

Calendar/PIMs

Backpack www.backpackit.com
Web Backpack is more than a to-do list site. Your fi ve easy-to-update pages send reminders via e-mail or SMS and include a whiteboard for online collaboration.
EssentialPIM Free www.essentialpim.com
Windows Imagine taking the e-mail out of Microsoft Outlook to get a killer personal information manager (PIM). That’s what EssentialPIM is all about.
Google Calendar calendar.google.com
Web | Mobile Featuring seamless integration with other Google products, sharing
capabilities, and SMS reminders, this Web app does for calendars what Google did for search.
Lightning www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning
Windows | MacOS | Linux To be more like Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird needs a calendar. Lightning provides that, plus a to-do list. It can even sync with Google Calendar.
Power Calculator www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Windows This XP-only PowerToy replaces the lame Windows calculator with a mathematical powerhouse.
Remember The Milk www.rememberthemilk.com
Web | Mobile Never forget another grocery item, or anything else, using this extensible online task manager. It’ll send reminders via e-mail, SMS, and IM.
Sunbird www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird
Windows | MacOS | Linux Sunbird is Mozilla’s standalone calendar for tracking events and upcoming tasks. It’s a sister to Lightning, which adds the same functions to Thunderbird.
30 Boxes www.30boxes.com
Web One of the best-looking online calendars, 30 Boxes features easy-to-grasp pop-ups for adding events and viewing schedule details.
Yahoo! Calendar calendar.yahoo.com
Web Track your schedule and share it with friends, then sync your calendar with Outlook or your phone. It’s a great place to back up a handheld.

Backup/Sync

Allway Sync www.allwaysync.com
Windows Sync fi les between your PC and an external drive, fi ltering by folder, file name, or file type. The program displays warnings about questionable fi les before syncing.
DriveImage XML www.runtime.org
Windows Make an image of your entire hard drive for backup and restore purposes.
FolderShare www.foldershare.com
Windows | MacOS Install the utility on multiple computers, create an online account where you identify each computer, and pick folders to synchronize. Up-to-date data becomes available on all those PCs whenever you make a change in a folder, with sync taking place in the background so you’re never disturbed, just happy to fi nd your fi les wherever you work.
MozyHome Free www.mozy.com
Windows | MacOS MozyHome provides automatic online backup for up to 2GB of your data.
PassPack www.passpack.com
Web Pack away all your passwords in this secure online vault; it even logs you in to Web sites.
SyncToy v2.0 www.microsoft.com/downloads
Windows Make sure folders across your networked computers contain the same files, even on drives that change location and name.
WinClone www.twocanoes.com
MacOS Bootcamp users: Now you can clone (back up) your Windows XP/Vista partition for reinstall on a new Mac.

App Launchers

Launchy www.launchy.net
Windows Launchy launches (duh) applications, fi les, folders, or searches via a command-line–esque interface.
ObjectDock www.stardock.com
Windows Organize your application shortcuts in a toolbar that mimics the look and feel of the Macintosh dock, complete with icon animations. It will even mimic Windows Taskbar buttons.
Add in extras (docklets) like real-time clock and weather forecasts, even a fully functional Windows Start button and Recycle Bin, to get everything you need.
QuickSilver www.blacktree.com
MacOS This open-source launcher takes plug-ins that allow it to do almost anything you want in the MacOS.

