Google Reader - Get updated.

Long time no update. I shall try harder from now on. Anyway...

I briefly mentioned Google Reader in my post about RSS. I'm currently using Google Reader as my main feed reading program, and it has some great features. First of all, it's on the internet, so I can access my feeds from anywhere with internet access. If you have a Google account, you don't need to sign up for it again. You can set up Firefox to automatically add feeds to Google Reader when you click on the feed link. Google Reader has handy shortcuts, like "r" for refresh, and "u" for full screen mode. After you've added feeds, Google will recommend other feeds for you based on your preferences. You can also star items for easy access.

Google Reader is a great tool for subscribing to and reading RSS feeds. I highly recommend it to beginners and experts.

Cooking By Numbers

Don't know what to cook? Try this tool! Just select the ingredients you have, and a list of possible recipes will be generated for you based on which ingredients you have. If you select eggs, milk, and flour (I bet you have those!) a bunch of recipes will come up, including Perfect Yorkshire Puddings and Fried Egg. There are a bunch of recipes on here, and if you're out of ideas, it could be a lifesaver (no, wait, Lifesavers aren't on the list). Just go to cookingbynumbers.com.

StumbleUpon - Wander through the web.

I'm addicted to this one. It takes wandering aimlessly through the internet to a whole new level, because with StumbleUpon I can wander through websites that not only would I probably never have found on my own, but I can review them and add them to my online bookmarks. Just sign up (it's free!) and download the toolbar (it only works in Internet Explorer and Firefox). Then click "Stumble!" and you'll be taken to a website that is under one of the categories of interests (computers, animals, meteorology, art, etc.) that you listed when you signed up. For example, if you told StumbleUpon you liked cats, then you might find a cute cat picture, or if you like homeschooling, you might find good homeschooling resources. You can stumble through one category or choose to stumble through pages in any category you like. You can thumbs-up or thumbs-down a page and review it, and your reviews will go on your StumbleUpon blog. You can also stumble through pages your friends like. It's a really amazing site, and I bet that when you try it out you'll be addicted too. Just go to stumbleupon.com to sign up and get started! If you would like to see my reviews, go to http://sivartm.stumbleupon.com/.

Cafepress - Open your own online shop.

You can open a free online store with personalized products! If you aren't familiar with Cafepress, you should be. It's wonderfully easy to open an online store and add products. The hardest part (for me at least) is coming up with a good product design that people will buy, but Cafepress has helpful resources, like templates and guides to designing an image. Then you just select the product you want, upload the image, write a description, and you've basically got your product. Your store is now open for business. And yes, it works. I've gotten one check already (you can decide how much you want to earn before they send you a check), and I don't even really sell that much (my store is at http://www.cafepress.com/thehamstore, and my mom's is at http://www.cafepress.com/picturepretty). Cafepress is a great way to earn money online, and it's easy, too! Just go to cafepress.com!

Twitter - Broadcast your life.

Well, I hope that title doesn't scare you off. Don't worry, there won't be camera crews following you around. I'm just talking about Twitter, one of the best ways to keep your friends and family updated on what's up.
You can use up to 140 characters to say anything you want, like the address of a website you found, what you're eating for breakfast, or the funny thing your dog is doing. Your friends and family (and anyone else) can join Twitter and follow you, and be updated when you post. Some people are calling it "micro-blogging".
You can post to your Twitter account with a text message from your phone, with your instant messenger or on the Twitter website itself. If you have a blog, you can put your recent updates on it.
It's a really neat service, and I highly recommend it. If you'd like to check out my Twitter profile and maybe even follow me, go to http://twitter.com/SivartM. To get your own Twitter account, go to http://twitter.com.

Spreeder - speed reading training.

A while back I came across a great website. It's called Spreeder, and it's a neat tool for training yourself to speed read. You simply copy and paste the text you want to speed read (articles, e-books, whatever) and choose how fast you want to read (in words per minute). It flashes the  words on the screen at that speed. I've read at over 500 words per minute using this tool by gradually increasing my reading speed. I'm not sure how much text you can put in the text box, but I've put over 10,000 words in it before. It's a good tool, and I recommend it for anyone who wants to increase their reading speed! Just go to spreeder.com.

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FreeRice - Build your vocabulary and feed the hungry at the same time.

No, I'm not kidding. FreeRice is a great game for building your vocabulary. You just go to the website, freerice.com, and you see a word. You click on the definition (or, what you think is the definition) given four choices, and it tells you if you're right. The more words you get right, the higher your vocabulary level goes (the highest level is currently 60). My highest is 44; how high can you go? Oh, and, of course, for each word you get right, FreeRice donates the money for 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program, thanks to ads on their site (but the ads aren't very obnoxious and intrusive, thankfully). It's really a great game, you should check it out!

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