Not Just Gaming .com Launched!

Techtronic has been replaced by Not Just Gaming (http://notjustgaming.com).

NJG features all of the great posts from Techtrionic, as well as articles, blogs, community, social profiles, forums, downloads, videos, and more!

Click here to visit Not Just Gaming .com !

Best of Craig’s List

We all know of Craig’s List by now… I could only hope. Craig’s List is the ultimate classified based directory that allows free posting and local directories. There is everything in there: things for sale, things wanted, jobs, singles ads, more, more, more. But have you ever seen the “Best of Craig’s List” section? It is filled with the most bizarre and hilarious ad’s of all. Here are some selections:

1. To the guy sailing across Mission Bay with a porch umbrella
2. Reactions to small (censored here)
3. BOX OF 60+ DOLL HEADS!!!!!
4. To the owner of the dog who took a shit outside my apartment building

There are plenty more (thousands) refreshed daily. Go check them out here.

Photoshop Express Now Free!

You shot it. Now do something to it. Crop, rotate, tweak, twirl, correct, and show off photos on Photoshop Express or Facebook. For free!

Adobe introduces Photoshop Express, a free to use browser based version of Photoshop. Photoshop Express is available for free featuring 2 gigabytes of storage. Flash 9 is required.

Streaming TV For Free

Prime Time Rewind (http://Prime Time Rewind.tv) is a 100% completely legal and free streaming TV service showcasing networks including NBC, Fox, CBS, USA, TNT, and ABC.

Here you can watch re-runs of your favorite shows including Bionic Woman, Heroes, CSI, Numb3rs, Monk, Charmed, and many more.

TechTV Lives Alternatively

TechTV has been long replaced by G4, the syndicated cable network for gaming. The Screen Savers has been replaced by Attack of the Show, replacing intelligence and valued information with spoof and technical sloppiness. Call for Help has not been replaced by an equivalent substitute at all, which enabled everyday people to call in and ask for general help questions live on the air. From Wikipedia: TechTV (May 11, 1998 – May 28, 2004) was broadcast in 70 countries, reached 43 million households, and claimed 1.9 million unique visitors monthly to its website.

While many of the TechTV fans have restrained from finding any interests in G4 at all, they still follow the former anchors as they have ventured other projects on their own without support of any major network. In fact, the major support for all of the TechTV evolutions comes from the fans and the anchors themselves. While mostly Leo Laporte comes to mind, other TechTV leaders have also ventured successfully as freelance internet geeks promoting their efforts via podcasting, websites, communities, technologies, and more.

Leo Laporte has founded the TwIT Network that homes his weekly podcasts including The Tech Guy, This Week in Tech, Security Now, Windows Weekly, Mac Break, and more. TwIT is survived by several former TechTV hosts, and the community themselves. All episodes are owned through the Creative Commons License as noncommercial, meaning there is total liberty in opinion without the politics of commercial sponsorship.

TwIT has won several awards including #9 in Time Magazines Top Podcasts of The Year in 2006. TwIT has also been ranked as the #1 Podcast on iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts, and Podcast Alley. Laporte also hosts The Lab on G4TechTV Canada and hopes to market the title to an American network in HD.

Former TechTV anchorman Kevin Rose has also evolved in other projects, most specifically development in Digg: the social bookmarking website. This has spawned Diggnation, a weekly podcast disscussing the top rated stories from the Digg network. He also developed another web innovation similar to Digg entitled Powence, a social bookmarking and micro-blogging engine. It has been refered to as a “Twitter on steroids”.

Morgan Webb now hosts the WebbAlert podcast, while still producing and co-hosting X-Play on G4.

Alternatively, the best of TechTV still survives after the destructive takeover by G4. The internet activities led by the former TechTV founders is also more direct to it’s fans than the television could ever be.

inSite: Web v2.0

Web v2.0 brings us interactivity we never dreamed of in the early days of internet. So today I highlight some interesting browser based applications to explore.

A. Web Based Desktops

Web based desktops can be described as websites that mimic personal computer applications, such as word processing, the spreadsheet, slide-show presentations, photo editors, instant messengers, and many more of various functionality.

1. eyeOS brings us a fully functioning desktop featuring Calendar, Contact Manager, vCard integration, Email client with POP3 functionality, RSS reader, FTP client, full featured Office suite (with Word processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentations, all supporting Microsoft Office formats), File Uploading (similar to My Documents in Windows), Calculator, games, and more.
2. YouOS is more for the interested developer type. YouOS integrates the tools to develop (command shell very similar to UNIX) and socialize (bulliten boards, buddy lists, chat) with other developers.

B. Web Based Applications

Web based applications substitute installed applications. They can be used on any operating system (Windows, Linux, Mac).

1. Google was one of the first to attempt browser based applications and does a fine job of maintaining the ones that have been released. Opening a Google account will enable you to utilize Google Docs (A Word Processor with Creation and Importing options), Google Calendar, and Google Notebook (enables quick saving notes for reference or reminder purposes). Don’t forget Google’s other services like Blogger, Pages, Reader, and Picasa.
2. iNet World is a browser based HTML editor. Create any document using point-level formatting, indents, margins, backgrounds, borders, choice ofbullets, numbering, spell check, pictures, and more. iNet supports one click publishing, sharing, collaboration,custom styles, and more.
   
3. Think Free Office is a Microsoft Office alternative featuring 1 GB of free storage, useful for sharing and collaboration. TFO also enables publishing documents to their ThinkFree Docs, your web pages, blogs, or Internet application.

C. Web Based Chat

Web based chat clients are most useful when you are at school, work, the library, or any computer that is not your own. Most web based chat clients handle multiple protocols, meaning that you can connect to your Yahoo Messenger, MSN, ICQ, and more simultaneously.

1. Meebo offers support of Yahoo Messenger, AIM, MSN, and Google Talk. Meebo evens supports Web cam interaction.
2. eBuddy supports Yahoo Messenger, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, and My Space. The eBuddy interface is catered to imitate MSN Messenger.

D. Other Web 2.0 Innovations

1. WidgeTop emulates the Mac OS X Widget Dock. Pretty snazzy if you have never seen the Widget engine used in Mac OS X.