1 - Blender

Savings: $995.00 (Rhino)

Blender is a free 3D graphics application. It can be used for modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, water simulations, skinning,animating, rendering, particle and other simulations, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications. Blender is available for several operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, IRIX, Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD with unofficial ports for BeOS, SkyOS, AmigaOS, MorphOS and Pocket PC. Blender has a robust feature set similar in scope and depth to other high-end 3D software such as Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, Lightwave and Maya. These features include advanced simulation tools such as rigid body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics, modifier based modeling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node based material and compositing system and Python for embedded scripting.

Block buster movie made with Blender:
http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/

Blender Home Page:
http://www.blender.org/

Blender Featured Examples:
http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/feature-videos/

Download Blender:
http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/

2 - GIMP

Savings: $899.95 (Photoshop)

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, is a free raster graphics editor used to process digital graphics and photographs. Typical uses include creating graphics and logos, resizing and cropping photos, altering colors, combining multiple images, removing unwanted image features, and converting between different image formats. GIMP can also be used to create basic animated images inGIF format. It is often used as a free software replacement for Adobe Photoshop, the most widely used bitmap editor in the printing and graphics industries; however, it is not designed to be a Photoshop clone. The project’s mascot is named Wilber.

The project was started in 1995 by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis and is now maintained by a group of volunteers under the auspices of the GNOME Project. The current version of GIMP works with numerous operating systems, including all modern Linux distributions, all recent versions of Microsoft Windows, and Apple’s Mac OS X.

The GIMP Screenshot(s):

GIMP Homepage:
http://www.gimp.org/

Down The GIMP:
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

3 - OpenOffice

Savings: $310.00 (Microsoft Office)

OpenOffice (OO.o or OOo) is a free cross-platform office application suite available for a number of different computer operating systems. It supports the ISO/IEC standard OpenDocument Format (ODF) for data interchange as its default file format, as well as Microsoft Office formats among others.

OpenOffice.org was originally derived from StarOffice, an office suite developed by StarDivision and acquired by Sun Microsystems in August 1999. The source code of the suite was released in July 2000 with the aim of reducing the dominant market share of Microsoft Office by providing a free, open and high-quality alternative; later versions of StarOffice are based upon OpenOffice.org with additional proprietary components.

The project and software are informally referred to as OpenOffice, but this term is a trademark held by another party, requiring the project to adopt OpenOffice.org as its formal name

OpenOffice Applications:

OpenOffice.org OpenOffice.org application	Writer OpenOffice.org Writer application
Base OpenOffice.org Base application	Calc OpenOffice.org Calc application
Chart OpenOffice.org Chart application	Draw OpenOffice.org Draw application
Impress OpenOffice.org Impress application	Math OpenOffice.org Math application

OpenOffice Homepage:
http://www.openoffice.org/

OpenOffice Download:
http://download.openoffice.org/index.html

4 - VirtualBox

Savings: $185.00 (VM Ware)

VirtualBox is an x86 virtualization software package, originally created by German software company innotek, now developed by Sun Microsystems as part of its Sun xVM virtualization platform. It is installed on an existing host operating system; within this application, additional operating systems, each known as a Guest OS, can be loaded and run, each with its own virtual environment.

Supported host operating systems include Linux, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp, Windows XP or Vista, and Solaris, while supported guest operating systems include FreeBSD, Linux, OpenBSD, OS/2 Warp, Windows and Solaris.

According to a 2007 survey by DesktopLinux.com, VirtualBox is the third most popular software package for running Windows programs on Linux desktops.

VirtualBox Screenshot(s):

VirtualBox Homepage:

http://www.virtualbox.org/

VirtualBox Downloads:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

5 - Cinelerra

Savings: $699.00 (Adobe Premier CS4)

Cinelerra is a free and open source software non-linear video editing system. It is designed for the GNU/Linux operating system, but has also been successfully ported to Mac OS X. No support is provided for any version of Microsoft Windows. It is produced by Heroine Virtual, and is distributed under the GNU General Public License. Cinelerra also includes a video compositing engine, allowing the user to perform common compositing operations such as keying and mattes.

