Web Based Speed Reader

ZAP Reader is a web based speed reading program that will change the way you read on your computer. Current beta testers report reading twice as much in half the time—that's a 300% increase in reading speed, without any loss in comprehension! There is nothing to install, it works with most popular browsers, and it's totally free!

Google Introduces Checkout for Non-Profit Organizations

Google Checkout for Non-Profits is a fast, convenient donation process that helps you attract more donors and increase online giving to your organization – and you can use it to process donations by charging credit or debit cards for free until 2009.

Restoration: Free File Undelete Program

Restoration is an easy to use and straight forward tool to undelete files that were removed from the recycle bin or directly deleted from within Windows, and we were also able to recover photos from a Flash card that had been formatted.

Free DVD/CD Burner

CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface.

Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components.

Amazon MP3 Launches

Amazon MP3 offers over 2 million songs — all in MP3 format, which means they can play on any digital media player, including the iPod.

Most songs are between $0.89 and $0.99, and most albums are between $5.99 and $9.99 and are DRM-Free.

jZip: Free Compression Utility for Windows

jZip is a new and free compression utility for Windows. jZip supports multiple popular archive formats such as Zip, RAR, 7z, ISO, TAR and GZip. It is fully compatible with archives created by other utilities such as WinZip, WinRar and 7-Zip.

Askville

Askville is a place where you can share and discuss knowledge with other people by asking and answering questions on any topic. It’s a fun place to meet others with similar interests to you and a place where you can share what you know.

You can learn something new everyday or help and meet others using your knowledge. Askville even helps you learn by giving you cool tools to help you find information online while you are answering questions. It’s all about sharing—what you know and what you want to know—so go ahead and meet someone new today and Askville!

Do Not Call Registry Set To Expire Soon

The Do Not Call Registry took effect in June 2003, but the signups only last for five years. To keep telemarketers away, you have to re-register by calling 1-888-382-1222 or by logging on to the Do Not Call website.

Once you register, telemarketers will have 31 days to remove your number from their lists. You may register your home and cell phone numbers.

USB 3.0 To Bring Optical Connection in 2008

"Intel and others plan to release a new version of the ubiquitous Universal Serial Bus technology in the first half of 2008, a revamp the chipmaker said will make data transfer rates more than 10 times as fast by adding fiber-optic links alongside the traditional copper wires." -- Stephen Shankland (C/Net News)

New York Times to Stop Charging for Online Access

The New York Times will stop charging for access to parts of its Web site, effective at midnight Tuesday night (Sept. 18).

The move comes two years to the day after The Times began the subscription program, TimesSelect, which has charged $49.95 a year, or $7.95 a month, for online access to the work of its columnists and to the newspaper’s archives. TimesSelect has been free to print subscribers to The Times and to some students and educators.

In addition to opening the entire site to all readers, The Times will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without charge, as well as those from 1851 to 1922, which are in the public domain. There will be charges for some material from the period 1923 to 1986, and some will be free.

Moving: Free or Low-Cost Recycled Cardboard Boxes

Save money and the environment by using recyled boxes for your next move. Check out these sites:

UsedCardboardBoxes.com

UHaul Box Exchange

Google Moon

A collection of lunar maps and charts, this tool is an exciting new way to explore the story of the Apollo missions, still the only time mankind has set foot on another world.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Sept. 15 - Oct. 15

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

Robert Jordan: 1948 - 2007

Bestselling fantasy writer Robert Jordan, creator of the Wheel of Time series, died Sunday afternoon, after a long bout with amyloidosis.

30 Essential Pieces of Free and Open Software for Windows

"... a list of thirty pieces of software that are the cream of the crop of open source software for Windows. Not only is every piece of it free, almost all of them directly replace expensive software packages." -- The Simple Dollar

The Carlyle Letters Online

"Here you will find a perspective on the 19th century like no other, through the words of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle. Browse over 10,000 of their collected letters by date, by recipient, by subject, and by volume. We invite you to explore a correspondence that features some of the most influential artistic, philosophic, and literary personalities of the day."

The letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle are available online courtesy of the Duke University Press.

Free Book Exchange

BookMooch is a community for exchanging used books.

BookMooch lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.

BookMooch uses a point system to earn free books.

The Free Mac Classroom

Over 200 free applications for the Mac!

Ken Burns' The War

THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history — a worldwide catastrophe that touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America — and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.

Coming to PBS September 23, 2007. The show will air on WSRE beginning at 7:00 PM.

