Hunt and peck no more

One of the largest collections of Touch Typing Tutors around. If this doens't get you typing 60 words / min than nothing will.

Link:
http://typingsoft.com/all_typing_tutors.htm

~

~Word = Synonym search in Google
(replace Word with your search word)

Interesting Facts About Domain Names

Interesting Facts About Domain Names: Interesting facts about domain names and what's available. Seems like Veign.com is a pretty good domain name - one of the main reason for choosing that as a company name many years ago...

Link:
http://www.yafla.com/dforbes/2006/03/29.html

Xbox.com Prima Guides

Xbox.com Prima Guides: "Lost in a particularly difficult level? Can't figure out how to beat that one boss? Wish you knew how to unlock that last character? Prima has you covered with guides for all your favorite Xbox® titles. The world's leading publisher of official game guides and the exclusive guide publisher for Microsoft®, Prima continues to dominate the field it created in 1990 by providing the highest quality game guides available. Get the best tips, maps, hints, and strategies from Prima's experts, and take your gaming further than you ever thought possible."

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/...

Need help on your AdSense campaigns?

Google Groups : AdSense Help

Spray paint, string, a motor and a wall

See the Video

Paint.NET v2.61 Released

I blogged somtime ago about a free alternative to the paint program that comes with Windows called Paint.NET.

About
"Paint.NET is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Server 2003. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

It is meant to be a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with Windows."

What's New in 2.61:

• Fixed crash when clicking File->New when there is a malformed image in the clipboard
• Fixed several crashes related to pressing Ctrl+Z (Undo) or Ctrl+Y (Redo) before releasing the mouse button while still drawing
• Fixed Zoom Tool "haze" remaining after pressing Ctrl+Z before releasing the mouse button
• Fixed uninstaller not removing Start->Programs menu shortcut
• Fixed "Auto" button in Adjustments->Levels not updating one of its sliders
• Fixed a few small plugin API problems
• Fixed a race condition in the file loading code related to EXIF tags
• Added "Donate" to Help menu

Link:
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/

MSN Search Spoof

MSN Search Spoof: "MSN Search celebrates April Fool's with the return of Spoof, the parody tool that uses fake (but hilariously accurate) search results to gently mock friends, bosses, or people who just need to be teased."

Link:
http://www.mymsnsearch.com/index.aspx

AdSenseLog v3.0 released

I have been a fan of AdsenseLog from the first time I stumbled across and start using.

AdSenseLog is a tool for checking and analyzing your Adsense ads data (Content, Search, Custom/URL channels and Referrals). This is much easier to use than the web interface from Google and the graphical charts adds a nice touch. If your like me and like to kep an eye on things then check out this application.

Whats new:

• Referral Data
• SMS Support
• New Pricing model
  

Of course not everything is perfect and the developer is probably sick of hearing me point out the same issue: Resizing should resize all tables and grpahical displays - I would really like to see the tabulated data resize with the application. I guess something has to be left for a future version.

Anway, check it out, it's worth the download. Tell'm Veign sent ya.

Link:
http://www.metalgrass.com/adsenselog/

Windows Live Messenger Final - Sneek Peek

Windows Live Messenger Final - Sneek Peek

Ohh, glassy

Pixeur 2.6 released

Pixeur is the ultimate in a Color Picker / Color Selector application. I had some free time and desire so I released a new version of Pixeur. I really needed to clear up some stupid bugs with things I forgot to do in the last release and I wanted to get a basic Color Scheme added. Not only do I need to get a color, select a color, but I often need colors that compliment a color. This is where the basic color schemer comes in. Oh, and the color scheme folds up and can be lauched as a seperate window.


Check it out and please let me know what you think..

Link:
http://www.veign.com/download_app.asp?app=107

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services

Everything is moving online. Pretty soon your desktop will be a ghost town with only a link to your browser. I will only say all this makes me uncomfortable as there are too many people willing to take advantage of others and having your data, email, applications, personal information, pictures, bookmarks, and conversations all online just makes us HUGE targets. Once its online who knows how they can use it against us.

The Big List of Online Storage

Link:
http://www.thewebsiteroom.com/id102.html

Free Online Storage

Box.Net will give you 1GB of space to store what every you want for free. Get 5GB for only $4.99 / month. This sure beats the hacks that are around for turning a Gmail account into online storage.

Be warned about there Privacy Policy which states:
"Box.net reserves the right to share aggregated demographic information about our customers, sales, and traffic to our partners and advertisers."

Also, don't think of using this service to store your Porn collection or MP3's as they state they will disclose your data if:
"we reasonably believe we are compelled by applicable state and federal laws"

And, I wouldn't use it as a safe backup location because of this:
"Box.net reserves the right to terminate without notice your password, account or use of Box.net service and delete any data within Box.net service"

That's all I have to say about that.

Link:
http://box.net/

What a day

I just had one of those days where it seemed everything was going wrong and I didn't have answers for any of them.

