Kevins Crate.com/Blog » Website Crate

Useful Websites, Learning Stuff

Kevin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:20:54 +0000

Here are a few site I found to help you find answers to your questions.

Yahoo Answers Community driven, Asking is a snap. Ask a question on any topic that matters to you, and other people will give you answers.

Dictionary.com/Thesaurus.com A good user manual for the English language.

HowStuffWorks A wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Communications, is the award-winning source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works.

Fixya Provides Free tech support and technical help for gadgets, electronic equipment and consumer products.

Instructables Is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others.

Lynda.com is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training� instructional books, the Online Training Library�, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students, and hobbyists.

Google URL’s for Mobile Phones

Kevin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:39:23 +0000

If you use a cell phone with internet access and use Google services check out this list of URL’s optimized for the iPhone, Android and Webkit based browsers. If you use a different browser on your phone check it out anyway it may still work.

Google Home page: http://www.google.com/m/gp

iGoogle, your custom home page: http://www.google.com/ig/i

Gmail: http://mail.google.com/mail/x/gdlakb-/gp/

Google Reader, RSS feeds: http://www.google.com/reader/i/

Google Calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar/gp

Google News: http://www.google.com/m/news/i

Google Talk: http://talkgadget.google.com/talkgadget/m

Google Doc’s: http://docs.google.com/m?iphone=true

Google App’s home page: http://www.google.com/m/a/”YOUR_DOMAIN”

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DIY Auto Repairs with the Help of AutoZone

Kevin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:56:00 +0000

With the recent twist in our economy everyone is looking to save a buck, and buying a new car is not in the future for many people so we need to find a way to keep the old clunker on the road longer.� Here’s a site I found from AutoZone that can help the DIY’er in all of us. AutoZone is a national auto parts store and their web site is full of helpful tips and free repair guides. So grab that wrench and get to work and don’t forget about that broken turn signal.

Can you Run the Latest Games on your Computer

Kevin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:35:48 +0000

The Can You Run It site provides a One-Click solution that looks at your computer’s hardware and system software to determine whether or not your current system can run a product. Each of your computer’s components is evaluated to see how well it meets the minimum and recommended requirements for specific products. Recommendations are made on how to update or upgrade each component which does not meet the listed requirements. Sometimes, a simple, free software download is all that is needed. Sometimes you’ll find that you need a different video card to fully experience what the game has to offer.

1. The first thing you need to do is use the drop down to choose the game you want to run and click can you Run it.

2. Install the ActiveX/Java Plug-in components.

3. Cross your fingers, and read the results.

This computer I’m using is not a gaming machine as you can see above, the program checks the following for compatibility, and gives you recommendations for upgrades.

CPU
CPU Speed
System Ram
Operating System
Video Card
Video Card Driver
Direct X Version
Sound Card
Sound Card Driver
Hard Drive Space
CD or DVD Drive

Use this program before buying any games so you won’t be disappointed.

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How Long Will it Take to Crack your Passwords

Kevin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:50:22 +0000

How long do think it would take a hacker to crack your passwords. Probably a lot shorter than you think. To see how long it would take check out Hack Osis Just enter your character counts and see how long a typical computer would take to crack it.

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Find out Which Candidate is Telling you the Truth with FactCheck.org

Kevin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:44:27 +0000

If you have been watching the American Presidential Debates on TV you probably figured out a lot of times what they say isn’t always accurate. Here’s a website I found called FactCheck that lets you easily find out if what they are saying is factual or not.

FactCheck.org is a nonprofit website that describes its own goal as “[reducing] the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” In its efforts, FactCheck says it is nonpartisan. It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation.

Most of its content consists of rebuttals to what it considers inaccurate, misleading, or false claims by politicians. FactCheck has also targeted the misleading claims from various partisan groups.

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LifeHackers Best of the Best: Software

Kevin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:18:59 +0000

Lifehacker’s Hive Five series Best of the Best is out, staring”What’s the best tool for the job?” The list is from the top user submitted programs in different categories. On to the list. I also included my Fav’s

Best Digital Photo Organizer: Picasa
I agree

Best Instant Messenger: Pidgin (Windows/Linux)
My Fav: Trillian

Best GTD Application: Pen and Paper

Best DVD Ripping Tool: DVD Shrink (Windows)
My Fav: DVDFab

Best Contact Management Application: Address Book (Mac OS X)
My Fav: Google Gmail

Best Text Editor: Notepad++ (Windows)
I agree

Best Online File Sharing Service: MediaFire
I Agree

Best RSS Newsreader: Google Reader
I Agree

Best Application Launcher: Launchy (Windows)
My Fav: RocketDock

Best Start Page: iGoogle
I Agree

Best Antivirus Application: AVG Anti-Virus
My Fav: Windows Live One Care

Best Photo Sharing Site: Flickr
Ialso use SmugMug

Best Personal Finance Tool: Mint
My Fav: Microsoft Money

Best Desktop Media Player: VLC (All Platforms
I also use: Miro

Best Windows Maintenance Tool: CCleaner
I Agree

Best Windows Backup Tool: Carbonite
My Fav: Mozy

Best File Syncing Tool: Dropbox (All Platforms)
I agree

Best Alternative File Manager: Total Commander
My Fav: Xplorer2

Best Note-Taking Tool: Pen and Paper
My Fav: Evernote or Google notebook

Best To-Do List Manager: Pen and Paper
My Fav: Remember the Milk

Best Desktop Search Application: Windows Search 4
I agree

Best FTP Client: Filezilla
I agree

Best Password Manager: KeePass
My Fav: RoboForm

Best Download Manager: DownThemAll
I don’t use one

Best Calendar Application: Google Calendar
I agree

Best BitTorrent Application: uTorrent
I agree

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Locate ZIP codes with Zipdecode

Kevin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:39:28 +0000

Have you ever wondered where a certain ZIP code is located. Well here’s a cool website I found that lets you type in the ZIP code and it shows it to you visually on a map. What’s different about this site is as you type in your numbers it high lights the area of the first number then gradually zooms in on the map as you add more numbers. Check it out at Zipdecode

The more numbers you add the closer the map gets.

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Try Windows Vista Without having to Install it with Vista Test Drive

Kevin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:15:51 +0000

If you are thinking about upgrading to Windows Vista� here’s a way I found to give it a test drive out without having to install it on your computer, it will run in your browser only.

The test drive requires Internet Explorer 6 or later, a browser plug-in, and a broadband Internet connection.

A minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution is recommended. There is no product support for the test drive but you are welcome to participate in the Microsoft Windows Vista newsgroup to share your trial experiences with others and ask for advice.

The Windows Vista version hosted in the test drive contains most of the functionality of the regular versions, but browsing the internet is not enabled.

