By Steve Bass
Smart, Handy, and Free Web Sites
I have some Web sites for you that are kick-in-the-butt cool; others are just plain handy, the kind of thing you save for only occasional visits. How about an image resizer and a nifty online walkie-talkie? And I use TimeZone Converter to find out what time it is in Singapore (so I can call my friend at 2:00 a.m. his time to see if he’s in yet from club hopping).
Say you’ve got a bunch of people on your team — soccer, Web development, or a coffee klatch. You always need to talk to one or more of them. Instead of using the phone (ain’t that old fashioned?) or messing with Skype, use Loudtalks. It’s a simple contraption that gives you an instant, easy-to-set up-and-use walkie-talkie connection over the Net for up to seven friends or biz associates.
Here’s how it works: Each of your friends registers and downloads the tool. When you’re ready to talk to each other, or to the group, grab your PC’s microphone, hold down F7 and starting yakking. The voice quality is terrific and it’s a secure connection. And there are no unnecessary frills — texting, pictures, files sharing — to slow things down. There’s also a version for your mobile device. Read the About for details.
Push to talk to your online buddies.
So far, I don’t have many of them…
What’s the FBI got on you? Is it the time you hob-nobbed with the Weather Underground, or maybe your escapades with that group in Cuba? Get My FBI File walks you though the steps to get your records; you can also request files from seven other government agencies, including the NSA, CIA, CID, and others.
TechBite’s columnist Steve Bass and PC World Contributing Editor publishes a free weekly newsletter with commentary on the technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out of them,and the gotchas that can cause computing misery. Sign up for the newsletter here
