Great Software & Services

02 Nov 2007

Ok, granted that I may be considered a computer oriented person and that I will very (veeeeeeeeeery) often be found in the presence of my beloved laptop. That, in addition to my “go digital” approach to anything that could be more ecological in digital format, has made me explore a lot of what is available on and offline for my daily “stuff”.

Anyway, I have compiled a list of services (all free or close to it) that have become a part of my life, and I would like to recommend them to all. Most of them are extremely user friendly and easy to use.

Here’s a list and a short “why I use it”:

43 Places: 43 Places lets you explore the world and connect with the places you have already been to and the places you would like to go to. Not only you can create your own profile of travel aspirations and accomplishments, but you can also communicate with people who may be able to provide you information and help about the places.
43 Things: 43 Things provides you with tools to reach your goals and connect with other people trying to accomplish the same as you.
del.icio.us: It no longer makes sense to save your bookmarks locally on your computer. Why? Because you cannot access them if your away from it. That’s how delicious helps you. You can take your bookmarks with you wherever you go!
FileZilla: Great Open Source FTP Client.
Firefox: Best browser. What more can I say? Want more security when you are browsing? Switch to Firefox now!
Geni: Genealogy has become more than a hobby to me and Geni helps me to not only organize and store genealogical information, but also invite my family members so they can help me as well. Social networking-meets-genealogy.
GimpShop: Awesome Open Source image editor. You no longer have to go bankrupt just to have an image editing software such as Photoshop!
GMail: If you know me and don’t have a Gmail account yet, you must have had to “bear” my attempts to “convert” you to Gmail. I love Gmail. I use all the tools. The Calendar, Documents… you name it. I also use Google’s Apps to have my gmail using my own domains! It’s great!
Google Talk: Google talk is giving Skype some healthy competition. I have found the pc-to-pc calls on it sometimes better than Skype. It is also convenient, because it is associated to your gmail account.
Joe’s Goals: Joe’s Goals is a wonderful service for keeping track of your goals and progress in any aspect of your life. It has really helped me a lot to keep track of those important little things (such as drink enough water) that we tend to forget.
LastFM: Lastfm is a great service to keep a record and reference of your musical taste. It also has a few aspects of social networking, but in general it’s a great place to listen to new and your favorite music.
Notepad++: This guy is great! I make all my websites “on him”. It’s a great Open Source text editor.
Open Office: Not a fan of Microsoft? Here’s an Open Source alternative for the Office package.
Picasa: Picasa is another great tool that carries the Google brand. It is excelent to organize photos, and as I have lots, it’s been wonderful to have it.
Simplepie: Simplepie is a robust feed tool. I use it to show my latest work and the many other little lists on this blog.
Skype: Telefone? No way! Skype for sure.
TextPattern: This is the most wonderful CMS ever! My favorite and most loved. This whole site is powered by it.
Wikipedia: The greatest communal encyclopedia!