Stuff You Might Like ! » Software

Collection of all the best free software all in one place – seriously !

wilsojer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:21:38 +0000

Take a look at this Lifehacker post – I haven’t really got anything else to add. I use virtually every single one of these programmes and it is the best collection of free software that I have seen. Highly recommended !

Magic Formation – great application launcher

wilsojer — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:59:58 +0000

One app that I have been using recently and has since turned into being one of those ‘really-can’t-do-without’ apps is Magic Formation. Draw a little circle with your mouse and up pops a circle of icons that can be configured to be whatever favourite applications, websites, documents, etc that you want.

Very simple, but very useful.

Add tracks automatically to iTunes

wilsojer — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:28:29 +0000

One of the most annoying things with iTunes is that it doesn’t automatically add tracks unless you happen to have downloaded them from the iTunes store (funny that !). If you download them from anywhere else, you have to manually add them into iTunes.

No longer ! Install iWatchSyncer and this little app will watch a designated folder for new tracks and whenever it identifies one, it will add it into your iTunes automatically.

Should be default functionality in iTunes, but isn’t. iWatchSyncer is a free download, so go get it !

The Essential Guide to Internet & Software for First-Time Computer Users

wilsojer — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:41:18 +0000

If you want to read one of the best articles that I have ever read around all of those little pieces of software that you tend to build up over the years that make all the difference to your life on a computer, you must read this article. It is one of those articles that you should have bookmarked and refer back to it when you buy a new computer – full (and I mean FULL) of great tips – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

7 New Year’s resolutions for your PC

Jeremy — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 09:01:00 +0000

Continuing on from the last post about backing up your PC, here is an excellent article from Lifehacker – a great PC-related site. It has the golden rules that everyone should be following to keep their PC in tip-top shape. This may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but this will really make such a difference on how your PC performs. Do these 7 steps and your PC will be flying again.

Seriously, I cannot recommend this enough !

Backup your PC – now !

Jeremy — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:40:00 +0000

OK, I know that it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but backing up your PC is extremely important. These days, when we all have so many digital photos, so much music and all those important letters and other documents stored on our computers, what would we do if we suddenly lost the whole lot ? Are you willing to lose all those family photos ? Would you be annoyed if your music collection disappeared ? Might you perhaps need those letters that you wrote to the insurance company ?

The fact is that hard drives can, and do, fail and if that happens, you’re stuffed ! You should make sure that you back up your computer on a regular basis, so that if the worst happens, you can simply restore all your files from a backup. The simplest, and cheapest, way of doing this is to use one (or more) of the free online backup services available. My favourite is Mozy – it gives you 2Gb worth of storage free and allows you to schedule your backups – you can schedule them for 1.00am so that no-one will be using the computer.

Honestly – if you only do one thing to your computer this year, make a backup of your important files – you might just thank me one day !

Taskbar shuffle

Jeremy — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:14:00 +0000

OK, so the nerd in me is surfacing again. I am one of those sad people that gets really annoyed if my taskbar icons (those icons representing open programs that you click on to switch to that program) are in a strange order because that is how you happened to open them up. You would think that Microsoft would give you a way to rearrange these, but they don’t ! Step up Taskbar Shuffle – this little app does nothing more than allow you to drag and drop your icons around your takbar – invaluable to someone like me ! Incidentally, for those wanting this at work, you can point the install to any directory (personal network drive, temp directory, wherever) and it doesn’t need to install any system files.

A new way to sketch

Jeremy — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:28:00 +0000

OK, I know that this is rather geeky, but I think this is quite cool. Here is a video of someone (who incidentally looks a little like an Open University lecturer, but he is from MIT, so I suppose that’s why) demonstrating a new way of sketching. He draws on a whiteboard and hits a ‘run’ button and the drawing comes to life. It is only using some very basic concepts, but I would be interested to see this develop. Take a look – unleash the geek inside you !

Browster

Jeremy — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:06:00 +0000

If you do any web surfing at all (and let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t), then there is one small app that you absolutely must get – it is called Browster.

What it does is pop up a little icon when you hover over a link and if you either move to that icon or click on it (depending on how you set your preferences), then it will open up a hovering window with the site displayed. You can follow links from there and enter and submit data. As soon as you are done with the window you move your mouse away from it and it disappears. No more open up lots of windows (or tabs if you use Firefox).

This really makes surfing so much easier – I’ve been using this for a while now and cannot live without it – it’s that good !

Any budding abstract artists ?

Jeremy — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:43:00 +0000

If you’ve ever thought of yourself as a budding abstract artist, now is the time to step up and show everyone what you are made of. Here’s a site that allows you to splodge and spatter away with just your mouse and create that priceless work of art. Who knows – you may just be able to make that million after all !