Author Archives: Alisha

Soft Tech Reviews is my blog where I share my opinions and experiences on different topics, focusing on software and technology.

Tumblr and Themes

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Posted by Alisha on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 – 4:02 pm
Filed under Web Design

After having seen the Notepad Chaos WordPress theme by Evan Eckard on Smashing Magazine, I wished I had a blog to use it on. Then I realized I had a Tumblr blog that I was using a plain looking Tumblr theme on and have been wanting to make it look better.

I had never touched the code in Tumblr themes, so I didn’t know if I could port a theme over to Tumblr. Fortunately, it was very easy because the theme author had created a single file that had all of the theme code in it, minus the CSS of course.

The Tumblr code is pretty easy to understand and they provide a useful help page that explains each variable and even includes some page examples.

I did eventually learn that I couldn’t upload images on Tumblr, so I had to upload the images elsewhere and point them to the right location in the code.

Once the theme was ready on Tumblr, others started noticing it. In less than 24 hours, my blog was on the Sweet Themes Tumblr page.

So, if you are tired of the Tumblr themes provided, seek out a theme that wasn’t made for Tumblr and customize it for Tumblr! I’m glad mine doesn’t look like everyone else’s (except for the WordPress blogs using the theme). Here are a few sites that offer Tumblr themes:

Interested in a custom Tumblr theme? Check out tumblize.

Convert Documents with Universal Document Converter

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Posted by Alisha on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 – 4:09 pm
Filed under Software

With some of the work I do, I sometimes have to look at long Word and PDF documents and then have to pull out images. It can sometimes take a while to find the images I need if I don’t know what pages in the document they are located on. If I could view thumbnails of each page, then I could easily find out which pages they are on without opening up Word! I hate looking through PowerPoint slides just to find images, too. If I could just save them as image files, my job could go faster!

There are other reasons for converting documents into other file formats. For example, when exchanging documents, sometimes you may run into people unable to open a file because they don’t have the right software. Solution? Convert to a PDF. Most usually already have Adobe Reader on their computers and if not, it can be downloaded for free.

Another example could be if you wanted to share documents, but don’t want someone to easily copy/paste the text somewhere else.

I tried out Universal Document Converter and it worked very well. It’s very easy to use. It’s not like using new software and then having to learn how to use it. If you know how to print, you already know how to use Universal Document Converter. Read the steps below and/or watch the video tutorial.

Just five easy steps:

  1. Open a document.
  2. Select File > Print. (depending on the application being used)
  3. Select Universal Document Converter in the printer drop-down list.
  4. Select Properties to select what file format you want to convert to. Then press OK.
  5. Press Print.

This will allow you to save to the file format you had selected in the Properties. It will not print to a printer. It works just like the Microsoft XPS Document Writer does, just saves to a file. (Please note, the Microsoft XPS Document Writer is not a converter!)

After it is done converting, just open up the folder on your desktop labeled UDC Output Files to view your file(s). I was a little worried at first, but it lets you change the default output folder to another location if you choose. There is a readme file in that folder that explains more.

Universal Document Converter can export to eight file formats: TIFF, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, DCX, PCX and PDF. It also exports in high resolution.

Universal Document Converter is one of those must-have tools!

How to Create a Wish List on iTunes

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Posted by Alisha on Friday, August 15th, 2008 – 5:04 pm
Filed under Software

I use iTunes to find new movies or music, but I have found that I have to add them to the Shopping Cart if I want to go back to them later. That’s probably not actually a good idea, but it worked.

After not hearing from anyone on Twitter about creating a wish list on iTunes, I ended up doing some research and found the solution on the Apple website. It doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t create a built-in wish list though, but this workaround is better than nothing!

First, create a new Playlist in the sidebar of iTunes. If you don’t know how to do this, follow these steps:

  1. File > New Playlist (or CTRL + N)
  2. Enter in a name for your wish list (example: Wish List)

Now you have a Wish List using the Playlist feature which allows you to play previews of songs or movies from the iTunes Store.

Go into the iTunes Store and search for that awesome movie or song in the iTunes Store that you want to purchase at a later date. As far as I know, the only way this works is if you have a list appear below the Store. If you find a movie or song you like, just enter it in the search box and a list will appear with all the results. Find the one you are looking for.

After you’ve selected the one you want, just drag it over to your Wish List Playlist in the sidebar and then let go. Then if you click on your Wish List Playlist, you should see what you’ve added to it.

