eHistory

Best Freeware for 2012 (Windows, Mac)

2011-12-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

Back in 2009, I compiled a list that I keep updating. With 2012 upon us, now is the time for an updated list of the best freeware for both Windows and Mac. If you have suggestions, please respond in the comment section. I've tried ten or more programs for each software type and this is my "Best of" list. If you have your own favorites that you think are better, let me know. But at least try the ones here before you say yours is better! (I may have "been there, done that" already!).

Without further ado, here is my list for 2012 (both Word and PDF):

http://goo.gl/Lv9vC

Frankly, it is difficult to think of commercial alternatives that are better than these freeware programs (Microsoft Office is a notable exception but the educational price is only $10 for five licenses!). I do pay for some programs, particularly those with lifetime licenses if I think the program is really helpful to me and those I routinely assist. Examples include: Clipcache Pro, Copernic Desktop Search, Winpatrol.

That's about it. Everything else I use is free.

Virus Proof Windows: Online Armor Free

2011-10-14T16:19:00.001-05:00

If you own a PC, you know that your operating system (OS) is a target for all the malware makers of the world. With a worldwide market share of over 90%, it simply makes sense for those who create malware to target the largest number of computers. Fortunately, there is an easy way to virtually "virus proof" Windows: combine a good anti-virus program with something special--Online Armor Free.

My favorite antivirus program is Avast 6 (free version). This Czech software protectsfrom all types of malware. Auto update every two hours makes thissomething you never think about (click “Silent Mode” to turn off the voice andpop-ups announcing updates). Avast is very light on your system – it onlyconsumes 6MB RAM (the cheapest PCs have 4,000MB of RAM!). Get it here: www.filehippo.com Another good choice (with annoying pop-up "buy me" screen): Avira Free http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus

Now on to the tool I find especially useful, Online Armor Free. First, go to http://www.online-armor.com/downloads.php and get OA Free. It has many features, including firewall, web shield, and a "Program Guard." Turn off all those settings exceptfor Program Guard. This guard allows you to “Run Safer” any program youchoose (you will see a green border around the browser or other program “RunSafer”). If a program appears that is not on the OA "whitelist" of safe programs, then it will be "Run in Safer" mode.

What does this do? Even if the program becomes infected it cannot makechanges to your Windows OS because the program is running as a Limited Account anddoes not have Administrative Privileges. [For Geeks: This is not a Sandbox with all the downsides of one; it uses the DropMyRights tweak to lower privileges].

If you need to run a "Limited" program as an administrator simply right-click the program icon and “Run as Administrator.” That's it! Next time it will be running in safe mode. Tip: If you need to install or modify aprogram, click the "Learning Mode" button to prevent pop-ups while you install.

This combination of Avast and OA Free (as configured above) = about20MB RAM. You will hardly notice the hit to your system's performance and you can configure both programs to never bother you unless there really is a problem.

For screenshots of programs running without OA "Run Safer" (BEFORE) and with it (AFTER), see here:

BEFORE (click to enlarge):

As you can see the privileges don't even fit on the screen (you would need to drag the scroll bar down to see them all. A virus or malware program could hijack any of these to take over your computer.

AFTER:

Notice that there is only one privilege enabled and it is to notify you of an attempt to change from Limited to Administrative Privilege.

CONCLUSION: OA “Run Safer” is a simple-yet-genius way to bullet proof your PC because 99.9% of all malware cannot get around the Limited account restrictions. Brilliant!

A recent test of Avast and OA Free showed that it batted away "zero-day attacks"--malware so new that antivirus companies haven’t had a chance to write an “antidote.” You aren't likely to encounter software created within the past few hours but that kind of testing ought to give you piece of mind.

POSTSCRIPT: WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS?

But you probably have friends who infect their computers as they Limewire, torrent or surf porn sites (you don't have friends who did any of that stuff, right?). If a friend needs help cleaning up their computer, download a copy of Malwarebytes to a flash key (www.filehippo.com). Malwarebytes targets “zero-day attacks”— If something goes wrong with afriend’s computer, run this free version manually as needed. If your friend’s infected computer won’t let Malwarebytesinstall, I highly recommend running NortonPower Eraser from a flash key (requires no installation but highlyeffective emergency tool): www.majorgeeks.com Then tell your friends to get Avast 6 + OA Free!

Zotero: Standalone Version Works with Google Chrome, Safari

2011-09-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

I am a big fan of Zotero, the uber-productive software tool that grabs, formats, and stores citations to items found in a multitude of locations: JSTOR, Amazon, Google Scholar or your online library catalog. This is a big time saver (never type complex citations again!). Zotero also takes a "snapshot" link to indicate where and when you retrieved a citation. This is helpful if you are scratching your head wondering "where did I find this book or article?" By clicking on the "snapshot" link attached to each citation, it takes you to where you originally found the item.You can also use a Zotero plug-in for Microsoft Word or Open Office. This plug-in enables you to insert citations either in the text or in footnotes. Simply click which sources you want added and it inserts them for you! For a screencast of the plug-in, click here.

Until now, Zotero only worked as a Firefox add-on. If you are like me, you may have gravitated away from Firefox to Google Chrome. Some of you also use Safari. Good news! Zotero is now available as a stable standalone. Open Zotero standalone and Google Chrome (or Safari) to grab citations from within Chrome.This is also ideal for those (like me) who use both Firefox and Chrome.

Go to http://www.zotero.org/blog/announcing-zotero-3-0-beta-release/ and download.

If you haven't used Zotero, check out this screencast (older version but still accurate description except now you can use other browsers). Double click to open full screen in Youtube.

Many students really love Zotero so encourage them to give it a try.

Blogging for Dummies: Create a Blog in 15 Minutes

2011-08-19T15:26:00.004-05:00

The following tutorial shows you how to easily set up a Blog using Google's free Blogger service. It takes only 15 minutes to set up. If you have an email account, you can create a free blog with Blogger (the other main rival is WordPress but Blogger is a lot easier). This blog here was created with Blogger. I have two other Blogger sites:

http://freesiu.blogspot.com/

http://raceandliberty.blogspot.com (to promote my last book. Note that I was able to upload and insert audio files, links to reviews, etc.).

I also have a national blog site via my think tank but they use WordPress (another blog creation tool): http://blog.independent.org/author/jbean/

You can allow comments or not. There are many tutorials on Youtube (also owned by Google!) that teach you in a few minutes. The following tutorial gives you the basics. Ask me for help if you need it but please come to my office so I have a computer handy! Use your blog to post thoughts about classes, get started on writing a paper, keep a diary, whatever pleases you.

NOTE: Double click on the following video thumbnail to get it in full screen. Hit ESC when you are done. The source is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aze0a4Row58

Ninite: One-Click Batch Install and Update Your Programs!

2011-08-08T16:08:00.003-05:00

The new school year is upon us and students will arrive on campus with new PCs. One of the pains of configuring a PC (or Mac, for that matter) is installing all the programs that are not bundled with the computer: Firefox, Google Chrome, Dropbox, and much more.

