I'm going to do some quickie reviews for a few miscellaneous things that I've been meaning to get to for a while. So here you go.
First: Software.
Ever think to yourself "if only I could take a picture of what is going on on my screen right now so I could show people how to do this!", whatever your "this" may be? I sure have. With SnapIt, you can.
SnapIt is a cool program that enables you to take a screen snap of whatever you need. Simply install the program, click the "hot key" on your keyboard, and select the section of screen that you want. it automatically saves the image to your computer in the place you predetermine.
You can snap just about anything on your screen.
Click on the image to go to SnapIt Screen Capture!
Giveaway: Download and write a review on your blog for SnapIt and send a link to julia.taylor@digeus.com for a free registration code!
Second. Backpacks.
In the past six years (since I moved to North Carolina) I've bought probably seven or eight backpacks. I've bought Target backpacks and Staples backpacks and Taurus backpacks and lots of other kinds of backpacks. Every single one has failed me, either zippers ripping or buckles breaking, or bad designs.
The best backpack I've ever had started off as my sisters. She got it a few years ago and I now use it in college. It's a Lands End backpack (are we not surprised?). This is why it's fantastic.
1) waist strap. All the best backpacks have waist straps. A waist strap shouldn't be elastic like some of the newer designs that have just come out (I bought two this year and neither were satisfactory) because they stretch, and don't offer the right amount of support that is needed for the lower back. Students backpacks are anywhere from ten to sixty pounds: carrying it all on your upper back and shoulders is just unhealthy. A thick supportive strap around the waist distributes the weight more evenly, and allows the abdominal muscles to aid in carrying the backpack, saving the back and shoulders. In a matter of hours after my mom mailed Hannah's old backpack to me, I felt a difference in my back.
2) simple. There's pockets on the side, on the top, and on the front, but the main section of the backpack is just one section: no extra zippers to lose stuff in! also, you can fit more stuff in it this way. Because of this…
3) safer to lock. Remember the backpack lock I highlighted at the beginning of the school year? because there's only one main pocket, and the zipper holes are big enough for the lock to fit into, you can put everything in that one pocket, lock it, and know that nobody can take your stuff.
4) lasts forever. I probably couldn't break this backpack if I tried… and remember that this is me we're talking about here. If I can't break it, nobody can.
(Well, maybe my little sister. She's good at that stuff. But it lived through her and is doing fine with me… so I rest my case)
And that is why it's worth every penny to buy a Lands End backpack.
Third: Wave Editor.
I needed a free program that cuts and deletes easily so I could edit my dad's audio recording of a sermon. So I did some quick searches and found Wave Editor. Basically, you can open your file, do simple minor editing, and save it. It was simple, it was easy, it was quick to figure out… I didn't even need the instructions.
My only complaint is that it was a little slow. I was editing stuff out (pauses where a baby cries, tripping over words here and there) and I highlighted a section of audio, and right clicked and selected "delete," but it would take a while for it to actually work, so there was some waiting involved.
Other than that, it was great. Easy to install, good zoom in and out, sound increaser and decreaser, just the simple stuff. I'd recommend it for simple editing.
The image at the top of the page was taken by SnapIt and is a snap of the Wave Editor.
