Someone asked me the other day what programs they should or should not install on their netbook when they get it. They were aiming largely at what they should or should not pay money for. So I decided to compile a list of my must-have programs.

1) Google Chrome – This is the first thing I install on my computer if I get a new one or re-install windows. I used to be a Firefox junkie, but I’ve found Google Chrome to be faster, lighter, and much easier to use than Firefox. It has native Google Gears support which allows me to naturally run GMail offline, as well as enable Gears on Google Docs, Calendar, and as well on Wordpress without having to install it from scratch.

2) AVG Anti-Virus (the free version) – Most people think that you need to pay a good chunk of money up front, and pay for a subscription in order to be protected from malware. I’ve found that AVG is a perfectly good, and free alternate. Be careful, however, there are a lot of other sites that offer AVG, make sure you get it from the actual AVG website. The above link is linked to the actual AVG website. Its a great tool that will keep you free of viruses and malware, without some expensive plan.

3) Pidgin Chat Client – I hate, hate, hate having to install three dozen chat clients for instant messaging. So, I use Pidgin. It’s an open source, free chat client that connects to all major IM servers as well to any jabber bassed IM servers. Since I use GChat, Yahoo!, and AIM I prefer not to install those three programs if I can at all help it. I also like the fact that it does not support voice/video and some of the more laggy, clunky advanced features. Its just a nice, simple chat interface. After all, that’s why I IM, to chat!

4) iTunes – Ok, so Apple produced iTunes to support its Ipod sales. However, since then its grown to a larger audience than people who own Ipods. I for one, do not. But, I love the fact that I can purchase music, movies, and tv seasons with the click of a button and it automatically downloads. I am a particularly large fan of purchasing season passes to TV shows. While the program is free, it can drain large amounts of money depending on what and how much you purchase!

5) OpenOffice.org – This free alternative to Microsoft Office grants us freedom from one of the evil empire’s major money makers. Its approximately on par with Office 2003, and while it may not have many of the advanced capabilities that office does, it will do for most things. For most consumers, Open Office is all you need. You can save and open Microsoft Office documents with it, which provides for a seamless transition between work/school and home if necessary. Just be careful of complex formatting.

6) GIMP – The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a terrific free, and open source alternative to purchasing Photoshop. It’s a basic image editing tool that will let you duplicate most functions of Photoshop. 

7) Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 – Ok, so while this one is expensive, its worth it. I’ve not found any open source or free alternative to Publisher that works anywhere as well. I’ve used it to design yearbooks and many other amature publications. While there are many great professional publication design programs out there, you can’t beat this for your average consumer. 

Microsoft Office One Note 2007 – Again… This program, despite its origins, rocks. Its primary purpose is to give you the unparalleled ability to take notes. I’ve found it is much more natural at doing it than any word processing program I’ve used. One Note allows you to click and drag notes anywhere you’d like, as well as post sticky notes on your screen. Its just an all around genious program. I’m using it extensively on one of my writing projects.

9) WinRar - This program can open up a whole host of zip-like files. A lot of times you will see things stored as .rar files, and you have to sit there and figure out how on earth to open such things. Well, WinRar is the answer. 

10) Daemon Lite – When I purchased my netbook, I had to figure out how on earth I was going to install things which came as CD’s onto the little computer which has no optical drive. Then I discovered Daemon Lite. This program allows you to virtually mount a CD Image (ISO) and run it as if it was really a CD in your CDRom. For a computer without a CD drive, this has proven invaluable!

So there you have it, that is my list of Ten Programs I cannot live without. It covers just about anything you’d need to do, and alll but a few of them are free, or have free versions!

I saw the pilot episode for this new show the other day, and really enjoyed it! The show is called Mental, it has a lot of elements from House (one of my favorite shows!). It follows the story of a psych ward as they get a new “head honcho”. Its fun, entertaining, but with some darker elements.

I look forward to catching more of this show!

I’m going to start a new post for my song pick of the week. Each week, I will pick a song that I am obsessed with! Which should be relatively easy since there is almost always a song I am obsessed with in any given week. I’m using grooveshark to post the songs on here, it should be cool!

This week I’ve selected “Good Girls Go Bad” By Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester. Its light, fun, and sexy! Keep an eye on this song, its going to come close to topping to charts if it doesn’t.

So, Dad and I have been brainstorming ideas for the last two months or so on a book that we are planning on writing together. Today we just laid down the basic plot. Its really exciting! 

The book is going to be a sci fi based book in a galaxy where humans have inhabited every corner of the milky way and are ruled by a galactic empire. I’ll try to give out more details as we progress… but I will remain vague until we have everything copyrighted. I’d rather not get our ideas stolen!

I think we have a pretty solid plot line… and are now establishing a draft control system so that we can collaborate without screwing up eachother’s drafts. This is going to rock!

Heard this song online today… very catchy. Its called “There’s a Party in your Bedroom” by the artist Cash Cash. It sounds like a mix of electronica and rock. Take a listen…