Started out with email going down on the server and tech support would not just re-boot the server (had gone down with the same symptoms in the past and a re-boot is all that would fix it). So, I spend all day submitting support tickets, hounding them on the phone, and posting to their forums just to try and get them to fix the issue. 8 hours later and I get the main guy on the phone and he's trying to work out the issue. I asked him if he could just humor me and re-boot the server, so he did. Guess what? Yup, email back online. 8 hours of stress could have been saved if I just had access to the server.

Also, working on a new website design project and ran into a CSS problem that would only show in IE. Go figure. I tried to search high and low for an answer, work through the issue with trial and error but I just couldn't figure what was causing the issue. Thanx to the helpful people on the CSS Email List - these are some of the best of the best with CSS and came to my rescue.

So, I'm done for the day. Sick back, relax, take a breath, and get ready for a busy tomorrow.

Do you OneCare?

5 reasons to use Windows Live OneCare to help protect your computer: "Windows Live OneCare is a comprehensive service that helps protect your computer from many different kinds of threats."

I'm not brave enought to install this. I will stick with Windows Defender, SyGate Personal Firewall, and Norton Antivirus.

Doodles Honydrops

What is your Easter Bunny Name?

New SyncToy v1.2

SyncToy v1.2: "SyncToy v1.1 helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers quickly and easily."

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

Information:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../synctoy.mspx

See what your website looks like on other browsers

Browser Shots lets you view still images of your website as viewed by other browsers. What you do is submit your URL and then wait for Browser Shots to create the images for you. Just that simple.

Link:
http://browsershots.org/

Most Expensive PCs

Most Expensive PCs: Start saving your pennies

Change the location of the 'My' folder in Windows

I keep all my data in a single data folder. This way I can easily backup all the data on my system just by copying a single folder (of course there is a complex folder structure below). There are times when you need to change the locations of the special 'My' folders to make it easier to drop into my data folder. In comes a KB article from MS to show you how.

Of course if you are not comfortable with screwing around in the registry then use the Tweak UI tool from MS. This tool can handle this and so much more.

Link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q242557/

Tweak UI:
http://.../xppowertoys.mspx

Safely install software in a virtual layer - Lifehacker

Safely install software in a virtual layer - Lifehacker: "you can install any program to a transparent layer that snags all attempts that the program makes to write to your system, instead saving them inside of the layer. That means no extra .dll’s and no permanent registry changes"

I use Virtual PC from Microsoft and love it. In fact I use it for testing software on the various OS's from MS. This makes it easy to install software, test, and restore the OS back to a clean install for the next test.

Link:
http://.../hack-attack-safely-install-software-in-a-virtual-layer...

ZoomIt from Sysinternals

ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations. ZoomIt runs unobtrusively in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image.

If you are not familiar with the tools from SysInternals then you should look around a bit as he creates some of the top system tools around (and they are all free).

Link:
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/zoomit.html

Microsoft Opens Public IE Bug Database

Microsoft Opens Public IE Bug Database

Quickbooks Rocks!

After much delay I finally got around to putting all my financial data into Quickbooks. I must say I wish I had done this a long time ago. Quickbooks just makes things so much easier: from tracking profits / loss to entering in invoices, bills, and sales receipts.

If you have the need and looking for a deal then check out Amazon. They are selling the software for $30 cheaper then retail and offering a $30 Amazon gift certificate rebate.

Link:
http://www.amazon.com/...

(I have included my referral ID with the links above so purchasing from the links will help support this blog)

Brilliant button maker

The "80x15 brilliant buttons", also known as "antipixel buttons" or "badges", are the very popular buttons especially used by bloggers, see above. Brilliant button maker is a very well designed interface to create your own.

Link:
http://.../brilliantMaker/buttonImage.php

New Tools in the Yahoo! Toolbar

Yahoo! Search blog: New Tools in the Toolbar

Good way to waste some time on a lazy Sunday

The Fancy Pants Adventure is a kinda fun Flash game. Spent about 30min playing and was able to get through the first level - seems to be the only level the developer has completed.

Link:
http://hallpass.com/media/fancypantsadventure.html

The List of Random Links from Garry

MobiLuck : Send messages for free and meet people with your mobile phone.

Deskloops: Imagine yourself at the center of a virtual loop where all the windows you use are spread out around you.

Online Tools, Generators, Checkers: Lot of tools that have probably been around a while just bunched up

Neon Sign Generator: Just what the title says

Adventure Maker: Adventure Maker is a free innovative toolkit for Windows that allows creating point-and-click games and multimedia software in minutes, without any scripting or programming. You can choose between creating software for Windows and for PSP.

Free Printable Business Cards: 200 free business card designs that you can download, customize, and print.

The online tools one is one have a lot if interest in and will probably be the inspiration for some future posts.

Thanx Garry!.

