There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there certainly is such a thing as free software programs.

Downloadpedia.org provides a list of commercial software with their Open Source (as in free) alternatives.

I've heard a lot about Gimp, although I've never used it.  However, I didn't know that there were Open Source programs that rivaled Illustrator and QuarkXpress.

Has anyone used these free programs?  Do they really replace the commercial industry standards? 

Feeling a little deprived of frozen precipitation in our mild Texas winter?

Visit Make a Flake and create your own digital snowflake. 

When you click on "make a flake," it will bring you to a "workroom" with a folded paper and scissors.  When the little circle on the scissors turns green you can set a point for your cutting area.

After you've made all the "cuts" you want, click "preview flake" and you can view your creation.  You can save your snowflake in the gallery.  I'm not going to tell you which one is mine, because it is pretty pathetic compared to some on there. 

One of the things that just drives me crazy is having to install programs that I use on a daily basis on other computers.

For example, I have Adobe Photoshop on my main computer, along with custom shapes, styles, patterns, and brushes that I have collected, compiled and created over several years.

I can use Photoshop on my laptop, but then I don't have all the little "extras."

I just came across a program, PortableApps , that is supposed to solve that problem.  It will let you take your favorite program, preferences and all, and use it on a different computer.

I haven't tried it out yet.  If you do, please let me know. 

I don't even know what to call this. 

It's like a web-based depiction of Donkey Kong on crack.  You just have to see it.  Click here . 

Another good example of a site I would have NEVER found without StumbleUpon. 

Today I stumbled on a very cool flash presentations on identifying what is really important in your life and how to make your life worth living.

The Eight Principles of Irresistable Fun by Box of Crayons.biz is something to go back to when you need to regain your focus. 

TThe internet is such a great place to find bits of trivia that you will NEVER use in your life.

Today's trivia page is "The Human World"   There is really no rhyme or reason to the trivia gathered, other than that they are all "things that make you go hmmm."  

 My favorites:

Weirdest patent:

Sliced bread was patented by a jeweller, Otto Rohwedder, in 1928. He had been working on it for 16 years, having started in 1912.

I wonder which country's army this was in:

A South African monkey was once awarded a medal and promoted to the rank of corporal during World War I.

Ewwww:

Because they had no proper rubbish disposal system, the streets of ancient Mesopotamia became literally knee-deep in rubbish.