Homepage: http://www.loganscollins.com/schoolhouse/
I am sure that most students out there are always looking for a way to better organize their work, whether it be keeping track of grades, or even when assignments, quiz/tests, projects, papers, and other things are due. Well, if you use your computer a lot like myself, this app may come in very handy (if you are in school that is)! Schoolhouse 2 allows anyone to really take total control of their organization skills. This app allows you to pretty much do whatever your teachers do to keep track of your assignments, grades, and how to figure your end result (i.e. Final Grade). This app not only lets you input the assignments, their point totals, and your scores, but it also allows you to change the weight percentage each section of the class is worth.
Sadly, no teacher is the same, so with Schoolhouse 2, anyone can create an organized section dedicated to those pesky ways of his or her teacher. Lets say you have Dr. Butinsky. He has a way of weighting your grades differently then most "normal" teachers in your school. Well it is easy to change up that one class without affecting any of the other classes. This app truly brings out the best in every student, and if you are a student in High School, or even College, I would highly recommend using this app to keep track of everything. This app is so good, who knows how long it will stay freeware, so make sure to check out and leave a comment on what you think!
Download Link: http://www.loganscollins.com/software/Schoolhouse_2.1.zip
BetterZip is everything that it's name says it is. This app beats out any other unzipping program out there for the mac. Some of the special stuff on this app which makes it so good is that you can choose which files in a zip or rar file you want. On top of that, it works nicely, and in a very efficient way. This app also allows you to create rar files which is also really useful. Getting sick of StuffIt Expander? Buy BetterZip Today!!!
Price: $19.95
Homepage: http://macitbetter.com/
Website: http://shiira.jp/en.php
Well, I am always looking for new apps for my mac, and I am always looking for alternative apps for web browsing. While in my never ending quest to find the perfect web browser for me, I stumbled upon Shiira, a free web browser which really has some amazing features. This app is not your ordinary web browsing utility. Instead of having the tabs up on the top, there is a bar (which you can control the size of) with small boxes that represent the sites you have open. Each box actually shows what you were looking at on the site, this sort of gives you a quick preview of what is on the site. On top of that, it has a really nice interface, works well (better then Safari in my very own opinion), and really has very little flaws. Shiira also does a great job remembering passwords and other things like usernames for sites or blogs (like this one). If you are looking for a better alternative to FireFox or Safari, check out Shiira and tell me what you think!
Download Link: http://shiira.jp/download/en.php
Well, the title says it all. SimplyRAR is a freeware app for the mac which makes turning files into a .rar file one of the easiest things to do. Once you download the app, and place it into your Applications folder, and open it up. You should see a white box appear on your screen with a toolbar on the top, a section below the bar on the top with lines on it. Drag the files you want to turn into a .RAR file into the lined space underneath the toolbar that located at the top of the application. Once they are all in, look towards the bottom of the application and you will see a section with a bunch of unchecked boxes with a whole lot of features you can use. If you want to password protect your RAR file, then select that box, and put a password on it. You also can divide your .RAR file into parts by selecting the size of each RAR file. This option is located next to the check off box section. The rest you can explore yourself, it is a very solid program and is definitely worth the download if you need to make .RAR files!
Blog Update 10/14/07
1Passwd: The Key Part Of Productivity
Once upon a time, a company by the name of Agile Web Solutions entered the mac community. Their goal was to make using the internet easier for computer users around the world. They thought big, and created 1Passwd. 1Passwd is a revolutionary internet helper that I use to this day. I have saved at least a days worth of time working with this program, and I would love to share with our readers how this possible now.
First, I would love to give a tiny overview on what 1Passwd really does. It is a password manager for Safari 2.0, Firefox 1.5+, Flock 0.7+, Camino 1.0, OmniWeb 5.5, DEVONagent 2.0, NetNewsWire 2.1. With this extensive list of applications, 1Passwd pretty much covers the entire internet using Macintosh community.
After downloading the application file from http://1passwd.com/ and dragging it to your applications folder, it is time to set up 1Passwd. Launch 1Passwd and navigate to its preferences. The preferences is be located in the 1Passwd menu, in your Apple Computer's menubar, or by pressing the key combination "Command + ,". From 1Passwd's preferences, you may install the internet browser plugin for the internet browser/s you use, check for updates, change 1Passwd's keychain location, and activate 1Passwd's auto-submit feature.
