Isn’t life crazy?!

Wow. I haven’t made a post in over six months. Is that a record or something? Life has really been full of all kinds of twists and turns lately, and there are never enough hours in a day. Between work, school, family, and friends I’ve rarely had any time to myself. But I always look to the positive and this go-go-go mentality has given me a new perspective on life.

I’ve realized that happiness cannot be found in the pages of Facebook or Myspace. Sure these sites can make it easier to share your life with other people, but they should never become a substitute for the real deal. Even as a self-confessed tech nut I have learned that while technology can improve your life you should be careful to make sure it doesn’t become your life.

I recently read a good article on cracked.com titled 7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable. I think it really hit the nail on the head and I guess a few other people did too since it has over 5000 diggs. I was so inspired after reading that article that I went out and took and short hike in the woods, and then everything felt so much better.

Fresh Tech World is back

Well for the last two months personal issues in my life have made it impossible for me to find time for blogging. I’m happy to say that things have gotten better, and it’s finally time to get back to writing. Hopefully I can tell you about a lot of new and exciting things. To give you a little preview, I’m going to list some of the topics that I’ll cover in the near future.

• Searchme (the new search engine)
• Getting started with Linux
• The conclusion to the TV for free series (finally)
• Best web browser
• Pandora (radio)
• Songbird (music player)
• Midiomi
• Cool websites
• And more that I can’t remember right now…

Don’t give up. This blog isn’t dead. There’s a lot more to come so be sure to stick around.

Get me my Miro

I am continuing my TV for free series today with the final entrant, Miro. Miro wasn’t originally going to be part of the testing, but I included it after it was recommended to me by a reader. Thanks Herbert.

I should note that Miro is different from the other services I’ve reviewed since it is a full featured media player. Miro is also different since files must be downloaded before they can be played, as opposed to using streaming media like the other services. Miro works with Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu, and Linux systems.

I’m still grading on the same key aspects of video quality, show selection, user interface, and commercial interruptions. So without further ado, let’s see what Miro has to offer.

Jott: no keyboard required

I want to take a short break from the TV for free series and talk about something that has been very important to me these past few days. I’ve been very busy lately (which you might have noticed from the lack of recent posts), and this handy web app has helped keep my life organized and intact.

Allow me to introduce Jott . Jott is a multi-faceted tool that I could only describe as the sticky note of the future.

Break loose from your TV with Joost

Today I am continuing my tests for the TV for free series with my review of Joost. As in the other tests, I am grading on the aspects of video quality, show selection, user interface, and commercial interruptions. I should add that Joost is different from the two services that I have reviewed because it requires you to download the application to use the service. So lets jump right in.

The quest for free TV continues

Last time in the TV for free series I reviewed hulu . For test number two I tested out the method of watching from network websites. Yes I know what you’re thinking. Running around a bunch of different websites trying to find episodes of a show must be a time consuming hassle. Well yes it is. The good new is that nearly every network broadcasts it shows over the internet so there is a large selection out there, and I have a tool to help speed up the search.

Alright now lets go through each aspect of the grading: video quality, show selection, user interface, and commercial interruptions.

Your favorite shows on the web with hulu

For the past few day I have been watching a lot of TV, but instead of plopping down on the couch, I’ve been watching on my computer. This has all been part of my test of hulu , the first of the free internet TV services that I’m testing out.

I decided that the most important aspects of the test are video quality, show selection, user interface, and commercial interruptions, and so I will grade each service on each of these points.

TV for free

Wouldn’t it be great to ditch your cable company (and the bill) and watch your favorite shows for free? Well with recent increases in quality and selection, this is fast growing area of the web. I have decided to test out several of the biggest contenders to see how viable of an option they are to replace your current setup. The services I will be test driving are Joost, Hulu, and video available from network websites. I will also try out the show finding assistant, Prime Time Rewind.

I am going to be grading each service on its show selection, video quality, and user interface. I will be testing out each of these services, and in my next few post I will be reviewing them to decide how they stack up against your TV provider.

A fresh view on photos with PicLens

Today I want to introduce you to PicLens, a visually impressive browser extension for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, which has completely changed the way that I browse through photos on the internet. If you are browsing a PicLens enabled site, one click will launch the add-on, and its signature wall of photos will fill your screen with all of the pictures on the page.

The new face of PC gaming

Computer games have been changing a lot lately. I remember when I bought a game, it came in a box, and I took the game home to play it. Well times are changing for PC gamers. As I see it the three major options for PC gamers will be Valve’s Steam, GameTap, or Microsoft’s Games for Windows.