Ninite solves this problem. Go to http://ninite.com and click on all the programs you want. I selected about 20 programs that I would normally have to download one by one. Click the "Get Installer" green button and a small Ninite file will appear on your PC (a Ninite for Mac version is forthcoming). Click on that one file and it will batch download all 20 programs, eliminate junk toolbars--all without requesting any information from you.

[Click image to enlarge]

Here's the great added feature of Ninite: if you click on the Ninite file you downloaded, it will update to the latest versions. Moreover, Ninite knows whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. If a program has both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, then Ninite will download the 64-bit program to your 64-bit PC.

This is all free. For $10 you can get it to auto-update or you can simply click that file once a month to update all your programs. NOTE: While many programs auto-update on their own, many do not so this is a great feature. Also, the programs that do update (like Google and Apple products) will install obnoxious update programs in your start-up, thus sucking your memory away until you actually use them. So Ninite can lighten your PC as well.

Ninite does not have all programs in the universe but it does an excellent job of keeping its inventory up-to-date. For a much more expansive alternative, check out http://allmyapps.com which contains about every software known to Windows or Linux (again, Mac version is forthcoming). Problem is Allmyapps store has many outdated programs and will actually "update" to older versions if you are not careful! It has great potential but hasn't been able to keep its thousands of programs up to date.

[Click image to enlarge]

For a short video tutorial, check out this video from Youtube. The one thing the tutorial fails to mention is the update feature of Ninite, either manual one-click (free) or auto-update ($10).

Youtube Trick for Presentations

2010-09-19T22:45:00.002-05:00

This is a good trick I found for Youtube. If you are in the classroom (or home) and want to jump to a certain point in your presentation, then do what they say the above hyper-linked article.

It really works: I tried it with several historical clips on Youtube. The alternative is to download, edit or fast forward but this is easier for those “pinch hit” moments in presentations of all kinds.

Billionaires Back Free Textbook Movement

2010-08-01T18:11:00.003-05:00

Over at my FreeU blog, I posted an entry on how two tech billionaires are changing the game and pushing the "free textbook" pedal with lots of their own money and tech savvy.

Read here

HOT PICK: Skydrive Explorer Manages Cloud Storage With Drag-and-Drop Ease (and no browser!)

2010-04-27T10:14:00.007-05:00

Many users find online storage accounts ("cloud" storage) useful to upload documents, music, Powerpoints, etc. so that they -- or others -- can access from anywhere in the world. Such cloud storage also provides an additional form of backup storage (although I would always have a portable backup to the data on your PC.

Problem 1: Cloud storage is expensive. Most sites provide only a few GB for free and then charge you for more (Dropbox costs $120/year!).

Solution: Windows Live Skydrive. For the cost of a Live or Hotmail account (free), you can use that Live username/password to log on and create a Skydrive account with 25GB of free storage per account.

Problem 2: Skydrive allows you to create folders (and subfolders) but uploading is one file at a time with any browser other than Internet Explorer.

Solution: SDExplorer (formerly Skydrive Explorer). SDExplorer is a small but powerful tool that creates a new drive on you Windows Explorer shell (the "tree" you use all day long to copy/cut/paste between folders). On my PC, it appears as a new drive "G" and shows all the folders that I have online -- without having to open a browser!

Here is the productivity boost: open your Windows Explorer and you can simply copy, drag-and-drop, or paste files from your PC to the SDExplorer (online) drive. The changes take effect immediately up in the "cloud." You can also create a new folder on your SDExplorer drive with a simple right-click. And you can delete folders that you have online from your SDExplorer drive.

The Pro version has a few additional features (including no more 50MB cap on single file size uploads). SDExplorer costs $13 for a lifetime license.

Free or Pro, this is a useful little tool to have on your PC.

REVIEWS:

http://lifehacker.com/5433481/skydrive-explorer-mounts-your-skydrive-in-windows-explorer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021804606.html

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/access-skydrive-from-windows-explorer-my-computer/

Note: If you tried an early version of this program and it didn't work, the latest versions 2.1+ are very stable and polished).

Job Sites for History Majors

2010-03-30T17:35:00.005-05:00

GENERAL ADVICE

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/opinion/06collegeadvice.html

Cost of living and other vital data (includes small towns like Carbondale!):

http://www.bestplaces.net/

Just looking at cost of living, it costs 2.5X as much to live in San Francisco. Other clicks compare crime, demographics, etc.

Compare Cities: Carbondale, IL - San Francisco, CA

COST OF LIVING Carbondale San Francisco

Overall 79 187
Grocery 97 122.3
Health 94 166
Housing 42 296
Utilities 112 144
Transportation 96 130
Miscellaneous 98 110

TEACHING

Job Bank: http://www.illinoiseducationjobbank.org/pages/

Illinois teacher salaries: http://www.championnews.net/salaries.php

PUBLIC HISTORY

This one is a cool one to get started:

http://www.beyondacademe.com/realjobs.html

http://publichistorian.wordpress.com/job-search/

http://ncph.org/cms/publications-resources/resources/

http://ncph.org/cms/careers-training/jobs/

http://www.museumsusa.org/

http://www.daddezio.com/society/hill/index.html

GRADUATE SCHOOL:

Widely read blog with fascinating data and insights into what grad school really does for (and to) you! (Read older posts -- new site not as good)

http://phdinhistory.blogspot.com/

COLLEGE TEACHING:

Community College Teaching (SIUC has the only certificate in this area!). Contact Marybelle Keim for more information (mkeim@siu.edu)

Read this first:

http://www.oah.org/pubs/commcoll/index.html

http://www.higheredjobs.com/community/default.cfm?type=1#Faculty

Four-year teaching jobs (job market data available upon request -- U.S. market is tough, Asian, Latin American better -- any field that requires languages).

http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/

LITIGATION SUPPORT

A growing and lucrative field:

http://www.historyassociates.com/

http://www.hrltd.org/about_hrl.htm

http://www.morganangel.com/

There are others. See my packet on the topic.

Got recommendations for other sites?

Students! Stop Buying Software at Retail Price!

2010-02-21T20:29:00.004-06:00

Living in a college town, I often run into students at the local Wal Mart. When I see them eyeballing software at retail prices, I point out that they can get the same software at a steep discount through our university. The same is true of K-12 students.

If you have an educational affiliation of any sort, start saving money on software and just about everything else. Educational discounts on everything from software to hotels make for the lowest prices possible.

Example: At my university, students may purchase Windows 7 at $80 instead of $199 + $16 tax ($216). That is a savings of $136!

Even better, if a student works for the college (even work study), they may qualify for the best discounts of all: faculty/staff discounts. At my university, staff may purchase a five-license DVD for Windows 7. Cost: $9.97! Same price for Office 2007 (PC) or Office 2008 (Mac).

For software not sold through your school, go to Academic Superstore.com for similar-sized discounts.

Above all, remember that freeware is often equal or superior to commercial software. See my "Best Free Software for Students (and Others)"

University finds free online classes don't hurt enrollment

2010-02-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

From my other blog FreeU:

http://freesiu.blogspot.com/2010/02/university-finds-free-online-classes.html

CaptureFox: Can Firefox Do Everything?

