Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0 build 1

Description: YcPod can download videos from YouTube. It can also retrieve videos from the browser cache, making it function as a universal grab tool for almost all video sharing sites.

If you want a tool that can download any video from any video sharing site, you can try Orbit Downloader (with the Grab++ module). Or you can use this tool; I tried it on several sites that offered FLV videos and it worked beautifully (including iFilm, MTV, YouTube, and a number of others).

Technically speaking this program doesn’t download videos from sites directly but can retrieve them from the cache, which amounts to the same thing. Here are some notes on this:

• First thing to do is open the video you are seeking in your browser (assuming its not from YouTube, in which case you can just paste the URL straight into YcPod).
• Once the video has run all the way to the end run YcPod, select Video then Cached video and click the get cached videos button. A list of all videos in the cache will be displayed.
• The video list will contain a number of video formats and not just FLV. Select the video you want and save it. That’s it.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 0.2.0.5

Description: SysTrayMeter will display an icon in the system tray that shows both CPU and RAM usage. It is designed to have both metrics visible simultaneously in an extremely efficient visual representation.

I have on occasion received emails that would say something like: my computer has recently become unresponsive/erratic/slow, and what steps/software do you recommend to deal with the situation. I typically recommend a checklist of programs (someday I will write a detailed posting, I promise); however it is difficult to really know if these interventions are effective.

I always seem to have performance issues myself, probably due to the fact that I am constantly installing all kinds of software on my machine. However, these days I am thinking that the best way to approach performance issues is to observe what takes place within the system; specifically CPU and RAM usage. I have found SysTrayMeter to be a brilliant, small and effective tool to do just that. Here are some notes on this program:
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.3

Description: Google Hacks is an open source program that can find all sorts of files, including MP3’s, Videos, and ebooks using Google. It will construct and execute searches in Google that make it much more likely to find what you are looking for in freely accessible directories all around the web. It also offers a number of other Google related tools, such as backlinks searching and results that are related to your query.

We all know that Google packs some extremely powerful search technology, so it will probably come as no surprise to most people that, in fact, it is possible to use Google to find all sorts of media and other files (including MP3s) that are scattered across the web. It turns out that there are virtual treasure troves of files in so-called unprotected web directories (you’ve encountered these, they look like a bunch of links with "Index of ….." on top). All you need to do is know which modifiers to use in your web search to get to these. I am not really an expert on using/hacking Google, but if you want to know more about this you can check out this posting on the Googletutor website.

Alternately, you can use this program to do your searches, and it will search Google for you and customize your search in order to find the kind of file you’re looking for. Here are some notes on this program:
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.7.76.0 beta

Description: FlashFolder a small toolbar that docks onto the Windows’ “Open/Save” and “Browse for Folder” dialogs. It provides a number of functions including the ability to bookmark and quickly access favorites folders as well as quick access to recently used folders. It also offers a number of other related functions.

Another program for tweaking the Windows “Open/Save” dialog, but this one is my favorite yet. This is the kind of freeware find that I love: a tiny program that provides very useful and user friendly functions that make Windows easier to use. Here’s a list of function

• Quick access to recently used folders (through a drop down menu)
• Quick access to favorite folders: define your frequently used folders and you’re on your way. Note that this can use the directory menu from Total Commander.
• Easy access to all folders with currently open files; not sure why I would need these, exactly, especially when most of the folders in the dropdown are system folders that are being accessed by Windows and other background processes. It would have been great to be able to suppress system folders from this dropdown in the ’program options’.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0 (I think)

Description: SweepRAM is a memory optimization program that forces all memory-resident applications to use only as much memory as they need, freeing memory in the process.

Let me start by saying that I do not like memory optimizers; I’ve used a number of them over the years (both freeware and shareware) and concluded that the psychological effect taking place in the user’s head is probably bigger than any actual performance benefit taking place inside the computer.

