YouTube is one of the most popular sites on the internet, and its something that everyone knows about. Your grandparents, your baby sister, your parents, and even your dog know about YouTube. However, we all know that there are many websites out there that are much better than YouTube quality wise, but YouTube still is the place to be discovered. If you've created your own video, chances are that you'll upload the video to YouTube first; just to get more people to see it. We all know that YouTube is the best place to upload your videos, but is YouTube the best place to watch it?

I was wandering around thinking about the new Macbook Air when a website fell out of the sky and hit me on my head. It was iDesktop. From the name alone, you'd assume that iDesktop is a site where you have your own personal desktop, but its far from that. iDesktop is a site in which you can search for YouTube videos but also get the option to download the video. Most of the website needs Javascript enabled, so you'd better do that if you want to get anywhere.

Features:
iDesktop is quite simple to use. Just search for something you would search for on YouTube, and iDesktop will show you a list of queries that match your search. Hovering over an image will display the description. At the bottom of the screen, there will be a control which will adjust how many matches you display on one page. Here is a picture of a search result:

The buttons at the top will allow you to download, share, or add the video to your favorites. A great function is that not only can you download the video as a '.flv' you can also save it an AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, 3GP2, WMV, EXE or zipped EXE. When you click to start a video, the video will show up on the screen and begin playing. There is a little bit of lag, but it shouldn't be unbearable. You can also change the website theme by clicking the 'Theme' button on the top of the screen. I think the point of iDesktop was to provide a fun innovative and great looking way to browse and download YouTube videos. Another great feature is 'dim'. To enable this, just move to the top of the screen, and click the button that says 'show settings'. Click that, and enable 'dim'. With 'dim enabled, the background will turn a darker color when you play your videos, so you won't be distracted by all the images.

Problems:
I don't really have that many problems with this website. It works alright, and although there is a some lag, it isn't something I would complain about that much. There is only one thing that annoys me. I wish that the website would allow some sort of 'list' function. Instead of showing the video's as small rectangular blocks, they should allow the videos to be displayed the way YouTube displays them. I keep my zoom at 0% so I can see a lot of videos, but this is what the screen looks like when you have zoom at 0%. It hurts my eyes, and I'm sure you'd say the same thing.

Final Thoughts:
Other than that minor (or major, whichever you like) drawback, there isn't anything else to complain about. iDesktop makes downloading your YouTube video's a lot easier, and the design is quite innovative (although a bit too much for my poor eyes). This is a great site for anyone who wants to download all those great YouTube video. Whether you use it to watch videos or to download videos, the site is definitely something to try out. You might be surprised how much you like it.

via iDesktop.tv

Posted in Labels: Internet, Websites, YouTube 0 comments Posted by Bookmark Geek at 6:46 PM    

The world is all about quoting what other people have said. This might include quoting people from forums, blogs, and other different sites. It's always to quote someone from another site because not only do you need to retype (or at least copy and paste) what the person said, you need to give your source. It's great that there is an awesome web application call Kwout. Kwout is extremely to use, and will allow you to take snips certain parts of a website, then allow you to upload it to Flickr, Tumblr, or your own website. There is a bookmarklet at Kwout which will make things even easier. Just jump unto the site you want to 'Kwout', and click the bookmarklet. Then, drag your mouse to clip out the section of the website you're interested in. Kwout will take care of the rest.

Kwout is 'supposed' to be used to quote others, but I've found that it could also be used to save an image. Sure, the 'Save Image As' button might be faster, but Kwout will allow you to mess around with the borders making it round or adding a shadow behind the image.

Try it out. You'll be surprised how much you love it.

via Kwout

Posted in Labels: Free Software, Tips and Tricks, Web Apps, Websites 0 comments Posted by Bookmark Geek at 5:51 PM    

Everyone chats. Everyone. The only people who don't chat are those poor souls who don't have internet access. There are so many ways to chat; you've got AIM, MSN, Yahoo! Chat, Google Chat, ICQ, IRC, Skype, and much more. However, when using any of those, the process of setting up a chatroom is quite complicated. Much more complicated then using a simple site like ChatMaker.NET. This is one of the easiest ways to begin a chat with a group of friends, and it works quite well.

All you need to do is type in the name of the chatroom, and you'll be sent to the chatroom. If there is no chatroom with the name, the site will automatically create one for you. It's really easy to use, and I only have one thing to complain about; and that's the fact that the page refreshes, and you need to scroll down to see what you've typed. Regardless of that small obstacle, ChatMaker.NET is probably the easier way or stating a chatroom with a couple of friends. Just start a chatroom, and send them the URL. There aren't that many people who use ChatMaker at the moment, so most of the rooms would be empty. Keep in mind that others can read everything you type; if they manage to find the name of your chatroom.

ChatMaker.NET

Posted in Labels: Free Software, Tips and Tricks, Web Apps, Websites 0 comments Posted by Bookmark Geek at 5:19 PM    

We all get bored at some time or another. Here are some sites for you to waste time whenever you feel like you're getting bored.

Meebo - If you're on a computer that doesn't allow you to download anything, and you just want to talk with some friends, Meebo is for you. SIgn up, and log into clients like ICQ, AIM, MSN, and more.

k2xl - Ten extremely fun games for you to play. My personal favorite is Boomshine. Try to get all the dots!

xkcd -The best comic ever. Must see. "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language" Indeed.

Explosm - Home of the popular 'Cyanide and Happiness' Comics. More stick figures. Yeah!

ArmorGames - ArmorGames has a massive collection of games for you to play, including the new Portal Flash game.

LineRider - Play around with some physics as you create your own landscape. Then watch the boy 'ride' down. Endless fun.

Picnik - Edit all your photos in your browser. Quite fun to mess around the tools.

Digg - Find just about anything in the great social site. Browse through the hottest news, videos, and images with this great site.

Urban Dictionary - Might have some profanity, but this site has the definition of everything. You can even make your own definitions. A great place for some laughs.

Flash Flash Revolution - The online version of DDR. You don't even need to sign up (though you'll miss out on some features)

About - The place to go if you want to learn about something. For those curious or for those who want to learn more.

Open Hulu - A version of Hulu that doesn't require you to get a Beta Invite. Watch full episodes of your favorite TV shows.

Way Back Machine - Ever wondered what a website used to look like? Head on over, and check out what the most popular websites looked back in the old days.

Slacker - When you want to listen to come music, just sign up, and fire up Slacker. There are tons of categories, and great for those who just want some music.

Odeo - Want to listen to come Podcasts or Music? Odeo is the place to be. This old site probably has the largest list of podcasts and music out there.

Keybr - Instead of spending all that free time wasting time, why don't you practice your typing skills? Keybr will help you do just that.

Jooce - Currently in Beta, Jooce will allow you to play around with a virtual desktop within your browser. Watch videos, chat, and share files all in the comfort of a great UI.

Fark - Greatest source for news. Or rather, 'Not News'.

Technorati - Check out Technorati to find the best blogs for you to read. Tons or categories, tons of blogs.

Metacafe - Learn how to crack a safe, build a laser, and much more. Have fun while learning in the process.

Instructables - The site for 'Do It Yourself'-ers. Plenty of guides, and a place to go if you want to make something.

Posted in Labels: Tips and Tricks, Websites 0 comments Posted by Bookmark Geek at 4:58 PM