Fun

Warning Alpha software ahead! This is not for the faint of heart!  If you ever wanted to record TV or shows on your computer, but were unable to set aside a computer to run Linux, then have I got news for you! Myth TV is coming to Windows.  They have used the MinGW envrionment to [...]

This entry is about an open source tool, that some friends of mine would have appreciated !  These friends were writing a play, a book, and what they hoped to be the great American novel.  This software StoryBook is the open source equivalent of an outliner for story or play writing.  This software provides facilities [...]

This open source application call Mediacoder can be used in batch mode to convert, music files of one format to another format. I have used this software to convert APE files to FLAC so I don’t have to use wxMusik, or Media Player Classic just for the APE files, while I prefer to [...]

MediaPortal is open source software that can be downloaded and will allow you to record your shows on the computers hard drive and watch them later. The list of supported cards that are recommended includes the Fire DTV, Floppy DTV, and LifeView FlyTV. The Nice thing about using the Fly TV is the [...]

This isn’t an Open Source tool, but it’s still useful for us music people who don’t want no stinking DRM! Here comes DVD Jon to the rescue…
This is a freeware tool from DoubleTwist that allows people to copy or sync media from one device to another.
ArsTechnica has an article here.
CNET has an article here.

This entry is about a suite of audio research, analysis, and transform software that is brought to you by the good people of Barcelona Spain and Santa Barbara, California. But no need to worry for us ugly americans their website, and software are in English. The software contains several tools that will allow the [...]

This night’s entry is about a previously commercial application whose developer just stopped, and then the project was picked up by a community and made into an open source (LGPL) project. This application can be found around the web at several locations, so you can start by looking here and here. Both of [...]

Today’s entry is an update of an old favorite: Hangman! That’s right, along with Monopoly, Battleship, and umpteen other old fashioned games we grew up with, this game has been computerized! The improvements in this case include English and Spanish vocabularies. While this game is not Open Source, it is free for non [...]

After a long period of absence due to looking for a permanent position I will be adding to this blog on at least a weekly basis since I will no longer have to be gone on weekends searching for housing in different areas of the country. A Job finally opened up in my local [...]

Can you believe that I actually entitled this summer as being boring? Don’t you believe the boring part — between church, my children’s activities, and my job, I have so little boring spare time. I can’t even play “Supreme Commander,” for which I bought an NVidia 8600 GT upgrade video card to put in my [...]

I have recently needed to convert graphics information into data that I could feed into another program. This program of was of great help since, all I needed to do was scan the graphics into a BMP, and then feed that BMP file into this application and out can the data. I know [...]

I have been really busy with work, and keeping up with taxes. Now that I am a contractor and not a full time employee, I have to deal with quarterly taxes, while at the same time filing my taxes. Fortunately for me I chose to use H & R Block’s Web service, and [...]

Well it has been nearly four weeks since I was laid off, and I am still looking far and wide for a job. I have a few phone interviews, but still no actual offers. Since I have received an actual unemployment check, it has really hit home that i am completely and utterly [...]

I came across this library, and it keeps getting updated, so I thought I would bring this library of public domain clip art to everyone’s attention. The wpClipArt web site is located here. The maintainer of this library is quite adept and has made a great deal of effort in making everything [...]

Today’s installment will be my last on this subject for a while. I will be moving onto another category of Open Source applications. I am not tired of this subject, I have just exhausted my repository of saved information, and since I am trying to find work I don’t have a lot of [...]

This entry is about two more Java programs that help memorize facts, or vocabulary using the Leitner Flash Card method. The two applications are called jMemorize and jVLT ( java Vocabulary Learning Tool). The nice thing about the other programs was that the Web site acted as a collection point for lessons, but [...]

This entry continues my current series on learning programs. This installment is about Asymptopia software that include TuxMathScrabble, Multiplication Station, and Crossword Builder. These applications together teach mostly multiplication, using flash cards, or crossword type puzzles. The home website for these programs is here. But you have to use the [...]

Today’s installment is another entry in my series about learning tools that can be used on your computer. These programs are of the same type since they are all flash card type programs, but one is sophisticated enough to allow you to include pictures and some sounds. Some of the programs have lessons, like capitals, [...]

The next series of entries will all be children’s learning games. These fall into several categories, adventure, puzzle solving, typing, and zappers. My children have played them all from Winnie the Pooh, to various science oriented puzzle games, to the Magic School Bus Games. None of the games that I will be [...]

This entry will be really short since I am coming to the end of my energy.
The first game is a real treat and that is jRisk, The Risk(tm) board game on a computer written in java, and there are maps that are different from reality as well. For use chemically inclined individuals [...]