Macheist nanoBundle – Software Goodness for the Mac
As is custom, the awesome group of Macheist guys are offering a “first taste” with their Machiest nanoBundle. The bundle consists of apps worth $150 for free! that’s right FREE! You might start thinking that it might not be worth it, but its got some gems.
Shovebox – An information organiser that’s simple and straightforward to use. Yojimbo in my opinion is an overkill for most users, Shovebox is the way to go. With their companion iPhone app its just prefect. Actual price $24.95
WriteRoom – If you’Re into any kind of writing be it a simple blog or just a personal journal, the distraction free interface of WriteRoom is a godsend. I love writing at full screen with nothing to distract my attention. Actual price $24.95
Twitterific – A very “macish” twitter client that gets the job done with ease and style $14.95
Mariner Write – This is just the tool that I’ve been looking forward to try. I generally use Bean for my Word processing needs (I hear it! TextEdit is just fine – but not all the time!). I liked Bean’s simple and elegant interface and functionality, but i did feel that it lacked a few quick formatting options that would be wonderful to have especially when working with images. I’ve heard a lot about Mariner Write from colleagues and fellow writers and was always looking forward to switch over but restrained myself when i saw the $50 price tag! And now..go figure 
Oh by the way Mariner Write is not yet available in the bundle, it is unlocked once 500,000 participants download the bundle, so help me out here by getting some free software for your mac! 
Haven’t heard of tinygrab, will definitely check it out – Horde of Orcs is a tower defense game for your mac desktop. So just click here to enter the world of Macheist free software goodness!
Just 2 days left, so rush NOW!
Update : while my post was on the drafts, Macheist just added Virus Barrier to the bundle! not that your Mac would require an antivirus anytime soon, but still if you’re super security conscious there is now one more reason to go for the nanoBundle!
The Copper Bracelet
Thrilling Sequel to The Chopin Manuscript,
Audiobook of the Year WinnerFormer war crimes investigator Harold Middleton must once again crack a secretive global conspiracy in this new international thriller penned by a dream team of top-selling authors, including Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Scottoline, Lee Child, and Joseph Finder.The complete, unabridged audiobook will be available starting October 29, 2009.
After the first book “The Chopin Manuscript” I fell in love with the style of bringing together several prominent writers and let them build upon each other’s writing. Now the second installment “The Copper Bracelet” is out or rather will be out tomorrow, but the first chapter is already available (for free) from Audible. The book has got some of my favorite authors and the story is based upon some characters from India! which makes me even more curious as to how the authors would have taken the story and the mystery. You can see the complete author list above, I’ve already gone through the first chapter and its definitely kindled my interest.
iBomber – Arcade style bomber for the iPhone & iPod Touch
iBomber is one of the most interesting games that I’ve come across on the iPhone platform. It simplicity and elegant gameplay makes it my most played game on my iPod touch. Wrote a review of iBomber here, have a look and see if you’ve got in you what it takes to be a iBomber
Ofcourse, you don’t have to buy the paid version – the lite version of the game gives a taste of what you get when you pay! The levels that come with the pay version are pretty cool and will keep you occupied for quiet a while. I find myself iBombing waiting for a tram or at my neighborhood McCafé.
Photos from Deepavali ‘09
One of my favorite photo blogs, The Boston Big Picture has a collection of ‘09 Deepavali Photos that are a must see for Photo geeks.
CameraBag – for the Mac
CameraBag is a cool application for the Mac that allows you to add some classic photography filters or effects to your captures. Most pictures take a life of their own when post processed in a very classic fashion or given the film feel. Its like, the feeling that an image elicits when you know that it belongs to a certain period in time – the gritty, gripping feel! if you’ve been surfing the “interestingness” or “explore” feature of Flickr, you might have come across several images that have been post-processed in this “aged” or film style manner that just makes the image pop out in the mind of the viewer – that’s exactly what CameraBag does in a “as simple as it gets” manner. The fact that the app came out for the iPhone platform (App Store link) and later brought to the mac, should attest to the popularity of this processing technique. Ya, this can be done in Photoshop, but definitely not with the kind of ease that CameraBag provides. I’ve got a review up here and I seriously urge you to check out the application – it could be your way to Flickr fame – Though as with any tool, do not overuse it! it does get boring if overdone.
Oh, by the way the images touched (on the right & untouched on the left) with CameraBag above were loaned from my friend’s photoblog (urge you to check it out!).
iPhone apps every biologist needs
After writing a previous post about the productivity boost that iPhone & iPod apps provide to a research student, it was time to update the topic, considering the constant barrage of apps coming into the app store. Here is a link to my article on The Scientist magazine website listing my current top 10 apps that would be of immense help to a (biology) grad student.
Image : William Hook
Fonera 2.0n Router
Just received my Fonera newsletter informing me about the availability of the new Fonera 2.0n router. I know there are several new routers coming out with weird model numbers (now that the WiFi-N has become official and is no longer a draft) but this one seems to be a geek’s dream come true. Before I start going into the feature set of the Fonera N router, yes I’m aware that open source firmwares like Tomato can be loaded onto some existing routers to gain almost all the features that the Fonera router comes with! then again that process isn’t the most easy task either, given that one has to have a router that is compatible with the firmware. Anyway Fonera N router seems to be a safer bet than hacking any existing router.
Microsoft Tablet – Courier
Microsoft seems to be coming out with its own Tablet …No..no..its not what you think! This device seems to be really a game changer, once (or if) Apple introduces their tablet. Check out the juicy post and video about Courier on Gizmodo. I guess its time that companies just stop upgrading their OS and start working on something more revolutionary…seriously there is only so much you can do with a desktop, start menu/dock, icons etc. The future is all about new ways of interacting with technology!
