MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [January 1st]” plus 4 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [January 1st]
- 3 Web-Based Tools that Generate Awesome Tag Clouds
- Hot Tech Deals [Jan 1st]
- Pinta – A Simple, Cross Platform Image Editing Program
- 20+ Free Printable Calendars & Planners For 2011
| Cool Websites and Tools [January 1st] Posted: 01 Jan 2011 07:31 PM PST
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. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
    
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| 3 Web-Based Tools that Generate Awesome Tag Clouds Posted: 01 Jan 2011 05:30 PM PST
This post is meant not only to show you the tools that will build an awesome tag cloud for you but also to inspire you and share various creative ways to use those tools. For example, you can create infographics to visualize your point and make your message easier to deliver. Besides, you should also check this post on how tag clouds may be useful. 1. Tagul: Create and Embed Interactive Tag CloudsTagul (view previous MUO review of Tagul) is a multi-feature tag cloud generator that requires registration and allows you to build beautiful clouds and embed them on your blogs. Build and customize your awesome tag cloudCore Options:
View the generated tags in a separate tab; you can delete any of them if you wish:
The resultAfter you build your tag cloud and are fully satisfied with what you see in the preview, save all the changes in the “Preview” tab and embed the tag cloud to your page. You can view my tag cloud live here (Feel free to hover over any tag to see it dance):
2. Wordle: Beautiful Tag Clouds as Downloadable ImagesWordle (see previous MUO review of Wordle) is another great tool for creating beautiful tag clouds. Here are some awesome ideas on how you can use the tool creatively:
Build and customize your tag cloudThe tool very fast and allows to set quite a few options:
Very similar tool: ABC Ya (actually, this one has almost the same functionality). Another more simplistic but still fun one: Word Mozaic – it allows to choose among the huge number of forms and symbols and creates very appealing tag clouds as downloadable .gif images:
3. Tagxedo: Build Awesome InfographicsTagxedo (see our previous review of TagXedo here) is the most powerful tools in terms of the look and feel of your tag cloud. It builds typography artworks. If you ever run out of ideas on how to use the tool, be sure to check out these 101 ways to have fun with it. As with the above tools, this one lets you upload the text or generate it from the URL. However, Tagxedo has more powerful filtering options where you can:
Besides that, the tool offers a huge variety of fonts, themes, color palettes, etc. Its most powerful feature is the great range of cloud shapes to choose from:
The result can be embedded (using the iFrame) or saved in the gallery (with the link to the live tag cloud). Mine is here by the way.
Can you think of other ways these fun web applications could come in really handy? Please share them in the comments! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| Posted: 01 Jan 2011 12:15 PM PST
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated. Keep reading to find out today’s Hot Tech Deals.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Pinta – A Simple, Cross Platform Image Editing Program Posted: 01 Jan 2011 11:30 AM PST
But even if you don’t use Linux, you just might find Pinta to be your new favorite free image editor. It’s fast, functional and gets the job done. If you’ve used Paint.net, or even Photoshop before, you’ll probably not have any trouble finding anything. But if you haven’t, consider Pinta a fantastic introduction to what photo editing software can do that’s not too cofusing to use. Toolkit
Fire up Pinta for the first time and the interface will largely look familar. It’s not that different, at first glace, from Microsoft Paint: toolkit on the left, layers and history on the right, image in the center. The toolkit should be familar to you, even if the only photo editing tool you’ve ever used is Microsoft Paint. If not, don’t worry: hovering over a given tool will cause a helpful popup to appear:
The menu is also worth browsing; you’ll find many useful things there. Rotating the image, viewing options, and various effects all await you. You can also adjust the curves and colors, which is very useful should you need to correct a photo in this regard:
I could go on, but it’s best to just fire up the program and explore yourself. I highly recommend playing with the various effects to get an idea of what’s possible. Whether you want to make your photo look like an oil painting or just remove red eye from a family portrait, there’s lots to explore there. LayersIf you’ve ever really gotten into photo editing, you know that layers are essential. Whether you’re trying to add elements to photos or simply stylize, the concept of layers become crucial very quickly. Pinta supports this, putting it above the simplest image editing software.
Even with this seeming complexity, however, Pinta is a piece of software the average computer user should have no trouble at all using. Even the way layers is done is very easy to understand and use, if you experiment with it. HistoryAnother indispensable tool for image editing is your history. This allows you to see all the changes you’ve made while editing your image, and to roll them back at will.