You may notice a slight delay or pause as you experience the product. This is due to the fact that this is a hosted trial and is dependent upon your bandwidth, local machine resources, etc. This does not necessarily represent the actual experience you will have with Windows Vista if it were installed on your PC.

Open Internet Explorer and go to Windows Vista Test Drive you will be asked to install an ActiveX control later on to use the Test Drive.

In the first screen you will need to enter an Email address and your Country, any fake Email addy will do, its not checked.

The next screen wants you to take a survey, click yes or No thanks.

This screen lets you choose a category to check out.

Choose Safer and you will be given the options to Learn more about the exciting features of Vista. Click one of the icons.

Then choose Test Drive.

You will then be sent to the Vista desktop where you can explore.

These are just a few screen shots, you should use the Test Drive to get the full Vista experience.

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Use Stormpulse to Track Hurricanes

Kevin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:55:12 +0000

With the resent rash of Tropical Stoms and Hurricane hitting the east coast of the United States I went on a search to find a better� way to track them. Here’s a site I found that just might be the answer I was looking for. Check out Stormpulse.com

Here are some of the features it has.

1. You can view hurricanes and hurricane season dating back to 1851 by entering in a URL such as: http://www.stormpulse.com/hugo, or http://www.stormpulse.com/1944.

2. Cloud cover (updated every 6 hours) is available back to 2005. Coverage is still a bit spotty and you may notice some to be missing. In time (literally a matter of weeks), we will have cloud cover back to 2002.

3. The map interface is meant to be like that of Google Maps�you can click or drag your mouse to pan, and use the + or – buttons at the top-left to zoom in and out.

4. Clicking a city when a storm is active provides you with wind probabilities for that location over the next 5 days.� On the other hand, clicking on a city doesn�t do anything (yet) when the storm you have selected isn�t an active cyclone. However, it will draw a yellow line and provide the distance from the selected storm (and plotpoint) and the city over which you hover your mouse.

5. You can interact with storm data at the most granular level by clicking on a plotpoint in the storm�s track. This will jump you to that point in the storm�s history.

6. We currently have issues with Internet Explorer and the site. If you want to get the most out of the site, we strongly recommend Firefox.

7. Clicking on a storm in the �2006 Storm Season Summary� should open up a historical description of the storm and pan over to the storm in the map window.

8. Satellite images update every half-hour or so. We are collecting water vapor, infrared, rgb, visible, and more, but only displaying rgb and ir for now. This will change in the near future, hopefully with a better way of organizing them as well.

9. Yahoo! News articles are brought in from around the web relating to �hurricanes�.

10. Present weather conditions for land and sea stations are available in a table-format down below the satellite images.

11. Photos are being pulled in from Flickr that relate to the content �in focus�. This works on a limited basis, but if you want to give it a try, go to http://www.stormpulse.com/katrina and watch the photos change in the �Tropical Weather Photos� area of the page�they should go from photos for the 2006 hurricane season to images captured during Katrina.

Those are some of the features of the site for now. Please let us know what you think and what else you like to see. While we could do many, many things, right now we want to make sure we do one thing well�satisfy the primary needs you have for a site during hurricane season, and, in whatever measure possible, do it in a way that is intuitive and beautiful.

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Real-Time Global Disaster Map

Kevin — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:08:14 +0000

The Emergency and Disaster Information Services (EDIS)
from Budapest Hungary provides a great global map in real-time of disasters happing around the world. Check it out.

They provide detailed info on the following:

Biological Hazards
Earthquakes
Epidemic Hazards
Extreme Weather
Fires
Flash Floods
Heat Waves
Hurricanes
Terror Attacks
Tropical Storms
Tsunami
Volcano Eruptions.

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How Well do you Know your Friend and Neighbors

Kevin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:12:46 +0000

Do you really know who these people are? We associate with them and even invite them in our homes. Do they have a criminal background? Are your children safe with them? Here�s a quick way to find out, Use Criminal Searches.com to see if the people you interact with are on the up and up.

Find info on your:

Neighbor, babysitter, nanny
Cleaning service, janitor
Construction workers
School teachers
Electrician, plumber, gardener
Your children’s friends
Locksmith
Acquaintances
Hedge fund managers
Activist shareholders

The site also has Neighborhood watch, Sex Offender finder Crime alerts and Criminal Statistics.

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Find Hard to Find 800 Numbers from Major Company’s

Kevin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:50:41 +0000

Most company’s these days make it hard to contact them by hiding their 800 phone numbers, making us use web forms or chat. Well here’s a website that list 100′s of them in one easy to find place.

Hard to find 800 numbers.com

From their webpage:

Our sole purpose is to help customers reach companies whose numbers are often buried deep within a large corporate site.

If you have a number that’s not listed here be sure to add it to their list, it helps everybody.

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Use BillShrink to help you find the Best Cell Phone Plan

Kevin — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:10:49 +0000

Are you fed up with your current cell phone carrier, Looking for a better deal ! Who isn’t. BillShrink will help you compare plans from the different carriers, check signal maps and compare phones.

Just enter a few details about your current plan and your zip code and click Search button.

Then check the results, you can also check out the phones that are available with each carrier.

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Alleviate Awkward Social Situations with The Popularity Dialer

Kevin — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:05:14 +0000

Now this is a service anyone can use to get out of an awkward situation. Fake a phone call easily and credibly with The Popularity Dialer. Have you ever been in a situation where you wished your cell phone would ring? Maybe you wanted to look extra important or popular on that hot date. Or maybe you just needed an excuse to escape from an unpleasant meeting.

With “The Popularity Dialer”, you can plan ahead. Via a web interface, you can choose to have your phone called at a particular time (or several times). At the elected time, your phone will be dialed and you will hear a prerecorded message that’s one half of a conversation. Thus, you will be prompted to have a fake conversation and will easily fool those around you.

Choose the call that best fits your situation.

1)The original popularity call (male voice)
2)The popularity call II (female voice)
3)The affirmation call
4)The boss call
5)The cousin in need call

Give it a try its free. But they do accept donations so be generous.

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Use Spot Crime.com to See the Crime Happening in your area

Kevin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:32:10 +0000

Spot Crime.com is a nice site dedicated to providing the visitors a map of the crime happening in your neighborhood. It gives you local maps, crime reports & types of crime with real-time interactive maps for the United States and London. They mostly just cover the larger cities but hopefully they will expand to more areas.

You can also sing up for Crime alerts in your area. Check them out.