2009-12-06T17:13:00.005-06:00

My favorite computer advice site, Lifehacker.com, alerted me to this really cool and useful screencast tool called "CaptureFox":

http://lifehacker.com/5414285/capturefox-adds-screen-capture-capabilities-to-firefox#comments

This tiny (900K) add-on is amazing. It is a high-powered screencast program that runs from within Firefox. It records everything you do to create a tutorial and show your friends how to do something with their PC or Mac. You can minimize Firefox and it records what you do with other programs. Return to Firefox and click “End Record” – Save. What will they think of next?

Summary: It will capture everything streaming video and audio through your computer (you can add a microphone if you want to do a voice over).

For most people, this is a free way to screencast. The leading program for PC/Mac (Camtasia) costs $299 (nonstudents) or $179 for students. A Mac favorite, Snapx Pro, is cheaper but still costs $69. While those two commercial programs have some added features, most people don't need them.

I'm suprised how browser-based my life has become: I've junked a dozen programs because Firefox (with add-ons) can do what they did before. The result is a cleaner computer and easy access to everything I need (since I use portable Firefox on all of my PCs, I simply synchronize them and can always copy to a flash key to carry all my programs with me. Students heading home for vacation might want to copy their portable Firefox on a flash key to use on their parents' computer without messing with their settings).

WARNING: This is the type of add-on you will use on an "as needed" basis. Add-ons slow down Firefox so I highly recommend you disable those you use "as needed." To disable/enable, you open Firefox, then click Tools -- Add-ons -- Disable or Enable.

OfficeTab: Tabbed Interface in Word, Powerpoint, Excel

2009-10-07T16:43:00.005-05:00

A Chinese software developer has developed one of the most useful freeware programs: OfficeTab. I work with multiple documents at once and hate having to go to the minimize tray and search for the document I need. OfficeTab enables me to see them all at once and simply click-Tab to the one I want. Cool and productive!

Check it out here.

If you don't read Chinese, check out the translated page to download.

Video Tutorials: "Can I see that again?"

2009-08-21T16:33:00.018-05:00

One of the reasons I set up this site was to answer questions more efficiently. After all, there is a reason why some computer geeks wear t-shirts that say "No, I will NOT help you with your computer!"

I might give a short tutorial on how to use a time-saving teaching/learning digital tool but users really need a resource to "see it again" on their own.

Enter the "podcast" tutorial. Many software developers offer video podcasts (also known as "screencasts") to show how their program works. For example, yesterday I had 45 minutes to run through a variety of Firefox add-ons that students and teachers will find useful. But how much of this will people retain?

Here are some podcast tutorials of Firefox add-ons that I discussed in a rush. Elsewhere on this web site, you will find my discussions of how to use various tools. If a podcast tutorial is not available on the Internet, then the second-best thing is a FAQ list (Frequently Asked Questions), such as this one for Firefox extension "Downthemall!"

Selected podcast tutorials:

For more Zotero tutorials going into greater detail, click here

Outwit Images

Video Downloadhelper: IMPORTANT:

1. Expand to full screen (little square icon bottom LH corner, next to the HD icon);
2. Click on the HD icon (bottom LH corner) to get a really clear video tutorial):

Top Secret! Declassified Documents for Cheap

2009-08-14T14:59:00.002-05:00

There are two commercial sites that sell CD's and DVD's of historical media, including scans of top-secret documents that have been declassified. In most cases, each DVD or CD costs only $10! I have built a huge collection of

MULTIMEDIA: from Earthstation1.com Much of it is pop culture but when teaching the Great Depression, where else can I get

*DVDs full of political cartoons on Hoover, FDR, Huey Long, etc. for $10?
*Audio of Hitler, FDR, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill
*Radio shows
*Film reels: propaganda on all sides, Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons showing the racist side of America at the time.

PRINT SOURCES (declassified documents): Paperlessarchives.com

Paperlessarchives takes some searching but there are FBI and CIA files on just about any significant individual or event (even Eleanor Roosevelt's FBI file!). Do search for Martin Luther King, Jr. and you get over 3,000 pages:

http://www.paperlessarchives.com/mlk.html

Steal this Book: Students and Textbooks

2009-08-10T17:15:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite technology sites, http://lifehacker.com has an article on "how to save money on textbooks." The comments are more illuminating than the article. Students discuss how they scan (and share) textbooks, download them via torrent sites, and so on. Apparently this doesn't work too well with high school students because the illegal e-book crowd gets busted when the teacher asks to see their textbook. Oops.

As for me, I'm adopting a free e-book developed by the University of Houston. The site is rich and a PDF reprinting is a lot easier than stealing books or waiting to see if the prof is really going to use it. I make it a point to assign questions from the textbook, along with questions from lecture material and supplemental readings. If I were a student (I'm on the evil teacher side), I'd be teed after buying a $150 book that the professor didn't use.

Email Grabber: A Tool with Lots of Potential

2009-07-28T14:22:00.007-05:00

http://www.emailgrabber.net/

This $17 program is a great resource for people who are trying to compile lists of addresses from web pages (directories, databases, etc.). Student groups, authors, others may find this very useful.

For example:

I went to http://policyexperts.org/us_experts/us_experts_issues.cfm and clicked "American History" box. A list of all policy experts in "American History" popped up (including me!). I copied that web address to Email Grabber 2 and -- presto! -- all the email addresses appeared in a preview pane. You then have the option of exporting to text, CSV, and options to separate by line, semi-colon or comma.

NOTE: If you use the trial version, it will grab all the emails but scramble the part before the @ symbol. That is a trial limitation. I can attest that the $17 full version does cough up unscrambled email addresses!

(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

Kindle DX Reader: Not Ready for Prime Time

2009-06-30T19:52:00.006-05:00

My university purchased me a Kindle DX Reader ($500) to assess this mode of book distribution. Amazon, the maker of Kindle, is targeting the textbook market with this third-generation model.

More generally, there is growing interest among publishers in e-books but no reader yet to make the choice truly palatable. The first Kindle Readers were "gee-whiz" show-off devices with severe limitations. Was the Kindle DX different? Here is my experience and review:

The product started burning images into the screen by day 3 and then just froze (I returned it). But here is my assessment:

STRENGTHS:

*9.7" screen (diagonal) is right for a tradebook

*Rotation of page: rotate to landscape and it adjusts accordingly

*Highlighting and note taking ability

*Reads well in sunshine

*Wireless works on regular wi-fi

WEAKNESSES:

*Price

*Limited selection of titles

*Slow loading of pages

*No color (black, white, gray)

*Clumsy 5-way controller -- a single button the size of a small ant is used for almost all commands. It drove me crazy trying to navigate, highlight, etc. One tiny slip and off you are to some other category.

*Notetaking and highlighting: I downloaded a book and loaded it. I then highlighted (very difficult) and took notes (a bit less difficult). HOWEVER, the closed-system model makes it difficult to get the notes ("My Clippings") to a computer or flash key. It converts to plain .TXT -- can you imagine?? Zotero in Firefox is far, far superior (see zotero.org). You can carry over the highlighted book but can only read it on the Kindle.

