Dakota Today

**Some more software which may be useful

Opera software has been around for years.  It is a relatively compact web browser with built-in mail programs and more.  Some features not in Firefox of Internet Explorer, but also some of their features not in Opera.  A new version is available.  Try it, you may like it.  Incidentally, a new version of Firefox is said to be coming out in a few days.

Info and download Opera 9.5 .. now free

And by golly, it came out of Norway and is better than lutefisk.

 And, some accounting software that appears to be more powerful than what I need, but which may be useful to some. There do not appear to be a lot of freeware accounting software programs for Windows systems. I have installed it on a computer, but really have not used the program made by Turbo Cash

 I might do more with it, but right now an old version of Quickbooks does as much as we need.
 Turbo Cash Accounting Software Info and Download Links

Your mileage may vary on all software and freeware is sometimes better than commercial software, and sometimes it is just good enough.
**Stay tuned even if your checkbook never balances quite right and you are just plenty happy with a huge Microsoft browser--- Doug Wiken

**Some useful and interesting software and an "edu" ultimate deal

In a previous post, I noted that Microsoft Vista is so huge and ungainly without significant improvements ...apparently...because The South Dakota Moderate dumped his PC in favor of a Mac after tangling with Mr. Gate's latest OS. In the other direction of huge and ungainly are the very, very small programs written in assembler language that do a lot.

The GUN is a very small text editor and viewer which dramatically contrasts with more than a few Microsoft programs. It isn't loaded with features, but does a lot considering its size. This would be a good simple text editor for USB flash drives. Check it if for no other reason than to see what a very small program can do.
New Window LINK to THE GUN Homepage and Download site

"GUN" is an acronym of some sort that has "Notepad" in the title, but I can't find the reference now. There are more programs and information at the homepage NWLINK to "High Velocity" software

Another program that just has an odd name, but works despite the name is "THE EGG" which is actually an "Easy Gallery Generator" for webpages with photos. Not huge and pretty basic, but it does work, but read the help information and keep your image size a bit smaller unless you want your readers to have to scroll to find the "Next" and "Previous" buttons.
NWLINK to "Ian's Homepage (with EGG info)

And while I am dinking around with odd software, you might as well take a look at "Space Jock's Software".
NWLINK to Space Jock Software

Take a look at YBOOK, YREAD, and YWRITE you might find them interesting and useful.

BUT, if you are a college student taking even an hour or two of course work but have a valid "edu" e-mail address, you may be interested in the "Ultimate Deal" from Microsoft. Apparently $670 worth of software for something like $67. Almost enough to make you wish you were back in college...well maybe not. Time may have run out on this deal or it may be soon over, so if you qualify and are even remotely interested, better check this deal right away.

NWLINK to Student Ultimate Software Deal for MS Office

And, how about Hillary and Obama and Bill in South Dakota? One would never suspect that they were in South Dakota by listening to their speechs which have strong links to South Dakota which I would guess all of them would soon forget about if they actually got into ..or were..in the White House.

**Stay tuned for more usual fare. I just haven't had the stomach for listening to much of the obvious pandering-- Doug Wiken

**Jumping off the Microsoft Vista Sinking Ship ..floating off on a MAC

The South Dakota Moderate blogger has had enought of Mr. Gates Microsoft Vista operating system.
SD Moderate gives up on MS Vista

He gave up and bought an Apple Mac.

I have yet to read one good comment of consequence about MS Windows Vista operating system.
It sounds as if it is a system bloated with options nobody needs and that the OS demands system resources beyond the performance of the OS.

I think most of us want a system that can be installed and then keeps running and that allows all e-mail and web browsers to run without problems and can run programs like Irfanview, Quickbooks, text editors, etc. Nothing exotic. Regular OS updates that require powerful new computers or expensive upgrades to function worse than old OS versions are simply revenue generators that show contempt for computer users.

It is time for massive shifts by governments to LINUX and Opensource Office etc. The demands that college students and state employees use Microsoft products add a tremendous amount of expense for students, parents, and taxpayers.

Software developers can do us all a favor by refusing to produce products that require MS Vista. Microsoft also needs to be far less greedy on pricing its office software. Years ago, a functioning up-to-date computer cost 10 times as much as the MS software. Now, the software may cost twice as much as the computer.

