ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
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Welcome to the 375th 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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Chris almost has the review of Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Suite done. He's just finishing up some information on the video editing. It should be done by next week. I'm working on a review of Pocket Informant 2005 for Pocket PC.
If you are using Outlook 2003, you may have come across the new anti-phishing protection that was added in SP1. I ran into it for the first time the other day, and blogged about it. You may also want to read about my application for the Windows Live Mobile beta.
With Christmas just around the corner, make sure you don't stay out too late! One of the Wal-Mart's in the area opened this morning at 7 am and will be open until Christmas Eve at 6 pm (83 straight hours!). I feel bad for the employees who have to work the midnight shift. Anyway, we hope you all have a Merry Christmas and look forward to hearing about any new "toys" you receive from Santa!
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Home photo printing boom expected
Inkjet printer makers will continue to benefit from rising ink sales as demand for photo-quality prints increases along with digital camera sales, Nomura Securities predicts.
"We think the market has strong growth potential. We look for home photo processing to spread in line with improvements in the quality and durability of photos printed with inkjet printers and decreases in printing costs," said Nomura analyst, Tetsuya Wadaki. Nomura is Japan's largest brokerage.
Microsoft's top 10 hurdles for 2006
Analyst firm Directions on Microsoft, which last week published its list of Microsoft's top 10 challenges for 2006, cited the marketing of Windows Vista as its top concern. "Windows Vista could offer large organizations improvements in software development, security, reliability, systems management and user interface," according to the report. "However, public demonstrations have been full of cool graphics effects and consumer features that probably turn off more IT staff than they attract."
DSL nets 40m new subscribers in 2005
Almost 40 million people worldwide signed up for digital subscriber line (DSL) technology for their broadband access in the 12 months to 30 September 2005, research published today has claimed.
According to the data produced for the DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic, the growth in DSL uptake equates to over 100,000 users every day and means that more than 125 million homes and businesses now use broadband DSL.
eBay's Pet Peeves
You can find anything on eBay, right? Well... maybe not. Sure, you can bid on anything from jewelry to cars to antique Pez dispensers -- but if you were thinking of stuffing a stocking with a small, four-legged, tail-wagging friend, you're out of luck. As it turns out, you won't be able to find live pets any time soon, according to the online auctioneer, which almost changed its ban on such listings.
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Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Omega One Software Battery Pack Pro 2.1 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/bpp2.phpMakayama Interactive DVD to Pocket PC 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/dvd2ppc3.phpAdobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/elements40.phpNorris Family Industry ActiveEarth 2.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/activeearth2.phpParagon Partition Manager 7 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ppm7.php
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Rule of Thirds
Last week I talked about framing for printing. I had expected to have a review of Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite Plus to discuss today, but had problems with hardware for the video portion of the review so that will have to wait until next week. The software consists of both a still image editor and a video editor (from Pinnacle). This week I will discuss the rule of thirds.
This week's tip is a compositional tip intended to further help you create dramatic photographs. The rule of thirds (really more of a good guideline) states major elements in your photograph should fall in one of the outside thirds of the photo, or on the intersecting point, when the photo is divided into 3 equal vertical sections and 3 equal horizontal sections. The image below provides a good example on how your viewfinder would be broken up using the rule of thirds as your guide. The red dots are of course the intersection of the thirds.
In the following two photographs, I have overlayed the above image to show how the elements in the photo line up with the rule of thirds guidelines. Notice how the spring on the left is placed on the bottom right intersection and the red barn in the right image is on the upper right intersection. Also notice that the shadow of the spring follows along the line dividing the lower third from the middle third.
In the following photograph of some Freezies, the intersection of the Freezies falls on the intersection of the thirds and the orange Freezies extend along the horizontal and vertical third indicators. This could have been centered, and would have looked acceptable, but is a stronger composition when it is offset.
The last image below does not have a subject that can be easily placed on one of the intersections, but the horizon has been placed in the top third of the photo. When shooting a horizon, it is usually best not to center it but to place it in the top or bottom third of the photograph as shown. Strong vertical elements should be placed in the left or right third as shown in the Freezie photo.
(click on any of the four photos to see the full size image)
Does this mean that a subject should never be placed in the center? Of course not, that is why the Rule of Thirds should really more of a guideline than a rule. Many digital cameras have a grid overlay that will help you compose using the rule of thirds. Read your manual to find out if your digital camera can do it.
Next week I will have my Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite review complete (my video problems have been corrected). I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday and gets in some good shooting!
Comment on this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/12/21/rule_of_thirds_digital_imaging_tip_of_th
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 Year in Search
2005 is only 10 days away from coming to an end, and as can be expected, the major search engines have released their "top searches" pages. I've posted about them with links to the full listings:
2005 Year-End Google Zeitgeist
A9 Top 99 Search Terms of 2005
Yahoo Top Searches Of 2005
AOL Search Year in Review
Top Search on Lycos in 2005
Internet Explorer Setup Switches
Microsoft used to let you download a complete version of IE for you to save to your computer. They don't do that anymore. Now you download an IESETUP file that is only 300kb or so. It then downloads all the files that are needed for installation. There are temp files left on the hard drive, but these are only the files you need on your computer. What do you do if you want a complete copy that you can use on any computer?
Microsoft has provided a couple of document to let you know what options are available when you are running IESETUP.
You might want to control the way that Windows Update Setup runs for your users. You can use command-line switches to choose the installation mode, specify a quiet mode (which removes or reduces the prompts the user receives), or control whether the computer is restarted after installation.
This method is generally for enterprise users, but any user can benefit from it.
MSKB 257249 - Download-only installation of Internet Explorer 6.0, Internet Explorer 5.5, or Internet Explorer 5.1 in Windows XP or in Windows 2000
MSKB 200007 - Internet Explorer Batch Mode Setup Switches
MS TechNet - Internet Explorer Batch-mode Setup Switches
Google Search - ie6setup.exe switches
Who's talking about you?
Talk Digger is a meta-search engine. It asks major search engines: "Who links that URL?" The results will then be processed and displayed on Talk Digger.
It's a neat idea, that pulls several free resources into one place. For instance, visiting http://www.talkdigger.com/index.php?surl=http://potd.chrisempey.com will let you know who is linking (or talking) about Chris' Photo of the Day.
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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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