Alternatives to Common Space Hogging Software

Lifehacker posted a list of software commonly found on PC’s that slow things down, use too much space, and often don’t offer full-use rights resulting in nagging “purchase now” reminders.  For each of these  “crappy” pieces of software, Lifehacker provides alternative software options, most of which are free and that can do the job better. The list of “crapware” includes Adobe Reader, iTunes, AOL and MSN Messenger services, and McAffe, Norton, and Symantec Anti Virus among others.

Check out Crapware: Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software to learn more.

Lazarus Add-On to Firefox Saves the Day by Recovering Web Form Information

It’s happened to everyone. You’re typing information into a web form, you hit submit, but something goes wrong. Hitting the back button takes you to the submission page, but all your information is gone. Firefox users can now avoid this annoying disaster through Lazarus. Lazarus saves information as you type. If something goes wrong, you can recover the data simply by returning to the submission page, right clicking your mouse, and selecting the option to recover the information.

Lazarus 2.1 works with Firefox. Lazarus 3.0 is in beta (meaning there are a few bugs) and includes Chrome and Safari browsers.

To learn more or add it to your browser, visit Lazarus

Organize Receipts with Shoeboxed.com

If you run a small business, keeping your receipts organized and accessible helps make tax time easier. If you run a business or freelance in which you need to pay estimated tax payments four times a year, you may want to check out Shoeboxed.com, where you can mail-in or upload your receipts to organize them and get rid of clutter. The information can then be transferred to programs such as Excel, Quickbooks, Freshbooks, Evernote, Quicken, and CSV formats. If you scan and upload your receipts yourself, the service is free. Or you can mail your receipts and Shoeboxed will scan them for you. You can even scan and upload using your phone. Fees for expanded services depend on how many receipts a month you upload. There is even an option to upload business cards.

To learn more or get started for free, visit ShoeBoxed.com. Also check out ShoeBoxed’s blog for great articles on personal finance, taxes and more.

Too busy to research? Try CEO Express

Sometimes the hardest part of research is figuring out where to look. Patricia Pmerleau created CEO Express

…to be the executive’s interface to the Internet. The site’s peer editor recognizes that executives have precious little time to obtain all the information they require to conduct business. At the same time, much of the information that executives need is available on the Internet. CEOExpress takes all that information, and by employing expert human editors and “mind ergonomics,” pares it down to the 20% that is most critical and useful.

At CEO Express you can get up-to-date information from top news organizations, business and government organizations, and more. You get information on current events, statistics, health news, travel and weather updates, business tools, leisure information and more. Its like the Readers Digest of Internet information.

CEO Express offers a default (free) and membership services. The default offers only limited services such as Daily Polls, search capabilities, and daily editor notes. The upgraded services ($29/yr) offers extensive customization, RSS feeds and mobile access.

Visit CEO Express to learn more.

Better Living Around the Web

Here are some great tips and news on digital tools and resources.

• Include the Word "Solved" In Your Searches to Troubleshoot Tech Issues [Search Techniques]
  Source Lifehacker
  It happens to all of us: we run into a bug in a program, a feature you want that isn't there, or something other software issue. Reader protiki offers some tips on finding a solution using Google....
• RD Mute Mutes Your Phone When Face Down and When You're Driving [Downloads]
  Source Lifehacker
  Android only: I like to mute my phone when I'm buried in work, sleeping, or driving my car, but turning on my phone and fiddling with the sound isn't ideal. RD Mute will mute your phone whenever you...
• Flightlite Tracks Airline Flights on a Map, in Real Time [Travel]
  Source Lifehacker
  Flying comes with all kinds of unexpected delays—and of course the occasional early arrival—that can throw off your plans to pick someone up . Coordinate your next airport pickup, to near perfect...
• Cookmate Suggests Meals Based on What's in Your Pantry [Video]
  Source Lifehacker
  iOS: Cookmate helps you come up with meal ideas based on what you've got in your pantry, and when you need one or two extra ingredients, it creates a shopping list you can pull out at the store....
• Plugin by C. Murray Consulting