MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [February 19th]” plus 7 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [February 19th]
- The 5 Toughest Tech Questions [MakeUseOf Answers]
- Dragon: Two Free Voice Recognition Software For The iPhone
- How To View Live Weather Radar On Google Earth
- How To Do Simple Calculations In Microsoft Word 2003 & 2007
- 4 Reasons Why Google Translate Beats The Other Services
- 6 Best Sites To Download Free Photoshop Brushes
- Cool Windows 7 Wallpapers That You Have To Check Out
| Cool Websites and Tools [February 19th] Posted: 19 Feb 2010 07:31 PM PST Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to MakeUseOf Directory.
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. Related posts
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| The 5 Toughest Tech Questions [MakeUseOf Answers] Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:31 PM PST
There are a few questions we couldn’t answer, yet. And we hope that one of our many, many smart readers knows the answers. Here is your chance to show how much of a geek you are! These are the toughest questions so far:
See more questions that we couldn’t answer yet on Unanswered Questions page. Maybe you have an answer for one of them? Please help us out! Now, if you have a question yourself, go ahead and ask it on MakeUseOf Answers. No sign up or registration required. For those of you who would like to follow MakeUseOf Answers via RSS, here is the Feedburner feed. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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| Dragon: Two Free Voice Recognition Software For The iPhone Posted: 19 Feb 2010 03:31 PM PST
These programs are pretty expensive, but if you're an iPhone or iPod touch user and you want to get an idea of their capabilities, Nuance has created two versions of free voice recognition software for iPhone, Dragon and Dragon Search, for Apple's leading mobile devices.
These Dragon voice recognition software apps for iPhone are similar to the Google Mobile App for searching. With these programs, you simply tap the record button, speak your search terms, and voila, you get almost instant search results. Google's app is of course limited to its search engine, but Dragon search includes options for searching Google, Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube, and the iTunes Store. When the search results come up, you simply slide your finger to move to the other options. If you want a few other options besides Google, the program can be configured to use Yahoo or Bing as the default search provider. To do so, you need to select from the main iPhone screen the Settings app, Dragon Search>Search Provider. From there, select your default provider.
The Dragon Search program also includes a "Detect End-of-speech" option which detects when you have finished speaking and automatically clicks the Done button for you. Of course, in noisy environments it probably won't work as accurately. My experience with the voice recognition software for iPhone has been very positive. The Dragon apps are amazingly accurate, and they don't require direct voice training. The more you use them, the better they get at recognizing your voice, so avoid sharing the program with other people. Also, currently the program can only be used for English speakers. Nuance has text-to-speech solutions for 50 different languages, so no doubt its mobile apps will be expanded for other languages in the near future. Apple has included some voice search features in its latest updates to the iPhone and the iPod touch, but these features could be a lot better. With Dragon, you can dictate entire sentence and paragraphs. You must speak clearly and pronounce the punctuation you want included in the text. So of course at the end of a sentence, you would say, "period" or "question mark," Speech dictation can be a little awkward at first, so Dragon is very useful for getting the hang of it. The program also accesses the iPhone/iPod touch keyboard so that you can make corrections where needed. If you want to add additional text to what you have already written, simply put the cursor where you want to begin, and tap the record button; it will capture and write your spoken text.
Unfortunately the device can't be used with Bluetooth mic devices; however, if you must type something on your iPhone while driving, Dragon is the safest option for doing so. When you're done, Dragon provides built-in options for sending text to Mail, Text Message or to the clipboard. Now doesn’t that sound like a feature that should be built into the next iPhone update, so that when you want to dictate a new email or text message, you can do so without having to open a program like Dragon? Not only is this method faster, but it can be a great way for helping users learn how to dictate writing and commands on desktop and laptop computers. Finally, if you really need to share the program with others, you will want to again go to Settings>Dictation>Reset Enrollment On. This way, because your friends will probably sound different from you, it's easier to delete the enrollment profile than letting them use yours. And as the instructions point out, "Conversely if you start using the system again you should execute the same steps once more." Voice recognition technology is getting better and better. Let us know if and how you use voice recognition in your computer workflow. Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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| How To View Live Weather Radar On Google Earth Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:31 PM PST
As it turns out, Google Earth is good for even MORE than just zooming around or even finding places of interest (check out past MakeUseOf articles about Google Earth such as How Often Is Google Earth Updated? and How To Use Google Earth To Investigate Conspiracy Theories). Now you can also keep an eye on the current weather with Google Earth radar!
In this article I would like to show you two main methods of keeping an eye on the weather with Google Earth radar. First I will show you the weather feature Google Earth already has built in. I will then show you how to find, download, and open a specific radar image file for your own location. Google Earth’s Built In Weather Layer FeatureThis is a very easy process because Google Earth has this layer built in and ready to use. If it’s not already visible, open the sidebar within Google Earth.
You’ll find the weather layer in the layers tab.
It has three layers you can show: clouds, radar, and conditions and forecasts. There is also an Information link that will not only give you more (you guessed it) information about how the weather data is gathered, but also the time of the last clouds and radar image. You can also download weather animations there.