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Take the Mystery out of Auto Repair with RepairPal

Kevin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:32:43 +0000

RepairPal is a great resource for information for anyone frustrated by the expensive and tedious process of fixing and maintaining their vehicles. With the recent state of our economy people are holding on to their cars longer and means more breakdowns, RepairPal takes the guesswork out of it by provides impartial, fair price estimates, the most comprehensive auto shop directory, and expert insights and advice from certified mechanics. RepairPal also provides a centralized online location where your records can be maintained for the entire ownership cycle of your vehicle.

It�s really easy to use. If you�re looking to see how much a repair will cost just click on the Estimate tab and enter a few things about your vehicle and click Get Estimate and pow up comes your estimate.

Looking for a mechanic, Click on the Find a shop tab, enter your zip code and a list of shops with a map is displayed.

This is a well thought out site that offers a great deal of information about your vehicle for free, Definitely check them out. RepairPal

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InterfaceLIFT a Great Resource for High-Resolution Desktop Wallpaper

Kevin — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:29:10 +0000

InterfaceLIFT currently offers 1,531 desktop backgrounds in widescreen and standard format for use with all operating systems all for free. Give them a try if your looking for new backgrounds and really who isn’t. InterfaceLIFT

They also offer some great Icons and Themes.

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Watch Free Music Videos with Pluggedin

Kevin — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:37:26 +0000

Watch your favorite music videos in High Definition with Pluggedin. Share your favorites with your friends or meet new people and explore new bands. The site does require you to sign up and install a player to see the videos and I’m not to thrilled with the dark theme on the site but if you like to watch music videos give it a try. Pluggedin

Update 6/2/08 Seth from Pluggedin Left a tip on how to change the sites theme from black to White. That made it much better for my old eyes and much more useful.

From their FAQ.

PluggedIn is an Internet media company with a focus on building a unique experience for fans – a place where they can meet and interact with each other, and where they can enjoy, discover and share premium content on artists they love. PluggedIn offers free to consumer streaming of the highest quality music videos available anywhere on the Web. We feature over 10,000 HD and broadcast quality music videos from Universal Music Group, EMI Music, Sony BMG, and independent record labels. Our website offers more than one million Artist Pages, and is powered by an innovative new media player that supports high-definition full-screen video playback with no buffering and DVD-like controls, a multimedia search engine and fan-centric community features.

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Scan Your System for Missing Security Updates with Secunia Software Inspector

Kevin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:44:50 +0000

The Secunia Software Inspector will inspect your operating system and software for insecure versions and missing security updates. A default inspection normally lasts 5-40 seconds, while a thorough inspection may take several minutes. Note: If you have anti-virus software or similar enabled, an inspection may increase significantly in duration.

Feature Overview – The Secunia Software Inspector:
* Detects insecure versions of applications installed
* Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied
* Assists you in updating your system and applications
* Runs through your browser. No installation or download is required.

How Does it Work:
The Secunia Software Inspector relies on carefully crafted Secunia File Signatures to recognize applications on your system. The detected applications are then matched against our Secunia Advisory Intelligence to determine whether an application is up-to-date or not. The results are then used to advise you on how to update to more secure releases of the insecure applications.

Microsoft Windows Update is used to determine if your system is missing security updates from Microsoft.

The Secunia Software Inspector covers the most common/popular end user applications:
* Internet browsers
* Internet browser plugins
* Instant messaging clients
* Email clients
* Media players
* Operating systems
* View detailed list of applications

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Get a Free Online Virus Scan from ESET

Kevin — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:54:33 +0000

Here’s a chance to check your computer for virus’s for free, from the one of the world’s best anti-virus companies. ESET online scan. Even if you already have an anti-virus program installed, you can run this online test to see if yours is up to snuff.

It does require Internet Explorer to run and it can’t remove any virus’s that it finds but it’s very useful to see if you have an infection. Works in XP and Vista.

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Get TV Listings and Streaming Video with meeVee

Kevin — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:53:58 +0000

If you’re looking for a good TV listing service and a way to stream your favorite shows that you may have missed when they were broadcast check out meeVee.com

After creating a free account they ask for quite a bit info on what like to watch and your favorite stars in order to give you a personalized experience. Check out your favorite show and see episode descriptions and reviews and search for new shows to watch. If you like watching TV give this site a try.

MeeVee is the first destination to bring together traditional TV listings and online video from hundreds of sources in one place. Using innovative new technologies, MeeVee has changed the way viewers find TV programming and online video by enabling them to personalize their guides to surface new programming choices based on individual interests.

MeeVee is built upon an award-winning personalized navigation system and patented metadata generation technology � resulting in the most powerful and comprehensive television search and personalization service for multiple platforms (e.g., PC, TV, DVR, Set-Top Boxes and mobile devices).

MeeVee�s approach to TV programming search and discovery is an important part of the future of television based on its innovative capabilities for promoting increased consumer access to entertainment content and greater control over viewing habits. MeeVee can help viewers find programming and original content, from new sources such as IPTV and other Internet-based broadcasts. Complete with alerts, customized TV listings, and program planning and recommendations, MeeVee�s robust search capabilities, customized TV planning and personal recommendation tools are available direct to the consumer or to third-party content providers via our syndication solutions. (from their site)

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Destroy your Favorite Website with Netdisaster

Kevin — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:33:51 +0000

Here’s a chance to turn your favorite website into a smoking ruin. Checkout Netdisaster. Enter the site you want to destroy then choose the way it will die. Caution this can be addictive.

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Check the Candidates Campaign Contributions with MAPLight.org

Kevin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:48:47 +0000

MAPLight.org brings together campaign contributions and how legislators vote, providing an unprecedented window into the connections between money and politics. We currently cover the California Legislature and U.S. Congress.

With MAPLight.org you can see who is donating how much to who and how that affects how he or she votes, it a fascinating look into campaign contributions.

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Use The Fake Name Generator To Create An Online Fake Identity

Kevin — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:05:57 +0000

Just about every Web page you visit now wants you to sign up with them before they will provide a service you want. If its a free service that doesn’t require a credit card why give them your real info. Use this site to generate a new identity. Fake Name Generator.

Just select Your Gender, Name set and Country and hit go for a new identity. It will even provide you with a vCard.

There are a ton of uses for this service. Here are a few examples:

Quality test data can be hard to come by, especially with laws (such as HIPAA) preventing use of real data. We can quickly and affordably generate test data to help you develop your application.

Many websites, such message boards, are poorly designed, making it difficult for visitors from foreign countries to sign up for accounts. Using fake information, you can easily fill out the sign up forms and log in to the site.

Use fake information when filling out forms to avoid giving out personal information.

Generate a false identity to use as your pseudonym on the internet. This allows you to keep your real life and your internet life separate.

Get ideas for names to use for characters in a book or story.

Generated credit cards can be used to test basic client-/server-side validation techniques without accidently processing a real card.

