#18

1. Real Alternative v1.32

Many audio and video files are offered only in Real Networks' formats. If you like the files, but you don't like being tied to Real, you may prefer Real Alternative. This player plays Real Audio (.ra and .rpm) and Real media (.rm, .ram, .rmvb, .rpx) files just like Real Player and Real One Player do--but without the hassles of dealing with Real. It offers limited support for Real's .smi and .smil formats. Real Alternative's Real Media browser plug-in supports Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, and Opera.

2. Camtasia Studio v2.1

A great presentation shouldn't call for innumerable encores. Camtasia Studio lets you publish your PowerPoint presentations as Web presentations. It can record everything, even animations and voice narration. Camtasia Studio can record your presentation in Flash, streaming media, and other popular multimedia formats. Then you can post your presentation on your Web site or burn it to CD--and watch your adoring public settle down and stop pestering you to give the same presentation again.

3. Microsoft Office Viewers (for your students who do not have MS Office)

Get the most important functions of Office without all the extraneous features, and without the big bite out of your wallet. Simply download the various free Office app viewers that let you view, print, and/or play files created by PowerPoint (95 to 2002), Word (97 to 2000), Excel (2 to 2000), and Access (97 and 2000 report snapshots). You'll see all the fonts, colors, charts, and even animations. And it won't cost you a nickel.

When you click the download link, you'll be taken to Microsoft's site where you'll go to a page that says, "Microsoft Office Online File Converters and Viewers." From there, you can download the viewer you'd like.

4. Meyer's PowerPoint Backgrounds

Add some originality to an otherwise drab PowerPoint presentation with these backgrounds. You create your tables and charts as you normally would; these backgrounds simply add sizzle to the steak, as it were. The "Blue Monday" background shows a dark-blue swirling pit of color, while "Summertime" gives off the breezy feel of a walk along the beach. Also included are "Time Dancer," "Purple Haze," "Arteries," "Coastal Heat," and others.

5. Enhanced Font List for Word

This add-in to Microsoft Word shows you previews of the installed fonts on your system to help you choose a font for selected text. It installs itself to your Word formatting toolbar, so you can easily search for and select just the right font.

6. AceReader

This self-improvement tool helps you become more proficient at reading, both on and off your computer. It helps you break bad habits, such as subvocalization (inaudibly pronouncing the words with your lips while you read), and re-reading (letting your eyes wander back to text that you previously read). The program paces you to read at higher speeds, and it displays text by flashing word sets, preventing you from re-reading.

7. Coeli--Stella

Observe the heavens with this realistic simulation of the night sky, which features planets, comets, and over 15,500 stars. From your virtual observatory, you can view the sky from zero to 90 degrees of elevation and zero to 360 degrees of the compass; you can also advance or retard the sky by years, months, days, or minutes of sidereal or solar time. Each star has tint and each planet has hue, cast over with tropospheric blue. The cosmos is at your fingertips.

8. The Birthday Chronicle

Find out what was going on in the world the day you were born--or any other day. This program produces a personalized, mini newspaper front page. It shows a greeting, with your name, from the president of the United States at that time; it then displays news articles appropriate to that day. The program includes graphics and text. No special paper required.

9. Stretch Break Pro

If you get aching muscles and stiff joints from sitting in front of your computer too long, this program will help you increase circulation, relieve tension, and guard against repetitive strain injuries. Every 30 minutes, a window opens and animated figures do stretches for you to follow. You can adjust the time between stretch sessions and the number of stretches included per session.

10. BuenSoft Spanish v2.1

?Usted habla espa?ol? If not, an interactive program might be just the ticket. BuenSoft Spanish is an innovative listening-based interactive program, designed to give learners of all ages a fast and easy way to learn to speak (or improve their command of) Spanish. BuenSoft Spanish is a conversational utility that lets you study only the phrases you want to learn. In addition to the phrases included with BuenSoft Spanish, there are new phrases and subjects added on an ongoing basis at the publisher's site every week. Each subject is recorded by a native speaker using high-quality audio.

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from "desktop dave"

updated: 4-19-06 at 8:18 am