laodan's favorite freetools web sites

Last login: 5 hours agoLaodan: laodan is a 56 year old guy from Wisconsin, USA.; Likes 1,586 pages, 24 videos, 8 photos • 227 fans • Received 64 reviews; Member since Aug 08, 2005

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Speculating About The Visual Future Of Search Results: Apr 15, 10:49am 1 review internet, search, web, freetools
http://searchengineland.com/080411-103706.php; Speculating About The Visual Future Of Search Results via info aesthetics,in Search Engine Land by Greg Sterling
there are a range of interesting and relatively new general purpose "visual search engines" that are seeking to offer something different than text-based results. There have always been "visual" presentations of search results (and preview features such as Ask's binoculars or more recently Snap's plug-in), as an alternative to "10 blue links." However these newer sites are on to something that may eventually take hold. Speculating About The Visual Future Of Search Results SearchMe RedZee SearchMe
RedZee Search presented as images of each website. Not only does this do away with text it also abolishes the ranking of the sites it selects through a circular presentation of resizing thumbnails. Great potential.

Computerworld & Open source 3D printer copies itself: Apr 8, 9:27am 8 reviews open-source, economy, freetools
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/2F5C3C5D68A380EDCC257423006E71CD; Open source 3D printer copies itself via kurzweilai.net, in ComputerWorld by Ulrika Hedquist
Based in the Waitakeres, in West Auckland, software developer and artist Vik Olliver is part of a team developing an open-source, self-copying 3D printer. The RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper) printer can replicate and update itself. It can print its own parts, including updates, says Olliver, who is one of the core members of the RepRap team. Open source 3D printer copies itself Great. Open Source goes to Open Production. This is an initiative that should be given wide diffusion.

Daily Cup of Tech & 35 Web Based Application Alternatives: Dec 17, 2007 4:09pm 2 reviews computers, web, freetools
http://www.dailycupoftech.com/web-based-application-alternatives-work-in-prog...; Web Based Application Alternatives via Google Operating System / Ionut Alex Chitu, in Daily Cup of Tech
Sometimes you just find yourself in a situation where you have none of the tools you need to get the job done. This typically happens when you are either working on someone else\u2019s computer or you need to perform some computer related task in an emergency. When you find yourself in these situations, I find it to be very helpful to have a list of web based alternatives available to me. This way, all I will need is an Internet connection and a web browser. This has prompted me to put together a list of applications and their web based alternatives. Now, most of the web based applications do not have all the functionality or options of their desktop counterparts but they sure are handy in a pinch. Also note that some do require you to create an account on the site in order to use the application. Web Based Application Alternatives Slowly Transitioning to Online Software I think that this SAAS stuff (Software As A Service) is going to redraw the way we use our computers and also our information and its storage. I hope this compilation of online tools is updated regularly it could be a useful archive. Remember all you need to use Online Apps is a good Linux system and Firefox. It's all FREE ! And you can get the hardware for less than 200 bucks.

Google and the Wisdom of Clouds: Dec 16, 2007 8:55am 3 reviews internet, computer, change, freetools
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm; Google and the Wisdom of Clouds via InnovationWatch, in Business Week by Stephen Baker
What is Google's cloud? It's a network made of hundreds of thousands, or by some estimates 1 million, cheap servers, each not much more powerful than the PCs we have in our homes. It stores staggering amounts of data, including numerous copies of the World Wide Web. This makes search faster, helping ferret out answers to billions of queries in a fraction of a second. Unlike many traditional supercomputers, Google's system never ages. When its individual pieces die, usually after about three years, engineers pluck them out and replace them with new, faster boxes. This means the cloud regenerates as it grows, almost like a living thing. Google and the Wisdom of Clouds Google Gets Ready to Rumble With Microsoft These 2 articles supplement the article about the new Linux/SAAS office model I referred to yesterday. Cloud computing initially enabled Google to answer our searches in an extremely fast way. It then evolved into Software As A Service (SAAS). There is an explosion literally of new applications (apps) becoming available by the day online. I myself now, on a daily base, use Gmail + iGoogle + Gbookmarks + Gnotebook + Greader + Gsearch + Gimages (Picasa) + Gdocs + Gmaps and Gearth + Gblogger +... and SU! My experience with these Google Apps is most satisfactory I must say. No loss any longer of bookmarks and notes due to system upgrading or HD crashes... SAAS satisfies 95% of my daily needs on the computer. But SAAS is only feasible from a computer loaded with a system and a browser. That's where Linux and Open Source Applications are bound to make inroads... I use Ubuntu and Firefox. Those who use professional applications (writing, imaging, engineering or other) will not be satisfied by Online Apps at least in their present versions. They still need their specialized software. I myself, for example, often use imaging and writing software and I'm very satisfied with Open Source offerings. (Imaging: The GIMP, INKSCAPE, PICASA, XSANE SCAN,... Writing: TOMBOY NOTES, OPEN OFFICE, SCRIBUS, ...)

Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs: Dec 15, 2007 10:35am 6 reviews software, linux, open-source, freetools
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2414535067.html; Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs in DesktopLinux by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
In the next few quarters, low-end Linux-based PCs are going to quickly take over the bottom rung of computing. Then, as businesses continue to get comfortable with SAAS (software as a service) and open-source software, the price benefits will start leading them toward switching to the new Linux/SAAS office model. You'll see this really kick into gear once Vista Service Pack 1 appears and business customers start seriously looking at what it will cost to migrate to Vista. That Tiffany-level price tag will make all but the most Microsoft-centric businesses start considering the Linux/SAAS alternative. Microsoft will fight this trend tooth and nail. It will cut prices to the point where it'll be bleeding ink on some of its product lines. And Windows XP is going to stick around much longer than Microsoft ever wanted it to. Still, it won't be enough. By attacking from the bottom, where Microsoft can no longer successfully compete, Linux will finally cut itself a large slice of the desktop market pie. Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs Everex TC2502 Green gPC w/ Via C7-D Processor sold at Walmart for $ 199. Did you notice how the SAAS initiative is coming not from the US but from the EU? Microsoft's last decade costly monopoly on software seems to come to an end. The cost structure of Linux + SAAS is so advantageous that it simply can't be missed by individuals and small companies and Microsoft has no way of answering that challenge with its bulky and costly products.

WikipediaVision (beta): Oct 30, 2007 1:42pm 143 reviews internet, freetools
http://www.lkozma.net/wpv/index.html; Live anonymous edits to Wikipedia on Google maps via MetaFilter / stbalbach, on lkozma.net
WikipediaVision is a visualization of edits to the English Wikipedia, almost the same time as they happen. The idea came after seeing flickervision and twittervision, both created by David Troy. WikipediaVision, however, was designed and implemented by me alone. (L. Kozma, I am a grad-student at the Helsinki University of Technology) Live anonymous edits to Wikipedia on Google maps Amazing follow-up of anonymous edits on Wikipedia

Simple Spark: Sep 6, 2007 10:28am 9 reviews internet, archives, freetools
http://simplespark.com/; Simple Spark. Over 5000 Web Apps.
Just a few months ago, we launched Simple Spark with 1000 web applications. Today, we\u2019re proud to announce that the Simple Spark Catalog has surpassed 5000 fully searchable, summarized, and categorized web apps that are ready for discovery. Simple Spark. Over 5000 Web Apps. Bookmark this site. It is one of the best web apps archives on the net.

Open Library (Open Library): Jul 16, 2007 4:29pm 9 reviews open-source, books, archives, freetools
http://demo.openlibrary.org/; The Open Library via Metafilter / chunking express, in The Open Library
What if there was a library which held every book? Not every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in English, but simply every book's key part of our planet's cultural legacy. First, the library must be on the Internet. No physical space could be as big or as universally accessible as a public web site. The site would be like Wikipedia's public resource that anyone in any country could access and that others could rework into different formats. Second, it must be grandly comprehensive. It would take catalog entries from every library and publisher and random Internet user who is willing to donate them. It would link to places where each book could be bought, borrowed, or downloaded. It would collect reviews and references and discussions and every other piece of data about the book it could get its hands on. But most importantly, such a library must be fully open. Not simply "free to the people," as the grand banner across the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh proclaims, but a product of the people: letting them create and curate its catalog, contribute to its content, participate in its governance, and have full, free access to its data. In an era where library data and Internet databases are being run by money-seeking companies behind closed doors, it's more important than ever to be open. The Open Library A grandiose project that I hope succeeds. Try to imagine a place on the net where all the books of the world could be found. That's quite exciting indeed.

The Linux Alternative Project - linuxalt.com: Jun 30, 2007 5:47pm 67 reviews linux, freetools
http://www.linuxalt.com/; The Linux Alternative Project in The Linux Alternative Project Linux Alternative Project (formally the Linux Equivalent Project). The goal is to provide an informational and available website for all linux users.
The Linux Alternative Project
An indispensable bookmark for Linux users. Its gives all the Linux aternatives for Micrisoft applications.

AddThis - Social Bookmarking Widget Del.icio.us Digg Button: Jun 19, 2007 7:42pm 108 reviews freetools
http://addthis.com/; Addthis bookmak in Addthis.com
Simple recognizable widgets to help your visitors save and promote your website or blog to the social bookmarking and feed reader services! Makes it very easy for your visitors to bookmark your website or blog, and subscribe to your feeds (support most bookmarking and feed reader services) Provides valuable statistics showing what content your visitors bookmark the most on your website or blog, over various time periods Addthis bookmak
This is how it looks. Click on it to see what happens next...

Everyone should have one Addthis and best of all its free.