== (Unpaid) Plugs: Products and Services I Love


== Amazon MP3 Downloads

http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b?ie=UTF8&node=163856011

Amazon MP3 Downloads sells unencrypted, no-DRM MP3 files and their library 
covers thousands of artists, overlapping most of iTunes' catalog. As soon 
as this store existed, I decided I would never buy music online any other 
way again. Seems like a no brainer, but I'm listing it here because most 
people still don't know it exists. Don't purchase media that uses DRM! < 
http://defectivebydesign.org/ >

== Clipperz

http://www.clipperz.com

Clipperz is a browser-based application that stores all your passwords in 
an encrypted database. Create a **new** password for every new service you 
sign up for, and then you never have to be particularly annoyed when one 
of those services proves to be untrustworthy with your password (data 
breach, emailing your password to you as plain text without you asking for 
it, etc.) All the data Clipperz handles is encrypted and encrypted 
completely within your browser; the server only stores encrypted data. In 
fact, the server doesn't even know your Clipperz username and password!

== Dreamhost

My web hosting provider is Dreamhost < http://www.dreamhost.com >, and I 
have been with them for years and have always loved being their customer. 
Sure, they've gotten their share of bad press in the last couple of years, 
but they always communicate openly about their problems, and I appreciate 
that. GoDaddy looks pretty bad in comparison, and I know Dreamhost has got 
a lot of other competition, but I'm just not motivated to try to find any 
other provider when the one I'm with has such amazing levels of 
documentation and customer support -- both technical and otherwise.

== Google Maps Mobile

If you've got a PDA or a phone with unlimited wireless Internet access, 
install Google Maps Mobile < http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/index.html >
and pretty soon you won't know how you lived without it. Most of Google 
just rocks, and Maps is no exception. Use it to figure out where you are, 
how to get where you're going, where you //want// to go, and what to eat 
on your way there. If your handheld doesn't have access to GPS, Google 
will approximate your position according to what phone cell you're 
connected to.

== Sneakemail

http://www.sneakemail.com/

Sneakemail is a great complement for Clipperz. With only one more new 
window and a few clicks, I can create a new **email** address to go with 
the new password I create for every new service I sign up for online. All 
these anonymous email addresses get forwarded to my real email account by 
Sneakemail. This way, if I don't like the way an online service is 
emailing me, I can simply cut them off on **my end** instead of asking 
them to stop and hoping they will understand.

== ZTree

http://www.ztree.com/

ZTree is a text-mode file manager for Windows and OS/2 that clones the 
look and feel of XTree for DOS. Anyone who wishes they had something like 
XTree, Norton Commander, or PC-Tools in Windows should try it out. I 
mostly avoid the Windows operating system nowadays, but when I'm there, 
ZTree is my primary means of navigation and file management.