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1. 
   Review - GetRight

   5.2 Beta 4b (Sep 16, 2004)

   I previously considered Getright to be a second-rate download utility. It was buggy, mirror searches didn't work, crashed frequently, etc. However, with the latest releases, Getright has pushed itself ahead of the competitors. I used Flashget full-time until the Getright 5.x releases, which are very solid releases even as betas. The filemirror.com mirror search is great, and mirror control is equally solid. Well done.

2. 
   Review - Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE)

   5.0 RC (Sep 4, 2004)

   It's a bit slower than Microsoft's (although I don't know why), but it's cross-browser and cross-OS compatible. What other software can be compiled on one machine and run on any platform? C++ may be portable to other OS's, but you can't take one compiled file and distribute it to multiple OS's. That's the beauty of Java. The .jar file will work as long as java is installed. No need to recompile.
   
   Anyway, I give it a 4 because it's a tad slow. Other than that, it's a solid coding language.
   
   Here's a download link for those of you who don't want to sign up for anything: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp

3. 
   Review - Gmail Notifier for Windows

   1.0.21.0 Beta (Aug 31, 2004)

   Awesome program. I love the mini-previews of the e-mails. Works perfectly for me on SP2. Nice fading effects. Very quick response to e-mails, too. I had a friend e-mail me and the program notified me within a minute.

4. 
   Review - Mozilla Firefox for Windows (v2)

   0.9.2 (Jul 17, 2004)

   It's finally to the point that I recommend it to all of my friends and install it on their computers (or tell them about the best extensions). The quality of this browser is second-to-none. Few pages are rendered incorrectly, and some of the poorly rendered pages can be fixed by switching your user agent to IE. I use it for about 98% of my browsing now. It seems that the only pages that IE renders with a distinct advantage are Microsoft-owned sites like zone.com, hotmail.com (which is better, but the rich-text editor still doesn't work), and web-based outlook sites. Goodbye, MyIE. Hello, Firefox.

5. 
   Review - CookieWall

   1.01 (Apr 23, 2004)

   Good cookie filter. I wish it could be set to clear cookies upon browser close or something like that, but at least it can clear unwanted cookies within a few clicks while keeping the ones you want and blocking the ones you don't want.

6. Comment - Can Yahoo! Messenger 9 Topple AIM?

   1.01 (Nov 1, 2007 - 12:42 AM)

   I haven't used Miranda IM in a while, but the problem with the do-it-all messengers is you cut the audio/video features with all of them. So yeah, you can do basic stuff like chatting, file transfer, and MAYBE direct connect (on AIM), but you lose out on the more advanced features. Also, Miranda IM (as it comes) is the ugliest, plainest piece of software I've seen since the Windows 3.1 era.

7. Comment - Wal-Mart Debuts $298 PC

   1.01 (Jul 19, 2007 - 8:33 PM)

   Actually, although the hardware requirements were of course greater, the average system didn't suffer much from the upgrade to XP. There wasn't an immediate backlash about gaming for instance. Vista, on the other hand, is not a better gaming OS as far as performance is concerned. DX10 is the only thing that makes it have a better future in gaming than XP which likely won't ever get it.
   
   I think this is a good step forward for cheap PCs, but it had better come with instructions on how to change your document type and/or instructions on how to make the default document types MS Office-compatible. Otherwise there are going to be some people that are very confused at why they can't open their files on any computer but their home one.

8. Comment - 80GB PS3 Less Backward Compatible

   1.01 (Jul 11, 2007 - 11:23 PM)

   Because they said porn couldn't be released on betamax. Everyone knows that.

9. Comment - Has the PC Become Antiquated?

   1.01 (Apr 27, 2007 - 10:48 PM)

   I agree. I think some people missed the point of the article. The point isn't that people are dumb for not using the alternative-input mechanisms. The point is that they need to be better designed so they're a viable alternative to the keyboard. I'd point to the research that's going into a mouse that can be controlled optically as an example of someone trying to innovate with input. I also remember reading about a language translation device that can read your mouth and tongue movements to interpret your speech rather than you having to actually speak into it so that the conversation is more fluid and each person doesn't have to say their entire statement then listen to it played back. Something like this combined with "text"-to-speech software might actually be a solution for the awkwardness of talking to a computer in public. Not saying that you'll look completely normal, but at least it won't be audibly disturbing and if it catches on, then everyone will be doing it. Think of how ridiculous people look wearing bluetooth headsets, yet it's got a good market share.

10. Comment - Year in Review: Apple Continues to Wow

    1.01 (Dec 31, 2005 - 10:42 PM)

    I own an iPod, but I thoroughly appreciate Apple having a good year since I invested almost all my cash into 100 shares of their stock about six months ago, and it's paid off in spades :-D