Utilities

Absolute Uninstaller www.glarysoft.com
Windows Replace the Add/Remove Programs control panel in XP to get batch uninstalls and clear out leftovers that Windows frequently misses when uninstalling.
CCleaner www.ccleaner.com
Windows The extra C is for crap, and that’s what CCleaner gets rid of: all the detritus left behind in the course of using Windows.
CoolMon www.coolmon.org
Windows CoolMon displays all of your system’s vital statistics, including use of your CPU, RAM, and hard drives, internal PC temperature, and more.
Defraggler www.defraggler.com
Windows Defragment your entire hard drive—or just one heavily fragmented file at a time.
DriverView www.nirsoft.net
Windows DriverView lists every single device driver running on your system, with extra info on each.
Eraser www.heidi.ie/eraser
Windows Shredders are popular in the office, so why not have the digital equivalent? Eraser adds a right-click menu that will do away with a fi le or folder forever.
FileZilla www.filezilla-project.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux Download this FTP client for accessing multiple sites or to use as an FTP server. In both cases, FileZilla has convenient drag-and-drop support.
Glary Utilities www.glaryutilities.com
Windows Glary offers a ton of utilities for cleaning, optimizing, and securing Windows in one package.
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc
Windows Install anything—DOS, OS/2, or any earlier version of Windows—as a virtual machine. It’ll run in a separate window on your Vista or XP desktop.
SandBoxie www.sandboxie.com
Web Place a layer of “transient storage” —a sandbox—between your applications and your hard disk to stay safe.
SecureZIP www.securezip.com
Windows Compress and decompress files on the fly, even in e-mail through Outlook integration, and encrypt archives as desired.
Task Killer www.rsdsoft.com
Windows Stop any Windows process dead; this is handy for clearing frozen applications.
TinkerTool www.bresink.com
MacOS Get access to additional preference settings in Mac OS X to turn on hidden features.
Uniblue ProcessScanner www.processlibrary.com
Windows | Web You can do the Ctrl-Alt-Delete salute in Windows to see what’s bogging down your PC, but can you understand the results? ProcessScanner, coupled with the online Process Library, provides extra information on each process (like whether it autostarts or not, and who makes the software in question), and even lists the security risk to your system for running it.

Downloads

BitLet.org
Web Who needs a BitTorrent client? Just find the torrent metafile link on a tracker site, plug it in at BitLet.org, and let it retrieve the fi le as if you were downloading it from a regular Web site.
Universal Extractor www.legroom.net
Windows See what’s inside any archive file—ZIP, RAR, even EXE.
uTorrent www.utorrent.com
Windows The tiniest BitTorrent client around (only 214K) comes with all the torrent download features you crave.

Interface Enhancement

Battery Status users.rcn.com/tmtalpey/BattStat
Windows This app runs in the system tray and takes advantage of smart battery support in XP/Vista to provide loads of info on laptop-power usage.
Google Desktop desktop.google.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Let Google index and search your hard drive contents. The sidebar adds graphical widgets to your desktop.
miniMIZE aquaria.za.net
Windows miniMIZE puts thumbnails of your minimized applications on the desktop for easier access.
Quero Toolbar 4 www.quero.at
Windows Replace the Internet Explorer address bar to integrate ad blocking and make IE7 look more like IE6.
Vista Drive Icon drvicon.sourceforge.net
Windows Add one of Vista’s best features to XP: smart drive icons showing the current capacity of each hard drive.
XYplorer www.xyplorer.com
Windows Multiple tabs and improved search enhance and replace the boring old Windows Explorer.
Yahoo! Widgets widgets.yahoo.com
Windows | MacOS Fill your desktop with tiny interfaces for everything from stock picks to RSS feeds to weather forecasts (using Doppler radar!) to Wi-Fi sensors to remote desktops to countdown clocks—to name a few. Pick from over 4,300; some are more useful than others,
but almost all are interesting to look at.

File View/Conversion

Foxit Reader www.foxitsoftware.com
Windows Perhaps the fastest PDF reader around, Foxit includes a free annotation tool. Add-ons enable support for new file formats and UI languages.
Samuraj Data view.samurajdata.se
Web You can display PDF fi les in your Web browser when no other reader is available.
ScanR.com
Web | Mobile Instantly perform optical character recognition (OCR) on pictures by e-mailing them from your phone to ScanR.com.
YouConvertIt.com
Web This site turns just about any file into a different kind of file, even online videos from YouTube. It also converts units of energy, force, length, and more.
ZamZar www.zamzar.com
Web File conversion is no longer a complete nightmare. Just go to ZamZar, upload a fi le, choose from a long list of extensions (including image, doc, music,video, and compression types), and
enter your e-mail address. When it’s done, ZamZar will send you the converted file.

Networking

LogMeIn Hamachi secure.logmein.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Instantly create a free, peer-to-peer VPN connection between your computer and other people’s. Download the software, create a network with a unique name, give it to friends you want to join, and start sharing files with them—even your iTunes folder.
NetStumbler www.netstumbler.com
Windows Use it to detect any Wi-Fi network in your vicinity and see if it’s open for use, or just use it to troubleshoot your own.
PrinterAnywhere
www.printeranywhere.com
Windows Share your printer with others over the Web; in turn, send jobs to other shared printers, no matter their location.

