Pick of the week: Instapaper

This week's Pick of the week is a bit of a cheat, as it is a website, but an app for the iPhone/iPod Touch as well and these two work hand in hand to help you get more stuff read. I'm talking about Instapaper and if you haven't heard about it, head over right now and take a look.

It's a simple tool really; create your Instapaper account, put a bookmark in your browser and when you find a page that you would like to read, but find too yourself short on time, just select that bookmark and the page is automatically parsed, stripped of extra elements, formatted and saved to your Instapaper account, instantly available to read from the website or on your device.

I don't mind adding that the reading experience of this app is probably one of the best out there and several more "commercial" offerings might learn a thing or two here. Some of the features provided truly demonstrates the creator's interest in reading. From a tilt-scrolling mode (brilliant!) to a great night reading mode (a simple but elegant contrast reversal mode), this app is reader's delight!

Head over to Instapaper right now and read more today!

Online Tools review: Poplytics

Need a simple solution for quick web-based surveys to get some useful user interaction feedback? Look no further than Poplytics, a simple web-based tool that allows you to quickly create useful surveys.

A pay as you go plan allows users to upgrade their account to get the full benefits and downgrade when not required. A great option in today's ever changing business markets. With a free plan (with some limitations), it's possible to try the service out and make a proper decision today!

Pick of the week: Bagcheck

One of the websites that has really caught my attention in the last couple weeks is Bagcheck. A truly fantastic site, with a great premise, which is the creation of bags, which are then shared amongst the Bagcheck community, in a dynamic exploration system. A quick and effective search engine allows a user to place pretty much anything they can think of in a bag!

Head on over and take a look! Take a second to join or use your Facebook account to log in. It's that easy and well worth visiting!

Online Tools review: Sched.org

Do you find it difficult to organise schedules for your events? Do you need a simple method to confirm attendances for meetings, parties and other gatherings? Well, problem solved with Sched.org! With several pricing options, including a free, limited functionality account, you can easily create bookings and have your attendees confirm online at their leisure.

Head on over to Sched.org and try it free! I'm sure you'll find the solution effective and efficient!

Online Tools review: Diagram.ly

Diagrams; either you love them or hate them. For those who have been around long enough to become Visio experts, you might actually appreciate that you can get the same kind of output from an entirely free tool, Diagram.ly. With numerous features and an easy web-based interface, here is another tool to your work anywhere, with any computer quiver!

No need to sign up and no fees make this a really great tool! Head on over an take a look, I'm sure you'll feel the same way I do!

Online Tools review: Mr. Icons

Collecting resources for training development is an activity that I have pursued actively since I've started working in the field. But one resource is a little harder to find then others: icons! I have purchased sets and collected as many royalty-free icons as I could find, but as luck would have it, whenever I need a specific icon, I never seem to have it in my collection.

Well, if you have experienced the same problem, here is Mr.Icons to the rescue! With more than 125174 icons in more than 437 sets, the icon you need is available, for free!

Head on over to Mr.Icons and browse through their extensive collection, you'll be glad you did.

Online Tools review: Initializr

Having a hard time with HTML 5.0? Finding it difficult to get started. Well, Initializr can help you with this task. Just pick from your choice of options, from HTML and CSS, Javascript, jQuery and even server configuration files and download your template file! That easy!

Based on the HTML 5.0 Boilerplate template, Initializr is a brilliant tool to help get the new standard out the door, properly. Head on over and take a look, I'm convinced that you'll find it useful.

Online Tools review: GuerrillaMail

As many other regular Internet user, I've often run into a situation when I wanted to sign up for a particular web service of some type and one of the most common requirements is a functional email address, where a confirmation message will be sent, which will need to be clicked in order to activate the account. But many of us have become a little guarded with our email address and with good reason; SPAM!

I work in an electronic world and access to my clients is obviously crucial to my business success. So I've come to the same conclusion as millions of other Internet users, which is multiple email addresses. A business address, a personal address and a junk address. This last address is specifically created for use with web services in what I would call "trial" periods. As I'm discovering the service and its features, I can make an informed decision as to whether or not I will continue to use it and at that point, I can update my settings to point to my personal address.

That's all well and good, but my junk account currently has more than 715 messages in the Inbox... since last week! Determining what is useful information from the garbage that invariably sneaks its way in is becoming a part-time job, with no remuneration at that! Time for a change of strategy and this is where GuerrillaMail.com comes in. With the ability to provide you with a functional but "disposable" email address, set to expire in 1 hour, I can now sign up to any service I want without fear. At any time, you can return to the GuerrillaMail page to view and reply to messages, as well as renew the address for another hour.

As of the last time I checked (and this information is updated on the site every 10 seconds), GuerrillaMail has processed more than 89 822 846 emails and going!

If you need disposable email, this is definitely the service for you. Head on over and test it out, I'm sure you'll find some use for this site quite regularly.

Where do you find these sites?

Someone asked me a good question the other day, concerning the various websites and tools that I find and report on regularly. "Where do you find all these sites?" It's a valid question for sure and the answer is not some trade secret that I want to take to my grave. There isn't a single clear answer (but there are several not so clear ones!!!)

One of the primary sources for new sites worth investigating is KillerStartups, a fantastic site dedicated to highlighting interesting Internet ventures of all kind. They promote 15 new sites a day and keep an excellent archive of their daily posts, as well as a top ten list that is worth exploring in detail. That's one of the answers; the other part of the answer is good search techniques and the final part of the answer is taking notes. Lots and lots of notes. Every little bit of information, URLs and images is usually captured using Evernote (and in some cases, when I am away from my computer or when it's faster, I also use GeniusScan!!!).

