BitTorrent is a great protocol that allows for distributed (legal) file sharing.  Since its inception in 2001, it has grown substantially and currently accounts for more than half of all internet traffic by some accounts.  Part of this enormous traffic growth can be attributed to the recent popularization of HD content.  Unfortunately, Internet speeds have not grown along with the demand for larger and higher quality media files.  Furthermore, many Internet Service Providers have been instilling bandwidth limitations in order to remain profitable (or to become more profitable).

In a country and age where bandwidth is at a premium, it is very important none of it goes to waste.  You don’t want to have to download gigabytes of data only to find out later it was the wrong file, a fake file, or worse: an infected file.

All this preamble was simply to introduce the best BitTorrent search engine I’ve used thus far, VerTor.  What sets VerTor apart from other engines and trackers is that it verifies the content of every torrent file (hence the name).

How does it verify torrent files you ask? Here are some of the ways:

• Lists all individual files contained within a torrent file
• Scans all contained files for viruses (using Clam Win)
• Captures and displays a preview of actual screenshots of video
• Splits a sample of audio files for preview
• Checks to make sure files are not password protected
• Checks for DRM protection on files

Can’t find a torrent you want on their site? You can download the torrent file on another site and upload it to VerTor for verification without taking the plunge yourself.

The site is also very friendly for users new to the whole concept of BitTorrent.  Torrent files can even be opened using the web-based BitLet software so you don’t have to install or configure a client on your own computer.  One disadvantage is that it takes a while for VerTor to verify torrents so it takes a little while for new content to be verified and listed on the site.  A small price to pay for peace of mind in my opinion.

All in all, VerTor is a great site and an excellent example of the type of services the web is capable of these days.

Just remember, make sure what you’re downloading is legal and not copyrighted!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Ever wonder what you would do if you encountered a bear? Or if your parachute wouldn’t open in mid jump? Whether you prefer to stay in the comfort of home or like to take adventures, I’m sure some of these questions have crossed your mind.

Now’s your chance to put your “traveller IQ” to the test! Tripbase has a fun travel intelligence quiz that will test your “travel-savvyness” based on how you would react in various extreme scenarios.

75% of the world!

Quiz by Tripbase

I did the quiz myself but only got 75%, it’s not as easy as it looks! I found that what seems to be the most logical answer were in fact incorrect.  I went out of my way to look up some of the answers on Google and was quite surprised by what I found.  So go ahead, do the quiz. It might even save your life in the future.

If you’re the traveling type, Tripbase.com itself is a neat site to check out.  They offer suggestions on places to travel based on things that you like to do and present everything you’ll need to know to plan the trip including hotel costs, flight costs and required spending money!  It’s even been described as the Match.com of travel planning!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Personally, I’m an avid poker player as the statistical aspects of the game greatly interest me.  As such, I play casually with my friends about two or three times a month.  There was a period of time a few years ago where I did play some poker online.  I’m not a huge fan of gambling so I didn’t put too much money into my account.  What I didn’t know at the time was that I could have gotten a lot of free bonus money to start!

Many poker sites offer sign-up bonuses but you also need to keep in mind that you don’t want to play on shady and non-reputable sites.  If you’re choosing an online casino to do a little bit of gambling online, you’ll find that it isn’t as easy a task as you would have thought.  There are many things to consider!

For beginning players and experienced players alike, online casino bluebook is a free site that reviews a lot of online casinos, ranking them based on:

• Bonus size
• Payout percentage
• Customer service
• Game features
• Number of games
• Software graphics
• Ease of use

The site itself is simple and straight to the point.  My guess is that the site makes money on affiliate commissions but the information and reviews seems to be unbiased.  There is also a forum that is slowly growing in size but the primary topic of discussion appears to be poker.  Online casino bluebook has been around for a while now (since 2000) so you can assume they know what they are talking about.  The casinos they review also aren’t limited to just the United States!

You’d be amazed at some of the sign-up bonuses you can get with some of these online casinos!  Even if you’re not great at gambling, its a good way to try your luck and kill some time.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a proud user of the Getting Things Done system and love using a To-Do list to manage my tasks.  So when I was asked to write a review of Swift To-Do List, I was pretty excited to try it out and see how it compares with my current pen & paper method.

