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Issue 416 - October 04, 2006

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
==== 1571 Subscribers in 51 Countries ====

Welcome to the 416th 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.

Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.php

CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

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

The NEWS

Most reliable search tool could be your librarian

Your child wants to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. You might consider consulting a librarian instead of Google, AOL or Microsoft search engines.
Using the keywords "Martin Luther King," the first result on Google and AOL--whose search is powered by Google--and the second result on Microsoft Windows Live search is a Web site created by a white supremacists group that purports to provide "a true historical examination" of the civil rights leader.
Granted, there are sponsored links above the result on all three sites and a "snapshot" of links to related content on AOL above the link on that Web site. But given that many people rely on the information they get in the top few results, someone could come away with a skewed perception of the man.
That's where librarians come in.

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

Mark Cuban: Only a 'moron' would buy YouTube

Billionaire investor and dot-com veteran Mark Cuban had harsh words Thursday for YouTube, the online site that lets people share video clips, saying only a "moron" would purchase the wildly popular start-up.
Cuban, co-founder of HDNet and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, also said YouTube would eventually be "sued into oblivion" because of copyright violations.
"They are just breaking the law," Cuban told a group of advertisers in New York. "The only reason it hasn't been sued yet is because there is nobody with big money to sue."

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

US internet 'highly resilient' to terror attack

The internet infrastructure in the US would still be able to function even if terrorists were able to knock out key physical network hubs, researchers have claimed.
According to academics who have completed a simulation of a major attack on the US internet infrastructure, it would be "very difficult" to cause major disruptions across the country.

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

With Online Friends Like These...

Social networking sites offer hackers a rich trove of potential victims and many opportunities to exploit them, a new security report says.
Your next MySpace friend could be a virus. Social networking sites, blogs, and other popular Web destinations that rely on user-generated content are hackers' newest targets, according to a Symantec report. And these bad guys are not targeting social networking sites just to show off—they're hunting for sensitive financial information.

Read the BusinessWeek article...
Leave a comment...

U.S. to allow ICANN independence by 2009

The European Commission welcomed on Monday U.S. government moves to make the company that manages Internet domain names independent by 2009, but said it would monitor the process carefully.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which controls addresses including ".com" and country domain names such as ".cn" for China, now reports to the U.S. Commerce Department.
On Friday, the Commerce Department said it would retain oversight for three more years, renewing an agreement that was scheduled to expire last weekend.

Read the MSNBC article...
Leave a comment...

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Be Prepared for the Unexpected Photograph - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

This week we had a guest speaker at my camera club speaking about photographing people. The first thing he said in his presentation was to have your camera ready at all times so that you don't miss a shot. That was my tip last week.

This week I am going to talk a little about camera maintenance, specifically cleaning your lenses for optimal clarity..

Cleaning your lenses is an important part of digital photography when it comes to high image quality. A dirty lens may cause a decrease in clarity and possibly contrast in your image and can introduce spots that you have to try to digitally remove later.

The equipment used to clean lenses is pretty simple. A small blower brush will often remove small particles resting on the glass. Simply blow them off. Smudges and finger prints or water marks require a little more work. I use a 'clean' micro fiber lens cloth, available at camera stores and often also at places where you can buy prescription eyewear. Gently rub the lens element in circles to remove any marks that may be on the lens. If they are a little more stubborn, breathing on the lens softly will give the cloth a little moisture to help remove the marks. Try to avoid cleaning lenses too often or with chemical cleaners as camera optics are coated to help increase contrast, and it is possible to remove these coatings through cleaning. If you have an SLR with interchangeable lenses, also remember to examine the rear elements of your lenses to be sure they are clean as well. In the event that you do use a liquid lens cleaner, place a few drops on the lens cloth rather than directly on the lens.

To protect the lens you may choose to use a filter in front of the lens to protect the front lens element. A 1A (Skylight) or UV filter will have little to no effect on your images while keeping your front lens element cleaner.

Dirty equipment will yield dirty results. But it is also important not to go overboard. Be sure to keep things like dust and moisture out of your lenses to provide years of spectacular, trouble free photography

Until next week, happy shooting.

Leave a comment about this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week.

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 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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PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Update PCIN.net home page with "Top 10 Most Popular..." features
http://PCIN.net/

Microsoft Digital Image Suite Plus Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/msdimagesuiteplus.php

Omega One Software Battery Pack Pro 2.1 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/bpp2.php

Makayama Interactive DVD to Pocket PC 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/dvd2ppc3.php

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/elements40.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Official Seal Generator

I saw this on Download Squad:

This is probably a time-waster, but also pretty functional, so we'll let it squeeze by without the "time waster" label. Hey, it's Monday, right?

The Official Seal Generator gives you an easy-to-use web interface with a bunch of built-in imagery to allow you to create a very official looking seal for your website...

Here is a sample of one I've made:

pcin_seal.gif

You can choose from a variety of borders and centre symbols. You can also modify the various colours. Go and try the Official Seal Generator yourself!

Leave a comment...

Fantastic list of XP performance tweak myths

Another good one from Download Squad:

If you're like me... then you probably are a total sucker for any Netscape or digg post that claims to give you information about some super-secret registry tweak that will make your XP box faster. I know I've tried every one in the book, and I found the more that I tried them, the more that I needed them. Not because they worked, though. More often it was because my system seemed to grow slower and slower as I applied all of these tweaks.

Well it turns out that wasn't my imagination, my system actually was slowing down. And the reason is that most of the supposed performance enhancing tweaks that you read about online at best do nothing, and at worst actually slow Windows down.

Download Squad then links to XP Myths. The site tries to help with various tips and answer whether they really do anything or not. Check it out!

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 1998-2006, 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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