Generated national identity numbers can be used to test basic client-/server-side validation techniques without risking disclosure of real information.

Get A Free Virus Scan From PC Pitstop

Kevin — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:16:26 +0000

Here’s a free online anti-virus scanner that you can use to scan your computer for viruses. They use Panda Software’s award-winning technology and virus list. Check it out Here.

They also offer many other free services, Like a Driver scan, Spyware scan and a Performance scan. Check out PC Pitstop Dashboard. You do need to sign up for an account but that’s also Free

This scan only works with Internet Explorer, and requires an ActiveX install, so if you use Firefox switch over for the duration of the scan.

True Mom Confessions, A Website Where Mom’s Can Come Clean

Kevin — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:54:15 +0000

Funny Funny stuff, a great read

Finally, a place where women could confess their fears, frailties and fantasies (or their own throw up stories) without any risk of judgment or consequence. Thanks to a collection of very talented people (Katie, Tucker, Rebecca…thank you) we launched the site and the confessions followed. We provided a simple platform and now mothers from around the globe add their voices to the ever evolving conversation about what motherhood really is….not what it should be.

FloorPlanner.com, Create The Perfect Room

Kevin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:57:02 +0000

Buying a new home, rearranging your room, or moving into a new office? You can save time and have more fun if you lay out your ideas ahead of time.
Floorplanner is the easiest, quickest, and best looking way to create and share interactive floorplans. Using point-and-click, drag-and-drop tools, you can make your floor plan in minutes, and rearrange it as often as you want. Then you can save, send, and print your designs to share them, or place them on your own website.
It’s easy to use and works in almost any modern browser, no extra downloads required. Plus its Free. Looks like a cool site I can spend hours on.

Error Reporting In Windows XP And The Microsoft Online Crash Analysis Web site

Kevin — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:00:37 +0000

Isn’t it bad enough when your computer programs crash, freeze or just becomes unstable requiring you to restart them. Then a new window pops up asking you to send an error report to Microsoft. Now I don’t know useful this is because I’ve been sending them for years and never got any feedback until recently when I found out about the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis (MOCA) Web site here you can track the reports you sent in. You will need a Windows Live ID or a Microsoft Passport to use this site. It may be worth it to give this a try.

How to track your error report

Depending on the source of the error, Windows XP might display the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis (MOCA) Web site after you submit an error report. In most cases, MOCA will show you a detailed description of the type of error that you experienced. Depending on the specific error, it might even suggest a way to prevent it from happening in the future. For example, if you experience an error while using Microsoft Office XP and choose to send the error report, MOCA will analyze it. If MOCA determines that the error was caused by a problem that was resolved with Office XP Service Pack 2, MOCA will provide a link to the Office Update Web site.

How it works

If you experience a blue screen crash event, or Stop error, while using Microsoft Windows XP, you can upload the error report to our site for analysis.

What to expect

Microsoft actively analyzes all error reports and prioritizes them based on the number of customers affected by the Stop error covered in the error report. We will try to determine the cause of the Stop error you submit, categorize it according to the type of issue encountered, and send you relevant information when such information is identified. You can check the status of your error report for 180 days after the date it was originally reported. However, because error reports do not always contain enough information to positively identify the source of the issue, we might need to collect a number of similar error reports from other customers before a pattern is discovered, or follow up with you further to gather additional information. Furthermore, some error reports might require additional resources (such as a hardware debugger or a live debugger session) before a solution can be found. Although we might not be able to provide a solution for your particular Stop error, all information submitted is used to further improve the quality and reliability of Windows.

Requirements

To view analysis information or to track your error report, you must be running Internet Explorer 5 or greater, Netscape version 6 or greater, Opera version 7 or greater or Mozilla version 1.3 or greater. To download the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the Microsoft Web site. To get a Passport, visit the Microsoft Passport Web site.

The Microsoft Online Crash Analysis Web service requires that both JavaScript and cookies are enabled in your browser in order to retain and display your customer data while navigating through the site. JavaScript is used to create dynamic content on the Web pages. All cookies used by the MOCA service are memory cookies and expire when you navigate away from the MOCA site or close your browser. This information is used by our service to retain your preferences while using the site. No personal information is written to your hard drive or shared outside of our service.

Microsoft Passport or a Windows Live ID also requires JavaScript support and cookies. To find out more about the Microsoft Passport service and requirements, visit the Microsoft Passport Web site.

(From the MS website)

Shopping Online This Christmas Don’t forget To Enter The Coupon Codes

Kevin — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:11:02 +0000

If your shopping online for some Christmas or Hanukah presents this year don’t forget to check if any coupon code are available before you checkout. Just about all sites will have a place at checkout where you can enter a coupon code if you have one, and that could save you a ton of money.

Here are a few places you can search for the codes.

Here’s another site suggested by a reader, looks nice and they have some good tips for first time coupon users in their Help and FAQ’s.

Couponheaven

Happy Shopping.

ZML Its Like AllOfMP3.com For Movies

Kevin — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:10:31 +0000

ars technica has a great review of the new Movie download site ZML Its like AllOfMP3.com but for movies. Read the review here.

I tried it out and it works like advertised although the downloads were a little slow, and the files are large.

Thousands of hot movies that you dare to watch. Movies are playable on various devices including iPod, PDA (HandHelds), PC, DVD & DivX players. Lowest prices on the web ever. Start downloading movies from $1.99 only! Absolutely no limits. You can download as much as you want with incredibly high speeds. No additional software required. Click on a link, download a movie and watch it on your favorite player.

Daytipper A Place To Find Useful Tips

Kevin — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:57:26 +0000

Daytipper is your online daily resource for useful advice, tips, tricks, techniques and hints. Check them out here

Learn about Buying, Selling, Beauty, Grooming, Cooking, Education, Employment, Work, Family, Finance, Money, Gardening, Household, Leisure, Recreation, Recycling, Relationships, Love, Technology, Transportation, Travel, and Wellness.

Streaming Music On Demand With Dreezer

Kevin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:02:02 +0000

Deezer.com formerly known as Blogmusik.net is a free Internet-based music-on-demand service. Deezer offers on-demand ad-supported streaming in a similar manner to imeem.com, with a portion of the ad revenue being delivered to content partners. The site has been the center of some controversy, with record companies such as Universal alleging that the service “illegally” hosts copyrighted material. [1] Deezer, on the other hand, claim that their agreements with SACEM, a French organization similar to the US-based RIAA, allow them to host the disputed content.

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Knowmore.org Find Information About Businesses Around The world

Kevin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:01:31 +0000

Knowmore’s goal is to create a free, reliable corporate database; indeed, the largest of it’s kind in the world, in terms of both breadth, depth and independence. This is an ambitious goal, and will probably take many years to achieve! www.knowmore.org

Just type in the name of the business you want to knowmore about and click search.

