ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
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Welcome to the 366th 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.
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Sorry about the problems sending out last week's newsletter. My hosting provider changed a setting that caused some problems. Some people only got it once, but some got it several times. Everything should be fine this week.
Now that I can track the popularity of articles, I figured I'd let you know that last week's most popular link was for the CNN/AP article about Kevin Mitnick ( A convicted hacker debunks some myths ).
I'm on vacation this week. We aren't doing anything spectacular, but then again, I do get a whole week playing with Andrew and Matthew, and being with Lisa. Ok... I guess it is spectacular!
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Technology keeps eye on motorists
Driving to work, you notice the traffic beginning to slow. And because you have your cell phone on, the government senses the delay, too.
A congestion alert is issued, automatically updating electronic road signs and Web sites and dispatching text messages to mobile phones and auto dashboards.
In what would be the largest project of its kind, the Missouri Department of Transportation is finalizing a contract to monitor thousands of cell phones, using their movements to map real-time traffic conditions statewide on all 5,500 miles of major roads.
What would Jesus blog?
What would Jesus blog?
That and other pressing questions drew dozens of Christians to a Southern California university this weekend for what was billed as the first-ever national conference for "God bloggers," a growing community of online writers who exchange information and analyze current events from a Christian perspective.
The three-day conference at Biola University marked an important organizational benchmark for Christian bloggers, who have worked behind the scenes for several years to spread the Gospel and infuse politics with religion. It was the first time many of the 135 bloggers met face-to-face, and organizers took the opportunity to address sometimes controversial questions surrounding the future of the Christian blogosphere.
Intel cuts PC boot time
Intel is showing off a future technology called Robson that could cut that annoying boot-up time.
With Robson, a PC pulls data and applications off an add-in flash memory card and Intel software, rather than the PC's hard drive. Flash reacts more quickly than hard drives, thus cutting down the time it takes to launch an application. Potentially, notebook users could experience a longer battery life because the hard drive, which is spun by a motor, wouldn't have to work as hard.
Cell phones reshaping Africa
Amina Harun, a 45-year-old farmer, used to traipse around for hours looking for a working pay phone on which to call the markets and find the best prices for her fruit.
Then cell phones changed her life.
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Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.phpPCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.phpMicro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.phpAlbum Creator by FirmTools Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/albumcreator.php
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Move out from your Subject
Last week I discussed getting close to your subject. Not to confuse you too much, but this week I will discuss zooming out from your subject.
In my tip last week, I mentioned how a better photograph can be made by zooming in and getting closer to your subject. There are times however when you will want to back away as well. If we look at the same image from last week, we can easily see we have a better shot of Leanne and I without the distracting background, but that doesn't really help tell the story of where we were. The original photograph helps convey that better because we can see the location in the background. Unfortunately though, the image does work the way it is composed. The subject is competing with the background, we don't know which one should be the focus of attention, there are people in the background that are distracting and the story is lost in all the confusion.
Next, let's look at another image of us from another trip. The composition of this image allows both the subject and the background to work together to tell the story of where we were. It is important to pay attention to the elements in your photo when you do this though to make sure you are not adding any unwanted extras, such as the people in the background of the above photo. Moving in would have given a nice portrait of us, but would not convey that this was overlooking a large canyon, nor would it really help us to record that part of our trip.
If your digital camera has a zoom feature, using that to zoom out will give a slightly different effect than physically moving away from the subject. In some cases it will be noticeable, in others it may not be, and other times you may not be able to move away from the subject and will have to use the zoom. Unlike the negative effects of digital zoom, cameras do have a digital wide angle so that is not a worry you have to be concerned about.
Next week I talk about film speed in your digital camera.
Comment on this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/10/19/digital_photography_tip_of_the_week_move_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 100 Oldest Currently-Registered .COM Domains
Check it out at http://www.jottings.com/100-oldest-dot-com-domains.htm
"Top" Digital Photography Tips
Chris has been doing a great job with the Digital Photography Tip of the Week. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback. But of course Chris can't cover it all. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the Lunacore Photoshop Tutorials. Well, here are some more digital photography (and manipulation) tips:
Top Ten Digital Photography Tips
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2002/10/22/digi_photo_tips.html
Top 10 Techniques for Better Pictures
http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/tips.asp
Lexar Digital Photography Tips
http://www.lexar.com/dp/
PhotographyTips.com
http://photographytips.com/
Show Desktop Shortcut
I asked my sister tonight for some tip ideas. I asked what the most useful thing was (shortcut, software, whatever) on her computer. She said she loved the Show Desktop shortcut that is in the Quick Launch toolbar and that she uses it all the time. I wrote an article years ago about how to recreate the shortcut if it is deleted. It has been one of the top pages on the site ever since. I also posted about this. The Show Desktop shortcut is a Windows Explorer command file. I've had others ask if there were other shortcuts/scripts that could be made like this, but I haven't been able to find any.
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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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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.
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.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.
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