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Issue 368 - November 02, 2005

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
==== 2076 Subscribers in 59 Countries ====

Welcome to the 368th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments.

Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php

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CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

I apologize again for the problems we've been having over the last few weeks in sending out the newsletter. It seems like any time my hosting provide rmakes a change on the server, it disrupts my newsletter setup. I had previously gone months without any problems at all. Hopefully we're back to that reliability.

We're finally back doing reviews again! We never officially stopped, but I guess we were slackers and didn't actually complete the reviews that we had requested. I finally did a review for BlogJet 1.5 that I've had since April. Check out the Tips and Other Stuff section for more information on the review.

Andrew and Matthew had a good time on Halloween. Andrew dressed up as a cowboy (like Woody from Toy Story) and Matthew was a dancing spider. You can see pictures here.

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

The NEWS

Megapixel digital camera war is over

The development of relatively cheap 5-megapixel compact cameras has effectively ended the long running 'megapixel war', leaving manufacturers to focus on features rather than resolution, industry sources have told vnunet.com.
" Five to eight megapixels is already sufficient for almost all users," said a spokesman for Premier Image Technology, one of the world's largest digital still camera makers.
He added that competition has forced prices for the cheapest 8-megapixel models below $300, and even manufacturers of low-cost compact models will soon begin to add features such as anti-shake and more powerful optical zooms to attract buyers.
Half of all US households own a digital camera, and markets in western Europe and Japan are similarly saturated, according to a recent report from Taiwan's Market Intelligence Center.

Read the Vnunet article...
Leave a comment...

A Virtual Holiday in the Virtual Sun

Imagine relaxing in a tiny private cove, on a lava beach near the mists of a waterfall. The sun is shining, a tropical bird cries somewhere in the distance and the cares of the working world seem a million miles away.
It's an idyllic vacation spot, but the best thing about it is that it takes less than five minutes to get there from anywhere in the world. In fact, you can reach it without ever leaving your home. That's because it exists not in any physical location but in one of the many virtual worlds that millions of people now travel to every day with the help of nothing more than a decent computer graphics card and a broadband Internet connection.

Read the New York Times article...
Leave a comment...

Gates: We're entering 'live era' of software

Kicking off what he called the "live era" of software, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said on Tuesday that the company plans to launch new Internet-based complements to its core products.
Gates said Microsoft is working on two products, "Windows Live" and "Office Live," that create opportunities for the company to sell online subscriptions and advertising. Both are targeted at smaller businesses and consumers.
The products won't replace the company's ubiquitous operating system or productivity suite, and people don't need to have that software loaded to tap into the Web versions. "They are not required to use Windows or Office," Gates said at a press event here.

Read the TechRepublic article...
Leave a comment...

Popstars turn to tech for a hit

When Madonna takes the stage in Lisbon this week to perform her new single "Hung Up," it will be the culmination of weeks of promotion harnessing new technology that is revolutionizing the music industry.
Major artists are increasingly using the Internet, mobile phones and music appliances like Apple Computer's iPod to generate hype and sales, combining technological advances with the traditional mainstays of live performance and interviews.

Read the CNN article...
Leave a comment...

Return to the top Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week

PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

DiFolders Software BlogJet 1.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/blogjet15.php

VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.php

PCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/

Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.php

Micro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.php

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Film Speeds in your Digital Camera

One of the keys to a good photographic image is proper exposure. Proper exposure is made up a couple of elements, all working together; shutter speed, aperture and film speed. However, there is never one proper exposure, but many that will provide a good print. I will explain why.

Film, whether traditional or digital, requires a certain amount of light to fall on it's surface to be properly exposed. The amount of light necessary is determined by the film or sensor speed. The faster the film/sensor speed, the less light needed to produce a proper exposure. I discussed this last week. How much light reaching the film is determined by a combination of shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed is how long the light reaches the film, while aperture is the size of the lens opening letting light into the camera.

