Translate Client is a new freeware program which embeds Google Translate functionality into Windows applications like MS Word, Outlook Express, Firefox etc. There’s lots of software which work with browsers, but this is the first I’ve come across which promises to deliver translations from 50+ languages into any Windows app. It’s very ambitious and clearly still suffers from a few glitches, but the overall principle seems to work as advertised. Once installed, you simply highlight the text you wish to…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: November 2009
xkcd Movie Narrative Charts – See the films, get the flow chart
The always amusing xkcd webcomic has boiled down a few quintessential movies into easily digested movie narrative flow charts. Why not print them out and present them at tomorrow’s sales meeting? These charts show movie character interactions. The horizontal axis is time. The vertical grouping of the lines indicates which characters are together at a given time. Tags: xkcd, movie+narrative+charts
Read MoreEnvion Oil Generator – Turns plastic rubbish into black gold
US company Envion, has unveiled the Oil Generator, a recycling plant capable of turning plastic waste back into light, medium or emulsified heavy oil. The Oil Generator works using low temperature thermal cracking in a vacuum. This catalyst-free process results in a net gain in energy recaptured from the plastic. Envion claim that a single oil generator unit can turn 10,000 tons of plastic waste back into oil in a single year, producing 3 to 5 barrels of oil from…
Read MoreEraser – Hard drive data destroyer reviewed
I recently sold my digital camera online, and because I was including the memory card, I wanted to be sure that there was no recoverable data on it. A quick search turned up Eraser, a free, multi talented hard drive eraser program. Eraser works by overwriting the disk with various flavours of data-destroying mayhem that prevents retrieval using undelete software or forensic analysis software. After installation, Eraser gives you a bunch of options, including a scheduler which lets you setup…
Read MoreNASA Apollo 11 Owner’s Workshop Manual – For DIYer’s
It’s been a busy week for the star gazers. Super computers have modelled the universe using just one small piece of fairy cake, the Ares 1-X prototype blasted off into suborbital space and the Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter has been exploring the Apollo 17 landing site. Since NASA have moved onto the Ares 1-X, that can only mean that the Saturn V rocket is out of copyright, way out. So feel free to build your own with the Haynes NASA Apollo…
Read MoreSwine Flu Protection – how to beat the bug…and prosper?
Winter is coming Northerners. Be sure to keep you and yours safe with these swine flu protective devices. Any protection you may receive is entirely coincidental and can probably be doubled by washing your hands. The Anti Swine Flu Suit from Japan is just a regular looking business suit but has a layer of titanium dioxide (the reflective stuff in sunscreen) that destroys the virus in sunlight. Probably doesn’t work inside then. US$585 Vioguard Self Sanitizing Keyboard – A fully,…
Read MorePull On Snow Shorts – Armour for your bum
These Pull on Snow Shorts look perfect for the kids and winter fun. Made from PVC, with runners to help you slide you’ll never need to drag a toboggan up the hill again. Comes in kids and adult sizes and they’re all US$35 from Orvis. Pull these shorts over a snowsuit and schuss downhill, lickety-split! Much more fun than pulling a sled – sit down, and you’re off! You steer by shifting your weight. Tags: gadget, pull+on+snow+shorts, snow+shorts, snow+gadget
Read MoreAmazing Rake – How sweet thou art
If it’s Autumn where you are then you’ll be needing the Amazing Rake, part garden rake, part mop. Just rake all the leaves together into a pile and then slide the handle down to close the jaws and pick up the leaves. Saves time and saves your back. US$39.99 from Improvements. # No Bending, Stooping or Kneeling # Cuts Yard Clean-up Time in Half # No Touching Wet, Smelly Leaves or Debris # No Other Pick-up Tools Needed # Picks…
Read MoreFerret posts this week
Here’s a quick round-up of Red Ferret posts from the past week for those who missed them. Enjoy. QOOQ – Mastering the art of French cooking computers – The QOOQ (pronounced kook) is a… Scandiphone – retro handset brings back memories of cockroaches – The Scandiphone. As featured in… Vaultz Locking Security Box – do we need a stash place for healthy living? – It just occurred to me for some… BlueCLIP – Innovative Bluetooth Storage – The internet seems…
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