I have started to use SugarSync – File Sync & Online Backup.

Access all your data anytime, anywhere, from any device. Now get your own Personal Cloud! File sync and online backup for all your devices including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and more!

SugarSync gives we what I need in terms of online backup and file sync, between computers, iPad and iPhone. So far I’m on their free account (4.24 GB) but will upgrade when needed.

SugarSync’s online backup, file sync, and sharing service makes it easy to stay connected. With SugarSync you get secure cloud storage for all your files — documents, music, photos, and videos.

I used Dropbox before but after their security claims fell to pieces I decided to switch.

LibreOffice is a free Open Source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. It that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base.

OpenOffice is controled by Oracle (previously by Sun) and I don’t really like that. LibreOffice is a fork of OpenOffice but without Oracle. I’m going to switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice.

The LibreOffice review at TechWorld says:

The LibreOffice project came about late in 2010 when it became increasingly uncertain what Oracle’s intentions were for OpenOffice.org, which it acquired after purchasing Sun. LibreOffice is overseen by the Document Foundation, which includes open source luminaries such as Red Hat, Ubuntu and even Google.

Linux.com has a Review: Hands on LibreOffice 3.3.

In my search for a nice and simple software clock with chime I found ClockSmith Lite. It’s available for Windows and Mac. The chime is really nice and can be set to play quarterly, every half hour, hourly, or it can be turned off.

I have set the chime for every half hour in order to use it with The Pomodoro Technique. At the chime I take a five minute break, then work for 25 minutes until the next chime.

The tolling of the hour has an on/off switch. I use that tolling as a reminder of the 18 Minute Plan That Keeps You Focused.

The creators of ClockSmith Lite are Dharma Gaia, I like their description of the name:

Our name reflects humanity’s responsibility to care for the earth and her inhabitants. It is derived from word Dharma; a Sanskrit term encompassing universal law, harmony, and personal duty; and Gaia, the ancient Greek name for the Goddess of the Earth.

I have been using ZoneAlarm Internet Security for a while but found it too complicated and it takes too much resources. In beginning of November Lifehacker wrote about Five Best Antivirus Applications, one of them is Microsoft Security Essentials.

A few days later Lifehacker wrote Stop Paying For Windows Security; Microsoft’s Security Tools Are Good Enough. The part that hooked me was this:

The release of Microsoft Security Essentials has changed the landscape of antivirus software. We’ve finally got a completely free application that protects against viruses, spyware and other malware — without killing system performance like some of the “suites” tend to do. In my personal experience, it barely slows down the machine and rarely affects my work.

A few days ago I uninstalled ZoneAlarm and installed Microsoft Security Essentials instead. You find it at Microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials, with information and for dowload. Microsoft lists these reasons why you should download Microsoft Security Essentials:

Comprehensive protection. Microsoft Security Essentials helps defend your computer against spyware, viruses, worms, Trojans, and other malicious software.

Easy to get, easy to use. Because Microsoft Security Essentials is available at no cost, there’s no registration process that requires billing or personal information collection. It installs after a quick download and Genuine Windows validation and then stays automatically up-to-date with the latest protection technology and signature updates.

Quiet Protection. Microsoft Security Essentials doesn’t get in your way. It runs quietly in the background and schedules a scan when your computer is most likely idle. You only see alerts when you need to take action.

I have been using EditPad Lite for a longer time because of its ability to handle multiple files with a tabbed interface. EditPad Lite is quite powerful yet lacked some features that I wanted.

I write my blog posts in HTML-format and wanted a better text editor for that. Since I am pleased with the Lite-version as a basic text editor I decided to try EditPad Pro.

EditPad Pro’s Clip Collection is terrific for my needs. In the Clip Collection you can save plain text but also before&after which is perfect for HTML-tags. Select a text, click on the proper clip and the text is surrounded with the HTML-tags. That’s a lot easier than the copy-paste I did in the Lite-version.

Read more:
WriteMonkey text editor
Q10 text editor