Jake Ludington

With so many different audio and video formats circulating the Internet, keeping track of which media player plays which format is almost a next-to-impossible task. For example: .MOV files are made with Apple QuickTime, and won't play in Windows ... Media Player; QuickTime player (which plays .MOV files) won't play DivX movies, and RealAudio and RealVideo files won't play in either QuickTime or Windows Media Player. To top it all off, none of the above mentioned formats will play on a portable .WMA (Windows Media Audio) device. Confused yet? Audio and video files generally contain content meant ... (view more)

I like creating online photo albums. It provides an easy way to share photos with friends and family. Keeping track of who I should notify every time I have new pictures is a little more complicated, however. I personally don't like posting pictures ... to the Web and having them visible to anyone who happens to wander by my site: password protection keeps out unwanted visitors, but it isn't very convenient and you still have to email everyone who needs the password. And let's be honest -- creating a website with password protection isn't easy for the majority of Internet users. So, what other ... (view more)

I don't normally talk about my personal life when composing articles on the web, but my latest eBook hits very close to home... and that's because, on June 6, 2004 (this Sunday), I'm getting married! In addition to spending the rest of my life with ... the future Mrs. Robin Ludington, I'm also taking on the responsibility of being a father to Robin's 2 year old son, Wyatt. The fundamentals of Toddler Temptation Adjusting to the curiosity of a two-year-old required some drastic rethinking of how my home office is set up. At the time I met Robin, I hadn't really planned on small children spending ... (view more)

Email newsletters, like infopackets.com, are historically the method I use to keep up with technology information. Once my email address is subscribed, the newsletter publishers deliver their information to me on a predefined delivery schedule. In ... addition to email newsletters, I'm finding myself reading more content from news feed channels, called RSS. What is RSS? RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication (depending on who you ask), and is a markup language similar to HTML code used to construct a web page. RSS works by organizing text information in a way which makes ... (view more)

Throughout the day, hand-written reminders pile up on my desk and in my pocket. All too often, I misplace a phone number before getting a chance to enter it into my Outlook contacts, or one ends up going through the wash -- never to be recovered. ... Luckily, I recently discovered a solution to my paper management problem when I came across a program called StickyNote for Windows. What is StickyNote? StickyNote creates beautiful 3D virtual reminders on Windows desktop, making it easy to keep track of important notes and reminders. In addition to stationing notes on the desktop, StickyNote also ... (view more)

Windows looks about the same every time I startup the computer. The icons on my desktop always look the same, and my Wallpaper only changes on occasion. Even the taskbar has a certain familiarity that's comforting, albeit terribly dull -- no matter ... which version of Windows I use. Recently, I discovered a desktop replacement program called 3DNA, and now using my Windows PC is like a new adventure after every click. What is 3DNA? 3DNA is a three-dimensional (3D) alternative to the traditional Windows desktop environment. The application provides a fully customizable workspace (referred to as a ... (view more)

Five months ago, I reviewed Acoustica CD/DVD Label Maker . To recap: Acoustica CD/DVD Label Maker prints stick-on labels and jewel case inserts for CD and DVD media. [Click here to view Acoustica CD Labeler in action: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3]. One ... of the great features of Label Maker is its ability to import track lists without having to retype the names of each track on a disc. I also like the fact that I can create unique labels using clip art from any graphic file, including my own personal photos. As I pointed out in the original review , Label Maker supports more paper types than any ... (view more)

I live in my MS Outlook Inbox; at least 75% of my computing day is devoted to reading RSS news feeds and responding to emails. If my system crashed and I lost all my MS Outlook data, my business would be 'up a paddle without a creek', so to speak. ... Thankfully, WinGuides (makers of Registry Mechanic ) created a program called Email Saver Xe with email Inbox protection in mind. Side Note: RSS is an acronym which stands for Really Simple Syndication. You can subscribe to RSS news feeds using a news reader application like NewsGator (compatible with MS Outlook as a 'plugin') to receive automated ... (view more)

I'm a frustrated musician at heart, only because playing music doesn't come naturally to me. In fact, I'm a poor piano player and a pathetic guitarist -- but I love it all just the same. Finding sheet music for songs is always a challenge, ... especially for someone of my skill level. When I discovered MidiNotate, it solved the sheet music problem and gave me the extra push I needed to play better. What is MidiNotate? In a nutshell, MidiNotate is software designed to convert MIDI and Karaoke files to onscreen or printable sheet music. MidiNotate works by evaluating sound descriptions stored in a ... (view more)

Have you ever been late for an appointment because you spent too much time playing on the computer? Based on my own experience, visual queues (like the reminders in Microsoft Outlook) are fairly easy to dismiss and ignore. To combat this bad habit, ... I use a series of audible and visual cues to remind myself of impending events. What is Say the Time? Say the Time is a system tray clock replacement with an additional calendar, scheduler, and sound features. Say the Time Features: The System Tray Calendar provides quick access to date, time, and appointment information -- all you need to do is ... (view more)