Knowmore.Org also takes the form of an easily searchable database that can used by consumers to enter the name of any brand or company in order to immediately find out more about that companies practices & history. This is done with aim of aiding & promoting responsible consumerism.

They are a grassroots, web-based community dedicated to chronicling and resisting corporate attacks on democracy, worker’s and human rights, fair trade, business ethics and the environment. Our shared goal of a more informed and conscious consumer is being accomplished via this website: a vast database of easily searchable corporate and political info designed to aid responsible citizens, progressive thinkers and activists.

They are not affiliated with any political party, candidate, or PAC in any way. Our primary objective is to provide an independent, objective source of information to our readers about some of the most crucial, contested topics of our time.

Doom9 The Ultimate Guide To Video Manipulation

Kevin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:25:25 +0000

If your looking for a guide to backup your DVD’s or transcode some video look no farther than Doom9

Doom9 is a website featuring information on digital audio and video manipulation, mostly video, and digital copyrights. It is also the forum username of the author of the page, an Austrian college student. The site’s tagline is “The Definitive DVD Backup Resource”.

Started in March 2000, the site has expanded to contain a plethora of information on the subject of digital video encoding and DVD backup (or ripping). The most popular sections of the site are the guides to DVD ripping and the annual codec comparisons, where popular digital video codecs are compared on the basis of quality, speed, and compression. The forum is frequented by many developers of the tools featured on the site, such as FairUse4WM. The site has been criticized, as the techniques described by it can be used for movie piracy, but it maintains that its guides should only be used for fair use. Even people suspected of pirating movies are refused help on the forums.

The VirtualDubMod project began after many modifications to VirtualDub were posted on the Doom9 forums.

Doom9 gained notoriety as a result of its involvement in the AACS encryption key controversy. The utility BackupHDDVD was first posted by a Doom9 poster using the alias muslix64. The earliest information on how to find title and volume keys was also first revealed on Doom9 forums, by other users. The key that set off the controversy was also first posted by a user using the name arnezami.

Free MS Office Templates For Work, Home And Play

Kevin — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:21:15 +0000

If you use Microsoft Office, they offer thousands of free Templates for your use, check them out Here and start downloading away.

Note: You have to use Internet Explorer to download the Templates.

If you enjoy football check out the Schedules section for The NCAA and NFL football schedules. Enjoy.

See The Lights Of The Earth With The Earth and Moon Viewer

Kevin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:00:30 +0000

The Earth and Moon viewer gives you a glimpse of the earth as seen from space, and lets you track the suns progress around the world. See it Here. Play around with the options at the bottom of the page to customize it to your liking. Provided by John Walker

You can also click on the globe to go to a particular place then zoom in to see the lights of a country or a city.

Make Your Own Custom Homepage With Pageflakes

Kevin — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:27:55 +0000

Create a Personalized homepage with your favorite news, weather, sports, entertainment, photos, videos, music, email…and much more, all in one place! at Pageflakes in 3 easy steps.

Click Personalize now.

Put check marks in the categories you’re interested in, click next

Tell them where you live. and up pops your new home page. Then you can personalize more however you see fit.

Falling Sand Game

Kevin — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:29:30 +0000

Here’s a website where you can waste hours of your valuable time playing with Sand, Fire, Water, and a few other things. The object of the game……. Having fun wasting time. Check it out. Here.

You can click and add lines to block the sand,water,oil and oil and make different designs. if you click the options for say water then click anywhere on the page water will appear, do the same with oil the set it on fire. Be careful its highly addictive.

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Get Featured on Fechr

Kevin — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:36:54 +0000

Check out this new web site called Fechr, It’s pronounced “feature” and like its name they feature a new site every 24 hrs so if you have a site and would like to increase your traffic or just to find some new sites give them a try at

O did I mention its Free,Free,Free to get your site listed.

My Mile Marker.com Tracks your Cars Gas Mileage

Kevin — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 02:28:37 +0000

Check out My Mile Marker.com The site can track your cars gas mileage for you. All you need to do is sign up for free then visit the gas station and add your odometer reading, the number of gallons purchased and the price per gallon and the site will calculate you mileage. You can add your info buy visiting the website or using Twitter.

JoBlo.com a Great Resource for Movies

Kevin — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:29:56 +0000

Ok its got a funny name but JoBlo is a fantastic place to find information on Movies, DVD’s. The site offers Reviews,Trailers,Wallpapers,DVD release dates and much much more. If you need any info on Movies give them a visit. JoBlo.com

From Wikipedia.

JoBlo.com was started in 1998 by Berge Garabedian (aka JoBlo), a movie reviewer who is known for critiquing movies from the perspective of an average movie-goer. The website’s name is, in fact, a play on the term Joe Shmoe, and registered users of the website are known as ‘schmoes’. In addition to JoBlo’s own reviews, the site also features, but is not limited to: movie trailers, film scripts, previews of upcoming movies, screensavers, desktop wallpaper, interviews with celebrities, and a message board. This is in addition to its daily news articles and ?DVD Clinic? featuring thousands of DVD reviews, DVD release dates and latest digital news items. The site also includes a sub-site called ?Arrow in the Head?, which is run by The Arrow aka John Fallon, and focuses on horror movies including daily news updates, reviews, hot mistresses and plenty of commentary from The Arrow and his crew among which we can count the popular Shootin’ Surgeon.

How to avoid being ripped off when shopping online

Kevin — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 14:51:10 +0000

Online shopping can be dangerous but it doesn�t have to be if you know who to trust with your credit card. Before buying online with an unknown merchant I always visit ResellerRatings.com first to check out the stores ratings. http://www.resellerratings.com/ Click on the Store Ratings tab at the top right and then enter the Stores name in the box. The results page will show the Overall Customer Satisfaction Rating for the last 6 months and the lifetime ratings, and below that you can read the reviews of the company to see if you want to do business with them.

You can also use the site to find the best prices on items and Comparison shop different stores. They also have an extremely active forum. As an aside, for Tech related purchases I always shop Newegg and highly recommend them.

Find the cheapest gas prices with GasBuddy

Kevin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:19:30 +0000

GasBuddy.com can help you find cheap gas prices in your city. It is a network of more than 179+ gas price information web sites that helps you find low gasoline prices. All web sites are operated by GasBuddy and has the most comprehensive listings of gas prices anywhere.

