Newsletter for August 2nd, 2006 - Codename ''Blogs and Bosses"

[mouser]

Newsletter for August 2nd, 2006

Codename "Blogs and Bosses"

"If you read nothing else on our site, read the newsletter!"

1. Software Releases
DonationCoder.com is first and foremost a site about software.  Let's see what's new since our last newsletter.. And remember to donate some DonationCredits to these coders to support their hard work!

• InstantBoss - A really cool Coding Snack implementation by app103 of the (10+2)*5 Procrastination Hack Idea (send her some donations if you like it!)..
• GridMove - What started out as a Coding Snack has grown into an amazing desktop tool for quickly moving and resizing windows into specific screen "zones", with lots of options and multi-monitor support (coded by jgpaiava - send him some credits to support this work!).
• TweakeMPE - A Coding Snack implementation by JazW of the request for a randomization helper for the Maya Paint Effects Screensaver (send JazW some donations to support this work!)
• MultipleSend - Send text to multiple windows at the same time (coded by jgpaiava) 
• LaunchBar Commander v1.54.01 - Major new release with advanced virtual folders

2. New Mini-Reviews by Members
The mini review section is looking great and Josh is doing a superlative job as the official demo screencaster on the site.  If you have a program that you think deserves a screencast be sure to drop Josh a note.

• Template for users wishing to write a mini-review
• db90h's best kept secret #1: Command Prompt Explorer Bar (Free OSS)
• GridMove Draft ScreenCast
• InstantBoss MiniReview and Screencast

3. Audio Radio Show Podcast Producers Found!
We're very excited to have found two forum members who have volunteered to take over the production and editing of the monthly DonationCoder.com Podcast Audio Radio Show.  How can you help? We're glad you asked.  You can help by recording and submitting a short audio segment between 2-5 minutes in length.  Be creative, be funny, be grumpy, just be yourself, and find something to talk about related to software.

• Visit the new Podcast Radio Show section of our forum
• Read the Podcast #4 Call for Submissions

4. Programming Contest Updates
Make sure you check out some of the great entries we've gotten to the C++ Builder program contest - you can download and use most of them. If you're a programmer, you've still got a little over 10 days to enter the C++ Builder Programming Contest (ends August 14), but if you miss that deadline, why not give our Accessibility Game Programming Contest, where the object is to design either a game whose output is audio only, or a game with a single button as input.

• Visit the C++ Builder (BCB) Programming Contest Web Page (Deadline Aug 14th)
• Browse the latest entries to the BCB Contest
• Visit the Accessibility Programming Contest Web Page (Deadline Oct 15th)

5. General Software Discussion
Lots of great software discussion on the forum in the last two weeks:

• The Bat! - annoying word wrap
• Adobe Lightroom Beta available (for Windows and Mac)
• Good programs for helping you manage what programs start with windows?
• Blueorganizer: Firefox extension for richer bookmark management
• "Donationware 2.0" or something like that - opinions wanted
• A beginner's guide to customization, skinning, and shell replacements
• Diigo - social bookmarking and annotation
• Windows Powershell from Microsoft (free)
• What is the best way to keep two computers syncronized? preferences. etc

6. Fun and Games
Who ever said not to mix business with pleasure? That's all we do here! 

• IDEA: Control Freak - living in the game
• Here's a brilliant example of thinking outside the box in flash games
• Wikipedia Celebrates 750 Years Of American Independence
• Found currency experiment
• National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo)
• Tea anyone - Bubble Tea that is....
• Recent video of microsoft voice recognition demo going awry
• What are your best working hours?
• The unfeasible adventures of Beaver and Steve - web comic
• Avoider! Extremely Clever and Whimsical Flash Game
• Creepy but cool: Create your own zoo
• Really cool quiz that shows how your optical illusions fool your senses
• Very cool site of stuff found by others on the street, etc.
• Mario Brothers Epic Flash Opera Series
• Quick change artists — WTF?
• zen flash toy - FlyGuy

7. Web Discoveries, Debates, and Articles
What's worth reading on the web? With so much information out there it can be hard to know.  Here are some recent discoveries we're talking about on the forum.

• Really interesting post about new netscape digg-clone and paying bloggers
• Processing 1.0: hobbyist scripting code for art
• Recent Blog Discussions of Open Source Donations, etc.
• The Hive: New Long Article on Wikipedia
• Psychology of Cyberspace - Article Index
• Longbets... very cool idea - get your prediction on the record
• The Long Tail and it's Doubters
• blog article: web2.0 puts users in control of everying, but wont share profits
• What are your favorite RSS Feeds?

8. Developer's Corner

• Joel On Software: "It's not about me!"
• Steve Palina's 10 Myths About Self-Employment
• Buttonator.com - drop and drag web buttons
• Presentation Zen Blog
• MSDN Documentation Library (huge) now free for the first time
• Flash art images for you to use in your game

9. August's Discounts and Giveaways
Each month we contact companies you have told us you want discounts from, and ask them if they are willing to provide a month long discount to our DonationCoder.com members, and donate a few copies for us to give away in a monthly drawing (thanks Ampa for organizing all these!):

• August's Month's Special Discounts and Giveaways: MailWasher Pro, MainType v2.0, Zoom Player Pro, Help&Manual (wow! $150 off!) , SyncBackSE
• Enter to win the software of your choice in this month's drawing (you can enter to win a DonationCoder.com mug as well)
• BCB and Delphi Discounts - We've added more discounts on delphi/bcb components for the C++ Builder Contest

10. New Site and Forum Features
Your donations enable us to keep working hard to improve the website.  Hardly a day goes by when we aren't trying to tweak it and improve it and add new features.

• DonationCredits changed from 10 per dollar to 1/1
• Improvements to CodyCoin links and donating to members
• Setting up a secondary server for hosting member accounts
• Report on unexpected server downtime for 1 hour on July 29

11. Site of the Month

• StumbleUpon.com is Site of the Month for August 2006

We depend on the financial support of people like you

Do you have your free DonationCoder.com member kit yet?
Add a CodyCoin link to your webpage to accept donations?

[mouser]

another newsletter goes up..
special thanks to Ampa for organizing the great discounts this month.

[JavaJones]

The "Setting up a secondary server for hosting member accounts" link doesn't seem to work. Otherwise looks great! Some awesome prizes this month. Not as many as some other months, sure, but it's all really high quality stuff, and some of it rather pricey too!

- Oshyan

[Ampa]

The emphasis on discounts and prizes will always be Quality rather than Quantity... that said, we are aiming for a packed lineup next month to celebrate the Fund-Raiser.

Keep your suggestions of high quality applications coming, and I will do my best to haggle for discounts

Ampa

[housetier]

For whatever reason I didn't receive this newsletter, but since I check the site very often it's no biggy

Found useful and interesting forum threads again! 

[mouser]

house - hotmail seems to be doing a lot of false positive marking of mail as spam; you might check your spam folder if you use hotmail.

[housetier]

You were right! Google had marked it as spam  Let's see if I can train them not to do that anymore...

[andhrizz]

For whatever reason I didn't receive this newsletter, but since I check the site very often it's no biggy

Found useful and interesting forum threads again! 

-housetier (August 09, 2006, 08:59 AM)

Gosh, Someone should find a way of adding the email address from which we receive to our address books (online or offline) instantly by clicking a button or by right clicking and selecting a option !!!

[zridling]

Man, I really like the newsletter format! It points me toward things I missed or dismissed and it's a nice layout. Good job, mouser!