Create Wireless Hotspots With Connectify And Windows 7:

Virtual WiFi, one of the features that Microsoft introduced in their new operating system Windows 7, did not get that much attention until now. Virtual WiFi makes it possible to use the wireless networking adapter of a computer system running Windows 7 as a wireless hotspot for additional systems. That’s definitely an interesting feature for some Windows 7 users. Long Zheng described the Virtual Wifi technology and its possible uses in detail in a blog post earlier this year:

You might be wondering why anyone would ever need multiple WLAN adapters on the same PC, well to be honest, you don’t need but its sometimes good to have. In any case where you’re connected to an existing wireless access point and want to connect to another network whether that be a separate access point or even set up an ad-hoc connection, Virtual WiFi will allow you to do just that. But perhaps the scenario that is more appealing is the idea of a mesh network. In a mesh network, every client becomes a repeater, growing the network organically as more clients connect. Virtual WiFi enables this, since every client can become an access point too.

Connectify is a first beta software program that makes use of the Virtual Wifi capabilities of Windows 7. Windows 7 users can use the Connectify software to share the Internet connection of their computer system through a secure WPA2 encrypted hotspot. Other computer devices with wireless capabilities can connect to the hotspot to make use of that connection.

The program is currently provided as a beta version after registration on the Connectify homepage. Configuration of the service requires the following steps:

To get started, click on the Connectify logo in the Notification Tray.

1. Select the Internet connection you wish to share

2. Choose a name for your new wireless network

3. Choose a wireless passphrase

4. Press the Internet Sharing button to turn on your wireless network

5. Now, from your other devices, you can see your wireless network. Choose to join it, and enter the wireless passphrase to connect.

It is expected that the public release version will turn commercial with the likely probability that free software alternatives will be released eventually. Connectify is only compatibly with Windows 7 at this point. The software can be downloaded from the Connectify homepage.

100K Google Wave Invites

100K Google Wave Invites: "

Some call Google Wave the next big thing on the Internet while others think that it does not add anything new or exciting to the web. Whatever it is, most users have not had a chance to test Google Wave as Google has closed registration for the service. The Google blog announced yesterday that they will open the service to a new batch of 100.000 users. Registrations on the other hand remain closed and the only way users can grab one of these invites is by being a developer who have been active in the developer preview started in June, being one of the first users who signed up for Google Wave (and offered to give feedback) or by being a select customer of Google Apps.

Best chance for most interested users is therefor if they have filled out the registration form at the Google Wave website back when it was announced for the first time. Everyone else will have to wait just a bit longer before they can experience the service first hand.

Take a look at the video about Google Wave if you have not heard about it before: (it’s long)

Your best bet currently is to signup at the website as soon as possible for a chance to be included in one of the upcoming invitation rounds (it is likely that there will be more or that Google will let users who have registered join eventually).

Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home 3D

Posted using ShareThis

Google Maps is an interesting service for quite a few purposes. It can be used to get directions or take a closer look at a specific location on the planet. Many mashups extends its functionality making it without doubt one of the most popular map applications on the Internet. Google Maps does require an Internet connection which can be problematic in some situations like downloading directions from point a to point b to a computer to access it on the road where Internet access is either not available or to costly.

Offline Maps is a software program for Microsoft Windows that offers the following functionality to users and developers:

The application provides following functionality to its users:

• The ability to download tiles to a folder on your computer of a given zoomfactor along a path


• The ability to view the downloaded tiles in the application


• The ability to draw a path on the map and save that path to a file


• The ability to receive data from a GPS device and position the map at the points received from the device

To developers it provides following functionality

• The ability to develop new layers with specific functionality


• The ability to draw on the map using longitude and latitude coordinates


• The ability to draw on the map using regular coordinates

The developer provides access to a version for the Microsoft Windows operating system and a mobile version for Windows Mobile devices. Supported are Google Maps and Open Street Maps. It is furthermore possible to load maps that have already been downloaded from either service. Several additional options are provided in the layers tab including ripping, routing and GPS options.