This is not the best solution and I think Apple should add a Wish List feature. But until that day comes, this works.

If you have a better way for adding movies or songs to a Wish List for iTunes, please leave a comment!

UPDATE: I forgot to add one other step. When you’re ready to purchase a song or movie in your Wish List, drag it from your Wish List to your Shopping Cart and it will be ready for you to purchase.

Tekzilla: Word Search on a Webpage Tip

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Posted by Alisha on Monday, August 11th, 2008 – 6:10 pm
Filed under Software, Video

On Episode 155, Web Browsers: Word Search on a Webpage, Veronica Belmont has a great tip that allows you to quickly find a word or phrase on a webpage so you don’t have to read the entire page to find what you’re looking for. Although this tip is very helpful, I wanted to add to it.

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.flv/bitcast-a.bitgravity.com/revision3/flv/tekzilla/tzdaily/0155/tekzilla--tzdaily--0155--2008-08-11findtext--large.fl8.flv

In the video, she says you can press CTRL + F (or CMD + F on a Mac) whether you’re using Firefox, Safari, Opera or Internet Explorer and a search bar or window will appear and then you can enter in what you’re looking for and the word will be highlighted in the browser. Then, press the previous or next buttons to find more instances of that word. I find that to be a little slow and prefer another way (at least when using Firefox).

In Firefox, make sure Search for text when I start typing is enabled. To enable this feature:

  1. Go to Tools > Options in the menu.
  2. Then select Advanced.
  3. In the General tab, select the checkbox next to Search for text when I start typing.
  4. Click OK.

Now when you start typing a word, each part of it will automatically be selected on the webpage where ever the first instance appears. There is no need to press CTRL + F (or CMD + F on a Mac) to start searching.

If you want to find another instance of the word or phrase you’re searching for on the webpage, just press F3. F3 will go through every instance on the webpage as many times that you press it. Want to go back to a previous word or phrase? Press Shift + F3.

Large Collection of Beautiful Icons

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Posted by Alisha on Monday, August 11th, 2008 – 2:39 pm
Filed under Customization

Icons can be very useful for any kind of project, whether it’s for a website, application or even the desktop. Some generous people offer many high quality icons for free. I have collected a lot of icons myself and wanted to share some with you.

I’ve included previews of the icons. Keep in mind that some previews may not show every icon that is included in the set(s). To preview and download an icon set, click on the preview image and it will take you to the page. Please note that a lot of the links might also include more icon sets than what is previewed here.

  1. Got It Icons by klepas
  2. Blogging Icons by blogperfume
  3. Function Icons by Function
  4. eCommerce Icons by Starfish Web Consulting
  5. Xiao Icons by Neversay
  6. Web Development Icons by Icojoy
  7. Web 2.0 RSS Icons by Icojoy
  8. Arrow Icons by FreeIconsWeb
  9. Office Tools by Beauticons
  10. Web 2 Icons by Dirceu Veiga
  11. Smashing Feed Icons by Dirceu Veiga
  12. Sweet System Icons by Dirceu Veiga
  13. Fast Icon Users by Dirceu Veiga
  14. Milky Part 8 Icons by Min Tran
  15. Bright! Icons by Min Tran
  16. Aquaticus Social Icons by Quage9
  17. Social Bookmark Icons by Vikiworks
  18. Social Bookmark Icons Part II by Vikiworks
  19. RSS Icon by blogeeks
  20. Smashy The Alien Icons by Maja Bencic
  21. Apollo Icons by marcelomarfil
  22. Boxes Vista-Like Icons by tpdkdesign
  23. Care Bears Icons by Yellow Icon
  24. Vista Colorful Folders Pack by Mitchelaneous
  25. Stickers Icons by DryIcons
  26. Coquette Icons by DryIcons
  27. Social Web Buttons by WebFruits
  28. Social Web Buttons Set 2 by WebFruits
  29. Black Vector Icons by GoSquared
  30. RSS Icons Orb v2 by nam0
  31. Glossy WordPress Logo Icon by AODdesign
  32. Software & Web Applications Interface Icons by User Interface Icons
  33. RTM Sidebar Icon Variations by greyham6

Some more places you can find icons at are:

If you know of some other places to find really good icons (preferably for free!), then please leave a comment. Don’t worry if you leave a link and your comment doesn’t appear right away. As long as it’s not spam, I will manually approve it.