DocShots: New tool for presenting multiple docs via your blog

Docstoc now introduces DocShots, the best way for you to publish multiple documents via your blog. Installation is fast and easy and the service is FREE. Simply cut and paste a snippet of code into the background of your blog and DocShots will convert any posted documents (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls) into hover-able links. Your readers can then scroll over these links to instantly preview files in our feature-rich viewer. No longer will they have to download files to preview them, meaning they stay engaged at your site and no longer face disruptive wait times or potential computer freezes.

DocShots is a free service for website and blog owners. Simply add your custom DocShots code just one time into the background of your site and all your posted documents (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls) will be converted to DocShots links.

DocShots provides publishers with a new option for presenting documents online while providing readers a better way to preview and download these documents. This free, turnkey service converts any posted document on your website or blog into a hover-able link that enables instant online document preview. With DocShots, there are no heavy downloads or disruptive wait times. For example, hover or click on this document to instantly preview it.

Features:
# Enable instant preview & interaction with any doc
# Enter one snippet of code and ALL your work is done
# Turns doc links into shareable, viral content
# Automatically convert all doc links on your website
# Eliminate the need to download a doc to preview it; eliminate download wait times and system crashes
# Provides real-time tracking statistics on each doc

Sign-in or Create an account on Docstoc, to generate your own custom DocShots code. The code is a few lines of javascript that you cut & paste into the bottom of your site’s HTML pages. All the documents you post on your website or blog will be accessible through your Docstoc profile. This way you can easily follow their usage statistics.

DocShots provide you controls to:
– Modify the default width and height of the document preview
– Set documents to display as public on docstoc or store privately in your own account
– Include or exclude our Related Docs and Other Docs features in the DocShots display

DocShots works on various websites and blogging platforms, though still can’t work with WordPress.com blogs.

Check out DocShots in action here

To learn more about DocShots, watch the DocShots Video. Ready to start using DocShots?

First look – Internet Explorer 8 (RC1)

Microsoft made available Internet Explorer 8 RC1 (release candidate 1), which means that as far as Microsoft is concerned, IE8 is cooked and that barring anything major, this will become the final release. So, what’s the new browser like?

A new release of IE is always important because this is the browser that many millions of Windows users will be surfing the web with daily. Like it or not, by the very fact that IE is knitted into every Windows installation makes this an important event.

After what seemed like years of stagnation, Microsoft is continuing the tradition of kitting out IE8 with features that users of other browsers take for granted. According to its team blog, the latest version of the browser includes some general performance improvements, plus added security to avoid clickjacking attempts and some very nice features built-in, including:

* Smart Address Bar
The address bar isn’t now just a place to type URLs into. The Smart Address bar in IE8 tries to make sense of what the user is looking for by retrieving sites visited from the history and bookmarks. This is handy for those times when you want to find something but can’t remember where you saw it.
* Enhanced find
Sometimes it’s not finding the site that’s difficult, but finding where on the page you need to look for the information that you are after. IE8 offers a broad range of enhanced and improved tools to help you spot the information you are after. One such example if this is result highlighting.
* Tab groups
When one tab is opened from another one, the new tab is placed next to the one from which it was opened, and both are marked with a colored tab. This is a good way to keep track of your open tabs.
* InPrivate
Along with keeping track of stuff that you might later want to refer back to, IE8 also gives you powerful tools that allow the browser to have temporary amnesia in relation to the sites you’ve visited by temporarily halting the writing of information to the cache and history.
* Crash recovery
If your IE locks up of crashes while you’ve a shed-load of tabs open, with IE8 there’s a good chance that when you fire up the browser again that it will remember what what sites you had open and fire them up again. It can also reload information that you had typed into forms.

The RC1 version of IE8 is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows Server releases. It’s not currently compatible with Microsoft’s Windows 7 Beta operating system, which comes with its own version of IE8.

Directory of Technology Companies

CrunchBase is the free directory of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit.

It is developed and maintained by TechCrunch with the support of the tech community and visitors like you.

Here, you can learn and edit everything about companies like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Digg

Currently, it has more than 11,000 companies listed in its database.

Website: http://www.crunchbase.com/

Retro Thing – Vintage Gadgets and Technology

Retro thing is an independent vintage gadget website run by a team of renegade elves based in Calgary and Chicago. Each month they present a never-ending stream of classic and almost-classic gizmos and books.

The site was started by James Grahame, a vintage technology addict who appears to have two first names. Bohus Blahut (BOH-hoosh BLAH-hoot) joined the editorial team in early 2006. Giles Perkins from onSuper8.org occasionally drops by, as do a few other Retro friends.
These guys are independent bloggers who love to share technology and do the best to share links when they can. Readers can also send in links and hints.

Website: http://www.retrothing.com/