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Better than Fruitcake!
by Ross Lasley
KISS is thrilled to present you with our annual Holiday edition of It's All Geek to Me. Last year we made recommendations on where you might shop for gifts, but this year we wanted to do something different – we wanted to give you some gifts for the holidays.
This issue features some of our very favorite downloads, all of which have a free version.
We're not saying that you can forward this newsletter instead of sending gifts to your family for the Holidays, but if you feel super desperate it is worth a try. The programs below will increase your enjoyment of the Internet and your computer as well as potentially save you thousands of dollars. Alright, enough talk – let's get to the goodies. |
Open Office
Do you own Microsucks office? It probably crashes and it certainly costs a pretty penny – but you must have it as the industry standard, right? Wrong. This alternative is better than the original, free, and operates seamlessly with your existing stuff. It opens and also creates word documents, excel spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, and it even has a drawing tool. How much did your organization spend on Office last year? Maybe three or four hundred bucks a user on average – why not spend zero in 2005 and get open office.
Firefox
Firefox is the best web browser there is, and easily replaces Internet Explorer. Why does it rock? It includes popup blocking, tabbed browsing (worth trying for just this feature), Privacy and Security (insert your favorite IE security joke here), Smarter Search (google and amazon built in to the toolbar), and Live Bookmarks (works as an RSS reader).
Avast
An excellent anti-virus program that has a free version for home non-commercial use, including definition updates. As good as the most expensive out there, and if you do buy it for your commercial operation you are supporting a super cool company.
Google Desktop Search
Ross's favorite of the year – this free search tool indexes your own computer, including inside your email, IM sessions, and documents. The reason this is Ross's favorite is that the results show what is already on your computer on top and what is on the Internet below.
Zone Alarm
Still truckin' after all these years, Zone Alarm is a software firewall. The free version is excellent and has equivalent protection to the paid version (which features add ons of email security and pop up blocking). It is now owned by a mega corporation, making us wonder about the evil factor, but the core free product still rocks. You should run a firewall of some sort – this free one gives you no excuse.
Trillian
If you IM (instant message) with people it is likely you have had to choose a network – Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, ICQ – or maybe you are like most people that use them all and have different accounts all over the place. This one program supports them all and the free basic version is a great IM client. The pro version supports video chats and other networks like Novell GroupWise.
Ad-Aware
Anti-Spyware program. Finds and kills data miners, parasites, scumware, Dialers, Malware, and Browser Hijackers. The free version scans on demand and the paid one runs all the time preventing new problems.
Eudora
The classic powerful email program of choice. So much better than that other email program you may be using it is frightening. The sponsored version is free. Paid version has an excellent filtering solution.
Winamp
An audio program for all your ripping and burning needs – it also supports video, Internet Radio, Media Libraries, Skins, and tripped out visualizations. Joe says “better than iTunes” , Ross says “not” - check it out for yourself.
iTunes
O yeah – quit that stealing, why don't you? iTunes is an excellent free player that will allow you to 'rip' all your CD's into your computer, organize and play them (cool feature: it has a database and recognizes almost any CD including song and artist info), and buy songs or albums right online. No doubt about it, iTunes only achieves super cool status with an iPod, but it is a great piece of software with or without one.
LimeWire
Yes, napster still does exist as you remember it – this free P2P program will allow you to search for anything you'd like. Fast and server free, the 'swarm' download technology here makes life nice and easy.
So we hope you enjoy the list above – please let us know what you think should you try any of these programs
Thanks for a wonderful 2004.
Ross, Amy, Joe, Michael and the Office Dogs: Marley, Dief, Portia, Frodo, and the newest addition, Hero.
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 Tech Tip |
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by Michael
McGrath
In the August
4 edition of IAGTM and as a followup to the previous issue's discussion about
that junk mail we all hate, I presented you with “10
Things to do With Spam.” It was the column about which
I received the most email comments, and it enjoyed one of
the higher click-throughs of the year for my column. Many
of those who clicked through did so for the link to the famous
Monty Python Spam Skit. I did not tell you at the time that
I gave a can of spam as Christmas gifts to my daughters last
year, wrapped in the printed dialogue from that Monty Python
skit. Really, I did.
Well, I wanted to follow up on that before the year was
out with some spam news. No, I'm not giving spam as a present
again this year - - yes, my daughters pleaded with me to
find something completely different. Monty Python is returning.
Check this out.
They're back and on Broadway! Spamalot is a new musical
that opens on February 14, 2005, lovingly ripped off from
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, that very funny movie from
Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin et als,
the original members of the Flying Circus. You can sign up
for the Spamalot Newsletter and enter contests for autographed
posters at that site. It's pretty amusing and worth a visit.
And now for something completely different, as I said above.
I'm thinking this year my girls will get the printed lyrics
and audio recording of the Monty Python Lumberjack Song,
and will be invited to sing the refrain on Christmas Eve.
For those of you not familiar with it, here
you go, and
you'll find it 10 down in the list of mp3 files.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! |
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