Category Archives: Tools

Have a Zebra-riffic St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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Here’s the thing about having blog posts sitting in Drafts for too long: Eventually, newer and better news comes along to replace what you started working on a month ago.

Such is the case with Allen Interactions’ St. Patrick’s Day card showcasing their currently-in-private-beta authoring tool, codenamed Zebra. (About a month ago, they released this Valentine’s Day “Switcheroo”.)

Pretty cool demos, but the real wow is how easy it is to create interactions like this in Zebra… not just clicky clicky bling bling, but great instructional interactivity. My company is already planning to make it part of our authoring tool set when it’s released, and if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to join the beta and see for yourself when it goes public.

Tiny Tools

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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I’m getting a new computer soon, and as I look through my existing software, I’m wondering if anyone has any alternatives to the following:

Sizer – This tiny, free utility makes windows exactly the size I want them. It’s very useful for software simulations, especially when I’m taking screen shots individually rather than using Captivate or Camtasia.

Screen Calipers – This tool measure distances on the screen. For example, if I have to make an animation of a certain size in Captivate but it has a toolbar at the bottom, I can measure the toolbar to figure out how much it will add to the overall dimensions.

These are great utilities and they’ve saved me a lot of guesswork, but I’ve had them forever and change is good… Does anyone have alternatives to recommend? Or other timesaving utilities?

The Wish Book, All Grown Up

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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chemistrysetWhen I was little, the day the Sears Wish Book arrived at our house was one of the best of the year. Second only to Christmas, even… My sister and I would eagerly page through the book for weeks, picking out what we were going to ask Santa for.

It’s with somewhat less anticipation that I make my yearly requests for new software, but the shopping researching is still fun.

I know I’m not going to get everything I ask for (particularly not the Deluxe Chemistry Set), and yes, it will all be tied to the company’s business needs blah ROI blah etc increasing productivity blah etc. But having said that, I’m wondering…

What was on your software wish list this year?

Google Sidewiki

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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We’re all tweeting and posting about Google Sidewiki today, thanks to Jane. (No sarcasm intended… thank you, Jane!)

If you haven’t seen it in action yet:

I always feel like the Joker whenever Google announces something new… Where do they get those wonderful toys?? But I then I remember they’re mostly free for me to use, for good or evil, as I see fit.

In the case of Sidewiki, I could see using this to enhance a company’s intranet/process documentation. I know of a couple departments that are considering moving to a wiki, replacing RoboHelp or another EPSS. Sidewiki would eliminate the need to rebuild the system… but I’m thinking it’s not going to work on some/most intranets, due to either technical or formal limitations.

Did any other uses of this app spring to mind when you saw it?

Free Today – QuizCreator 3.0

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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I’ve never used this software, but Free is one of my favorite words, so I’m going to try it out. It looks like this offer is available until 2 AM Central, 9/11/09.

QC_box_120

You have to download and install it before the offer expires, but according to my reading, you will then have a fully-functioning copy of this software. Here are the limitations, from the enclosed README:

1) No free technical support
2) No free upgrades to future versions
3) Strictly non-commercial usage

Read more and download here, then come back and tell me what you think of it!