We all have personal computers and we have a lot of information on them. We use this information for personal purposes, but sometimes we want to share it with our friends or relatives. You may want to give your girlfriend a CD with a selection of songs that you like or make a surprise for your grandparents and give them a gift: a CD with photos and films with you and your sister. These are personal gifts and they have meaning only for those who receive them. So you may want to make them even more personal and add something particular to the CD. That might be a label, your personal label printed on your CD. But how to do this? The CD burner won't work on the cover, it is very expensive to go to a specialized shop and have the label printed in coloured ink. But this can sometimes be a abd idea, as the weight of the ink can unbalance the CD and reduce the quality of the pictures and data burnt on the CD.
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So what can you do? Use a permanent marker to write on the CD what the contents are? No, absolutely not: it's  primitive and not a very nice sight. Well, some people have already though of these problems and invented a very recent and innovative technology: Lightscribe software. This technology allows you to make your own CD labels at home. However, besides the Lightscribe software that you can purchase or download for free from specialized web sites (usually as freeware, that is you may use a 30 day limited trial) you also need the Lightscribe technology adjusted to your drive and burner. It does not work otherwise. I did some research to help you and I have found some web sites that offer Lightscribe software for download as shareware and freeware: www.burnworld.com, www.software.informer.com and www.cnet.com.



You can use your own photos, drawings and templates to make the label for your CD or DVD or choose from different models available when you install the software or if you access the web page directly (www.lightscribe.com). But the software part is the most important one. Ok, so you go to these web sites and get the lghtscribe software needed to create labels for your CD. But this is not enough: you also need Lightscribe software for your system. Each system needs a different version of software that si compatible with its features, so mots hardware manufacturers have starting proving the necessary version of the software compatible with the hardware they produce. But if that does not happen, you can also purchase some universal system software.



Lightscribe technology was invented by a HP engineer in Oregon and this company also made efforts to release it on the market. This is relatively new technology and it allows the user to burn the label he designed or imported from somewhere directly on the disc instead of using a cover like before. This operation can be performed by the burner, but it needs additional software, besides the CD or DVD burning software. So the process of burning now has three steps: first you burn the data or music or whatever you want to on the CD or DVD and then simply turn the CD on the other side and burn the label on it. It may take you a while to do that, as this technology is only at the beginning and still needs a lot of improvement. However, it is an amazing thing that you can add your label on your CD at home, using nothing much than your personal computer. the most popular software used for burning CDs already incorporated Lightscribe software in the packages they offer. A few examples are: Nero, CyberLink, InterVideo and Sonic. It takes about twenty minutes to burn a label, but this happens because the technology involves collaboration between all the parts of the system you have at home. And there are a lot of steps from a normal CD to a labelled CD. First you choose the label you want to burn on the CD. If you don't have it already (a photo for example) you can create it at the moment, using differite templates offered by the software. You can choose from different kinds of writing , or import all the names of songs and singers from MP3 files directly to the disc in order to have a list with the contents on the CD. Then, if you chose some text or picture, the software must transform it from rectangular shape into circular shape in order to fiot the shape of the CD. Then there is the actual burning that may take some time, as I said, but I am sure the result will make it worth the effort.



Because this technology is still developing it still has some disadvantages that I am sure will be solved in time. Some DVDs might not support it, so you'd better check before starting the labelling process. Then the pictures and labels are only made in a shade of grey and not colour, because this technology uses the burning process and does not involve ink.



But the satisfaction of labelling your own CDs and DVds is immense. It's about personalizing objects and that makes them a lot more valuable to you. Imagine that you receive a CD with a special song composed for you and the CD has your face on it or even a love poem or a marriage proposal. Or you can use labelled CDs with the faces of the bride and groom as personalized wedding invitations. There are a lot of examples and they all make all the effort seem very little when you think of the result, when you see the faces of the loved ones happy and excited and, besides, these make perfect gift choices. You can never fail with a specially labelled CD or DVD.

Indeed, technology has evoloved a lot, but human beings still have hearts and value family and friends.

