Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

Finding Software Classes at Any Hour – New York Times

Q. I had my office install Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my computer, but Im having trouble using it. They were looking for a trainer, but cant locate anyone in the Miami area. Any suggestions?

A. Speech recognition programs like Nuances Dragon NaturallySpeaking convert words spoken into a microphone into typed text on a computer screen and can save significant amounts of time not to mention the physical wear and tear of typing. However, these programs do require a get-acquainted period to work best. In addition to repeating a series of scripted phrases so the software can learn your voice and inflections, most programs require that you use a set of specific oral commands to format and navigate the document for truly hands-free typing.

Like most programs, Dragons dictation software comes with a basic tutorial and help guide to get you started. If you are having trouble or find the included materials insufficient, though, you have more extensive training options available even if a personal software trainer is not available in your area.

For starters, the support area of Nuances Dragon products site has links to printable command cheat sheets, workbooks, and guides to the Dragon or Plantronics headset microphones that work well with the software. The support options go beyond PDF files you can download. You can also find a series of free how-to videos for the Windows version and Dragon Dictate for Mac.

The Dragon support site hosts free online webinars devoted to specific uses of the software (like for legal or financial offices), and links to resellers that may offer hands-on training can be found as well. Nuance also offers a $30 training video you can order, or a $30 online training course you can take right away.

Other sources of instruction can be found elsewhere. YouTube is full of instructional videos on Dragon NaturallySpeaking (and practically everything else), and the subscription-based Lynda.com training site for hundreds of programs has at least one course devoted to the dictation software; a free 30-day trial period is available.

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Finding Software Classes at Any Hour - New York Times

6 Easiest Free Online Database Software for Small Businesses – Stock Review

Lets check a list of the easiest free online database software for small businesses. When you start a small business you need the right tools, facilities, software for a reasonable price. If they are free its better. NowInsider Monkey has published an interesting article about this topic in order to help you.

Every small business should have a way to keep its database clean and organized and, sometimes, thats best done by choosing a web solution that will take care of every aspect that you need. There are lots of solutions, but you can find free ones, of course.

Now without a further ado lets see what Insider Monkey has investigated for us. We have picked two software from their list.

The first one isAgile CRM.Aside from the free tier, there are three additional ones the Starter for $9, the Regular, for $30 and the Enterprise, for $48.Back to the free tier, which can be used by ten users. They all have access to enough space for 1,000 contacts and companies, entries they can customize to their hearts desire. They also have access to unlimited deals, tasks and documents, as well as a tool that allows them to make appointments.Users can further manage marketing campaigns from the app, whether that means firing off emails, checking web engagement or checking out analytics.Another feature thats really cool with Agile CRM is that it comes with a Chrome extension to you can easily have access to most of the features you need instantly.

The second one isInsightly.They, too, offer multiple tiers for those looking to an easy solution to their business problems. The free tier permits access to only two people. The Basic package costs $12 per user per month, allowing you to automate your customer activity. Next, the Plus package costs $29 per user per month and offers additional support by providing customers with a way to segment, communicate and monitor outreach efforts. The Professional package costs $49 per user per month and adds workflow automation and team security to the mix, while the Enterprise package, which costs $99 per use per month allows users to properly scale your CRM to fit the requirements of the business.The free package comes with loads of features, although it does have some limitations too, such as the maximum number of 2,500 records, or the maximum 10 mass emails you can send a day.

For any further interesting information read Insider Monkeys article about6 easiest free online database software for small businesses.

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6 Easiest Free Online Database Software for Small Businesses - Stock Review

RI State Police OfferCyber Safety Tips for College Students – GoLocalProv

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

GoLocalProv News Team

RI State Police OfferCyber Safety Tips for College Students

Colonel Ann Assumpico is urging parents and students to protect computers, cell phone, and other mobile devices, as well as protecting personal information from cyber criminals.

Students must remember the importance of cyber security as they return to school. Digital media has become an integral part of the college experience and whether they are returning to a dorm or to off-campus living, they should take the time to protect themselves from cyber incidents via industry recognized and recommended security practices, said Assumpico.

The safety tips are as follows:

Heading off to college can be a stressful time. To ease the anxiety, Cristiana Quinn,GoLocalProv's College Admissions Expert, has some sage words for children and parents alike.

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Organize your dorm room items now, and assess what you need to ship vs. transport inthe car. This will alleviate stress before you leave for school. Use a printable checklist foryour dorm room, like this one.