This is self-explanatory, but very important if you like to experiment a great deal with your images. Note, however, that the current release of Pinta stores you entire history in the RAM, meaning this program will take up a lot of memory very quickly. Installing PintaWant to get started? Head over the Pinta’s official web site. You’ll find installation files for Ubuntu, Mac and Windows, which is the best way to get started. The currrent incarnation of Pinta is only the beginning, so if you’re not quite happy with what you see here be sure to check back again in a couple of months. Dynamic projects like this can be a lot of fun to watch, and really represent the power of open source at its best! Oh, and if you’re a Linux user not quite dedicated to the idea of installation, I highly recommend you download the program over at PortableLinuxApps.org. It’s the place to find Linux downloads the work on every distro, and it couldn’t be easier to use. So, what do you think of Pinta? Please share in the comments below. Also feel free to represent other free image editing programs, because I and our readers always love to learn about new software! Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
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| 20+ Free Printable Calendars & Planners For 2011 Posted: 01 Jan 2011 09:31 AM PST
If you don’t have a colour printer, or are looking for something as simple as it gets, take a look at these 10 suggestions on where you can get printable calendars online. 12 Page CalendarsNoise To SignalCartoonist Rob Cottingham is sharing a 2011 wall calendar that can be downloaded from SlideShare or his website. Social media addicts will appreciate the humour taken from Rob’s cartoon strip, Noise to Signal.
My Owl BarnMy Owl Barn has released a gorgeous 12 page calendar filled with owl related images from various artists. With 30 images to choose from, you can also determine the exact order they’ll appear in, or download their ready-made calendar.
Doodle CalendarCreative Mamma has put out a free printable Doodle Calendar for 2011.
Big Huge LabsIf you’d rather use your own images, Big Huge Labs make it easy to use your own pictures from Flickr, Facebook, or your computer.
Alice CantrellAnother beautifully artistic calendar can be downloaded from Alice Cantrell’s website. The calendar includes lunar phases, and comes with a cover and band, making it possible to gift the calendar.
Blog Guide BookBlog Guide Book have an illustrated calendar available for download for free. It’s a huge 243MB file but definitely worth the download.
Blue Ant StudioBlue Ant Studio have made it a tradition to release a free 12 page calendar every year, and 2011 is no exception. The 2011 Calendar is available on Flickr.
One Page CalendarsCompact CalendarSee the entire year at a glance with David Sheah’s Compact Calendar. If you want to keep yourself particularly organised, glue the calendar to a lined sheet of paper to neatly jot down your notes.
Grafish DesignPossibly the smallest calendar you’ll ever find, Grafish Design’s aptly named Small Calendar is a wallet sized 4.4×7.6 cm.
Yasmina MoyaAvailable in Spanish on Flickr, Yasmina Moya is offering a set of 4 interesting one page calendars with black and white photography.
If you’d like to put together your own one page calendar with a personalised photo try Yearly Calendar Maker. Monitor StripCraft Meister’s 2011 Monitor Strip Calendars are perfect for sticking above your computer monitor. They are available in a variety of colours and sizes.
Bunny CalendarA great option for kids, the printable Bunny Colouring Calendar will give your children the opportunity to colour in their own calendar.
Bookmark CalendarThese free printable bookmark calendars measure just 1/2×7 inches and are available in English and Spanish. The text on the bookmarks and the title are editable.
3D & DIY CalendarsCloveredFor the more artistically inclined, Clovered is offering three free printable calendars. The first, a pop-up calendar will take a bit of effort on your part but the end result is perfect for parents who want a cute calendar their kids will appreciate.
For something a little simpler, you could also try the P The Reindeer Boy calendar.
And lastly, their printable Pocket Calendar is the easiest option available.
Dodecahedron Cube CalendarPut your paper folding skills to the test with Craft Meister’s Dodecahedron Cube Calendar. The calendar is available in a variety of colours.
Accordion CalendarPaper Foldable’s Accordion Calendar is available for download here. The PDF doesn’t come with any instructions so you’re pretty much on your own figuring out how to put it together.
Mini Laundry CalendarUsing a combination of wire, miniature clothes pegs and linen paper, you can put together one of the cutest DIY calendars for 2011, the Mini Laundry Calendar.
Journals & DiariesWisdom JournalThe Wisdom Journal is a planner and calendar rolled into one. With one page for each month, you will find a space to fill out a mission statement, a 3 to 5 year plan, a 6 month plan, and a one month plan, along with a calendar. It also features a two sheet weekly planner, and detailed task list.
2011 DiaryIf you’d rather have a diary for the entire year, there is an A5 diary available for download as a Word document here. With the cost and paper involved in printing out this kind of diary, it may just be easier to purchase a planner or diary from any stationery store.
Have you already downloaded your free printable calendar for 2011? Let us know where you got it in the comments. Image credit: Shutterstock NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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If you’re in the market for a new computer, laptop, mobile phone, games and other accessories; don’t waste your time searching online. We’ve taken the liberty of locating the best tech deals and unifying them into a single post for your convenience.
With 2011 upon us, if you haven’t already bought yourself a planner or wall calendar, you might want to look at a few of these DIY free printable calendars. Some of them will require a little bit of effort on your part, but the final product will definitely be worth it. If you don’t have the time for paper crafts, just print one of the ready-made calendars or planners.
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