*No touch screen function: THIS is essential for the way people interact with books. What I really want is a tablet PC reduced to this size and thinness with ability to touch screen and make notes. Like a very large iPhone or Tablet PC with electronic ink. (Why doesn't some computer company do it? I hear Fujitsu has a $1,000 model that is much better but only available in Japan).

*File conversion: I planned on using Kindle to read all sorts of documents. It uploads PDFs easily from a PC but any other format must be emailed to your kindle address and then converted FOR A FEE!! A simple .doc might cost you several bucks.

*Complexity: The quick start guide wasn't enough. I had to download the 100 page manual to really understand how to get around.

*Audiobooks: ONLY available from -- you got it -- an Amazon site named Audible.com with a proprietary format (AAX).

*Search function: you can search across all of your stored items BUT ONLY THE META DATA (author, title, ISBN). Useless. With advanced desktop search engines, I was very disappointed in being able to locate content.

BOTTOM LINE:

Amazon is attempting a "closed" eco-system much like Apple products. That is one reason why I never became a Mac user--too many restrictions. However, Amazon's Kindle makes Mac look open-source friendly and Apple's design is far superior. No wonder people are speculating that Apple, not Amazon, will deliver on the promise of a worthwhile e-book reader (even though Steve Jobs infamously mocked books by saying that "people don't read anymore"). Let's hope that someone delivers on that promise because the technology is available.

GRADE: F

Free Textbooks in Our Future?

2009-06-30T15:58:00.004-05:00

California is taking the lead on free digital textbooks for high school. Commercial providers (like the one listed below) are also offering free online books in fields like business or science, with $19.95 print-on-demand copies available. That is called the "freemium" business model.

Is this the future? I must admit that the U.S. history text at "Digital History" (University of Houston) is good. Not great but good.

Or will students ignore even the free textbooks? A few complain of the price but they all complain of the TIME. "You mean we have to read the whole thing? That is so lame!"

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/13/california-eyes-digital-textbooks/

http://www.clrn.org/FDTI/

Commercial provider (free online, $20 for a printed version):

http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/product-kit/6000

A good U.S. history textbook is available at

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/hyper_titles.cfm

The second, revised edition (due for final release in January) is even better:

http://www.digitalhistory2.uh.edu/

Beyond the textbook, there is a rich collection of contemporary music and much more for teachers and students to use.

Best Free Software for Students (and Others)

2009-06-05T11:12:00.016-05:00

I am constantly asked which software programs work best, with the unspoken request for something that is FREE. After much trial and error, reading reviews, and working on both PC's and Mac's, this is my list of the best freeware for everyday users.

If you are a geek or want to download software torrents illegally, then this list is not for you. In truth, there are fine freeware programs put out by inventors and open-source teams all over the world. If you really like a program, send the developer a small donation. "Pay it forward" is the operative word in the freeware world.

But what is right for me may not be right for you. If one of these programs (or their alternatives) doesn't work, then go to the download sites I mention.*

*Mac users might try one of the special sites for Mac although I found them frustrating: In some categories, most of the "freeware" was really "shareware"--you have to pay once your short trial time runs out. I spent hours wading through commercial products until I could find some REAL freeware. In the Windows/Linux world, that is enough to get you booted from respectable company. My advice: Go to download.com and click the Mac tab, then do your searching. Ditto with open source software at sourceforge.net

Here is the Wikipedia definition of freeware and open source (I count both categories as "freeware").

NOTE: Some commercial software is available at steep discounts at your school. Ask your information technology people. Even better, some software is available for FREE because your institution may have bought a bulk license. However, the choices offered by your school may not be the best for you so check this list and others.

Feel free to suggest a program to add to the list. Remember that it has to be geared to the everyday user.

PS: If you are a Linux user, some of these programs might work but it took me long enough to work on Windows and Mac; few students or teachers are using Linux and there is just so little time in life. . . Point students to a list you think is best for Linux.

Clipboard on Steroids: How to Capture and Keep Multiple Clips

2009-05-05T14:05:00.010-05:00

One of the annoying oversights of PC and Mac is the lack of a "clipboard extender": a clipboard that can clip all types of material (plain text, rich text, hyperlinks, images) and keep a list of your last 100 clips for recall later. Seriously, once I discovered the power of a good clipboard extender, I don't know how I lived without it! This is a "must" for any one working with text, images or web urls.

Clipmagic was my favorite for many years. It is free, powerful and you can customize what it does. Go to http://www.clipmagic.com/clipboard-extender.html

Grade: B+

Recently, however, I was in search for a 64-bit clipboard program (Clipmagic is 32-bit). I stumbled upon a little treasure that costs $17 (with educational discount) for two computers:

Clipcache Pro. Even more powerful and slick than Clipmagic, and rock-solid stable with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

There is a 30-day trial on Clipcache Pro. Give it a try. Whichever one you choose, you will never go back to the old way: Extenders are way better than one-clip-at-a-time clipboards!

Grade: A+

If there is an equivalent free program for Mac, I haven’t found it but Mac users might try iClip or Savvy Clipboard. Mac users can send me suggestions.

PS: There are many junkie clipboard extenders that only do plain text. I tried about 30 of these before stumbling on Clipmagic and Clipache Pro.

Digital History for America

2009-05-03T20:44:00.003-05:00

There are many web sites for history but few as all-encompassing as

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

This site focuses on U.S. history and does it very well. It includes a full online textbook (free), many documents, images, and media (all free). Plus it is just plain fun to read tests like this one:

"Could You Pass the 1885 Admission Test for High School?"

Definitely worth bookmarking for the teacher (or student) who might need to grab something for class.

Hot Pick! Tube Download/Player/Converter (UPDATED)

2009-04-01T15:38:00.029-05:00

UPDATE: Version 2.4 now includes a download accelerator and a box for "Use Same Video Quality as Source": No easier way to eliminate the hassle of video converting! They fixed the audio sync so that now the built-in player works flawlessly. I like a company that responds swiftly to feedback and improves their product.

REVIEW:

The software development team at YouTomato, based in China, describe themselves as "a group of digital aficionados who are dedicated to making audio and video editing and processing as simple as brewing coffee or using a blender."

As a digital aficionado I have spent decades working with audio and video, both for my music and for teaching history. In the 1980s, I worked at a high-end "stereo salon" selling equipment that cost more than my annual salary! Still, I am always on the look out for software tools that will make my life easier and more productive. With the online availability of high-definition video, the question is "what tools do we use?"

I've tried them all: ten different Firefox extensions for downloading audio and video, converting it, renaming files and so on. The Firefox extensions include Video Downloadhelper, "Download Youtube Videos in HD MP4," Downthemall!, Flashgot, etc., etc.

On top of the Firefox extensions, there are the various software programs I describe elsewhere on this site

Any Video Converter (conversion)
VLC (player)
Jetaudio (audio/video player and converter)
Youtube Downloaders (download from Youtube only)
Mediamonkey (audiophile's all-in-one for audio).

I won't bore the reader with all the programs I've used but they share a common, frustrating inability to deliver the "whole package": one program downloads HD videos but only from Youtube (not other sites), another program downloads from multiple sites but every file is named "video," most programs download audio or video but then you need a second program to convert and hope it preserves the original resolution. Tweaking with video settings is not my idea of fun.

So along comes TubeDownload (formerly Youtube Video Downloader). I've used it for several weeks and liked it so much I bought a full copy (the one added feature is conversion after 30 day trial limit runs out). TubeDownload is simple, intuitive, and powerful:

*Set to find HD video (or audio) if available. Many High-Definition videos are hidden as redirected links but TubeDownload found them each and every time!

*Fast downloads: the latest version (2.4 as of this writing) includes download acceleration. I tested on a DSL and T1 line: The download speeds are 2-3 times faster than prior versions of Tube Download! I then tested the speeds against Firefox extensions (Downthemall!, Video Downloadhelper, others). Result: TubeDownload was faster than those as well.

*Conversion: Several options here:

*Automatic conversion after download: Preset to convert downloads to a file type of your choosing. This eliminates having to convert after the download.

*Quality settings: convert to Excellent, Good, etc. This makes it easy for a newbie to convert without having to fiddle with bit rates (although that is possible for expert users).

*"Use Same Video Quality as Source": No easier way to eliminate the hassle of video converting! I've tested this and it actually works. My main complaint with other video converters is that is is too darn difficult. With TubeDownload, this is my favorite setting because I don't have to be an educated guesstimator with bit rates, screen size, etc. What a relief.

*Right-click conversion: TubeDownload Play and Convert are integrated into your right-click context menu (you can turn this feature off). Right-click a MP4file and convert to WMV (or vice versa). There is also a conversion option within TubePlay (see below).

*Convert to devices: It will automatically convert files so they fit your iPhone, Blackberry, Sony PSP, etc.

*Tube Player: this is neat. Once a download is complete, there is a play button that opens the built-in Tube Player. This will play most file types, both audio and video. Other neat feature is it opens FOLDERS, not just files. If I open my video file folder, it shows large thumbnails of all my videos, along with their file types. Hover over a thumbnail and it gives you the video (or audio) properties. One problem: the default file type is FLV so it doesn't show all videos unless you click the drop down to choose *.*

*Lightweight: TubeDownload and Player come in a single 3MB program file. Amazing.

*Batch downloads: from playlists or simply adding multiple URLs. I haven't used this function much but others might find it useful.

*Browser button: TubeDownload installs as a small button in Internet Explorer or Firefox (I dont' know about other browsers).

The full version costs $30 but is worth every penny. The free version has ALL the features minus the converter. Since purchasing TubeDownload I have gotten rid of eight Firefox extensions and desktop applications. Less is more.

SUGGESTIONS (to developers):

1. Batch convert: the right-click conversion allows conversion of a single file but it would be nice to batch convert entire folders or many files at once. This is the one feature I miss from Jetaudio Plus.

2. Fix "bug": : TubePlay will play AVI, SWF, WMV but if you add them as default file types, the program does not remember and clears the settings back to FLV only. You have to go into Windows Control Panel and change the default settings for each file type.

BOTTOM LINE: "A+"

The New Deal Project

2009-01-05T21:09:00.002-06:00

With all of Washington, D.C. buzzing with talk of a "New New Deal," it is helpful to research the old New Deal(s). This web site is very useful for teachers of U.S. history. Read a high school newspaper from the 1930s, ex-slave narratives taken by the WPA, and much more.

Hot Pick! American Presidency Project

2008-10-19T20:23:00.004-05:00

For a feeling of past times, check out the splendid online archive of presidential speeches, news conferences and radio addresses, “The American Presidency Project.” Search for “Reconstruction Finance Corporation” or other terms that interest you. Here is an excerpt from his annual message to Congress, 8 December 1931:

RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION

In order that the public may be absolutely assured and that the Government may be in position to meet any public necessity, I recommend that an emergency Reconstruction Corporation of the nature of the former War Finance Corporation should be established. It may not be necessary to use such an instrumentality very extensively. The very existence of such a bulwark will strengthen confidence. The Treasury should be authorized to subscribe a reasonable capital to it, and it should be given authority to issue its own debentures. It should be placed in liquidation at the end of two years. Its purpose is that by strengthening the weak spots to thus liberate the full strength of the Nation’s resources. It should be in position to facilitate exports by American agencies; make advances to agricultural credit agencies where necessary to protect and aid the agricultural industry; to make temporary advances upon proper securities to established industries, railways, and financial institutions which can not otherwise secure credit, and where such advances will protect the credit structure and stimulate employment. Its functions would not overlap those of the National Credit Corporation.

and the link to his signing of the RFC legislation.

Hot Pick! Copernic Desktop Search

2008-10-04T11:22:00.005-05:00

After gathering documents, writing papers, and collecting images, how does one search them all? To deal with this problem, companies have come up with desktop search engines Windows Search comes built into Vista: type in the space at the bottom left corner of your screen and Windows Search will find files that contain your search term. The Apple equivalent is called "Spotlight." Google Desktop Search is also popular but very sluggish and privacy-invading.

These three programs find file names containing your search term but do not go to the precise location of your search term; instead, you have to open the file you think you need and then scroll through a preview screen (even worse, Apple Spotlight requires you to open a second program to simply Preview and scroll, scroll, scroll). The Window, Apple, and Google engines are also limited to a certain number of file types--you need to add plug-ins for additional file types. You also need to add "filters" to play PDF if you don't have Adobe on your computer.

The Windows and Apple search engines perform like go-carts compared to the Porsche of Desktop Searching: Copernic.

The free version of Copernic is

*Lighter and faster than its competitors

*Indexes remarkably fast

*The interface includes a built-in preview pane

*The preview pane can play music or video from within (no need to open a separate player)

*No need for plug-ins or filters: Copernic plays all file types "out of the box."

*Most important, the preview pane highlights your search terms and jumps to them as you hit on the term you are seeking. This is a REAL time saver if you are zooming through documents that are very long. No more futile scrolling.

*If you have Vista, install Copernic and check the box to replace Window Search. Turn off the Windows Search function so it isn't indexing too; you will see a major boost in the performance of your PC. Copernic works right from the Orb (the search space at the bottom left-hand corder).

Mac fanboys rave about Spotlight but it is clear they have not used the best Windows desktop search engine. I found Spotlight to be primitive at best compared to Copernic and even Windows Search. For all of the above reasons, Copernic is the tops! Show it to your Mac friends and then ask them for a demo of how they find information. Think of the famous advertisement: "Hi, I'm Mac Spotlight," "and I'm Copernic." Except this time Mac loses.

REVIEWS:

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/software/desktop-search-engines/

http://www.filesworld.com/downloads/file/fid,24670-order,1-page,12-c,desktop/description.html

http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/002800.html

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/102276/copernic-desktop-search-2.html

Hot Pick! Google Patents

2008-09-14T21:16:00.005-05:00

For those researching an inventor or businessman, locating patents was a real problem. In the past, historians had to travel to Washington, DC and go through the books at the U.S. Patent Office. The government's web site was less than friendly to any one searching for the patents of an important inventor. Example: A student needed the patents of John Harvey Kellogg. Other students have researched the history of certain machines (including sex toys!). Where to begin?

