Tool Box
NPR: High-Tech Pen Makes Note-Taking Easier
This pen is a digital audio recorder and camera built into a large ballpoint pen. It timestamps every note I take using the special spiral-bound notebook with almost inperceptible dot-matrixed paper.
After I finish taking notes, i click the pen on the part of the image or text and the audio recorder plays back whatever was being recorded at that time.
Now, if they can just come out with a 4' x 8' whiteboard version with multiple colors and a portable Aeron chair with lumbar support, I'd be set!
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Ecto: desktop blogging client
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NVU: Open Source WYSIWYG Web Editor
Finally! A complete Web Authoring System for Linux desktop users as well as Microsoft Windows and Macintosh users to rival programs like FrontPage and Dreamweaver. Nvu (which stands for "new view") makes managing a web site a snap. Now anyone can create web pages and manage a website with no technical expertise or knowledge of HTML.Nvu (pronounced N-view, for a "new view") is an Open Source project started by Linspire, Inc. Linspire is committed exclusively to bringing Desktop Linux to the masses, and realized that an easy-to-use web authoring system was needed for Linux to continue its expansion to the Desktop. Linspire contributes significant capital, expertise, servers, bandwidth, marketing, and other resources to guarantee the continuation and success of the Nvu project.
Linspire is pleased to have been able to contract with Daniel Glazman from Disruptive Innovations to be the lead developer and maintainer for the Nvu project. Daniel has been the chief architect for Mozilla Composer and brings at tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the Nvu project. Other developers are also encouraged to get involved in this project.
Nvu was started from the Mozilla Composer code base. The Mozilla Internet suite is in the process of being broken up into individual pieces (browser, email, etc.). Nvu will pick up where Composer left off, adding additional features, functionality and ease of use.
Nvu is open source and covered under the MPL/LGPL/GPL tri-license.
For more information, visit our FAQ page
Labels: software, web design
details>>Swivel
Touted as "Tasty Data Goodies", Swivel is a new startup that lets users upload, compare, and contrast data--from iPod sales to wine consumption--to make sense of the world. A Web 2.0 story in charts.Like YouTube for data.
Swivel is a fun, data exploration Web site for curious people.
- fun: kaleidoscopic diversity of graphs and tables. rich palette of colors. photos. descriptions. ratings. commentary. user customization. constant community interaction. feeding off one another's ideas. crucible for debate. allow for biased and subjective spin: lies, damned lies and Swivel.
- data exploration: user-provided data across a broad range of topics. suggestions for related data, popular data, new data, highly-rated data. quick and easy comparisons. favorite items. breadcrumb trails. preview graphs that encourage clicking. instant results. show me stuff, i'll know what i want when i see it. take the facts for a spin.
- web site: as easy to use as a toaster. branching web of clickable links for intuitive data cruising. social networking among swivel users. complementary content and integrated functionality from other Web sites like Flickr, Wikipedia and Digg (coming soon). organic, living system. not a complicated configurator like enterprise software, instead: tasty data goodies.
- curious people: folks who are naturally inquisitive and love to hypothesize, investigate, and learn
Please also check out About and the Tour.
Explore
Explore data and graphs.
Compare
Compare any type of data with any other. See how well they correlate.
Share
Share interesting graphs to your blog. Pick colors that match your Web site.
Upload
Upload data, describe it, pick colors and images for it.
Labels: data, information graphics, research
details>>ZeusDraw
Need a vector-based drawing tool, but don't want to shell out the big bucks for the Adobe Creative Suite? Too tired of pestering your designer buddy for a bootlegged copy of Illustrator?
Try ZeusDraw, a new drawing program from Chromatic Bytes with a fluid, graceful interface. It has a different, more intuitive approach to paths (Bezier curves) and great brushes.
ZeusDraw shows you what you are doing, as you do it. When you move or rotate an object, you see the object move or rotate, not its bounding box. When you draw with a brush, you see a close approximation to the final brush stroke as you draw, not a dotted line that is filled in later.