The software program requires the Microsoft .net Framework. Interested users can download it from the Codeplex website

Viewer2: unique, innovative image viewing and tagging app:

Viewer2 is a free image viewing and tagging app that combines form and function into a powerful program that is a joy to use. It offers an innovative tagging process based on organizing image thumbnails and folders visually and grouping them in various ways that make it very easy to work with and tag them. Includes a powerful, versatile search function that indexes metadata as well as filenames and paths.

There are a number of good freeware image viewers/taggers out there, but Viewer2 will immediately impress due to its stylish interface and innovative functions. I would suggest that you view the video at the bottom of this post to get a sense of how this program works and feels; meanwhile here are some notes on this program:

• The interface: there’s not much of it, until you mouse over to the edges of the screen, where you will find all the tools that you need to browse, view and tag your images. But note that in order to really take advantage of what this program can do you really have to become familiar with the different mouse manipulations (e.g. right-click and move to move selected sets of images around - see the video tutorials). You also might want to become familiar with the various keyboard shortcuts, esp. the ones that concern tagging images, as they will make the process super fast and easy. Note that when hovering over any command icon in the interface a text label will show at the bottom of the screen to explain it (although a tool-tip would have been better, I think).


• Grouping images: Viewer2 can automatically group images visually in various "piles". It can group by name, by path, by resolution, by number views, by time/date accessed, by color, and of course by tags.


• Automatic tag suggestions: for quick tagging, Viewer2 can suggest tags based on other tagging activity.


• Film Strip view: right clicking while viewing images displays thumbnail view of all other images in that folder that you can quickly browse through with horizontal mouse movements. A super cool effect (illustrated in the one of the two screenshots on the top of this review).


• Lasso-type tool: an innovative tool that can be used while tagging to select multiple images (alternately you can simply CTRL+click on several thumbnail to select them). In image view mode the lasso tool is there, but this time it serves to quickly zoom into the lassoed area (is that a word?).


• Searching: the search function is one of the most versatile and powerful that you could hope for, offering search by tags, by name, location, size, etc. It is able to field sophisticated queries such as give me the word "bla" with "2007" in the path excluding the tag "wallpaper" as an example (see the manual section for an overview).


• Navigating folders: double click on the viewed image to display the other images and folders in the same location.These will be represented visually in piles that can be hovered over (for more info) or clicked on to access. Alternately mouse over the left side of the screen to access a simple directory listing.


• Customization: most everything about this program can be customized in the settings, from the size of the thumbnails to the way various elements behave.


• Memory use: only 16 megs in memory, despite the nifty, visual pyrotechnics.


• Technical details: IPTC data editing, full Unicode support.

A video of the program in action:

The verdict: I am bowled over by this app. Its not just because of the high coolness factor, which would have been enough to win me over, but also because the innovative interface and process actually makes it super easy to work with tags quickly and effectively. The developer who thought out and built this (and kept it at such low memory usage) did a terrific job! Download and try it you will like it.

[Thanks go to reader Anjan for tipping me off about this program!]

Version Tested: 4044

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, Vista.

Go to the Program page to download the latest version (approx 1.59 megs).

"

6 Best Free jQuery Framework/Library

jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. jQuery is designed to change the way that you write JavaScript.




1- KeyTable


A lighweight JS library for adding keyboard navigation support to tables.The library provides an Excel-like navigation that can be bundled with features like on-click editing. The inline row editing feature is accomplished with the jQuery jEditable plug-in. And, KeyTable integrates easily with DataTables (see WRD post).The library works in all major browsers.




2- DataTables


A jQuery plugin for adding advanced interaction controls to HTML tables.It can add pagination, filtering and multi-column sorting functions to tables with ease.




3- Datagrid: Ingrid


Ingrid is an unobtrusive jQuery component for creating very nice looking & effective datagrids.It simply adds datagrid behaviors (column resizing, paging, sorting, row and column styling, and more) to your tables.




With every display event, Ingrid sends a query to a dynamic file (ASP, Asp.Net, PHP..), which must be created by you (a PHP example exists).The query then simply returns the results in a table format "how Ingrid expects them to be". And, that's all.