Find them here http://www.gasbuddy.com/

Check out the Gas Price Temperature map and see how your state and city stack up.

iLounge your source for all things iPod

Kevin — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:34:18 +0000

If you have an iPod you need to visit this site. They offer just about everything you could ask for reguarding the iPod, Here’s an excerpt for their about page. And don’t forget to download their free iPod book.

http://www.ilounge.com/iLounge is an independent provider of information about Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod digital media players, accessories, and related software, published online at www.ilounge.com. Based in Irvine, California, the iLounge website is owned and operated by Dennis Lloyd’s company The Media LLC, and is not affiliated with Apple Computer or the manufacturers of iPod-related products. We do not make or sell iPod services or products.

Established as a domain only days after the October 23, 2001 announcement of the iPod, the iLounge site was originally built by Dennis Lloyd and HTML Guru Dennis Martin. Fully functional on November 16, 2001, the site has grown dramatically from its early days, hosting daily news updates, independent product reviews and editorial content, incredible discussion forums and photo galleries, software download and self-help pages.

Ready to Change You’re Anti-Virus

Kevin — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:52:02 +0000

Is your Norton Anti-virus subscription expired, McAfee not doing the job, are you tired of these programs hogging your system resources, ready for a change. Check out AV-Comparatives at http://www.av-comparatives.org/.
AV-Comparatives tests many different Anti-Virus programs and charts the results to help you make an informed decision on which to buy.

Intellicast, The Authority in Weather.

Kevin — Thu, 24 May 2007 23:30:04 +0000

Intellicast is a great resource for all your weather forecast needs just type in your zip code to see the wealth of info available, The Watch/ Warnings section includes Thunderstorm, Tornado, Flash Flood, Flood, Winter Storm and High Wind advisories, Data is updated hourly to display valid criteria and remove expired criteria. I relied on this site extensively during the past few hurricane seasons.

http://www.intellicast.com/

Intellicast is a business unit within WSI, Weather Services International. Intellicast was started in 1996. Soon after the release of the intellicast.com web site, we launched the Intellicast Content Syndication business when we started to receive requests from companies that wanted to include the same quality maps and data on their own web sites.

Wherever you are on earth, WSI plays a role in your life. WSI’s mission is to detect, forecast, and depict disruptive weather. It is the ultimate local news story. Fresh and vital every day, each one of us tunes in for the report that will affect our commute, our weekend, even what we’ll wear. No wonder WSI is the choice of more media companies than any other weather vendor around the world. But like the weather itself, our activity goes well beyond what you can see on television. Entire regions of the country rely on our Energy Division for the long-range forecasts that enable them to prepare for their seasonal power needs months in advance. And you depend on our Aviation Division for pinpoint accuracy in detecting wind shear and other phenomenon every time you board an airplane. Wherever life and capital are at stake, WSI is the leader in providing protection against disruptive weather.

WSI has the world�s largest commercial meteorological database, incorporating U.S. National Weather Service, U.S. military, Canadian, British, and Japanese governments, other international agencies, and commercial vendors. WSI has extensive data collection facilities for NEXRAD, satellite, NWP models, lightning, and other meteorological data. We receive the NEXRAD data via the NWS Central Radar Distribution System and also through NOAAport as a redundant path. To support the volume of inbound data needed to create the variety of products supplied by WSI, WSI manages 21 on-site satellite dishes.

Windows Vista Software Compatibility List

Kevin — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:29:33 +0000

Here is a great Wiki on what programs are compatible with Vista. There are 3 major categories with hundreds of programs (Works, Somewhat works, & Heavy problem\doesnt work). Check it out it may save you a lot of time and grief.

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

I�d like to announce the launch of my new site Vista Revisited at http://www.vistarevisited.com Stop by and have a look. I�ve copied all the Vista content from here to my new site and from now on I will only post Vista content to Vista Revisited. Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out my new site.

Broadband Reports: A Great Stop For High Speed News and More

Kevin — Thu, 10 May 2007 01:41:06 +0000

Broadband Reports

http://www.dslreports.com/

Broadband Reports was created by Justin Beech in June of 1999. Number 1 in google for search terms such as DSL, and BROADBAND, broadbandreports.com provides information and community on the subject of high-speed connections to home and office, voice over IP and other emerging communication technologies. We are available at www.broadbandreports.com as well as our original domain name of www.dslreports.com..

Broadband Reports allows its users to submit reviews of their Internet service provider (ISP), Web Hosting Service, and Digital Phone service. Users may also read reviews written by others. Many large ISPs have over a thousand reviews on the site. Reviews may be filtered for the user’s location and/or connectivity preference.

The site is also a source of HSI (high speed Internet) related news. BBR’s editors post HSI-related news items on the site’s front page throughout the day. Common topics of news items and features include wireless technologies, peer-to-peer filesharing, upgrades and new offerings from high speed ISPs, and security issues.

Other site services include speed tests, line monitoring, tweak testing, and packet loss testing. Some of these services are provided free of charge, but others require the user to purchase “tool points

Kevin — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:04:30 +0000

Amazon�s Simple Storage Service or S3

http://www.amazon.com/S3-AWS-home-page-Money/b/ref=sc_fe_l_2/102-2952948-3835300?ie=UTF8&node=16427261&no=3435361&me=A36L942TSJ2AJA

Amazon S3 makes your data backup easy, secure and cheap. If you ever lost data whether to hard drive failure or just the accidental delete S3 can save your bacon. Amazon S3 lets you move, copy or delete file sizes up to 5 GB each, and you can store an unlimited number of files. If you have an Amazon account sign up is easy. If not what are you waiting for sign up today and start backing up you data.

You can store virtually any kind of data in any format. Amazon S3 uses proven cryptographic methods to authenticate users. It is your choice to keep your data private, or to make it publicly accessible by third parties. If you would like extra security, there is no restriction on encrypting your data before storing it in Amazon S3.

The only issue I found using S3 is they have no web interface to upload or download your files. You must use a 3^rd party service that is partnered with them. I choose Jungle Disk.http://www.jungledisk.com/ (See description below)

And depending on your upload speed, your first backup my take some time. I setup my test backup of 10 gigs before I went to bed and it was finished in the morning.

You pay for Amazon only for what you use, when you use it. It costs 15 cents per gigabytes for storage, and 20 cents per gigabyte of data transferred.

Amazon’s S3 won a “Codie” award this month for “Best Storage Software Solution.”

Amazon S3 provides a simple web services interface that can be used to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web. It gives any developer access to the same highly scalable, reliable, fast, inexpensive data storage infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of web sites. The service aims to maximize benefits of scale and to pass those benefits on to developers.

Amazon S3 is intentionally built with a minimal feature set.

