Maya Personal Learning Edition is a cut down version of Autodesk’s Maya. For anyone who doesn’t know, Maya is a very well respected (and very expensive!) high end 3D graphics and animation program.

Chances are that whenever you see any of the latest 3D blockbuster cartoon (or special effects intensive) movies for example, Maya is probably one of the programs involved along the way, as it can do some very impressive stuff.

The problem is it takes a long time to master, if thats ever even possible! Also it’s very costly to purchase. So thats why they offer Maya Personal learning edition, which is basically free for non-commercial use!

For detailed info check it out here.

Since you are reading this site, chances are you might be someone who downloads and tries out various software from time to time, right?

A downside to the Windows operating system is that when you uninstall programs, it doesn’t always remove everything, it can leave traces in the registry and also leftover files or folders here and there. These can clutter up and slow your system over time. There’s also the chance you might install something that just doesn’t agree with your system and messes it up.

Returnil virtual system is a program that lets you create a ‘virtual system’. This way, you can try out programs without really installing them, which means nothing can get messed up! Basically, what this means is that when it’s set to ON, any changes or installations you make will immediately be undone when you restart your computer. The home edition is free for personal use!

Check it out here for more details and the download.

TimeSnapper is an Automatic Screenshot Journal. This basically means it takes screenshots of your computer screen at specified intervals. While at first this idea doesn’t sound all that interesting or useful, it actually does have its uses.

For example, people who charge by the hour can show what they were doing. It also has a productivity calculator that grades you on how your time was spent. You do this by telling it which programs count as you being productive, so if you spend too much time browsing online, this will hopefully make you feel guilty enough to spend more time using more productive programs! Or you could just use it to make sure no ones using your computer when you’re not around!

Check it out here.

Video conferencing has come a long way since a few years back, partly due to better access to highspeed Internet and partly because of better programs. Sightspeed is one such program.

SightSpeed is available in two versions, a free edition and a Pro version. The voicechat quality is about as good as skype and the text-chat feature has its own window. It also lets you record short video clips that can be sent as messages or even embedded in blogs etc.

The free version lets you record video clips up to 30 seconds long, while the Pro version allows 3 minutes.The Pro version also lets you record live calls for later reference.

For more information check out the website where you can download the free version.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just log-on to one site and it would list any new messages from all your email accounts and social networks? Well thats the idea behind Fuser.

It aims to be an all-in-one, one-stop site for checking and managing them all. This would obviously normally take several log-in sessions to several different sites.

So far its compatible with the following:

• IMAP/IMAPS
• POP3/POP3S
• Gmail
• Hotmail/MSN Hotmail/Windows Live Hotmail
• Netscape.net/AIM email
• Outlook Web Access
• Exchange 2000/Exchange 2003/Exchange 2007
• Yahoo! Mail
• SquirrelMail

Social Networks

• Facebook
• MySpace

Its worth checking out as it could prove to be a great timesaver! I’m thinking of trying it out for a while. You wanna too?

Click here!

You know when you’re installing or uninstalling a program and windows tells you that you need to reboot? Well sometimes this isn’t even necessary, causing you to waste valuable minutes of your life waiting for your computer to get back into action again!

WhyReboot is a small application that tells you which files will change or be deleted,etc.upon reboot,if any, so that you can decide if a reboot is needed or not.

Its a small utility (100k) and thats all it does. But if you hate waiting around because your computer is a slow starter,then it might be of some time saving use to you!
It’s also free!

You can get it over here.

Musicip Mixer is a program that allows you to create music playlists based on the sonic qualities of each song. This means the program analyses your song collection and finds songs that sound similar based on various characteristics of the songs. It then is able to generate a playlist based on that information.

After it analyzes your collection (the first time you run it), it will analyze each new song you add to your collection automatically. When you’re listening to a song you simply tell the program to make a playlist of similar “sounding” songs. Basically it acts as a virtual DJ, as opposed to just picking songs totally at random!

I’ve used the winamp plug-in and I like it. So if you listen to a lot of music on your computer, its well worth checking out!
It’s also available as a stand alone program and in free and premium versions.

You can get more information and download it at the homepage.

No matter what you need to protect, the Advanced Encryption Package is the way to go. This package is designed to allow you the flexibility of protecting your files from home while still getting the best protection available.

Comparable with military style encryption, this program can save you tons of time and money by allowing you the capability to choose your style of protection. Not only does this program allow you to protect yourself, but it also gives you the unique option of creating automatically de-crypting copies of your files to share with families and friends. This way they do not need to have a decryption program, but you are still protected from the general public. Another great feature of the Advanced Encryption Package is that it will automatically remove the original files once they have been encrypted so there will be no risk of anyone accessing the original files without being stopped by the encryption device.

While this program is currently only available for Windows operating systems, it still has a lot of potential.

Released in both the standard and professional level packages, there are tons of ways to keep your information safe, and it will only cost you $30 to get your own copy of this program.

To purchase your own Advanced Encryption Package, check out: http://www.secureaction.com/encryption

These days it is often easier to get hold of someone through instant messaging than even calling their phone. If you are looking for a good way to get into the instant messaging ring, but you want something more advanced than the standard email clients, RetroShare has a ton of potential.

Not only can you talk to your friends, but you can also open different channels for chats, and you can share files securely. This saves a lot of time and effort, and also allows you the ability to group chat, which many of the most common instant messaging clients do not allow.
 
Released in September of 2007, this version of RetroShare has been updated and repaired with a faster start up, and extra data for the GUI. This program is becoming more and more versatile as time goes by, and it may just be the best way to stay in touch and share files and information with one another.

To get your copy, go to: http://retroshare.sf.net/

If you are looking for a fun way to keep yourself entertained, but you don’t want to go out and spend a ton of money on video games or movies, Freeciv may be just the thing for you. Available for both Macintosh and Windows, Freeciv is an open source game which allows you to build your own civilization and try to be the best ruler in the world.

While the game is very similar to the Civilization series, it also has its differences. In any case, Freeciv can afford you a ton of joy and entertainment without an unreasonable price tag. Plus, it is much more flexible with your operating system than many of the more popular games.

Whether you want to start a game with your friends or play alone, Freeciv has tons of options and you can even customize the rules of game play to make your game more or less difficult depending on your skill level.

To start playing now, check out: http://www.freeciv.org/