Joey’s Blog

Commercial software is available for every conceivable use, but many of these applications come with a price tag which is too high for most home users or hobbyists. With this high price, typically come bloated features which will never be used by the average user. So, not only are you wasting money, but you are potentially eating valuable resources on your PC. The good news is that there are typically free alternatives with feature-sets that focus on the most common tasks for everyday users. This list will focus on free alternatives — some of which I have used, some I have not. This list will be updated regularly.

Let’s start with a software category I know very well. As co-owner of Gentry Photography, I spend a lot of time using different photo editing packages. Photoshop is the commercial standard, but is loaded with obscure features that I don’t even use. There are several free alternatives to Photoshop for an average home user:

• Not my favorite, but one of the most popular is The Gimp. Originally available only on Unix/Linux, and eventually ported to Windows, this open source project started as a student project at Berkley. This is a very popular tool among the open source crowd. It has evolved over the years but takes some time to figure your way around. The interface is a different than what you may be used to. It is worth looking into.
• Paint.Net started as a student project at Washington State University. It is a Windows only program written on the .Net platform. Paint.Net is extensible (meaning anyone can write plug-ins) and is very easy to use for hobbyist. This program is updated frequently and I recommend it to anyone wanting to get started with photo editing. Here’s a quick article I wrote on the new beta.

Just for fun, I restarted the three browsers listed here and loaded my homepage. This page has a good dose of JavaScript & PHP. IE7 is using 58.2MB of memory, last night’s build of FF3 is occupying 58.6 MB, and Safari is the heaviest at nearly 61MB. I figured Safari would be the lightest.

• Backup Software
  • SyncBack is a free backup/synchronization tool. I use this utility to schedule backups of my wife’s photo work. This is very easy to use and can handle about any type of backup job you can conceive.
  • There is a new class of “cloud” type services that host your backups securely on the Internet. There are all kinds of new features and pricing models available. One such serivce is Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Currently, they are giving users 5GB of free online storage. One benefit of hosted services is the ability to access your files from any Internet accessible computer, including your mobile devices.
• Everyone seems to be looking for good DVD rippers. I’m sure you guys only use this software to make backups of your personal DVDs, right?
  • DVD DeCrypter is the defacto standard. Lots of options, but lots of people have published pages on how to use it.
  • DVDFab is also a nice tool to use when Decrypter won’t rip those dual layer discs. There is a free version and a premium. The premium has presets to rip to IPod, Zune, PSP, etc..

There’s a lot more coming including blog tools, audio/video editing, backup software, etc. If I left off your favorite tool let me know and I’ll add it.

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Since a dachshund and a border collie weren’t enough, we got a greyhound. Yes, a long-legged, skinny bellied 11-month old greyhound. I would like to say that we rescued this dog as a retired racer to give her a good life after being used at the tracks. However, we had ulterior motives in mind. We got this dog thinking she would chase the coyotes that have been showing up at our back door.  We didn’t even know we had coyotes until Romeo the Wiener Dog got attacked one night. (That’s funny… He survived his attack by some slobbery animal the same night I did in Norman.) Romeo’s attack made us nervous since we have two young kids who like to play outside and venture through the property.  We had heard and read in several places that greyhounds will chase and hunt coyotes.  I’m not sure why they do this, but it probably has something to do with greyhounds being a class of dog called a sight-hound. Sight-hounds see something flash by, they chase it. Well, that’s the idea anyway.  

We’ve only had this dog two weeks and I’m not sure Riley (that’s her name) is up to the coyote challenge. This may be the nicest, most attention starved dog ever.  As Jerry Seinfeld would say, she is a “close-talker” – she definitely gets in your personal space.  If you sit on the floor, she will trot up to you and put her head into your chest. If you go to the restroom, she’ll follow you.  In the short time we’ve had her, she has come out of her shell little-by-little. Hopefully in another few weeks her true personality will eventually appear and she will be a little more outgoing. However, I have a feeling that Riley may be just another family member and not the coyote chaser we had hoped. She’s even scared of the cat. 

She is a very good dog. She lets the boys pull and tug on her. She barks (sometimes) when it’s time “to go.” She sleeps in her crate all night without making a peep. She loves to run! Here is a video of her running “zoomies” the first day at our house. (BTW, we’re not white-trash, those dilapidated barns in the video were on our property when we bought it.)