Once setting all of this up, you are ready to start using 1Passwd. From this point you may do one for two things. Explore the 1Passwd application or explore the internet browser plug-in. I will start with exploring the actual application. The layout of 1Passwd was done very well, as you can see, and is pretty self-explanitory.
Section one is the first level of organization. It is separated into five categories and they are: Web Forms, Secure Notes, Identities, Password History, and Trash. When you save a password form in your web browser, the from goes to the Web Forms section. If you have any passwords that are not fillable by 1Passwd, or you just want to write something down somewhere where no one will see, use Secure Notes. The Identities section is used to fill out a whole internet form quickly. If you are filling out information on a website in order to create and account, you can use a 1Passwd Identity to fill it out for you. Another nifty feature in 1Passwd is the password generator. It does what is name states, generates random passwords for you. The password are recorded in both the Web Forms section, if you save the form, and the Password History section. Last, but not least, the trash. I am always clumsy on a daily basis. So being this way has cause me to delete several Web Forms that I need. I did not fear because the Trash was there. All I had to do was go to the trash section, select the Web Form I deleted by accident, and hit restore. The Web Form went into the exact place where it was before and I was saved. Just for a few sentences, I am skipping number two and going to down to three and four. Number three lists the items contained in the sections of number one. By selecting an item in section number three you may see its contents in section number four. Section four allows you to make sub-catagories or folders for the sections in section one. This extends productivity and organization by a huge portion.
The actual application of 1Passwd is really only half the program. 1Passwd also contains internet browser plug-ins. These plug-ins are good for Safari 2.0, Firefox 1.5+, Flock 0.7+, Camino 1.0, OmniWeb 5.5, DEVONagent 2.0, NetNewsWire 2.1 and allow you to submit your internet passwords from the users browser. When selecting the toolbar button, 1Passwd's plug-in, from your browser's toolbar, the button gives you a drop-down menu. This menu is divided into four sections, and in this review, I will explain from top to bottom.
In section one, you have four features/options. The first selection allows you to submit the password information you have already entered into 1Passwd. The keyboard shortcut for this is "Command + \". Next you have the Save form feature. By using this selection, 1Passwd will remember your password information for the website you are visiting. When creating an account for a website or forum, usually the website requests the same information all the other websites ask. This is where Fill With Identity comes in. By selecting an Identity, you can fill out a whole form with the click of a button. The identities can be set up from the 1Passwd application. Last for this section is the Fill With Generated Password. After clicking this button, a window opens up and you can select the length of your password and other details about your random password. When you are done, the password is submitted to the website's form and is also recorded in the password History section in your 1Passwd application.
Sections two, three, and four are simple, easy, and pretty self-explanitory. Section two contains two selections. The first one is auto save. Instead of hitting the Save Form button every time you enter a password on a website, you can just select Autosave which will submit the forms for you. When this selection submits the form, you are given an opportunity to name the form and write comments. Autosubmit submits passwords automatically for websites that already have saved forms on your computer. The Import Passwords function allows you to easily import the passwords from your web browser's keychain into 1Passwd. Last, Launch 1Passwd launches the 1Passwd application and About 1Passwd gives credit to its creators, give you your 1Passwd's build number, and links to 1Passwd's website and forums.
Now that we have discussed all of the major details of 1Passwd, it is time to cover the small, but important, features. The six small features that I would love to describe are 1Passwd's registration system, keylogger tactics, phishing protector, 1Click Login Bookmarks, 1Passwd database for the Palm, and .Mac synchronization. 1Passwd's new registration system is revolutionary, smart, and, I believe, pretty hacker proof. In the registration email that the 1Passwd company send you, you get a picture of a card. To register 1Passwd, go to 1Passwd's 1Passwd menu, click register, and drag your card in the designated spot.
What a keylogger essentially is, is a hacker's program planted on your computer sending back all the information you type to the hack. With 1Passwd, keyloggers fail because you do not actually type in any of your passwords, you just select Fill Form.
Phishing forms try to get people to type in their sensitive data by misleading the user who is being tricked and making them believe they are on a different website. 1Passwd does not fall for their tricks because it will only submit a password if it is sure you are on the right website. Also, when activating Fill Form, you will see in red bars what 1Passwd thinks of the website your are on. The program cross-checks the website you want to submit the password to and the website the password was assigned to. By doing this 1Passwd tells you how similar the two websites actually are.
