Abstracter is a contextual menu plug-in that summarizes text to the clipboard or a text file. It is multi-lingual too. Yes, including Japanese.

Abstracter is Ian Shortreed's latest product at Mercury Software and it rocks mighty hard!

The following is an example of Abstracter at work on a New York Times piece, delivering a 5 paragraphs abstract:

As criticism of the weekend bombing raids around Basra, in southern Iraq, reverberated through foreign capitals, the White House today pressed ahead on multiple fronts to win United Nations support for a toughly worded draft resolution calling on President Saddam Hussein to disarm immediately or face a full-scale military attack.

...Diplomats at the United Nations and in Washington said France, Russia and China were unwavering in opposing the Bush administration's formulation, under which United Nations inspectors would return to Iraq under a single resolution that authorized a military attack in the event that Baghdad thwarted the inspectors' work.

...But he said the current American-British draft created a "whole new structure" of inspectors under the control of Washington and London "and as soon as Iraq violates one of their conditions, the member states would have the right to use all necessary means" to fight Iraq's non-compliance.

...He also said he hoped the Security Council would have its work done by the time Mr. Blix and his inspectors headed for Baghdad, because a new resolution would create "new guidance" that "might require him to modify his plan" for inspections.

..."There is still flexibility with us on one or two resolutions," said one administration official, referring to the French demand that one resolution call on Mr. Hussein to comply with his obligations to disarm, and, if he fails to do so, a second resolution authorizing the use of force to bring him into compliance.

Nifty isn't it. and cheap too. Click here to send Ian his 7 dollars - Now :-)

Oh, and you read right, the US armed forces are already engaged over Irak. As a matter of fact, they've been for a long time.

Sanford Selznick: The Do's and Don'ts of Shareware, Part 1. - "... This first installment provides you with some excellent background material and helps you determine the feasibility of moving from the idea stage to creating the foundation for your new enterprise." [in O'Reilly Network via Mac Net Journal]