I've been meaning to revisit this for awhile now.
I was able to find something that worked for me. It was from [cough] Microsoft [/cough]. It's called SyncToy.
PC Magazine had it listed in their Best Free Software article earlier this year. I'm using version 1, but it has been upgraded to version 2. The software is nothing fancy, you just set up two folders to sync, and pick the type of sync you want, and that's it.
One caution: deleting or moving a folder can have disastrous consequences. Make sure you're careful, or you could inadvertently wipe out a ton of stuff. I always use the preview button, just to make sure of what I'm doing before I hit the final sync.
I mostly use it to sync specific work files to my thumbdrive, and sync that thumbdrive again on the home computer. That's what I was looking for, and SyncToy has worked great for that.
SyncToy is available for free from Microsoft.
Showing posts with label software. Show all posts
Showing posts with label software. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, December 13, 2007
$25 off Introductory Offer for Pradis
eZondervan is offering an introductory offer for Pradis. $25 off. The really great thing? There's no minimum to buy.
That's a smoking deal. For example, you can get the NASB (or NIV) for $10, UBS4 for $13.00, and still have $2.00 to put toward something else.
Gotta hurry. Offer ends December 31. This link gives the details, then allows you to click through to eZondervan.
That's a smoking deal. For example, you can get the NASB (or NIV) for $10, UBS4 for $13.00, and still have $2.00 to put toward something else.
Gotta hurry. Offer ends December 31. This link gives the details, then allows you to click through to eZondervan.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Evernote - Free for the next 5 hours
Go to the Giveaway of the Day website. You must download and install it today.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Is My Search For A Text Editor Finally Over?
I may have finally found the text editor for writing. Ironically, it looks a lot like what I used to use back in the days of 5 1/4 floppies.
JDarkRoom is a 100kb Java notepad. It's sole purpose is to envelop your screen, so that you can focus on writing. (HT: Lifehacker)
(One cool thing about Java, unlike most other software, is that it is platform independent. In non-techie, that means it runs irrespective of your operating system. So Windows users, Mac users, and even Linux guys can use it.)
There are commands, such as Ctrl-N for a new file, Ctrl-O to open (or create) a file, Ctrl-S to save it, the typical Windows cut and paste commands, and Escape exits the program.
Nothing fancy--just enough to get you started on the task of writing. Oh, and you can customize the colours (I've set mine to the good old days of the amber monochrome!).
Of course, the real irony is that this program is basically a throwback to the DOS days. Sitting here and typing this reminds me of all those hours in the early 90's spent in front of monochrome monitors, on computers with RAM-only memory, and those keyboards with the very satisfying keystroke action--you know, the ones with the ke-chung ke-chung, that the faster you typed and harder you banged on them the more they seemed to work. Now those things were made for typing lots of code. (I won't get started on EdLine--I still get shivers just thinking about it).
So Microsoft has spent billions of dollars developing Windows software, and most of us have spent more buying it, only to have someone come along and provide what amounts to a DOS emulator, so that we can limit our focus on just one thing. (As an aside, I've often wondered if Windows software has contributed to the ADD population...)
Here's the kicker: I loved DOS. Still do. There are things you can do with the command line that take so much extra effort in Windows. I even tried going back to it a year ago when a laptop I inherited flipped out, but I couldn't get used to not having the simplest of Windows conventions, things like word wrap, ctrl-del to delete a word (which is not available on JDark, either), and mouse controls. I guess I've just gotten spoiled.
Still, there's something to be said for shutting out distractions, and being alone--just you and the words. If that's what you've been missing, then I encourage you to give JDarkRoom a try.
Technorati Tags: writing, software, text editors
JDarkRoom is a 100kb Java notepad. It's sole purpose is to envelop your screen, so that you can focus on writing. (HT: Lifehacker)
(One cool thing about Java, unlike most other software, is that it is platform independent. In non-techie, that means it runs irrespective of your operating system. So Windows users, Mac users, and even Linux guys can use it.)
There are commands, such as Ctrl-N for a new file, Ctrl-O to open (or create) a file, Ctrl-S to save it, the typical Windows cut and paste commands, and Escape exits the program.
Nothing fancy--just enough to get you started on the task of writing. Oh, and you can customize the colours (I've set mine to the good old days of the amber monochrome!).
Of course, the real irony is that this program is basically a throwback to the DOS days. Sitting here and typing this reminds me of all those hours in the early 90's spent in front of monochrome monitors, on computers with RAM-only memory, and those keyboards with the very satisfying keystroke action--you know, the ones with the ke-chung ke-chung, that the faster you typed and harder you banged on them the more they seemed to work. Now those things were made for typing lots of code. (I won't get started on EdLine--I still get shivers just thinking about it).
So Microsoft has spent billions of dollars developing Windows software, and most of us have spent more buying it, only to have someone come along and provide what amounts to a DOS emulator, so that we can limit our focus on just one thing. (As an aside, I've often wondered if Windows software has contributed to the ADD population...)
Here's the kicker: I loved DOS. Still do. There are things you can do with the command line that take so much extra effort in Windows. I even tried going back to it a year ago when a laptop I inherited flipped out, but I couldn't get used to not having the simplest of Windows conventions, things like word wrap, ctrl-del to delete a word (which is not available on JDark, either), and mouse controls. I guess I've just gotten spoiled.
Still, there's something to be said for shutting out distractions, and being alone--just you and the words. If that's what you've been missing, then I encourage you to give JDarkRoom a try.
Technorati Tags: writing, software, text editors
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Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Writing and the Christian Life
For years I've dreamed of becoming a published author. And, because of my unique bent (I must be part graduate assistant or something), I invested quite a bit of time in learning about writing.
I subscribed to writing magazines, like Writer's Digest and The Writer, reading the tips and trying to gain the right mindset. I researched genres, like Science Fiction and Mystery, so that I would be as familiar and equipped as I could be to make my run at being published. I watched Book TV on CSPAN2, to hear real authors speak about their books. I listened to the audiobook for Writing Down the Bones, enduring Natalie Goldberg's Buddhist and Lesbian remarks, to try to glean tips about writing. (I got one very important thing from her, which I'll share at some point in the future.)
And then there were the books.
I started hitting up the used bookstores, trying to get my hands on books that would move me further down the path. I filled my bookshelves with books about the craft. I joined the Writer's Digest Book Club to pick up additional titles like Roget's Super Thesaurus, so that I would have the right reference tools on hand.
After that I began the quest to find the rest of the tools necessary to get the job done. I researched software, looking for the right text editor, word processor, notekeeper--anything I could find to help with my mission. Of course, on a limited budget, I didn't actually buy any software, though I did run across RoughDraft, which to this day I use to write just about everything that isn't text based--ie, needs formatting. It's free, and everyone running Windows ought to have a copy of it installed on their computer. Someday I'll finish my review of it and get it posted.
(This software search is an ongoing process, by the way. I still look for writing tools every so often, though I think I've gotten everything that's sensible; one I don't have yet is Writer's Blocks, but that's because it costs $300--that's a lot of money for virtual index cards. Don't even get me started on how many text editors I have installed on my computer...)
Here's where I need to confess something: I'm a sucker for reading about writing. I love it! Among my favorites reads on writing are (in no particular order) On Writing, by Stephen King, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit, by Lawrence Block, and Raymond Chandler's classic essay "The Simple Art of Murder," and the newsgroup musings of J. Michael Straczynski; I even have a book of "meditations for writers" called Walking on Alligators. Then of course, there is the abundance of writing books that sit untouched on my shelves, and though it's ever more likely that I won't be able to read them all, I can't bring myself to part with just yet.
But for all that effort, there was still something missing. I lacked one important element. The important element, in fact. See, in all my efforts to learn about writing, I had forgotten the cardinal rule of writing. The only one you can never break:
Writers write. And I wasn't writing.
It's cliche, I know, but true nonetheless, that for all my research, for all my books, both read and unread, I've learned more about writing by sitting in front of this screen and banging away at the keyboard than from all the rest combined.
Now at this point, some of you are saying "you're over 600 words, man, but where's the Christian life?" Others of you know where I'm going, because it's so predictably easy.
We've been talking about reading books, and about reading the Bible, but unless we're actually doing something, then it's all just an intellectual exercise. We're just going through the motions, and pretending there's something there when there's not.
Reading about Christianity, even the best books by Charnock, Owen, Calvin, and {insert theological heavyweight and/or favorite Christian author here} will not make you a Christian any more than me reading about writing made me a writer.
To be a Christian, you must have a relationship with Jesus Christ; merely passively reading books and yes, even the Bible, will do you no good if nothing happens as a result. So while I think it's great to set reading goals, and read through the Bible in a year, and all the rest, don't make the same mistake I made with writing. Earnestly pursue that relationship with him, so that your name will be published in the Lamb's Book of Life.
I subscribed to writing magazines, like Writer's Digest and The Writer, reading the tips and trying to gain the right mindset. I researched genres, like Science Fiction and Mystery, so that I would be as familiar and equipped as I could be to make my run at being published. I watched Book TV on CSPAN2, to hear real authors speak about their books. I listened to the audiobook for Writing Down the Bones, enduring Natalie Goldberg's Buddhist and Lesbian remarks, to try to glean tips about writing. (I got one very important thing from her, which I'll share at some point in the future.)
And then there were the books.
I started hitting up the used bookstores, trying to get my hands on books that would move me further down the path. I filled my bookshelves with books about the craft. I joined the Writer's Digest Book Club to pick up additional titles like Roget's Super Thesaurus, so that I would have the right reference tools on hand.
After that I began the quest to find the rest of the tools necessary to get the job done. I researched software, looking for the right text editor, word processor, notekeeper--anything I could find to help with my mission. Of course, on a limited budget, I didn't actually buy any software, though I did run across RoughDraft, which to this day I use to write just about everything that isn't text based--ie, needs formatting. It's free, and everyone running Windows ought to have a copy of it installed on their computer. Someday I'll finish my review of it and get it posted.
(This software search is an ongoing process, by the way. I still look for writing tools every so often, though I think I've gotten everything that's sensible; one I don't have yet is Writer's Blocks, but that's because it costs $300--that's a lot of money for virtual index cards. Don't even get me started on how many text editors I have installed on my computer...)
Here's where I need to confess something: I'm a sucker for reading about writing. I love it! Among my favorites reads on writing are (in no particular order) On Writing, by Stephen King, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit, by Lawrence Block, and Raymond Chandler's classic essay "The Simple Art of Murder," and the newsgroup musings of J. Michael Straczynski; I even have a book of "meditations for writers" called Walking on Alligators. Then of course, there is the abundance of writing books that sit untouched on my shelves, and though it's ever more likely that I won't be able to read them all, I can't bring myself to part with just yet.
But for all that effort, there was still something missing. I lacked one important element. The important element, in fact. See, in all my efforts to learn about writing, I had forgotten the cardinal rule of writing. The only one you can never break:
Writers write. And I wasn't writing.
It's cliche, I know, but true nonetheless, that for all my research, for all my books, both read and unread, I've learned more about writing by sitting in front of this screen and banging away at the keyboard than from all the rest combined.
Now at this point, some of you are saying "you're over 600 words, man, but where's the Christian life?" Others of you know where I'm going, because it's so predictably easy.
We've been talking about reading books, and about reading the Bible, but unless we're actually doing something, then it's all just an intellectual exercise. We're just going through the motions, and pretending there's something there when there's not.
Reading about Christianity, even the best books by Charnock, Owen, Calvin, and {insert theological heavyweight and/or favorite Christian author here} will not make you a Christian any more than me reading about writing made me a writer.
To be a Christian, you must have a relationship with Jesus Christ; merely passively reading books and yes, even the Bible, will do you no good if nothing happens as a result. So while I think it's great to set reading goals, and read through the Bible in a year, and all the rest, don't make the same mistake I made with writing. Earnestly pursue that relationship with him, so that your name will be published in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My Favorite Blogging Tool
Back when I was just getting started on the blogging scene, I was casting about looking for something to help me with Haloscan comments. I came across TED Notepad, and it has since become an essential tool for me. It is on every computer that I use with any regularity and every USB drive & floppy disk that I use for writing. It's that good.
Here are some reasons I like it:
Cost
The price is right: free--like most software I use. I hate to pay for software.
Size
It's small--Only takes up about 120K; as a result, I have it loaded on every USB & Floppy I use.
Clipboards
This is why I use it for blogging. I have the HTML codes for italics, bold, & hyperlink on keyboard shortcuts. As I mentioned, this is particularly useful for Haloscan comments, which is why I draft my comments almost exclusively now in TED (anything longer than about one sentence), as well as most of my blog first drafts (I occasionally have to add things through the Blogger tools, but I still edit most everything in the HTML).
Other features I like
Minimize to tray: I love this one--this makes it useful as a notepad; I use it for my To Do list at work
Save settings on exit: you can omit this box, which will make it come up the same size every time (again, perfect for a To Do list), or else remember the last state you had it in.
Unicode support: For Win XP, you get Unicode support, so you can actually cut & paste other languages. Greek, for instance, looks like this: Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. (I don't claim to be the Unicode expert by any means, but if you choose to do this, my suggestion is to save everything as file type UTF-8. I'll tackle fonts some other time in another post, but when working in TED I prefer monospaced fonts, like Courier or Lucinda--some computers have the full fonts to recognize the letters, and others will just give you the annoying boxes).