Features:
- Both vector brushes and textured, pixel-based brushes that remain objects that can be selected, edited (path and attributes), moved, scaled and rotated.
- Easy to use path tools. Points are entered in order and can be edited at any time while the path is being created. When editing, all points are immediately editable - there is no confusing secondary selection tool.
- Gradients can be edited live, in-place on the objects they fill.
- Many more features.
ZeusDraw requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. Introductory price of $90 good
until Jan 1, 2007.
HelloDeo: Got a WebCam? Say hello with video!
FreedomVoice Toll Free Numbers
We finally have our own 911 number!Well, more accurately, we have a toll free number through FreedomVoice. This on-line service provider can not only hook you up with your own vanity number, but hold music (rock, jazz or muzak), call forwarding, multiple mailboxes and even professional voiceover talent for your outgoing messages.
Want to experience how it works? Call us toll free: 1-866-99CHIMP details>>
Yokel: Really smart yellow pages
From Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools:Yokel makes finding local "things" less time-consuming and more cost-efficient (especially with the gas prices these days). Similar to GoogleMaps and YahooLocal but with more relevant results. And the Yokel search engine helps comparison shop online for things you want to buy offline at local stores. All you need to do is type in what you are looking for and the city or zip code you want to buy it in and Yokel provides the results. It seemed really helpful for items you wouldn't want to ship or more abstract items like a motorcycle trailer.
Bring out the GIMP!
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.Doug Kaye, senior executive producer of the ConversationsNetwork, was looking for a low cost imaging solution:
I'm getting tired of switching from my Mac to a PC every time I want to edit an image. (I switched my life from Windows to OS X last year, but still have many of my best tools on the PC.)Producer Cori Schlegel sent Doug searching for the GIMP!
Other than Photoshop (expensive), what image-editing software do you recommend for the Mac? I need to do the usual CN stuff: crop, resize, adjust color and gamma, etc. But nothing super sophisticated.
Snapz Pro X
I asked the founder of PixelCorps, Alex Lindsay, what his organization uses to create their very personal and useful software tutorials.Snapz Pro X 2 allows you to effortlessly record anything on your screen, saving it as a QuickTime® movie or screenshot that can be emailed, put up on the web, or passed around however you please.Snapz Pro X 2.0 costs $69. Upgrades from Snapz Pro X 1.0 w/ movie capture are $20.
Why take a static screenshot when Snapz Pro X 2 makes creating a movie just as easy? Snapz Pro X 2 does that, and so much more -- what a difference a version makes! Download a free demo version from our web site today or check out the demo movies we've created and see for yourself.details>>
Yahoo Widgets
Besides hair sprouting where it shouldn't, if you are a truly a werewolf, how do you know if a full moon is coming?Or even what day it is? Or who needs what from you by when? Or when Mariah Carey's new groundbreaking single is coming out?
What do you use to manage the dataflows in your busy little life?
If you haven't discovered them already, try Yahoo Widgets.
I asked supersmart interface designer, Jason Simmons of GradientLabs how he manages time. Second only to the Post-It Notes (TM) papering his desk, are the virtual dashboard gauges peppering his monitor.
Yahoo is buying up all the smart little companies out there and integrating them into it's main offering. But Yahoo Widgets are user-created and communally shared.
For Mac and PC, Yahoo offers a tidy install folder of life management widgets that allow you scan and execute simple tasks--see the realtime weather report in Zurich; control your iTunes player; browse your Outlook or iCal calendars; check off to-do list items--all through nice, bug-size controller/displayers on your desktop.
The major upside? Not having to open additional applications or execute a Google/Yahoo search in your browser. Plus, you can construct your own customized dashboard with more dials, monitors, blinkers, scrollbars and goofy geegaws than a Fox News satellite truck! details>>DropSend
Having trouble emailing large files? This great service for sending large files (upwards of 1GB) and on-line storgare. Essential for graphic types with large Photoshop files, EPS, PDFs, etc.[Thanks to George Lampman]
DropSend helps you do two things ...