In our world today image is very important and if you want to illustrate something you must necessarily add some photos to exemplify what you are talking about. Society evolved enormously in the past century and so did technology. Now we can use regularly what our grandparents only heard about. We also have more device available to take pictures with: photo cameras, digital cameras, mobile phones with camera incorporated and so on. It is not like in the early days of photography when you had the opportunity of having a photo only once in a while,  when you celebrated something important. You had to go to the only person in town who owned a photo shop and pay a lot for a black and white photo that was often lacking expression and shapness. But, like I said, these are long gone times. Now you have the possibility to take photos everywhere and also to edit your photos and print or publish them in a customized manner, adding a personal touch.
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People have realized that photos are the only memories we get after the passing of the time, because our brain memery is reduced and often deceiving. We get used to the changes of our faces and do not realize how much we have changed in time except for when we see ourselves in old photos. Our memory is also limited and we can't possibly remember all the things we did or people we met in time. But the photos can do that for us. They work like a trigger and when we look at them, they bring back those past times to memory. When I look at old photos of myself I remeber Marcel Proust and his masterpiece "In search of lost time" where he describes exactly my thoughts. I feel like the little boy whose memeries are brought to life by the smell of a cake.


I know that you all own photo digital cameras and you all have thousands of photos, more or less beautiful and clear. You certainly want to share them with your friends and relatives that live abroad or in a distant city. All you have to do is make a photo gallery and then send the link to the people you love and want to share your memories with. There are a lot of web sites that are specialized in photo galleries that you can use for free and where you can upload your photos, make photo albums , organize the photos and everything. But most of the times these web sites offer a only limited number of photos to upload and limited features.


Then there is the trouble of uploading a big amount of photos if you choose to share more or even the inconvenient of having your accounts that you have created in time deleted after some time (an illustrative example is yahoo album that is now closed after I worked for long hours to upload almost 1000 photos then I got a notice that the web site will be closing). So many people decide to use theie personal web page to show their photo albums and, besides everything, they have the privacy option, too. The gallery software used to make photo albums and photo galleries is used both by normal people and professionals: fashion photographers, wedding organizers, real estate agents, restaurant, hotels and other jobs that need illustration.


Here is a top ten of the best gallery software that you can purchase if you want to build your own photo gallery on your web site:

1. Gallery - one of the best and updated photo organizers. It helps you manage your photo albums, both for small personal web sites, but also for big companies. You can use it to manage as many galleries you want to add on your server. The interface is intuitive and it offers you the opporunity to administrate your albums quite easily. One of the most important features of this software is the unlimited number of albums and photos you can add to the web site. Some other features include: auto image rotation, wide slideshow and RSS publishing. The feature that differentiates this software from others is "Mirror gallery" - the users can mirror their albums on remote servers. The Gallery is easy to set up and use and it guides you step by step with the configuration wizard, so as to avoid the mistakes that can appear when setting up the server or the OS. The intelligent feature of rotating the photos automatically makes it even more useful and saves a lot of time. You have a great variety of options to choose from when customizing your photos and albums, elegant themes and many other features (like RSS publishing). The only unpleasant thing about it is that the software does not keep the original size of the pictures.

2. 4Image gallery - is used to store and display mutimedia galleries, images and other files in .NET format. It has auto thumbnails and an original feature: you can transform your favourite photos in ecards and send them to people you know on several occasions.

3. Plogger -you can edit descriptions for every picture in the gallery, automatic thumbnail generation

4. Zenphoto - You have the option to use spam filters, use predefinite themes when customizing your albums

5. Shaddow box- is very flexible when supporting media publishing formats; it has an original feature - it adjust to any Javascript format or runs as an independent application

6. Coppermine - offers a large quantity of templates, users can be members in creating customized groups.


7. Simple picture gallery maker - you have the option of organizing hidden galleries or viewing your galleries in a random or fixed thumbnail form

8. Image gallery pro - supports more than one user

9. 2 Photo Gallery

10. BolGallery

All the ones I mentioned above are very good and offer many nice features. Your only job is to try to find which one is best for you, as preferences vary just like personalities and it is impossible to find a model that fits everybody. So have fun while searching and afterwards while watching the nice photo galleries made by yourself.

