New Media Picks Of The Week: Sharewood Picnic 14

New media picks of the week is my weekly basket of tasty new media resources, online tools and new software tools I think are worth your attention.

Try for yourself, download, install and learn some pretty interesting things with these great new resources and tools.

Photo credit: Gilbert Tremblay

Here is my selection for this week:

1. Full-featured digital photo-sharing service


2. Online clearinghouse for digital images


3. Online service to host video clips


4. Open-source platform for internet television (Mac)


5. Custom postal stamps creation service back online


6. Seamless VoIP mobile connectivity over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G


7. Visually plot breaking news by location


8. Resources and tips for creative thinking


9. ICTs for critical thinking


10. Free machine-translation service integrates on your web site


11. Free digital calculator with tape

Enjoy!

[A particular thank you goes to all that help me learn and discover about these great resources as well as to those who support me in assembling these together during the week (Butterfly and Nylon this is for you!!!)]

1. SmugMug
   
   
   SmugSmug is one of the most full-featured digital photo sharing services available, hosting over 17 million photos (Feb 05) while offering many unique features. Using the service requires the payment of a relatively modest fee ranging from US$29.95/year for novice or amateur users up to $99.95/year for professionals. With the minimum membership you get unlimited photo storage along with unlimited bandwidth to support viewers to those photos. SmugMug positions itself as a permanent repository for digital images while providing full guarantee that your photos will never be deleted or removed without your express authorization. Among the unique features a CD/DVD backup service they offer as a complement for anyone who wants to guarantee extra long life and protection to her images, the ability to custom control your photo gallery visual style, to embed watermarks on photos, to disable right-click "save image as" functionality from browsers visiting your page and more. It is even possible to track in detail the Web traffic to your images and receive email notifications for you new comments posted below your images. Pro users can sell images from their collections by simply selecting their sale prices while leaving SmugMug a small commission for safely managing these transactions. Free trial available.
   http://www.smugmug.com/
   





2. Electric-Photo
   
   
   Electric-photo.com is an online service for you to buy, sell and auction digital photographs and illustrations. Use the basic or advanced search features to locate specific images by keywords, style, subject, concept, author and a range of other attributes, including colour information. For independent photographers just upload your images, set your price and let electric-photo work for you.
   http://www.electric-photo.com/
   





3. ClipShack
   
   New online clearinghouse for independently produced video clips. ClipShack automatically converts video files to Flash during upload, making them lightweight and viewable on most any browser and computer platform without having QuickTime Player, Real Player or Windows Media Player installed on your computer.
   http://www.clipshack.com/
   





4. DTV: Internet TV
   
   Just released DTV is a new free and open-source platform for internet television and video (Mac now, Windows soon). An intuitive interface lets users subscribe to channels, watch independently produced video clips, and build a video library. An integrated publishing tool lets you broadcast full-screen video clips to thousands of people at virtually no cost. The project is fully non-profit and built on open standards.
   http://participatoryculture.org/download.php
   





5. Photostamps
   
   PhotoStamps is super service that is finally back online. The online service allows you to convert any digital image into a valid US stamp that can be used to send mail. I first learned about it from Howard Rheingold of SmartMobs but was never able to take advantage of it as the service is offered only in the North America and it had been closed down right after my initial inquiries over a year ago. Users need only to upload their selected digital images, customize them through an easy to use interface and place a final quantity order that will be shipped to their selected North American address. Highly recommended! (and if you want to do me a great present help me out to order my own set as they still do not support anyone requesting them from outside the US).
   http://photo.stamps.com/
   





6. TruPhone
   
   Truphone is a new online service allowing you to make a phone call over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or 3G in a completely transparent fashion and while using VoIP technology on popular mobile phones such as the Nokia 6630. This allows you to mix the benefits of carrying a single mobile device with all your contacts while gaining the cost benefits of IP telephony. When moving away from a Wi-Fi access point Truphone automatically transfers your call to the cellular network. For enterprises this provides the ideal converged device so that employees need only use one phone for all their communication needs.
   http://www.scn.com/products.htm
   





7. NewsGlobe
   
   NewsGlobe is a free, innovative tool that plots breaking news by location. NewsGlobe combines results from Google Earth (Google's geographic search engine) with end-user selected RSS news feeds to display news stories by location on a local, regional or international map. The service scans news headlines for keywords that identify the location of the story, and then presents them associated to the relevant location they refer to.
   http://www.daden.co.uk/consulting/pages/000188.html
   





8. 50 Essential resources for Creativity
   
   Want to be creative? Here is a truly effective toolkit for being creative and stimulating innovative thinking. 163 creative resources compiled by Mycoted provide a comprehensive resource guide to creative thinking. On top of them more specific creativity tips and a list over 30 recommended books make this a must-bookmark destination for everyone wanting to best leverage creative thinking.
   http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/...
   





9. ICTs for Critical Thinking
   
   Online resource focusing on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for enhancing critical thinking processes within educational settings and in the facilitation of learning.
   http://m.fasfind.com/wwwtools/...
   





10. Free translation
    
    Free online translation service that can be integrated on your web site pages. Allows your visitors to "machine-translate" any page of your site into their preferred language.
    http://www.appliedlanguage.com/trans/...
    





11. Free calculator with tape
    
    Moffsoft FreeCalc is a great replacement for your existing Windows calculator with these extra features:
    -Adjustable calculator size
    -Tape
    -Color schemes
    -Visible memory value
    -System requirements - Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
    http://www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm