Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Free Video Hosts : A Quick Roundup
5GB/file - Registration Required
http://www.viddler.com/
50MB/file - Registration Required
http://www.veoh.com/
~1GB/file - Registration Required
http://tinypic.com/
(unknown)MB/file - (possibly) No Registration Required
http://www.hotshare.net/
300MB/file - No Registration Required
http://www.tubemogul.com/
300MB/file - Registration Required
http://www.hdshare.tv/
4096MB/file - Registration Required
http://www.vidoosh.tv/
(unknown)MB/file - Registration Required
http://filefront.com/
1GB/file - No Registration Required
Monday, March 23, 2009
Aviary : Edit images, create mind-blowing effects, design logos, find colors, collaborate, and more
Aviary is an aptly-named suite of online image manipulation tools. It comprises several pieces: Phoenix, an image editor, Peacock, a tool for building filters and creating effects, Toucan, an app for building palettes, and still under development is Raven, a vector graphics tool.
Like Photoshop, Aviary's files support layers. That means that you can do all of the layer-y things that you can do with Photoshop files: hide and show layers, move them up- and down in relation to other layers (overlapping), and move them around the screen as well. What you don't have to do is pay a huge amount for the privilege. And getting started is easy: they've got lots of tutorial videos to help you see what these tools can do, and how to get started.
Aviary is a free service. You'll need a web browser, but not much else, to use it.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
DAVID-laserscanner : Incredibly Low-Cost 3D Scanner for Everyone!
What do I need to build a 3D scanner? - A camera (e.g. web cam) Or use the brand-new DAVID Starter-Kit! If you don't want to start searching and tinkering, | |
How does scanning with DAVID work? 1. Set up background and camera | |
I'd like to see some results before buying or building anything! You will find some amazing results in our gallery and on the user pages in our wiki. Also you can download DAVID and use a test video file instead of a real camera, so you will have 3D data within a minute! More Questions? See Gallery (with amazing 3D results) |
Friday, March 13, 2009
Free Voice Line [Beta] : Call US/Canada for free
Call anyone, anywhere in the US and Canada for free!
FreeVoiceLine.com makes it super easy to call anyone in the US and Canada for free! This is the new way to get in touch with friends and family.
Simply enter your phone number, then the number that you want to call. Once you're ready, just click to call. FreeVoiceLine.com will call your phone and then connect you.
Have questions? Check out the frequently asked questions page.
Tell your friends, family, and loved ones about FreeVoiceLine.com Today!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Generate a File Listing from a Windows Explorer Context Menu
Recommended batch code:
dir /a /s /b /-p /o:gen >filelisting.txt
fileListing.bat
How many times have you been browsing through directories in Windows Explorer and wished you could generate a text file or printout listing the files and folders? It seems like such a simple request that it's amazing the option isn't available. You don't believe me? Right click on a folder and see for yourself if there is an option to list or print the structure. There isn't, but there is a workaround that doesn't require any third party software. Here's how to create a context menu item that when clicked will generate an editable text file listing of the selected directory.
Step 1 - Create A Batch File
To create the entry in the context menu it's necessary to first create a .bat file. The format for the .bat file is:
dir /a /-p /o:gen >filelisting.txt
The name of the .txt file can be whatever you'd like it called. In the example above it's filelisting, but it could just as easily be filelist, listoffiles, namedfiles, or even wally if you have a sense of the bizarre. Once you've decided on the name, create the file in Notepad and save the file in your Windows folder as shown below. If you want, just copy and paste the example up above if you don't find wally intriguing.
Fig. 01
Step 2 - Modify The Context Menu
Now that we have the .bat file created the next step is to make it functional and easily accessible by integrating it into the context menu that opens when a right click is executed. To do this:
Open Windows Explorer, click Tools, then click Folder Options.
Click the File Types tab, and then click Folder.
Click the Advanced button and then click New to pen the New Action box shown below.
Fig. 02
In the New Action [Fig. 02] box, type the name that you want to appear in the context menu. Once again, you have a wide latitude in choices but something akin to Create File Listing will probably be more useful than naming it Martha Stewart. As you can see in the example above, I ditched Martha in favor of Create File Listing. Sorry Martha. Browse to the location where the .bat file you created is located, select it and let it be the Application Used to Perform Actions. Click OK and do the standard Windows dance of Apply and OK again to close all the open windows.
That's it ! Congratulations. You've created a new item on the context menu that's ready to go to work. So now that's it there, what can you do with it? Open up Windows Explorer as I did in the example [Fig. 03] below.
Fig. 03
Navigate to whatever folder you want to use as the basis for the file list and right click to open the context menu. Click on the Create File Listing item and the list will be generated and displayed at the bottom of the open window as filelisting.txt. The example below was created from the Sample Music folder shown above. Since it is a text file it can be fully edited, copied, pasted, printed, etc for any purpose.
Fig. 04
Note: If for any reason you want to remove the Create File Listing entry from the context menu it will be necessary to edit the registry. This can be accomplished by navigating to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Create_File_Listing using regedit and deleting the Create_File_Listing key in the left pane. Close regedit and reboot to complete removal.
Additional File Modifications Submitted by TEG Readers
The following tip was sent in containing a very useful modification to the batch file;
Geert Pauwels
This is an excellent idea and very easy to implement. If you are creating the batch file for the first time just modify the file listed in the article so it reads;
dir /a /b /-p /o:gen >filelisting.txt
and continue with the instructions for completing the modification. If the batch file already exists in C:\Windows, navigate to the file, right click it and select Edit from the context menu and modify the file so it contains the /b switch. Save the changes and close the file. The change will modify the output so it appears as shown below.
Fig. 05
While it's easy enough to go into the C:\Windows directory and edit the batch file to generate the type of output preferred, depending on how often you change between the two output formats you may find it more convenient to create separate entries for each format that can be selected from the context menu. The procedure is simple.
-
Create one batch file using the /b switch and name it filelisting.bat.
-
Create a second batch file without the /b switch and name it filelisting1.bat.
-
Save both files in C:\Windows.
-
Modify the context menu as shown in Step 2 and Fig. 02 above, but this time go through the procedure twice and give each entry a different name in the Action line, assigning each entry a different batch file. I used the names "Create File Listing" and "Create File Listing Verbose" for this example, assigning the batch file with the /b switch to "Create File Listing" and the batch file without the /b switch to the "Create File Listing Verbose" entry.
-
Both entries are now on the context menu and available for use as shown in Fig. 06.
Fig. 06
The following modification was submitted by Antony
Hi,
Thanks for the tip on generating a directory listing from windows explorer - this has bugged me for ages.
Just wanted to add that when I run the command as listed, the file gets created in the directory that I want a listing for, but is never displayed automatically (I have to open it manually). This was annoying so I fixed it by doing the following:
Specifying that the directory listing file always gets saved in the same location.
Using the Start command to open the file with Notepad.
Here is the modified batch file.
dir /a /b /-p /o:gen >C:\Temp\List_Files.txt
start notepad C:\Temp\List_Files.txt
The following modification was submitted by Max
copy "C:\Temporary Location\textfile.txt" %1
dir /a /b /-p /o:GEN >"C:\Documents and Settings\
copy "C:\Documents and Settings\
del "C:\Documents and Settings\
Max
The following modification was submitted by Kevin
I've been trying to figure out how to capture a listing of files from within a folder -- but I don't want to print the list, just save it to a disc. (I'm sending a buddy a listing of all of the CD's that I've burned.)I found your article entitled, "Generate a File Listing from a Windows Explorer Context Menu" -- and although none of the solutions worked perfectly for me, I did some minor editing to give me what I needed.
I needed a batch file which would create a listing, allow me to cut, copy or print the contents, then delete the file itself (I have no need for a permanent file listing cluttering up my hard drive).
Here it is:
dir /a /-p /o:gen >filelisting.txt
filelisting.txt
del filelisting.txt
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
Make Your Own Handwriting Fonts For Free
100% Free!
* Your own handwriting turned into your very own font for free
* Optionally include your signature
* You'll have your very own font within 15 minutes
* Make as many fonts as you like
* Use your fonts on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
* Personalize your digital scrapbook pages
* Make your own "family handwriting history"
* Use your fonts in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and every program that you own
High Quality Personal Handwriting Fonts
YourFonts allows you to upload large templates (up to 4000 x 5000 pixels) and it has the most advanced raster to vector conversion algorithm. Together this results in unbeatable high quality personal fonts.
