A secure online storage facility, a website that helps you avoid wasting food, free textbooks in PDF format ... Inam Abidi Amrohvi offers the best of the web.
Save online
With the increase in mobile devices that can connect to the internet, it makes sense to save regularly accessed data online. Finding a safe website that offers an online storage facility is the next logical consideration. Windows Live SkyDrive (http://skydrive.live.com) is a website that provides 25GB of online storage absolutely free. You need to create a Windows Live ID (one such ID gives you access to Hotmail, Messenger and Xbox Live) or use your existing one. Uploading your files is a relatively easy affair. You can either create your own folders or use the existing ones. There is a photo section as well where you can upload your favourite pictures.
All about countries
As the name suggests, nationmaster.com offers a vast range of statistics about various countries. It could prove a good resource for school projects or to just enhance your knowledge about your own country. The website has some very interesting facts. For example, did you know that 9 in 10 Dutch use the internet or that Libya is the only country with a single colour flag! As I was going through the site I searched for statistics under agricultural growth. The results brought a proud smile. The UAE topped the list of nations with the most growth in this sector. The country also ranked number one under cereal production.
No more food wastage
Food wastage is a global phenomenon today. Most of us stock food in our refrigerators to be used later. Sadly a part of it finds its way to the bin every time. As per a Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) report, British consumers alone throw out a third of all food bought. There are similar figures for the US and elsewhere. The site http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ offers ways in which we can avoid this wastage and do our bit for the environment. You can find recipes, tips and other useful information here. One fact caught my attention - "if we all stop wasting the food that could have been eaten the carbon dioxide impact would be the equivalent of taking one in every five cars off the road".
Test your memory
How about some games during your leisure time! http://neutralx0.net/home/ is a cool little website with games that test your brainpower. The one sure to get you hooked instantly is the short-term memory checker. It tests your short-term memory by randomly displaying items which you need to memorise and then locate in a bigger list. The number of items to memorise increases with every level that you successfully pass!
Free textbooks
Bookboon.com has a decent collection of textbooks and travel guides provided as PDF files. You can download these without providing any personal details. The textbooks are organised under heads such as career, economics, information technology and nanotechnology. The travel guides are organised continent wise. I checked the travel guide on New Delhi, India, and must say it was pretty decent. The advertisements on most pages are a minor irritant though. But then it's all coming for free, so no complaints!
Global news
Newsmap is a visually appealing application that organises Google News on a single page based on your selection. The idea is to divide the information into quickly recognisable bands which, when presented together, highlights the patterns in news reporting across the globe. The news results are organised under seven categories, viz., world, nation, business, technology, sports, entertainment and health. Each category is represented by a different colour which makes it easy to read on the page. The news itself is related to the country selected. The Newsmap application can be accessed at http://marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/index.cfm.
- Disclaimer: The opinions and ideas expressed here are purely those of the author and in no way reflect the views of Notes on any technology.
