FREE PC Profile, Audit, and Diagnostic Report Utility

This is a way cool utility for those of you wanting to literally "Look In My PC". I carry this on my USB stick and it's saved me countless hours of time. Here's the scoop..

From the Site:

FREE PC Profile, Audit, and Diagnostic Report Utility: "LookInMyPC generates a complete, comprehensive system profile that includes information on all installed hardware and software. Additionally it provides system diagnostic information such as details on running processes, installed services, startup programs, Windows updates and hot fixes, active network and Internet connections, TCP/IP port usage, event log detail, and much more. All this is provided in an easy to read, formatted report that you can view and print using your web browser. We have also hyperlinked many items so you can quickly and easily 'Google' them to find out what they are or if some programs might be spyware or viruses. It is also completely non-invasive and makes no changes to your computers settings whatsoever. We have even included a handy function that allows you to create a full system profile and diagnostic report and automatically send it as an email ZIP file attachment to a tech support or help desk person."

Silobreaker

I recently found this somewhere (sorry I don't remember where to give credit) and have found it my number one news source in the mornings while drinking coffee. Drudge is of course what I mostly use, but I'm leaning more and more to SiloBreaker for my quick fix of new.

From The Site:

About Silobreaker - Silobreaker: "About Silobreaker
Silobreaker is a search service for news and current affairs that aims to provide more relevant results to the user than what traditional search and aggregation engines have been offering so far. Instead of returning just lists of articles matching a search query, Silobreaker finds people, companies, organisations, topics, places and keywords; understands how they relate to each other in the news flow, and puts them in context through graphical results in its intuitive user interface.

The site pulls content on global issues, science, technology, energy and business from thousands of news sources, blogs, multimedia, and other forms of news media from around the world. With the engine’s focus on finding and connecting related data in the information flow, Silobreaker’s user tools and visualisations are ideal for bringing meaning to content from either today’s Web or the evolving Semantic Web, or both."

PstPassword - Outlook PST Password Recovery

This has saved me more times than I care to imagine. In fact, everything from Nirsoft is pretty much awesome. I Highly recommend you check out all the tools there.


From the site:

PstPassword - Outlook PST Password Recovery

PstPassword doesn't require any installation process or additional dll files. In order to start using it, just run the executable file, PstPassword.exe

After you run PstPassword, the main window displays the list of all PST files of the current logged on user (Under Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook). For each password-protected PST file, PstPassword provide 3 alternative passwords that will open the PST file. If the PST is not protected by a password, the 3 password columns remain empty, and the CRC value column is 0x00000000.
If you want to recover a password of PST file that doesn't appear in the default list, you can press F7 and select the desired PST file, or simply drag the PST file from Explorer window into the main window of PstPassword.
If from some reason PstPassword fails to read a PST file, an error message is displayed under the error column, and the item is painted with pink color.

Adland | all the adnews not fit to print

I'm warning you now that all the new commercials for SuperBowl are here, so don't watch if you want to spoil your fun.

The really cool thing about this site is they have all the ads from every SuperBowl from almost when it started. It's not really an "Online Tool", but a super fun time waster. Check it out

From the Site:

Adland | all the adnews not fit to print: "UPDATED: Friday, 02/05
In less than a week, Super Bowl Ad Madness will be upon us. And, typically, as the clock winds down, more and more is revealed from the brands we'll be seeing in the game. We bring you an update of the ad players for what you might see this coming Sunday.

Again, If you like to be surprised by the ads you see on February 7th during Super Bowl XLIV, close your eyes, hum a tune and click to read the next article. *Do not read on*. You have been warned."

Easily send large files directly between computers for free | FilesOverMiles

I have tried this service and it's OK, however.........It just wasn't what I was expecting. Couple buddies of mine swear by it, but I don't. Does it work? Yes. Is it easy? Yes. Why aren't you pleased? ummm, it's something you'll have to check out for yourself. It's a great concept, but maybe it just wasn't what I though it should be. Not the best answer, but this is one of those love it or hate it things. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either.

From the Site:

Easily send large files directly between computers for free | FilesOverMiles: "Your files are sent the shortest way - directly between the recipient and you. There are no intermediate servers slowing down the process. Try FilesOverMiles and send files between your home

computers to see how fast it is!"

Refural - Get paid for making Refural's

I've not personally used this site nor have I received any money from them....BUT - several of my friends do use it and they claim to also get paid.  I can't really say one way or the other if this really works, but I do believe the stories from my friends.  I'm actually going to setup an account tonight and give it a go.  A couple of bucks here and there is a good thing right now.  I'll keep you posted and how it all works out.

From the Site's FAQ Page:

30 Second Intro

As a user, your job is to simply: Send legitimate referrals and Get Paid. That's about it. After you send a referral and the business accepts & validates it, we'll send you your payment. It's really that simple.

So why not just call up the biz yourself and give them the referral? Well for one, you aren't guaranteed that they'll pay up -- even if your referral is legitimate. Our process protects the user so that the business pays for the referral before they even receive it. Secondly, you'd be banking on the fact that somehow the business will find the time to write and send you a check. Not likely. With the Refural process, the business pays right away and we hold their payment for the validation period after which we send your compensation. The process is totally electronic and you just sit back and get paid. It's quick, easy and effective for everyone!

Sending Referrals

By now we’re sure that you already know but we’ll say it again for good measure: Submitting referrals is totally free and you may submit as many as you’d like. There are 2 ways for users to submit referrals:

• Submit to Businesses that have a listing on Refural.com
• Submit to New Businesses and invite them to participate

The Validation Period

To help ensure quality referrals, we’ve implemented a validation period for businesses to contact and make sure the referral they’ve paid for is legitimate. Once they validate the referral OR the validation period expires, we will send you your payment.

Legitimate Referrals

First of all, we don't accept and will never except anything other than legitimate referrals. If a business decides that the referral isn’t legitimate, then we step in and investigate. At that point, we refund the business their compensation and notify the user that their referral has been rejected.

Making Sure You Get Paid

Once the business validates your referral OR the validation period expires, we will send your payment right away. The only way you won’t get paid is if you submit a referral that isn’t legitimate.

TruthOrFiction.com-Is that forwarded email Truth or Fiction? Research into stories, scams, hoaxes, myths, and urban legends on the Internet

I always tell my children, family and friends to ALWAYS check out the source and do the research before posting and or forwarding some silly email about this/that/andtheotherthing......Most of us have heard of and used Snopes which is awesome, but here's another that you can use to "double-check" those crazy emails you receive about the world blowing up next week. There is some type of Subscription you can buy if you want for about $20 / Year, but I personally think what I get for free is just fine.

From the site:

TruthOrFiction.com-Is that forwarded email Truth or Fiction? Research into stories, scams, hoaxes, myths, and urban legends on the Internet: "Be among the first to know about new eRumors, viruses, Internet hoaxes...and more!

FaxZero.com - Just plain works.

Yea, I know...there's a ton of free fax services out there, but of all I've tried, I probably like this the best. I rarely send FAX's, but when I do need to, this is what I use. It's quick, super easy and just plain works.

From the Site FAQ:

About FaxZero.com: "FaxZero lets you send a fax to any fax machine in the United States (including Puerto Rico) or Canada for free. You don't need a fax machine yourself, but you do need a valid e-mail address."


Q: How can you provide this service for free?
A: The service is supported by advertising on the web site and on the cover pages of the free faxes you send. We have a partnership with the good folks at Metro Hi Speed, who provide us with a great deal on Internet fax services.
Q: How does it work?
First fill out the fax form. Be sure to include your valid e-mail address and carefully type the Confirmation Code. (This simply helps us weed out abuse of the system.) Type the text of your fax or attach a file, then click the Send Free Fax Now button.
Next, a confirmation message will be sent to your e-mail address. Click the URL in that message. Your fax won't be transmitted until you do. (If you are using a spam filter, please add support@faxzero.com to your friends list first, otherwise you will not get the email from us and your fax will not be sent.)
We'll then attempt to deliver your fax. You'll receive an e-mail message to let you know when it's delivered. Or if it can't be transmitted for some reason, an e-mail message will tell you that.
Q: What type of documents can I send?
The easiest way to send a fax is to just type or paste the text of your fax into to the Enter Text to Fax box. Or, you can click the Browse... button to fax a file on your computer: you can send a PDF, Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX or .RTF) file, or Excel spreadsheet (.XLS or .XLSX).
If you attach a file, any text in the Enter Text to Fax box will be ignored.
Q: Tell me about the ad on the cover page.
A: It's not really an ad, just the FaxZero logo at the top of the page. There is no FaxZero logo on the $1.99 premium fax. The cover page does not count as part of the 3- (for free) or 15- (for premium) page limit.

WhoAreIn

I personally don't have much need for this type of service because I'm a pretty boring person. However, from what I hear "on the street", this is the way to go. I've had several friends who recommend this as the place to go if you're going to organize say a "Movie Night" or more importantly some big Shin-Dig. Anyway, thought I'd mention it since it's very popular with people I know that do have a life....

From the Site:

WhoAreIn: "Organize Events With Your Friends
WhoAreIn is a free web service that helps you organize events with you friends.
No registration, sign-in with your Google account.
Create event in less then one minute.
Totally free."