What you’ll get if all layers are checked is a visual of where clouds are calculated to show up, some boxy splotches indicating radar imagery, and icons showing current weather conditions.
Notice that weather conditions are NEAR real time and the conditions I saw were approximately 2 hours before. Pretty good if you ask me! Download & View A Real-Time Radar ImageAlthough viewing a radar image is a lot more real time, you may want to still show the conditions and forecasts layer for, well, conditions and forecasts because the radar image will likely only show the radar.
First do a search for “weather radar kmz”
I’m personally from North America so I hit up the radar.weather.gov site. You can also search for your own area to see what’s available.
From this site I was able to find the image for my state and chose the radar image to my liking, hit submit, and downloaded the KMZ file.
I created a specific folder in a place I can find it to keep my Google Earth downloads so I stuck the KMZ file in there. Next, head on over to Google Earth and open the KMZ file.
You’ll then get to see the nifty loading icons.
Once loaded you’ll see the radar image. This particular map shows the color temperature key for me:)
You may ask the question, “Why go through the bother of finding, downloading, and opening a KMZ weather radar image if Google Earth already has a weather layer built right in?” It comes down to how current the updates are. The KMZ radar map I was able to find for my area (North America) is updated approximately every 2 minutes. Google Earth grabs its data from Weather.com and may not be updated as often. Also, radar imagery from Weather.com may not be available in every area and you may be able to find and download it for your own specific area. Like I said before, you can still enable weather forecasts, etc. layers and still open your KMZ file and have the best of both worlds! Anything to add? Have a different approach to using Google Earth radar? Let us know in the comments! em>Got Tech Questions? Ask Them on MakeUseOf Answers! Related posts
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| How To Do Simple Calculations In Microsoft Word 2003 & 2007 Posted: 19 Feb 2010 10:31 AM PST
For keeping tabs on numbers and crunching them though, it's destination Excel for me. The second way is of course to use a calculator. But feeding in the numbers and tapping the keys is so much work. The Excel way is way easier. All we have to do is type in the numbers and presto, the calculations are done for us and displayed in the status bar.
It turns out that all this while there’s a Word calculations tool for the job. Hidden under the layers of customizable commands is the Calculate tool. The Calculate tool helps a lot when we have to work on a lot of numbers. It also lets us copy the result to the clipboard and paste it anywhere else. Locate CalculateBy default the Calculate command is not on the Ribbon but following a few simple steps, it can be easily brought to the fore. Here it is…
Working With Calculate
Remember, this changes the settings across all Windows programs. So, you can just consider using a multiplier instead.
The Sum Of The ResultThe simplicity of the Calculate command makes it a better command to have than the complexity of creating a table and building a formula (using the Formula command under Layout) to complete Word calculations. The latter is more like an elephant gun, when I would rather like to have a mosquito swatter. Windows also has a calculator built in and you can copy and paste its results in any Windows program. But for simple Word calculations in lesser clicks, the Calculate command is way more helpful. Read some more about the Calculate command and its guidelines in this post at the unofficial Microsoft Most Valued Professional site. What do you think about this simple but useful tool for MS Word (Word 2007 and 2003)? Do you think it helps to reduce the Excel effect? Image: josef.stuefer Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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| 4 Reasons Why Google Translate Beats The Other Services Posted: 19 Feb 2010 09:31 AM PST
A lot of my friends – who are not at all tech deprived – ended up using a bad translation service. Bad: in terms of grammar, accuracy and overall user experience. This article will show four reasons why the Google Translate tool beats (most, leaving a margin for undiscovered greatness) other translation services. Note that this is not an opinionated, but a factual argument, but that shouldn't keep you from disagreeing.
1. Fluent Language UseFor most languages, but especially for English and Spanish (two of the world's most popular languages), your translations will prove incredibly fluent – more akin to spoken language, rather than the usual broken translations. This is not a coincidence. Google collected tons of data on spoken language, and the Google Translate tool has a good sense of what sounds natural, and what does not. Even now, users can still suggest better translation alternatives – but more about that below. As with all of these services, errors can still be made, and having a rudimentary knowledge of your goal language certainly doesn't hurt. 2. Open To AlternativesA living language constantly keeps involving, and so should a good translation service. Knowing a translation can always be improved, Google allows you to suggest alternative translations to words or sentences. So you can do your part in keeping the quality top notch.
3. Supplying Synonyms (and Antonyms)A well-written sentence is much like a jigsaw puzzle. There are always a few pieces left that you can slam in there, but it won't look right. Similarly, there are words that sound better in context than others, even if they mean the same thing. Never mind the words that have a multitude of unrelated translations. If you translate a word in the Google Translate tool, you'll often get more than you bargained for. In a good way. Supplementing the most popular translation is a list of synonyms; alternative words with a similar meaning. Sometimes, although admittedly seldom, you also get antonyms – words that mean the exact opposite.
