Portable guide to DisneyWorld or Disneyland

If you're planning a trip to DisneyWorld in Florida or Disneyland California, you might want to fork out a dollar or two for the relevant Walt Disney World Notescast app for iPhone/iPod touch, providing in-depth information on all the theme parks at both resorts. No Internet access or cell phone signal is required.
Boasting over 200 pages of updated information, over 150 photos, and rich in-depth content, in over twenty different categories including Attractions, Tickets, Trip Planning Tips, Resorts, The History of Walt Disney World and more, the Walt Disney World Notescast purports to be a comprehensive and unquestionably portable vacation planner and in-park guide. No Internet access or cell phone signal is required.
(Source: MacMegaSite) | Cost: US$1.99 (DisneyWorld), $0.99 (Disneyland) | Requires: iPod Touch or iPhone | For further info: DisneyWorld and Disneyland

Don't just Copy - Send, too

Hard on the heels of the release of iPhone OS 3.0 with its long-awaited copy-paste facility, CopySend from Thinking Code allows you to copy text, photos or links from your iPhone or iPod touch and send it wirelessly (over a Wi-Fi connection) to your Mac – or vice versa. You can also send a snapshot of anything on your iPhone/iPod touch to your Mac's clipboard, for pasting into any document. Password protection is also possible.
The software consists of two components: CopySend Server (free) installed and running on the Mac, and CopySend ($0.99) on the iPhone/iPod Touch.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: CopySend Server – free; CopySend iPhone/iPod touch $0.99. | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+, iPhone/iPod touch & Wi-Fi connection | For further info...

Your private 3D image wall

When you have dozens of images to browse online, Cooliris offers a compelling alternative to the standard and somewhat tedious "Previous-Next" button: a plug-in for Firefox, Safari, and Flock, it provides images and video content in a full-screen, horizontally expanded, interactive 3-D “wall” view.
Once you install the plug-in (which takes seconds), simply visit any supported Web site and either click the Cooliris button in the toolbar or mouse over a thumbnail and click the icon. Cooliris then takes over your screen, displaying all the page’s image or video content, plus all related content from subsequent pages, on the 3D wall. Searching through hundreds of Google images, YouTube videos, and Facebook photos has never been easier.
As a bonus, it works with the images on your your hard drive too, including those in iPhoto.
Seeing is believing. It even provides a Search function with which to search out content across Google, YouTube, Amazon.com, Hulu, Flickr, and more. A Discover menu will give you ideas.
An all this for free. Not bad.
(Source: Macworld) | Cost: Free | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info.../

Drag-and-drop OCR for the Mac

VelOCRaptor 1.0 is a new OCR (Optical Character Recognition) app for the Mac, which converts images of scanned text into computer text by simple drag-and-drop of the image file. (See our review of it here).
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$29 | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+ | For further info...

Label to your heart's content

Label Wizard from Black Cat Systems allows you to create your own custom sheets of labels of around 400 different sizes. You have complete control over the layout of the label, with the ability to place text, picture, rectangle, oval, line and even a serial number on each one.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$19.99 | Requires: Mac OS X, Windows | For further info...

Wordprocessing on a budget

Schreiben 5.0 from German software house MOApp is a €9 wordprocessor designed to be lean and quick like TextEdit "with a nicer interface", but nevertheless open and save Word .doc, .docx, OpenOffice .odt, RTF and XML. and offer many Word-like features such as word count, drag&drop snippets etc.. The latest version (5.0) is for Intel-based Macs using 10.5; previous versions can run on PPC and 10.4.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: €9 | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+ | For further info...

From the mouths of teenagers…

A sixteen-year-old has hit on a solution that has eluded scientists for years: how to make ordinary plastic biodegradable.
Observing that ordinary plastic does degrade, but takes a thousand years to do so, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Ontario, reasoned that he might speed up the process by selectively breeding the microbes responsible to break down plastic much more quickly. By immersing ground plastic in a yeast solution that encourages microbial growth, and then isolating the most productive organisms and interbreeding them, he managed to bring about a 43% degradation in six weeks – an unheard-of achievement.
The process holds promise of solving the growing problem of plastic pollution of the environment, and won its inventor first prize in the Canadian Science Fair last month.
(Source: Mother Nature Network) | For further info...

