Free Tech Webinars

Here’s a list of FREE upcoming Tech Webinars that you may be interested in signing up for:

• Combining Photos and Vectors in Photoshop
  Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 10 PT
  Audience: Designers
  Learn how to easily combine illustrations with photography in this super creative session. Glean the secret to importing vectors into your document so you can experiment with them as backgrounds, artful embellishments, ornamental photo frames, and more — all without losing an ounce of quality. You’ll also learn how to use Photoshop’s vector Shape tools to create resizable and featherable masks in no time flat!
• Five Ways the iPad Can Entertain You
  Friday, July 9, 2010 at 10 PT
  Audience: iPad owners or potential iPad owners
  In this live, one-hour webcast, bestselling author J.D. Biersdorfer will guide us through the most entertaining apps on the iPad.
• 5 jQuery mistakes you’re probably making in your project
  Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 10 PT
  Audience: Developers
  The ease and simplicity of jQuery’s API can be attributed to its success and shortcomings as new developers tackle larger and more complex tasks. Join us for this session as we walk through The Top 5 Mistakes jQuery Developers Can Make. We’ll look at lower level syntax issues up through architectural decisions with jQuery. This session will discuss selector performance, iterating with jQuery, event binding strategies, Ajax handling techniques and jQuery on public CDN’s for applications large and small. Gain a greater understanding of these core concepts and where developers can go wrong.
• TechTrends: ALA Annual 2010
  Tuesday, July 13, 11:30am PT
  Audience: Librarians
  Features an expert panel who’ll provide a look back at ALA Annual Conference from a library technology perspective. Our panel will analyze and discuss what they learned and what trends stood out at the conference.
• UCCSC 2010: No Limits!
  July 19 – 20
  Audience: People in IT, usually in the UC System
  This year, UCLA presents a unique hybrid of a live conference and a virtual conference. You can attend from anywhere, even your own office on your own campus, if you wish. There’s no registration limit. And you can attend as much or as little of the conference as you want. Those features brought us to the theme of No Limits.

If you find more, feel free to add them in the comments and I’ll update the post!

Freebie Friday! (For 3/26/2010)

Yay, more freebie iPhone / iPod Touch apps! I hope you enjoy this week’s picks! Of the ones listed, definitely get We Rule asap and add my kingdom right away. ;) Enjoy!

We Rule | Free Download
Build your kingdom, make your own rules, and design it however you want. It’s a live kingdom with peasants and workers walking around, going on with their day to day routines. Create farms and be sure to harvest your crops, sell, and collect experience points. The best part of the game is probably visiting neighboring kingdoms for a dash of inspiration, or maybe compete on who has the better kingdom. My gamer name is ‘daynah’ — feel free to come visit my kingdom!

Piyo Blocks | Free Download (For a limited time)
Get ready for some pixel-matching fun! Piyo Blocks is an adorable and addicting match
A fun pixel match-3 game with cute baby chicks. Swap the baby chick blocks and level up by capturing the target number of piyos. You can also create combos for even extra points. It was $1.99 and is free today only!

Gibson Learn & Master Guitar Application | Free Download
This is a handy app if you’re interested in learning how to play the guitar. It comes with a chart with all the chords for reference, as well as some free videos lessons. Musicians may also find this app helpful as it has a professional quality chromatic tuner that allows you to tune any instrument, as well as a metronome to keep you on the beat. Very nice app and it’s absolutely free.

Touch Pet Dogs | Free Download
The newest version of Touch Pets Dogs 2.0 looks amazing. There’s a new social view where you can see your friends (neighbors) and all their virual dogs! New room themes have been added so each house looks a little bit different. The more dogs you own, the bigger your house is in the neighborhood. ;) My gamer name is ‘daynah’ — feel free to have a playdate with my pets!

Words with Friends Free | Free Download | Full Version
This is not a new game, but lately, my friends got me addicted to Words with Friends. It’s a word game that’s very similar to Scrabble. Each player is given a tray of letters, and the object is to put them on the board to make words out of them. Various points are given out depending on how many letters were use, how much each letter is worth, and/or where it was placed on the board. It’s a fun casual game played at both the players’ pace. Free version has ads after you submit a word, but you can purchase the full version for $2.99. My gamer name is ‘daynah’ if you want to play!

