As much as I love the word (free), I have to admit it makes me suspicious…  But every now and then an exception comes along that’s truly free-no strings attached, no hidden agendas. Here are my favorites, and all you really need is an Internet connection to go online. 

She has several of our favorites listed, from free software to services to free business cards… 

Now, it’s not my intent that anyone actually follow this horrible, horrible advice. It’s just that so many people seem to think this type of behavior is perfectly normal computer use. 

So here it is: my 5-point method for turning your computer into a quivering pile of malware-infested, hacker-friendly trash. 

Though this is written tongue-in-cheek, it is good advice! 

Unfortunately, as is the case with most good advice, it is indeed a pity that the people who would benefit most from it also are the least likely to read and heed it…

Have you ever printed a webpage only to find your printout consisted mostly of empty space, ads and other junk you didn’t want? PrintWhatYouLike is a webpage editor that lets you control how webpages look when printed.

Everyone who uses a computer has likely needed this at one time.  We just wish we’d thought of it first! 

“You can spend up to $100 a month for various cable and satellite services to watch the new season of programming that began this week. Or, if you’ve got an internet connection and are willing to be a little more creative than buying episodes for $2 off Amazon Unbox or iTunes, you can view most of it for free.”  

Free is good! 

Edit 09/25/2008: 

Lifehacker put a call out to their readers on 09/24/2008 asking for the best sites for streaming TV.  Be sure to read through the reader comments for suggested sites.

Edit 09/28/2008:

Here are the results from the Lifehacker survey mentioned above.  Again, be sure to read through the reader comments… 

Edit 10/03/2008:

Lifehacker has also blogged about a free streaming TV program called Livestation. 

Edit 10/08/2008:

Lifehack Magazine (not to be confused with Lifehacker) recently posted 15 Ways to Watch TV Online Free. 

Clif mentioned in his post that he found it difficult to create his own menu entries in the Lupo menu system.  We added SoftMaker Office 2006 to our copy of the suite, and took the opportunity in doing so to create a tutorial slideshow (which we’ve embedded below) on how to add a portable application to the Lupo PenSuite.

 A full-screen version of this presentation is available here for those that are interested.  

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier. 

Lifehacker has screenshots and first impressions.  We’ve downloaded it and have been experimenting with it as well.  It is minimalist, and there are some features missing that we’d like to see, but it is a beta (test) version, after all.  As with most all of Google’s offerings, we suspect that it will only get better as development progresses.

Edit 09/05/2008:  

The Google Operating System blog has a great Google Chrome Tips entry…

Edit 09/08/2008:

Lifehacker has posted the most excellent Power User’s Guide to Google Chrome.  The Techie Buzz blog has the Ultimate List of Tips and Tricks for Google Chrome.

Edit 09/12/2008:

Concerned about Google Chrome and your privacy?  Want to know how (and when) Google Chrome communicates with google.com?  Here are straight answers…

Each year, a team of PC Magazine editors, bloggers, and analysts assembles to find the best Web sites of the year. We pore over thousands of submissions from PC Mag staffers, proud Web admins, enthusiastic PR flacks, and readers just like you. We then painstakingly whittle the list of nominations down to 100 Undiscovered Web Sites.

There are definitely some gems here - enjoy!

Our personal favorite,  BurnAware Free Edition, isn’t on the linked list above.  The last freeware version produced (the company was sold and the new owners no longer offer a free version) can be downloaded by clicking here.

Edit 08/26/2008:

BurnAware Free Edition lives!  We have not yet tried this new version 2.1.0.0, but it’s good to see a freeware version available again.