Google Patents is buried in the "More" tab of the Google home page. Along with Google Books, Google Patents is a treasure trove of primary source material for material unavailable in your local library system:

http://www.google.com/patents

What is the Best Book to bring to Wi-Fi Island?

2008-08-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

Books on digital history come and go in rapid succession. Many focus only on how to gather sources without noting how to apply the historical method to your research. After going through the "gee-whiz" phase of digital history, scholars are discovering the potential and limits of online research. Fortunately, Oxford University Press has published an excellent guide to historical research that combines both digital and nondigital sources. If I had to pick a single book to bring to a deserted island that had wi-fi, it would be . . . . drumbeat . . .

Jenny Presnell, The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students (Oxford, 2006).

Portable Software: Better than Ever (2010 Update)

2008-08-20T14:22:00.023-05:00

Most of us have programs that we need but do not use very often. Why add a half dozen of these programs to your computer and thus "gunk" it up? Discover the wonderful world of "portable apps!"

A portable application is one that installs on a flash key and leaves no trace on your computer. You can run the program entirely from a flash key or on your computer's hard drive (all your portable applications run from a single folder with subfolders for each application--never touching the computer's registry!). Great for using on public computers that don't allow you to add your software or to fix a friend's computer.

The single best site for portable software (all free):

http://portableapps.com/

This wonderful site also adds a launcher and auto-updater for all your portable applications (see above sample image. You can change how it looks and how the applications are organized.

Other sites (with launchers and updater):

http://www.pendriveapps.com/

http://www.liberkey.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_portable_software

Here are the programs that I use but you may find your own "suite" from the list of 300-400 available at the above sites. Many are cross-platform (work on Windows or Mac). All are FREE. Students take note: You can bring your flash key to computer labs (very handy since computer lab PCs do not allow you to add your own software).

7-zip: free (and more powerful) alternative to Winzip. Compress and decompress folders, file batches and test them to see if there are errors.

Audacity: the first user-friendly version of this super-popular audio editor. Past versions frustrated me to no end because they were so complex. This is easy to use and handles all file formats.

Bonkenc: audio conversion

CCleaner: cleans up temp files and registry after install/uninstall.

*Classmate Grading: fantastic grade book (commercial). I've been using it for over ten years. Tried the rest and the small lifetime fee is worth it.

DVD Styler: converts videos (AVI, MP4, FLV, WMV) to a DVD format for playing on DVD players or computers. Awesome for home videos or putting together a presentation. I use it to compile a playlist of music videos for my big flat screen TV.

Firefox 4: OK, I have Firefox on all of my computers but what to do when I'm on the road without a computer? Put Firefox, with all my bookmarks and extensions, on a flash key. I can use on any public access computer and leave no traces behind.

Filehippo Update Checker: Filehippos is an excellent place to download software. It also offers older versions if you don't like the latest version. The free Update Checker scans your computer and identifies all updates of your programs! What a time-saver compared to checking each program manually. You can even set it to run at startup, check all your programs for new versions and then shut down. Wunderbar!

GoogleChrome: fast alternative to Firefox with a huge (free) store of extensions.

Imgburn: CD/DVD/Blu-ray burner. If you are copying DVD video folders: Select “Build” – output as “Device” (not image) – and click the icon to burn. Imgburn will also create mp3 disks and ISO images (a single-file clone of an entire software installation disk). Use the default settings (the advanced features are mind numbing in their complexity).

JavaRa: "removes old and redundant versions of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Simply select 'Check for Updates' or 'Remove Older Version' to begin."

MozBackup: backups up all the settings of your Firefox to install them with one or two clicks on another computer's Firefox. No more adding extensions, bookmarks, etc. manually.

OpenOffice 3.3: an excellent alternative to Microsoft Office. The Microsoft suite is still the best but by a thin margin.

PDF-XCHANGE VIEWER: top-rated PDF reader with added features (highlight, typewriting)

PDFTK Builder: all the power of Acrobat in a very small program that splits, combines, merges, edits PDF files.

Renamer: how many times have you imported a batch of files with gobbledygook file names (as with digital camera numbering)? This free program will change file names according to rules that you add from a handy list. For example, I imported pictures of my family in Maine from Summer 2008. I added two rules:

1. Replace camera numbers with “Maine vacation” (followed by number sequence);

2. Add the original file date (the date I took the picture) to the filename suffice. Thus, “Maine Vacation 08-01-2008 (1).” Often, when you copy or import pictures or other files, the date changes to today’s date, not the original date. This corrects that problem and many more.

Revo Uninstaller: better than the built-in Windows uninstaller because it scours the registry and removes all keys. Revo also uninstalls stubborn programs that don't want to be removed!

Startup: great for adding or deleting programs to your startup, delaying startup of a program, etc.

VLC: plays any video or DVD file. Can also record entire movies or clips of movies by hitting a red "Record" button.

WinPatrol: prevents web sites and programs from installing unwanted start-up items (including malware). Paid version provides great information on what those stray programs are on your computer ($30 lifetime fee covers all your computers). This frees up a lot of memory and makes your PC faster. Why do computers "slow down" with age? Because the programs you install inject themselves in start-up and ALWAYS RUN even when you don't need them. This is the number one problem I encounter when “fixing” a newbie’s computer. Because I own Winpatrol Plus, I simply carry (or use) the portable version to help my friends or check my own computers. WinPatrol identifies unneeded software, and you can then disable those that don't need to be running.

Xmedia Recode: a comprehensive audio/video converter. Xmedia handles all formats and has a long list of presets to format to a iPhone, Xbox or other gadget. Fast and useful. Also does batch jobs.

One final note:

Once you find portable programs you like throw the inventor a few bucks. He/she deserves it.

See also:

http://www.davinciplanet.com/reasons-to-use-portable-applications/

http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/blog/?p=232

Endnote X2 Review

2008-06-12T17:02:00.004-05:00

The makers of Endnote have released version X2 with some neat new features. I'll be testing the trial version for 30 days before deciding on an upgrade. Their video demo is not earth-shattering but might be worth the $100 upgrade. Windows version available now, Mac later this summer.

I was a longtime Procite user and miss the ability to check box the entries I need. Endnote currently only allows CTRL-select but one slip of the fingers and all your selections go "poof."

Update, July 29, 3009: Endnote appears to be a "mature" product. The latest version (X2) tries to find PDF versions of a citation but this is NBD (No Big Deal). It also has the Internet Search integrated into the main window but seems to add all the "hits" to the current reference list--I liked having the ability to add selected items, even if it was from a separate page. Why didn't they integrate into the main window and keep that structure? Not much more to the update. They've added "smart groups" but the old Procite group/keyword tabs at the bottom of the page were much easier. And Endnote still lacks ability to mark records.

All in all, this version is disappointing. I suppose if they put all the strengths of Procite (which they also own) into Endnote, they couldn't continue with one slight modification ("version") after another. This is the Microsoft approach--goose the market and then retire at 50 with your 50 billion dollars and save the world. Forget the end user.

