SpiralFrog

(I had written about them over a year ago, but recently there have been some updates to their service...)

SpiralFrog is a website that allows you to download video and music...for free! Legally. It's an ad-supported web site...

In the past, I needed to go to their website under 30 days to update my membership (by answering some survey questions). Now, it's every 60 days.

You can copy song to compatible portable players. To my surprise, my Palm LifeDrive and TX are on the list!

I've been very satisfied with their service. I haven't found every song I looked for, but it's not as if I have been paying for their service.

(free) backup and synch software

Goodsync will allow you to backup and synchronize files. If you have not made, and do not make, copies of files as you should...this application might be good for you.

Synchronization will duplicate file changes in two folders; "backup" works in one direction only.

GoodSync can:
synchronize a notebook computer to a desktop computer, via a network and the internet...
keep user files in sync on work, and home, computers via a USB drive...
and incrementally copy files from the main hard drive, to a portable hard drive or another computer.

Windows Mobile phones and Pocket PC devices are supported.

RoboForm, Outlook, Outlook Express, Quickbooks, and ACT! are some programs it should work with.

There is a free version...the price is right for you to at least consider trying it: http://www.goodsync.com

free courses from Stanford

Stanford is offering "ten courses from Stanford’s School of Engineering...including the three-course introductory sequence in Computer Science...free of charge."

Introduction to Computer Science
Programming Methodology CS106A
Programming Abstractions CS106B
Programming Paradigms CS107

Artificial Intelligence
Introduction to Robotics CS223A
Natural Language Processing CS224N
Machine Learning CS229

Linear Systems and Optimization
The Fourier Transform and its Applications EE261
Introduction to Linear Dynamical Systems EE263
Convex Optimization I EE364A
Convex Optimization II EE364B

free developer and designer tools from Microsoft

Microsoft is offering DreamSpark, Professional Developer and Designer tools, to college/university students at no charge...

You can get:
* Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
* Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
* Expression Studio (includes Web, Blend, Media and Design)
* SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
* Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition, with SP2

As well as:
* SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
* Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition
* XNA Game Studio 2.0 (with 12-month Creators Club trial membership)
* Virtual PC

They’re the complete and full professional grade versions.

To be eligible, you must be "a currently enrolled student attending an accredited university, college, junior college, community college, or a tertiary/higher education institution with digital student ID credentials (e.g. username and password) provided by your school, organization or another identity provider listed as a verification source on the DreamSpark Student Status Verification page..."

https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/

Tech On: Give Away of the Day...bookmark it today!

Giveaway of the Day is an awesome website with everyday users in mind. (Here's there ABOUT page)

I've posted alerts to this site before but haven't seen much feedback from the readers...but today's freebie is a $99.95 program that helps you quickly and easily make a bootable recovery CD with all your programs automatically installing unattended!

Multiset 5.6 from award winning publisher, Almeza, promises quick and easy installation and use...plus offers a website full of tips, quick installation instructions and more!
Remember that this free offer must be downloaded and installed/registered TODAY.
Be sure to bookmark Giveaway of the Day in your favorites or add the gadget to your Google page/sidebar or just subsribe to the RSS feed to get daily updates of cool FREE stuff!
DDTG

better than the clipboard

Stan called our radio show asking about an "autofill" program...

I'm using Ditto: "...saves each item placed on the clipboard allowing you access to any of those items: text, images, html, and more.

"The program is available in English - Chinese - Croatian - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Japanese - Polish - Portuguese - Romanian - Spanish - Swedish - Turkish..."

There's an installable version, and a "Portable" one.

free wi-fi to go bye-bye???!!!

H.R. 3791

----------------------------------------------

...bill requires anyone with a wireless network that's open to the public to report any illegal images that pass through their network...

The SAFE bill, or Securing Adolescents From Exploitation-Online Act...anyone with an open Wi-Fi network will be required to comply with the law...

...if a passerby uses the access point to find or share child pornography. It could also cause some businesses that offer free Wi-Fi service to shut down their open networks.

The SAFE bill must still pass the U.S. Senate before becoming law, which could take months.

http://www.macobserver.com/article/2007/12/06.6.shtml

----------------------------------------------

...The bill doesn't require WiFi owners to police anything, merely 'stiffening the penalties' for those who make no effort to report obvious child pornography.

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/12/06/1354232.shtml