4- jqGrid


jqGrid is an Ajaxed jQuery grid plugin with amazing features.As the grid is a client-side solution that loads data with Ajax callbacks, it can be used with any server-side language like ASP, PHP, ASP.NET, JSP and so.A clever feature is sub grids which shows you a sub grid when a master column is called.




5- tablesorter


tablesorter is a jQuery plugin for turning a standard HTML table with THEAD and TBODY tags into a sortable table without page refreshes.tablesorter can successfully parse and sort many types of data including linked data in a cell.Using tableSorter, you can have custom headers, sorting classes and row striping features.




6- Flexigrid


Flexigrid is a feature rich data grid with resizable columns and a scrolling data to match the headers, plus an ability to connect to an xml based data source using AJAX to load the content.

Embed PDFs and PowerPoint Files for No-Software Viewing [PDFs]: "

Want to show off a PDF or PowerPoint presentation on a web space without having to include an obligatory link to Adobe's PDF viewer for the link-doesn't-work crowd? You can embed those documents anywhere using Google's document viewer.

Google Operating System points out an embed code that works for any PDF or PowerPoint file that's hosted somewhere, anywhere online, and can be pasted into just about any web space that tolerates frames. Here's an example of what that embedding looks like with an old 1040 tax form:

Hit the link for the cut-and-replace embed code, and check out the previously mentioned Scribd iPaper embedding for another no-software-needed document sharing solution.

Embeddable Google Document Viewer [Google Operating System]

"

Interaction Design Tool For Webpages: IxEdit

Interaction Design Tool For Webpages: IxEdit: "

IxEdit is an easy-to-use & free tool which aims to simplify the implementation of interactions on a web page, specially for anyone who is not experienced in JavaScript.

This interaction design tool is built with JavaScript & needs to be embedded into the webpage being edited. With the help of a modal-box-like interface, interactions created will be applied instantly.

Rather than totally new scripts, IxEdit generates jQuery & jQuery UI code using the parameters specified.

Interactions are stored in a local database (Google Gears), so, anything created won’t be lost even if the page is refreshed or closed.

Color Schemes From Photos: ColorSuckr

Color Schemes From Photos: ColorSuckr: "

ColorSuckr is a free online service which can extract colors from an image & generate color schemes.

It can be used in 3 ways:

• by mentioning the URL of the image


• via a bookmarklet


• or a Firefox add-on

Once the color schemes are ready, they can be downloaded as Adobe Swatch (.ASE) files or more schemes can be listed from COLOURlovers for any selected color.

ColorSuckr also offers the results in RSS, JSON & XML formats which makes an integration with any application possible.

Krasbit Layouter

Krasbit Layouter is a pack of VBA macros which help with working with shapes and bitmaps, supports the process of making layout and prepress for advanced multipaged publications. It is written in Visual Basic for Applications and intended to run in VBA environment for CorelDRAW^® application of Corel^® corporation.

The author of Krasbit Layouter is: Jarosław Kraska

Krasbit Layouter in current state is freeware. That means that you can use it legally and without any charge under the provisions of this license.

The minimum requirements:

• CorelDRAW^®, version: X3 (SP2), with installed VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) environment;
  
  
  CorelDRAW^® X4 users should download and install the latest Service Pack (SP2 - 14.0.0.701) for CorelDRAW, due to some of VBA instability (mainly storing custom data in objects) issues in CorelDRAW X4 (v. 14.0.0.567) which affects working of some of Krasbit Layouter macros.


• Microsoft Windows® based operating system;


• Microsoft Internet Explorer® web browser installed, version 7.0 or newer. (Krasbit Layouter VBA includes reference to "Microsoft Internet Controls" component)

The chosen features:

• Project content optimization / prepress;


• Quick export all project pages to JPG files with just one click;


• Objects swapping based on chosen selection or range of pages;


• Copying and pasting the chosen set of properties (eg. width, positionY, fill, effects...) from some objects to the others in a chosen selection or page range;


• Tools for automatically finding and optionally grouping objects of the specified type;


• Advanced import functions;


• Tools for resolving and restoring links of bitmaps at any time;


• Advanced bitmap & links manager;


• Fixing of all broken links by specifying a new prefix;


• Working with text - automatic line breaking before specified chars;
  


• Functions for smart grouping, ungrouping, copying and pasting;


• Working with pages and templates;


• ESO ( Export Slice Objects) - to export only the chosen and marked objects from the project;

Read more about program features.