**Stay tuned even if you are reading a blog that is edited with a $25 used school surplus computer with Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird-- Doug Wiken

**Let's think about thinking

I woke up this morning with parts of an old Bob Lumen song running through my
head as I thought about three software products.

Let's think about living
Let's think about loving
Let's think about the whoopin' and hoppin and boppin' and the lovie, lovie
dovin'
Let's forget about the whinin' and the cryin'
And the shooting and the dying
And the fellow with a switchblade knife
Let's think about living
Let's think about life.

http://www.lyrics007.com/Bob%20Luman%20Lyrics/Let's%20Think%20About%20Living%20Lyrics.html
New Window LINK to text link for song above

http://snipurl.com/252g4

Philosopher and mathematician Descartes apparently concluded, "I Think therefore I am." I guess "I am" means living, so if we are thinking about living, we are also thinking about thinking. Recent articles in WIRED magazine concerned thinking under the "Get Smarter" cover. The May 2008 set of stories was in the usual fashion for WIRED, a bit flippant, but also with some interesting information.

The cover also brought back a memory from 1958 or 1959 at Wakonda Public School. The May 2008 WIRED cover shows a dude with a helmet of sorts with lights, spark plugs, wires, meters, circuit boards, etc sticking out in all directions. Reminded me of highschool and college friend Robert "Bob" Rederick whose interest in radio and electronics caused him to put on a cap one day in study hall that was complete with wiring and glass radio or TV tubes, capacitors, coils, etc wired on top. No pictures of that humbug exist. The study hall laughter generated a near instant very negative response from the teacher.

Neither the teacher nor Rederick (or any of those of us laughing at the time) probably realized Rederick was about 50 years ahead of the "cutting edge" of nerdy media graphics.

Anyway, one of the stories in the WIRED May 2008 issue memory special is titled "The Memory Master" (pages 118 to 125). It is about Polish psychologist Piotr Wozniak and his memory jogger, learning enhancer software Super Memo.

New Window LINK to Super Memo

According to the WIRED story and the website, SuperMemo helps a person learn and remember. Old and new data from psychology research back to 1888 shows we learn or "memorize" information, but then forget much of it if we don't use the information or concept everyday. SuperMemo is designed to time your re-enforcement of the memory, ideas, concepts just at the right time. That right time is just as you are on the edge of forgetting or misplacing the information in your brain..

SuperMemo handles the timing and reminding if you can use it correctly with honest assessments of your memory.

The article and software site is interesting. But, I don't know anybody who has actually tried SuperMemo. It certainly looks like it might be the kind of software that the great state of South Dakota might want on every high school and college students computer.
NOTE: A google search that found this post here at Dakota Today also found this link on learning and SuperMemo: NWL to Sharp Bean Blog on Learning, etc The home link to Sharp Bean might be worth bookmarking too:
Sharp Bean Blog

Meanwhile, a post was made here at Dakota Today by Shimon Sofer who is part of an Israeli software company selling a product called "42Tags". It is a kind of database using a "tag" system for storage of document scans, files, images into "packages" of information with and easy search system. It does not appear to have a text editing function so that your own writing or notes can be saved into the package without first using a word or text processor and saved as a file. The "42Tags" system seems to have promise. Note, Sofer indicated in his post that the program will be available free until May 1, but buried in the fine print is "or until 1000" free copies have been distributed. It appears at the site that the 1000 total has already been reached. NOTE: I received e-mail from Shimon Sofer this morning (April 21, 2008) indicating that free authorization will continue until May 1 without regard to the 1000 copies limitation. Looks like an opportunity to me. Seems fair too that if you get it an like it that you tell others about the software.

Scramble to the link and download-- New Window LINK to 42Tags Site and Software

Now, another big however. For years, I have been using off and on a "daily journal" kind of software called "THE JOURNAL by David RM Software. It allows storage of your writing, your images, your imported files, etc and also has a good search system. With an add in or some modest changes, THE JOURNAL software might do everything that the two products above appear to do. So also take a look at THE JOURNAL site.
This is good software that is regularly updated with suggestions from users. I have had an ad for it on Dakota Today, but it apparently never generated one sale for THE JOURNAL which did surprise me. Even
so, below is a link without any ad revenue associated with it for Dakota Today:
New Window LINK to THE JOURNAL software by DavidRM NOTE: Free 45 day trial period of THE JOURNAL is available.

