Blog backlog

I used to be a fairly regular blogger, but the combination of a newborn in the house and a hefty course load isn't good for free time. Additionally, sometimes I feel like all we do is take care of Lindsay, so we don't have as many fun things to blog about. So my blogging frequency has drifted off.

However, I've still been blogging on one my Best of the Web blog, so here's a recap of the last month of two of posts. These things range from extremely useful to just plain nifty, but they all won't cost you a cent. Follow the links to the full posts if they sound interesting to you.

Cute PDF Writer lets you create a PDF documents from any document -- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, photos, and more. The program installs itself as a printer driver, so you just print the document and select Cute PDF Writer from the drop-down menu.

VideoEgg is a video hosting service that is perfect for bloggers or people who want to post small videos on their Web sites. You download a small program that lets you upload videos to their site from file, your digital camera, or your webcam.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a combination of Google Spreadsheets, which debuted earlier this year, and Writely, which Google bought in March. Through Google Docs & Spreadsheets you can access both word processor documents and spreadsheets, share and collaborate with friends, and export the documents in almost any format you want. This could be very handy, especially for the Google fans out there.



While Free411 has a Web site, this information service is actually most useful away from the computer. It is what it says: a free 411 information service. All you do is dial 1-800-FREE-411 and listen to a brief advertisement, and then you can get information on businesses or people wherever you are.

Zamzar is an online file converter with a really easy interface. Want to convert your iTunes files to mp3? Want to convert a Word Perfect document to MS Word format? Zamzar will do it in moments and send it straight to your e-mail.

I absolutely love meebo, and I recommend it to anyone. It lets you sign on to all your instant messenger services at once, right in your browser. You don't have to install anything, so you can use it away from home to talk on AIM, MSN Messenger, Y! Messenger, Gtalk, ICQ, mIRC, Jabber, and more.

My final featured free product is Ubuntu Linux, which is changing a lot of misconceptions about Linux operating systems. Even if you don't intend on installing Ubuntu, you can still try it out by downloading and burning the CD or ordering one in the mail for free. Ubuntu lets you try it out without installing it -- the operating system simply loads straight off the CD.