Skwire Empire - Boot Snooze

I love this one and have it installed on both my tiny Netbooks. This guy also has a ton of other free and very useful software.

From The Site:

Skwire Empire - Boot Snooze:

Description: This simple app will:
Give you a choice to reboot and go into standby or hibernation.
It will then reboot your computer.
After the reboot, a small dialog with a countdown timer will begin.
After the timer is up, your computer will be put into the mode you chose.
Note: For hibernation to work, your computer must have 'Enable hibernation' already checked under your Control Panel, Power Options, Hibernate tab. Otherwise your computer will probably just go into standby mode."

Here's a list of some of the other projects he's been working on. When you have an extra hour or so on the weekend, and you're geeky like me - check out his other stuff:

Almost all of the freeware available on my site is in direct response to a request on theCoding Snacks forum of DonationCoder. Admittedly, some of them are of a "one-off" type of nature, but that's how Coding Snacks go sometimes. That being said, I try to build enough functionality and intuitiveness into them so that others besides the original poster might be able to get some use out them.

All of the applications are written in AutoHotkey. Pick an app from the sidebar menu to learn more about it. They are all freeware with no strings attached.

• Album Printer - Build a list of artists and albums in your music collection.
• Anuran - A rotating, automatic-prompting personal text log.
• Barbecue - Generate progress bars related to your projects.
• Bestimate - Track the accuracy of your goals, predictions or promises.
• Boot Snooze - Reboot your computer and make it automatically hibernate/standby.
• Chopping List - Split text files out to multiple files based on a custom delimiter.
• ClipTrap - Aggregate text copied to the clipboard.
• CovArt Ops - Scan your album folders for missing cover art.
• Deletist - Delete files and folders sourced from a text file.
• Dimensions 2 Folders - Sort image files into folders based on their dimensions.
• File Bucket - Create a collection of files and then copy them all to new destination.
  
• Files 2 Folder - Shell extension to create a folder & move files into that folder.
• KeyCounter - Keep track of the number of keystrokes you make.
• Looper - Gaplessly loop an audio file.
• Mat - Change mouse acceleration and speed settings from the commandline.
• Piggy Banks - Track 'fund' accounts where a little money is put away each day.
• PlayTime - Determine total playtime for music and movie files.
• Power Scheme Toggler - Easily switch between two power schemes.
• Simple Word Gen - Create random word lists.
• SpinZip - Compression app with some unique methods.
• Switcheroo - Switch two file's names with a drag&drop GUI.
• Tags 2 Folders - Sort audio files into folders based on their tags.
  
• Text 2 Folders - Create folders based on a simple text file.
• tiffInfoGUI - View information related to tiff image files.
• Trout - Music/audio player.
• Video 2 MP3 - Automatically extract audio from a video file and make an MP3 of it.
  
• Volt - System tray hotkey-driven volume controller.
• Waste Not - Keep track of what's in the fridge and their expiration dates.
• Zero Zipper - Clone a folder/file structure as zero-byte and zip them.

whocalled.us

This is another site I use regularly. In today's world, we have caller ID for a reason; to know who's calling! Many companies will mask the ID or change it completely to fool you into answering. If this happens to you or you come home to messages on your answering machine and can get the number, this is about the best place to find out EXACTLY who it is trying to reach you.

From the Site "About":

whocalled.us: "The phone is ringing, and I don't recognize the number,
All Caller ID says is, 'NAME UNAVAILABLE'.
Please help me figure out who is calling and what they want"

1-800-GOOG-411: Find and connect with local businesses for free from your phone.

I personally use this all the time. Phone companies are now charging up to $4 to get Directory Assistance - THAT'S INSANE! The Google411 Service is totally free and has a bunch of cool tools to go with it. But if you just need a phone number, this is the way to go. Listen to a super quick advertisement and that's your only cost.

From the Sites "Learn More" Page:

1-800-GOOG-411: Find and connect with local businesses for free from your phone.: "You don't need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free. (*)

Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you're looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.

If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say 'Text message' or 'Map it.'"

PowerPoint to Video Converter, Convert PPT to Video for Free | PPT to Video Free/Pro

I've used this tool and although there is a paid version, I've really never seen the need to do much more than what the free version does. You can check out the comparison of the Free vs Paid version on the home page to determine your specific needs.

Description From the Site:

PowerPoint to Video Converter, Convert PPT to Video for Free | PPT to Video Free/Pro: "Acoolsoft PPT to Video Free

Convert PowerPoint Presentation to Video for Free
Acoolsoft PPT to Video Free make it easy to convert PowerPoint presentations to videos with no cost. Convert your PowerPoint presentation to video file in formats of WMV, ASF, MKV and MOV and share to all with more flexible ways."