Why would you need, or rather, even be interested in synonyms and acronyms? Simple. Some alternatives will sound better than others, even if they aren't the most popular ones. 4. Swift, Intuitive User InterfaceBeing perfectly aware that the interface is unfamiliar terrain for a factual argument, there's one aspect that wouldn't hurt to be named. I'm talking about the instant translation feature. With the languages specified, you have to start typing to see an instant translation. Why must it be necessary to press another 'translate' button? Because it isn't, and it certainly shouldn't. This 'instant results' is something we see ever more often in search engines, and Google made a smart move integrating it into Google Translate. Regardless of personal preference, things like this make user interaction not only faster, but also more intuitive.
Of course, not everyone will agree with the above. If you still prefer another translation service, tell us why in the comments section below. em>Got Tech Questions? Ask Them on MakeUseOf Answers! Related posts
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| 6 Best Sites To Download Free Photoshop Brushes Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:31 AM PST
With the Web, it’s easy to find new brushes to add into your current collection. There’s tons of great designs out there to choose from and plenty of websites that allow you to easily search for what you’re looking for. Best of all, it all doesn’t have to cost you anything! So, where do you go to download some cool sets of brushes? Look no further than this list. Here’s the 6 best sites to download free Photoshop brushes.
BrushKing
BrushKing is home to thousands of well-designed Photoshop brushes, all up for grabs at absolutely no cost. You can search the sets of brushes by keyword or sort through them by the various categories, including grunge, splatters, vectors, swirls, and more.
The pages for the brush sets are simply designed, displaying the author, file size, license information, number of brushes, a description, and preview. Just hit “Download” if you want the set. BrusheezyBrusheezy has a huge collection of brushes to choose from. The site only accepts the best sets and is constantly updated with more selections. Search by keyword or use the site’s filters to sort results by category or Photoshop version.
The download pages feature all the basic information about the free Photoshop brushes, but also a simple rating system to go along with it.
Users can also post their own reviews about the brushes to share with other visitors. myPhotoshopBrushes
For more attractive sets, head over to myPhotoshopBrushes. Filter its collection by category and sort by rating, numbers of downloads, or date added. Simply hit the “Download” button when you come across brushes you’d like to keep.
One big plus about the site is that instead of just having an image preview, icons of how the brushes will actually look like in Photoshop are displayed at the bottom of the download pages as well. FBrushes
FBrushes has a massive collection of well over 5,000 high quality brushes. The “F” stands for free! Just browse the many pages of sets or search by category for what you need.
The download pages feature the same basic information about the brushes, along with comments from users about the set at the bottom. 123Freebrushes123Freebrushes is another great website with a growing free stock of Photoshop brushes, over 1,000 of them. The best way to sort through them all is by category to find a set that you’d like to download.
Big images of what each brush looks like are displayed for each set. Other than that, very limited details are given, so be sure to check out the the link to the designer’s website for more information about the brushes. deviantART
If you still can’t find the free Photoshop brushes you’re looking for, head over to deviantART, the source of a lot of the free and user-created Photoshop brushes out there. The site’s community of artists have submitted a sizable collection of all kinds of sets to choose from, all available for free download. Looking for textures? Check out Top 10 Sites To Download Free Photoshop Textures. Don’t forget to also read our Idiot’s Guide to Photoshop. What are some of your favorite websites to download free Photoshop brushes? Let us know in the comments. Image Credit: freeparking Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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| Cool Windows 7 Wallpapers That You Have To Check Out Posted: 19 Feb 2010 07:31 AM PST
After all your desktop is a representation of yourself and you do look at it pretty often. What are you currently using for your desktop image? We would love to hear from you in the comments below. But in the meantime we will be showing you a few sites.
They have lots of other releases categorized by version and they also have non-official wallpapers as well, as you can see below:
Here is my favorite from under the unofficial Windows 7 category it is called – WOLF.
You can grab this one from here. They will give you the option of downloading the file which is 1600 x 1200. If you want to scale it down you can do so in any photo editing suite. The next site we will be looking at is a collection located on a blog called HongKiat, located here and here are some of the Windows 7 wallpapers available for download:
What beautiful landscapes. These would be a pleasure to look at all day! And then they have some minimalist desktops as well like this one:
Then our next stop will be to here where they have 50 – yes you heard me correctly – 50 High Definition beautiful wallpapers. Let's take a look at what they have. The second and third ones really caught my eye as you can see below:
And after scrolling down a little bit we will find these two that are very eye catching:
And finally our last stop will be to wallpapers.free-review that has some awesome Super Mario Brothers wallpapers (I am sure they have more but this is what caught my eye!). By browsing on over here we find these wallpapers:
And this is the one I chose from there:
And I caught a preview of a really cool 3D frog at the bottom of the Super Mario page. I followed the link to it and downloaded it. This is it:
There are a million free wallpaper sites with an even higher number of free wallpapers. It is your duty to track down the hottest and coolest ones so you can amaze your friends on a daily basis – or waste valuable work time, however you look at it! But as we said above, we would love to see what you are working with so upload a screenshot of your desktop to your favorite photo sharing site and link us to it in the comments! em>Got Tech Questions? Ask Them on MakeUseOf Answers! Related posts
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