1. Send Files of up to 1GB
- No software to install
- DropSend enables you to send files of up to 1GB
2. Store Files Online
Your hard drive, online. Use it for...
- Backing up your files
- Moving files from office to home, and back again
Open Source Mac
With too many free tools, games and hacks to mention, this link lists the best in opensource apps for OSX.[Thanks to Andrea Pokrzywinski]
Example:
- Centerstage: Full-screen interface for playing audio, video, and photos. Connect it to your TV.
- Freemind: An innovative application for note taking and outlining. Takes time to get used to, but some people swear by it.
Project Management Tool
Basecamp is a unique project management tool. Unique because you'll actually enjoy using it.I have searched for years for a high-quality, flexible project management system. I found it in Basecamp. Basecamp is scaleable to handle a handful of projects for a sole proprietor on a tight budget, or countless initiatives for a large, distributed network. It requires no downloads or software beyond the web browser. It has swiftly become THE key tool in managing our project pipeline, with milestones, to-do lists, team members and essential files. I have set up three of my own clients with the software and they all love it because they finally have a cheap, efficient knowledge management tool that does not follow a "per seat fee." Non-profit organizations seem to benefit most from this software because usually they don't have much tech support, while Basecamp offers them a seamless way to connect a project.
To get started, go to www.basecamphq.com. details>>
Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools
Writer, futurist, inventor, traveling and all around cybercool guy, Kevin Kelly profiles the coolest tools submitted by his loyal fan base. Everything from the best tide prediction software for your PDA to biodiesel conversation kits for your Hummer to pogo sticks and other cool but useless mechanical devices.
In Kevin Kelly's own words:
Cool tools really work. A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. I am chiefly interested in stuff that is extraordinary, better than similar products, little-known, and reliably useful for an individual or small group. I depend on friends and readers to suggest things they actually use. There are plenty of places to read about stuff that should be cool, or that looks new and cool, and that might be useful. These recommendations here, on the other hand, are based on people who have used this item and many similar and have come to see its superiority. Items can be old items, or cheap things that you still dote on after years of use. Great new gear, if well tested by you, are also wonderful. I post things I like and I ignore the rest. Visit Cool Tools>>details>>
Blogucation
details>>
Monkey Day is July 21
Hey it's Monkey Day! So feast on bananas and have a great time monkeying around. Reach out to your friends/ family/ sweetheart/ loved ones with funny and naughty ecards from 123 Greetings to wish them a great day !
Send Free Online Greeting Cards to your friends & loved ones. ALL cards are absolutely FREE !!! details>>
Extended learning through IT Conversations
This is the center of the tech storytelling community. Doug Kaye's collection of open source audio narratives has a simple motto: "New ideas through your headphones." details>>Upload Photos with Flickr
The best tool on the web for cheap (i.e. F*R*E*E*!) posting of pictures for websites and blogs. We use this to upload hundreds of megabytes of photos from the events we attend each week. Saves us tons of space on our servers. See photos from The New Map Game with Tom Barnett and Alidade Inc. Visit www.flickr.com
Listen to founder Stewart Butterfield speaking at eTech.
From IT Conversations:
Starting with the thirty second overview of Flickr, Stewart describes the Flickr mission, which simply put is two fold: one, help people share their photos with their friends and family with easy and flexible methods, and two, innovate new ways of organizing photos. Stewart continues with brief descriptions of the applications that the Flickr team and the development community have implemented extending Flickr in interesting and innovative ways. These demonstrations include the following applications: FlickFox, Linux uploader, Organizr, Movable Type Flickr plug-in, WordPress Flickr plug-in, Flickr Postcard, and Flickr Worldmap.details>>