Bottom line: Pass on this version of Endnote. XI was a noticeable improvement of X but X2 you can do without. They better watch out because Zotero is catching up. (The one great weakness of Zotero is its lack of rich text, something the geek developers actually trumpet! They are like the Linux crowd: the more convoluted, the better. Sigh.).

The Historian's Toolbox

2008-06-04T20:49:00.018-05:00

Dr. Jonathan Bean

Faner 3266

453-7872; jonbean@siu.edu

Faculty web page: http://tinyurl.com/8egfh Office hours: TBA

Digital History

(http://i-history.blogspot.com/)

Since the 1980s, a digital revolution has transformed the research, writing, teaching and preservation of history. The historian's toolbox now includes the word processor, specialized software, email, and web services. The following modules teach students how to use these tools to become better historians.

Caveat: The basic rules of historical research remain the same: conduct a literature search, review the secondary literature, and research primary sources—mostly in libraries or archives and not on the Internet. NOTE: You must base your final project on both digital and paper sources. Simply gathering digital sources is akin to scooping gold from surface soil while ignoring the mother lode beneath the ground. The old rules of writing also apply: have "something to say" (be original) and say it well (be creative). Lastly, history instructors may benefit from digital media but computer programs are no substitute for effective teaching skills.

"How Do I?"

Prepare "how-to" questions as they occur to you. No question is too simple because others may benefit from having it addressed. Post your questions by adding a comment to the module in question. Do not take it for granted that "everyone else must know how to _____." This is part of building a FAQ: "Frequently Asked Questions." Friedrich Hayek earned a Nobel Prize for describing this market process of gathering "dispersed knowledge" to meet the needs of people unknown to each other. When an individual asks what he/she needs, or offers answers, a market of knowledge is available to others. Wikipedia is based on this Hayekian notion. Read http://tinyurl.com/56az2v

For stand-alone courses, teachers may use the following "syllabus" as a guide. Students may use it as a way to pace their tutorials (if they are doing all modules).

Course assignments

Paper (35%): 8-12 page research paper on an approved topic in American history (other topics require special approval). Add an appendix reflecting on the steps you took to complete the paper and project. The reflective essay may be drawn from your blog entries, which are ideal for charting your progress.

Book Review (10%): review a book or collection of primary sources.

Web review (10%): review a web site or application.

Weekly assignments (15%)

Multimedia project and presentation (30%): be creative—multimedia-rich Powerpoint(s), an effective blog, electronic notes, podcasts, and more.

Required Reading and Software:

•Pressnell, The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students (Oxford UP, 2007).

•E-reserve articles

•Software: free applications to manage Windows, Mac, and open-source files (distributed on CD).

Windows and Mac:

Any Video Converter Free:

http://filehippo.com/download_any_video_converter/

Any Audio Converter Free:

http://www.any-audio-converter.com/

Video Converter/Audio Converter (Mac) $35

http://order.any-video-converter.com/mac-software.php

ALTERNATIVES:

Quick Media Converter(Windows): Amazingly powerful audio and video converter. Also plays small screen picture of every imaginable file type. The Easy Mode converts to a range of devices and file formats (even Wii and iPhone!). Expert mode has even more options. QMC also includes Camstudio for recording action on your screen (good for tutorials) and Webcam Studio for capturing video conversations or the like.

http://www.cocoonsoftware.com/

Jetaudio Plus 7 *($30 lifetime subscription, unlimited computers): The Swiss Army knife of digital media. Plays and converts all Win/Mac audio/video files and DVDs. Does batch jobs—real time saver. Ideal for converting files from Windows-to-Mac or Mac-to-Windows. I've tried countless free converters and none of them are bug-free or as accurate as Jetaudio Plus. Available at http://www.cowonamerica.com/products/jetaudio/

Windows and Mac:

2. Firefox and Firefox Portable: install both versions (portable on your USB drive). Go to http://portableapps.com/

3. Firefox add-ons: Zotero, Downthemall!, Video Download Helper, Deskcut, TinyUrl, Feed Sidebar, Wikipedia, Wayback Machine, Foxmarks Bookmarks Synchronizer (sign-up required).

4. Audacity 1.3.7 (beta): make sure to get the Beta version because it is the first user-friendly rendition of this once-geeky (but popular) audio editor/recorder/mixer. http://filehippo.com

5. Windows Live Photo Gallery (Mac equivalent: iPhoto)

6. Windows Movie Maker (Mac equivalent: iMovie)

7. Acrobat alternative (Mac Preview): Foxit Reader (http://filehippo.com), doPDF (http://www.dopdf.com/, PDFTK Builder (http://angusj.com/pdftkb/#pdftkbuilder

8. Clipmagic (Windows): http://clipmagic.com/ Mac users try iClip Lite or Savvy Clipboard

9. Endnote X2 (demo)

Optional: use if the above programs don't work for a specific need.

MPEG Streamclip with Quicktime Alternative 1.81 (the version makes a difference, go to www.filehippo.com for this older version).

VLC Media Player: http://filehippo.com VLC plays just about anything on Win or Mac ("cross-platform"). VLC Portable plays from your flash key. Use it to check the integrity of your creations. You can also use it on a flash key (portable).

*In addition to the above software, you should have Office 2007 (Office 2008 for Mac users) or a close substitute. Open Office is free but Office 2007 is the standard and discounted while you are in school. All tutorials based on Office 2007.

Web Services: sign up for the following:

Blackboard: Course page is open for discussions, e-mail messages, uploading of web links and other files. Complete your assignments on Blackboard.

Email account: Gmail needed to create a free blog, personalized home page; Live.com (formerly hotmail) needed for free online storage (see below)

Online storage: Find a reliable site for uploading assignments. Recommendation: Windows Live Skydrive (http://skydrive.live.com/).

Blogger.com: Use Gmail to get a free blogger account.

RSS Feeds: audio or video that “streams” across the Internet 24/7. Your blog site is a RSS Feed.

Gcast.com: Free podcasting site.

Youtube: use your Gmail to log on and upload your creations. Set to "Private" and share only with me and/or your classmates (unless you want to share with the world). NOTE:: I have grown frustrated with the 10 minute time limit Youtube sets for segments. I now prefer MSN Video for uploading 30 minutes or more and then arranging them into a 1 or 2 hour movie!

H-Net: A popular watering hole for historians. Discussion networks, syllabi, multimedia tips, book reviews, announcements, and more. Join a discussion network in the topic area of your project.

HNN ("History News Network"): individual and group blogs by historians.

*Bring a flash key (USB drive) to every class.

Digital History: A Basic Guide

The following modules cover the following topics. This is a “hands-on” course that allows you to practice in the lab and home. For a memory jogger, see the screencast demos posted at http://i-history.blogspot.com/

*Computer basics: Installing software, configuring Firefox, useful keyboard commands, etc.

Blogging: create your own blog and find history blogs related to your interests. Send me your blog address. The two main blogging services are www.blogger.com (Google) and http://wordpress.com/ Blogger is much easier to use; you will be up and running in ten minutes. WordPress has more power and a steeper learning curve. My advice is to get a blogger account (Gmail required).