Blogging

Blogger www.blogger.com
Web | Mobile Blogger was one of the first blog-publishing tools. Years after Google bought it, it remains one of the best, especially for newbies. Create a brain-dead simple weblog and let Blogger host it (with a blogspot.com name) using the slew of provided templates, or use it to publish a blog on your own domain.
w.bloggar www.wbloggar.com
Windows This post and template editor can handle multiple blogs, across multiple blogging systems.
Windows Live Writer get.live.com
Windows Live Writer is not a word processor, but a universal, WYSIWYG blogposting tool more powerful than most blog services’ own tools.
WordPress www.wordpress.com
Web It lacks the simplicity of Blogger or Vox, but the commercial offshoot of WordPress.org offers some of the best tools of any hosted blogging service.

RSS Readers

Google Reader reader.google.com
Web | Mobile Google Reader is arguably the best RSS/newsfeed reader on the Internet. Read feeds while off-line or on your mobile phone.
Netvibes www.netvibes.com
Web This is a handsome combination of online RSS reader and podcast aggregator, with some widget apps thrown in.

Instant Messaging

Meebo.com www.meebo.com
Web This polished Web app aggregates your AOL, Gmail, ICQ, Jabber, Windows, and Yahoo! buddy lists into a single, Web-based instant-messaging and chatroom experience. Meebo is building in extras, such as games you can play with IM buddies, as well as video and audio
chat you’d fi nd with your regular IM client software.
Pidgin www.pidgin.im
Windows | Linux Open source tackles instant messaging in this client, which supports more IM networks than you’ve ever heard of.
Trillian www.ceruleanstudios.com
Windows Access all your IM accounts (AIM, ICQ, Windows Messenger, Yahoo!, and more) from a single interface that also logs all your conversations, if you desire.

Communication

GizmoProject www.gizmoproject.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Gizmo competes with Skype to offer free, peer-to-peer, over-the-Internet phone and video calls, but uses open standards.
Gmail www.gmail.com
Web | Mobile What to do with nearly limitless e-mail storage space—that’s the enviable quandary of Gmail users, who can store up to 5.5GB worth of e-mail and chats. And the amount is constantly growing. Other perks include advanced search options, real-time updates, and
“conversations,” in which e-mail chains are stored in one continuous thread for easy perusal.
Mail Redirect addons.mozilla.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux This add-on for Thunderbird lets you bounce a message to the proper recipient without revealing that you got the message fi rst.
ooVoo www.oovoo.com
Windows | MacOS ooVoo video chat is more P2P than Skype (no supernodes!), with a better picture. It supports up to six co-videoconferencers, fi le transfers, and group text chat.
SightSpeed www.sightspeed.com
Windows | MacOS SightSpeed has better video quality than ooVoo, but in a less attractive interface. More than two video chatters will cost you, as will file transfer and group chat.

Audio

Juice juicereceiver.sourceforge.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux Aggregate all your favorite podcasts in one place for easy listening.
Levelator www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator
Windows | MacOS | Linux Levelator adjusts the levels of your audio fi les to give the perfect balance.
Reaper www.cockos.com/reaper
Windows | MacOS The name is short for Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording. That pretty much says it all.
Wavosaur www.wavosaur.com
Web A low-price and low-profi le audio editor, Wavosaur doesn’t even need installation.
Just click the executable to start processing and recording sounds. It lacks some of the features of full programs like Audacity, but for quick-anddirty MP3 editing it can’t be beat.