It's easy and fun to digitize your handwriting, so go make your own font now!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Online Storage and Backup : A Quick Roundup
- 2.0GB of Free Storage
- Supports desktop (local disk) synchronization
- 2.0GB of Free Storage
- Supports desktop (local disk) synchronization
- 5.0GB of Free Storage
- 10.0GB of Free Storage
- Supports desktop (local disk) synchronization
- 6.0GB of Free Storage
- 25.0GB of Free Storage
- 6.0GB of Free Storage
- 1.0GB of Free Storage
- Potentially Unlimited Storage
- 50.0GB of Free Storage
Find private torrent sites accepting users with Trackerchecker
Private torrent trackers are great. If you're after hard-to-find files that don't make it to major sites like Piratebay or Mininova, you've likely tried to locate them on a private site only to learn that they're not accepting signups. I still remember what a pain in the butt it was to keep checking in on Demonoid years ago to see when a few more spots would open up.
Trackerchecker does its best to keep you informed about which sites are accepting new user registrations and which ones aren't. Over 500 trackers are currently supported, and they cover an incredibly wide range of specialties. As you can tell from the screenshot, they're not all SFW, but then again, you probably shouldn't be downloading from a private tracker at work anyway.
The code is easy to understand: green means you're good to go, red means you're out of luck for now. Sites that don't respond to Trackerchecker's queries in a timely manner are given a blue mark. If your desired site is taking signups, click its name to be taken directly to the registration page.
The listings also tell you when the last check was run on each site. Registering at Trackerchecker lets you build a list of favorites, making it easier to monitor only the sites you're actually interested in joining.
It's a great tool to add to your P2P bookmarks.
Free utility for downloading videos from MegaVideo
All you need to do is enter the URL of the video you want to download, click the add button to put it in your list of movies to download, and click the start button. Videos are downloaded as FLV files and can be converted and saved as AVI, MPEG, WMV, or FLV files. The utility will also tell you the size of a video file before you begin downloading.
Now, there are many files hosted on Megavideo that have been uploaded illegally, so we of course don't condone downloading or even watching these videos. And if you feel queasy about using software that's designed to get around paying for a legitimate service, you could always pay for a premium account and use the utility anyway. Megavideo Video Downloader allows you to create batch download jobs, which makes it pretty useful even if you're a paying member.
Favicon Generator: favicons made easy
Generator mode is where you can upload your gifs, jpgs and pngs to be converted. The Generator will resize them to the standard 16x16 pixel favicon size for you, but you can easily get a full-sized .ico instead by clicking a checkbox. In Editor mode, you draw your own icon on an oversized 16x16 grid, using any web colors you like. There's no option to enlarge the grid, so this is no solution for serious pixel-art projects. When it comes to favicons, though, it's the perfect tool for the task.
ADrive lets you store 50GB of files online for free
I hadn't really thought about ADrive very much in the last year or so. But this afternoon I got an email from the company telling me about some updates. So I decided to check in on ADrive. The first thing I noticed was that the files I uploaded over a year ago were still intact. That's always a good thing.
ADrive still offers 50GB of free storage. But the web interface has been improved, even if the file uploader still requires Java. Users can now edit certain files in their web browsers by right clicking a file and selecting the Edit in Zoho option. And you can share files with other users or get URLs they can use to share large files with anyone via email or a hyperlink on a web site. Free account holders have a 1 terabyte file sharing limit (I assume this is per month). ADrive is also limiting the number of concurrent downloads allowed from free, basic accounts.
But if you sign up for a paid account, ADrive is offering some advanced features like FTP access, a larger number of concurrent downloads, SSL encryption, and a desktop client for Mac, Windows, and Linux computers. And of course, there are no ads. You can also get up to 1TB of storage space if you pay for a premium account.
Watch web video while getting work done with Double Vision
Here's how it works: You launch Double Vision and a standalone web browser based on Internet Explorer opens. Find a video you want to watch and then click the "Double Vision" button. Most of the browser's navigation toolbars will disappear and all you'll see is the video, a transparency slider and two buttons. Slide the transparency bar all the way to the right and the video becomes opaque, slide it all the way to the left and you won't see it at all. When it's somehwere in the middle you'll be able to see the spreadsheet or other documents you've been working on under the video.
You can click the X button to return to browser's normal mode, or hit the other button if you want to drag and drop the video window to another location. All other clicks in the browser window will go unregistered. In other words, you won't just be able to see whatever's lying under the video, you'll be able to input data, edit documents or watch two movies at once if that's your cup of tea.
Double Vision is optimized to work with a handful of online video sites including Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix. That means when you load a video using the browser from one of these sites, the video will expand to the size of the browser so you aren't stuck looking at a video surrounded by text.
You can also hit Ctrl + Esc to hide the video quickly, which could come in handy if you're using Double Vision at work and you forgot to tell the boss about your ingenious new discovery.
Create temporary chat rooms with tiny URLs with TinyChat
Now the makers of TinyPaste are back with a new service that lets you create an instant chat room, complete with a short URL that you can use to promote the chatroom on Twitter or other sites. TinyChat is about as simple as a build your own web chat page could be. You just click a button to create a room and then enter the room or copy the link to share with others. That's pretty much all there is to it.
You can save a log of the chat as a text file, email it, or post it online. And you can even embed a TinyChat room on your web site.
There aren't a ton of advanced features. You can't upload files to a chat room, for example. But TinyChat has the basics covered. There are a few emoticons and you can perform basic actions with the "/me" command.
Cramberry: make studying easier with web-based flash cards
Cramberry supports multiple sets, and you can make them public, in case you've got study partners you want to share with. To make a card, just enter the text for the front and back. Sorry, art history students, but there's no image support yet. Once you've got your cards set up, Cramberry will quiz you. The best feature is that the cards you're getting wrong most often show up more frequently, to give you extra practice. Cramberry threw a few php errors during my test, but it works smoothly for the most part, and it's a great concept.
9 free antivirus programs for Windows
Wait - free? Don't companies like Norton make a good business out of selling antivirus protection? Why would someone give it away? Developers of free antivirus solutions like Avast and AVG are counting on a couple of things. First, that you'll like the free offering enough to want to buy an upgraded version of their product. Second, that if enough home users talk about how much they love it that their "computer guy" at work might want to use it on the company's systems.
The free options listed after the break offer the same kind of protection as the boxed software you can buy at the store.
Two things to keep in mind:
First, as with other free software, some of the developers ask for support in the form of a toolbar install. They're all optional, so make sure to un-tick the checkboxes during the install if you don't want the toolbar.
Second, a number of the developers offer a non-free version on the free version's download page via a service called TrialPay. The totally free version is normally on the left, the TrialPay offer on the right - make sure you're clicking the link you actually want.
I see Avast's little blue sphere in a lot of system trays, and with good reason: it's one of the most recommended free Windows antivirus options. One nice thing about Avast is that the installer only installs the antivirus program – there's no toolbar or anything else to dodge. Definitions update automatically, scans can be scheduled, and the boot-time scan tool does a good job at uprooting even stubborn infections.
You do need to register for a product key, though Avast will never email you anything other than the confirmation message.
Get it from: Avast | FileHippo | Softpedia
AVG has been a popular free antivirus option for Windows users for a number of years. It provides solid protection against viruses and other malware, and there's no registration required. Virus definition updates are automatic, and scheduled scanning is supported. Version 8 ships with the optional AVG Security Toolbar, which may be a good idea for some users. It provides security ratings for known websites and provides a little added protection in your browser – a place some users desperately need it.
Be sure to watch for the toolbar install and opt out if you don't want it. Also pay attention on the download page: free link on the left, TrialPay on the right.
Get it from: Download.com | FileHippo | Softpedia
Avira's offering is third on the list alphabetically and that's where it falls popularity wise on Download.com, just behind AVG and Avast. It's rated highly for fast and accurate scanning, and is easy on system resources. AntiVir's simple interface and solid protection make it a good choice for novice users.
One bothersome aspect is the nag screen that appears periodically to remind you about Avira's paid product. Also, on Avira's download page look on the left side for the completely free link - the right side is a TrialPay offer.
Get it from: Avira | FileHippo | Softpedia
Another lesser-known (but solid) option is BitDefender. In addition to virus and malware defense, BitDefender also includes a privacy protection feature that monitors web traffic and outbound mail for possible breaches. Its scanning engine is fairly speedy and detection rates are on par with more well-known software.
