Pen That Celluloid Classic With A Little Help From The Web

Got movies on your mind? Not surprising since last night was the Academy Awards. But, have you ever entertained the idea of actually writing a movie? Previously, if you wanted to indulge in such a lofty pursuit--even just as a hobby--you first had to learn how to format a screenplay or buy expensive software to do the trick. No longer. Today there's a site called Scripped.com that will automatically format your screenplay for free! What's more, you don't even have to download it onto your computer--it works directly in your browser!

Want to learn more? Just head on over to their site for all the details! By the way, while their software automatically formats your screenplay, it won't write it for you. For that, you'll need to rely on your own inspiration and creativity! Best of luck!

How To Use The Web To Send A Fax

Have you ever faced this dilemma? You're trying to resolve a business or personal issue over the phone and the person on the other end says "send me a fax," which would be fine if only you had a fax machine.

Not so long ago, the only way to resolve this problem was to either use a friend's fax machine, provided they had one, or else trudge down to the local stationery store and pay to use their fax service. Today, you have another option: You can use the Web to send a fax!

Several Web sites have sprung up in recent years that allow anyone with an Internet connection to send faxes right over the Web-no fax machine required. Some of these sites will even let you send that fax for free!


An example of a free Internet fax service is faxZERO. They'll let you send a free fax to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. Here's how:

1. Go to faxZERO.
2. Where you see Sender Information type in your name and a valid e-mail address.(note: this e-mail address will appear on the cover page that's sent to your recipient)
3. Under Receiver Information type in the recipient's name and their fax number.
4. In the Fax Information box type the text of your fax or click browse to select a document from your computer.
5. Click on Send Free Fax Now and you're done!

You should be aware that in order to send the fax for free, an ad will appear on the accompanying cover page and there's also a 2 fax per day limit. If you'd like to send more faxes per day or don't want an ad to appear on your cover page, you might consider their premium service.

Be sure to check the site for more details!

How To Make A Personal Organizer Online That You Can Print Out

In the age of the Internet do you still find yourself using spiral bound address books and personal organizers? If you can't let go of pen and paper in favor of online organizers just yet, you might be interested in a site that helps you make more efficient use of that pen and paper at least. The site is called PocketMod, and allows you to turn a simple old-fashioned piece of paper into a versatile personal organizer.

Here's how you can make your very own personal organizer or "PocketMod" right now:

• Go to www.PocketMod.com and click on Create a PocketMod in the upper right hand corner of the page.

• On the resulting page under "widgets" choose one or more of dozens of organizational templates-writing, calendar, reference templates and more. Simply click on a template to preview it and if you like it, drag it over to a spot you choose on the blank PocketMod provided.

• When you're done designing your PocketMod just click Print PocketMod!

You're done. Now all you have to do is fold it so it resembles a small book that you can place in your pocket and take anywhere! Thanks to this great site, a single sheet of paper can be transformed into a handy organizational tool that's absolutely free-check it out today!

How To Make Free Long-Distance Calls With Your Computer

Frustrated by soaring long-distance phone charges? Did you know that thanks to the power of the Internet and the right software you can make long-distance phone calls for free with your computer? It's called PC-to-PC calling and it's relatively easy to set up.


What you'll need:

An Internet connection, a computer with working speakers, a microphone and free PC-to-PC calling software.


How it works:

Download some free software onto your computer, get the people you want to call to do the same on theirs, and then start calling each other on your computers. It's that simple!

Here are a couple of places on the Web that offer free software and detailed instructions for making PC-to-PC calls:

• Skype
• Yahoo! Messenger

Be sure to read any terms, conditions and/or limitations that apply and then enjoy making those long-distance phone calls for free on your computer!

How To Get Your Computer To Read To You

Want to give your eyes a rest while surfing the Web? If you're lucky enough to have grandkids that are willing to read the text of Web pages aloud to you then you're all set-if not, why not get your computer to do the task? How? By using what's known as text-to-speech software. And you don't have to look far to get it-in fact, you can download a no frills version of this type of software right on the Web for free!

The following sites offer a free basic download of this type of software:

• NaturalReaders.com


• ReadPlease.com
  

It's important to note that the free versions of this type of software typically don't provide the selection of voices or the full range of functions offered with the premium versions, but they're at least a great place to test the waters and see if text-to-speech software is right for you.

Free Online Backups For Your Important Files

You've probably heard by now how important it is to make backups of the data stored on your computer-your precious pictures, important e-mails, documents and other vital information that could be potentially lost if your computer ever suffered a major malfunction.

But, if you thought that the only way to make these backups was by using CDs or some other external device, think again-you can also accomplish this task online at one of several sites that will store copies of your data on the Web.

Here are a few online backup sites to check out:

• Mozy.com
• Idrive.com
• Xdrive.com

All of these online backup services offer a limited amount of free storage-enough to allow you to make backups for at least some of your pictures and important documents-for unlimited online storage you'll have to pay of course!

Free Anti-Virus Software From Grisoft.com

Are you currently operating your computer without any anti-virus protection? If you're aware of the risks of keeping your computer connected to the Internet without installing anti-virus software, but unable or unwilling to pay for the cost of protection, you should know about the free anti-virus program offered by Grisoft.com.

The AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, made available by Grisoft.com, a leading anti-virus software company, provides home users with basic protection from Internet viruses. You won't get technical support or any other fancy bells and whistles-that comes with the paid edition-but you will have a widely respected anti-virus program (CNET.com gave it a 5 star rating) installed on your computer, that won't cost a dime!

To get your copy, just download it from the AVG Free Advisor Web Site.

Picasa: Free Digital Photography Software From Google

Are you just starting out in digital photography and don't want to spend a lot of money on fancy software? You should know about the free digital photography software available on the Web courtesy of Google. It's called Picasa, a feature rich program that's very easy to use and will allow you to organize and edit your digital photographs.

Here's a small sample of the photo editing touches made possible with Picasa:

• You can crop photos


• Straighten crooked shots


• Remove redeye


• Add artistic effects like Film Grain or Black & White
  

And more! To get started using this free but powerful program simply go to Picasa and download the software by clicking on Try Picasa Now.

How To Save Just The Best Parts Of The Web Sites You Visit

When you're surfing the Web don't you sometimes wish you could reach into the screen with a pair of digital scissors and "clip" only those parts of web pages you find the most interesting? Wouldn't it be nice to save a particular image say or a few notable lines of text without having to save or bookmark the whole enchilada? Well thanks to Clipmarks.com, you have that pair of digital scissors, so to speak!

Clipmarks.com has created a free software program that you can add to your browser that lets you "clip" and save just the sections of web pages you want to-no need to save or bookmark the whole page anymore!

To find out more about how you can get started using this helpful software, check out their How to Clip section of their web site. You'll even be able to watch a demo that explains how the whole thing works!

Free Publications From The National Institute On Aging

If you're looking for quality information on aging and aging related topics you'll want to head on over to the web site of the National Institute on Aging. Included among the offerings at this valuable resource from Uncle Sam are free publications on the subject of aging.

Here are just a few of the titles you'll find there:

• Aging and Your Eyes
• Arthritis Advice
• Cancer Facts for People Over 50
• Forgetfulness: It's Not Always What You Think
• Skin Care and Aging

And countless others! Not all of these publications are available in print form, by the way-some are only viewable online. Regardless of the format, though, the quality of the information is indisputable since the U.S. National Institutes of Health stands behind it!