PaulSpoerry.com

“Throughout Lifehacker’s archive of over 14,000 posts, they’ve mentioned hundreds of free web and desktop apps that help you get things done—but which are the best? As they wrap up the year 2007, it’s the perfect time to put together an authoritative guide to their favorite pieces of free software and web services for common computing tasks on every platform. ”

I agree with nearly every selection they’ve made!

Application Launchers

• Launchy (Windows, open source)
  Previous coverage: Download of the Day: Launchy, Take Launchy Beyond Application Launching (Feature), Tweaking Launchy (Screenshot Tour)
• Quicksilver (Mac OS X, open source)
  Previous coverage: A Beginner’s Guide to Quicksilver, Advanced Quicksilver Guide, The Quicksilver Video Extravaganza, Nine Time-saving Quicksilver Triggers, Top 10 Quicksilver Plugins, Quicksilver Creator on the Future of QS (Exclusive Lifehacker Interview).

Backup Utilities

• SyncBackSE (Windows, local backup, freeware)
  Previous coverage: Automatically Back Up Your Hard Drive with SyncBack (Feature)
• Time Machine (Mac OS X, local backup, built into Leopard)
  Previous coverage: The Simplicity of Time Machine Compels You, Schedule Your Time Machine Backups with TimeMachineScheduler
• Mozy (Windows/Mac, online backup, up to 2GB free)
  Previous coverage: Back Up Files with Mozy

BitTorrent

• uTorrent (Windows, Free)
  Previous coverage: Organize Your BitTorrent Downloads with uTorrent
• Transmission (Mac OS X, open source)
  Previous coverage: Download of the Day: Transmission
• ted (Windows/Mac/Linux, free)
  Previous coverage: Automatically Download Your Favorite TV Shows with ted
• See also: A Beginner’s Guide to BitTorrent, Intermediate Guide to BitTorrent

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Have some invitations that you want to get off your hands? Why not share them with others.

This new site offers a unique solution to finding invitations to invite only sites. If you have an invitation to say… Joost. You post one or more of your invites for others. They in turn provide invites to you for another closed beta or member invite only site. So you could get a Pownce invite by sharing your Joost invites. The more you share, the higher you are in the queue to receive an invite. Pretty neat idea if you’re into playing with the latest and greatest web stuff.

InviteShare.com

They’d already announced deals with CBS and Viacom, now they’ve signed up CNN, Turner, and Cartoon Network. The beta phase ends later this month and it seems Joost is set to make a huge splash when it hits. We could be literally standing at the turning point and the future of TV. I’d previously questions how and when the ads would be displayed on Joost… saying that if they followed the traditionaly tv model it’d be a HUGE turn off. Their execs have said they haven’t decided yet if they’d put them in the middle of the shows or at the front or tail end of the show but did say there would be fewer commercials than on regular tv.

Joost signs on CNN, other programming in advance of official launch

Unless you’ve been living in a box you’ve probably heard about Joost. It’s coming.

What is Joost?

Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost, you get all the things you love about TV, including a high-quality full-screen picture, hundreds of full-length shows and easy channel-flipping.

It’s like tv and the net all mashed together. Not only can you watch tv, but it comes with the benefits of the net built in. Things like search, chat and instant messaging, built right into the program - so you find shows quickly and talk to your friends while you watch. The coolest feature is that you don’t have to wait to watch what you want. Unlike you’re easy to use cable tv box with DVR, you don’t have to wait until a program is scheduled to play to watch it.

The inteface looks slick (as it should), they have screenshots of the display over on their site aso you can check them out. Joost is not yet open to the public, but they have a widespread beta going on. You can request signup for the beta here or ask someone who is already a beta use to send you an invitation (if you have one send it to me!).

This isn’t just another web 2.0 experiment. The guys who created this also made two programs that shook up their respective industries…. Kazaa changed P2P and made it widespread and usable (tho I never really liked it) and Skype which really brought free voice over IP outta the realm of geek toys into the hands of everybody.

Joost will be advertising supported. I wonder if that means no skipping over commercials? If it does, then I fear it will be of limited use to me. If they just display ads on the side, or perhaps a 30 second clip at the beginning than I don’t see how this can fail.