Online Storage: You will need an online storage site to upload assignments (provide links on your blog so I can see where you have posted your assignments). I've tried many free services that eventually charged for the service. After that rigmarole, I switched to Windows Live Skydrive–a well-crafted storage site (free up to 25GB). You need live.com email (also free).

*Firefox: using add-ons to download audio, video, maps, photos in batches.

*RSS feeds: There are many options but I prefer the simplicity of the feed interface built into the new Windows Live Mail. Alternatives; Firefox "Brief" extension, Google Reader are popular alternatives.

*Screen capture

*Audio/video: Audio converters are a dime a dozen but super-accurate video converters are a rare breed. Video conversion is important because Apple computers don't play the Windows format (WMV) and Windows doesn't natively play Apple. You may use VLC Media Player to play just about anything but you need to convert to edit with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. For Windows, I recommend converting all files to WMV, unless you plan to use online. For Powerpoints, etc. WMV is the preferred format. MP4 is the preferred Apple format.

Video conversion: Quick Media Converter. This is Windows software but it converts and plays Mac, Windows, MP3, open source files. The simplicity, power, and dual-OS (Win/Mac) features make this a beauty.
Alternatives: MPEG Streamclip (Mac). MPEG Streamclip is available Mac/Win. Think of it as Quicktime Pro on steroids for Mac users.For Windows users, two separate programs: Any Audio Converter, Any Video Converter.

Video editing: Windows Movie Maker (Win), iMovie (Mac), MPEG Streamclip (Win/Mac). MPEG Streamclip gets raves from both Mac and Win users who use file types from "both sides" of the OS divide (http://tinyurl.com/6l8cj6). However, as a PC user I prefer converting to a Windows format and then editing within Windows Movie Maker. Mac users might prefer converting to a Mac format and edit within iMovie. Nevertheless, there are occasions when MPEG Streamclip comes in handy, so have it in your arsenal.

Audio conversion: Quick Media Converter

Audio editing: Audacity 1.3.7 (Win and Mac): edits, mixes (combines) files and more. I've tried many such programs but they are "techie" and difficult-to-learn. K.I.S.S. Audacity was one of those techie programs until this version and then I became a convert.

Audio stream record: Audacity.

*Photo editing, animated GIFs. For the dark history of airbrushing, read Jaubert, Making People Disappear. http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes/

*Electronic notetaking:

Zotero: free citation (Zotero). Zotero senses when there are citations on a web page (JSTOR, SIUCAT, Google Scholar, Project Muse, Amazon, etc.), then retrieves them in your citation style (Chicago/Turabian). Zotero even imports the article PDFs and attaches them to your citations (you can turn that feature off). Take notes within the new Zotero with rich text notetaking. Allows subject "tags."

For more power and productivity, I highly recommend Endnote XI (Endnote X2 for 64-bit computers). You may import your Zotero citations into Endnote. For the purposes of this tutorial , I will merely demonstrate Endnote’s capabilities. The learning curve is steeper and Endnote costs more than Zotero.

NOTE: Zotero is amazing freeware but

*Syncing your database between computers is difficult even with the best sync software. Recommendation: use Zotero on Portable Firefox and carry it on a USB drive. For a review of Zotero, see "Zotero and Endnote . . . for Historians" (http://tinyurl.com/6fz7fb)

*Hyperlink: turn written phrases into hyperlinks that connect the reader to a web site. Most programs (Word, Powerpoint, Blogger, email) contain a hyperlink button.

*Podcasting: using and creating podcasts (streaming audio or video). You can listen to podcasts on many topics, including history. Record them with your software. Upload your podcasts to Gcast.com, Youtube.com, or iTunesU.

*Screencasting: Camstudio 2.0 – for those who want to teach computer skills to others. Lacks adequate audio input, however, so if you can afford it, get Camtasia, the industry leader. Neither one is needed for this course -- this is simply an information note.

*Electronic literature searches: America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, Project Muse, WorldCat, SIUCAT and other databases.

*Digital primary source collections: Project Gutenberg, Google Scholar/Books, Library of Congress, Avalon, Holocaust Archive, Cold War International History Project, more.

*Audio books: Librivox.org (free, volunteer-based). Probably not useful for your project but file away for future edification or if you teach learning-disabled students who benefit from audio books. Quality of readings vary.

*Discussion groups (scholarly discussion groups): H-Net and beyond

*Syllabi/lesson plans: Finding, creating and posting. See H-Net for starters. Specialized fields have their own collections (e.g., economic history has eh.net)

*Powerpoint: making multimedia-rich Powerpoints with audio, video, photos, maps, advertisements, text. How to make your Powerpoints “snafu-free.”

*Digital archiving: scanning archival documents to readable text (OCR). Requires specialized software (demo available)

*Copyright and fair use issues

*On-campus resources: Morris Library (Instructional Support), CoLA Media Center.

Week 1

Discuss Readings

Presnell, chapters 1, 7

Lab Demonstrations

Software setup and use

Week 2

Discuss readings

Presnell, chapters 2-4 (References, Catalogs, Monographs, Indexes)

Buckley, “On Writing Speedily”

Smith, “Can You Do Serious History on the Web?” http://chnm.gmu.edu/resources/essays/serioushistory.php

“Wikipedia and Beyond,” http://tinyurl.com/56az2v

Lab Demonstrations

Audio and video conversion (Any Video Converter, Any Audio Converter)

Firefox: Tinyurl, Downthemall!, Video Downloadhelper, Wayback Machine, RSS feeds

Screen capture (Clipmagic)

Clipboard extension (Clipmagic)

ASSIGNMENT DUE: Topic area (e.g., Civil War, Great Depression, Great Britain). You must demonstrate that you have background (course work, independent readings) in your chosen area.

Week 3

Discuss readings

Presnell, chapters 5-6, 8 (Evaluating Sources, Primary Sources, Maps)

Lab Demonstrations

Audio editing (Audacity)

Audio stream recording (Audacity)

Image editing (Windows Live Photo Gallery)

Video editing (Windows Movie Maker)

Week 4

Discuss readings

Presnell, chapters 9-10 (Multimedia and written presentations)

Lab Demonstrations

Electronic note-taking (Zotero, Google Notebook)

Podcast: uploading audio to Gcast.com

Videocast: uploading video to Youtube.com

Screencasting (Camstudio 2.0)

Week 5

Discuss readings

Poe, “The ‘List’: On the Coming Reorganization of Historical Study”

Lab Demonstrations (bring book)

Internet searching: beyond aimless “Googling”

*Reference Sources

*Secondary Sources

*Primary Sources

*Wayback Machine (resurrect web pages that are no longer “there!”)

H-Net, Eh.net, HNN

ASSIGNMENT DUE: Topic proposal

Week 6

Lab Demonstrations

The Power of PowerPoint

Week 7 GUEST SPEAKERS: Library Science (Maps), ISS

Week 8 GUEST SPEAKERS: Law, Government Documents

Week 9 Roundtable: Short, informal presentations

Week 10 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

Week 11-12 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

Week 13 Presentations

Week 14 Presentations

Week 15 Presentations

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