We named her Riley after Andrea Riley the sophomore point guard for Oklahoma State University’s women’s basketball team. Both Rileys are a little undersized, but lightening quick.  Our Riley’s full name is Riley McRib (because we ate at McDonald’s on the night we picked her up), but we also considered Riley Coyote and Riley Cyrus.  If she was a male, we would have named her Bullet — you OSU fans know why.

Here are some photos of Riley

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Paint.Net is a free photo editing tool originally started as a class project at Washington State University (In fact, it is in my upcoming post “Huge List of Free Software”). IThe software is still maintained by one of the original authors even though he currently works for Microsoft (this is not a Microsoft product).  The tool gets incrementally better with each new release and is an easy to use tool for everyday people who simply want to do basic photo editing like adding color filters and creative effects. Paint.net is fast, stable, and has a small footprint. I use this tool selectively with my wife’s photo business, but it is not a Photoshop replacement for professional use. I highly recommend this tool to anyone wanting to play around with photo editors.  Version 3.30 beta 2 was released today.

Along with the normal bug fixes and enhancements, is a noticeable UI clean-up. If you’ve ever used Paint.Net in the past you undoubtedly noticed the large dialog boxes that sometimes extend beyond your screen. The author has done a good job cleaning up these boxes. Check out this example comparison below. In the top image, is the old UI. You can can see all the ugly “Reset” buttons eating up space.  In the bottom image, the buttons have been replaced and moved to gie the UI a much cleaner look. The are screen-shots running on XP. Paint.net has a much”fresher” look running on Vista.

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I am NOT a Realtor and I am not exaggerating when I say that I get asked every 2-3 weeks about my real estate career.  Here’s the story…  I worked in the pre-bubble dot-com days as a Sales Engineer for Vyvx.  I loved this job – all technology companies seemed to have more money than common sense in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I got to travel, meet executives of high profile companies, and spend crazy money at restaurants. I mean stupid money. Obviously, thanks to the likes of Enron, WorldCom, 9-11, and an inflated market, the bubble burst. After several depressing rounds of layoffs, my time came. My group was small enough that we lasted for months, but when it was time, our entire group got laid off. I was lucky enough to bounce around for a few months doing various things, but my Aunt (a local real estate broker) kept nudging me towards real estate. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take the classes and get licensed.  (It was actually very interesting and would recommend the class to anyone who plans on ever purchasing a home.) After getting my license in January 2003, I marketed myself as Realtor for a couple of months.  However, I stopped selling real estate in March of 2003 when I got another ‘real’ job.  I simply let my license expire. I must be a genius marketer because I still get asked about real estate. In fact, I got asked by an acquaintance at a two year old’s birthday party last weekend.

I can’t say that I enjoyed my time in real estate, but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it either – I simply didn’t do it long enough to form an opinion.  I did learn a few things to help people though. Here are some chunks of real estate knowledge you should know. Keep in mind that these are not set in stone rules, but general guidelines which you should use according to your comfort level. I’m not a lawyer, just some guy who let his real estate license expire.

• In Oklahoma, Realtor Associates are independent contractors — they are not agents. Even though state law requires a broker to hold an associate’s license, they actually work for themselves. So, don’t let one tell you their commission is fixed. Yes, it’s true that some Realtors are bound by their brokers, but most have the capability to lower their commission by a certain percentage. In fact, most Realtors will tell you their commission is 7% but they will lower it to 6%. Ask for 5% or 5.5% and see what happens.

• It’s true that the Realtor who lists your house has to split the commission with the Realtor who brings the buyer. During your listing meeting, it is perfectly acceptable to negotiate a variable rate commission. That means that you will pay the 6% (or whatever) if the Realtors split it, but you will pay a lower rate if your listing Realtor also brings the buyer.

• Don’t let your Realtor persuade you into accepting an offer if you’re not comfortable with it. Consider this example: Your bottom line is $110,000, but your Realtor is pushing a $105,000 offer. If you pay 6%, then the difference you pay in commission is only $300. This is negligible amount and the Realtor won’t want to do the extra paperwork or risk losing the deal for a measly $300 which has to be split anyway. However, this “negligible” amount to the Realtor would net you $4,700 dollars in your pocket.