Students: Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for $60

Microsoft is referring to the deal as their Ultimate Steal, and will make it available for purchase online to those who can prove their active student status, preferably with a verified university e-mail address. If Microsoft’s Ultimate Steal tempts you, you have until April 30th, 2008 to make the purchase.

Wikia Launches Wikia Gaming

Wikia Gaming is a a collection of video game focused wikis. The sites contain over 250,000 articles on games already, on all major platforms.

Lehigh University Debuts Open Virtual Classroom: Bioethics

Lehigh University has added a virtual class to its curriculum this fall called Bioscience in the 21st century. The multidisciplinary class is designed to allow anyone interested to watch lectures and study course material or PowerPoint presentations posted on the university's website for free. Lectures are also available from iTunes U, according to Lehigh University.

First Pedestrian Killed by Car in North America

1899: Henry Bliss becomes the first pedestrian known to be killed by an automobile in North America.

Magic Books

A video montage of book covers set to music.

Curious Expeditions: Beautiful Libraries

Tired of the cold, drab modern library. Check out these photos of beautiful old libraries presented by Curious Expeditions.

Addy Will Know: The Librarian Song

"Librarians have appeared in pop culture as shushers, spinsters, even sex symbols. What about solvers of great conundrums, masters and mistresses of organization, purveyors of intellectual freedom?!

"Addy Will Know" avoids the stereotypes. Serving as a musical tribute to the modern librarian, it is about a real librarian who leads a lost patron to the four books he is looking for. The names of the books are never mentioned, but as a kind of puzzle, the song itself includes call numbers that correspond to the books hinted at in the verses." -- Addywillknow wiki

Mythological Creatures and Beasts Wiki

Need information on Chupacabras, Doppelgangers or Griffins. Check out this wiki.

Lifehacker: Top 10 Wikipedia Tricks

Without a doubt, Wikipedia is one of the most useful and amazing sources of information on the internet—but chances are you aren't using it to its full potential.

Top 10 Freeware Software That Nobody Knows About -- But Should

It's always a shame when a great program is not heard about by most people - especially when it's free. Here are the top 10 freeware software that many people still haven't tried, but definitely should.

Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street

An extraordinary look at two years in the lives of five young heroin addicts, Black Tar Heroin offers a rare and intimate portrait of how heroin devastates young lives.

Florida Electronic Library

The Florida Electronic Library is a gateway to select Internet resources that offers access to comprehensive, accurate, and reliable information. Available resources include electronic magazines, newspapers, almanacs, encyclopedias, and books, providing information on topics such as current events, education, business, technology, and health issues. The Florida Electronic Library offers information for all age groups, including homework help for students and resources for teachers.

The Florida Memory Project

The Florida Memory Project presents a selection of historical records that illustrate significant moments in Florida history, educational resources for students of all ages and archival collections for historical research. The Project utilizes selected original records, photographs and other materials from the collections of the State Library and Archives of Florida.

Read a Book - Plant a Tree

20 million trees are cut down each year to produce the books sold in the U.S. alone. Eco-Libris allows you to balance out all the books you read by planting trees to replace them.

Build Your Family Tree

Geni is a free online service that lets you create a family tree through a fun simple interface. You can expand your tree by adding relatives' email addresses. They will be invited to join your tree and can add other relatives. Your tree will continue to grow as relatives invite other relatives.

The First Photograph Ever Taken: 1826

One hundred and fifty years ago [Summer 1826] Joseph Nicéphore Niépce succeeded in obtaining a camera picture on a polished pewter plate, sensitized with bitumen of Judea.

Conversion Central: 101 Tools to Convert Video, Music, Images, PDF and More

Few things are more irritating than having to deal with a format that is incompatible with what you need it to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a media file, document, or shoe size; it’s just plain frustrating. To make your life easier, check out this list of 101 tools that will allow you to convert just about anything.

Apple Special Event: September 2007

"Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveil the new iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod classic, and iPod shuffle, plus new features in iTunes. See the video-on-demand event..."

How to Access Blocked Websites

School or business blocking access to certain websites. Here are the top 10 ways to access blocked websites. Also read the comments for other good tips on accessing blocked websites.

GadgetTrak USB Tracking Software

"GadgetTrak have developed a software system that can be installed onto supported USB devices, which they claim provides a means of tracking those devices, in the event that they are lost or stolen. Various membership options are offered, starting at $12.95 for one device, increasing to $45.95 for up to twenty devices." -- last100.com