Hey there and a warm welcome to this Weekend’s Takeaways!
Now, some people would have you believe that tomorrow is officially the most depressing day of the year…in fact, I got curious and looked that one up. Turns out you can all relax as that has been thoroughly debunked but just in case I decided to pack this edition of your newsletter with stacks of freebies designed to bring a smile to your face…
And in case you’d like to read the scientific explanation of why Blue Monday does not exist, this is a good read:
OK, on to your freebies and first up is a nice collection of free templates to use with Camtasia – great for those of you who want more professional looking videos:
http://www.1forallsoftware.com/camtasia-intro-templates/free-camtasia-templates.htm
If you don’t have Camtasia, you can get a free trial here:
http://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasia/
Next are some brand new and rather brilliant WordPress themes that are premium in quality if not in (lack of) price:
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/12/the-best-free-wordpress-themes-december-2013/
You know all those plugins you buy? Stop for a moment and check out these two splendid collections…you just might never pay for a plugin again:
http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-wordpress-plugins
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/11/the-best-new-wordpress-plugins-for-november/
On to free software and here are some good options for free image editing as alternatives to Photoshop et al:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425910,00.asp
PC Mag also did a nice roundup of the latest free antivirus/antimalware software:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp
For your Kindle freebie this week, an excellent look at crowdfunding as the next big thing and possibly the way to get your next venture up and running:
http://www.amazon.com/Crowdfunding-The-Next-Big-Thing-ebook/dp/B00HQ7JZOM/
Finally, your TED talk this week is about a subject close to my heart – how being happy really does result in you performing better at work:
Even if it’s not Blue Monday tomorrow, it is Martin Luther King Day in the US so I think that’s an excellent reason to wish you all peace, prosperity doing what you love and the freedom to make the right choices.
And if you have never seen his I Have A Dream Speech, here is my favourite video of it:
