Topic: Freely available and legal software.

[Capt. Mike]

Hope this works..The Bureau of International Weights and Measures  (English and French)

  http://www.bipm.org/   


In there is the International Vocabualry of Metrology..one of my handbooks at work

Mike

[Bonk]

More freakiness to ponder...

Eye tracking. I guess I knew it existed. Never really thought about the applications. Old idea, new technology, new economics.

UI design and usability come to mind of course. It seems there is a lot going on in this area right now.

Say, like starship targetting anyone?    Heh, I know, LazyEyes for SFC!   

openEyes

openEyes provides hardware designs and software useful for the tracking of human eye movements.

The development of openEyes stems from the recognition that while the cost of hardware used in eye tracking systems has precipitously dropped, there is lack of freely available software that implements even long-established eye-tracking algorithms.

(on windows with matlab: http://joelclemens.colinr.ca/eyetrack/)


Opengazer

Opengazer is an open source application that uses an ordinary webcam to estimate the direction of your gaze. This information can then be passed to other applications. For example, used in conjunction with Dasher, opengazer allows you to write with your eyes. Opengazer aims to be a low-cost software alternative to commercial hardware-based eye trackers.

EyeWriter

The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from ALS with creative technologies.
It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus & custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes.

 

ITU Gaze Tracker

The ITU Gaze Tracker is an open-source gaze tracking application that aims to provide a low-cost alternative to commercial gaze tracking systems and to make this technology more accessible. It is being developed by the Gaze Group at the IT University of Copenhagen, supported by the Communication by Gaze Interaction Association (COGAIN).

The eye tracking software is video-based, and any camera equipped with infrared nightvision can be used, such as a videocamera or a webcam. The cameras that have been tested with the system can be found in our forum. We encourage users and developers to test our software with their cameras and provide feedback so we can continue development.

A good list: http://www.cogain.org/wiki/Eye_Trackers

and a pretty slick looking commercial operation: http://www.seeingmachines.com/

A slightly dated (3 year old) video to give an idea of it:
[youtube=640,385]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo_a2cfBUGc[/youtube]

[Bonk]

Oh I forgot this one. Another for the modelers?

Sculptris

Sculptris wants you to make 3D models. Download it and have a go! I'm sure you will enjoy.

It is pretty cool. I gave it a try. It can export to wavefront obj.

[youtube=640,385]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DNRg6pdNeE[/youtube]

Holy crap, wow.

[Bonk]

The Render Engine

The Render Engine is a cross-browser, open source game engine written entirely in JavaScript. Designed from the ground up to be extremely flexible, it boasts an extensive API and uses the newest features of today's modern browsers.

Interesting.

[Bonk]

Time to recognise NCH

I've been using their Express Talk SIP phone for some time now.


Express Talk VoIP Softphone

Make phone calls using your PC, Mac or Pocket PC
Installs and ready to make calls in just minutes
Use with Any VoIP SIP Provider for Free or low cost phone calls
Many great features for the business or power VoIP user

Now I am going to give their guitar tuner a whirl:

Pitch Perfect Guitar Tuner

Guitar Tuning Software for Musicians
Accurate, professional guitar tuner.
Easy to use interface.
Automatic note detection.

edit: The guitar tuner is not too bad. Got the job done. Kinda like it. Now the problem is that learning Hackett's Horizons on a steel string acoustic after not having played for over twelve years is pure masochism - it hurts like hell, but it sounds awesome. I will nail it within a week and in the process get my fingers back. (so to speak - gotta rebuild calluses and grip strength.)

[Nemesis]

OpenShot

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Linux licensed under the GPL version 3.0.

OpenShot can take your videos, photos, and music files and help you create the film you have always dreamed of. Easily add sub-titles, transitions, and effects, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and many other common formats. 

[Nemesis]

Stanford University Youtube Channel

I've been looking at some of their computer related lectures.  There are at least a couple of whole series on programming that same interesting to me.  Also such things as cosmology, relativity and so forth.  1337 videos in total at present.

Microsoft has a channel too.  I just found it and haven't actually looked at it.  Microsoft Channel  The oldest of its 41 videos is only 5 months so it may need time to develop.

[NJAntman]

Couldn't find the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool (HP moved link?) but did find WinToFlash (wintoflash.com). Free version that does try to stick the user witha few add-ons but seem to be avoidable. As simple as load up WinOS disk, plug in a USB stick, click to choose simple options or use the wizard, let it run about half hour and out comes an OS bootable USB.

[Capt. Mike]

I was sent this email...I've done business with them before...check it out

Hello,
 
We are please to offer you a free copy of the 2011 NASA Tech
Briefs Software Supplement. This issue includes selected software
innovations developed by NASA's national network of laboratories.
 
Highlights
- 35 new software programs for design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing
applications
- Better, faster sonar development with multiphysics simulation
- NASA Awards 2010 Software of the Year
 
To view the electronic version and request your free copy, visit:
        http://www.comsol.com/activity/bos_ntbss_nov11/1     
 
Best regards,
 
Nicholas Snaith
COMSOL, Inc.
1 New England Executive Park
Suite 350
Burlington, MA 01803
781-273-3322
nicholas@comsol.com


=----------------------

Mike

[Nemesis]

Link to source

Download and activate DraftSight - the free, easy-to-use 2D CAD product from Dassault Systemes that lets professional CAD users, students and educators create, edit and view DWG files.
 
DraftSight generally takes just a few minutes to download, and supports Microsoft® Windows XP®, Windows Vista®, Windows® 7 (General Release), Mac® and Linux®** (Mac and Linux currently in Beta).
 
More than ONE MILLION people have downloaded DraftSight.  Download now!

[The Postman]

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

Like CPUZ, except for video cards

[Nemesis]

OpenVSP

OpenVSP is a parametric aircraft geometry tool. OpenVSP allows the user to create a 3D model of an aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. This model can be processed into formats suitable for engineering analysis.

On January 10 2012, OpenVSP was released as an open source project under the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) version 1.3.

Windows and OSX

[NJAntman]

Free for a while yet three good packages for modeling & renders:
http://www.daz3d.com/i/0/0?_m=d
DAZ Studio 4 Pro
Bryce 7
Haxagon 2.5

[Nemesis]

Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn

At long last, the day has finally arrived! It has been ten years to the day that the Wing Commander Saga project was officially founded. Through this time, Saga has evolved through a host of iterations, with sometimes frustrating twists and turns and several brick walls. However, we believe that Wing Commander Saga would not be what it is today without the lessons we have learned from each one of those experiences, and we are very excited to finally share the results with you.

On many occasions, we have referred to Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn as a labor of love. That is truly what it has been for us. Many years ago, Chris Roberts and his team at Origin ignited our imaginations with their innovative, blockbuster Wing Commander series. Our hope has always been that with Wing Commander Saga, we could recapture that excitement and magic to some degree and share it with all of you. Our ten year development process has certainly taught us even more respect for just how innovative and brilliant Chris Roberts and his team are. Our development of Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn is meant as an homage to them and what they achieved, and we would like to thank them and EA, who holds the intellectual property for Wing Commander. We would also like to thank all the sites who have generously offered to provide mirrors for Saga.

If Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn is your introduction to the Wing Commander universe, you owe it to yourself to try the source material that inspired us. Several of the original Wing Commander games are available at gog.com, so make sure to show your support for the actual creators of Wing Commander by going and purchasing some copies! You won’t regret it. Especially make sure to pick up a copy of Wing Commander III, since the story of Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn was written to coincide with the events of that game.

Today we are only launching the PC vesion. The Linux and Mac versions will be available soon. We just need to port the launcher to OSX and Linux and run some tests.

For help troubleshooting known issues click here to visit our forums. We’d also love to here your thoughts about the game, so feel free to join us there!

So, without further ado, we are pleased to present you with Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn. It’s humanity’s most desperate hour, a desperate struggle for survival against impossible odds, and you’ve got a front row seat.

[NJAntman]

Celestia under the Educational Programs seems to be gone.

Anybody know of another freeware solar system simulator?

[Nemesis]

Celestia under the Educational Programs seems to be gone.

Anybody know of another freeware solar system simulator?

I plan to work on updating the list next week sometime.  I'll see what I can find then. 

[Nemesis]

Icaros Desktop

Icaros Desktop is a pre-configured AROS desktop environment for the PC platform, distributed on a bootable live media. The AROS Research Operating System is a open source lightweight, efficient and flexible desktop operating system, aiming at being compatible with AmigaOS 3.1 at the API level, while improving on it in many areas.

If I'm interpreting this correctly they have a 68000 processor emulator that allows them to run the old binaries. 

[Nemesis]

Courtesy of Dracho:

Vassal Boardgame Engine

What is Vassal?

Vassal is a game engine for building and playing online adaptations of board games and card games. You can use Vassal to play in real time over the Internet or by email. Vassal runs on all platforms, and is free, open-source software.
screenshot    

What games can I play using Vassal?

Hundreds of boardgames have been converted for use with Vassal, so there's a good chance that you'll find the games you own in our module library already. If there is not yet a Vassal module for your favorite game, you can use the Vassal Editor to build your own module, and should you run into trouble, help is only a click away in our forum.

Requires Java Runtime engine.

[Nemesis]

I used Clonezilla (already on the list) a few days ago to move my Windows 7  64 bit from its original 320gb drive to 500gb hybrid.  It worked fine though I had to make and use a repair disk because Windows couldn't deal with being on a different HD even though everything else including partitions were the same  .  I then used Parted (also already on the list) to expand the final partition on the drive to take up the extra space (a data partition) and that is functioning great as well.

[Nemesis]

Its been a while but this thread isn't dead yet. 

Microsoft Small Basic Version 1.0

What is Small Basic?

Small Basic is a project that is focused at making programming accessible and easy for beginners. It consists of three distinct pieces:

    The Language
    The Programming Environment
    Libraries

The Language draws its inspiration from an early variant of BASIC but is based on the modern .Net Framework Platform. The Environment is simple but rich in features, offering beginners several of the benefits that professional programmers have come to expect of a worthy IDE. A rich set of Libraries help beginners learn by writing compelling and interesting programs.
Who is Small Basic for?

Small Basic is intended for beginners that want to learn programming. In our internal trials we've had success with kids between the ages of 10 and 16. However, it's not limited to just kids; even adults that had an inclination to programming have found Small Basic very helpful in taking that first step.
What are the system requirements?

To install Small Basic, you have to be running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.

You also need to be sure that you have Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 installed on your computer.

Haven't downloaded it myself so can't comment about it. 

Update: I've downloaded it to look at and this is the first part of the license:

As described below, using some features also operates as your consent to the transmission of certain standard computer information for internet-based services.

So the usual I spy routine from MS. 

1.   INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.  One user may install and use any number of copies of the software on your devices running copies of the Windows operating system software to design, develop and test your programs.  The software is for your personal learning use and use by academic institutions for student and instructor training only.

Non commercial use. 

Not going to install it.  At least not on this machine, maybe later on some other machine.