Search results matching tags 'budget' and 'web applications'

The Quest for Audio Books Made Easy

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:58:00 GMT

Sometimes all I want to do is shut my laptop, silence my smart phone, power off my iPod and read a good book. But then there are times when I need those gadgets to help me get through a good audio book so I can busy my eyes and hands on others things like the long car trip to Kansas (Oklahoma can be a killer) or while I'm completing the odious task of washing dishes. These are great times to put on an audio book. Luckily, our audio book options improve constantly.

You can, of course, being by browsing the library's collection and picking up a book on CD or checking out this list of Audie Award winners. I've taken to listening to Oscar Casares' novel Amigoland on CD while I'm getting ready in the morning, eating a meal or cleaning up.

However, as much as I hate to admit it, the library isn't the only place to find great audio books. Below I've listed a few other places you might consider before that next long road trip.

BooksShouldBeFree.com offers free, downloadable audio versions of books in the public domain (books with expired copyrights). Some of these have been recorded by groups of volunteers but most of them have been digitized by The Gutenberg Project and recorded by Libriovox . The site itself makes browsing a visual treat. It offers pictures of the cover, a short description of the book, a preview of the audio book, two options for downloading, recommendations for similar audio books, and reviews of the specific recording of the book. I especially like that the reviews take the reader into account. Sometimes a book can be phenomenally written and then read by a dud. Bummer. Check out the page for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Another Libriovox-powered site, Librophile resembles Books Should Be Free is many ways and includes many of the same titles. One exception is that Librophile allows users to listen to the book right from your browser, a handy little feature. However, I find the site to be less appealing visually and the search feature felt clunky to me. In addition to the public domain content, Librophile also sells audio versions of popular books. Unfortunately, the cost reflects publishing costs plus the cost of a professional reader. Hence, an audio-only copy of Stephen King's Under the Dome would cost you $52.50. Yowza.

If you're more interested in educational material you might consider skipping over these earlier options and trying LearnOutLoud.com. They exclusively provide copyrighted materials which means users must be charged for downloads. Based on a quick glance at the site, it looks like the cost can be as low as $5 and $20. The site doesn't have the same visual appeal as Books Should Be Free but it is also searchable and has books broken down into categories. For more non-fiction books, you might also consider The National Academies Press

Google Docs Introduces New (super helpful) Features

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:16:00 GMT

For months, rumors had been spreading that Google would being accommodating more file types in Google Documents and would increasing the amount of storage space available for users. A couple weeks ago, the rumors became a reality.
Google now allows users to upload, store, access and share their files through the popular Google Docs. In the past, uploaded files were automatically converted to one of three Google Doc types (word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations). With the new features, you will now be able to upload any file type whether it be a Microsoft document, an Open Office document, an image, a video file or audio clip. In short, the application is giving you a taste of cloud computing. Store your files remotely and access them anywhere you have internet access.

The other big change is the introduction of more storage space. The service offers 1 GB of storage completely free of charge and the option of buying additional space for $0.25 per GB. Based on the ever-increasing storage space given to gmail users, this move doesn't come as much of a surprise.

If you're interested in trying to service, you don't need to worry about switching email addresses or signing up for a lot of new services. You can simply sign up for a Google account using your current email address. Google's changes reflect a larger shift in personal computing which is beginning to really take off. The ability to store your files in "the cloud" gives users more flexibility while still (ideally) protecting personal files.

Edit PDFs Without Buying Expensive Software

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:41:00 GMT

Ninety percent of the time, I prefer communicating via email rather than making a phone call, mailing something or (especially) faxing. This is especially true when it comes to applications or other PDF documents. Like the library computers, most individuals only have access to Adobe Reader, rather than a more sophisticated version of the software which allows you to edit and save PDFs.

An easy workaround presents itself in the form of FillAnyPDF. This site allows you to upload a PDF so that you can enter text into blank fields and then save the document. (FYI, you have the option of creating an account or just going straight to editing your document). By doing so, you can simply email the form on to the intended recipient rather than mailing or faxing it. The site also allows you to change font size, blackout, whiteout or highlight text. After entering all your text, click the download button at the bottom of the page and then save the PDF to your computer or memory device of choice.

I will caution you that there is no clear information on the security of the site so you may want to think twice before using it for confidential information. I have, however, seen the site recommended by several blogs which take security into consideration when evaluating a product or service which I find comforting. What other workarounds do you use for editing PDFs? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Find Dining Specials for the Little Ones with a Handy Web App

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:34:00 GMT

As the holidays approach, we sometimes find ourselves caught between trying to save time and save money. When in a hurry, it’s awfully tempting to splurge on dining out to save yourself the hassle of grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning the kitchen.

But have no fear, here comes the Internet to the rescue. We now have a tool to help us find restaurants where the little ones can eat for free or for bargain prices. KidsEatFor lets users enter a zip code and then provides a list of restaurant specials for each day of the week (screen shot below). Clicking on the restaurant name will give you more information about their specials. The service works best for large cities but will give you an idea of what nearby restaurant chains offer specials for kids.