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frustration posts

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Automatically dismiss nag screens (and much more) with ClickOff


With free software, it's a given that you're going to encounter the occasional nag screen. You know, those in-your-face pop-up messages that remind you about an enhanced professional version or remind you that you haven't checked for updates in ages.

ClickOff is terrific at rubbing out annoying nag screens. Launch the program, switch to any window and press control + alt + d to add it to the "blacklist." The next time the screen appears, ClickOff will smack it down in the blink of an eye.

However, the goodness doesn't stop there. Using the advanced settings, you can configure ClickOff to perform an array of chores other than simply closing a window. It will minimize or maximize windows, right click, left click, and even send text. It's an incredibly handy little application for performing repetitive tasks.

The program might be old, but it still does the job quite nicely. It's a free download and runs on Windows.

Filed under: Fun, Games, Kids, Time-Wasters, Web

Kinetikz - Time Waster

KinetikzKinetikz is a simple shooting physics game where the goal is to shoot discs at a ball and manage to move the ball into the goal tile. Getting the ball into the goal replenishes your limited supply of discs, while running out of discs ends the game.

Figuring the angles is reminiscent of playing billiards, but the variously shaped game boards coupled with hazards like small blocks and levers complicates matters somewhat. The levers in particular add an element of interest to the game; some levers are unpowered, and can be moved by shooting discs at them, while others are motorized and move of their own accord.

If I had to describe a recipe for this game, I'd go with one part playing the angles, one part timing, and one part frustration when the first two parts don't work out perfectly. That being said, this game certainly has a challenging, addicting quality.

Filed under: Blogging, Analysis

My Top 6 Download Annoyances

I download and install a lot of applications, and if you're a regular reader you probably do too. Like anything else that's free, downloading tends to some with some unfortunate perils. I'm not talking about trojans or malware, just regular run-of-the-mill annoyances.

Capping download rates.
Asus...Oh, Asus. Some days I just want to fly over to Taiwan and slap you right in the mouth. Do they not realize that it works out the same whether I download for 2 hours at 9k or 4 minutes at 256k? I actually stopped building with their mainboard partially because of the crappy download speeds.

Falsely advertise as being free. I subscribe to a number of free software feeds, and there's nothing worse than seeing a cool application show up that someone has called free just to get it listed. You're not helping your app's popularity. In fact, you're probably turning off just about anyone that might have wanted to use it because they're ticked that the download was either stripped-down or only a trial.

Download a download manager first.
Thankfully, I haven't seen the Adobe Download Manager in quite some time, but there are others out there. I don't need or want your help downloading. If I need help resuming my download, I've got DownThemAll, thanks.

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Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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