Maverick Marks Master Link Directory (formerly on ALMARKS.COM)

[Antmeister]

Okay, I know it has a long title, but I have finally merged all the links into one database. Thanks to a freeware script I had found, it cut down on the lenght of time it would have taken to create this in my spare time. I haven't been working on the web pages because the list was getting way too long.

On top of that I have also included over 100 new links since my last update in April. New games, new applications, new categories etc. And I plan to add other features in the future.

If you have any cool links and don't see it in the link directory, you can now submit a url for approval. So for those of you who had sent me some cool links, you can do this at the website.

Check it out here:
ALMARKS.COM Master Link Directory

[Antmeister]

Penumbra (freeware): first person adventure horror game

Recently I just got a chance to try out this great freeware game called Penumbra. At first I thought this was just some typical first person shooter, but I was dead wrong. This is more like a first person adventure game with unbelievable graphics and physics.

View screenshots here:
Penumbra Screenshots

Unlike a number of games similar to this genre, you use the mouse to push, pull, lift, open and close objects. The screen above is your starting location and as you explore this room, you will soon learn this isn't the typical first person game. In fact, it's not your typical freeware game period.


Microsys Launcher (freeware): Launch your applications from the task bar

I have been looking for something like this for quite some time. If you have a number of applications that you want to have access to from your taskbar, this is a great utility. You can accomplish this by dragging your shortcuts to it or by searching by the executable. It resides in the area next to your clock in Windows XP and you simply left click on the icon to quickly select an applicaiton you want to launch.

View screenshots here
Microsys Launcher Screenshots


Kudos (shareware): Life text simulation

This was made by the guy who created Democracy. Well, at first glance, this may seem like a text sim version of The Sims, but it actually quite a deep entertaining game. The object of the game seems pretty simple. You are a 20 year old with a job that barely supports you and try to make the most out of your life by the choices you make.

Some of the choices deal with how you deal with your friends, making career choices, going to school, how you spend your free time. It sounds really involved, but it is not that difficult to play. It also sounds pretty basic, but if you play the demo, you will see that a number of these choices have a direct effect on your personal stats.

What's also cool about this game is that it is moddable. You can create avatars, jobs and even mod the configuartion file.

View screenshots and play the demo here:
Kudos Game

[Antmeister]

Over 40 links added to the site. Here are my favorites so far:

OpenDNS - Use a free DNS for caching and phishing protection.

Lightbox JS and Lightbox JS v2 - This is a great way to view images on your website using this very useful javascript.

Zunafish (service) - This is an environment in which you are trading goods by making offers. Get rid of your unwanted DVD, books, CDs and more and trade for the things you want.

And many more.....

[Antmeister]

Over 50 links added to the site today and I got a few more favorites so far:

Copernic Desktop Search 2.0 - I have upgraded recently to this new version and I am even more impressed. I have been using this software for quite some time to filter through my emails and songs and the software has dramatically improved.

Hydrogen - Here is a drum machine that plays across different platforms. However this was first made for Linux and is the most stable in that environment.

musikCube - Here is a mp3 player that is portable and quite capable of creating playlists.

Sunbird and Lightning - If you are currently using Thunderbird and have missed the calendar feature that Outlook possesses then this could be your solution. The difference between the two is that Sunbird is for the desktop while Lightning becomes part of your email client.

And many more.....

[Pumpy Tudors]

Hey, an Antmeister sighting! Good stuff, Ant! Thanks!

[Antmeister]

Over 50 links added to the site today and I got a few more favorites so far:

Crime Scene: Evidence Files - Do you think you can be a super slueth? Well this is an interesting site. You are presented with clues, case files, transcripts, etc. Use this information to solve the crime. You can play this for free, but if you like it and want to get access to more tools, you can join for $3.95 (30 days) or $24.95 (year).

Schmap Local - Nice plugin for either Firefox or Internet Explorer. Use this to save addresses and phone number you come across as you brose the web. You can then sync the text messages to your iPod, BlackBerry, PDA, etc. Very cool plugin.


Widelands - Looking for a real time strategy game? Well here is a free open source computer game. Start out as a small tribe and try to build your own village. Works on both Windows and Linux.

And many more...including games, an audio converter for iTunes, etc......

