Of course it is frustrating when you listen to a song you like on radio, but you don’t know who sing that and the song title. You can end that frustration by installing a less than 500KB (after installing) freeware—Tunatic.

The concept is simple. Just let Tunatic to listen to the song that you want to identify, via a microphone, and within seconds, Tunatic will fetch the song name and the artist name from its database if it match something (make sure you’re online, of course).

Best of all, it doesn’t just work for English songs. I tried Chinese songs and it works too! Basically Tunatic will just fetch whatever song information that matches its database. And its database are maintained by the Tunatic community. It collects song information from users who wants to contribute via a program called Tunalyzer. Too bad, Tunalyzer only works on Mac OS X at this moment, else I will contribute too.

I tried recording a song to using my mobile phone, and then play it to Tunatic, and it identify the song perfectly as expected. That would be useful if you listened to a song that you like, either at the radio or in a shopping complex, just grab your phone and record it. When you are home, let Tunatic listen to it, and you will then be able to identify the song name and the artist’s name.

Too bad, Tunatic couldn’t recognize the tune if you sing or hum it. Else you can just remember how to song go, and sing it to Tunatic for the song name. Thilak get it wrong for this part. Once in a while, there will be a really great software coming out from nowhere. This is definitely one of them.

via TechBuzz

Especially on smaller screens, the advertisements on Windows Live Messenger really takes up quite a lot of space. It is also annoying for popping up when the cursor is accidentally moved to the ads.

A-Patch is one of the best thing to remove advertisements on Windows Live Messenger, as it can be also used to customize the messenger to the fullest. Removing e-mail button, remove nudge delay, disable nudge shake, removing buttons, logos—you name it, they probably have it.

You can view all the features included here.

To start using A-Patch, download it according to your Windows Live Messenger version (which  can be checked via Help > About Messenger). Run the software and you can begin customizing your Windows Live Messenger according to your liking.

To remove the advertisements on the messenger, just simply select "Remove Advertisement" which can be found under "Contact List" (page 5). This is how it looks like when you are done.

Without advertisements:

It is against the terms of use to patch your messenger, so do it at your own risk. Also, make sure your messenger is not on when doing the patch, or it would not proceed.

MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger has a quite annoying feature to me, which is having a popup of Windows Live Today/MSN Today every single time you sign into your account. That might be useful to some, but in my case, I am not using Hotmail, thus making the pop-up not useful at all.

To disable Windows Live Today, simply follow the instructions below:

1. Click on Tools, select Options
2. Click on the General tab
3. Uncheck the Show Windows Live Today after I sign in to Messenger box

Voila, the next time you sign into your Windows Live Messenger, the popup will not appear anymore and all you see is just your contact list.

One of the tip suggested to reduce computer eyestrain is to take frequent breaks, ideally taking a few minutes break every 30 minutes of computer usage. If you are having trouble reminding yourself to take breaks, there is a freeware that will do the job, namely UserHealth.

After installing, you can configure the freeware to suggest a break after 30 or 40 minutes of activity. You can even configure it to suggest a break when you reach a certain amount of keystrokes or mouse clicks.

There are two choices on how you want the program to nag you, either by a pop up message like “You should consider a 1-3 minutes break now!” or by the annoying mother, which will appear in the middle bottom of the screen and make sure you are taking your break for a duration that you have set.

The best part of UserHealth is that you can even force shutdown (or log off/reboot) your computer at a certain time. For example you want to make sure you are getting to bed by 11.00PM tonight, but you know you will be using the computer until late night. What you can do is to set UserHealth to auto shutdown your computer at 11.00PM sharp.

No more “just a little while more” or any other lame excuse.

UserHealth website | Download

Are there times when you want to know the specific HEX code of a certain color you see online or on your desktop? There are two ways to obtain it, either run Photoshop > Resize the window > Use the Eye Dropper tool > Open the color swatch to see the HEX code OR use one of the free color picker below.

I have downloaded and tried every single one of them. Everything else have been uninstalled or removed after demo-ing except for ColorPic. It’s simply the best.

ColorPic
Out of the 6 free color picker I have tested, ColorPic can be concluded as the best. ColorPic is just slightly more than twice the file size of other color pickers, but it offers way more than any other available free color picker.

There is a magnifier that can be used to determine the color code you are looking for accurately. It is also possible to pick color pixel by pixel using the keyboard arrows. ColorPic doesn’t just capture colors on screen, there is a mixer that you can use to select color.

You can even convert a color that is not websafe to a websafe color by just a button click. The color will be changed to the nearest safe value. View the Getting Started Tips to know more on what ColorPic can do.

WhatColor

If all you need is just a simple color picker with zero feature, WhatColor might suits you. This is the simplest color picker among all the 6 listed here. Just plain text telling the HEX color code the cursor is pointing, not even displaying the color on a larger scale. But the best part is, you don’t even need to install anything. It can be used in just two steps, download and run it.

Pixie
At only 8Kb, Pixie is a occupy very little screen space while working like a gem. It sits quietly on the screen after you run it, and as you move your cursor, the sample color and color code will be displayed. You can copy the color code by using shortcut keys. There is also a color mixer and magnifier, despite its small file size.

ColorPix
ColorPix is another no-need-install color picker. There is a magnifier as well, that can be used to zoom up to 2800%. As you move your cursor, ColorPix will display the color your cursor is pointing at. Press any key and the color will be locked, and you can click on the color code to copy it by then.

SI ColorPicker 1.0

Not something I would recommend. To pick a color, you have to drag the eyedropper. This is definitely tiring, and might even affect accuracy as your hand might not be able to hold the mouse tight while holding the click.

Anry Color Picker

This is something that doesn’t require installation as well. Pressing Alt-X will save the color your cursor is pointing. Magnifying up to 9 times.

Effectively on 9 January 2008, FeedDemon, NetNewsWire 3.1, and NewsGator Go! will be available for download at zero cost. Few days back, I was reading a post on Digital Inspiration comparing FeedDemon against Google Reader and Bloglines.

It just seems that I must try this piece of software out when the price turns zero. Downloading and installing went smoothly, as well as importing my OPML from Google Reader. Google Reader has been my first RSS feed reader, and FeedDemon is definitely new to me.

I am still not familiar with the interface of it, so I can’t tell much. All I notice is that I seems to read more posts on FeedDemon rather than skipping them like when I’m reading on Google Reader. Grab a free copy of the award winning RSS feed reader. FeedDemon for Windows, and NetNewsWire for Mac.