Write, read, and delete objects containing from 1 byte to 5 gigabytes of data each. The number of objects you can store is unlimited.
Each object is stored and retrieved via a unique, developer-assigned key.
Authentication mechanisms are provided to ensure that data is kept secure from unauthorized access. Objects can be made private or public, and rights can be granted to specific users.
Uses standards-based REST and SOAP interfaces designed to work with any Internet-development toolkit.
Built to be flexible so that protocol or functional layers can easily be added. Default download protocol is HTTP. A BitTorrent(TM) protocol interface is provided to lower costs for high-scale distribution. Additional interfaces will be added in the future.

Pricing

Pay only for what you use. There is no minimum fee, and no start-up cost.
$0.15 per GB-Month of storage used.
$0.20 per GB of data transferred.

Jungle Disk

http://www.jungledisk.com/

Jungle Disk works as an interface to Amazon.com’s super-secure and reliable Amazon Simple Storage Service (otherwise known as Amazon S3). Its available for Windows, Mac or Linux

Jungle Disk puts a virtual drive on your computer that looks like any another hard drive. And unlike some backups systems, you can browse, open, check and confirm the authenticity of every file in your backup by simply opening the folder, and using the files as if they were on your local hard drive. They’re not locked away in a cryptic, proprietary system.

The Jungle Disk application lets you set up automated backups, which looks for any file changes in the files or folders you specify, then backs up any modified files at the frequency you set. You set it and forget it.

Here�s a review from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sc_fe_c_2_182241011_9/002-1719418-2617654?ie=UTF8&node=219184011&no=182241011&me=A36L942TSJ2AJA

Here�s how it works.

Download and install Jungle Disk.
It’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and only takes a few seconds to install.

Sign up for Amazon S3� storage
You can use your existing Amazon.com account! It’s free to sign up and you’ll only pay for the storage you use.

Configure Jungle Disk with your Amazon Access Key
It will automatically prompt you the first time you run it.

Connect to your Jungle Disk
For Windows users, just use the Start Menu shortcut provided or map your disk to a local drive letter. On Mac, Jungle Disk will automatically appear as a mounted volume once configured. Connecting is easy for Linux users too.

Start using your Jungle Disk like a local hard drive!
You can copy files to it using Explorer (or Finder on Mac). When you copy a file to your Jungle Disk it is encrypted and uploaded in the background to Amazon.com’s servers.

Set up automatic backups (optional)
If you want to make sure your important files and directories are securely backed up on a regular basis, use the simple Automatic Backup feature.

Meanwhile behind the scenes…

Amazon S3� provides a set of web services for web-scale, fast, reliable storage. They store your data in multiple data centers around the country for complete redundancy.

Jungle Disk runs on your local machine as a WebDAV server. WebDAV is a protocol for remote file access supported by all modern operating systems.

As you copy data to your Jungle Disk, it is transparently cached, encrypted, and uploaded to Amazon.com. Since uploads occur in the background, copying files to your Jungle Disk is as fast as a local hard drive.

When you browse your Jungle Disk, if the data is already available in the local cache nothing is downloaded from Amazon, which makes Jungle Disk super efficient.

Kevin — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:09:53 +0000

Scot�s Newsletter

View the latest issue http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/90.htm

Out of all the newsletters I receive, Scot�s Newsletter is one of the most anticipated each month. His detailed articles and honest no nonsense reporting and in-depth reviews is a welcome change from many of the more commercial ones. Check out an issue and you�ll be hooked.

Scot�s Newsletter is a monthly e-magazine that usually arrives early each month. Sometimes the schedule changes. (I send each issue when it’s good and ready, and not before.)

Scot�s Newsletter covers desktop operating systems � such as Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux � broadband, do-it-yourself networking, Microsoft, Apple, the Internet, and computing issues. You’ll get insights, analysis,hardware and software reviews, explanations, tips, and straight-shooting advice about desktop computing today, and tomorrow. It’s information you can really use.

�Who�s Scot Finnie,you ask. He�s been a journalist for over 20 years and worked on staff at several computer magazines or online publications, including PC/Computing, FamilyPC, ZDNet, and Windows Magazine. He has also written articles for CNET, PC Magazine, PC World, MacWeek, Byte, ComputerWorld, PC Today, Personal Computing, Computer Life, Popular Science, and Popular Mechanics. Feel free to review his online resume for details.

Joost: TV, the way you want it

Kevin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:39:26 +0000

Joost

http://www.joost.com

Joost (pronounced ‘juiced’) is an interactive software for distributing TV shows and other forms of video over the Web using peer-to-peer TV technology, created by Niklas Zennstr�m and Janus Friis (founders of Skype and Kazaa).

Joost began development in 2006. Working under the code name “The Venice Project,” Zennstrom and Friis have assembled teams of some 150 software developers in about a half-dozen cities around the world, including New York, London, Leiden and Toulouse. Joost’s CTO is Dirk-Willem van Gulik.^[1]

The teams are currently in negotiations with TV networks. It has signed up with Warner Music, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions (Indianapolis 500, IndyCar Series) and production company Endemol for the beta.^[2] In February 2007, Viacom entered into a deal with the company to distribute content from its media properties, including MTV Networks, BET and film studio Paramount Pictures.

Company representatives have gone on record as saying the name should be pronounced as “juiced“.^[3] This differs from the pronunciation of the Dutch first name Joost, which is pronounced ‘Yohst.’

What’s Joost? It’s free TV, with the choice to watch alone or with friends. Joost is packed with internet tools such as instant messaging and channel chat, allowing people to really share the TV experience. It’s a completely secure platform for content owners that respects their rights, while protecting and enhancing their brands. And it’s an incredibly flexible way for advertisers to reach a truly global audience, in ways that really work. Joost isn’t just video on the internet – it’s the next generation of television for viewers, content owners and advertisers everywhere

Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost, you get all the things you love about TV, including a high-quality full-screen picture, hundreds of full-length shows and easy channel-flipping.

5-2-07 Update I have another invite to give away.

I have 1 invitation left to Joost the first person to leave a comment gets it. I should have more by the weekend so check back soon.

Kyle, thanks for visiting kevinscrate.com/blog your invite is on its way.

Axel, thanks for visiting kevinscrate.com/blog your invite is on its way.

What more needs to be said. Want to see more Website picks click below.

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/

Speedtest.net

Kevin — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:09:34 +0000

Speedtest.net is a free broadband speed test with servers located all over the world. Compare your results with others and easily share them. Give it a try

Speedtest.net is a broadband connection analysis tool with a huge selection of geographically dispersed testing servers. Ookla provides this service free to hundreds of thousands of people every day. If you are experiencing slowness with your Internet connection or are simply interested in testing your speed, Speedtest.net is for you. If you have a web site, please feel free to link to Speedtest.net.

