Applications you might like

I just counted (well, I didn't count - I let the Finder do that) how many applications I have on my Mac: 137. Most of them I use infrequently (Thank goodness I'm not on a Windows machine, I hate those incessant "There are unused icons on your desktop" messages), but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. So, I thought I'd rifle through my collection and recommend a few lesser-known applications.

First up, Sidenote and iClip. Sidenote is a freeware app by Pierre Chatel that works like I always wished Stickies would. It's just a little writing space that hides on either the left or right side of your monitor and slides out when you hover your mouse near the screen edge. I've tried other "jot things down" apps before, such as DEVONThink, Scrivener, and VoodooPad, but they were all too complicated for my taste. Sidenote is simple enough for me to actually use it. iClip ($29) is another hides-on-the-screen-edge app that lets you do a lot more with copy and paste. The number one reason to get is because it keeps a running history of the clipboard, so if you want to copy multiple items from one document to another, you can do it without having to jump back and forth beween the two documents. It's got some other features as well, but they don't matter to me.

If you're in the mood for something a little more fun, check out NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulation. It is absolutely the best roller-coaster simulator I have ever seen. I don't think there's much competition, but really, I don't know what else I'd want. It simulates every type of roller-coaster, from the classic wooden style to the newest steel, pneumatically-launched monsters. I especially like the great sound effects - hearing the "click-click-click" as you ride up the first hill gets my heart thumping a little faster, even if I'm just watching a computer screen. Download it for $30 or just check out the demo.

I've got some more to mention, but I'll save that for another post.