All three aspects deal in increments of 2. Film speed of 200 is two times as fast as a film speed of 100. A shutter speed of 1/30 second is two times as long shutter speed of 1/30 of a second. An aperture of f8 is two times as small as a shutter speed of f5.6 (this one is a little confusing, the larger the number, the smaller the lens opening, the less light falling on the sensor.) To maintain a proper exposure, as you increase one factor, another must be decreased. The best analogy I have to explain this interaction is the process of filling a glass of water. The size of the glass relates to the film/sensor speed. A larger glass requires more water to fill, or more light to properly expose the sensor (a slower film speed). The amount of water coming out of the tap is your aperture. And the length of time the tap is open, shutter speed. So, to fill a glass of water, you can crack the tap open to a drip and let it run a long time, or open it full for just a second. The result is the same, a full glass of water.

Aperture vs. Shutter Speed

As aperture increases, the size of the lens opening decreases and more time is necessary to provide a properly exposed image. Or, as shutter speed increases, a larger aperture (smaller lens opening) is needed to provide a properly exposed image. In the above example, each combination will produce a properly exposed image. Changing film speed would allow one of these figures to slide, giving an exposure of f8-1/125 if we had gone from 100 to 200 ISO film. So, how can this be applied to your photography?

If your camera allows you to operate in a manual mode, after taking a shot with your digital camera, look at the image details for exposure information. Many cameras will give you the settings it used to take the image. If it was shot at f5.6 for 1/125 second, you can obtain the same exposure by shooting a f4 for 1/250 second (double the amount of light but for 1/2 the time) or f8 for 1/60 second (1/2 the amount of light, but for twice as long). So long as you apply the same adjustment to the shutter speed as you do to the aperture, you will still get the same exposure for your image. Any of the above combinations would work. As I mentioned last week, shorter shutter speeds tend to stop motion, while longer shutter speeds will help show motion. If your exposure doesn't match what I have above, simply line up the two corresponding values from your camera. It might be f4-1/500 which is the same as f5.6-1/250 second.

Next week I will discuss Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority camera modes.

Comment on this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/11/02/digital_photography_tip_of_the_week_film_1

The digital photography tip of the week is written by the PCIN Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Chris is a long time photographer and is currently the vice-president of the Niagara Falls Camera Club. You can see more of his photography at his Photo of the Day website.
If you have a tip to send Chris, or a question about digital photography he can address in the newsletter, send it to chris@pcin.net.

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

DiFolders Software BlogJet 1.5 Software Review

I recently had the opportunity to review BlogJet 1.5:
It seems like the biggest craze in online publishing right now are blogs. These "weB LOGS" originally started out as online journals. They've since become quick and easy ways for companies to communicate with their target audiences. The problem is that there are numerous blogging platforms, and it isn't uncommon for someone to be contributing to several blogs, all hosted on different platforms. BlogJet is client software that tries to provide you with a common interface to the blogging platforms of your choice.
You can read the full review at http://www.pcin.net/help/software/blogjet15.php

Leave a comment...

Different ways to start Microsoft Excel

The Microsoft Office Assistance web site had some nice tips called Customize how Excel starts. One of the tips is starting Excel is Safe Mode. You may be familiar with Safe Mode for Windows. All versions of Windows since Windows 95 have had a way to start Windows with only basic drivers and software loaded. This way you can possible remove software or other drivers that are causing problems. Well, Safe Mode for Excel works the same way. If you start Excel in Safe Mode, then it will not load any add-ins or other customizations. A quick way to start Excel in Safe Mode is to hold down the CTRL key when you click or double-click on the program icon to start the program.

Note: All Microsoft Office programs have some form of Safe Mode. You can search for help here:
Microsoft Word Safe Mode
Microsoft Excel Safe Mode
Microsoft Outlook Safe Mode
Microsoft Access Safe Mode
Microsoft PowerPoint Safe Mode

Leave a comment...

PC Magazine Tips

PC Magazine has hundreds of tips that are searchable on their site. If you visit the main tips page, you'll see the most current tip. If you scroll almost to the bottom, you'll see categories (operating systems, applications, browsers, hardware) that you can browse. You can also search by keywords.
For instance, I did a search for ALT TAB and there were 21 results. The first result was from Nov 5/02 called A Customized Alt-Tab which talks about a utility that replaced the standard Alt-Tab keyboard shortcut to switch between applications. The second result was from Apr 22/03 called Using the Alt Tab that explains simply that this keyboard shortcut exists.

Leave a comment...

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PCIN.net AFFILIATED SITES

Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check them out from time to time for updates:

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DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2005, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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