Cinelerra was first released August 1, 2002, and was based in part on an earlier product known as Broadcast 2000. Broadcast 2000 was withdrawn by Heroine Virtual in September 2001.

Cinelerra Screenshot(s):

Cinelerra Homepage:
http://cinelerra.org/

Cinelerra Downloads:
http://cinelerra.org/getting_cinelerra.php

6 - FileZilla

Savings: $54.95 (WS FTP by IPSwitch)

The main features are the site manager, message log, file and folder view, and the transfer queue.

The site manager allows a user to create a list of FTP sites along with their connection data, such as the port number to use, the protocol to use, and whether to use anonymous or normal logon. For normal logon, the username is saved and optionally the password.

The message log is displayed along the top of the window. It displays the console-type output showing the commands sent by FileZilla and the remote server’s responses.

The file and folder view, displayed under the message log, provides a graphical interface for FTP. Users can navigate folders and view and alter their contents on both the local and remote machines using an Explorer-style tree interface. Users can drag and drop files between the local and remote computers.

The transfer queue, displayed along the bottom of the window, shows the real-time status of each queued or active file transfer.

As of version 2.2.23, FileZilla uses Unicode internally. As a result, it no longer runs on Windows 9x/ME.

The current binary versions of FileZilla for Mac OS X no longer support Mac OS X v10.4 ‘Tiger’ or earlier. Running FileZilla with versions older than Mac OS X v10.5 ‘Leopard’ requires compilation

FileZilla Screenshot(s):

FileZilla Homepage:
http://filezilla-project.org/

FileZilla Download:
http://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client

7 - WINE

Savings: Priceless!

Wine is a free software application which aims to allow Unix-like computer operating systems on the x86 architecture to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows. Wine also provides a software library known as Winelib against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like systems.

The name ‘Wine’ derives from the recursive acronym Wine Is Not an Emulator. While the name sometimes appears in the forms “WINE” and “wine”, the project developers have agreed to standardize on the form “Wine”.

The Wine developers released version 1.0 of Wine, after 15 years of development, on June 17, 2008

WINE Screenshot(s):

WINE Homepage:
http://www.winehq.org/

WINE Application Database:
http://appdb.winehq.org/

WINE Downloads:
http://www.winehq.org/site/download

8 - AVG Antivirus

Savings: $45 (Name your product here)

Simply put AVG Anti-Virus program in every sense of the word.  They have been giving away their watered down version of the program for years on Windows and now on Linux.  It’s a great program, and it’s not to resource intensive.  However if you’re running Linux in the first place, I would say it’s probably more to work TRY and get a virus on Linux then it would be to remove it.

AVG Free Download:
http://free.avg.com/download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition

AVG Free Homepage:
http://free.avg.com/

TOTAL SAVINGS: $3187

After 2 years of holiday shortage nightmares; Nintendo is taking steps to meet demands for the Wii this holiday season.

For the past two years Nintendo has completely dominated in revenue, due to the demand for the DS, and Wii console.  This year Nintendo is producing a world wide average 2.4 million Wii consoles a month, a vast improvement from last year which was 1.6 million.  Good news for consumers, who are anxious to get one this holiday season.

Reggie Fils-Aime the president of Nintendo of America has said the reason for the shortage in Wii consoles in recent years has been due to a  high level of demand; although it hasn’t slowed down in the least; Reggie has assured consumers that this year’s holiday season will be different than the last

In an interview with the LA Times, Reggie was quoted as saying “We’re producing an unprecedented level of hardware to try and meet demand.” Reggie also went on to say that Nintendo is producing 33% more Wii consoles monthly from last year. When asked in the interview how consumers could better their chances of getting a Wii this holiday season Reggie stated “Look at retailer circulars. Go to their websites. We’re flowing products into stores on a very regular basis. Once you see it on the shelf, you ought to buy it.”

The overall message from Nintendo this holiday season is that although they are expected a big demand they feel adequately prepared for it. So for any of you worry warts out there still nervous about the crowds, the shortages, and the Wal-Mart parking lot riots; rest easy because it seems this year will be a vast improvement over the last.

The developers of Firefox, Mozilla labs is currently working on a user interface that is rumored to be the next big step in Web 3.0 standards. Enter Ubiquity which is currently available as an open alpha test. The goal of the new service is to make the internet quicker and simpler for everyday use; by allowing user to control browsing with language based instructions.

