Freeware/Free softwares : 30 June 2011

Meetin.gs

This is a cloud application to schedule and manage meetings with ease. Users can invite colleagues and clients to meetings and get confirmation of their attendance too. No downloads, nothing to install. Just login through your Facebook account and add setup@meetin.gs to your meeting guest list on either the Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook. This creates a centrally accessible area for the meeting participants. The application, on its own, emails the login links to all the participants you've chosen, rightaway. And, whenever he or she makes changes or updates to a meeting schedule, you get to know of it, immediately. Posting of agenda well ahead of the meeting can be of great help as it can be edited by colleagues / participants, if need be. The Sharing of notes is a very useful feature too as it is more effective than volleying across scores of emails. The other advantages include Meetin.gs works on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, supports Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar. The disadvantage part – insistence on using personal Facebook account to login, some would be reluctant to do so.

Meetin.gs, its alternatives include Doodle, MeetingWave, can be checked out at http://meetin.gs

Maxthon

Maxthon, a multipage browser based on the Internet Explorer core, has come a long way since we presented it in this column, two years ago. Maxthon can open multiple Web pages in a single window, and its developers claim that it consumes a minimum of systems resources. The application supports special plug-ins and IE extensions, and its features include autoscrolling, form autofilling, external tools, plug-in support, a newsgroup-browsing mode, mouse gestures, customizable skins, and an Autohide panel. Don't like menus? Use hot keys. Don't like hot keys? Use word aliases. Don't like aliases? Use toolbars. Don't like toolbars? Then, use mouse gestures. It's all up to you.The application also includes skinning, a built-in RSS reader sidebar, selecting and dragging keywords to a current webpage, and more. Its privacy protection feature can help erase browsing history, cookies, cache etc with either a click, or by configuring the browser to clear them out automatically when it closes.

The 17 MB Download, 65 MB installed, Maxthon (updated on 24th June 2011), v.3.1.2.1000, for Windows XP/Vista/7 can be downloaded at http://dl.maxthon.com/mx3/mx3.1.2.1000.exe

Otomata

If you love playing around with musical sounds, you would find Otomata great. Created by Batuhan Bozkurt, a sound artist and computer programmer, living in Istanbul, Otomata is an online generative sequencer that produces "sound events" through the movement of cells. Each alive cell has 4 states: Up, right, down, left. at each cycle, the cells move themselves in the direction of their internal states. Chaotic results can happen in some settings, but, this is the begining of gradually evolving sequences. Experiment by adding some cells, move them in different ways to create a range of sounds and textures, change their orientation, to have fun, I did! A demonstration video hosted at the website shows how to get started.

This version is compatible with all operating systems, can be downloaded at www.earslap.com

Beware, Otomata can become quite addictive!

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Can you suggest me an Antivirus software for the USB port of a laptop?

DH suggested

You could try the 1.4 MB (zipped) Mx One Antivirus 4.0, a free antivirus for your USB pendrive. It can be downloaded at http://ldcmx.info/descargar.php?des=mxone  You can install the application, either into your PC or your USB flash drive or both for better protection.

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QUOTE TO MULL OVER

I can complain because rose bushes have thorns,
or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
It's all how you look at it.

- J. Kenfield Morley

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