KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for August 31, 2002

Readerware - Charles in San Francisco

Charles in San Francisco told me about Readerware. I'm a book, music, and video collector, so it sounded really interesting. I gave it a GOOD test run, and am floored by this product.

It's a "must have" for collectors of books, music or videos. If you've ever tried to catalog a collection, it's a real pain. Most cataloging software you find doesn't really have what you need in terms of fields. I've even developed my own databases in Access, and that's a real pain. The guys at Readerware have really thought it through, and the fields, out of the box, are fine.

For example, the fields for the video database are: ...and you can order right from within the program.

Now the crazy part. It took me 15 minutes to catalog close to 200 DVDs.

Readerware uses ISBNs for books, and UPCs for music and video, and pulls all of the data from the web sites you select (Amazon, Tower, Library of Congress, etc.) You enter the number, it grabs the data.

Still - for 200 DVDs, that's a lot of typing. Well, I didn't type at all. Readerware supports BAR CODE SCANNERS. I didn't own one, but bought a CueCat for about $10 on eBay. It worked great. I'd swipe the bar codes into the software and let it go get the information.

This is absolutely killer for collectors. It's not cheap, but absolutely a bargain.

Thanks, Charles!

NewsInformers - Solinas

I visit a few news sites on a regular basis. A guy I know used to visit a lot more. He automated his news search, and released a new site.

NewsInformers was just released this week. that goes out, taps over 200 news sites and gives you the headlines. The main page shows the top 150 headlines, and the source.

The headlines are structured in a directory, with subdirectories, to make headline scanning easier. Click on a headine, and you're directed to a deep link on the hosting news site.

Whether you are into sports, technology, entertainment, or business, this site is for you.

I'll be browsing this site daily. Give it a look.

Ascii Generator - BimrJim

Bimr Jim says: "I finally found a site to do the stuff I used to spend 'quite a bit of time' to do by hand. Just type in a word or phrase and select the 'type style' and it's done. The site is in Germany and they call it ASCII Generator. Also sometimes called Figlet. Easier to show than describe. And definitely a bookmark for me."

I've seen other ascii picture generators, but this is the best. You type in the text, and select the "style", and it gives you the ascii picture. There are 136 different fonts. You can also easily "stretch" and reverse your text. Very cool.

Great for spicing up your emails. Give it a try.

Thanks, BimrJim!

Web Toolbox (Win and Mac) - Charles in San Francisco

Web Toolbox is one of those hard to find sites with something for everyone. It covers both Mac and Windows software.

There's software for:

Unlike most Windows/Mac sites, this one is MOSTLY MAC. Give it a look.

Thanks, Charles!

I Should Be Working (.com) - Solinas

"I should be working" is the ultimate time wasting site. It's filled with stuff to waste time on:

If things are slow at work, give this a look.

Free For All!

"Free For All" picks are hot, FREE items or services. It can be software, online services, you name it - but it's got to be free, with no strings attached.

Knowledge Base Alerts - Dyno Don

Dyno Don says: "I use this site to keep up to date on MS stuff. Very helpful and you can beas specific as you want."

Don continues: "Every day I scan Microsoft's knowledge base to find new support articles. Now I can receive Free Email Alerts every time Microsoft Publishes NEW Support or KB Articles."

This is very cool, especially because it is so configurable. You get get ALL alerts, or pick as many topics as you want from Access to Works. Even Pandora's box.

This is a must-subscribe for IT folks, computer techs, and serious computer users. Check it out.

Thanks, Dyno Don!

Diet Kaza - Solinas

Diet Kaza is a program for Kazaa users who don't want spyware. Diet Kaza:

This is a must download for file sharing people. Check it out.

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This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 2002 by Michael A. Solinas.