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Get a clean machine

In our work reviewing software, we are constantly installing and uninstalling programs, and that means that we end up with a whole lot of junk left behind on our computer. We're always interested in checking out programs that can help us tidy up. WinUtilities Free Disk Cleaner is one such program. This handy utility scans computers for junk files that can negatively impact system performance, and, unlike most such programs, it helps users to avoid deleting important files accidentally.

The program's interface is attractive and intuitive, with a wizard-style design that quickly walks users through each step of … Read more

Zip sub

WinMount Free Edition 3.3 takes a unique approach to file decompression. Instead of unzipping compressed files to a temporary folder, WinMount creates a new, virtual drive and mounts the compressed files to it, using the RAM cache instead of a temp folder, so nothing is left behind. It saves time over decompression, especially for large files, because you can access them immediately and directly via the new virtual disk or folder. It handles a wide range of file types, including ZIP, RAR, CAB, TAR, ISO and more, as well as the software's proprietary high-compression MOU format. WinMount also … Read more

Cory Doctorow, geek culture icon (Q&A)

"For the Win," the latest young-adult novel by science-fiction author, journalist, and copyright activist Cory Doctorow, hit the shelves Tuesday. The book is about the drama surrounding the unionization of virtual world "gold farmers," and is based on his hit short story, "Anda's Game."

Doctorow, who has held policy positions at both the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Creative Commons, is also an editor of the influential technology culture blog Boing Boing. Add his spot on the Wired magazine masthead and there are probably few, if any, people with more geek culture cred.

From his home in England, the Canadian-born Doctorow, a Hugo Award nominee, is one of the most prolific writers going, constantly turning out blog posts, magazine articles, novels, and everything in between. And he travels more in a year than most people will in a lifetime.

His Boing Boing posts can cover issues from the fact that there are now at least 13 open-source hardware companies making $1 million or more annually, to anything related to Net neutrality, to the current battle over the U.S. Federal Communications Committee's decision to give Hollywood permission to activate the so-called "Selective Output Control" technologies in consumers' set-top boxes.

Doctorow recently sat down for a "45 Minutes on IM" interview and discussed a range of topics such as a new-style approach to print-on-demand to gold farming, NAFTA, and quite a bit more.

Q: Welcome to the third installment of "45 Minutes on IM." I wanted to start by saying I love how your official bio has a one-sentence version, a one-paragraph version, and a much longer one. How did you decide to break it out like that? Doctorow: It was based on the requests I got from press and such--my publicist, magazines, Web sites, etc.--they'd all request one of the three. I found myself trimming the long bio to fit the other two lengths over and over again, so I just made a template that included all three. I try to make a template out of any text I type more than once. Though sometimes it takes me three or four reps before I go, 'Duh, make a template stupid!' I have a grand plan to put together a wiki-editable FAQ of all the questions I get asked in e-mail someday.

In the long version of your bio, you talk about the "audacious experiment in print-on-demand publishing" for your next book. What does that mean?… Read more

Gadgettes 181: The Full of Win Episode (podcast)

Can you pass up an entire episode devoted to things that absolutely rule more than the world, me AND you combined? I didn't think so.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 181

Breaking News: Full of LOSS! iPhone finder found http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/iphone-finder/

The Knight XV is a Hummer on steroids http://dvice.com/archives/2010/04/nothing-can-tou.php

21-foot robotic baby http://io9.com/5526040/21+foot+tall-robot-baby-to-defend-peoples-republic/gallery/

Biomechanical Terminator mic stand makes even karaoke look cool http://nerdapproved.com/misc-gadgets/biomechanical-terminator-mic-stand-makes-even-karaoke-look-cool/… Read more

Win an iPad! Four contests worth entering

If you're anything like me, you'd really, really like to have an iPad--but you don't have an extra $500 lying around. (Or $600. Or $700. You get the idea.) Resorting to crime is not an option, so that leaves just one other possibility: contests.

With a little investigative legwork, I found four contests offering an iPad as the grand prize. Some require a little hoop-jumping on your part, like creating a video for YouTube, whereas others are as simple as completing a short entry form. Here are your best bets for winning an iPad:

Be a GrooveMaker on YouTube Contest&… Read more

First Look: WinZip gets ribboned

Archival stalwart WinZip introduces a new look and some new features in version 14.5. The interface is big news for two reasons: it finally gets a lot of WinZip's advanced features out from the menubar and into the open where users can actually see them, and it's WinZip's first design redo in years.

The new features are fairly sharp, too, introducing extensive Windows 7 support and archiving tools to make getting into and closing up your ZIPs easier than before. Take a quick tour of WinZip 14.5 in this First Look video.

Windows 7, ribbon interface come to WinZip

Perhaps the most recognized name in all of archivedom, WinZip 14.5 debuts a new look cribbed from Microsoft Office and several new features, including advanced Windows 7 compatibility and archive management tools.

The interface is the most radical change to the program. For years, WinZip flirted with variations on its big-buttoned skin, but adapting the ribbon concept to its tools makes sense for two reasons. First, controversy for the ribbon toolbar aside, it makes the program instantly recognizable to anybody working with Microsoft Office. Secondly, the old WinZip was inadequate for the breadth of tools that the program offered. … Read more

Fax the Word

Windows' built-in fax tool often doesn't integrate seamlessly with Microsoft's Word, which is usually part of the Office productivity suite. That's where Fax 4 Word Addon 2.6.2 from Addins4Office can help. As its name suggests, it's a Word add-in that both streamlines and expands your capability to fax a wide range of documents to numerous recipients. You can send personalized documents to specific recipients, a capability that turns Windows' basic fax feature into an excellent direct-marketing tool.

Fax 4 Word installs a new toolbar on Word; its look depends on which edition of Office … Read more

Safe FTP

WinSCP is a small, free, open-source file transfer client for Windows that uses Secure Shell (SSH) technology to enable the safe copying of files between a local and a remote PC using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), SSH FTP, or SCP (Secure Copy) protocols, as well as offering some basic file management features.

This small tool's full-featured installer includes additional, optional software called Jing, but you have to select it; the default installation omits Jing. The installer also presents a choice between two different main interface styles, a full-featured Commander interface with panels for local and remote directories and … Read more