Having said this, let me say that I really like SweepRAM. It is different from most memory optimization programs out there in some important respects, as follows:

• SweepRAM is based on the principle that programs occupying RAM is a GOOD thing (what use is unused RAM anyway?) Unlike other memory optimizers, which attempt to lay claim to as much memory as possible before releasing it (therefore squeezing applications of the memory resources they might need), SweepRAM allows applications to take up as much memory as they need but not more, and frees up many extra memory they might have been using.
• SweepRAM is not a memory resident app, but can be run on demand whenever needed. It does not need to be installed.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0.2

Description: PlacesBar Editor is a small utility that makes it possible to set up a customized list of folders in the Windows “Save File” dialog.

Following my FindeXer post, I was introduced to this related program in the comments section (thank you “Risk”!) In fact it turns out that PlacesBar does something different from FindeXer; while the latter provides an easy way to access shortcuts within any open folder, PlacesBar allows you to remove and/or add a customized list of folders in the Windows “Save File” dialog (see screenshot). Here are some notes on this program:

• PlacesBar is not a memory resident program. It does not to be running after using it to edit the list of folder in the “Save” dialog.
• PlacesBar does not need to be installed, and you can simply delete it to uninstall it (note that any changes made will remain after deletion, unless you revert back to default beforehand).
• You can only customize up to five folders, as the “Save file” dialog only can only accomodate this number of folder.
• If you want to add any special folder (e.g. My Computer, Desktop, My Network Places), PlacesBar conveniently collects all of these and makes them available upon the press of a button in the program interface.
• You can drag and drop folders to sort them. Strangely, though, due to the size of the PlacesBar program on my screen the five folders were not all neatly shown on a single screen simultaneously and it was not really possible to re-order the 4th and 5th entries very well (a snag that can be easily worked around, but is rather strange nonetheless).
• If you have no idea what I meant by the bullet point above, forget about it. You will likely see what I mean when using the program. Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.1 build 3

Description: FindeXer is a program that can provide access to frequently used folders, files, URLs, and/or applications on the left side pane of any open folder. It features the ability to drag and drop icons to add them to FindeXer’s left folder pane’s list of shortcuts.

Yet another program in a long list of apps designed to make your favorite folders, files, apps and URLs easily accessible (check out Visual Subst, Folder2MyPC, and Folder Guide, for other attempts). Here’s what you need to know about this one:

• Managing entries is very simple; drag icons to add, right click to edit and re-arrange. Allows you to add dividers for better organization.
• FindeXer will display the correct icon in most cases (for some reason the Windows XP icon for folders was replaced with a somewhat blander version).
• Size of icons can be customized across a range of 16 point icons as a minimum all the way up to gigantic 128 point icons.
• It is possible to choose to display a custom image for any entry in your list of shortcuts
• It is possible to access the normal Windows context menu for each of the shortcuts on display (although an extra click is involved).
• There are 2 ways to get rid of FindeXer in your folder pane if you need to (a) by unchecking view > explorer bar > FindeXer, or alternately (b) by clicking on the close ’x’ button on the FindeXer pane itself. Note that whether this button is there or not is something you have to decide on in the program options.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 2.2.0

Description: ClipCase is a nifty little program that enables a number of on-demand text formatting operations on any text in the clipboard, including uppercase, lowercase, proper case, remove returns, remove ">"s and a number of others. It runs in the background and can be accessed through the system tray.

At first this program reminded me of PureText, a program which allows on-the-fly formatting removal from any clipped text. On closer inspection, I realized that, although in fact ClipCase does remove all special formatting from text that you have copied into the clipboard, it can also perform a number of useful text operations.

Note that operations are selectable through radio buttons; you can select multiple operations to apply to your text (e.g. Capitalize sentences AND remove ">"s AND no blank lines, etc.)

List of Operations:

• Uppercase, lowercase: self explanatory
• Proper case, capitalize sentences: these allow you to render a text into a standard sentence formatting.
• Remove Returns, double-remove returns, no blank lines, no double spaces: self explanatory.
• Remove ">": for processing quotes from email clippings.
• Cleanse: not sure what this one does, but I assume it removes specia and/or non-printable characters.
• Trim end: i.e. remove any spaces that may exist beyond the last character of the text (and that you may or may not be aware that they existed).
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