There are many other features that are too numerous to mention; you're really only limited by your imagination.
Even if you have no interest in hand coding your blog entries and prefer a WYSIWYG editor (or even Microsoft Word), you should still pick up a copy, to use for Haloscan, or just for a better all-around notepad.
To get more information, you can visit the homepage, and here is the download page. It is constantly being updated (in fact, I just noticed there is a 5.0 release available--I have 4.5.3). If you want to edit in Unicode, make sure you download the one that is not labeled "RE Clone."
Here are some reasons I like it:
Cost
The price is right: free--like most software I use. I hate to pay for software.
Size
It's small--Only takes up about 120K; as a result, I have it loaded on every USB & Floppy I use.
Clipboards
This is why I use it for blogging. I have the HTML codes for italics, bold, & hyperlink on keyboard shortcuts. As I mentioned, this is particularly useful for Haloscan comments, which is why I draft my comments almost exclusively now in TED (anything longer than about one sentence), as well as most of my blog first drafts (I occasionally have to add things through the Blogger tools, but I still edit most everything in the HTML).
Other features I like
Minimize to tray: I love this one--this makes it useful as a notepad; I use it for my To Do list at work
Save settings on exit: you can omit this box, which will make it come up the same size every time (again, perfect for a To Do list), or else remember the last state you had it in.
Unicode support: For Win XP, you get Unicode support, so you can actually cut & paste other languages. Greek, for instance, looks like this: Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. (I don't claim to be the Unicode expert by any means, but if you choose to do this, my suggestion is to save everything as file type UTF-8. I'll tackle fonts some other time in another post, but when working in TED I prefer monospaced fonts, like Courier or Lucinda--some computers have the full fonts to recognize the letters, and others will just give you the annoying boxes).
There are many other features that are too numerous to mention; you're really only limited by your imagination.
Even if you have no interest in hand coding your blog entries and prefer a WYSIWYG editor (or even Microsoft Word), you should still pick up a copy, to use for Haloscan, or just for a better all-around notepad.
To get more information, you can visit the homepage, and here is the download page. It is constantly being updated (in fact, I just noticed there is a 5.0 release available--I have 4.5.3). If you want to edit in Unicode, make sure you download the one that is not labeled "RE Clone."
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Another Week Gone
I've been pretty worthless this week in the blogging category, but I've been writing quite a bit. I'm up to about 80 or 90 pages on my latest appraisal.
Anyway, to make it up to you faithful readers, I will point you to a cool piece of software to help your blogging and other writing.
CoolPlayer. This is a free stand-alone MP3 player that offers OGG support (hard to find, trust me). It's also tiny--584k, and it minimizes to the tray (on default, it also spins while playing something, which is kinda cool). Finally, it lets you save playlists with a touch of a button--nothing complicated about it.
Download it to your hard drive, or throw it onto a USB drive or data CD with MP3s/OGG files and you're good to go.
Update
As a bonus, here's the first cool tune you can listen to on CoolPlayer: a flamenco rendition of the (original) Spiderman theme, by David Gillis.
Anyway, to make it up to you faithful readers, I will point you to a cool piece of software to help your blogging and other writing.
CoolPlayer. This is a free stand-alone MP3 player that offers OGG support (hard to find, trust me). It's also tiny--584k, and it minimizes to the tray (on default, it also spins while playing something, which is kinda cool). Finally, it lets you save playlists with a touch of a button--nothing complicated about it.
Download it to your hard drive, or throw it onto a USB drive or data CD with MP3s/OGG files and you're good to go.
Update
As a bonus, here's the first cool tune you can listen to on CoolPlayer: a flamenco rendition of the (original) Spiderman theme, by David Gillis.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
I'm In Love With My Calculator...
...is that so wrong?
This is my new calculator.
How have I lived without this thing?
In college, my Financial Math professor warned us to make sure we knew the formulas, and so cautioned us against using the financial calculators. Being a poor college student, I was happy to oblige not having to buy one more thing for class.
Fast forward about four years to grad school. The professor suggested that we get a calculator, and the Texas Instrument BA II Plus was fairly cheap at Wal-Mart, so that was it. I did use it for my classes, but always had a hard time making the math turn out right. Plus, there are a lot of buttons to push when doing worksheet calculations. Still, it is a great value for the money, because it has so many functions, and would probably be a first or second choice for undergraduate work.