Speedtest.net measures the performance of your broadband connection. At the end of each test, you are presented with the download (the speed of data from the server to your computer) and upload (the speed of sending data from your computer to the server) bandwidth speeds. The tests are performed completely within your web browser over HTTP (just like normal web browsing). If you experience any problems using Speedtest.net, please visit our Questions & Answers section for help.

What more needs to be said. Want to see more Website picks click below.

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/

Wikipedia: Website Of The Week

Kevin — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:08:29 +0000

Link of the week. 3-29-07

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. With rare exceptions, its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. The name Wikipedia is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference Web sites on the Internet.

In every article, links will guide you to associated articles, often with additional information. You are welcome to add further information, cross-references, or citations, so long as you do so within Wikipedia’s editing policies and to an appropriate standard. You do not need to fear accidentally damaging Wikipedia when you add or improve information, as other editors are always around to advise or correct obvious errors, if needed, and the Wikipedia encyclopedia software, known as MediaWiki, is carefully designed to allow easy reversal of editorial mistakes.

Because Wikipedia is an ongoing work to which in principle anybody can contribute, it differs from a paper-based reference source in some very important ways. In particular, older articles tend to be more comprehensive and balanced, while newer articles may still contain significant misinformation, unencyclopedic content, or vandalism. Users need to be aware of this in order to obtain valid information and avoid misinformation which has been recently added and not yet removed. (See Researching with Wikipedia for more details.) However, unlike a paper reference source, Wikipedia can be constantly updated, with articles on topical events being created or updated within minutes or hours, rather than months or years for printed encyclopedias.

Vote For The Worst : The End Of American Idol

Kevin — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:39:41 +0000

This week we look at the Vote for the Worst for the Website Crate.

Link of the week. 3-17-07

Vote for the worst

It looks like this site is working so far, how else can you explain how a shitty singer like Sanjaya Malakar can make it this far. It just might spell the end of American Idol.

We’re back! Votefortheworst.com was started in 2004 to support voting for the entertaining contestants who the producers would hate to see win on American Idol. Why do we do it? During the initial auditions, the producers of Idol only let certain people through. Many good people are turned away and many bad singers are kept around to see Simon, Paula, and Randy so that America will be entertained.

Now why do the producers do this? It’s simple: American Idol is not about singing at all, it’s about making good reality TV and enjoying the cheesy, guilty pleasure of watching bad singing. We agree that a fish out of water is entertaining, and we want to acknowledge this fact by encouraging people to make an even funnier show by helping the amusing antagonists stick around. VFTW sees keeping these contestants around as a golden opportunity to make a funnier show.

What more needs to be said. Want more click below.

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/

Trulia Real Estate Search Engine

Kevin — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 12:17:17 +0000

This week we look at the Real Estate search engine Trulia for the Website Crate.

Links of the week 3-3-07

Trulia http://www.trulia.com/

Simply put Trulia is search engine for finding real estate. Just type in your City, State or zip code and press search, and the results show up on the left, combined with Google maps on the right that let you see the area in question, just click the map and drag it around. You can refine your results by choosing your price range and housing type along with the number of bed and baths you want. The site has some nice features I haven�t seen else where.

According to the site the listings on Trulia come from partnerships with thousands of brokers and agents across the country to provide consumers with the best source of information on any home. I would definitely give then a try. Kevin.

Trulia is a real estate search engine that helps you find homes for sale and provides real estate information at the local level to help you make better decisions in the process.

We aim to be a delightfully smart partner when you are looking to buy a home. The smart part should help you find your dream home (or at least the dream home within your budget) and arm you with data and information about local real estate (without too much work). The delightful part should make you smile and keep you coming back.

Whether you are moving down the street or clear across the country, we�re here to help you understand real estate trends at the local level. When you are about to make the biggest financial decision of your life, we help you understand how your future home stacks up compared to similar homes on the market, and similar homes that have recently sold. We show you how sales prices have been trending where it matters�in your county, city, ZIP code and neighborhood.

We�re data hounds but we don�t expect you to be. Our crack team of engineers and analysts are focused on building tools�like our Heat Maps and real estate guides�to help you understand and interpret the real estate information. Real estate search just got much smarter.

Trulia is also a tool for real estate professionals to market their listings, view real estate data and promote their services. If you are a broker or agent, we�ve got a Real Estate Professionals section just for you.

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/

Stumbleupon, discover and share great websites.

Kevin — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:12:07 +0000

This week we look at Stumbleupon for the Website Crate.

Links of the week 2-24-07

StumbleUpon http://www.stumbleupon.com/ Requires a free sign up.

StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you click Stumble!, we deliver high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of 1,913,436 other websurfers with interests similar to you. Rating these sites you like automatically shares them with like-minded people � and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend.

StumbleUpon uses ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality. When you stumble, you will only see pages which friends and like-minded stumblers have recommended. This helps you discover great content you probably wouldn�t find using a search engine.

Searching vs. Stumbling:
Using search engines to locate relevant content typically means hunting through pages of results. Rather than searching for quality web sites, StumbleUpon members are taken directly to web sites matching their personal interests and preferences.

People-Driven Technology:
Using a combination of human opinions and machine learning to immediately deliver relevant content, StumbleUpon presents only web sites which have been suggested by other like-minded Stumblers. Each time the �Stumble� button is clicked, the user is presented with a high quality web site based on the collective opinions of other like-minded web surfers.

Easy to Use, Community-based surfing:
The StumbleUpon Toolbar is integrated with the user�s browser to allow for one-click access to quality web sites. A simple 2-level rating system gives users the opportunity to pass on or give their opinion on any webpage with a single click. These ratings also connect people sharing unique combinations of interests. Stumblers share their favorite web sites and interact with other users to further improve their web surfing experience.

A Personalized Browsing Tool:
StumbleUpon offers nearly 500 topics which users may choose to indicate their interests and preferences so each Stumble produces only the most relevant content. StumbleUpon delivers increasingly relevant content as the Toolbar learns what the user has liked in the past and continues to present quality web sites in the future.

Combats Information Overload:
Information on the Internet changes rapidly. StumbleUpon is a dynamic approach to keep on top of this ever-evolving pool of knowledge. StumbleUpon filters through the vast amount of information on the web to direct Stumblers to high quality web sites which are relevant to their personal interests. An obscure but interesting site can be immediately shared with other like-minded users. Old or low-quality sites can be removed if their ratings become too low. The participation of community members helps maintain a database of the most up-to-date and highest quality sites possible.

If you use Free Firefox here�s an extension for Stumbleupon. https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/138/http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/

Free Email clients Reviewed In The website Crate

Kevin — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:34:53 +0000

This week we look at some free Email clients.

Can be found in the My Crates section to the right. or click below.

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/website-crate-2/