Top 10 Cool Alternative Uses of Microsoft Word That You Don't Know About

10. Font Tester

If you happen to be a professional font designer who is about to submit a typeface to a major corporation, then you might want to thoroughly check it's functionality. Type some lorem ipsum and make sure that you have covered all of the symbols you want to cover ("Insert... Symbol") gives you a long list of different ones.

9. Abstract Art Drawing Tool

Hey, you've seen that Autoshape feature in Microsoft Word. Sure, it doesn't have the most shapes in the world and does not produce the highest quality artwork but putting a few shapes and colours together could make something quite good.

8. Photo Editor

Again, Microsoft Word does not offer the best tools for this but for amateur photographers who don't want to waste $80.00 on an Adobe Photoshop that won't be of any use to them can alter brightness, colour type, contrast, transparency and other aspects of images right in Word with the picture toolbar.

7. Account Log

You can't remember every username and password and security question for every account you register for online. Just make a log of them here with these and possibly other things. Plus, you can use the Permissions feature to restrict others' access to this document.

6. Back-up

If you're the type that publishes a lot of stuff online, you're also the type that should be worried about losing content when a site crashes or is taken down. Thus, you can copy and paste all of your writing or possibly codes into a Word document for safekeeping.

5. Research Tool

If you just need a quick definition, synonym or a few succinct facts and you already have Microsoft Word open, then you might choose this software to give you these. You can access the Encarta dictionary, thesaurus and translation service as well as Live Search, Highbeam Research and MSN Money Stock Quotes from Word.

4. Agenda

If you just want a simple sheet of paper to remind you what to do instead of using a Blackberry, you could log all of your tasks in Microsoft Word, then print them out for your reference. You can easily detail time, location, importance and other things with the tools present.

3. Journal/Diary

Instead of reserving an amount of time every day to manually write in your diary, just casually make a few entries while doing something else on the computer. It's quicker and easier and can be just as private with the permissions feature. You may even want to employ the speech recognition program that comes with Word so you can say what's on your mind.

2. Thought Organizer/Notebook

You don't have to buy an expensive mind map software just for this purpose. Simply put your ideas and thoughts down with bulleting or numbering. To act as the different branches in mind maps, you could have different symbols as bullets at different indentations.

1. Blog

Now, you don't have to wait for your browser to load every time you want to make a blog post on Blogger. You can install
"Blogger for Word", a free Microsoft Word add-in and you'll be able to publish to your blog, save drafts and edit posts from Word. The great part about this is that you can apply all the things that can be done in Word to every blog post to really enhance your blog.

Black Friday Featured Shopping Tips: Top 10 Best Black Friday Stores

10. Staples

With a number of HP printers 40% off and a 26" LCD HDTV at only $299 (online), Staples really has made its mark in the world of Black Friday shopping. And it isn't just pencils and erasers either.

9. Home Depot

The orange "Do-it-Yourself" guys at the Home Depot are offering some great deals today. Magic Chef 1000-Watt Countertop microwaves are starting from only $69.99 and assorted Christmas decorations start at only $9.99. Also, tons of tools feature huge markdowns such as a 52-Piece Dewalt Drill and Driver Set for just $9.97.

8. Toys R Us

America's largest toy store is giving you some pretty big discounts with DVDs at half price, World of Warcraft games at half price and Annabell dolls and accessories at 60% off. But hurry in because these deals won't last long.

7. Ikea

I'm not particularly fond of Ikea's furniture but this store is definitely offering some pretty big discounts. For instance, a "Malm Queen Bed Frame" is only $99.99 and the "Arstid Table Lamp" is priced at $19.99.

6. Sears

You'll be surprised at how low the prices go here. This is not usually an incredibly popular store but I imagine that today will be quite different. Sears is giving away $60 gift cards with purchases of 4 Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone or BFGoodrich Tires, 7-piece towel sets for only $3.19 as well as women's fleece and activewear at 60% off. In fact, you'll find almost the entire store at 50-60% off.

5. Aeropostale

Aeropostale, one of the premier teen clothing shops, is slashing prices by 50% on everything in the store with the exception of clearance items. That means all of your favorite hoodies, t-shirts and fragrances from this brand will be half price.

4. Best Buy

Get a Toshiba Satellite Laptop for a mere $379.99 ($270 off) or a Sony Cybershot 10.1 MP Digital Camera for only $299.99 ($100 off) at Best Buy. You can save hundreds of dollars on pretty much everything in the store so try to jam into a crowded Best Buy to get these huge savings.

3. Sports Authority

You can go to Dick's Sporting Goods and get average deals or you can go to the Sports Authority to get the real deals. Close to all the athletic equipment in the store is marked down by at least 25% such as the entire stock of youth Nike and Adidas apparel for 25% off as well as the an Everlast Heavybag Kit for only $49.99.

2. Amazon

This year, Amazon, has decided to offer Black Friday deals on pretty much all of their items including their form of the doorcrasher, which they call the Lightning Deal. You don't have to stand in long line-ups or tire yourself roaming through mall after mall; just head to Amazon and you've got all you need. They'll give you a Canon Powershot 10 MP digital camera for $159.94 ($70.05 off) and a Magellan 4.3-inch display GPS System for only $199.99 (67% off).

1. Every Other Store

Don't stop at what I just mentioned, go to any and every store you want to go to because each one will have its unique savings.

Black Friday Shopping Tips: Top 10 Things Not To Do When Shopping

10. Do not get grumpy.

It's not going to help you to let your emotions run high. The only things doing this will accomplish is discouraging you and bringing down others around you.