1Click Login Bookmarks are simple. They are bookmarks that when you select them it automatically fills the form on the website. To create one, go to your 1Passwd application, and in the upper right hand section, under Web Forms, select the the password you want to be a 1Click. Upon selecting the one you want, move your mouse down to the section below section three, select edit, then select the cog, the select Copy Go & Fill. In your web browser, create a new bookmark and paste in the Go & Fill. You have just created a 1Click Login Bookmark.
Syncing with .Mac is quite simple with 1Passwd. Go to the preferences window in your 1Passwd application and select the Keychain section. There select the Edit Keychain Settings button, check the .Mac sync box, click the .Mac button, and your done.
The last feature is 1Passwd on the go. Store all of your 1Passwd passwords on a Palm for portability and easy usage. Never get caught not remembering passwords again.
If you are looking for a top of the market password manager (and autofiller) for your internet needs, your search is over. With 1Passwd's perfect integration with a huge list of browsers, it is sure to be a hit for all users. If my article is still not enough to bring you over to the side of productivity, go to http://1passwd.com/.
[News] Possible Change
So here is the deal...I might be taking this blog to a site! A blog does not get recognized on Google, so people who are searching for macware reviews cant really find this blog. Now, no matter what happens, this blog will continue to go on! If i use a site for my reviews, then i think i might just post those same reviews on here, for those who want, or i might convert this blog into a news blog for my site and other mac stuff!
We will see, only time will tell, but i would like to get people's input on this decision! This could be a very good or a very bad move switching from blog to site :D
[Advertising] Winning a Wii Was Never So Easy!
http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/03/10120/
According to a blog named UNEASYsilence , if you do two specific things listed on their website, you could win a Wii.
1) Share your knowledge of this contest with all of your friends and buddies
2) Write a comment on the post named "UNEASYGiveaway: We Are Giving Away Another Wii"(include the links of the placed you shared you knowledge)
Then sit back and wait for April 6, 2007 to come!
MoviesForMyPod is a program i personally use when i am not in the mood to use iSquint! It has a very nice interface, and is very productive in getting the job done, and getting it done right! You have the ability to change the Quality, the sound issues, and also allows you to choose what format you want to pick! Here is a picture of all the formats you can choose from, 
With all those options, it can really help in almost anyway possible. I also think that unlike iSquint, MoviesForMyPod has many more options on what to convert too. You can convert for a podcast, you can convert for a phone, you can convert for your PSP too! (PSP's can and do use .MP4's and .M4V's). Overall, i really do think that if you are looking to get the most out of your video converter, MoviesForMyPod might just be the thing for you!
If you would like to download this app, visit their blog on Blogspot: http://www.digigami.com/moviesformypod/
MoviePod is a program that i dont use often, but when i do, it comes in very handy! MoviePod simply converts files into .m4v's. These files do play on the iPod, for those who dont know what an M4V is. The reason why this app is just so great, is that when i rip a movie from Handbrake, Instant Handbrake, or even Handbrake Lite, the video size is huge. Not to mention i can't use iSquint to make the file size smaller due to the file already being in .MP4 format. So, what i like to do is send that .MP4 video file right on through MoviePod, and try and get the size of my video file smaller. I dont lose any video or sound quality, the only thing i lose is how big my video file is. For those who want to maxamize the amount of video's your iPod can hold, use MoviePod on your .MP4's!
To Read More About MoviePod, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/moviepod
Price For Full Version (W/ Out Pop-Ups) Is $10.00
*For those PC users out there (and who knows why you are looking at an all Macware site :D), there is a PC Version of MoviePod: http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/moviepod.win
When it comes to ripping DVD's with more than one file on them, Handbrake is your program. It has all the features that one could ask for when trying to do multi-ripping! Now, production on this app, last i have checked, has not been so fast. It seems that this apps production has not really come along, and still does have some problems. The problems this app has though, are not too significant, and should not be worried aboput when ripping! The pluses to this app are very simple! You are able to rip more than one video off a DVD at a time. Meaning, that instead of having to come back to your computer every other 1-2 hours, it will just do all of them, and you can return whenever you want! This app is great for people who want to rip TV Shows off their DVD's. I have used this on TV Shows such as: 24, Scrubs, King of Queens, and many others!