The download page is a bit like Avira's, so make sure you don't use the TrialPay offer on the right unless you really want to. The free download is on the left side.
Get it from: BitDefender | FileHippo | Softpedia
Unlike other programs on this list, Clam is not a realtime virus scanner, meaning it won't notify you the instant an infected file gets saved to your hard drive. Because of this shortcoming, ClamWin is probably not a good choice for novice users. It does, however, support scheduled scans and integrates with Windows Explorer so you can manually right-click and scan files. It also integrates with Microsoft Outlook and can remove infected attachments automatically.
You can get on-access protection with ClamWin by integrating it with WinPatrol or Spyware Terminator.
Get it from: ClamWin | FileHippo | Snapfiles
Comodo's free antivirus application comes as part of their Internet Security suite. Comodo's firewall software has always been very well-respected, but you can choose to only install the antivirus during the install if you prefer. It's a solid performer, with good scanning speed and detection rates, and few false positives.
Like AVG, Comodo packages a toolbar (called safe surf). It'll also prompt you to change your homepage, so just make sure to uncheck the boxes if you want to opt out.
Get it from: Comodo | Download.com | Softpedia
PC Tools are the same people that produce Spyware Doctor, one of the most popular anti-spyware applications around (though not my personal choice). Its interface is simple and easy to understand for novice users, though advanced users are likely to be frustrated by the lack of more sophisticated options that are available in other free programs. Scheduled scanning is supported, as are automatic definition updates.
Get it from: PC Tools
Even with the regal lion face logo, Rising hasn't garnered a lot of respect yet. Still, those who do use it seem very pleased with the protection it provides and also report that it's easy on system resources. A complete scan with Rising is a bit more sluggish than with more popular options, but most of you probably run scheduled scans when you're AFK anyway – so it's not a big downside.
It's regarded as a good choice for non-technical users.
Get it from: Rising AV | Snapfiles | Softpedia
Spyware Terminator isn't an antivirus program on its own, but you can choose to integrate ClamWin during the setup process. Unlike installing Clam on its own, pairing the two applications provides realtime virus protection. It's regarded as a very good anti-spyware application, though reviews are mixed on its ability to handle antivirus duties.
As with AVG and Comodo, a toolbar install will be offered during the setup process.
Get it from: Spyware Terminator | FileHippo | Softpedia
If you're not sold on the idea of free antivirus and are looking to test drive some paid options, there are plenty available for download. Just about every major developer of antivirus software offers at least a 30 day trial of their product. Here are three solid choices you can take for a test drive.
NOD32 is the choice of a number of Download Squad crew members. It's very well-respected by system admins and technicians and one of the best programs available to protect your PC from infection. Downloading the current version gets you 30 days to try it out.
If you're so inclined, you can download beta versions or release candidates as well - and you'll get up to 6 months of free protection.
Another option held in high regard by experienced users, the Kaspersky scanning engine is licensed by a number of other companies that provide antivirus software. Trial versions last 30 days.
Trend has been a truster choice in coporate environments for a long time, though their PC Cillin software for consumers isn't as popular as some other tites. It's still a solid choice and provides good protection. Again, 30 days to try it out.
Pixlr plugin for Firefox turns your browser into an image editor
Once the plugin is installed, you'll notice a little icon in the Firefox status bar that you can click to automatically import any web page you're on to Pixlr for editing. Just want to edit an image from the web? No problem. Just right click and select Edit in Pixlr. The image editor will open in a new tab and load the picture automatically.
Upload files to multiple mirrors ine one step with Gazup
Gazup's interface is decidedly more Web 2.0 (it's up to you to decide whether that's a good or bad thing). Apart from uploading a file directly from your machine, Gazup also supports mirroring files from a URL. It's a handy way to provide alternative downloads for files on your own FTP or web server.
Uploaded files are currently mirrored on up to nine hosts: RapidShare, MegaUpload, FileFactory, HideMyAss, Badongo, Mediafire, Uploadbox, zShare, and NetLoad.in. Files can be managed from your control panel, and Gazup will even notify you if your mirrors are unavailable.
Features are still being worked on, including automatic thumbnail creation for video files. I tested with several different video formats but didn't have any luck. Hopefully developers will sort this out, as it would be a great feature to help Gazup stand out from the crowd.