My sister is a secretary and her boss dictates her letters she is supposed to type and send during the day in a very fast pace. She interrupted him a few times, but then she was too ashamed, considering that she is a good secretary and he is the new boss. She then realized she had to improve her typing skills in order to keep her job, because otherwise ... well, let's not think about it. But it is very true. Managers and employers all over the world appreciate those employees that have certain skills and abilities that justify the fact they are receiving salary every week or every month. There are plenty of people like my sister and the solution is simple: instead of considering a career change or being fired for incompetence you can improve your typing skills and you will certainly be more appreciated by your boss. Why not, maybe you will get a raise.

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But not only secretaries need to improve their typing skills. All the people who use a computer at work should do that as it saves a lot of time to type faster and you know that "Time is money". People like me who are writing articles or reviews or newspaper columns and other similar stuff would appreciate a lot an improvement in their typing skills. I type pretty fast myself, but image just how long it would take me if I typed really slowly and I had a deadline for articles.



The solution for all the people described above is to purchase some kind of typing software. But first you have to find out which one is the best typing software and then to see if we can get it for free. It is relatively simple to find out the best typing software as it is present all over the internet pages and this is Beacon Mavis typing software. Now let's see if we can get this beauty for free. Apparently we can:
here, here and here. Take care because the free download software that you find on the internet is most if the times a time limited trial or has limited features compared to the whole purchase software. You should assess your priorities and see what's more important for you: to get it for free or to get a better version but at a high price.

Mavis Beacon Teaches typing was awarded for being the best typing software available on the internet. It sure provides a lot of features to get such an award. First I should say that this software is very easy to use and offers great possibilities for both beginners and fast typers or professionals (like my sister). It offers you the possibility to improve your typing by playing humorous games, watching funny videos, reading custom lesson plans and interactive guides. If you have a portable device like an iPod or Palm, you can take it with you and use it every time you have some free time.
The software was not designed for a target group; it can be used by children as well as adults. Just choose the appropriate games and lessons and the job is done.



But what is so special about this software, that makes everybody want to get it? What makes it different from other typing software? I think it is about the multiple choice of features you have at your disposal and the afct that it makes you learn and improve your typing skills in a pleasant and funny manner and you do not have the impression that you are at school, ready to get a bad mark. Let's see what this is about.

First the interface: it's a little unusual. You are presented the image of a classromm and you have to choose and press different objects in the classroom to activate different features. For example if you want to start a lesson, press the image of the computer. You are allowed to interfere in the software application and customize your lessons and even get your own material. You can play typing games, choosing the level of difficulty. Another important thng is the software, besides offering video lessons and drills, also offers some very useful advice concerning the correct position ob your body during typing and the ergonomics at your office and at home, when you use the computer. This advice is common sense, but very pertinent, making us aware of the defectuous position that our body gets sometimes.



This download free Mavis beacon typing software is kind of interactive and gives a great feed back. You can see the progress you made since you started the typing lessons and also see what your weak spots are, so where you are supposed to work harder. You are even given advice on what kind of exercises to do in order to fix the problem. The offer is quite extraordinary: you have access to 221 practice lessons and 103 custom lessons. Not to mention the 14 games, belonging to the arcade type, that are really funny and make you enjoy your typing practicing. You even have the possibility to download this software to a portable device like a palm and practice typing while you are sitting in the subway for example.

I like one feature very much: you can import your own MP3 files that will then be dictated to you in order for you to type them. Or you can bring your favourite music to make you relax during practicing exercises.


I don't know much about computers, especially about software, but I do know how to use one. I am also a novice regarding software installation and things like that. That is why I simply loved the fact that You can download, set up and then use this free Mavis Beacon typing software very easily. You are guided like somebody was holding your hand and told you exactly what to do. It is amazing that such a big offer of opportunities for learning that you can choose from is still so well organized so as to be able to use it in an almost childish manner, without any trouble at all.

In conclusion, this is great software and I strongly recommend it if you want to improve your typing skills.