Ubiquity will allow users to insert maps anywhere, translate on-page, highlight any code, and many other features that are just to numerous to name.

Here is a video with more detail

Here is the link to a Video About Mozilla Ubiquity

For more info on Ubiquity or to download it here is a link to the BLOG

I saw this author on the PBS show, ‘Charlie Rose’ a few months ago and then recently bought his book entitled ‘The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It’ (an attention grabbing title I know) - anyway, the Author is Jonathan Zittrain, He is a Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University and co-founder of Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

This fascinating book covers the history of the Net and its future, touching on how the everyday, reprogrammable PCs may be replaced by new appliances and Web 2.0 platforms. He contends these new platforms will create new gatekeepers - plus, more opportunities for regulation.

Basically, the author describes how so much use of the Internet is going in a direction that some think goes against the principles that made the Internet great.

One of the main principles he mentions is what he calls ‘generativity flexibility’ regarding the creation of hardware, operating systems, applications, or websites that allow people to make new contributions, often resulting in unexpected contributions where people can continue to build upon further and continually improve.

He fears the increasing use of “tethered appliances” to perform Internet-related tasks threatens this pattern - despite. . . Wikis, Linux, Apache web servers and the IBM PC’s open architecture - plus, other platforms that have come into existence up to this point.

Innovative products such as Apple’s iPhone, TiVo, and the XBox 360. etc. are actually tightly controlled by their developers and manufacturers. So, any innovations built on these platforms are coming from companies that control them.

. . .you can write a new app for the iPhone but nobody can load your application onto his/her iPhone until it passes through Apple, is approved, and then distributed by Apple.

Even though the Internet grew by people creating new open apps. . . Now, if you want to add a new menu option to Firefox - there is no such approval process for people to use it. . .

Even though his book seems pessimistic, Zittrain presents a hopeful argument for how we can build on current work by technical users and legal scholars to stop or at least slow down what he sees as the pending state of a corporate-controlled Internet.

Hope, Zittrain argues - lies with the millions of users out there.  People who use technologies like Wikipedia where people can work to develop new technologies and social spaces that enable people to collaborate and foster what he hopes are the real “netizens.”

Nintendo has finally revealed its newest portable game system in the form of the Nintendo DSI. The new hand held device will have a variety of new features that are definite upgrades from the DS Lite; including a camera, larger screen, and download capabilities.  The new camera feature will allow you to edit your photos using the touch sensitive screen.  The new SD slot which will allow download able content from the Nintendo online store, is perhaps the nicest new feature of the unit.

Although Nintendo has decided to remove the Game Boy Advanced slot form the DSI, the new  SD slot should more than compensate for the change. Along with the other features mentioned the DSI will also include; enhanced audio, longer battery life, and less charging time.  It seems all together Nintendo has developed a sleeker, more efficient unit for release.

The word is that the new DSI will be released on the market in Japan by November 1st of this year. A release in North America has been speculated for sometime in 2009.

Get ready to salivate! Capcom has released four new Resident Evil 5 Screenshots, and they seem as cool as fans of the series had hoped. The four images show a variety of game play; everything from combat, to racing.  Of the four image the hooded mystery executioner seems to be the most interesting. Fans have been waiting with batted breath, and it seems the release of the photos will help dull the anticipation…at least for now.

Photo’s of a new Wii peripheral have recently surfaced on the Internet and a buzz has quickly followed. Currently there is a rumor that the new peripheral could be a Wii pedometer, which could be an added accessory to the Wii fit.

The President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata had announced that Nintendo would be taking a break on peripherals, and word on the street is the Pedometer will be one of the last units released. As much as Wii fans LOVE there health oriented peripherals some are saying they are not interested in the new piece. Sadly the photos are not very telling, and the information on the piece is very vague. For all we know the image looks like glorified garage door opener.

As of now this is all just speculation, there is no solid indication on what the peripheral really is. Nintendo will be having a press conference this Thursday, and hopefully they will address the question of the mystery peripheral.

Have you ever had an interest in working for an intelligence agency but were not quite sure you had the credentials? Do you worry about a long grueling process of background checks, interviews, and psychological testing? If that person is you then worry no more because MI6, Brittan’s Secret Intelligence Service is now recruiting on Facebook.

As odd as it sounds it is true; MI6 is looking for unique ways of recruiting, and one of those new avenues is through Facebook. A spokesperson was quoted as saying “The Secret Intelligence Service’s open recruitment campaign continues to target wide pools of talent representative of British society today. A number of channels are used to promote job opportunities in the organization. Facebook is a recent example.”

The agency has made there interest in finding new agents through Facebook clear considering, there page includes a competency test, contact information, and links to the main Secret Intelligence Service’s main site. The best part of the MI6 personal page would have to be the comment wall; which has been converted to a mini job applications post for people interested in the agency. Individuals have listed skills including everything from interrogation techniques, to baking cakes; all of which include contact information for MI6 to respond if interested.

If you have an interest in working in intelligence or if you would like to just have a peek at the madness for yourself I have taken the liberty of posting a link. Pop in, and have a go chum!!!

Facebook MI6 Page

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) September 22, 2008 — Luxand, Inc. today announces BabyMaker 1.0, a fun computer program specifically designed to let couples morph their photos and see a digitally created face of the future baby.

To morph a child picture, BabyMaker relies on the revolutionary facial recognition technology from Luxand. The technology allows morphing two digital photos together to generate a high-resolution picture. To accomplish this, the program carefully analyzes the faces of the two would-be parents, detects their most prominent facial characteristics and applies some advanced mathematical transformations to generate an exact physical manifestation of a child. The quality of a source image doesn’t really matter. One can load in scratched, faded, or black and white photos and still get a color rich, high quality rendering of a baby face.

The software works like magic. To get started, the user should first load the digital image of a “father” and manipulate it - pan, zoom and rotate the photo to get a full frontal view of the face. The next step is to load the image of a “mother”. Once the photos are all in, the program makes some sophisticated calculations, and voila! In a couple of seconds, it shows a photorealistic picture of the future diaper wearer.

After the picture has been created, it can be shared with other people. To do so, the picture should be saved to a file. For more fun, the baby can be placed within a greeting card or a portrait frame in the other editor. Then the user can print the portrait and hang it on the wall, or email the greeting card to the beloved and have fun together!

BabyMaker is a fun program that becomes addictive after a little while. Once all the combinations with the spouse, partner and friends have been tried, users may find themselves spreading the genes throughout Hollywood!

For more information about the product or to download its free trial, visit http://www.luxand.com/babymaker

Google always trying to stay one step ahead of the game is now talking about taking their data centers where no one else dares too… the sea!  Google, in 2007 patented the first sea data center, and is not talking about moving it’s infrastructure from Sunny California for a series of barges on the sea.

The Plan
Google will utilize the oceanic movements to create its own electricity to run the new data center; and also plans on using the water below for cooling the massive center of modern technologies.

The data center would be encapsulated on a large barge (say that three times fast) and would have several electricity generating snakes behind it capturing movement from the ocean.  These wave-generating electric snakes have been in testing for sometime, below you can find a video on how they work.  The most famous is Pelamis, which is being developed by a Scottish company.  The Google model would work shockingly similar and would help sustain the massive electric needs of the new venture.

Along with electricity savings, Google would also benefit from the “free-sea” adventure by eliminating property taxes from their bottom line.  With football fields worth of servers on land, after moving these off to the high seas Google will yet again gain massive amounts of money back!

Google has yet to mention when we can expect to see this project finished or even under way, however, one thing we can be certain of, is that Google has enough funds and technology to pull this off.  If everything goes to plan we may see a whole new wave of technology companies taking their data centers to high seas in hopes of cutting costs.

Plausibility?
Many people are still skeptical (rightly so) about the new data center.  Among those are environmentalists who fear the massive amounts of heat from the server cooling system would increase the temperature of the sea and effect the wild life below; still others are worried about the amount of pollution let off into the sea from the project.  There is a lot at stake here if Google can make it work, but still the largest obstacle will be stabilizing the barge against hurricanes, tsunamis,  and other oceanic forces  that could sink the data center to an early death.

Pelamis