Huff Puff Volley | Free Download
Here’s a very cute badminton game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The animal characters play against each other on a volleyball court. In this version, your character is an adorable pig that can blow the birdie over the net. You can blow into the iPhone mic or tap the birdie to move it. Tile your phone left and right to move your character. I think the game is cute and fun, but the controls are not the best.

Mashable! | Free Download
Mashable.com is an excellent site for all your social media, technology, and entertainment news. If you enjoy the site, the app is a must! Be notified the moment a new article is on a website. The interface is very easy to navigate and makes reading the articles enjoyable. Instapaper is integrated in the app so you can view articles at a later time.

Digg | Free Download
The official Digg app was released this week which makes visiting your favorite news site much easier on the go! View by your favorite topics, easily digg, bury, and share news articles, as well as save your favorites for later reading.

Bargain iPhone and iPod Touch Apps

Here are two apps I think are the best bargain iPhone apps this week that are definitely worth buying.

Diner Dash | Download for 99 cents | Free Lite Version
If you enjoy time management games, then you’ll love Diner Dash. Help Flo run a restaurant by seating, serving, and clearing the dishes at each table. Try out the lite version for free, but act fast. Take advantage of the 80% off sale of the full version!

Dr. Horrible | Download for 99 cents
Any fan of Dr. Horrible will enjoy this app! Dark Horse Comics present Dr. Horrible as a comic. The story takes place with Billy being an 9-Year-Old boy, and you get to see how his criminal master-mind life got started. The story is brilliant, and the app is elegantly done. Flip pages just by tapping. Tap on settings for options to go back to a specific page or change the transition type. Very simple, and quite enjoyable. And if you don’t know who Dr. Horrible is, please go watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along-Blog! The 3-part webisode is free to watch online. :) This comic is a prequel to the webisode.

Freebie Friday! (For 3/19/2010)

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday! I have some fabulous free iPhone /iPod Touch apps that I tested out this week that I think you’ll enjoy! Remember, act fast since some of these are only free for a limited time!

If you missed the previous freebies, see 2010-03-12 and 2010-03-05!

Wishing Stars | Free Download
If you’re a big Disney fanatic, you’ll greatly enjoy this game. It’s a scavenger hunt game you play at Disneyland (Anaheim, CA). The game will give you clues as to what to find at the amusement park. When you think you found it, let the app know and it’ll reward you with pieces of Disney stars. Since the app uses the GPS on the phone, this only works on the iPhone 3g and iPhone 3gs. It’s a great game for the whole family. Act fast, this app was $5.99, but is now FREE for a limited time.

Tiki Totem | Free Download
A very fun puzzler where you have to remove certain blocks without dropping the Tiki. It’s a game of physics! Simple, fun, and quite enjoyable. A premium version is $1.99, and you can also purchase more game packs via in-app purchase.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 | Free Download
TT3 is a great game for music lovers. It’s similar to Rock Band, but just a lot of tapping action on the fingers. Although not new, this app comes with weekly music updates. The more you play, the more experience points you get that you can use to purchase new tap tracks (music) or avatar costume (I personally prefer to use it on more music). Object is to tap all the marbles when they appear on the buttons. The more accurate you are, the more points you’ll score. There’s also a leaderboard, so add me as a friend (daynah).

Crazy Turkey Blast | Free Full Version Download (For a limited time)
If you enjoy hunting, or just blasting things on your iPhone, this is a fun one. Tilt and move your device to capture and blast turkey that may be flying by. That animation is funny, and trying to get them in your target is pretty fun. The full version is normally $2.99, but is currently free today only!

Minigame Party | Free Full Version Download (For a limited time)
If you enjoy micro-games (games that take less than 8 seconds!), then you’ll love Minigame Party. You go through a lot of cute little games in a few seconds doing various things like testing your reflex, color sight, and more. Full version is currently on sale for free, but get it while the deal lasts!

