Today I bring a new online tool to manage images and create funny pictures. In spite of its seemingly whimsical name, Pickjoke turns out to be a very interesting and probably useful image manipulation online tool. What it does is ask to pick an “effect” (a canvas), then upload a picture and then it mixes them up in funny and very professional ways.

Apart from making funny pictures, the tool allows you to place your banner or logo in many different pictures, with professional results so it’s really worth a look, as it can bring simple and quality effects to your images, without the effort of creating complex masks or photoshop layering. Take a look at some of the designs I played with.  Think of it as an online photoshop tool, without the hassle and the cost.

It’s really simple to get it going and the image manipulation takes only a few seconds. They work really hard to provide new effects every days (they offer over 100 effects now and growing), all of them with really professional results. After you see the preview on the page, you can click on the Save button to download the picture and share all your funny photos with your friends.

If you have been following this blog, you know that I’m a fan of anime and manga and I love websites related to Japanese shows. And Naruto holds a pinnacle stop among them. I love the story, the drawing style and of course, the fights!!!! Another thing I love about this anime is, of course, the weapons characters use.

For instance, Zabuza Momochi is one of the first strong adversaries appearing at the beginning chapters of Naruto. Zabuza was once a member of the Kirigakure’s Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of shinobi who wielded exceptionally large swords. The swords are passed down from one generation to another.

Zabuza’s sword is called Kubikiri Hocho which translates to something like  “Decapitating Knife”. Who wouldn’t want to have this bone-crushing, flesh-ripping weapon in his hands? Ahhhh… if it only existed in real life!!!

But wait! it dos exist! Googling about the weapons found in Naruto, I found a website called HeavenlySwords.com, a website fully devoted to manufacturing and selling replica swords, not only from Naruto but from many other manga and anime series.

The 42-inch zabuza sword blade is made of 440 Stainless Steel with a width as wide as the guard. It features a hollow circle near the blade tip and partial hollow at the blade edge near the guard, similar to the design in the anime. The handle is made of metal and wrapped with leather. There are four exposed metal rings at the handle making the Zabuza Momochi Sword really eye-catching. A genuine leather sheath is also included with the sword replica. So what are you waiting for? Feel like a shinobi and hold the power of Kubikiri Hocho in your hands!

The advent of the Internet has changed the way people do many things. The most obvious changes are, of course, in the way they communicate and relate to each other (Instant Messaging, Facebook and the like, and many others). There are also changes in the way people do business, as they can now reach a global market without having to place offices in every country.

Other changes, perhaps less noticed by people, have to do with the way people look for information and answers to their problems or needs. For instance, many people use Google to search for just about any kind of information on the Web, including images, videos and blog entries like this one.

There are even specialized sites such as Download Software Here that allow you to Quickly find and download software you want, without having to browse through many unrelated pages. This particular site, actually, is offers a wide range of the latest and popular software and programs, with a clear objective: provide not only the largest software collection on the Web but also provide its visitors (customers?) with a simple, safe and fast download experience.

The two things I found really useful about this are the way software searches are performed (with results presented according to a matching score, with closer results first, and the site’s design, which allows for a really fast access and browsing experience.

Search results are displayed according to their similarity to keywords entered in the search box, with an option to search for phrases such as “PDF conversion” software by adding double quotes, much in the way Google does.

To sum up, searching for software has been very easy thanks to sites like Download Software Here,that makes searching and downloading applications a breeze.

If you’re a sports fan like me, I’m pretty sure you’re aware that Direct TV has secured the NFL Sunday Ticket for another five years. Earlier this week, the National Football League announced an agreement to extend DIRECTV’s rights to carry NFL Sunday Ticket.

The company will continue to have exclusive television rights to broadcast Sunday afternoon games through 2014. The agreement also significantly broadens the reach of NFL Sunday Ticket by enabling NFL fans that cannot receive Direct TV satellite service to get NFL Sunday Ticket via broadband. This service will begin no later than 2012.

This mean, of course, that regular cable fans are out of luck. To be fair, I have had Direct TV for many years and don’t see myself going back to cable. Of course, that might have a lot to do with the fact that my country’s cable franchises have become one of the worst in many years.

In addition, the NFL will offer its fans (also no later than 2012) a new called, to be named “Red Zone Channel” that shows crucial live action cut-ins of all Sunday afternoon games starting at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time) all the way through the end of the 4 p.m. games. The “Red Zone Channel” will be available to cable operators, telcos and satellite tv systems, wireless devices, and the Internet, making it a massively watched sports channel.

Direct TV also has extended its carriage agreement with NFL Network which airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. NFL Network will continue to be offered in Direct TV’s CHOICE package.

Ever since Windows-based PCs were created, people have been literally fighting against configuration problems. This might not seem a big problem to tech-savvy people but many others will tell you how they must rely on either Tech Support shops (or a knowledgeable friend or relative) to fix their problems.

Luckily, there are new tools to aid us in solving these problems. One of these tools, called jv16 PowerTools 2009,  a premium quality product developed by Macecraft Software, and can be a lifesaver in case of a Windows meltdown.

Not only that but the tools has been certified as safe against all forms of adware, spyware and spam, which allows you to use it even in a corporate environment where there are stringent security requirements on the software used in the company PCs.

So what does this tool do? This suite of power tools sweeps through the registry like a blizzard taking all the unnecessary junk out of your Windows box so that your apps work faster and most importantly, virtually crash-free. One of the most interesting features is the live, 24/ 7 chat based technical support. The tool itself helps your computer be clean and to start and work faster than ever.

Think of this power suite as your ol’ friendly doctor who gives you the necessary treatment and advice no matter what the problem is. Powertools is very safe and easy to use, even by inexperienced users. Try finding this on other registry and system cleanup tools!

In short, if you are looking for a good registry cleaner that can spare from the tedious, often useless, task of cleaning up Windows by hand, my sincere advice is to check out jv16 PowerTools 2009, as it can save you a huge headache. In case you want to check it out, you can do it for free, thanks to their 30-day trial. Even if your PC doesn’t show any problems, I guarantee this tool will find those that you’re not aware of and fix them for you to fully optimize your system.