So, what do you have to say about learning, memory, and related software..or NOT? Comments here are pretty much open if they are relevant and not loaded with insults to me or others.

**Stay tuned even if your area is filled with smoke like the air is here today from a fire somewhere to the south..perhaps Kansas--- Doug Wiken

**New software use by trials and terrors system

I have been spending more time than I ever guessed would be required to do something which seemed as if it would be relatively simple before I got into the middle of using some new software.

Over the years, I have found a lot of good shareware and freeware software mixed in with a lot of trash on some computer magazine CDs and some sites. I am trying to put the best (at least in my estimation) of them onto a CD with a simple menu system for installation, etc. That requires some software and in searching I did not find any actual freeware that would do that. I purchased software which seems to be working, but not nearly as easily as is portrayed on the software developer's site. "Big surprise NOT" I would guess most readers might say.

Anyway, if I can continue to make some progress on this, perhaps in a week or so, I will have such a software CD put together. If something like that for around five dollars interests you, let me know. That might provide a bit more inspiration. Categories now include video tools and viewers, graphics tools and viewers, file and file directory tools, word and text editors, anti-spyware, browsers, e-mail, blog tools, and some links, etc. Not everything is locked down in concrete bytes yet however. Below is an image I was unable to incorporate well.

So, the posts might be a bit on the short side here for a few days...and I don't want to hear any ..."ah, blessed relief" remarks.

**Stay tuned. Patience really is a virtue--- Doug Wiken

**Catch 22...get your credit report online

A few posts ago, I put in a LINK for getting your credit report. I had time to dink around tonight. Thought I would see if I could get it. A few questions must be answered. Unfortunately, old mailbox addresses in a rural area don't have street addresses to go with them. I also don't carry old credit cards, but credit card numbers also did not match. Hmmm. Then if you have a problem, they request your current address information again.

This has the appearance of a Catch 22 circle that never ends. Free credit reports that are impossible to get are just about worthless. In any case, I have more credit than I feel like using right now with the economy as it is.

I suspect a local banker could push one key on a keyboard and get the information, but then would refuse to share the information. Oh well. Another service demanded by the federal government of big business and banking that doesn't work for the little guy. Big surprise.

Now, if I could figure out where to report the slimy assholes who borrowed machinery, failed to return it, and failed to pay the agreed upon machine rental....... but my guess is that would be even more difficult without a Dun and Bradstreet rating or some such. Better things to do anyway. There are ratholes that need sand pounded into them somewhere.

All this is, however, nickel and dime stuff compared to the Bush economy falling apart and TV news just reported wheat prices are up and oh,my god, flour has increased in price. Bread and water won't even be affordable.

***Stay tuned even if you have already shredded all your credit cards--- Doug Wiken

**None of the Above

The big money in big politics is making me think we need a "None of the Above" option on every ballot to send a message that we are not fooled by fraudulent choices generated by huge campaign funds and corporate media horse-race reporting. The cartoon*** suggests the attitude of our national business parties to those of us who vote ...some of us holding our noses every two years or four years.

For many years, when anybody suggested "None of the above" as a ballot choice, my general optimism and faith in the system caused me to think the idea was not good policy or good sense. But, recent primaries and general elections have made the option seem more attractive.

Democrats in other states for reasons that seem only explained by the tendency of the corporate media to fixate on personalities, fame, and two horse horse races have ignored or nearly ignored John Edwards and a couple of other Democrats who seemed to me to actually have rational positions on actual issues.

But, we now have Obama and Hillary as choices. They are each better than any of the surviving Republicans, but Obama wants to build bridges to failed Republican policies, and Hillary has bridges and moats in every direction depending on which way the wind blows and which primary she happens to be in.

"None of the Above" would at least send a message to the corporate media and the corporate politicians that we have had it with choices that require holding out noses in the ballot booth never feeling we have voted for the best choice, but merely avoided the worst choice.

I suspect in any case that whatever is "UnBush" will win wherever the distinction can be made.

