The switcher supports numerous sources of photos:

• Any folder on your computer
• Flickr
• Facebook
• SmugMug
• Picasa
• Webshots
• Or any RSS feed or Google, Yahoo or Bing Image Search URL

I am a Flickr user and can choose which “set” I want to use, or simply use popular photos from across Flickr.

There are an amazing number of settings to choose from: picture mode, change frequency (30 seconds to 7 days), multiple monitors just to name a few. You can even select background montages/mosaics of your photos.

John did an amazing job for a free app. Download it here.

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Yes, make a full-fledged movie. And no boring still slide show either. Animoto animates the presentation of your photos dynamically to the music you choose. The speed and effects and magically synchronized to the tune!

Best of all – it’s easy and cheap. Start by uploading photos, or integrating with your Flickr photo account. Select the images you want to animate. You can even select which ones to emphasize.

Second, choose your tune. You can upload an MP3 or select one of their stock songs.

Then the magic begins. You can download or share the movie. For an extra few bucks you can even get a hi-def version.

There is one clear drawback to Animoto – the total length of your movie is limited to either the number of images you have OR the length of your music…something will get cut. Of course, there are tweaks to set speed and other tweaks to make the best of it. But you really can’t go wrong with such an amazing product.

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Satellite radio just might fit your needs. And with the right equipment, you can still lean back on that old MP3 collection.

I’ve been a satellite radio subscriber for nearly 4 years now. I started with Sirius and a poorly designed portable receiver (early adopter). I switched to XM for a good portable receiver, but found I liked the Sirius line up better. I would imagine as time passes, both services will begin to offer similar line ups and hardware, making them pretty much the same – which makes deciding which network to choose very easy.

Rather than being tied down to a hard wired installation in my car or home, I wanted ultimate portability – like an MP3 player. I have a handheld unit (which can store MP3s as well) with a dock for my car so I can take it anywhere. And you can use these things just about anywhere the antenna can see the sky. Reception is great – especially for backcountry travelers.

Another great benefit is access to internet streaming of the Sirius line up. They don’t offer every channel, but most are covered. Like any streaming service, you simply login. For the “premium” sound quality, you need to pay an extra $3/month, but I find its worth it.

Only two gripes about Sirius: they still have DJs and repetition does exist. I never understood why satellite radio stations insisted on having DJs – that is a big reason I avoid traditional radio. Sirius is a centrally broadcast, computer controlled platform. I pay for the music or news, not annoying chatter. Finally, if you find a few stations you like and you listen to them often (say on a trip or weekend errands), you’re bound to get some repetition. For instance, I love NPR. Weekend NPR often rebroadcasts the same talk shows several times per day.

All in all, for around $12 a month (the cost of 12 MP3s), Sirius is a great value. Now you just need to find the hardware that works for you.

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The Stiletto 2 offers the best of all worlds for the not-so-hardcore music junkie who has a large, perhaps aging, MP3 collection, but needs to freshen things up a bit.

Like your typical MP3 player, the Stiletto holds 2 GB of MP3s. Not huge, but enough to carry ample alternatives. As a matter of fact, you can drag and drop your existing iTunes collection right to the Stiletto.

With the included antenna headphones, you can pick up the satellite channels anywhere outside. Or simply switch to your MP3 library. Though I don’t use this feature much, you can record the satellite stream and playback later.

If you’re inside a building with WIFI, you can pickup the satellite music via easy to configure WIFI receiver built in. Use the included earbuds too.

There are various accessories as well, including the car docking station, which is great for traveling.

The Stilletto 2 is the second generation of this design and works well. It’s available on both Sirius and XM services.

This is my third portable satellite radio receiver and the best one I have seen. For the casual iPod user, it provides similar functionality and then some. At around $200 after rebates, its a bit more than your basic MP3 player, but the price is justified by the great feature set.

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Photo or image tagging has historically been problematic for computers – they have enough trouble interpreting text, much less an image. TagCow uses a combination of people and computers to tag photos, fast. Through some black box approach, they distribute your images to a dispersed team of people via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. These people are paid to tag your images. The TagCow system even let’s you “train” the tagging to look for specific people, places, etc. if you want.

You can upload your images. But if you have a Flickr account, simply enter your login credentials within your TagCow account and TagCow automatically pulls down your images, appends any new tags, then reposts them to Flickr. Existing tags are not lost and photos remain intact. Plus, you can set the service to “listen” for any new images, so they automatically grab and tag any new photos.

I recently provided TagCow about 7,000 images to tag. I found the service relatively simple. However, they did have some “technical” problems which prevented them from completing the process in the two to three day time period. But they provided me a credit for my troubles. In general, the tagging is not extensive, and the “hints” you provide may get overlooked on some photos. But for a service like this, I don’t expect perfection or 100 percent accuracy. In short, it’s well worth the price.

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