• Consider selling your house yourself. Set a time limit that you will try to sell it, then if you’re not having much luck, call a Realtor. A good closing company can actually guide you through the process and let you know what to do every step of the way. You shouldn’t have to pay anything additional, but standard closing fees will still apply.  You can’t simply stick a sign in your yard and pray that it sells.  You must market your home inside and out.

  • Clean your house, de-clutter it, mow, paint, do whatever it takes to give it curb appeal and make it homey. It’s a good idea to invite a neutral advisor to walk through your home and point out the good and the bad. Don’t take the comments personally, they’re there to help. There are people who stage homes for a living. Check out http://www.simplystagedhomes.comfor one local professional stager.

  • Create an attractive flier and place copies in a flier tube in your yard. Create a website. List your home on www.craigslist.org every week and link to your website.  Consider fee based services like Yahoo Real Estate.

  • By the way, it’s not a good idea to show your house alone. Hide your medications and anything valuable.

• Finally, if you decide you want to use a Realtor, I recommend my aunt who got me into this business. Gloria Allred has been a Realtor in the Tulsa area for over 35 years. She has seen it all. She is a broker for Coldwell Banker and manages their South-Tulsa office. Give her a call at 918-521-3440 or email her at allredg@cbtulsa.com.

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Since Wednesday night is the OSU/OU basketball game in Stillwater, I thought I would share my last Bedlam experience. I’m really exposing myself here and my fear is this will show up on Digg, but nevertheless, the story must be told!

On November 24, 2007 I got the surprise call around 12:30 PM that someone was giving me a couple of tickets to the Bedlam football game that day. On such late notice I knew I was already going to be late so everything I did was expeditious. I quickly dressed for the game and made arrangements for my parents to watch my kids until the wife could pick them up after her wedding shoot. After a few last minute arrangements, a friend and I were finally on the Creek Turnpike in south Broken Arrow headed towards Norman. As we passed through Sapulpa I realized I was hungry and had to pee.  I decided to stop at McDonalds in Stroud to take care of both sensations. However, when we got to the golden arches I saw the food line inside was very long so I proceeded to grab a burger in the drive-thru. After tossing the pickles, we were back on the road – I still had to pee.

After a grueling last leg through Oklahoma City & Moore, we finally arrived in Norman. My urge to urinate was growing as fast as OU’s score in the first quarter. We drove around for another seemingly 60 minutes (although it was only 10-15) until we found a place to park. Thankfully, we were able to sneak into a donor spot near Memorial Stadium. At this point, my bladder had grown to the size of Pistol Pete’s head. I felt I was going to suffer the same fate as Tycho Brahe (look that one up).

After a brisk painful walk, we made it to the stadium gates. As we weaved and coughed our way through what seemed like a Marlborough convention, I saw the “Men’s Restroom” sign shining like an oasis in a sea of crisp crimson caps.  I made it to the restroom, stood in a short line, and began to take one of the longest pees of my life. Do you remember that scene from Austin Powers after he wakes up from his cryogenic state? That was me, but I had clothes on and I am less hairy.

As my body was returning to normal, I heard a couple of guys commenting behind me on how long I was standing there. I acted like I didn’t hear anything and just focused on the empty bottle of Jack Daniels that someone left on the urinal. Keep in mind, I had the only orange on in a restroom full of Sooner fans. I was not about to talk back with my pants unzipped. After a few seconds, my left leg collapsed — someone knocked my locked knee loose and I nearly peed on myself. DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?!? I cut my stream off and turned around to see the guy behind me to the left staring at the cinder block wall. He had that look on his face like you did in middle school when you would tap someone on the shoulder and pretend it wasn’t you. However, this wasn’t a middle-school aged boy, this was a thirty-something year old man. On top of that, this wasn’t even your typical redneck OU fan that enjoys blowing up frogs while everyone else is at their day job. This was a clean cut person who probably did some type of professional work for a living. Still in shock that he would do that, I asked him “WHAT ARE YOU DOING” in a loud voice.  His face turned as red has his hat, but he kept staring ignorantly at the wall – but everyone else looked at me. (Yes, I zipped up by now.) I took a step closer and asked him again. Still no response.  I knocked his hat loose and he finally acknowledged I was there. The rest of the conversation is a blur because I was so dumbfounded that someone would actually do this to a complete stranger while taking a leak.  He eventually apologized. I looked up and saw 100 Sooner fans with dropped jaws. I accepted his apology and left.  The most disappointing thing about the whole ordeal was that I didn’t get to finish peeing.

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