If you’re a writer, then you know that it can often prove difficult to find the right word when working on a screenplay or novel. Sure, we could use simplistic words but, sometimes, the situation we’re writing about calls for a word that’s more dramatic. This is why writers refer to the dictionary and thesaurus as their “best friends.”

The ThinkMap Visual Thesaurus creates a unique and interesting way to find words and their meanings online. To use the site, simply enter a word into the search box and click the “Look It Up” button, located on the home page. Within seconds, a Java applet will open and display the results of your search. The meanings will be organized by their context:  nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.

In this applet, you can also click synonyms, allowing you to find more words that are relevant to your original search. Not only will this increase your actual vocabulary, but it will allow you to discover new words that, otherwise, you would’ve never even thought of.

The site is free to use but, if  you’re wanting more features, I would highly recommend subscribing to the Web site, which costs only $2.95 a month or $20 a year. For this small price, you can save word lists and be kept up-to-date on when new words are added to the Thesaurus’ ever-expanding database.

So, if you’re tired of spending hours looking for that perfect word, I highly recommend ThinkMap’s Visual Thesaurus, located at this link.

File-sharing can be tricky business, especially on the Microsoft Windows operating system. There are numerous settings to be configured and, even then, you’re not sure if they’ve been configured correctly. Fortunately, Microsoft has found a way to simplify the file-sharing process through the invention of Mesh, part of the Windows Live software series (which now includes Live Writer, Windows Movie Maker, and Photo Gallery).

Mesh is a unique service since, unlike other file-sharing services, it allows you to sync and share files across numerous computers and operating systems. Through this service, you can sync and share files between your PC, a Mac (if you’re one of the lucky ones to own both) and even mobile devices like the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry lines of cellular telephones. You can also share and sync your files with additional devices, if you feel the need to do so.

The service is currently in beta and doesn’t have a lot to offer at the moment (like most new services), but Mesh shows a lot of promise. This could, quite possibly, be the most useful tools for computer users who use several computers (like most computers geeks) or who are constantly traveling and are forced to use a wide variety of computer systems.

How do you keep your files in sync across numerous computers and operating systems? Please leave your thoughts and insights in the comments section below!

I have never been one for Web surfing, but I do manage to spend a lot of time on social media sites like YouTube. As a matter of fact, three-fourths of my waking hours are spent browsing YouTube, whether it’s for clips from my favorite television shows, music videos to my favorite songs, or just downright hilarious insight from YouTube’s numerous “celebrities”. During my travels on YouTube, however, I have managed to create a top ten list of my favorite YouTube channels and wish to share them with you.

1. Shavonne – If there’s anything I like on YouTube, it’s a beautiful song with a beautiful woman singing it, and Shavonne definitely fits that bill. You can tell from watching her videos that she is a free spirit and has a lot of fun performing the numerous covers that she features on her site, such as Britney Spears‘ “Womanizer” and the song “Eyes On You” from the Final Fantasy VIII video game.
2. SXEPhil – While some may view him as a “douchebag with a camera”, Philip DeFranco (better known as sxephil on YouTube) is actually quite the comedic genius, putting twisted views on everyday events that we, the YouTube-viewing public, take for granted, like politics and celebrity gossip.
3. Chris Pirillo – Chris, along with Leo Laporte, has been one of the largest influences on my career as a technology journalist and blogger. However, his most recent videos seem to stray from the niche that Chris has built around himself and the Lockergnome brand and have proven less interesting than usual. Nonetheless, his sense of humor (awkward as it may be) still earns him this spot in my top ten list.
4. Household Hacker – The MacGyver of YouTube channels. They teach you how to take ordinary items, like Alka-Seltzer tablets and the PlayStation Portable gaming console, and turn them into extraordinary items, like giant lava lamps and portable chat viewer. Besides, they wouldn’t have been on Discovery Channel’s MythBusters if they weren’t cool, right?
5. Ashley Tisdale – This star of Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” and “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” is one of the few celebrities who actually graps what social media is all about. Instead of making attempts to go viral or enhance an image, Ashley uses sites like YouTube to address her audience and connect with them on a more intimate level.
6. Jonathan Ian Mathers – If you haven’t heard of this guy, then you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years. He is the creator of the hit animated series “Foamy the Squirrel” and, in my honest opinion, a freaking comedy genius. It seems to me that he says what I’m thinking, but would never say in public.
7. Rooster Teeth Productions – The hit machinima series “Red vs. Blue” has inspired not only a new type of film making, but has made traditional filmmakers reconsider how their films are made. Not only that, but they’re very funny individuals in their own right, writing and filming in live-action sketches that are filmed around their offices.
8. BradmanTV – There’s nothing funnier than a fat guy singing parodies and just rambling on nonsense. His wacky (though sometimes hard to understand) antics, which usually happen through his live streaming show on Ustream.TV, makes each and every one of his videos an absolutely delight to watch.
9. Mondo Media – Every so often, I do find myself feeling down and out and, when I do, I know that I can always turn to the creators of such popular web shows as “Dr. Tran” and “The Happy Tree Friends” for a quick pick-me-up. The humor in their cartoons are highly original and never fail to entertain, though most of their content is for mature audiences.
10. The Mind of Ward – What? You didn’t think I was going to leave myself out, did you?

What are some of your favorite YouTube channels, and what sets them apart from all of the other content on the YouTube social media site? Leave your thoughts and insights in the comments below!

You’ve probably seen the Bing search engine commercials, where people are often met with information overload due to irrelevant search results. Now, you can cut down on the clutter, thanks to a Mozilla Firefox addon called Juice, which works on the Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux platforms with the Firefox 3 (or higher) Web browser. All you have to do is click the “Install Juice for Firefox” button on the home page and you will be redirected to an automatic download and install. Once you’ve installed the software, all you have to do is restart the browser and browse to your favorite search engine or Web site, where Juice will work automatically, analyzing text you select in the window or your search results and bring you relevant additional information.