Open Source Scalable Vector Graphics Editor

Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3Cstandard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XMLediting, and more. It imports formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and others and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats.

Inkscape's main goal is to create a powerful and convenient drawing tool fully compliant with XML, SVG, and CSS standards. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development process, and by making sure Inkcape is easy to learn, to use, and to extend.

http://www.inkscape.org/

MATLAB - The Language of Technical Computing

MATLAB is a high-level language and interactive environment that enables you to perform computationally intensive tasks faster than with traditional programming languages such as C, C++, and Fortran.

You can use MATLAB in a wide range of applications, including signal and image processing, communications, control design, test and measurement, financial modeling and analysis, and computational biology. Add-on toolboxes (collections of special-purpose MATLAB functions, available separately) extend the MATLAB environment to solve particular classes of
problems in these application areas.

MATLAB provides a number of features for documenting and sharing your work. You can integrate your MATLAB code with other languages and applications, and distribute your MATLAB algorithms and applications.

http://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/

Google's Powerful APIs for developers

We all probably know or have even used Google Search APIs, but over theperiod of time Google has consistently improved its tally of APIs itoffer to developers to use and customise various google products and services.

Here is list as of Nov-2005

1. AdWords
2. Blogger
3. Deskbar
4. Desktop Search
5. Earth
6. Froogle
7. Gmail
8. Groups
9. Maps
10.News
11.Search Appliance
12.Talk
13.Video
14.Web search

You can check all of them out at:http://code.google.com/apis.html

And if you hurry and use some of them, you can even win a Google T-Shirtand promotion on their developer page.

Amazon's Artificial Artificial Intelligence

Today, we build complex software applications based on the thingscomputers do well, such as storing and retrieving large amounts ofinformation or rapidly performing calculations. However, humans stillsignificantly outperform the most powerful computers at completing suchsimple tasks as identifying objects in photographs - something childrencan do even before they learn to speak.

When we think of interfaces between human beings and computers, weusually assume that the human being is the one requesting that a task becompleted, and the computer is completing the task and providing theresults. What if this process were reversed and a computer program could ask a human being to perform a task and return the results? What if itcould coordinate many human beings to perform a task?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/ref=aws_gen_nl13amt/104-0890544-5297546?node=15879911