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Filed under: Utilities, Video, News, Windows, Macintosh, Commercial, Freeware

Divx Pro 6 bundle available free

by Ryan Carter Jun 7th 2007

For a limited time only...no not used cars, not poorly designed cleaning products, it's the Divx Pro bundle available free for the downloading. The bundle includes the Divx Pro Codec 6.6.1, Divx Content Uploader, Divx Converter 6.2.1 6.(MPEG2/DVD), Divx Player 6.4.3, and Divx Web Player.

Unfortunately, this Divx bundle is not ready for Microsoft Windows Vista (pout), despite the obligatory courtesy update-check on Divx's website. Everyone not running Windows Vista, feel free to download either the XP version or Mac Version and thumb your nose at anyone using Vista.

It is conceivable that the Divx programmers are hacking away at Vista logo requirements to make it ready for Microsoft's latest as we speak, but that is unconfirmed as of this writing.

Enjoy the free bundle, and note that the basic version (usually free) edition of this package contains a free 15-day trial of the converter, but today you get the full version of it with this limited time Pro bundle download from Divx.

Thanks George for the tip.

Tags: bundle, codec, divx, download, free, pro, video

Filed under: Design, Fun, Internet, Utilities, News, Windows, Macintosh, Google, Freeware

Google Sketch-Up 6

by Ryan Carter Jan 11th 2007

I don't have to tell most of you how cool Google Sketch-Up is, since you already use it. If you don't know, it's a great, free, and easy to learn 3D modeling tool. Detailed tutorials and extremely simple tools make sketch-up one of the best 3D tools, especially for amateurs. Version 6 is now available for download, so get it while it's hot. There is a quick reference card to see all the tools and what they do in one place, if you would find it helpful. Sketch-Up is a fun tool that is a great thing to play with if you haven't ever tried doing 3D modeling before, or after a long hard day of work. It is easy enough to learn in a matter of a few hours. Once you sketch something, you can add it to its real world location on Google Earth and store it in the Google 3D Warehouse, a place to catalog the world's 3D models.

Here are some of the improvements made in SketchUp 6:

Text and Dimension tool improvements
Speed
Force Inference directions
Better modifier keys
Intersect
Paste in Place
Two point perspective

Also, in this release are several neat features that make 3D sketching even better. Watermarks let you put your logo on a model, or a stamp, such as "confidential" or "for-review." Styles allow you to create, use, and share custom display settings, so your models become uniquely yours. Watermarks and the new Sketchy Effects are part of Styles. Google SketchUp offers a free version of its serious 3D software that you don't need a serious degree in engineering to use.

[Via Lifehacker]

Tags: 3d, Google, modeling, pro, sketchup, version 6, Version6

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Video, Windows

Watch live streaming NHL games online (US only)

by Ross McKillop Dec 27th 2006

Stream live NHL games on Comcast hockey live

There was certainly a lot of fanfare when Google announced that they were going to allow people around the world to watch in-season full-length games on Google Video. Well, it seems that Comcast now allows anyone in the US to stream up to 2 live games a day. When Comcast and the NHL first made this announcement, the games were only viewable to Comcast High-Speed Internet customers. This year, anyone in the US can watch the games - even DSL subscribers - via the Comcast Hockey Live site.

Before you get too excited there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Local games are usually blacked out, and to watch the live streams you'll need a PC with Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.x or higher and IE 6+ or a similar generation browser. So Mac users are out of luck (shock).

Tags: game, games, hockey, live, nhl, pro, professional, sport, sports, stream, streaming, streams, usa, vid, video

Filed under: Fun, Photo, Web services, Yahoo!, Commercial, Freeware

Holiday gifts from Flickr

by Jordan Running Dec 13th 2006

Flickr is making our holidays a little cheerier with some bonuses for Pro and Free members alike. The biggest bonus is for Pro users, of course: Beginning this month all Pro account will have totally unlimited storage and bandwidth. While probably only a fraction of Pro users were bumping up against the old 2GB-per-month upload limit, who can argue with unlimited? Free users have cause to celebrate, too: The per-month upload limit for free accounts has been bumped up to 100MB, a 500% increase over the previous 20MB limit. A Pro account still costs $24.95 per year, and a free account clearly still costs nada. For those "Giving the Gift of Flickr," Flickr also has a new system that lets you buy a Pro account activation code that will work for both existing Flickr users and those just signing up, and they also have a cute little card you can print out to stuff in that special someone's stocking.

