Get free stuff with 21st Century Digital Boy
Mike Revers
Whatever side of the millennium debate you are on, you cannot argue the fact that the digital revolution is in full swing. So much so that this new century is promising to be one that will witness the greatest advances in computer technology that the world has ever seen, or even dreamed about.
With the sights of the hardcore programmers set on artificial intelligence, and the sights of the computer engineers on placing computers in every facet of domestic life, this century will be nothing short of a wild technology roller coaster ride.
So you ask, what does this really mean to me, Mr. And Mrs. John Q. Public?
Naturally, it means a faster dissemination of information and access to things that were previously unavailable.
So, what things and great sources of information am I talking about? Well for starters, news sources like the Observer.nd.edu, and nytimes.com.
These two sources are virtually the only thing you as a Notre Dame or Saint Mary's student need to stay on top of the current news. And the best part is that they are free! In fact, there is a whole plethora of things that you can find for free on the Internet. If you read my inside column awhile back, you already know about mrwakeup.com, a free online service that will call you in the morning and wake you up for class.
But there is really so much more to talk about, like dialpad.com, which will allow you to call anywhere in the United States over the Internet for free. All you need is a microphone and you can talk for as long as you want, to as far away as you want — this one is my personal favorite.
That is only the beginning though. There are tons of free software and utilities that you can download from sites like zdnet.com, shareware.com or filez.com. Many of the programs are shareware, but some are freeware, and really, there is nothing better than free.
Oh, but that isn't even the half of it! Do you like music? Looking for that hard to find picture? Looking for a movie clip?
Why not try one of the best media search engines, Scour.net? This site is fantastic for everything MP3 to JPG, and it's very easy to use. How about some extra hard drive space? Well, why not simply use the free space at freedrive.com. They will give you up to 50 megabytes of free space when you sign up.
Need to send some letters in the mail, and can't quite scrape 33 cents together? No problem: Just surf over to postage4free.com and get 10 free envelopes with postage licked on them for nothing. The possibilities are endless!
I am sure there are more things out there on the Internet too, but I don't have enough space to probably list them all. I have tried all aforementioned services, confirming that they are all legitimate, and all follow through on their promises. But there are things that you can get right here on Notre Dame's campus for next to nothing.
For instance, educational discounts run rampant on a college campus, and in the case of software, can save the student a ton of money. If you are looking for some software from Adobe, Macromedia, or even Microsoft, look no further than the OIT's computer store.
Not only will you probably find it right away without having to go to Best Buy, but also you will find it for much cheaper. Every company has different set discounts for educational software though, so the best advice is still to shop around. Don't forget though, the University has a signed deal with Microsoft to receive the Office Suite and many other applications at a next to nothing price of $5. Just make sure not to pay $250 for it at the bookstore!
The best thing to do in this age of technology is stay informed and jump at the free stuff when you can. Most of the time a company only collects some basic information like an address and phone number, which won't be the same next year anyway! Check out these sites which I have listed, and happy surfing.
If you have any ideas for next week, let me know at revers.1@nd.edu or scene@nd.edu.
All Scene Stories for Friday, February 11, 2000