Cooking Dash Lite | Free Download
If you enjoy time management games, especially the Diner Dash ones, you’ll like this one too. Instead of just serving people, Flo is doing a lot of the cooking in this game. Seat your customers, mix up some drinks, and time your food on the oven to pick up the most tips to move onto the next level!

Spikey’s Bounce Around | Free Full Version Download (for a limited time)
Spring and bounce Spikey around the screen to save the captured butterflies! He sticks to walls, but will jump where you tap your finger. Swipe the plants and flowers holding the butterflies to set them free. I think it’s cute, and somewhat puzzle-like. Full version is currently free this week, so get it soon!

Critter Crunch Lite | Free Download
Capture little critters to feed the bigger ones! When the biggest critter is full, a chain reaction will take place and make nearby critters of the same color disappear as well. Very cute and lots of fun. It’s not a very new game, but definitely one of my favorites. There’s also 10 levels in both Adventure Mode and Puzzle mode, which is a great deal for a lite version. Full version is $1.99.

iBlast Moki Lite | Free Download
This is similar to Rolando, but there’s definitely more bombs and a whole lotta blasting of things in this game. It’s a game of physics where you have to place bombs in certain places and have them go off at different times. The object is to have the blast bounce the Moki’s into the portal holes.

Soosiz Lite | Free Download
Turn your world upside-down with Soosiz. Run around and hop planet to planet by constantly turning your device round and round. Save all the Soosiz to move onto the next level. Very cute game. The lite version won my heart and I had to purchase the full version.

Freebie Friday! (For 3/12/2010)

There’s just so many apps in the iTunes App store… so where do you start? Here’s a list of wonderful apps I personally tried this week and greatly enjoyed. Click on their icons to take you straight to the iPhone / iPod Touch app download. If you have suggestions yourself, please let me know! Just leave a comment below.

PlayFirst’s Diner Dash Lite | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
A fun time management game where you play a waitress named Flo. In the game, you work in a diner and you get to serve up some food to your customers. Prepare dishes, sandwiches, drinks, and desserts! Do it as quickly as you can and pick up tips from your customers. Along with an iPhone app, you can also try it on a PC/MAC/xBox/Mobile for 1 Hour for free!

Jane’s Hotel Free | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
Running a hotel is never easy. You give out the keys to your guests at the reception desk and show them to their rooms. You also get to take care of lobby — call out the maid to water the plants and clean out the rooms. And of course, keep your guests happy by bringing them the newspaper, tea, or something they request. If you’re a fan of time management games, this is another great one! Try out the first 3 levels for free with the lite version!

Makeout Mania | Free iPhone Download (Full Version!) (Limited Time Only)
Makeout Mania is a cute puzzle game that reminds me of high school! Make students fall in love with each other, but watch out for those teachers! Rack up points as you score combos (perfect matches). If this is your first time playing, be sure to start off in puzzle mode (second link) and read the yearbook to see who likes who. This will ensure that you’ll get more points for the perfect kiss! And when you’re ready, play the super fast Mania mode. You’ll find yourself tapping a lot!

Supermarket Management Free | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
Working in a supermarket is not easy. You’re constantly trying to multitask — fill up empty shelves, help customers find items they’re looking for, cut up the different meats, make sure there’s enough shopping carts, run the cash register, and much, much more! This is a fun time management game where you play the store manager and do all of the above tasks. Very fun, especially if you enjoy time management games or just love grocery shopping! :)

SpongeBob Diner Dash | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($4.99)
This is a great game for fans of Sponge Bob or the Diner Dash series. You get to play Sponge Bob and work as a waiter, serving people who enter the restaurant. Seat them, take their order, and bring out their food. The faster you do this, the more tip you get. I find the graphics for this game a bit too small (much smaller than the Diner Dash series), so I think they can improve that part. There’s fun music you’ll recognize from the cartoon. Try out the lite version first to see how you like it. There are 5 free levels in the lite version.

TouchPetsDogs Spring | Free iPhone Download
Normally 99 cents, this app will give you 10 extra bowls of food for your virtual dog as well as the Mad Hatter watch for your collar. If you downloaded “Touch Pets Dogs Go” for free last week, you’ll have enough bowls of good to trade in for a lot of puppy bucks! Trade in puppy bucks for clothes and toys for your puppy! My review of the original game.

TuneRunner | Free iPhone Download
Here’s a excellent game to play with your own music playlists! No extra music downloads necessary. The app populates itself with your music and the robot will dance to your tunes! Draw the shapes in front of him so he doesn’t trip. Draw them a few times before he touches them for extra points! There are some ads, but you can upgrade with in-app purchases for their removal for just 99 cents.

FoodSpotting | Free iPhone Download
FoodSpotting is a fun social network for foodies all around the world. They recently released an official version of their iPhone app that allows you to view pictures of foods taken in your area. If you decide to join the social network, you can also upload your own photos, add friends and see what they’re eating, as well as follow restaurants (not just people). It’s definitely a fun app if you love food! Here is my personal FoodSpotting website! You can make one too with this app!

Be sure to check out last week’s Freebie Friday if you missed it!

Favorite Free iPhone Games

iPhone game apps are so much fun! I love playing a quick game while standing in line at the store or waiting for my food at a restaurant. I’ve stopped playing with my Nintendo DS ever since I got my iPod touch. Oops.

I really love the lite versions of games because of the “try and buy” factor. Here are a few iPhone games available in the iTunes store for free. Remember, if you enjoy it, consider purchasing the full versions!

Note: Clicking on the links below will take you to the iTunes store.

Puzzle Games

• Rolando Lite – adorable puzzle role-playing game. Lots of levels for a free version.
• Dizzy Bee Free – very adorable and one of my favorites.
• Block Classic – always a classic!
• Flood-It! – turn pixel boxes into one color in under 22 moves.

Match 3 Games

• Chop Sushi Lite – highly recommended. Cute graphics, fun, and challenging match 3 game. Full game is worth every penny.
• ChocChoc Pop Lite – for the chocolate lovers!
• Fruit Juice Tycoon Lite – nice graphics, match fruits to make drinks
• Colordrops – match color or ball number to earn points

Role-Playing Games

• Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park Free – try out your golfing skills.
• I Love Katamari Lite – roll around the game, collecting objects into a ball. Full version is on the expensive side.
• Chocolate Shop Frenzy (Free Version) – perform a series of tasks to create and sell chocolate
• Supermarket Mania – perform a series of tasks to keep a supermarket running
• Diner Dash Lite – perform a series of tasks to keep a diner running and its customers happy
• Rhinoball – Bolt’s friend rolls around in a ball, collecting stars. Makes good use of the accelerometer
• de Blob Lite – color a city by splashing paint on buildings and walls
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D – stack apartment floors on top of each other to build the highest building.
• Spore origins LE – a cellular creature that swims around the deep ocean, constantly evolving.
• Diamond Island Free – collect diamonds

Other:

• Topple – stack block on top of one another to pass a specific goal line.
• Pacman Lite – a classic game
• Crazy Penguin Catapult – catapult penguins, saving creatures at each level.
• Gold Miner – mine for gold
• Tap Tap Revenge 2 – similar to guitar hero, but for your fingers
• Tiki Towers Lite – build paths for the monkeys to reach the bananas
• Paper Football – play football with a triangle piece of paper

These are some of my favorite free iPhone game apps. What are yours?

Free Web version of Photoshop Launches

Since Adobe Photoshop is somewhat complex to learn, I have been looking for a free image editor that our staff can use for basic image editing. I’ve tried installing Gimp, but the windows version crashes a few times. But great news, I can have the best of both worlds! ;)

The maker of the popular photo-editing software Photoshop on Thursday launched a basic version available for free online.

Photoshop Express will be completely Web-based so consumers can use it with any type of computer, operating system and browser. And, once they register, users can get to their accounts from different computers.

Read the full article on Yahoo! News

Check out Photoshop Express for yourself!