Eric's Homepage

Everything Eric, all in one place.

Applications I Use

I wouldn't be able to make it through my day without the numerous programs I run. I start several when I login, run others at certain times each day, and open others weekly for special events.

 

Backup and Recovery

For backing up data to my external hard drive, I use the free edition of Syncback. What a great tool! I also use Recuva for occasional file recovery.

CDs and DVDs

I have a lot of tools on my hard drive for burning to and ripping from CDs and DVDs, including AutoGK, DVD43, DVD Decrypter, DVD Shrink, ImgBurn, MagicISO, and pre-installed Roxio software. But I couldn't do any of my disc tasks without a special trio: Windows DVD Maker, Handbrake, and BurnAware Free.

Collection Managers

My collections of books, discs, furniture, electronics, movies, music, photos, and much much more would be hopeless wrecks without the awesome software I employ to organize them. For books, I have Collectorz.com's Book Collector, which is my primary book management tool. For photos, I have Google's Picasa. For discs, electronics, and all the rest, I use Librarian Pro, a fabulous tool for any type of collection. I have also thrown my book collection in Librarian Pro. I also have Libra installed, but I rarely use it.

Communication

Communication is at the heart of my social media experience. I have several chat clients that I switch between for different needs (my all-in-one client doesn't do AV!). I use AIM for audio/video chats and Digsby for multi-service text chat. For dedicated video calling, I have ooVoo and Skype--I use the latter much more frequently. I use Pamela for Skype to record Skype calls and manage my Skype voicemail. My desktop email client is Windows Live Mail beta. I write blog posts on Windows Live Writer beta. I am an avid Twitter user, and my favorite Twitter client is Twhirl. My IRC client is X-Chat.

File Conversion

The files I gather from around the web are often in the wrong format. For fixing that, I use three great programs. iPodifier converts videos to the iFormat on a schedule. FormatFactory is an all-around great file converter. And Red Kawa's Videora iPod touch Converter is also invaluable. For converting protected iTunes music to MP3, I use DoubleTwist.

Internet

For web browsing, I primarly use Mozilla Firefox. Sometimes I'll open Internet Explorer for old times' sake. I also make use of Google Chrome and its ability to launch standalone web apps. For checking my school email, I use FirstClass. I use uTorrent for torrent downloads.

Media Editors

Sometimes media files are just a little too long or too short. Or maybe I want to take out the embarassing part in the middle. For audio files, I use Audacity and Adobe Soundbooth CS3. For editing websites like this one, I use Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. For photo editing, I use Adobe Photoshop CS3. For video editing, I use Windows Live Movie Maker beta.

Media Players

Aaahh, media. The cornerstore of the new World Wide Web. For audio playback, I use the Quicktime, the ubiquitous iTunes, and VLC Media Player. I also use Quicktime and VLC Media Player for video. For watching live TV, I will either use Windows Media Center or Sony LocationFree Player.

Media Recorders

For media streaming (to Stickam, for example), I use the virtual webcam splitter and software-Tricaster ManyCam. I use Debut Video Capture for recording local media.

Office

Pretty straightforward here: I use Office 2007 Enterprise Edition.

Remote Access

Sometimes I just can't be at my machine to grab a file directly. So I use three programs to do it remotely. Orb lets me access all my media from a web portal. RealVNC lets me remotely control my computer. Filezilla is a great FTP client.

Security

Security is important in these turbulent times. That's why I stick with the tried and true: Norton 360. I also use CCleaner for maintenance and Startup Manager for startup program control.

Utilities

I am lazy, so I put items in this category that don't fit elsewhere.