Video

Cinelerra www.osalt.com/cinelerra
Linux This is professional video-editing software for the Linux crowd.
Eyespot.com
Web Upload your clips, mix via dragand-drop, and share your fi nished videos in one spot.
HandBrake handbrake.m0k.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux Convert your DVDs to MPEG-4 video (or just the audio) for backup purposes.
Jing www.jingproject.com
Windows | MacOS Jing shares what’s showing on your monitor with others online, or records it for future viewing.
Jumpcut.com
Web This online app provides Flashpowered video editing.
Miro www.getmiro.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Miro combines BitTorrent downloads with video playback to become the next best thing to your DVR.
MythTV www.mythtv.org
Linux Use your Linux box as a homespun digital video recorder (DVR).
Songbird www.songbirdnest.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux The open-source answer to iTunes (from the makers of WinAmp) plays your music and videos.
TVersity www.tversity.com
Windows Turn your computer into a server to stream video and audio to just about any device on your network.
Ustream.tv Web Our reviews call this the absolute easiest way to broadcast live video from
your webcam across the Internet.
Videora Converter www.videora.com
Windows Convert nearly any video you can fi nd online (or on DVD) for use on any video-capable iPod or iPhone.
VLC media player www.videolan.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux Forget Windows Media Player. VideoLAN’s open-source VLC can replace it, and nearly every other player, too. VLC supports almost every audio format and video codec imaginable and doubles as a server for streaming your music and video to other PCs. Change its skin to make it look like the player you want—even WMP.
YouTube Uploader www.youtube.com/multifi le_installer
Windows | MacOS If you’ve got a lot of YouTube videos ready to go online, upload them to the site all at once with the Uploader.

Graphics

IrfanView www.irfanview.com
Windows IrfanView previews images (or even audio and video) and then converts or optimizes them without opening a separate editor.
Paint.NET www.getpaint.net
Windows This program is probably the closest thing to Photoshop you can get free, courtesy of a student project.
Picasa www.picasa.com
Windows | Linux Google’s photo manager makes it easy to get pictures off a digital camera, organize them, and even edit and share them.
Picnik www.picnik.com
Web | Flash Instantly edit pictures in this Web site. Upload images from your computer, Flickr, Picasa, or elsewhere.
pikifx.com
Web Another online pic editor, pikifx .com emphasizes special effects such as added text and borders.
rsizr.com
Web | Flash With one of the best Web interfaces yet—all in Flash—rsizr.com incorporates smart resizing to avoid distortion.
Splashup www.splashup.com
Web | Flash Another beauty with a Flash interface, Splashup sets itself apart with multi-image editing and a full-screen mode.
Windows Live Photo Gallery get.live.com/photogallery
Windows Windows Live Photo Gallery gives Picasa (above) a run for its money, with many of the same photo-enhancing and sharing features—red-eye reduction, exposure adjustment, cropping,
color, sharpen, and auto-adjust. What’s more, Microsoft serves up histogram adjustment,
panorama creation, and photo-CD burning.

Browsers

Flock www.flock.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Another browser based on Mozilla, Flock emphasizes interaction
with social networks and services. It also accepts many add-ons from the Firefox browser.
Maxthon www.maxthon.com
Windows Replace IE or Firefox (but still use their rendering engines) with this highly customizable, multilanguage, tabbed beauty.
Opera www.opera.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux | Mobile Possibly the nimblest and most usable of all the browsers available, Opera did tabs first and still does them best. Added usability features like Speed Dial and Tab Preview keep popping up in new versions.
Prism labs.mozilla.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Prism is a sitespecifi c browser, meaning you simply load a Web app (Gmail, for instance) and let it run like any other application on the desktop.

Browser Add-Ons

DownThemAll www.downthemall.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux You don’t have to download one item at a tim0e from a Web page anymore. DownThemAll manages batch downloads, splitting fi les into pieces so they arrive faster.
Foxmarks 2.0 www.foxmarks.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Foxmarks can synchronize your Firefox bookmarks across multiple PCs, even multiple operating systems.
Googlepedia code.google.com/p/googlepedia
Windows | MacOS | Linux In Firefox, Googlepedia loads the most relevant Wikipedia entry it fi nds alongside your Google search results.
Google Toolbar toolbar.google.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux The toolbar brings Google’s search and other functionality
directly to IE or Firefox. It offers extras like auto fi ll, spell-checking, and oneclick RSS feed subscriptions.
Greasemonkey www.greasespot.net
Windows | MacOS | Linux Add this extension to Firefox and then extend it again with thousands of scripts that change the appearance and functions of almost any Web site.
IE7Pro www.ie7pro.com
Windows Adds a load of extras to IE7, including control over tabs, spell- checking, ad blocking—even Greasemonkey-esque scripts (see above).
IE Tab ietab.mozdev.org
Windows Do you prefer Firefox but still need to look at some sites in IE? IE Tab will load a site in a Firefox tab using the IE rendering engine.
ScribeFire www.scribefire.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux This Firefox addon sets up an interface for instant blogging on just about any blog system.
Tab Mix Plus addons.mozilla.org
Windows | MacOS | Linux Take total control of how tabs work in Firefox. Adjust
how they look, revive those you closed by accident, send tabs to new browser windows—essentially any tab action you can imagine.
Zotero www.zotero.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Zotero makes it easy to keep track of all your research on the Web, including how to cite it in future reports.