Download

You can download latest version of Krasbit Layouter from here.

Documentation

• Online help


• FAQ


• Troubleshooting

imgPreview-jQuery Image Preview Plugin

imgPreview-jQuery Image Preview Plugin: "

Requirements: jQuery

Compatibility: All Major Browsers

Website: http://james.padolsey.com/javascript/new-jquery-plugin-imgpreview/

imgPreview is a jQuery plugin that enables users to preview images before clicking on them.



If the image is clicked later, it will be shown instantly as it will already be preloaded at the preview.

The image preview is shown in a chic tooltip-like box.

The plugin is unobtrusive, does not use non-semantic classes. It detects the anchors that link to images and apply the preview effect only to them.

There are various configuration options that comes with imgPreview like defining the css pf the image to be previewed, its distance from the cursor, whether the images will be preloaded or not, callback functions & more.

Multitouch on Firefox

Multitouch on Firefox from Felipe on Vimeo.

TypePublish makes publishing content easy

TypePublish makes publishing content easy: "

For those of you who may be looking for something that’s simple and
easy to use and an effective alternative to traditional CMS or blog
platforms, you’ll be pleased to hear about TypePublish.

This is a great CMS that offers a very attractive and easy to use interface that is both intuitive and clean.

Continue reading 'TypePublish makes publishing content easy'

Open Blog - a blog application built using the CodeIgniter PHP Framework

Open Blog - a blog application built using the CodeIgniter PHP Framework: "

Open Blog is a lightweight blog platform built on the CodeIgniter PHP Framework. It offers a wide range of features that are designed to enhance your blogging experience and provide a fresh alternative to traditional blog platforms.
Continue reading 'Open Blog - a blog application built using the CodeIgniter PHP Framework'

Abstract Wavy Photoshop Patterns

Abstract Wavy Photoshop Patterns: "
Today’s web treat is a free combo pack of seamless abstract wavy textures in .jpg format as well as a corresponding Photoshop tileable pattern (.pat) set."

Grungy Watercolor Textures and Layered PSD

Grungy Watercolor Textures and Layered PSD: "
Today's webtreat is a layered PSD of our Grungy Watercolor backgounds on BackgroundsETC along with a selection of several of our favorites."

Free Flash-XML Image Rotator

Free Flash-XML Image Rotator: "

XML Banner Rotator is a free Flash component to display rotating images with style.

It is highly customizable via a XML file & comes with 35+ options including the masking size and speed.

The position of the elements on the screen, number of images & colors can all be controlled.

Besides any HTML page, XML Banner Rotator can be inserted into any FLA file too.

P.S. Download requires free membership.

"

GoingUp! - Free Web-based Stats With SEO Features: "GoingUp! is a free web-based website statistics service with powerful SEO features. The service has a slick Ajaxed interface & offers a complete analytics package with web stats, referring...

Color Scheme Designer

Color Scheme Designer is a Diverse Palette Creator [Color Palette]: "

If you've tried out web-based palette generators and been underwhelmed, you might want to take Color Scheme Designer for a spin. It combines the features of many other generators into a unique, easy-to-use palette creator.

On the surface it looks like many other virtual palette generators. Dig around, though, and you'll quickly find features not commonly found in your average color tool.

You can generate single monochromatic, complimentary, triad, tetrad, analogic, and accented analogic color palettes. You can simulate color-based vision disorders to see how your design colors will look-they even list the percentage of people suffering from the disorders. A preview function populates a dummy web page with your color scheme, which is a handy tool for seeing how your selected colors look together off the palette.

While the page-simulator is a really great trick, the best feature of Color Scheme Designer is the ability to export your palette not just as a Photoshop palette-a common limitation of many web-based generators-but as HTML+CSS, XML, TXT, and GPL (the palette format for GIMP).

Color Scheme Designer is free and requires no signup.

Color Scheme Designer [via MakeUseOf]

"