We recently came upon Fiverr, a website that people can use to buy or sell services for the flat rate of $5.  The service categories range from Graphics & Design to customizable gifts/entertainment to the Fun & Bizarre category. Need a JPEG turned into an eps file or a new logo?  Or how about a personalized message sent to a friend from someone while wearing a banana suit?  Chances are, Fiverr has it!  We decided to hire Fiverr to make one of our staff member into a Simpson’s character.  See it here.

To order something from Fiverr, you must pay $5 by PayPal or with a credit card. While your order is in progress, you can track the seller’s work, exchange files, and communicate with them.  You have 48 hours after the delivery of your product or service to ask for changes or corrections from the seller. You can provide feedback on the quality of work of every seller you do business with.

In order to sell something on Fiverr, you create a “gig,” which is a small service you are willing to perform for One Fiver ($5). Post it on the website. You will be notified when someone orders your service.  48 hours after your work has been successfully delivered, $4 will be deposited into your accounts, $1 taken by Fiverr. Your earnings can be withdrawn to a PayPal account.

So, if you need a little help, or something really silly, try Fiverr; it might be the best $5 you’ve ever spent!  Or at least the strangest.

Note: In order to buy or sell with Fiverr, you must be a registered user of their site. Registration is free and open to anyone.

–

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

Fellow Pinsters, you’re going to like this one!

We’ve all been there, you want to pin something but either the image is too small or there is no image at all.  Pinning is shot-down.  Until now!

Chrome browser users can add ShotPin from the Chrome web store at no charge.  This simple extension makes it easy to take a screenshot of any web page, and then share it on Pinterest.

So next time you are unable to pin, simply click the thumbtack that will be to the right of your address bar, then click and drag the image that you’d like to Pin.  After the image has been selected, click the thumbtack under the image and create your pin as usual.

Applied Tech is on Pinterest (and yes, we use ShotPin)!  Check us out!

–

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

Many people are hindered with spam on a daily basis and wonder why their barracuda or spam filter does not block these. What the user may not realize is that they have caused this themselves by using their work email to sign up for special offers and such.

Here is a listing of some good options to obtain free, temporary and disposable email addresses just for those occasions when you need a quick, non-permanent email. Using one of these services you will get a unique email ID that is valid for a few hours or a few days.

This one-time email address will expire by the time spammers get a hold of it, reducing spam to your inbox. Take your pick of disposable email service providers here.

–

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

If you’re looking to move your email data from one Internet Service Provider (ISP) to another, give TrueSwitch a try!

All data (saved emails, address book contacts, calendars, email history) is copied from one account to the another in a few steps; although the full transfer could take up to 24 hours.  This copied data can be saved in the original email account or deleted entirely at your discretion. With your approval, TrueSwitch can even send a notification to your contacts of your new email address and forward your emails for up to 90 days.  Additionally, if you switch to a TrueSwitch partner, such as Outlook or Gmail, there is no cost for this service.

http://www.trueswitch.com/

—

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

Have you ever tried to delete one of your online accounts only to find that the process is a huge hassle, or worse yet, not even possible?

Welcome AccountKiller to the rescue! 

This site will give you instructions on how to delete your online accounts, including Faceboook,Windows Live, Hotmail, MSN, Google and hundreds more.  If a site cannot be deleted, such as Skype or WordPress, AccountKiller can provide direction on how to minimize the information left on your account.

Sites listed are color-coded for your convenience. White means that the site should be easy to remove, grey-listed means there may be some extra steps involved, and if it’s coded in black, this indicates that the site is probably impossible or highly difficult to get rid of your account.

—
Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

Struggling to arrange meetings with your important business contacts or getting your family reunion scheduled? Consider using a facility such as Doodle Polls  to simplify the task. You don’t need an account to participate, and you eliminate the back and forth of email.  Simply enter the event details, choose a proposed meeting date(s) and available times.  A link will be generated that you can email to your event attendees that allows them to select which dates/times that they are available based on the options you listed originally.

As the event administrator, you will get a table view of everyone’s availability; this visual aid will determine the best date/time for your meeting.

This little time saver is just one of the features that doodle offers at no cost and without registration by either the administrator or the participants of the meeting poll.  Start scheduling your next event by visiting http://doodle.com/polls/wizard.html

———————————————————————————

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

The Windows 8 release is nearly here (slated release for general availability is October 26, 2012) and you might be wondering if your software will be compatible with the new OS.  Thanks to the Compatibility Center for Windows 8, you can look up your current software, anything from PC gaming, to cameras, to graphics cards, to find out whether your favorite apps and devices will be compatible with Windows 8.

Simply type the product name, or search the product catalog of thousands of the most popular devices and programs to help you easily identify what will or won’t work with Windows 8. You can also use this site to download drivers, receive software updates and leave user reviews.

Look up your favorite software at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/en-US/CompatCenter/Home

———————————————————————————

Want more Cool Tools? Check out our library at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/

Applied Tech has been delivering Cool Tools since January 2010; everything from the Arts & Letters Daily website (a must for the busy CEO) to Twitblock (blocking junk Twitter followers).  Let’s take a look back at some of our favs:

Arts & Letter Daily – The Cure for the Common Bore

CCleaner – Cleaning your C drive

Amazon Appstore – Test drive apps for your Android

Outlook Attachment Reminder – Never forgot an attachment again

AVG ThreatLabs – Safety ratings for website

Twitblock – Giving the boot to spammy followers

With over 50 Cool Tools to pique your interest, check out our ever-growing library of tips, tricks, fun reads and more at: http://www.appliedtech.us/resources/cool-tools/ 

Leave a comment on our blog article to tell us which Cool Tool has been your favorite, or if you have an idea for us!

Ever need to capture your screen, or a portion of it to show others?  Or ever wanted to take a piece of the screen to save it for future use?  Try the Microsoft Snippet Tool!  The tool is available only in the Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 and can be pinned to your task bar or start menu for quick access.

You can use Snipping Tool to capture a screen shot, or snip, of any object on your screen. Simply use the mouse to capture any of the following types of snips: Free-Form, Rectangular (or square) Snip, window Snip (window or dialog box) or the Full-Screen Snip (the entire screen). The image can then be emailed, pasted into a document, saved or even modified in Paint.

To get started: 1. Click the Start button. 2. Type, then select, Snipping Tool in the search box. 3. Start snipping!