Not just for pretty pictures and music

The iPod Touch is the only iPod that you cannot use as an external hard drive for storing ordinary files from one's computer. No more. With DiskAid 3.0, you can do so, complete with file or folder browsing, drag-and-drop support, ability to create and rename folders, etc. Also works for iPhones, and supports the new v.3 of the iPhone OS.
(Source: Macintouch) | Requires: iPod Touch / iPhone, Mac OS X 10.4+, Windows XP, Vista | For further info...

The National Gallery (London) - handheld

Love Art: National Gallery, London is a free iPhone/iPod touch app providing over 250 high-resolution, zoomable images of paintings and 200 mins of video and audio commentary and interviews. Includes access to a Google map of the gallery (provided Internet access) and a link to its website.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: Free | Requires: iPhone, iPod Touch | For further info...

Recognize signs of hard drive trouble

DriveSaver from DriveSavers Data Recovery is an iPhone/iPod touch-based application that allows you to monitor a computer hard drive for signs of impending trouble, by simulating various types of hard drive failures. If a data loss does occur, it can help prevent catastrophic loss with do's and don'ts for data recovery.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: Free | Requires: iPhone / iPod Touch | For further info...

Trip planning, well in hand

GlobeJot is an iPhone/iPod touch app that acts as a travel organizer: track flight data, reservations, activities and checklists. Store addresses and coordinates for one-tap viewing within the system Maps and (if you're using an iPhone) for phoning airlines and hotels. The "Dashboard" interface is customizable, and can import information that you input in the online TripIt service.
Use it not only to guide you when you're at your destination, but to plan everything you need before going there – or for multiple other trips that you might have in future.
(Source: Macworld) | Cost: US$8 | For further info...

Postcards from the EDGE of your iPhone

Postage 1.1 is an iPhone/iPod touch app from RogueSheep that allows you to create digital postcards using any photo from your photo album (or taken then and there with the iPhone), in a variety of themes (travel, love, parents, etc.), each with several options. Photos can be panned, zoomed and even rotated and applied various effects such as sepia, soften, etc. You can then type out a message in a range of fonts and styles, and have it sent directly from within the app (no waiting for it to go through the system Mail app) to one or more contacts in your system Address Book.
Macworld thinks it’s the bees knees.
(Source: Macworld) | Cost: US$5 | For further info.../

The Story of Stuff

For the most succinct – and scariest – depiction of the current state of the planet and how we must change how we live to allow it to survive, see The Story of Stuff – and pass it on.
(Source: Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook) | For further info...

To boldly go into your Windows system

System Explorer 1.5 is a full-featured system analyzing tool lets you take a sneak peek at everything that's going on in your system, from currently active processes to installed drivers, including network collections, startup applications and Internet Explorer add-ons, if you have any. You can end any active process or delete items from the startup menu, to name a couple of examples. System Explorer can also obtain more information about each process from Google, or check it for viruses with an online anti-virus tool. The latest version includes support for external and internal plugins, filtering support to lists, and new plugin adds security enhancements.
(Source: ZDNet Tech Update) | Cost: Free (registration required) | Requires: Windows | For further info...

Know your Windows codenames

Finding it hard to keep track of all the variations of Windows and their attendant codenames? Can't remember which one is Midori and which is MinSafe? A downloadable chart called CodeTracker is now available, free of charge, and updated monthly, courtesy of Mary Jo Foley.
(Source: ZDNet Tech Update) | Requires: Windows | For further info...

Follow that plane!

FlightTrack for iPhone provides real-time status for flights worldwide, live weather radar updates, route maps and other info such as aircraft type, speed, delays, cancellations, gate numbers, make air travel a breeze. Flight itineraries can be saved for future reference, and status reports shared by email. Localised for English, French, German and Italian.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$4.99, Pro $9.99 | Requires: iPod Touch, iPhone | For further info...

Is your PC Windows 7-capable in XP mode?

If you avoided upgrading to Vista because of poor reviews, or are using it and looking forward to the next generation of Windows, be advised that some of the most popular PC models today, including those with dual and quad-core CPUs, won't be able to run Windows XP Mode in the forthcoming Windows 7. It all has to do with Intel Virtualization Technology, which is missing in some models and not in others…
(Source: ZDNet Tech Update) | Requires: Windows | For further info...

