Here’s my test message.  Where will it show up?

If you don’t know what I am talking about then you probably think I just typed that all wrong, but it’s typed correctly. Though you can actually type in www.delicious.com into your address bar and get to the same site anyway.

But what is it you ask? Its a social bookmarking site. Still not clear on what it is? Watch this video by Lee Lefever and you’ll get the idea and why it’s hard to live without once you know it exists.

I am using it because then I can get to my book marks even when away from my usual computer(s), and I can foresee the same use for teachers who are traveling to a lab to give a presentation to their class. Currently this is done by using a word document on the server with links to click. It’s a solution, but I think Delicious will be a better solution because teacher will be able to see their bookmarked links and those other people use about the same subjects. Who knows what else you might find with the help of those researching your same subjects. Check it out…

I’m just experimenting with it now, but I am really liking YouConvertit.com

It’s a online site that allows you to upload up to five files at a time and it will convert your files into your choice of comperable files. This includes Office documents, audio, video, and even a tab for converting measurements. It is all advertisement supported and you must submit a “valid” email address in order to use their site. You upload your files and they send a link via email of where to download your file. You can of course get around this by using a disposable email address such as MyTrashmail.com or similar sites. Though I did use one of my disposable email accounts because I was curious how much my spam email would pick up.

Also I did actually take a few moments to look at their terms of service and it mentions privacy a few times, or more accurately mentions you should not expect a sense of privacy. *shrug* Guess that means I won’t upload my secrete family recipes to be converted into pdf format. Though it sure beats looking for a new audio or video codec next time a student brings me a video from their phone’s camera.

Well I found it curious and possible useful and perhaps you will too, so check it out, cautiously. Also if you don’t know about disposable email accounts like MyTrashmail.com then you better look them up to. They are a life saver when you don’t trust giving a website your regular email address.

If you are wondering what a U3 drive is then I must ask What rock have you been hiding under? Just kidding of course. U3 drives are a USB storage drive that not only holds data it also has a launch system that opens whenever you plug it into a computer. This launch menu allows you to install and run program directly from your USB drive without having to install them into the local computer. You can also password protect your entire drive if you feel the need for privacy. This is useful for most people because they didn’t know that running software from a USB drive has always been possible. U3 though makes it very easy to buy their “special made” programs so I won’t complain too much because they are providing a useful service for the technically challenged.

That said most people even interested in reading these other articles and websites.

The Ultimate USB Key
Everything USB
SnapFiles USB List
Portable Apps.com

You will find a great variety of programs among those sites, Most of which will be absolutely free. Though it’s quite possible some of the programs you are already using on your PC will also run from a USB drive without any extra effort. One way to tell is during the install of the program. Watch what folders are accessed during the install. If you don’t see the install process access the Windows or System 32 folders or use the phrase Registering Components then there’s a good change that you can just copy the application folder under Program Files directly over to your USB drive. Two programs I discovered I would copy anywhere and use are Irfanview Photo manager and Adaware v1.06 but not the newer 2007 version unfortunately.

The U3 system is great for some, but if you are like me and decide you don’t like the slow load times and all the helpful hints then merely un-install the management software.  The first drives required you to flash the built in software away and that sometimes ended badly according to reviews and comments left by people on manufacturers websites.  Since then though manufactures have made it much easier to remove the software just like you would any other trial ware you’ve decided doesn’t fit your needs. When you look in the management menu of all the modern U3 drives you will see an un-install function.  It’s not a one time decision though if you decide you want the menus and managed software system back.  You can always re-install, but why is the only question I can think to ask.

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of him. He’s just an average person like anyone else, but he has such a gift to understand how to mix current technology into our every day lives in a simple and plain way.

I myself stumbled across his videos on YouTube as I looked for easy ways to explain WordPress and other online technologies to our teachers. Lee has obviously already been there too and he is great at explaining how to get there yourself.

So please take a moment to view a few of these videos I’ve linked out to.

Lee LeFever Online Videos

Expert: 1.a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority:

I guess that refers to us somedays, at least when we have the answers they want to hear. Other days it is not us but rather their students or their friends who gave them the best advice they wanted to hear. But oh well, such is life and no one has all the answers themselves all the time.

Which brings me to the point of my post today. PC Magazine releases a list every year of their favorite tools and utilities offered free on the web.  I saw a few of my own favorites on that list, but more importantly I saw a great many programs and online tools I didn’t even know I might need.  My own belief has been that “Together We are Stronger”, and to me this includes the students ideas, the teachers requests, the technology we read about, and our own daily experiences.  So when you have the free time please take a look at the list of possibilities from the link below.

PC Magazine List of Free Software

A recent favorite tool of mine is Goolge Documents. It has been around for awhile and I had briefly explored it in the past, but recently I have begun to revisit it’s uses and I am liking it more and more. My recent discovery is the creation of PDFs from any document you have uploaded to the site.Previously, in order to create PDF files you needed Adobe Acrobat Pro or a version of Adobe distiller. Neither of which are free. I have also tried various free programs that claimed they could create PDF files from my word documents and to date have been disappointed even when they did work. Some simply failed to work while others actually froze during use and were a real bear to try and uninstall.With Google online documents though you sign up for a free account and then upload an existing word, excel, or power point file to your account. You can then make changes through the online WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) interface and then save the document directly online. From there you can choose to share it with other Google users, publish to the internet, download as a Webpage, Word Document, Rich Text Document, Plain Text Document, Open Office file, Zip file, or PDF file.Quick and Simple and Free.Check out the other Google tools and you might find your own gems.

These are the quick tools I turn to on a daily basis and ones you might wish to become familiar with. I define quick tools as simple Utilities which usually serve a single purpose. Used Together or Singular they can accomplish many goals. While Programs tend more towards Management and a Collection of Utilities into a basic interface to accomplish many goals using 1 tool. Both approaches have their places, but this is a list of quick tools I have a preference for because I can mix and match them as needed and many will run from a CD or USB drive.

• MS Remote Desktop
• Tight VNC
  • They are Very Different tools, each with strengths and weaknesses
  • Also I sometimes use LanView3 which is a collection based on VNC
• Advanced Remote Information
• RegSeeker
• Aida32
• Norton Win Doctor
• IrfanView
  • Truthfully a Program, but will run from a Cd or USB and is quite small and quick
• Internet Explorer History Viewer
• Mozilla History Viewer