****And, about the cartoon. It was in a computer magazine advertising "precision gaming tools"..perhaps for a gamer's keyboard. If you are curious about what they are actually trying to sell with the cartoon (and I doubt "None of the Above" is what they are thinking), check their site. Tell them if you like their cartoon.
New Window LINK to IDEAZON.COM

And, what about them gun-slinging college students ready to be the posse universitus or something in the legislators absurd plan to deter Virginia-style killing on the campuses. I wonder how they feel about allowing any citizen or group of citizens moving into the state capitol to protect the Governor and legislators from raging citizens whose oxen have been gored multiple times and whose wheels still squeak no matter how virtuous there cause or unfair their plight.

**Stay tuned, there might even be some real news in South Dakota besides legislative lunacy--Doug Wiken

**Some freeware software

I have used FastStone Capture for sometime, but it has now converted to a for sale
rather than free program. The last PC World magazine noted a free screen capture
utility with some editing options. I downloaded it last night and have not played much
with it, but it appears to allow adding bubbles and other "stamps" which can be used
to add text to captured images, etc. Might be useful. Has a tabbed interface for multiple
captures and editing.

http://www.xydownload.com/easycapture/
New Window LINK to Download EASYCAPTURE

The xydownload site has a lot of other stuff. Some free and some for sale. I have no
idea if it is good, bad, or indifferent quality however.

PC World magazine also mentioned a text editor which they claimed was small enough
to run on a small flash drive and leave room for some of the text it produced.

http://www.find.pcworld.com/59256
New Window LINK to PCWORLD for JARTE wordprocessor
If that link does not work, try
New Window LINK to PCWORLD DOWNLOADS

You may find the software useful. I may use the capture utility to generate a phot-Toon one of these days.

)))) Stay tuned even if all your bases don't belong to Microsoft-- Doug Wiken

**New toy and new legislature..no one is safe

Recently I purchased a new toy. It is a Lite-On device which can copy DVD's to VHS tapes and vice versa as well as move broadcast TV to a DVD. It actually works. I bought it primarily to copy some old VHS tapes of weddings, etc to DVD format in the hope they might be more permanent.

The ability to copy broadcast TV to a DVD has one more use I was not even thinking about when I bought it. I have admit I first bought another device, but it relied on VHS tape players and both mine died within minutes of trying to use them again. They had been used for only a few video tapes too. The other use is that once on a DVD, the computer DVD program allows capturing frames from the video.

I first tried that yesterday when the device managed to get SDPB broadcast of Governor Rounds State of the State speech to a DVD. Had to see if it would be viewable in a computer and then noticed the frame capture option of the program. It copies to bitmap images which are huge, but can be converted to jpg format. Below is a photo of the SD legislature as Rounds addressed them yesterday Jan 8, 2008.

This device (if it keeps working) will be useful for getting timely images into this blog. As for comments on the Rounds SOS speech, they will be coming tomorrow. I am ready to do something else besides post here tonight even if the Rounds idea that farmers and ranchers just don't pay enough to educate the children of city and town residents is absurd and the regressive taxation using sales and property taxes distorts all kinds of issues and programs.

**Stay tuned even if technology and related devices leave you bored searching for something else to read---Doug Wiken

**The History of What You are Reading

Dakota Today has been around now for several years. Prior to that I had a blogger blog or two or more and a blog through Salon using the Radio blog system. I have played with a couple other blog systems as well. Citizen Cites was my first attempt and kept that going until blogger became incompatible with W98. It is still there however.

But, more to the point of what is actually important compared to my modest efforts to get blogging going in South Dakota is the actual history of Web logs or web-blogs or simply blogs. This post is not just about South Dakota Blogging, but also about blogging as a content management system and the general history of blogging. According to NPR yesterday after the first two years of Weblogs existing, there were something like 23 blogs functioning. But, in the last 10 years, the number of blogs has grown into 10 million or so. But, many of them are started and then remain nearly inactive for years. Several links you may find interesting if you are at all interested in blogs as a new communications medium are listed below.

New Window LINK to Dave Winer comment on His Oldest Running Blog..Scripting News

New Window LINK to Guardian Technology on Blogging Anniversary

New Window LINK to WIRED's Optimism about blogs after 10 years

New Window LINK to Blogging as a System

E Week comment on Slashdot started by CmndrTaco

In the continuation is text from one of the links above listing some blogging "milestones"...an abbreviated history of blogs as a media system... There are better histories. Maybe someday in another post........

**Stay tuned, I may find the money to keep this going for another year or so even if John can't read all the way through the posts and Christy wants me to write nice things about George Bush or be exiled from the USA--- Doug Wiken