Swift To-Do List Online is a web application created by Dextronet.  Although called a To-Do list, it is in fact much more than that.  Being an online application, the biggest reason for using it is that tasks can be accessed and modified whenever you have access to the Internet.  Luckily for me, I’m almost always in front of a computer so it is very convenient.  It might be interesting to get input from somebody that doesn’t always have access to the Internet to get their thoughts on this tool.

Features
With regards to shear number of features, this is by far the most I’ve seen on any to do list software.  Here’s some of the more notable ones:

• Hierarchical tree structure to organize tasks
• Ability to set due dates and use built-in reminders for tasks
• Import lists from XML format
• Export lists to HTML or CSV format
• User management for collaboration and task allocation
• Add notes/files/media to individual tasks

That last feature is a huge one in my opinion.  With each task you have to do, you can associate formatted notes, files, folders and links to it.  A lot of times the task itself can be described in one line but all of the extra things that go with the task need to be stored somewhere else.  By allowing users to add notes and links directly to a task, it really helps with organization.

For example, I might have a task say “Print this document at the office” and then simply attach the document along with the task instead of having to save it to a USB key or e-mailing it to myself.  Not a big deal, but definitely helpful!

A lot of people (myself included) like to keep things simple but it is important to remember that just because all of these features are offered, doesn’t mean you have to use it!  You can make Swift To-Do List as simple or as complex as you need it to be.

User Interface

In true Web 2.0 fashion, Swift To-Do List Online operates exactly like a desktop application.  The UI reminds me of Microsoft Outlook with its 3 panel view.  The buttons (very nice icons by the way) are large and intuitively easy to use.

From a web developer perspective, I can really appreciate the detail and effort put into making the user interface usable and free of bugs.  Since I’ve done my share of Web UI programming before, I spent a few minutes trying to “break” the UI with common oversights but it was nice to see that it was all accounted for.

In my opinion, a couple things that could be added to improve the experience are:

• Keyboard shortcuts – I love keyboard shortcuts
• iPhone App – This would open the application to a huge audience that wants a featureful to-do list application accessible anytime anywhere.

Price
With a web application of this caliber, it isn’t a surprise to find out that it isn’t free.  The online version comes at a monthly cost in 4 different plans ranging from $9.95 to $225.95 a month.  The difference between the versions are the number of users allowed (from 1 to unlimited) and the amount of storage given to store files associated with tasks (from 100MB to 50GB).

For most people, the most basic personal plan should be enough.  The higher tier plans are clearly geared towards businesses that want to manage large projects with many contributors.  I can see it being extremely helpful for a manager to assign tasks and keep track of project progress through this web application, especially if the office is decentralized.

They do offer a free 30-day trial so you can try it to see if you like it.  Or check out their live demo to see if the features suit your needs!

Conclusion
Swift To-Do List is one of the most complete and feature packed online to-do list software I have come across.  I didn’t try using their collaborative features yet since my To-Do list is only for personal use but I can see many possibilities for it.  The only thing I can think of to improve it are the addition of keyboard shortcuts and perhaps the development of an iPhone application to supplement the site.

If you want something for your desktop, Dextronet also offers an award winning to-do list software for Windows, which is what this online version is based off of.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Sean MacEntree over at smemon.com contacted me a while back because he is participating in a skydive competition for the NCBI charity for the blind in Ireland.  Being the charitable guy I am, I agreed to sponsor a prize for him – one 125×125 advertising button for a full year on jonlee.ca.

Basically, he is trying to raise $1000 for the skydive.  Anyone that donates at least a $1 to his cause will be entered in a draw for a whole bunch of sponsored prizes (including mine!).

Currently, the prize pool is worth over $2500 and you only need to donate $1 for a chance to win!

You can contact Sean if you want to sponsor a prize for his competition.  Not only will you get a few backlinks from his blog, he will even print your logo/URL on the shirt that he’s going to wear while skydiving!

Go over to smemon.com and check it out!

Popularity: 39% [?]