But wait, there's more! The Flickr crew have blessed us with a cute holiday easter egg: If you add a note to one of your photos with the text "ho ho ho hat" or "ho ho ho beard," Flickr will add a cute santa hat or beard to the photo wherever you put the note. You can see it in action on the dashing Merlin Mann. Lovely!

[Via eclecticism and Waxy.org]

Tags: bandwidth, flickr, ho ho ho hat, HoHoHoHat, holiday, photo, photography, pro, upload

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

Mini Golf Pro - Today's Time Waster

by Ryan Carter Dec 9th 2006

When my code strikes back, and my head is swimming in meaningless garbled input, I feel this insatiable urge to putt. Mini Golf Pro is my new vice, my new addictive habit that thaws my mind from the chilling code. Mini Golf Pro (a free download) is actually very fun, especially if you like putt-putt. With 27 holes and several other smaller games all in one 7MB package, the fun lasts for hours. This game features multiplayer capabilities either locally or online, a hole-builder for customized putting, and all kinds of wacky gadgets and enhancements to make your small-green golf debut sizzle! Some of my favorite challenges are outside of the championship course of 27 holes, like the Gravity Tower, in which your golf ball must fight gravity to get to the top of the tower. This par 20 hole makes even the toughest "stand-out-in-the-rain-in-the -27-degree-weather" golf psychopath cry like a sissy. Maybe I am a bit over-happy about this game, but it is one of the few that is free, works well, and plays very nicely in the golf or mini-golf category. The graphics are good, and it is worth downloading and playing over and over again. Game on! Only available for Windows (as far as I can tell).

Tags: game, golf, mini, pro, time waster, TimeWaster

Filed under: Design, Photo, Text, Utilities, Video, Windows, Blogging

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI released

by Ryan Carter Sep 25th 2006

Corel has released the new version of Paint Shop Pro Photo XI. New to this release is the organizer, which has Picasa-like search and organizational features; the photo color changer (which is self-explanatory); the time machine, which will set your pictures back and make them look as if they were taken in another era; the depth of field effect, making the background fade to draw more attention to the object of focus; skin-smoothing; film and filter effects, and a ton more. The new release is ready for you now and costs $59 to upgrade or $99 for the full version, in either download or boxed format. There is also a 30-day trial available with free registration and login.

Tags: Corl, Paint, photo, Pro, release, secondlifeinsider, Shop, software

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft releases Vista upgrade chart, reason surrenders

by David Chartier Jul 31st 2006

Microsoft has unveiled a Vista upgrade matrix, detailing which present versions of Windows are eligible for upgrading to one of the four relevant versions of Vista (Starter and Enterprise are targeted for specific markets and therefore not included in this matrix). To make matters a bit complicated, however, some editions (such as XP Pro or Win2K) are only eligible to upgrade to a "corresponding or better" version of Vista, i.e. - Business or Ultimate. As icing on the cake, some ugprades will require a fresh wipe and install, while others can be upgraded 'in-place', retaining your applications and settings.

To be clear, however: all present versions of Windows listed in this chart are eligible to purchase upgrade editions of Windows Vista. Previous versions, such as Win98 and ME, will have to purchase a full edition of Vista.

Tags: 2000, 2K, basic, business, chart, home, matrix, media center, MediaCenter, microsoft, premium, pro, tablet pc, TabletPc, ultimate, upgrade, vista, XP

Filed under: Photo, Macintosh, Apple, Commercial

Apple releases Aperture 1.1 universal binary, slashes price by 40%

by Jordan Running Apr 13th 2006

Aperture, Apple's photo editing app targeted at the pro market, got an upgrade today to 1.1. The new version is a universal binary that'll run on both Intel and PowerPC Macs, and Apple has slashed the price from $499 to $299 ($149 for education markets). New features in this release include improved RAW image quality, RAW fine tuning, a new auto noise compensation function, a new built-in color meter, enhanced export controls, and improved performance.

[Via Digg]

Tags: aperture, apple, mac, photo, photography, pro

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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