This is my site for links to Genuine Free Stuff as well as some useful advice. I use most of these programs regularly.
I have included pictures of these programs running on my computer. It's good gear. It's all worth having. Enjoy. Si.

The site is organised with 10 or so major posts at the start, with daily Genuine Free tips on top of that.
Click on a section or have a scroll through the Latest Genuine Free Tips.

November 13, 2009

Genuine Free Tip - Google Holiday Logos.

Here's my latest find. If you use Goog as your search engine, you may have often admired the change in their logo. Well I just found the link to their storage site. Check it out !

Here's the link... Google Holiday Logos.
Here's one of the latest...


Here's another...

That's all. Just a bit if interesting trivia for the day.
Cheers. Si.

October 26, 2009

Genuine Free Tip - GIMP image editor.

Here's my latest find, well an old one in fact. GIMP image editor.

Here's the link... Gimp GNU Image Manipulation Program
It's free, and it's a biggish program at 16Mb, but it's clever.
Here's how it starts up.

I've dragged a picture in.
This is a piece of wall art on the Fireman's Credit Union near my house.

I will add a layer so that I can put a color effect over the top.

Then I can add a varied shade of black to red.

To have this effect, for example.

So that's GIMP. It can do a lot more and it's free.
Go experiment. Have fun.

Cheers. Si.

October 25, 2009

Genuine Free Tip - Scourceforge PDF Creator

Here's another PDF creator for you.

ScourceForge.net PDFCreator

It works in the same way as CutePDF.
It installs as a printer, so you can make any document you can print into a PDF.
I haven't fired this up yet, so I can't show you it running in my computer.
It's free of course.

Cheers. Si.

October 24, 2009

Genuine Free Tip - How to make a PDF using CutePDF

I had to create a PDF the other day for the first time in a long time. I had forgotten how.
Now we all have Adobe Acrobat for reading PDFs, but do you know how to make one ?


I had some info in a Word document, and I wanted to present it to a manager and protect it from being changed, so I went and fired up CutePDF.

Here's the link... CutePDF
Note that you also have to download and install a Ghostscript interpreter.
"GNU Ghostscript is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License. You may obtain the source code for GPL Ghostscript 8.15 here."

I just downloaded CutePDF and installed it, and CutePDF went and found that Ghostscript program anyway, and installed it as well.

Here's what it does.
I have opened up my Word document and clocked on PRINT.
I then change my printer to 'CutePDF'.

Here's the next pop-up.
Choose what to call it and where to store it.

Here's the results. My PDF.

This can now be opened with Adobe Reader.
Now it is secure information and can't be tampered with .

Easy enough.
File that one away. It's a useful little program. Free too.

Cheers. Si.

October 23, 2009

Genuine Free Tip - LabPixies. Your source for the Coolest Gadgets on the Web!

Here's my latest find.

LabPixies.com

"Your source for the Coolest Gadgets on the Web!
LabPixies is a free online directory for web gadgets (also known as "Widgets").
Add cool and useful gadgets to your home page, or embed them to enrich your
blog or website. Simply click the "add to" button of your favorite gadget and start personalizing your online experience!"

Here's what to expect ...

Sigh, I went nuts and put a heap of Widgets on my blog, and then it took 30 seconds to load each page, so go easy on the widgets on your blog.
But have fun with them anyway. It's a nifty site.

Cheers. Si.