Alt-Taboooooo

If you multi-task in windows you've probably become intimately familiar with the both the alt key and the tab key. Hell you've probably even used both of them at the same time; that's just the kind of daredevil trend setter you are. If this is an accurate description of your computing habits, check this little gem out: Task Switch XP is an unbelievably quick alt+tab replacement by ntwind software. I was terribly skeptic about using this little app; I figured the extra load would never be worth it. Yeah, I was wrong. Right now Task Switch XP is using a paltry 584kb of RAM. If I hit alt+tab it starts rendering thumbnails and goes hog wild gobbling up 2,036kb of RAM. Honest to God, if more developers were this mindful of the resources their applications use in the way this coder is we wouldn't need a Gig and a half of RAM to run Vista. Download this app right now. Tell your friends, your kids, your dog hell tell your mailman. Task Switch XP is fantastic.
Linkage - Download Task SwitchXP 2.0.11 - Site

Flexible Hackable Executable

Lord knows how I forgot to post about this little gem! ResHacker is a (sadly) now defunct project by Angus Johnson. Despite its age (development was halted back in 2004 (hey, remember when World of Warcraft had just come out?)) it is still nearly indispensable for the power user. ResHacker give you the ability to open the hood on a variety of executables, .dll files and other application resource files allowing you to see embedded icons, menus and options. I first discovered the program when I read about Matthijs van de Water MSN Messenger modifications created using ResHacker. Matthijs was able to remove ads, buttons and menu items to strip away all the flab in MSN Messenger leaving a much cleaner looking application. Since then I've used it to customize menus, fix translation mistakes in software and hundreds of other mods. One can only hope that we'll hear from Angus again with another break through application!
Linkage - ResHacker 3.4.0 - Site

Iconography Without Religious Overtones

I stumbled across this handy little application yesterday when I was trying to find someway of producing an icon capable of being resized from 128x128 right down to 16x16. Telegraphics makes a great (better yet, a free) plugin for Adobe Photoshop that allows it to read and write .ico files, but it doesn't have the ability to make a .ico file with multiple sizes of an icon within it. While you can get that plugin HERE I'd suggest you check out Attila Kovrig's IcoFX first. For starters, you don't need to have Photoshop to use it, it will write .ico files with multiple sizes embedded within the file it'll even allow you to rip the icons out of executables so you can edited them. All in all its a pretty slick, neat package. To make it even sweeter, the whole damned thing is free. Oh yeah, it makes icons to Vista too, so those of us that like beta software can use it too.
Linkage - IcoFX v1.5 - Site

OS X-Whaaa?

Impress your friends and make your Mac-lovin' enemies seethe with rage with Punk Software's RocketDock. RocketDock is essentially a slick little clone of the dock feature found in Apple's OS X. Punk Software doesn't stop there, though. They've added a pile of extra functionality that's sure to make for excellent ammo at your next Macs vs. PCs throw down. As per usual, this gem is free.
Linkage - RocketDock 1.3.0 - Site

Documentation Cinematography

Part of my job is to produce documentation on how to do some random task in some random program. I also have to produce a pile of how-to's for my parents, my friends and my pets. Basically I suffer from printscreentitis which manifests as excessive use of screenshots. I just came across this handy little application that will add some simple aesthetics to your humdrum screenshots. The application is called Rumshot and is produced by a little company called Shellscape. Essentially it allows you to add a variety of edging effects to your screenshots. It comes with 6 themes by default and by the looks of things they have plans to release more. Best of all is that its Free (as in $0)

Linkage - Rumshot 1.1 - Site

So Google Earth And Flickr Walk Into a bar...

Google Earth 4.0 is out and with it comes with a new Layer option entitled "Geographic Web" which scatters GeoTagged Wikipedia Entries and user photos (through a very Flickr like service called Panoramio. The service is free and allows you to upload 2GB of photos and then tag their locations via a google maps/earth interface. I spent 3 hours last night just cruising from city center to city center browsing people's photos of the city's landmarks & buildings. Highly recommended for those that have decent 3D cards to run it.

Linkage - Google Earth 4.0 Site

Mechwarrior 2 on Windows XP, Ask Me How!

The virtualization battle is just starting to heat up. Three heavyweights are already slugging it out to see who will be crowned king of the canned computer. VMWare is already an industry standard. Its cross platform compatibility and stability make it the app of choice for sys admins and developers. Hot on their heels is spunky new-comer Parallels. While most of us associate Parallels with their run-away success in virtualizing Windows XP on OS X they also develop for PC. Which I honestly had never heard about. The reason you haven't heard about it is that their current PC offerings are pretty much crap. They lack features that VMWare already delivers in bucket loads. To make matters worse Microsoft just threw down a huge gauntlet by the name of Virtual PC 2007. Unlike VMWare's or Parallels' offering Microsoft is offering their virtualization software for the bargin basement price of $0. Yup, its FREE. I recently setup a Win98 Virtual PC and used it to relive the past with a few rounds of MechWarrior 2. Which, to tell you guys the truth, I now totally suck at. I have no idea how I mastered the ridiculously complicated controls when I was 13. Musta had something to do with all that fresh moutain air I got while walking uphill 7 miles through 3 feet of snow on my way to school.

Linkage - Virtual PC 2007 32-Bit / 64-Bit - Site