[DaddyTorgo]

woot. i must have missed this post the first time around

[Antmeister]

Over 60 links added....and here are a few more of my favorites:

CustomizeGoogle- Nice extension that makes your googling much more easier. Although Google is the most popular search engine because of its simplicity, user interface and speed, this extension will allow you to remove those ads, add filters, additional search engines and more. Find more extensions here.

VideoReDo - This nice of software was brought to my attention by Frogman. What this piece of software allows you to do is edit the shows you have on your DVR and/or PVR and make a DVD out of it. So now you can edit out all the ads to your favorite television shows and watch it straight through. Plus the software is not that difficult to learn. Thanks Frogman.
Find more video editing programs here.


SmartFlix - This is not really new, but I decided to share this since their collection has grown tremendously and they changed their name from "Techincal Video Rental". Think of this company as the Netflix for training and educational videos. You can find DVDs teaching you software, automotive, arts and crafts, writing, etc. Find out about other learning resources here.


The Kingdom of Loathing - Okay, imagine that flereimsaho created an online text based game with a fantasy setting. This is what you get with Kingdom of Loathing. This is a humorous game that is surprisingly deep. Try to level your character in this stick figure world with a limited amount of turns. You can go on quests, battle it out in PVP combat, etc. Find out about other games here.

I have also added additional sections to the site. You will now find a Humor, Social Networking/Sharing and because the online/multiplayer section had gotten so huge, I decide to split it into 3 separate categories:

• Free to Play - All these multi player games are free to play. You don't pay for the software or any subscription fee.
• Free to Play/Subscription and Purchase - The games are free to play in general, but they offer subscription or purchase of the software for additional features.
• Subcription and Purchase - You either purchase the software and/or pay a subscription under your online account.

[Antmeister]

Over 10 links added....

Zamzar - This site allows you to convert your files into other formats. Convert images, documents, audio and video. And do all of this in a browser. There is no need to install any software. Find more media conversion programs here.

wySUwyg - This Firefox extension allows you to format the content of any text area to HTML. This is very useful for StumbleUpon bloggers, message boards and bloggers.
Find more Firefox extensions here.


The Blob - I came across when I visited Game Tunnel. In fact if you want to see Game Tunnel's end of the year awards, check them out. There were a number of impressive games there. Anyways, I chose to add this to the list because it is both freeware and it can be fun. Check out other games here.

Giveaway of the Day and Game Giveaway of the Day- These are my newest additions to the website. They can be viewed on any page you visit. The concept is simple. Each day a shareware game or application is given away for free. People then go on the site to rate the game. So when the game is no longer on the freeware market, you can check out the reviews to see if that is something you are interested in. Great concept. You can even add giveaway links to your blog or standard webpage. There are even RSS feeds available. Check them out. Here are the current freebies now:

[DaddyTorgo]

giveawayoftheday=sweet. nice lil site

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

giveawayoftheday=sweet. nice lil site

Yep, great stie, but I just found out that they also created Game Giveaway of the Day earlier this month. That is one I will be checking it out often.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Yep, great stie, but I just found out that they also created Game Giveaway of the Day earlier this month. That is one I will be checking it out often.

ant you bastard...you couldn't put giveaway up 2 days ago? the giveaway for yesterday was a $100 program!

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

ant you bastard...you couldn't put giveaway up 2 days ago? the giveaway for yesterday was a $100 program!

Damn it, and I missed it too. I just looked at the site today and added the banners to the site. So I didn't get it either.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Damn it, and I missed it too. I just looked at the site today and added the banners to the site. So I didn't get it either.

ah well...at least you missed it too. that makes me feel better. dunno what i'd use software like that for, but for $100 I could find a use I'm sure.

[Antmeister]

Over 40 links added....and here are a few more of my favorites:


Sticky Password - Luckily I was able to get this software for free, thanks to Giveawayoftheday.com. This is very impressive software since it can be used with all the modern browsers and for each site that you enter a password, it will ask you if you want to add this account to its database. You then have the option of letting the password populate automaticlally when you visit the site or just do it manually. Good piece of software. You can find other password storage applications here.

Game It Yourself - This is an interesting site since it doesn't focus on software at all. In fact, it the site calls itself a resource for print and play games. This means that you can print the material onto card stock, follow some rules and you got a game going. I immediately thought of Buccaneer and JoninMiddleGA when I encountered this site, because this seems right up there alley. Since nothing is more powerful than the theatre of the mind, it can make for some interesting games and game developers can use this as a way of generating ideas of their own.
Find more game collections, click here.

Adventure Gamers - This site has been around for over 8 years. It is a site dedicated to commercial and independent games. They has some pretty good reviews and a long list of games to choose from that are freeware and shareware titles. If you enjoy this genre, this may be right up your alley.
Find more game collections, click here.

Photoshop Quicktips - For those that think blogs are pretty much crap, then stay away from this one. For those that are into Photoshop and would like to learn some new and alternative tips and tricks, then this video podcast should be right up your alley.
Find other design tutorials (web, Photshop, Flash), click here.

[DaddyTorgo]

ant, with so many links+categories and stuff, have you considered throwing up banner ads or something and trying to make some cash off your collection ?? All of the "amalgamation sites" out there had to start somehow...maybe you have something here that could turn you a few bucks a month?

[Emiliano]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Sticky Password - Luckily I was able to get this software for free, thanks to Giveawayoftheday.com. This is very impressive software since it can be used with all the modern browsers and for each site that you enter a password, it will ask you if you want to add this account to its database. You then have the option of letting the password populate automaticlally when you visit the site or just do it manually. Good piece of software. You can find other password storage applications here.

Too bad I wasn't able to get this one, I could have used something like that. It's not going to happen anymore, though, as I bookmarked giveawayoftheday.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

ant, with so many links+categories and stuff, have you considered throwing up banner ads or something and trying to make some cash off your collection ?? All of the "amalgamation sites" out there had to start somehow...maybe you have something here that could turn you a few bucks a month?

You know, I had thought about that, but I personally always hated to see a link directory populated with ads. I would probably do so if the ads are related to links that exist in the database and I generate more consistent traffic, but right now, I will continue to use this as my online bookmarking tool.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Emiliano

Too bad I wasn't able to get this one, I could have used something like that. It's not going to happen anymore, though, as I bookmarked giveawayoftheday.

there are likely decent free alternatives that could tide you over emiliano

[Yellow5]

KeePass is close, and free. I've been using KeePass for a year now and it's great.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

okay, as you know, I visit your page anytime I need something software wise, but I missed these new additions (and the fact you gave me props for Redo thanks) and let me tell ya, these are SWEET!!! Even better is the fact that they have RSS feeds for both of them, they are now part of my google reader subscriptions, so I won't miss one.

You ever thought of setting up some RSS feed yourself? I have no clue how this is done so this might be too much work for nothing, but I sure would like to be able to keep an eye to what you add. Just a thought.

FM

[FrogMan]

as for a password program, I decided to pay up for RoboForm2Go a couple months ago. Sure it costs $39.95 but it runs off my USB key, meaning I have all my password with me wherever I go and it can saves bookmarks too, so I've stopped saving bookmarks locally and save all of them with it now.

Ant already has a link for roboform on his list of links.

FM

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

okay, as you know, I visit your page anytime I need something software wise, but I missed these new additions (and the fact you gave me props for Redo thanks) and let me tell ya, these are SWEET!!! Even better is the fact that they have RSS feeds for both of them, they are now part of my google reader subscriptions, so I won't miss one.

You ever thought of setting up some RSS feed yourself? I have no clue how this is done so this might be too much work for nothing, but I sure would like to be able to keep an eye to what you add. Just a thought.

FM

Thanks Mr. Frogman. I tried to reply to this at work, but all of the sudden FOFC was blocked after I hit the reply button, so now I won't have access this this site anymore.

Anyway, I thought about doing an RSS feed and even downloaded some freeware to accomplish this. However I tend to be a slow starter as you may have noticed when I moved all the links to a database from a web page.

So as soon as I learn to create one that will be easy to maintain, I will have an RSS feed available. So it is good to know that it wouldn't be a waste of time if I were to create one. I wasn't sure how many people use feeds.

[FrogMan]

the blocked acces sucks donkey balls.

The RSS feed is not a must you know, do it if you feel like it. I can't say how many others out there do use it, but I know that when I see a site with a feed and I want to keep track of changes on it, it's easy for me to add it to my google reader.

Keep up the great work, your list is very much appreciated.

FM

[Yellow5]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Thanks Mr. Frogman. I tried to reply to this at work, but all of the sudden FOFC was blocked after I hit the reply button, so now I won't have access this this site anymore.

hxxp://www.workfriendly.net

If that's not blocked, you might be able to access through that site.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Yellow5

hxxp://www.workfriendly.net

If that's not blocked, you might be able to access through that site.

