Monthly Archives: December 2008

Free Software December 19, 2008 posted by

Sedate Games – Friday fun finds the nearest armchair

Quick Solitaire for Windows. Yesh I know you get Solitaire as standard, but maybe you’ve lost it, or it’s corrupt or your folder has gone missing in Tashkent. Now you can download and play your fave card game in peace again. Now in high resolution. Sudokool. Sudoku freak? Then try out this free downloadable Java version. Four difficulty levels, save and resume games. Oh and it’s platform independent of course. Nanowar. Destroy the opposing balls with just a mouse click…

Read More
Bookmark This! December 19, 2008 posted by

Cool web design tools for ordinary people – why struggle when you can cruise?

Here’s a small round up of some cool web design tools that you might find useful, especially if you’re a little…ahem…web design challenged. Edicy. Super simple web site creator. Free and Pro versions. Super fast sign up means you can be editing in seconds. Templates are a bit average. Jimdo. Yet another site creator. Nice templates, and an easy editing interface are marred by an overly complex login process. Pretty output though. Free Web Page Headers. Collection of free Creative Commons licensed…

Read More
Bookmark This! December 19, 2008 posted by

WikiScanner 2 – keeping Wikipedia honest, one edit at a time

WikiScanner 2 is the latest incarnation of the Wikipedia monitoring service and is now part of the WikiWatcher service. The idea is to keep tabs on suspicious edits and reveal any that seem to be a little dishonest. The interface is truly horrible in that geeky ‘we’re academics and we don’t need no stinkin’ interface’ way, which is a real shame as it will inevitably put people off. Anyway, a noble effort.  WikiScanner (also known as Wikipedia Scanner) is a tool…

Read More
Fun & Games December 18, 2008 posted by

Radio Controlled Skunk – peppy-le-who?

So it’s a Radio Controlled Skunk for $39.98. If you need to ask more questions, then you’re clearly not thinking like we’re thinking. Which says a lot about the quality of your character, dear reader.  Yikes! They’ll be running for the hills when they see this furry forest friend lumber up and raise its tail! Authentic-looking skunk mimics like the real thing–minus the spray, of course! Moves backward, forward, and flicks its tail at your push-button command. Tags: radio+controlled+skunk, gadget, toy

Read More
Gadgets December 18, 2008 posted by

Danno Tsubo Reflexology Mat – the sole to soul feel good machine

The Danno Tsubo Reflexology Mat offers up some of those good ole East Asian pressure points to the soles of your feet to make you feel good. Just keep walking up and down, up and down and the idea is you’ll feel the goodness seeping upwards to your soul from your soles. Groovy man! $81.00.  Simply place your feet on the footprints or walk the length of the mat to feel the therapeutic effects of the ridges working out the…

Read More
Gadgets December 18, 2008 posted by

Gear Gripper – simple storage solution for too-much-itis

Gear Gripper is an innovative answer to the age old problem – where can I put all my stuff? One answer, of course, is eBay, but for those with overly retentive genes, this flexible storage rack may be the answer. The ripple shaped catch-all is made out of soft foam which lovingly caresses every inch of your adored possessions while keeping them safe from nature’s brutal onslaught. Or something. £9.58.  Gear Gripper is a groovy piece of organisational magic that…

Read More
Bookmark This! December 18, 2008 posted by

Dropbox – synch your files across Mac, Linux, PC and Web

Dropbox has been getting a whole heap of webplay recently, not least because it seems to work really well and really easily. The idea is you download the client and then drag files and folders you wish to share into your newly created ‘dropbox’ account. This then immediately makes them available to any computer via the web (or cloud if you wanna be trendy). Now there’s a bunch of file sharing, backup and sync services out there, but what makes…

Read More
Bookmark This! December 18, 2008 posted by

Plushie – freeware for making your own plush toys

Plushie is an ‘interactive system that allows non-professional users to design their own original plush toys’. The free Java program is currently at a very early stage in development, but is nevertheless fascinating. I downloaded it to try and produce something and failed miserably, but the video shows what’s possible if you’re intelligent and diligent. [Via]  Furthermore, an arbitrary 3D model cannot necessarily be realized as a real plush toy, and the final sewn result can be very different from the original…

Read More
general December 17, 2008 posted by

Gladinet – use cloud storage locally

There is no shortage of online storage around the internets. Yeah it’s a great idea and you can access it anywhere, upload, download etc, but it’s browser-based and kinda clunky. Until now. Gladinet is an online storage aggregator, it allows you to use some of the most popular online storage services through your PC and mount them as virtual drives and everything is controlled through the Gladinet client (PC only). You’ll need to create accounts with Google Picasa, Skydrive or…

Read More
Gladinet – use cloud storage locally
Gadgets December 17, 2008 posted by

iRadioPop – the internet music dongle

The iRadioPop is an Internet radio dongle which slots into your computer’s USB socket to deliver Internet radio on demand. It also comes with an on-board recorder so you can capture and store the music, as well as preset station favourites which saves time hunting for your regular sounds and genres.         Of course it’s just a clever bit of marketing with some auto-start radio software stuffed onto a standard USB stick, but hey it’s a neat idea for…

Read More
Fun & Games December 17, 2008 posted by

Money Maker – perfect way to beat the credit crunch

This Money Maker tool seems to us the perfect gift for the investment banker in your life. Slot some blank paper in one end, crank the handle and out comes real live money at the other end. Or even funny money. Come to think of it, isn’t that what the world’s central bank wallahs are doing at the moment anyway? Gosh, life copies art yet again. $3.98.  Be the envy of them all when you magically turn a blank piece of…

Read More
Gadgets December 17, 2008 posted by

iWave Cube 2 Microwave – the pretty personal desk oven

The iWave Cube 2 Personal Microwave is a small desktop oven that uses 800 watts of power to zap your soups, drinks and reheats. Personally we’d suggest that you don’t have it sitting too close to your face or computer stuff, but we’re just paranoid about EMF, OK? $149.95.  Forget all those trips to the kitchen or treks to the cafeteria – now you can reheat coffee right at your desk, or nuke some soup for your brown bag lunch, or…

Read More
Free Software December 17, 2008 posted by

MSGTAG – freeware notification tool lets you know when your email has been read

MSGTAG is a freeware program that immediately and automatically lets you know when an email you’ve sent has been opened and read. OK, so you’re not absolutely certain it’s been read, but at least you know the message has been opened in an email client. It offers advantages over the default receipt feature of email clients because the recipient doesn’t have to click to agree to sending a receipt. It works with all the usual email clients, and is pretty…

Read More
Bookmark This! December 17, 2008 posted by

Stuff2Send – world’s first P2P parcel courier service

Stuff2Send has got to be one of the most interesting if not totally bizarre ideas around. Basically it’s a peer to peer parcel courier service. People register with the site if they need parcels delivered or are willing to deliver parcels and the service matches them up. Hey, I can hear you asking, what guarantee that the parcel doesn’t just get stolen? Well…that’s a very good question children, and the site has a bunch of safeguards in place, including feedback ratings…

Read More