Games/Fun

Eyezmaze.com’s Grow eyezmaze.com
Web | Flash It’s not a single game but a series that involves choosing “growing” items that are added to an online environment.
Geni.com www.geni.com
Web | Flash Share your genealogy with everyone in the family. They can contribute more individual profi les until your family tree is complete.
Google Earth earth.google.com
Windows | MacOS | Linux Fly over familiar terrain or foreign lands with Google Earth, a searchable database of satellite images and geographical data—even images of the heavens. You can go a step further with all sorts of downloadable, gee-whiz applications from scientists, media outlets, and other third-party developers to trick out your Earth-moving experience.
Google Maps maps.google.com
Web | Mobile This interactive mapping tool goes beyond driving directions. View destinations in Street View, Satellite, or Terrain modes; check traffic updates; or look up info on nearby businesses.
Kongregate www.kongregate.com
Web | Flash Only 2,598 free games (as of this writing) to keep you busy online? Bring ’em on.
Second Life www.secondlife.com
Windows | MacOS This 3D virtual world has hundreds of thousands of denizens. Access is free, but you’ll pay a bit if you want to get some real estate, or even fancy clothes for your avatar.

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Photoshop - "Disco" effect

       Starting from image from the figure 1 we will create the "disco" effect which was very popular on the posters and the video clips of the 80's.

       For start we will delete the background behind the character. In order to do this we will use the Magnetic Lasso Tool and we will select the contour of the character. Don't worry if the selection is not perfect ! It can be corrected afterwards using the instrument Polygonal Lasso Tool and one of the selection method "Add to selection" or "Substract from selection", depending on what you need. An example of imperfection can be noticed on figure 2. It will be corrected using "Add to selection" because the initial mask did not covered the entire contour of the device from the kid's hand.




After completing the selection run the command Clear from the Edit menu to delete the silhouette.Press the X key to invert the background color and the main color (supposed that this have the black and white values as default). After that, run the command Inverse from the Select Menu to invert the selection, followed by the Clear command from the Edit menu again to delete the background. At this moment we can cancel the selection (De-select command from the Select menu). The result is shown on the figure 3.
Duplicate the Background layer (right click on Background in the Layers Panel, then choose Duplicate Layer from the menu). This new layer will be named "Effect", which will be duplicated again using the same procedure, and the new layer will be named "Silhouette". This will contain the silhouette of the dancer and will always be on top of all the other layers.



       We must add to this layer a mask in order for just the silhouette to be visible. Select layer "Silhouette" from the Layers panel. Click once inside the white silhouette of the dancer with the Magic Wand Tool instrument. From the Layer menu choose the Add Layer Mask command -> Reveal Selection. The background can then be erased, using the following steps. Select the Background Layer from the Layers panel, then choose the command All from the Select menu, then the Clear command from the Edit menu and Deselect command from the Select menu. You will then have to see what is shown in the figure 4.



       The Background and Silhouette layers will remain unmodified. Between them we will add effects layers. Select the Effect layer and apply one by one the next filters: Filter ->Stylize->Find Edges, then Filter->Stylize->Glowing Edges with the parameters Edge width =9, Edge Brightness=13, Smoothness=6. You will get what you see in figure 5.



       This contour can he colored using the Paint Bucket instrument.
In this case use the yellow color. From the Filter menu choose the Blur command->Radial Blur with the parameters Amount =47, Blur Method =Zoom, Quality = Draft, getting what you see in figure 6.



       For the final step, the Effect layer will be duplicated several times and moved/scaled using the command Edit -> Transform -> Scale. You can also change the color of each copy (using the command Image -> Adjustments -> Color balance) to create a rainbow effect. After copying for 5 times the original, the result should look like in figure 7.

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