Cheap Technology

Just for fun Wednesday

2009-04-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Today I have the best website for kids. Normally I prefer programs because Internet connections can sometimes be quirky. The way a neighbor cutting his grass at 5 AM on a Saturday is quirky. My kids beg to play what they call, "The Fish Game". Possion Rouge, which I think is French for red fish, is an interactive website for kids. It teaches them a multitude of skills. They learn colors, shapes, patterns, music, problem solving, numbers, letters, and much more. My children would lie and cheat to play it for a few more minutes. The funny thing is my wife likes to play it also.

Productivity Teusday (Because nobody gets anything done on Mondays)

2009-04-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

My mother, a teacher, says that I have ADD. That means that thoughts can often get lost in the jumble of attention that is my mind. I have used various means to keep my thoughts and life straight. I have used PDAs, mind mapping websites, personal wikis, and even folded bits of paper. I recently found MindRaide r.

A great program that lets me create an outline of information while at the same time making a mind map. The map gives me a visual to look at. It helps me focus my easily distracted mind. Also the program was easy for me to use.

Media Monday

2009-04-20T06:08:00.003-04:00

I like music. As a younger man I even tried to teach myself how to play the guitar. Then I sold the guitar at a flea market, because I never spent much time practicing. My other hobby, computers, took up more time. However I still like to listen to music and my wife can sing really well. Sometimes I get the urge to edit some music to make it fit in a video I am making or to record my children singing. There is a great program for doing that, Audacity.

Audacity can edit music or sounds and it is great for recording. My kids just love to hear themselves. With an additional download you can use it to create mp3s of your music.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a little easier.

Monday Media

2008-11-17T17:06:00.002-05:00

Today for Monday media I want to share my favorite free image editor, GIMP.
This handy program does all the things you want it to. There is a learning curve to using it. I took a picture of my daughter that my wife wanted to make certain parts only black and white and certain parts retain the color. Here is the picture before.

Here is the picture after.

It took me a while to figure out how to make the whole pic black and white. After that is was easy. If you like to edit photos, and have some time to practice then this is the program for you.

Fantastic Friday post on Sunday

2008-11-16T07:19:00.005-05:00

Oh well I meant to post this on Friday, but here it is Sunday.

Today I want to depart from the software end of technology and give you a taste of some more "real world" tech. The multi tool is the epitome of cheap technology. You get a variety of tools for a fraction of the cost. Lets start with a classic the Victorinox standard spartan.
You get the following

1.		large blade
2.		small blade
3.		corkscrew
4.		can opener with
5.		- small screwdriver 3 mm (also for Phillips screws)
6.		cap lifter with
7.		- screwdriver 6 mm
8.		- wire stripper
9.		reamer, punch
10.		key ring
11.		tweezers
12.		toothpick

Talk about a deal. You get quite a bit and for just a little money. It also saves space if you are a a neato. Can you believe you get all that and they call it spartan. Hah!

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte easier.

Random Thursday

2008-11-13T16:15:00.003-05:00

I have no idea what to post for this Thursday. So how about a little random program. I really like this one. I use it all the time. Quite often there are things on the Internet that I like to read. I may find recipes, or information that I may want to refer back to. I do not want to print it off. Usually I bookmark it, but sometimes websites go down or things get deleted so I save the page. WHen I save the page I end up with a whole mess of files on my computer. I have the page itself and then the folder for all the pics, code, and whatever. The program PrimoPDF solves all that.
After the install it sets it self up as a printer. So whatever you can print you can turn into a pdf. That means websites get turned into a single file. Much more organized. Also it makes those files you want to post on the web more accessible to others. Have a Powerpoint you want to put up just print it into a pdf. Very useful program and best of all it is free.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte easier.

Just for fun Wednesday

2008-11-12T17:39:00.003-05:00

Today I want to share a bit of technology just for fun. Being a teacher I think learning is fun. So I am sharing this free program with you. Sebran is a free program that helps teach kids numbers and words. For free it is a no frills program that does the job. My kids both love it and ask to play it pretty often. They love that Zebra.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte

Productivity Teusday (Because nobody gets anything done on Mondays)

2008-11-11T17:25:00.004-05:00

Hi and welcome to the first Productivity Tuesday post on cheap technology.

Today I am going to share the best free word processor/presenter/spreadsheet/etc. It does most of the things that Microsoft Office does and it does it for free. The program I am talking about is OpenOffice.

I have used it for about eight months and have had no need for any other products. It meets all my needs and does so wonderfully.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte

Monday Media

2008-11-10T16:58:00.008-05:00

On Mondays I plan on focusing on media and all the great cheap technology out there.

Today I am going to share with you the program that I used to transfer files from my Ipod to my computer when my computer self destructed. I had pictures and video of my son that I had not yet backed up. My wife was so happy to see the video on my Ipod that I have to save it. I scoured the Internet for a program that I could use to save my precious videos of my son. I downloaded program after program. I have an Ipod Touch and Apple does not make it easy to access the Ipod. There was no way ITunes would save it. Most of the programs I found only transfered music. One I found would transfer photos, and videos would only transfer 100 files then you had to buy the full version, or transfer each file one at a time, an arduous task at over 2000 photos/videos. I love my son, but I did not want to spend $30 for a program I was only going to use once.

Then I found TouchCopy.

You can use it for free for 15 days. Then you have to pay $25.99 for the full version. I was able to save all my photos and videos. Much to my wife's joy. If I have known about this program to begin with then those hours I spent looking could have been put to better use, like backing up my files.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte

First post of the Cheap Technology Blog

2008-11-09T14:32:00.001-05:00

If you want the reason why I made this blog check out my profile.

For my first post I want to share with you the joys of Firefox.

If you are reading this blog and not using Firefox then you need to stop now follow the link above and install it. Then come back and finish reading. I'll wait...

Okay. See that was not hard. Now you have the best free Internet browser ever. What makes it so great you ask. Well besides the fact that it is free is the fact that you can add on to it. Right now I have the following add ons; Google Calendar Notifier, Companion for Ebay, RSS ticker, Download Helper, McAfee Site Advisor, and the AVG security toolbar. The addons can help me with productivity, searching, or anything you want. With Firefox you are able to change its entire look to fit your personality.

There will be those who disagree with me and that is okay. People did not always believe the world was round. If you feel the need you can still use IE while surfing with Firefox.

Discalimer: I do not claim to own any of the logos shown on this blog. They belong to their respective companies. I am just trying to make finding these wonderful programs a litte