Up to four monitors to a single PC/Intel Mac

The OWC USB 2.0 Display Adapter from Other World Computing allows you to add an extra display to Intel Macs or Windows PCs using any standard USB 2.0 port. The adapter connects to HDMI, DVI, and VGA equipped displays (including projectors) in 32-bit color at resolutions up to 1600x1200 or 1680x1050 digital. Included driver software means that the display can be used in mirror mode or as an extension of the desktop. Up to four adapters can be attached to a single computer.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$99 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ or Windows 2000 & up | For further info...

Now you're going Places

Places 1.0, by UK-based The Dream Apps is an iPhone/iPod touch-based guide to the world, containing helpful information about some of the worlds most popular destinations. With pictures, quick links to Wikipedia, favourites and maps, Places is claimed to one of the most comprehensive and easiest to use virtual tour guides available. Over time, more features and destinations are planned to be added.
(Source: MacMegaSite) | Cost: US$1.99 | Requires: iPhone or iPod Touch; active Wi-Fi or cellular data internet connection for the ‘Maps’ or ‘Wikipedia’ functionality. | For further info...

Winners of the FT Climate Change Challenge

Other notable finalists of the FT Climate Change Challenge include:

• Deflector hubcaps by US entrepreneur Jon Fleck are fitted to truck wheels to cover the turbulence-generating holes in their wheels, reducing air resistance. These are claimed to cut fuel consumption by 2 per cent, making each $50 cap pay for itself in fuel savings within six months. Because of the long distances travelled by hauliers, even small improvements to truck efficiency can have a large effect.
• 
  Charcoal microwave:The Black Phantom from New Zealand-based Carbonscape is a huge microwave that reduces any biomass to charcoal to be used as a super-efficient fuel or buried to prevent carbon reaching the atmosphere. Resistant to microbial action, the charcoal can securely store carbon for thousands of years, according to the company, who says that although it uses power, the system fixes more carbon than it generates.
• Garlic burp suppressants: Mootral from UK-based Neem Biotech is a food additive containing allicin, an antibacterial compound from garlic that limits the growth of the methane-producing bacterial colonies in a ruminant animal's first stomach. Estimates suggest ruminants are responsible for around one-fifth of global warming, and trials show Mootral can reduce such emissions by 15 per cent by cutting the methane belched out by ruminants such as sheep and cows.

(Source: New Scientist) | For further info...

I taut I taw another tweeting app

If you're into Tweeting and you're on a Mac, you might like to know that Atebits' Tweetie for Mac is a desktop equivalent of its previously-released Tweetie for iPhone. Features include conversation view, independent composition windows, trend searches, threading of Direct Messages, a tear-off search results list, a browser bookmarklet for sending links to Tweetie, and more. Tweetie is for Mac OS X 10.5 (Universal Binary), and in its recent review of all Mac-based tweeting apps, it was the reviewer's preferred choice of the lot.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$14.95 (until May 4) | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+ | For further info...

Let your camera do the scanning

Prizmo 1.0 from Creaceed is an answer to the idle musing of no doubt many a user – an app that allows you to use your digital camera as a "scanner" for both 2D and 3D objects, including receipts, book and magazine pages, signs and posters, landscapes, and more. Its bundled software allows you to correct the resulting image for contrast, sharpening, and – impressively – for perspective, too. The resulting images can be printed, emailed, or saved to disk. Includes support for JPEG, RAW, and TIFF input images, and more. Any digital camera will do, but it for best results it recommend a 10-megapixel camera or higher. For potentially saving you the cost of a scanner such as the ScanSnap or the newly released NeatDesk for Mac, however, there is a price.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: USD $39.95 | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+, digital camera | For further info...

MS Office for Mac: updates

Microsoft has released the latest updates for Office 2008 and Office 2004, to address a critical security issue in Excel and improve performance. The 2008 update requires you to have installed update #12.1.0. If you're using MS Office for Mac 2004, be advised that it will cease to be supported as of as of Oct 13, 2009, and will thus no longer receive any updates.
(Source: TidBits) | Cost: Free (update) | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info...

Manage your projects and your workgroups

Billed as a unique tool for managing both projects and workgroups, Teamwork 4.1 is a very full-featured web-based team work manager, written in Java, with tools for project management, agendas and meetings, work logging, collaboration, and other functions. Project management data may be exported to MS Project. The latest version includes integration with Twitter and Google Calendar, a revamped interface, a business process extension, smart search functions, dynamic web parts that allow in-place and multi-line editing, and more.
A helpful, if Swiss-accented explanatory video online (“manADGEment” = management, “assee-knees” = assignees) gives a good picture of its features and advantages.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: €90 per user; €790 for 10-user pack. | Requires: Java 5 & Mac OS X 10.4+, Windows, or Linux | For further info... /

Editing PDFs with no Acrobatics

Possible editing operations include:

• View & Print: Open any pdf document and send it to the printer. Documents will be automatically resized to fit the paper size. PDF Studio supports all types of pdf fonts.
  • Sticky Notes, Typewriter tool, Graphical Tools, Audio Comments, Hyperlinks: Open any pdf document and add your sticky notes or comments to the document using text, graphic, and audio markup tools. You can add free text notes, draw shapes such as arrows, circles, rectangles. Record or import a sound. Add hyperlinks. Type text anywhere in a PDF document and fill forms that do not contain interactive form fields. Jump from one annotation to the next using the navigation pane.
  • Rubber Stamps: Mark your pdf documents as Urgent, Paid, Confidential. You can also create your own custom stamps such as a signature stamp. All stamps can be saved to be reused later.
  • Annotations Review Status: Mark annotations as checked, rejected, completed...
  • Headers and Footers: Add titles, watermarks, page numbers, dates, image stamps...
  • Text Search, Extract, Highlight, Underline, Cross Out : Search through the text of an open PDF document. Extract text from a pdf document to a text file. Select a paragraph on the page and highlight, underline or cross out the text from it.
  • Scan to PDF (Mac, Windows): Scan documents from any Twain compliant scanner into a new or existing pdf document.
  • PDF Interactive Forms: Fill any pdf form and save it locally. Once the form is filled, you can flatten form fields to obtain a non-editable version of the form.
  • Modify Pages: Append, merge or split documents. Delete, insert, replace, rotate pages.
  • Passwords and Permissions: Add passwords or change permissions on your pdf documents. You can set /remove permissions to print, to modify, to copy, to annotate and to fill form fields. PDF Studio encrypt pdf documents using the higher security level.
  • Bookmarks / Outlines: Create new bookmarks or edit existing ones to allow users to jump to specific locations in this document or other documents.
  • Batch functions: Stamp, Print, Encrypt, Extract Text or Images for multiple documents with a single click as a batch.
  • PDF From / To Images: Import JPG, TIFF or PNG images into a document. Convert pages of a pdf document to JPG, TIFF (optimized for scanning) or PNG images.
  • File Attachments: Attach files to a PDF document and package multiple documents in one.
  • Preflight PDF/X Verification: Verify that a PDF document is PDF/X-compliant.
  • Import/Export: Import and Export comments and form data in FDF, XFDF or XDP format.
  

(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$60 | Requires: Mac OS X, Windows, Linux\Unix | For further info...

Web browsing for children

BumperCar 2.2 from Freeverse Software is a web browser for children based on the same engine as Apple’s own Safari. Featuring a start page that encourages children to explore a collection of kid-friendly sites, it can be configured to be in a Home, School or Pre-School setting with personalized features appropriate for each location. It also filters out objectionable web content, limits the sharing of personal information, and forces Google to use a "Safe Search" mode. A “Tunnel of Mystery” teleports kids to a random kid-safe site. BumperCar. Parents may add additional controls of their own choosing in the Preferences. Unlike most other browsers, however, it isn’t free – but then, you can’t have everything.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$29.95 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info...

Real purpose of Conficker worm revealed

After an anti-climactic April’s Fool Day when the Conficker worm apparently failed to “phone home” for its dreaded instructions, its real purposes are now revealed. An analysis by the respected Kaspersky Labs concludes that the worm offers its victims a fake anti-virus product that will supposedly remove all malware for $49.95. It also downloads an email worm called Waledac, which steals passwords and sends spam.
Users should note that Conficker only affects Windows operating systems. Mac and Linux users are safe within the Mac OS part of their systems, and are vulnerable only within the Windows environments that they may run on their machines.
(Source: Wired) | Cost: | Requires: Windows | For further info...

