The new movie about Abraham Lincoln has everyone talking about our 16th president! You can read more about his life in Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (this book was the basis for the movie). Or try Manhunt by James L. Swanson, which follows the twelve-day chase for Lincoln’s killer.

If fiction is more your style, The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter is an alternate history where Lincoln escapes assassination by John Wilkes Booth only to face impeachment. In The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O’Brien, Detective Temple McFadden discovers diaries belonging to Mary Todd Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth that reveal a conspiracy behind Lincoln’s assassination. And for something really different, try Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith which features Lincoln’s valiant fight against the forces of the undead (also available on DVD).

What is your favorite book about Lincoln?

Interested in genealogy?

Geni is a web-based application with a simple interface that allows you to build your family tree and invite others to contribute. Relatives who are added to your tree can sign up for an account and add more family members. The basic tools are free, although you have the option of paying for a pro plan with advanced features. Geni keeps your information private so only the people in your family can log in and see your tree.

Geni was highlighted on Time magazine’s list of the 50 Best Websites of 2008 and on PC magazine’s list of the Best Free Software of 2009.

If you’d like to dig a little deeper into your ancestry, check out these genealogy resources offered by KDL:

• Reference Databases for Genealogy
• Recommended Genealogy Websites
• Genealogy & Local History Resource Guide

Looking for movie suggestions? Try a movie recommendation engine like Nanocrowd. Just input the name of a movie you’ve enjoyed, and Nanocrowd suggests six nanogenres — groups of keywords related to the movie. Click on the three-word category you prefer, and Nanocrowd generates a list of movies. Choose a different nanogenre and you’ll get a new list of movies.

Not a fan of Nanocrowd? Other movie recommendation engines to try include TasteKid, Clerkdogs, Jinni, and IMDb. What’s your favorite way to find movie suggestions?

If you want to edit your digital photos but don’t want to spend big bucks for the software, try an online image editor!

One tool to try is Aviary Phoenix. This image editor can do everything from basic photo retouching to more complex effects. The advanced interface includes options like filters, layers, magic wand selection, and blending. You have the option of uploading your photos or entering the URL for an image that is already online. Aviary does not require you to sign up for an account to use the tools, but creating an account allows you to save your creations online. Aviary’s suite of tools also includes vector and effects editors. And a bonus: Aviary has free tutorials to help you, ranked by difficulty from beginner to expert.

Other free online image editors are Adobe Photoshop Express, Sumo Paint, Pixlr, and Picnik. What is your favorite image editor?

Looking for some new music but short on cash?

Check out Amazon’s Free MP3 downloads section to choose from over 800 songs — completely free and completely legal to download. Amazon regularly adds freebies, so check back often for new items!

What happens to a file on your computer when you delete it?

Many people assume that deleting means it is gone, but often that’s not the case. The marker that points to your file may have been removed, but until the data is overwritten by something else, it still exists. If that is news to you, you’re not alone. A recent study by a New York computer forensics firm found that 40% of the used hard drives sold on eBay contain personal data that is easily recovered — everything from family photos to corporate financial data!

Enter Eraser, a free software program that that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times. Eraser allows you to choose from several different overwriting methods, including the one used by the Department of Defense. Now that’s secure deletion! You can even schedule Eraser to run routine wipes of your free disk space. Once installed, Eraser makes “shredding” your files as easy as a right click.

Note: Mac users have had the “secure empty trash” option, based on a multiple pass DoD method, since OS 10.3 — no special program needed!

These are some of the best computer software programs, as ranked by the readers of the tech blog Lifehacker. And not only are these programs highly rated, but every program mentioned in this list is free. That’s right, FREE. And since most of us are thinking twice about spending these days, that is good news indeed!

Free Software Alternatives:

• Word Processing: OpenOffice or Zoho
• PDF Reader: Foxit Reader
• PDF Creator: CutePDF
• Text Editor: Notepad++
• Image Editing: GIMP, Inkscape, or Paint.NET
• Digital Photo Organizer: Picasa
• Antivirus Application: AVG Anti-Virus or Avast
• Spyware Protection: Spybot Search and Destroy or Ad-Aware
• Windows Maintenance Tool: CCleaner
• CD and DVD Burning Tool: InfraRecorder or ImgBurn
• Desktop Media Player: VLC or Foobar 2000

Do you have a favorite free software program? Let us know in the comments!

Some people seem to know all the tricks — how to do things faster, or make them easier. Here are ten computer tricks to try!

1. You can double-click a word to highlight it in almost any document, e-mail or Web page. Triple clicking will select a block of text.
2. In Windows, you can switch from one open program to another by using the shortcut Alt+Tab. (Hold down the ALT key and press the TAB key at the same time.) For Macs, the shortcut is Command+Tab.
3. You can minimize all windows and show the computer desktop by holding down the Windows key and pressing the D key at the same time. Press the Windows+D key combination again to return to what you were doing. On Macs, press F11 (and on recent Mac laptops, Command+F3; Command is the key with the cloverleaf logo).
4. You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screen at a time. Use SHIFT+SPACEBAR to scroll back up.
5. Pressing the HOME key will move you to the top of a webpage. Press END to move to the bottom of the page.
6. Press BACKSPACE to go back a webpage (just like clicking the back arrow). SHIFT+BACKSPACE will go forward a webpage.
7. Here’s one for entering web addresses: Type google in the address bar and then press CTRL+ENTER. This shortcut adds the http://www. in front of it and the .com behind it, and proceeds to go to that address.
8. CTRL + a number key will jump to another tab when you have multiple tabs open in your browser. CTRL+2 takes you to the second tab, for example.
9. CTRL+E will move your cursor to the search bar in Internet Explorer. (For Firefox, use CTRL+K).
10. CTRL+L will move your cursor to the address bar in Firefox. In Internet Explorer, it opens a box where you can type the web address.

Thanks to David Pogue at the New York Times, who first blogged about tech tips. You can read more computer tips and tricks here.

What are your favorite computer tips and tricks?

How many passwords do you have? Do you have a hard time remembering all of them?

KeePass is a free, open source password manager — and it’s easy to use! All of your passwords are stored in one database, which is secured with one master password or a key file (or both, for the greatest security). The master password is the only thing you need to remember to unlock the database. The databases are encrypted using the most secure encryption algorithms available — the same ones used by banks, for example.

KeePass has fields for username, password, URL and notes. The program can store an unlimited number of passwords, which can be organized in folders or groups. It can even generate random passwords for you! KeePass also has a nifty function called auto-type that can open an URL and fill in your login information — with just one click!

KeePass can be installed on a computer, but it is also a portable program. It can be transported on a flash drive for secure access to your passwords from any computer with a USB port. Keepass works with Windows, Linux, and MacOSX. There are even versions for PocketPC, Smartphone, Symbian, BlackBerry, and PalmOS.

Read a review of KeePass or try it yourself!

Online productivity applications allow users to create and share documents over the internet. Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations — these can all be done using web-based applications like Zoho and Google Docs. Your documents are stored online and can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection.

Forgot to take your flash drive to the library and can’t print your resume? No problem if you’ve saved it to Zoho! Wrote your paper at school in Word 2007 and can’t open it with Word 2003 at home? Google Docs to the rescue! One advantage to using web-based applications is that you don’t have to worry about different software versions or file types. You can email files or move from one computer to another — the documents go wherever you go! You can even share a file with several people and work on it together.

Check out Zoho or Google Docs to learn more about online productivity applications! 

Note: If you use Gmail, Google Docs is already built into your account. Just click on the Documents link at the top of the screen.