You can't really read more about Instant Handbrake, being that there is no specific site up and running for this program. If you want to download it, you can from this site: http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8
Handbrake is hosting Instant Handbrake on their site, and I highly recomend downloading this freeware app!
Handbrake lite, which is a better/more fool proof version of Handbrake, is one of my favourite ways of ripping DVD's. It is simple, has a great interface to it, and really is fool proof. The conversion times are not as long as Handbrake's but there are a few downsides to lite. One is that you dont really get to control the quality of your rip (normally, it is just set on standard!) This app is a good app, dont get me wrong, but if you are looking to have more control over your DVD Rip, then Handbrake would be better than Lite. I personally use each Lite and Handbrake about the same amount, there are some videos that i will try and want to change, and then there are others that i really just dont care as long as the quality is decent, and has good sound! Overall, this app is good, and worth getting, the only other really bad downside is that this app is not being updated anymore :( So, this version (1.1) is this highest it will go for right now!
To Read More On Updates And News, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.isquint.org/handbrakelite/
iSquint is another great converting tool that i use very often. Instead of ripping and converting, this app converts video files right off your computer. Now, this does take awhile to accomplish, but iSquint does a really great job at making a file small, and making it into a .mp4 that has great quality. Take my scrubs episode, i put it through isquint at about 175 mb, i leave it on standard video quality, and standard sound quality, and i end up with a .mp4 version of my scrubs episode, 64 mb big! That is one hell of a converter right there. iSquint still does not support ever single sort of media file out there. If you want an app that does support pretty much every video file, you can buy Visual Hub, which can be found on the iSquint homepage!
To Get More Updates & News, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.isquint.org/
Handbrake is a simple way to make video converting for the iPod Video easy! This app is used in a very simple manner! You need to just have a DVD inside you computer, and the program really just does the rest for you. You can adjust the quality of the video, the sound source, and view pictures that the program itself produces off the DVD. Handbrake earlier this year had a brake off, where people working on this app decided the process for updating handbrake was moving way to slow. They produced a different application called "MediaFork". I downloaded mediafork, and let me tell you, it took the app 2 and 1/2 days to just rip the Departed off the DVDm and after it got to 100%, the program froze up and quit. I put the video through handbrake and it worked just fine! I am glad that the two sides have come to an agreement, and are now working together once again! Handbrake has come out of it's so called "slow production" and is probably going to speed things up a bit! Out of all the DVD Rippers out there for the macintosh, i have truly fallen in love with this app!
To Get Updates & To Read More On Handbrake, Visit Their Homepage: http://handbrake.m0k.org/
ShapeShifter is a very unique program, that helps keep your mac fresh and full of spunk. Do you ever get bored of having the same template for your macintosh? Do you ever wish you could change that white tool bar at the top of your screen to lets say black, or orange? Well, Shapeshifter is just the thing for you. This is a splendid app, in-which you can change the template of your mac! The application itself works in a very swell manner! All you have to do is purchase it, and then, the rest will be taken care of. You open up the program, (which will open up in your System Prefs), from there, the rest is pretty much explanitory! You can choose from layouts that are already given to you, or you can go on the web, and download new themes and icons!
I used this app for some time, but eventually, i switched back! Every now and then though, i seem to use it just to spice things up a bit! if you are looking to get some change with how your computer looks, then this is the software for you!
To Read More About ShapeShifter, Go To Their Homepage: http://unsanity.com/haxies/shapeshifter
Price: $20.00
I have recently purchased a burning application called Disco. Let me tell you that this programs has made burning discs way better. Much better than Jam and Toast, Disco allows you to get what you want done. I had Jam and Toast before i bought Disco, and was really unhappy. I was unhappy with the programs, i was unhappy with the quality of burning that Jam and Toast gave me. So i went on a little search :P, and i came across Disco!
This programs has some neat stuff on it! When i wanted to burn my Bob Dylan, 3 Album Set for a road trip i was going on, i dragged all the files in there, and then i pressed burn! i wanted to put them all on as few discs as i could. Disco, gave me that option! When i pressed burn, Disco saw that there were to many files that were too big to fit on one single disc, so instead, it offered to make two discs (on a 3 dis set :D). It helped me minimize the amount of CD's i was going to take on my road trip!
Disco also keeps a history of everything you burn. Lets say i burned a family album, but forgot to label the album, i can go back in the historym and find out that the album was actually from 3/31/07, and was also burned on 3/31/07. This feature really helps in the long run, and is a feature most burning apps do not have.
The final great part about this app is that it simply does a great job burning. It does not scratch up your CD, it works with you in a way that it doesnt tell you how to make your disc, but gives you some guidlines/suggestions. This app outbeats Toast and Jam any day!
To Read More About Burn, Visit Their Homepage: http://discoapp.com/
Prices:
Disco Single User - $29.95
Disco Family Pack (3) - $59.90
Disco Ten Pack - $179.90
Quinn is a tetris game for the mac! I have been addicted to this game for months now, and i can tell you one thing, i still can't get enough of it! Simon Haertel has done a fantastic job creating this amazing freeware game!
Some awesome features to this game include:
-Change the background of your game with any picture you like! or, if you dont have any pictures, you can download some of the pictures/peices other people have made!!! http://www.simonhaertel.de/quinn/pbg
-Play against others online! this game allows you to create a server on the site, so if you want to play your friend in Canada (even though their main specialty is in Hockey and Maple Syrup) you can! you can also play against other people who you do not know, by just joining one of the servers other people have up there. If you want you server to be exclusive, you can have a password on it, and only give the password to people who you want playing the game. Also, you can set up a server bet. your network or through bonjour. Due to the ability for online gameplay, this game is really high on my freeware game list!
http://www.simonhaertel.de/quinn/servers
-Another thing you can do is send your highscore from your single player game, to the internet, (my highest score is 42,677), this is fun and addicting, and i highly suggest people who may not love to play games download it and try it out!
To Read More About Quinn, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.simonhaertel.de/
To Download Straight From Here, Click On This Link: http://www.simonhaertel.de/download/quinn-current
NicePlayer is a very good app! it works with quicktime and allows you to use codecs to play videos that may or may not work on your normal player. There is not much to say about this app though, it works very well, has a pretty good interface, and is helpful when certain videos just wont play due to me not having the right codec for my player. If you are someone who loves to watch videos all the time, i would think that this app would help you!
To Read More About Ta-Da List, Visit Their Homepage: http://niceplayer.sourceforge.net/
To Download Straight From Here, Click On This Link: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=170266&package_id=194259
This is a great freeware widget that is an alternative to the ever so popular Do It app. This widget allows you to have a place on your dashboard to list all the things in life you need/want to get accomplished . This app is a fun way of making sure you get What you want done!
For those of you who love your dashboard, this would make a great widget for you. The alternative, for those who do not like the widget can use the program i posted on this blog already, called, "Do It".
To Read Mor About Ta-Da List, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.keeganjones.com/widgets/tada/
To Download Straight From Here, Click On This Link: http://www.keeganjones.com/widgets/tada/download/
[Freeware] Do It
Once known as ToDo, now known as Do It...this app can help anyone. Someone who needs a structured way of looking at what he needs to get done in a certain time, to someone who knows his schedual, but likes the reminder! This app is very useful, no matter who you are. It has a nice interface, and a great look to it. I have had no problems with this freeware app, it does exactly what its title says! So, let me put it in the words of a great sportsware company..."JUST DO IT" -Nike
If you are one of those people who like to stay organized, and have tons of stuff going on in your life, and you just want that extra reminder, then this app will work perfectly! If you are one of those people that dont like iCal because it just doesnt work for you, then Do It would be in my opinion, the next best thing!
To Read More About Do It, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.jimmcgowan.net/Site/DoIt.html
To Download Straight From Here, Click On This Link: http://www.jimmcgowan.net/diskimages/DoIt2.3.dmg
This app allows you to share files through your networks. Whether you want to share your new movie project with the family, or feel like asking a friend on your network to see your huge project on the civil war that is due the next day, this app will help you get it done! i have used this app many times, have fallen in love with it, and it probably one of the most used apps that i have on my computer at this moment!
It has a nice interface, a great look to it, and is a great way to share media files with people on your network. This app is also a great way to keep your shared media organized! I dont know how many people out there really do appreciate an app that allows you to share media via a network, but for those who do, this is the app for you!
To Read More About Tryst, Visit Their Homepage: http://www.trystx.com/
To Download Straight From Here, Click On This Link: http://www.trystx.com/download/Tryst.dmg
