Best Fun Stuff of 2010: Google Earth, DIY Star Trek Doors, and More

View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @geektech on Twitter January 1, 2011 PCWorld.com Talk Nerdy to Me

No one can dispute that the Internet has changed our world--many would say for the better. Longtime PCW contributor Dan Tynan, however, observes that it's squelched our trust in encyclopedias, made civil discourse a thing of the past, cast suspicion on experts, and more. His rant on how the Internet has affected our lives for the worse (and to be fair, the better) garnered half a million hits in 2010. Read on for more gems, including do-it-yourself Star Trek doors, an adorable Windows 7 theme--which has been downloaded over 16,000 times, surprising its reviewer (yours truly)--and more. --Kim Saccio-Kent, PCW Newsletter Editor Top Stories #1: 10 Things the Internet Has Killed or Ruined (and 5 Things It Hasn't) From sex to Nigeria to arguments in bars to Chuck Norris: The Internet has badly affected them all (except Chuck Norris). #2: Google's 5 Funniest April Fools' Jokes" Google's famous for its April Fools' jokes. From this year's Topeka gag to the PigeonRank prank of yesteryear, here are five of the company's most memorable moments. #3: Strangest Sights in Google Earth, Part II Mapping software Google Earth turns the planet into a massive scavenger hunt for weird, wacky, and the unexplained. Here are a few of the things that keep us scratching our heads. Top Geek Tech Post Star Trek-Style Bedroom Doors: The Ultimate in Home Improvement Whooshing Star Trek door brings the stars to you--and you can build one yourself with a little work and some parts from a home improvement store. Browse this week's Geek Tech. Top Download of 2010 Pug Windows 7 Theme Load up some cuteness on your desktop with this free pug puppy theme. Most Popular Fun & Games Kinect Sex: Coming Soon to a Console Near You? Hackers are already looking at ways to use Microsoft's Kinect for prurient purposes. Oh, come on--are you really that surprised? 2011: The Year of eSports Ever wonder how people get paid to play video games? Find out why professional gaming, or 'eSports,' will be big in 2011. Places for Fun Stuff on PCWorld.com Fun and Games Downloads Shop for Video Games and Hardware PC World videos Top 5 Products of the Year Readers choice! Take our Facebook poll and tell us your top 5. Vote here. Advertisement Get BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express for Free The power behind the world-class BlackBerry experience is now free. Provide mobile solutions across the organization without sacrificing security and manageability.Download Now. » Most Popular Searches Windows & iPad Downloads Kindle Laptops Product Reviews Amazon Kindle (Wi-Fi/3G, 3rd Generation) 88 Pros Speedy page turns; Light weight; Higher contrast screen Cons Store access can be sluggish; PDF handling remains weak Read Complete Review » Top E-Readers » HP Envy 17 89 Pros Good gaming performance; Excellent display and audio quality Cons Fan gets noisy, and surface of the unit can get hot; Nongaming performance is average for its class Read Complete Review » Best Laptops for Gamers » Top Desktop Replacement Laptops » Apple 11.6-inch MacBook Air/1.4GHz (128 GB) 5 Pros Cons Read Complete Review » Best Laptops Under 4 Pounds » Get Big Savings When you Shop at PCWorld.com Shop online at PCWorld.com, where you can compare product information, read trusted reviews, and find the best prices on consumer electronics. PowerShot A3100 IS Point & Shoot Digital Camera - 12.1 Megapixel - 2.70" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD Price: $99.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review D3100 Black SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ 18-55mm Lens Price: $599.95 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Digital Cameras, Flash Memory, Graphics & Publishing Software, Lenses, Bags & Cases Top News on PCWorld.com Facebook Scare Tactics Knocked by Security Pro Security warnings are misleading, even if they're well-intentioned. Share: Tech that will Matter in 2011 The road ahead reveals technology news, companies, websites, gadgets, and people that will affect your route in 2011. Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com The Best Tech Products of 2010 Lots of really good products have debuted this year. Which ones are the cream of the crop? Here are the picks of PCWorld's experts. Share: Battle of the Security Superpowers We tested the 10 top security packages to see which ones can protect your data without overburdening your PC. Here are the exclusive rankings from the PCWorld Labs. Share: Classic Casual Game Bejeweled 3 Dazzles With New Quest Mode Slide the gems, solve the puzzles, become hopelessly hooked on Bejeweled again. Share: Advanced Registry Optimizer 2010 Make It Easy to Defrag the Windows Registry Speed up your PC by optimizing the Registry with Sammsoft's Advanced Registry Optimizer 2010. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection Six Downloads to Improve Microsoft OfficeAnyone who uses Microsoft Office will agree on two things: It's a powerful collection of applications, and it needs improvement. These six programs bring Office a lot closer to what it should be. Three of them work across multiple Office applications, improving the much-loved--and much-hated--ribbon-based interface. The other three are application-specific, giving Outlook, Word, and Excel additional capabilities that Microsoft either didn't think of or didn't bother with. Classic Menu for Office 2007   1833 Downloads  |  Shareware  |  Filed Under Word Processing You don't have to give up the old menus from earlier versions of Microsoft Office. Office Tab   468 Downloads  |  Shareware  |  Filed Under Business Office Tab provides easy access to your open Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint slide shows. Lookeen   1255 Downloads  |  Demo  |  Filed Under Search/Lookup Tools Power up Outlook with faster searches and better organization. CrossEyes    8688 Downloads  |  Trial  |  Filed Under Word Processing Get a real look at what's going on inside your Word documents with CrossEyes. ASAP Utilities   2806 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Spreadsheet ASAP Utilities puts all sorts of tools you've wanted or never imagined onto one Excel ribbon. Search Commands   859 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Business Not sure upon which tab a command resides? This add-in will find it for you. Browse DownloadsAntivirus & Security • Design & Multimedia • Utilities • Games • Chat, Email, & the Web • Sponsored Downloads Fishdom PLAY-Y956-RIXBuild up and develop your Fishdom and save 20%! Progress through challenging boards and solve immersive puzzles to earn cash. Use the money to buy eye-candy fish and attractive ornaments for your dream aquarium. Get accessories and supplies to create the perfect conditions for your finny pals and ensure their comfort. Win awards and upgrade your virtual tank as you perfect your aquarium design skills and have fun with the lovely fishy sims. A unique fusion of classic game play with brilliant new ideas, this game with unlimited play will bring you hours of fun. 30-day money back guarantee! (Compatible with Win98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista) Cucusoft YouTube Mate (Downloader+Player+Converter)Cucusoft YouTube Mate is the most powerful YouTube tool on the planet. YouTube Mate helps you download, convert, play and manage your favorite YouTube videos... and it's very easy to use. It supports unlimited simultaneous downloads (a real time saver!). Use it with your favorite portable device: iPod Video, iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPhone, Zune, PSP, as well as video capable MP3 players, video capable mobile phones, and Pocket PC. (Windows 9x/2000/NT/XP/Vista/ 2003 Server/Win7 compatible) Save 35% now with a special PCWorld discount.

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