Free (as in free beer) Software from Microsoft DreamSpark

While gathering materials for an upcoming article on deeply discounted computer software for (most of) the general public I came upon an interesting link to a new and unknown to me at least Microsoft Software Offer to College / Higher Education Students.

The offer is part of the recent Microsoft DreamSpark initiative which can be summarized in the following statement from the official website:
“Microsoft DreamSpark enables students to download Microsoft developer and design tools at no charge.”

I like “No Charge”. But what are you actually getting?
Currently only the following Microsoft Software is available for free:

• Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
• Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
• Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
• SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
• Expression Studio (consists of Expression Web, Blend, Design and Media)

Other free software developing tools (their Express Editions) are also listed for free download, but they are available directly from Microsoft’s website to anyone anyway, so I won’t count them as a part of this special offer.

The retail price of these software packages is anywhere from
$41.99to $689.99at Amazon.com, so getting them for free from the DreamSpark website will be worth it.

What is the process to obtain these applications for free?

Go to the official download website:
https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/Products.aspx

Sign in with your Windows Live ID
Get verified as a College or Higher Education Student
Download the ISO image
Burn it to a CD / DVD and...

Enjoy your Free Software!

Free International Phone (and Video) Calls through Skype

In about 5 minutes I will be testing Skype for a Video Phone call to the country of my origin.
I'm excited to try the new technology, but the actual occasion is a sad one in this case. Still if this proves to work fine with our painfully slow Internet connection we will use this free service for the future.
You just can't beat the price!
It is free to make phone calls computer - to - computer through the Skype Software, which is a free download from www.skype.com.
Hook up a regular USB webcam (around $30 retail, but cheaper on E-Bay ) to your computer and you have an easy way to see and hear your friends around the world with Free Video Calling.

Check it out yourselves!

On a Road Less Traveled

Starting a new blog is challenging even for a professional writer I presume. It requires a passion for the subject of your blog and enough (quiet) time to sit down and write your thoughts and discoveries for the day. Blogging is fun - I'm sure it will become a second nature to me in no time :)

Recent changes on the blog:

- Added Google Translate widget, which provides some limited translation capabilities for all us immigrants for whom English is not a primary language. If nothing more - try it to amuse yourself how inaccurate automatic translations are :)
- Signed up for del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, blog lines, Twitter. Hopefully now that I know some more about editing my blog template I'll add quick links for these helpful tools.

Minor changes - lots more to learn

As a total new member of the blogging community (and web-page building for that matter) I have to learn a ton of new stuff. What I learned today is how to add a favicon to my blogger website, so I can get rid of the orange "B" logo of blogger itself.

Thanks to http://how2make.blogspot.com/ I was able to change this in about 15 minutes. What's left is to adjust the icon, so it is not a complete shameless plug from one of my favorite websites (hats off if you can guess which one that is... :) and get something more in line of the goal of this blog.

What is coming out in the near future:

• Transferring to a 4-column template
• Adding finally the much needed content. I've been composing the last couple of days (but thinking about it for the last eight years)

In regards the content - here is what you can expect in the future:

• Getting your own Social Security Number (every Immigrant has to start with this)
• Getting your own Personal ID
• Opening your first bank account
• Enrolling in free ESL classes
• Renting your first apartment
• Purchasing your first computer
• Applying for your first job position
• ....

This will be enough to get started. Much attention will be paid on providing step-by-step info for new or future immigrants and also how a person who is just starting their independent life would save money on each of these steps.

The Beginning...

OK. Everybody has to start somewhere. So this is it - my first post. Once I get the basics squared away the rest is sure to come easy, right ;)

What will this blog be all about?

Let's just say that after living for eight years in US I think I have some thoughts to share with the broader public, which may help out people who are just starting with their lives away from Ma and Pa. Furthermore I wish this blog could help some fellow immigrants achieve faster the financial freedom they have all longed for when they left home and country. Such help and guidance was something I longed for when I first started my life in the big terra incognita of the United States of America.

So wish me luck and stay tuned!!!