10 Minute Mail

I use this constantly when some site I'll probably never use again demands my email address.

From the site:

10 Minute Mail: "By clicking on the link below, you will be given a temporary e-mail address. Any e-mails sent to that address will show up automatically on the web page. You can read them, click on links, and even reply to them. The e-mail address will expire after 10 minutes.

Why would you use this? Maybe you want to sign up for a site which requires that you provide an e-mail address to send a validation e-mail to. And maybe you don't want to give up your real e-mail address and end up on a bunch of spam lists. This is nice and disposable. And it's free. Enjoy!

Get my 10 Minute Mail e-mail address."

DocMazy - The Future of Document Search

I've used this and I'm not sure about the magic involved, but it's saved me countless hours on research. The website is pretty plain kinda like Google, but it does one thing and does it well.

From the site:

DocMazy - The Future of Document Search: "What is unique about DocMazy?

DocMazy was created so users could search the internet for documentation files such as word files or powerpoint presentations. This is helpful because many of those pages are lost on the internet. DocMazy allows users to search these 'lost' files directly and generate a preview of them straight in the browser. Many users will find this useful so that they can uncover more information on a subject, that might otherwise be hidden deep in search engines. DocMazy makes use of several public API's, and useful tools to allow you to preview all documents within your browse. The use of Ajax tabbing allows for a seamless experience.

Simply put, DocMazy is a document search engine, so it only searches for only PDFs, Docs, Excel, and Txt files. It quickly finds these files, which are normally stuck deep within search engines. This thing is especially useful for people looking for quick research sources, but has many other uses as well. Try out our search for yourself!"

Free online OCR

I've used this and the results were remarkable. I rarely need to use such a service, but when I do, this is my go-to.

From the site:

Welcome to Free OCR

Free-OCR.com is a free online OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool. You can use this service to extract text from any image you supply.
This service is free, no registration necessary. We also do not need your email address.
Just upload your image files. Free-OCR takes either a JPG, GIF, TIFF BMP or PDF (only first page).
The only restriction is that the images must not be larger than 2MB, no wider or higher than 5000 pixels and there is a limit of 10 image uploads per hour.

Free-OCR can handle images with multi-column text and also supports more languages: Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese."

Claws Mail - the email client that bites!

I have to say I really like this email client. It offers a TON of features is completely configurable and works great with my google apps accounts. It's simple, yet super powerful. I cannot believe more people don't use this. I'm hooked anyway.

From the main page:

Claws Mail - the email client that bites!: "Claws Mail is an email client (and news reader), based on GTK , featuring
Quick response
Graceful, and sophisticated interface
Easy configuration, intuitive operation
Abundant features
Extensibility
Robustness and stability

The appearance and interface are designed to be familiar to new users coming from other popular email clients, as well as experienced users. Almost all commands are accessible with the keyboard.
The messages are managed in the standard MH format, which features fast access and data security. You'll be able to import your emails from almost any other email client, and export them just as easily.

Lots of extra functionality, like an RSS aggregator, calendar, or laptop LED handling, are provided by extra plugins.

Claws Mail is distributed under the GPL."

Blinksale – the easiest way to send invoices online

My two cents are this. 1) It is quite easy to use and has a ton of features but 2) There is a cost involved. I think there are comparable invoicing systems available which are less expensive and some of the best are even totally free. You decide:

Copied directly from the FAQ's:

Blinksale – the easiest way to send invoices online: "Who should use Blinksale?
Blinksale is perfect for anyone who needs to invoice clients for services or products sold. Blinksale is an excellent choice for attorneys, accountants, designers, IT professionals, software developers, journalists, contractors, engineers, architects, videographers, and more. Basically, if you need to send invoices, Blinksale can work for you

What do I need?
Blinksale is an elegantly-designed web-application, and can be used with any modern web browser that supports web-standards. We recommend Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safari, or Internet Explorer 7. We cannot guarantee Blinksale will work on other web browsers."

3Dsee - Home

3Dsee - Home: "By uploading a set of images to our server we will automatically reconstruct a photo-realistic 3D model for you, returning it as a greyscale bump-map.

This website provides an example of an application currently under construction. Please contact us should you wish to find out more information about this software."

Update on Updates or lack thereof

Sorry folks.  I started this blog for two reasons. 1) To remember all the cool online tools I find because my bookmarks are way too full; and 2) Share with my friends what I find.  Little did I know I had a tiny pea sized tumor growing in my belly that needed removed - which I did and I'm all(mostly) better now after months of recoup.  So, with that said, I'll get going again and begin the posting.  Sorry for the delay, but it's obviously something I had no control over. I am glad it IS over though. Thanks for reading. ~ Marko (Polo)