Thanks for the videos

Lest you think that The Library of Congress was just about books, it has begun releasing videos from its archives through its own YouTube channel, starting with 70 historical videos, inclulding the first ever moving image (a man sneezing), films from the Thomas Edison studio and industrial films from Westinghouse factories.
(Source: Wired) | Cost: Free | For further info...

Home Sweet Home, in 3D

Sweet Home 3D 1.8 from eTeks is an open-source, Java-based application for drawing the plan of a home, arranging furniture on it, and displaying the results in a 3D view. Doors, windows and items from a built-in catalogue of furniture and fixtures may be dragged in and resized manually after placement. Various textures of wood, tiles and others may be applied to surfaces, and changes in plan are seen immediately in a rendered 3D view plan and realtime walkthroughs are also possible. The quality of rendering is equivalent of most low-cost offerings of the past twenty years, but unlike others, Sweet Home 3D is offered under a GNU/GPL licence.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: Free (donations accepted) | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+, Linux\Unix, or Windows | For further info...

NeoOffice v3 out now

NeoOffice, the open-source suite based on OpenOffice that allows you to open and save Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), is now out in version 3.0, bringing with it new features and enhancements.
(Source: Macworld) | Cost: Free (donations accepted) | Requires: Mac OS X 10.3+ | For further info... /

Don't just bin it – forgetabouddit…

Next time you decide to throw out an app that you no longer need, don't just throw it in the Trash – make sure that all its associated preference panes, cache, and other files are discarded as well. We normally use CleanApp for this purpose, but now you can also try the newly-minted Amnesia 1.0 from Koingo Software. It includes a secure delete option, a log of uninstalled files, a backup/restore option for applications and their related files, an option to move rather than delete files, rebuild of the Launch Services database after removing files, and other features.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$9.95 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info...

Last chance to use Encarta online

Microsoft has announced it is shutting down its online Encarta encyclopedia service in October this year and will also discontinue its Student and Premium Encarta software products.
(Source: Macworld UK) | For further info.../

Graphics through synthesis

GraphicDesignerToolbox 1.0 from Opcoders is a new type of graphics editor for creating textures, web graphics, logos, photos, applying effects to text and to photos. It takes a radically new approach to drawing: instead of conventional drawing tools and layers, it provides adjustable building blocks – over 80 in total – that apply certain effects in serial fashion and which the user tweaks, "much like a modular sound synthesizer." Users can download a free trial copy of unlimited duration, but which is limited to saving projects with 10 building blocks or less.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$39.95 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info...

Move through your SketchUp models

If you like Google Sketchup, you'll appreciate Sketchers Studio, which allows you to create 3D animations from your SketchUp models. It comes embedded with Google 3D Warehouse Browser, a timeline view, camera control including zoom, multi-camera switching, three types of effects, export to QuickTime movies, and more. Sketchers Studio is currently $59 for Mac OS X 10.5 (Universal Binary).
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$59 (usually $79) | Requires: MacOS X 10.5+ | For further info...

The poisonous secret of some algae

Some species of algae have been found to contain domoic acid – a powerful neurotoxin,. Researchers at the University of Santa Cruz in California have found that, when consumed in sufficient quantities, it can affect sea lions, birds and humans. In people, it can cause headaches and memory loss, and even death.
Algae blooms are promoted by fertilisers leaching into coastal waters from agricultural and sewage runoff.
The toxin remains even when the algae dies off and sinks with it to the bottom, instead of being dissolved in seawater. This would explain the dead zones at lower depths in a growing number of marine areas. "[It is also] the missing link to explain why domoic acid also shows up in benthic organisms like crabs, shellfish and flatfish," says Raphael Kudela, one of the study’s authors.
(Source: New Scientist) | For further info...

An even keel – for the children's mental health

Mind those arguments within families during childhood: they can be harmful to the children's mental health. This is the conclusion from a 30-year-long research study of 346 boys and girls in New England, each of which was monitored between the ages of 5 and 15.
Those who reported increased arguments with their parents and between their parents were found to be three times more likely to develop major depression, or indulge in drug or alcohol abuse. They were also nearly three times as likely to engage in antisocial behaviour, and more than twice as likely to be unemployed.
The report was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
(Source: New Scientist) | Cost: | For further info...