9. Do not look for good parking spot.

Face it. You're simply not going to find the few spots right beside the entrances. Don't waste your time and get to the shopping. Settle for any spot you can find; a little bit of walking can't hurt you.

8. Do not bring your kids.

First of all, the huge crowds are extremely dangerous; children can easily get lost or even get kidnapped. Moreover, the little ones have the stores that they want to go into and stay in forever, which becomes a huge hassle. Allow them to make a list of things they want and take that with you during your shopping spree.

7. Do not bring valuable things.

There will be an amazing number of people in the malls on Black Friday and there's bound to be at least a few crooks in each one. You don't want to get your most precious jewelery stolen or lost.

6. Do not wear high-heels.

Ladies, this will be a long day especially if you're one of the really enthusiastic breeds of shoppers. Where comfortable running shoes that you will not become quickly tired in and brace yourself for a ton of walking.

5. Do not become intrigued by items you know you can't buy.

Hey, here's a rule: Engage yourself in stuff you will buy but ignore the stuff that you won't. It's just a waste of time and energy occupying yourself in admiring an awesome $20,000 swimming pool when you live in a condo.

4. Do not get out of line in frustration.

Every store is inevitably going to have unbelievably long line-ups that you simply cannot avoid. If you really want something, trust me, it's a good idea to wait in line for a while because there is not other time where you can purchase it at such a low price.

3. Do not go to stores with less than 20% off.

Retailers have sales all the time but generally not of this magnitude. However, some companies are a bit cheap and are only offering say 10% off its stock. You can get 10% off any time you want! Look for the exceptional deals with say 50% discounts.

2. Do not use a credit card for everything.

You've been witnessing the second worst economic meltdown in the history of the United States and financialists are dubbing it the "credit crisis". As you probably have distiguished, the reason for this is the fact that people are constantly not spending cash but using credit, which often gets them into big trouble.

1. Do not not shop.

This is pretty self-explantory. If you don't shop you're losing out on the biggest sales of the year. You should be hungry for these with the recent inflation levels.

Black Friday Feature: Top 10 Tips You Need To Know Before Shopping

10. Bring Refreshments

Hey, believe it or not, shopping can be pretty tiring. I suggest you bring a few bottles of water, a few granola bars and some soda to keep from waiting in the long line-ups at snack places.

9. Take it Off

Black Friday is one day you can't afford to miss. In fact, some employers are even deciding to allow workers to have this day off with pay. And even if this isn't the case, the money you will save will still compensate for any lost salary.

8. Find a Shopping Location that Suits Most of Your Needs

You don't want to be wandering from one mall to another, wasting gas, time and energy. Just look for somewhere that has everything on your wishlist, from clothing to electronics to furniture to sports equipment.

7. Try to Purchase Bigger, More Important Items for Greater Savings

Black Friday is not the day to be buying cartons of milk or bags of chips; you should be thinking to make major purchases to really take advantage of the low prices. For instance, that TV you've been wanting might be something you'll want to shop for.

6. Plan a Route of Stores You Want to Visit to Save Time

This is a biggie. It would be dumb and frustrating, and not to mention exhausting to be scurrying in circles through an enormous shopping center, filled with people. Take a bit of time beforehand to go to your Black Friday destination's website and print a map to lay out your trek.

5. Search Through "Official Black Friday" Websites to Find the Best Deals

Although pretty much all stores will have humongous mark-downs, you should see that you get the best prices on the best items. Some websites can be found with a simple search of "black friday" on Google can lead to good pages.

4. Make a Shopping List

This can determine how much you can buy and can be based on priority, considering your budget. As well, a shopping list can help you with your route.

3. Grab a Few Coupons

I think this is pretty self-explanatory; coupons are money in the bank and no experienced shopper can go without them. You might not think these are important on such a day but you might regret not printing a few off.

2. Don't Try To Buy Everything

This is a mistake many shoppers are bound to make and it's quite inevitable that you will spend more than what you planned but keep in mind that even with the incredible sale prices, you don't have all the money in the world. You probably shouldn't purchase the products that are 5-10% off because there are many that are 70-80% off.

1. Don't Waste Your Time

Looking at products that you have no intention of buying is absolutely off limits on such a hunt for things. Black Friday is no time to dawdling, glancing over everything that "interests" you because trust me, there will be a lot of cool stuff. Also, if you want ultimate efficiency, you might want to split up if you are a large group, organizing a meeting place. After this, you can enter stores that cater to what you want.

Top 10 Best Freeware

10. Audacity

A powerful sound editor that allows you to apply numerous effects and analyze recorded sounds

9. Wordpress

A blogging application that lets you express your opinion with many more tools than any web-based hosts

8. Youtube Downloader

A simplistic software that makes downloading and converting Youtube videos easy

7. Stickies

A desktop-based freeware that you can use to remind yourself of any important event, with the "stickies"

6. Limewire

A file-sharing application that permits you to download all of your favorite songs and videos for free.

5. iTunes

Apple's accompaniment of their iPod, selling top-quality music, videos and much more; extremely user-friendly

4. Desktop iCalendar Lite

Another desktop-based application that displays a small calendar, to-do and event list on your monitor for quick access and viewing

3. Google Toolbar

Blocks pop-ups, provides quick-links to several of the best Google services, allows you to search with Google even if you're not on Google and more.

2. Adobe Reader

Reads the highly popular PDF format

1. Internet Explorer

If you have anything other than this, I seriously suggest that you switch and if you aren't using the latest version, you should definitely upgrade to either version 7.0 or 8.0 (BETA)