Which brings me to now. The appraisal industry has but one calculator, the HP 12c. All of the class literature I've read has warned me to make sure I know how to use it before I get there, so I've been fiddling around with it for a month.
And all I can say is where has this been all my life.
There are two highlights of the calculator: the craftsmanship, and the operation.
I like how it is made. It's sturdy, the buttons are firm and responsive, and because of its horizontal orientation, I can hold it one-handed (which, given a four-month old in the house, comes in quite handy).
But perhaps even better is the operation. The calculator operates on a principle known as Reverse Polish Notation, or RPN. If you don't know anything about RPN, try Wikipedia, the Hewlett Packard website, and the HP Calculator Museum.
Once you've read about it, may I suggest downloading a copy of an RPN calculator to try it out for yourself? My current favorite is Excalibur, downloadable here. Free to be downloaded, or you can send $5 via Paypal to the author. I hate paying for software, but I play on sending him his Fiver--it's that good.
Once you go RPN, you'll never go back.
This is my new calculator.
How have I lived without this thing?
In college, my Financial Math professor warned us to make sure we knew the formulas, and so cautioned us against using the financial calculators. Being a poor college student, I was happy to oblige not having to buy one more thing for class.
Fast forward about four years to grad school. The professor suggested that we get a calculator, and the Texas Instrument BA II Plus was fairly cheap at Wal-Mart, so that was it. I did use it for my classes, but always had a hard time making the math turn out right. Plus, there are a lot of buttons to push when doing worksheet calculations. Still, it is a great value for the money, because it has so many functions, and would probably be a first or second choice for undergraduate work.
Which brings me to now. The appraisal industry has but one calculator, the HP 12c. All of the class literature I've read has warned me to make sure I know how to use it before I get there, so I've been fiddling around with it for a month.
And all I can say is where has this been all my life.
There are two highlights of the calculator: the craftsmanship, and the operation.
I like how it is made. It's sturdy, the buttons are firm and responsive, and because of its horizontal orientation, I can hold it one-handed (which, given a four-month old in the house, comes in quite handy).
But perhaps even better is the operation. The calculator operates on a principle known as Reverse Polish Notation, or RPN. If you don't know anything about RPN, try Wikipedia, the Hewlett Packard website, and the HP Calculator Museum.
Once you've read about it, may I suggest downloading a copy of an RPN calculator to try it out for yourself? My current favorite is Excalibur, downloadable here. Free to be downloaded, or you can send $5 via Paypal to the author. I hate paying for software, but I play on sending him his Fiver--it's that good.
Once you go RPN, you'll never go back.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Calling All Dr. Who Fans
The BBC is running a radio serial of "Shada" on Sundays. It was written by the late Douglas Adams. Here is the BB7 Dr. Who homepage, and you can listen to the latest episode here.
If you're like me, and would rather take it to go (or want to listen to multiple episodes in succession), you may want to record it. If you don't have software on your computer that will record streaming audio, may I suggest Easy Radio. You can download here. Install it, then go to Stations, Add, and in the URL put this (it is the URL for the "standalone player"):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/shows/rpms/bbc7/doctor_who_shada.ram
(As an alternative you can use FreeCorder. Unlike Easy Radio, you don't have to have a URL, you just start the audio & away you go. But the free version only records for 30 minutes, only in 64K MP3, and it doesn't come preloaded with tons of radio stations. It is install & go, though; It's easy enough that eventually I might pony up $20 to upgrade.)
Still not enough Who for you? Try the Classic Dr. Who pages, where you can look look at the episode guides, watch clips from the Doctor's previous incarnations, read ebooks, and even watch (or listen to) animated webcasts.
***
Update: If you have a recorder that you like better, leave me a note in the comments. Would love to hear about it.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Bible Software Review
Bible Software Review website provides what the name implies--reviews of Bible software. I came across this site awhile ago, when it was fairly new and just starting to post reviews. Unfortunately, it appears that the number of reviews is still rather limited, and new articles are not appearing very rapidly. That said, I appreciate the author's approach--he is an advocate of using the computer to enhance Bible Study, and the site is consistent in supporting that.
But even without comprehensive reviews, there's another reason to recommend this site. The owner has interviewed the creators of different software packages (probably via e-mail questionnaire), and posted those interviews. This is a nice touch--kind of the equivalent of listening to the director's commentary on their movies.
But even without comprehensive reviews, there's another reason to recommend this site. The owner has interviewed the creators of different software packages (probably via e-mail questionnaire), and posted those interviews. This is a nice touch--kind of the equivalent of listening to the director's commentary on their movies.
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