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When you arrive at college, don't expect everything to be perfect. Your roommate,classes or sports team may not be everything that you dreamed of, and that's okay. Makethe best of it, and remember that college gets easier after you adjust in the first semester.Stay in touch with friends and family from home, but transition to your new life. Don't livevirtually (texting) hanging on to the past too much--live in the moment in your newcommunity.

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Textbooks are extremely expensive; save money by renting or buying used text at Cheggor Amazonvs. buying at the on campus bookstore.

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Make sure you know where health services is on campus and the hours. Also, knowwhere the closest hospital is, in case health services is closed. Visit the academic supportcenter and learn about tutoring and study skills resources in the first week of school---BEFORE you need them.

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Join at least 3 organizations or clubs on campus. This will give you a chance to meet avariety of people outside of your dorm and classes. Chances are that these students will bemore aligned with your interests and values. Intramural sports teams, the campusnewspaper, community service groups, political groups, outing clubs are all good.

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Don't hover at orientation and drop-offs. This is a difficult time, but resist the urge tolinger.

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Get a healthcare proxy signed before your son/daughter goes off to campus. This iscritical for students over 18, otherwise you will not have access to medical info in the caseof and emergency (due to healthcare privacy laws). You need to be able to speak withdoctors and make decisions remotely and quickly if anything happens.

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Expect some bumps in the road. Homesickness is normal, as are issues with roommatesand professors. Be supportive at a distance. Never call a professor, and try not to text yourchild multiple times a day. This is the time to let them learn independence and moreresponsibility. They can deal with issues if you give them the chance.

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Book now for parent weekends and special events on campus for the rest of 2015-16year. Hotels get overloaded during big weekends.

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Avoid pushing a major--this usually leads to unhappiness and causes stress in the family.It's good to provide students with resources, but encourage them to seek career testing andcounseling on-campus with professors and the Career Center. Discuss options, but don'tdictate or pressure students to select something too early.

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RI State Police OfferCyber Safety Tips for College Students - GoLocalProv

‘Mary And The Witch’s Flower’ Was Made With Free OpenToonz Animation Software – Cartoon Brew

Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Studio Ponocs animated feature Mary and The Witchs Flower, which debuted last month in Japan and will be released in North America by GKIDS, is the first feature to incorporate the free, open source animation software OpenToonz into its production pipeline.

Japanese publisher Dwango acquired the Toonz software last year from Italian tech company Digital Video, which has been producing the animation package since 1993, and has begun distributing it as free, modifiable software that can be further developed by individual users and studios.

Even though Mary is the first film to use the open source version, earlier versions of Toonz have been used extensively in professional productions, most notably by Studio Ghibli to produce films like The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Howls Moving Castle, and The Wind Rises. Yonebayashi himself directed two films at Ghibli The Secret World of Arrietty and When Marnie Was There which used Toonz software, so its logical that he would continue working with the open source version in his post-Ghibli work.

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'Mary And The Witch's Flower' Was Made With Free OpenToonz Animation Software - Cartoon Brew

How to run Windows 10 on your Mac – ZDNet

Switching to a Mac doesn't mean having to leave behind Windows or your software. That's because your new Mac is perfectly at home running Windows and Windows software. In fact, you have several options open to you if you want to keep using your favorite Windows software.

OS X has built-in support for Windows using a utility called Boot Camp. Using this you can turn your Mac into a dual-boot system with both OS X and Windows installed on it.

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Virtualization software doesn't have to cost money. There are plenty of free utilities, such as VirtualBox.

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This category of software includes utilities such as the excellent Parallels Desktop for Mac (full review here of the newest Parallels Desktop for Mac 13).

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You might be lucky and be able to run your Windows apps on OS X without needing Windows at all using a utility such as WineBottler. This utility uses the Linux-based Wine compatibility layer to support a selected number of Windows applications.

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See also:

Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac review: Touch Bar control for virtualized Windows apps, and more

Parallels Desktop isn't the only virtualization software that allows Mac users to run Windows apps within a virtual machine (VM), but its cycle of regular annual updates has allowed it to take a lead over rival tools, such as VMware's Fusion.

Dumping Windows and installing Linux Mint, in just 10 minutes

One of my netbooks needed refreshing, and I decided to dump Windows completely and install only Linux Mint. The entire process took 10 minutes.

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How to run Windows 10 on your Mac - ZDNet