Wow....that is the most brilliant thing I have seen. Thank you for that link. Can't wait to try it at work.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

the blocked acces sucks donkey balls.

The RSS feed is not a must you know, do it if you feel like it. I can't say how many others out there do use it, but I know that when I see a site with a feed and I want to keep track of changes on it, it's easy for me to add it to my google reader.

Keep up the great work, your list is very much appreciated.

FM

Thanks sir, but I plan to do it for the simple case that I never created one before. I just don't know when I will take the time to do it. It is probably something simple, but if I am wrong, then expect to see one in a month or so.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Thanks sir, but I plan to do it for the simple case that I never created one before. I just don't know when I will take the time to do it. It is probably something simple, but if I am wrong, then expect to see one in a month or so.

that's a pretty good reason in itself

FM

[Antmeister]

Over 30 links added....and here are a few more of my favorites:


liveplasma - Interesting site. What you do is use the site to find your favorite band, director, actor or movie and it will find other similar interests for you by showing this overhead map of thumbnailed pictures and titles. For more social networking site, click here.

3D Box Shot Maker - Use this to make your own box art for a product. Just as simple as that. If you have a picture, you can make it look like a box on the shelf.
For more image editors, click here.

ROR (Resources of a Resource) - This is a cool approach to creating RSS feeds since it uses XML and makes it easier for search engines to identify.
For more podcasting and RSS software, click here.

Ant Movie Catalog - This is for those people who have a large collection of CDs and/or DVDs and want to keep a catalog of all they have. This can also print lists and labels and there are other scripts available that can extend it ability. It is open source as well, so if you have the skill, you can even write your own scripts.
For other databases, click here.

Others that I will just mention are:
Sound Body Trainer
Artweaver
Blocknote
dompdf
Dynamic Web Coding
.....and many more

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

the blocked acces sucks donkey balls.

The RSS feed is not a must you know, do it if you feel like it. I can't say how many others out there do use it, but I know that when I see a site with a feed and I want to keep track of changes on it, it's easy for me to add it to my google reader.

Keep up the great work, your list is very much appreciated.

FM

Okay, Mr. Frogram, I have added the RSS Feed. The feed will only cover my top 7 links. You have a choice of adding the Feed or just viewing the web page of. With each update. I will keep swapping out the top 7.

Thanks for the little push there, since I was putting it off for a while. It was much easier to put together than I thought it would.

The links include a few games, alternative forum software, free web templates and much more. Check out the RSS FEED or just go the the web page containing the TOP 7.

Thanks to all for the suport. Although the traffic is uneven, I still manage thousand of unique visits a month according to Google Analytics.

[Emiliano]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

I have added the RSS Feed.

Oh great job Ant. I'm going to add it on my Google Reader's page.

[Antmeister]

Damn....I know its been a while since I last updated the feed, but I did not realize it has been 3 months. Anyhow, I have added over 50 links to the site and the top 7 can be seen here.

http://www.almarks.com/masterlinks/top7.html

[hoosierdude]

Thanks for this site, I have tried a few of the G/Pof the day dl's and found a couple nice ones. I visit this site daily. A must have for me. Thanks a lot.

[lighthousekeeper]

thanks! rocket dock is amazing!

[Antmeister]

Cool! It's good to know that people still find it useful. So thanks for the compliments.

[lighthousekeeper]

I've always liked your site. I used to have it as one of my firefox quick tabs before I switched back to ie7.

[Antmeister]

Over 60 links added in this round. The top 7 has a couple of game, a nifty application launcher, desktop weather watcher and more.

http://www.almarks.com/masterlinks/top7.html

There are also a few noteworthy sites that didn't make the top 7:

http://www.sherlockholmes-thegame.com/
http://www.evjosoft.com/PhImageResizer.html
http://www.dopdf.com/index.php
http://www.createinstall.com/

[Antmeister]

Over 70 links added today. The top 7 includes internet television, online music player for your songs and more.

http://almarks.com/masterlinks/top7.html

I have also created some new categories:
Online Storage
Computer Help
File/Folder Software
Bargains/Discounts/Deals

And because the Free to Play directory was getting so huge, I had to divide these into smaller categories as well.
Free to Play subdirectories

Enjoy!

