Cool software (Mostly free)

In this post I'd like to tell something about the software I use for work and play. Most of the software I use is either Open Source or Freeware. I don't mind paying for software, it's just that there is so much good free software around I don't need to. Also most of the developers of Open Source or Freeware are happy with your input on bugs or things you would like to change. In some cases you can make the changes yourself. (If you know what you are doing. ;-))

Internet:
- MSN Messenger, Hotmail and some Google stuff: Calendar, Docs and Reader. I sync my Windows Mobile PDA to Google Calendar using ActiveGcSync. Speaking of which, pRSSreader is the RSS reader on my PDA.

Utilities:
- The file compression utility I use is IZarc, this program supports compression in most current formats it is very small and fast.
- Audio editing in Audacity.
- Image editing in GIMP.
- Video compression in MediaCoder.
- Videoplayer for troublesome files and the tool I use to play TV over the internet: VLC.
- Port scanning in Windows with SuperScan.

Laptop stand for a buck and a half

Working on a laptop can cause some discomfort. I didn't want to spend money on a commercial laptop stand so I built my own. I made mine from 2 pieces of flat aluminium bent into an L-shape, and screwed them together. I put some electrical tape on there to prevent scratches:



If you want to work with your laptop you fold open the stand like this:



It works great!: