Apr 12
Tax day is April 15 and if you are still procrastinating on doing your software, here is some free tax software to help you along. Taxact offers both a free online and download version that helps you do basic taxes. Their software does not include the tips associated with Turbotax or Taxcut, so they keep telling you to update to their paid deluxe version. I recommend it for simple tax returns.
For state taxes I recommend you check with your state’s tax site to see if they offer a free online file. I found one for my state, it was easy, now all I have to do is sit back and wait for my checks to come in. Now what to do with my tax refunds…
Feb 14
Vista sidebar
If your using XP and you really like the new Vista sidebar, you can get it with this cool little program. It include a clock, calendar, rss feed, weather, and more.
Nov 06
A HUGE improvement over previous versions of Windows Media Player. Microsoft has learned their lesson and taken whats best from iTunes. I would actually use it over iTunes if I did not have it already set up. WMP 11 features a new sleeker interface, burning support, synch options, and integrated support for their online store, Urge. Its a definite improvement, but some of the layout is still not very intuitive. There is also the haunting spectre of DRM.
Windows Media Player 11
Nov 01
Must Have, Get it Now!
Download Statusbar
I’m surprised they haven’t integrated this into Firefox yet. Much better than the download manager, puts your downloads down at the status bar.
Tab Mix Plus
Firefox 2.0 has addressed a lot of the features that used to be in Tab Mix, but theres still some tweaks that make life so much easier.
NoScript
Asks you before scripts are executed and remembers your settings.
I like pretty things!
Nuke Anything Enhanced
Get rid of annoying objects, for cleaner printing or viewing.
Colorful Tabs
A very aesthetically pleasing coloring and shading of tabs. You might think its an insignificant change, but don’t knock it till you try it. It makes a difference.
Mostly Crystal
A very nice, colorful, and clean theme. Based on the colorful Crystal SVG (for Linux) icon set by Everaldo (everaldo.com).
I like surfing the web!
StumbleUpon
Lets you surf the best reviewed web site based on your interests.
Yoono
Yoono, is different from StumbleUpon in that it suggests alternatives to the current site your visiting.
Oct 22
Internet Explorer is out with new features such as tabbing, anti-phishing, and a new look. Supposedly there is already security bugs being reported. However, the new version is greatly improved from the previous security wise. If you insist on using I.E. at least switch to the newer and more secure I.E.
Internet Explorer 7
Oct 06
Pandora, created by the Music Genome Project allows you to listen to new songs by suggesting a genre/artist/song. It automatically suggests and plays a new song relating to your interest. You then rank the song and it will smartly match new songs to your taste. The player runs directly off the webpage so there is nothing to install. Try it!
I suggested DJ Sammy, Heaven, and it returned brand new artists that I was not familiar with, some were good, some mediocre, but it was definitely a cool way to listen to music. You can also register and exchange music picks with your friends. Its pretty cool.
A stand-alone player is in the beta phases at OpenPandora.
Sep 21
Torpark is a standalone internet browser that combines Firefox and Tor technology. Run Torpark.exe and it will launch a Tor circuit connection, which creates an encrypted tunnel from your computer indirectly to a Tor exit computer, allowing you to surf the internet anonymously. All for FREE.
Torpark
Alternatively, you can just use a Firefox extension, Torbutton along with Tor.
Either way, if you want anonymous web surfing this is the free and easy way to go.
Sep 21
I kid you not, a battery that turns into a usb port for recharging without any messy wires. It sound awesome, but details on recharge time and capacity are fuzzy. Please comment if you have one.
USB cell
Aug 27
Customer service is declining and its harder than ever to actually find a live person to talk with about issues. This website lists conveniently most 800 contact numbers for companies.
www.hardtofind800numbers.com
Tired of registering and entering personal information just to browse a site. This site gives you usernames and password to allow access.
www.bugmenot.com
Flooded with pesky credit card offers, you can opt out of recieving credit card offers by signing up at this site.
www.optoutprescreen.com
