# Cool freebie programs... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142 "2004-08-10T02:44:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/41 "2004-08-13T23:22:06Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > One of the finest astronomy programs out there also happens to be free! I spend hours just setting up cool flybys, eclipses, adding new planets and stars… > > [http://www.shatters.net/celestia/](http://www.shatters.net/celestia/) Absolutely marvellous. It’s better than the $-ware “Red Shift” that’s somewhat similar; though I got that so many years ago I suppose anything would be better now. Is it possible to see the sky from nearby stars? Will it let you see, let’s say, the sun in Cassiopeia from Alpha Centauri? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/42 "2004-08-14T10:02:08Z")
> [@flyboy88](#): > > **Usram** , I tried to email you but you’re not allowing emails. Can you tell me where to get these high-res maps of Earth? I’ve trolled around their site for a while now and still don’t see anything for it. > > This program is awesome. [Here](http://www.shatters.net/~t00fri/texfoundry.php4)’s a good place to start. Click on the ‘What is available?’. The ‘texture’ files you’re after have the extension .dds. For example, the one I’m using is called Realistic-Earth16k.dds (~85Mb!). I think I got it at a third-party site that I found via the main site. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/43 "2004-08-15T02:04:19Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > Absolutely marvellous. It’s better than the $-ware “Red Shift” that’s somewhat similar; though I got that so many years ago I suppose anything would be better now. > > Is it possible to see the sky from nearby stars? Will it let you see, let’s say, the sun in Cassiopeia from Alpha Centauri? Yep. For truly sick manipulations, you can download add-ons that increase Celestia’s star database to **millions** of stars. Make sure your computer’s up to it, though… ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/44 "2004-08-15T21:24:05Z")
The program \*\*Frank.exe \*\* is a fun, small programme. It mimics a psychologist. Frank, along with **Eliza** , were the first attempts in the late eighties at \*\*Artificial Intelligence \*\* programs that could stand the Turing test. The Turing test is the test: can we create a program that fools anyone talking to it into thinking they’re talking to an actual person? Frank makes a great fun gift to anyone dabbling in psychology. And for geeks in general. I got it from a freeware CD-rom years ago. If anyone wants it too, just drop me an e-mail with SDMB in the subject line, and I’ll be happy to e-mail it to you. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/45 "2004-08-15T21:39:04Z")
Perhaps there’s no need for email, **Maastricht** , I bet this is the same program: [http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/ai-repository/ai/areas/classics/eliza/pc/frank.zip](http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/ai-repository/ai/areas/classics/eliza/pc/frank.zip) ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142/46 "2004-08-16T20:16:49Z")
I’m hoping for a freeware program that can record whatever is going through my video card, capturing streams of Real and Quicktime video. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-freebie-programs/259142.md?page=2)