Future oil spills off BC coasts

"Where there are tankers, accidents happen.…There is an average of four oil tanker spills worldwide each year," said Oonagh O'Connor, Living Ocean's energy campaign manager. "It's not a question of if, but when… There's actually a risk on our coast already with the cruise ships, container vessels and expansions of the ports."

The model takes into account tidal movements, currents and the presence of fresh water and salt water. Separate scenarios show what would happen in summer and winter. What's not predictable is the amount of oil that could foul the coast, said O'Connor.

Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau imposed a ban on tankers in the early 1970's but the Conservative federal government takes issue with the ban. They say that nothing was put on paper.
(Source: Times Colonist) | For further info...

Stats on your connection to the 'Net

InternetFrog.com is a useful method to test the speed and other stats of your Internet connection.
You can also test the Quality of your VOIP Circuit, get a Browser Info analysis (Client IP Address, Server Port, Request, Encryption, etc.), and there are also links to WHOIS (domain owner information)
Results may vary in the course of the day.
Word of warning: many if not most of the buttons in the navigation panel – e.g. "ISP" are in fact simply shortcuts to advertisements or companies or sites offering that service.
(Source: VMUG) | Cost: Free at this site | For further info...

The measurable benefit of trees

Among the measurable benefits of trees cited:

• Asthma rates for children fall 25% for every extra 350 trees per sq km.
  • Money for a new Heathrow runway could provide 22m street trees.
  • 1,000 new parks could help avoid 74,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
  • For every 5% of tree cover added, water run-off is reduced 2%.
  • A treeless street is 5.5C (10F) warmer than a tree-lined one in hot summers.
  • Property in treeless streets is worth 18% less than buildings in roads that have trees.
  

(Source: Guardian.co.uk) | Cost: | For further info...

Protective Web browsing on iPhone

With many children now boasting their own iPod touch devices, the issue of protective browsing is no longer limited to the desktop computer at home or at school. To ensure they avoid unsavory websites while browsing on the move, parents can now install iWonder Surf. Based on the Safari Web browser.This allows you to filter site traffic, and even find out if your child is surfing the Web during school hours, and view traffic and control Web surfing permissions, or even disable its Web access, from anywhere without having to have physical access to the device.
(Source: iPhone Central) | Cost: US$15 | Requires: iPhone or iPod Touch, iPhone v2.2 software | For further info...

Toxins in children's bath products

These include Johnson's Baby Shampoo, L'Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo, Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash, Gerber's Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash. Bubble bath products branded with popular children's characters also tested positive for both chemicals, including Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, Hot Wheels and Tinker Bell.
Levels of formaldehyde in 23 of the 28 products ranged from 54 to 610 ppm (parts per million); levels of dioxane, found in 32 out of 48 products, ranged from 0.27 to 33 ppm.
(Source: CanWest News Service) | For further info…

iPresent It – you present it

iPresent It from ZappTek converts PowerPoint, PDF, and Keynote presentations into slideshows that can be synced to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPod Photo and later models. The latest release (v.2.4) adds support for Keynote '09.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$17.95 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.3+, Windows | For further info...

Your family tree through space & time

MacFamilyTree 5.4 from Synium Software is a genealogy program that includes an interactive globe for visualization through space and time, a 3D kinship view with fly-through, an animated Family Assistant, support for unlimited relationships between any two people, drag-and-drop from iPhoto, built-in CD/DVD burning, and other features. This release brings new web page design, themes, and workflow for web page export, custom fonts and improved editing for charts, much better coordinates lookup for Virtual Globe, a larger and more detailed locations database, an option to save reports as HTML files, and more.
(Source: Macintouch) | Cost: US$49 | Requires: Mac OS X 10.4+ | For further info...

Make your (environmentally-friendly) cleaning supplies

Examples

• General purpose floor cleaner: 1/3 cup of Borax with one gallon of warm water, then add one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of ammonia.
• Wood floor cleaner: 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.
• Shower cleaner, mix 1/4 cup of Lysol or another concentrated cleaner with a half cup of isopropyl alcohol and water.
• To clean chrome, used toothpaste or crumpled up aluminum foil.
• To clean glass with plain white vinegar.
• For dusting, reuse dryer sheets.
  

Reminder: Never mix ammonia and bleach, which can create a harmful, potentially lethal gas.
(Source: Baltimore Sun) For further info, go here, or here