Of course, it really helps to read a lot. But that's just a question of practice for most people. As a final clarification, let me point out that I browse the Internet an average of 1 to 2 hours over the course of a day (it does help that I work in a computer-related field though) and don't watch television. It's amazing how much time you liberate if you drop the boob-tube! Try it sometimes!

Online Tool review: Allmyapps

A few weeks ago, I introduced a great online tool called Ninite, which is an automated application installer for the Windows platform, easily allowing a user to pick and choose from a pretty complete set of common applications that normally get installed on most computers.

Well, Ninite has some competition in the form of Allmyapps, a very similar tool, with different options that may be a better fit for you than the previous choice. Take a few moments to see what they have to offer and I am sure you'll agree with me that this is a fantastic tool

Online Tool review: Titanpad

Ever need to work collaboratively with a group of people, only to realise that none of them have ever used any conference-type tools like NetMeeting? Here is an easy solution to the problem: Titanpad. With no signups required, the user simply launches a new "pad" and invites other users by email. The invitees follow a link which will place them in the same "pad" environment, immediately able to cooperatively edit the document.

Great tool and a real time-saver for those who must work in groups, without the helpful tools to do it.

Online Tools review: Sketchpad

This is one of the really neat tools I've found lately; a great demonstration of the possibilities of online tools. Welcome to Sketchpad, an online sketching and drawing tool. With a beautiful interface, a great set of tools and ease of use, this is a tool you'll want to try and use regularly!

Online Tools review: Bookwhen

I've been delivering training of all sorts for the last ten years now and one of the primary issues I've encountered when trying to coordinate attendees is the flood of email back and forth between attendees and myself. At the same time, it also leaves attendees free to attempt to contact me (in some cases, a little incessantly even) in the future.

In comes a great web tool called Bookwhen which provides a great interface to coordinate all types of appointments, classes and any other venue where guests and attendees need to confirm their attendance. Go take a look, might just be the tool to save you some organizational headaches!

Online Tools review: Kukuklok

I've noticed something strange in the last couple years; with access to cellphones, many people have decided to stop wearing the traditional wristwatch. Not that this is a problem in itself (although a paranoid portion of my mind keeps wondering if the cellphone networks' time is actually accurate, you know.... Not beyond the scope of reason to imagine that "longer" days and "shorter" nights might actually be of benefit for many corporations) but it has also led to a lot of people losing access to a common wristwatch function, the alarm.

I know that as an avid and hardcore computer user, I have fallen asleep at the keyboard more often that I care to remember. Well, Kukuklok to the rescue. An online alarm, easy to set and use and will work even if your Internet connection fails. The only requirement is to keep the page open and that is easy to do with today's tabbed browsers.

Even if you don't fall asleep at the computer, you can always use it as a kitchen timer!

Online Tools review: Divine

Cutting up and slicing your carefully crafted PSD files into a workable website is a real art. A long, time-consuming and sometimes frustrating art! But here is a tool that hopes to "lighten" your load, so to speak, and automate the process as much as possible. Divine is the tool for such a purpose. Of course, there is still some work on the part of the user, but much of the difficulty has been made easy.

Take a look and try it out. It may be the time saver you've been looking for.

Online Tools review: Dummyimage

In the creation of websites and other work involving images, it can sometimes be useful to have what are referred to as "dummy images" of the correct size and proportions, so as to help in the creation of the layout. This saves the designer having to source several images during the design process, which can interfere with the creative process.

In to the rescue is Dummy Image, a great online tool that will quickly and easily create dummy images of any size and proportion, with several templates available for an even faster workflow.

A great tool, with tremendous usefulness for any graphic or web designer.

Online Tools review: Zootool

In the world of the Web 2.0, it seems that online tools have really become a central part in which people work with the Internet. One of the really great tools developed specifically for collecting and classifying all the information we find during regular browsing sessions, Zootool. A beautiful interface and simple operation make this site a truly useful addition for any regular Web user, but even more for hardcore information and data fanatics.

Have a look and try it out. You may just find it the next best thing since a bunch of little Post-It notes all over the place.

Online Tools review: UD Namecheck

Half of the battle when coming up with a new business/product/website/project name is making sure that soon-to-be brand isn't in use by someone else. Of course, it is possible to do some research yourself, but a note to the next generation of designers: not every company has an online presence!

Before you get started on logos/letterhead/illustrations/etc, why not check and confirm that your new name is not in use already. A great tool to help you determine the validity of your choice is UD Namecheck. This tools checks, with a single search interface:

• Domain names
• Social Media usernames
• Brand names (trademarked)

It's not an exhaustive list, but it is a good start and can serve your purposes pretty adequately. Check it out!

Online Tools review: Ninite

I've been an Apple user for more than 10 years now, but I still use a Windows-based computer for work and as such, I've found myself installing applications and re-installing applications on a pretty regular basis.  And I'm not talking about commercial software packages, I'm referring to the basic, free tools that we all install on our computers.

Well someone turned me on to Ninite, a truly ingenious method of selecting and installing the most common, free applications for the Windows platform (I'm in process of begging for an OS X version!). Of all the online tools I've reviewed, this one strikes me as one of the most useful to date.

Take a minute out of your day to take a look. I know you will not regret it!

Online Tools review: Keyonary

If you've been working with computers for a while now, you might accumulated a dizzying quantity of keyboard shortcuts, for various applications and operating systems. Although most applications provide some method of determining the most common shortcuts (usually through the use of the Help section), many of them remain quite cryptic. In comes a fantastic online database called Keyonary, which is truly a useful shortcut search tool. With a simple interface, quick response and extensive database, it's the place to go to find a shortcut for an application you're using.

Take a look and add to your reference bookmarks, it's worth it.