My Note-It application makes it to the radio

I just found out the Kim Komando show listed Note-It as one of her shareware picks for sticky notes.

Thank Kim!.

Quick Tabs - Internet Explorer 7

Did IE actually bring something to the table before Firefox?

Might have. Check out the FireFox extension and then check out IE 7's new Quick Tab's.

Now wonder the icon that was choosen for the extension.

Just may be the coolest Firefox extension yet.

Viamatic foXpose extension has got to be the coolest extension yet. This extension will build a single page of thumbnails for all open tabs in the current session of Firefox. This lets you quickly look through your open tabs and navigate to the one you need. Sure, reading the short title that appears on the tab may be a possiblity if web devs didn't push so many keywords into the titles and make them useless - plus the more tabs open the less of the title you are going to see.

This extension is a must if nothing more than to check it out.

Link:
https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/...

(A big thanx to Gary for pointing this one out to me)

74 years

Life Expectancy Calculator:
http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/calcs/n_expect/main.asp

Megapixel Calculator

Megapixel Calculator: "This is a megapixel calculator, a tool to calculate and convert resolution, file sizes. How many pixels in a DVD image? How does that compare to a 5 megapixel camera? What is the resolution of Digital Cinema 2K? The answer is here!"

Link:
http://www.forret.com/tools/megapixel.asp

Want to start your own video blog (vlog)?

Then check out the Freevlog's step-by-step guide to setting up a videoblog for free.

If you want a sample of a great video blog then swing by RocketBoom.

Link:
http://freevlog.org/

Even more reason to run Firefox

Exploit Unleashed for IE Hole:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/...

Log Me In: Remote access for free

Access & Control Your PC from Anywhere - FREE

Millions of users agree: LogMeIn is the fastest, easiest, most secure remote access solution available - 100% FREE.

• Run programs & access your files anytime
• Check email from anywhere
• Access your home PC from the office
• 100% FREE to use!

Other services:

• Log Me In Pro: Like free except better
  
• Remote Backup: Automating backups to a remote server with ease
  
• Rescue: Provide instant remote support without installing any software
  
• IT Support: Easily manage remote and mobile systems

Link:
http://logmein.com

Quick and easy way to stream an MP3

Quick and easy way to stream an MP3:

1) Open a text editor and add a line to your MP3 file
http://www.MyDomain.com/songs/MySong.mp3

2) Save the file with the extension of .m3u
MySong.m3u

3) Upload both the song and the playlist file to your server

4) Create a link in your page to the playlist file


Alternate Ways:

Use a Flash Player like Wimpy
http://www.wimpyplayer.com/

Inside Firefox 2 Alpha 1

Check out what is planned for the new version of Firefox by looking at some screenshots of Firefox 2 Aplha 1.



Points:

• Each tab can be closed via its own closed button (x)
• History menu
• History Search - great idea

The roadmap for Firefox:
http://.../whats-next-for-firefox.html

Link:
http://reviews.cnet.com/...

Configuring a free VPN solution in your home

"A VPN is used to connect multiple private networks securely across an unsecured public network like the Internet. A private network in this case would be a network in which the traffic is not freely accessible by the public. If we break down the meaning of Virtual Private Network in the instance explained above it would be as follows. The two end points of this "network" are private networks that are seamlessly connected across a public network in which neither private network knows about, creating a "Virtual Private Network" between them."

Link:
http://www.computernetworkinghelp.com/content/view/41/1/

Coca-Cola Blak | New Coffee Drink from Coke

Coca-Cola Blak | New Coffee Drink from Coke: "an invigorating and stimulating blend that has a perfect balance of the effervescent taste sensation of Coca-Cola and natural flavors, with real coffee."

Not too sure about the taste of coca-cola with coffeee but who knows. I am a huge coffee drinker and will only drink coke (can't stand Pepsi) so if this comes around just may have to give it a chance.

Dell Acquires Alienware

Some real kick-ass systems, but pricey. Just too hard to keep the hardware up to speed for the games being released. Give me a moderate system and MAME32 anyday.

Link:
http://.../Dell_Acquires_Alienware/1143070457

Off-Tech: Recipe Ingredient Search

All Recipes makes it very easy to find recipes with the ingredients you currently have. Kinda of fun to play around with.

Oh, and before you look there are no recipes that use peanut butter and beets - I checked...

Link:
http://search.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ingredient.aspx

Internet Developer Toolbar beta 2

The beta 2 release is out for the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar from Microsoft. This is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. Worth the download.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

So, you want to model?

Primer on 3D modeling. What did you think I meant?

Actually a very informative guide on 3D modeling.

Link:
http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/...

The Hardest Riddle Available on the Internet

The Hardest Riddle Available on the Internet: Oh my god this is difficult. There are supposed to be around 138 levels and considering how long it took me to get through the first 7, I just don't have the time.

Enjoy!

Link:
http://deathball.net/notpron/