[Antmeister]

Other notable software programs this week:
Thingamablog
Cute Partition Manager
Slide Show Movie Maker
Outwar

[Pumpy Tudors]

Ant, if I may make a suggestion, I think it would be a good idea to put a link back to the "Master Link Directory" on the Top 7 page. That way, if I click the Top 7 link in one of your posts, I have a way to the main directory without having to delete the "top7.html" part from the URL.

Great job, as always!

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Ant, if I may make a suggestion, I think it would be a good idea to put a link back to the "Master Link Directory" on the Top 7 page. That way, if I click the Top 7 link in one of your posts, I have a way to the main directory without having to delete the "top7.html" part from the URL.

Great job, as always!

Thanks. That makes perfect sense. I am just lazy because that page is generated and published with some free software. But you're right, that would make it much more user friendly.

[Yellow5]

http://www.dark-wind.com/

Turn-based mmorpg automobile combat set in post apocalyptic world. Manage a gang of drivers, stats, vehicles and more.

Free and pay version.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Yellow5

http://www.dark-wind.com/

Turn-based mmorpg automobile combat set in post apocalyptic world. Manage a gang of drivers, stats, vehicles and more.

Free and pay version.

Nice. This look like real time version of Car Wars/Autoduel from Steve Jackson Games. I gotta try this one out.

[Edit] Oh...crap this is turned based. That is a trip because you can see real world physics applied to each continuing action.

[Antmeister]

Geez...has it really been 7 months since I last updated this thing.

Well the top 7 this time around is pretty cool. We have a indie roleplaying that was released about a week ago, a bittorrent/chat program that works in your browser, a gaming service, some HDR software and other things.

In fact, I added a whole new section called High Dynamic Range. This is for those who want to take their RAW images to the next level by combining exposures so that you can get much more detail, especially with night shots. The one we use is called Dynamic Photo HDR and we have been impressed with the software's tone mapping features which also add a new way or artistically manipulating your pictures. There are also open source/freeware versions included in that section.

In terms of gaming service, there are probably a number of people that know of GameTap. It is one of the best concepts I have seen.

At this moment, games such as Space Empires IV, Civilization IV, and many other well known games are available to play for just $9.95 a month or $59.95 for a year. The other cool thing is that you can have this on two computers and multiple accounts. At the moment they have over a thousand games that play on a Windows machine, yet they are games that comes from a variety of other platforms like Dreamcast, Playstation, etc. And there are also some games they are releasing the same time as in stores. Clive Barker's Jericho was done this way and there is more to come.

The reason why I have been geeked about this is because you can filter out games for each profile, so my daughter has her choice of educational/children games, while I get to play the more adult themed variety. So far, I have played Blood Rayne, Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne, Tomb Raider: Legend, Infernal, and Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. Once these are finished I am moving on to Sid Meier's Pirates (the 2005 version) and Space Empires V.

Anyways, check it out:
http://almarks.com/masterlinks/top7.html

[Yellow5]

I love Gametap! One of the best deals in gaming and they are kicking butt by adding current titles. My Gametap is is "eropel" if you wanna add me to your friends list.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Yellow5

I love Gametap! One of the best deals in gaming and they are kicking butt by adding current titles. My Gametap is is "eropel" if you wanna add me to your friends list.

Just added you.

[Antmeister]

Oh and regards to the roleplaying game, Eschalon: Book I ,there is a demo available to try. While the game has many elements of old school roleplaying games, it is not a difficult game to pick up. And the game's quality is surpisingly good for its first iteration.

And for those who are looking for a quick way to do screen or video captures and share them quickly, you gotta check out Jing Project. It's pretty amazing what you get set up in a short amount of time without having to use seperate applications to accomplish it. The video tour on their site does a pretty good job of showing you these benefits as well.

[Schmidty]

Thanks for this Ant. I have actually used your site quite a few times recently, and have found some decent games that my laptop can handle at work.

[Yellow5]

Depths of Peril

Depths of Peril - A great diablo-style action rpg. A little steep @ $30 but decided to buy it anyway and happy that I made the purchase. Demo is available.

• Unique blend of action RPG with strategy elements
• Leader of one warring faction fighting for supremacy
• Must navigate relationships with enemy factions using diplomacy, trade, war, and raids
• Real and hard consequences from a living world
• Breathing, evolving world
• A deep wellspring of history (40+ short stories, 60,000+ words)
• Random, seamless world

Put the key features in bold because this is what really makes the game. For a small developer this is a gem.

[Antmeister]

Wow....gonna have to check out that demo. If it plays out how I imagine it, it will be well worth $30.