PCIN, The PC Improvement News logo

Issue 385 - March 01, 2006

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
==== 2010 Subscribers in 55 Countries ====

Welcome to the 385th 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

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

CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

I'm on vacation this week and so that's why you are probably getting the newsletter out a little early. We didn't go anywhere, but we've gotten a fair amount of work done in and around the house, so it's been good. ANd of course it's always good playing with Andrew and Matthew. I don't want to sound too old, but they sure do grow up fast!

When I sent out the newsletter last week I forgot to put the new Digital Photography Tip of the Week in so it was a repeat of the week before. Sorry about that. The new tip is in this issue, and concludes Chris' series on night photography.

Remember that I'm looking for items that I can include in the Tips and Other Stuff section. This has always been the hardest section to fill. Feel free to email us with some sites to recommend and useful tips. It will help us put together a more complete newsletter, and it will help your fellow readers. We'd be happy to provide you with the credit and link back to you for anything that we use.

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

The NEWS

Corporations Have an Unsubscribe Problem

Can you trust a major corporation to keep your e-mail address out of spammers' hands after you fill out the company's unsubscribe form?
Not always, according to a service that tracks what happens when addresses are submitted to unsubscribe mechanisms on the Web.
I wrote last week that a service called Lashback LLC has tested some 170,000 different "remove me" procedures that it's found on the Internet. This small antispam firm says it's already caught some big fish in its net.

Read the Datamation article...
Leave a comment...

Geekcorps: A Peace Corps for techies

How do you bring the Internet to countries like Mali, where more than 70 percent of the population is illiterate and the telecommunications infrastructure barely exists?
You use the radio.
Equipped with dust-resistant PCs, digital audio broadcasting equipment and antennas assembled from salvage, local radio broadcasters are emerging as ersatz Internet service providers in the West African nation, thanks in part to a program initiated by Geekcorps, a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to cultivating high-tech skills and businesses in the world's emerging nations.

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

Cyberthieves Silently Copy Your Passwords as You Type

Most people who use e-mail now know enough to be on guard against "phishing" messages that pretend to be from a bank or business but are actually attempts to steal passwords and other personal information.
But there is evidence that among global cybercriminals, phishing may already be passé.
In some countries, like Brazil, it has been eclipsed by an even more virulent form of electronic con - the use of keylogging programs that silently copy the keystrokes of computer users and send that information to the crooks. These programs are often hidden inside other software and then infect the machine, putting them in the category of malicious programs known as Trojan horses, or just Trojans.

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

Canadian College Curbs Wi-Fi Due to Health Risks

A small Canadian university has ruled out campus-wide wireless Internet access because its president fears the system's electromagnetic forces could pose a risk to students' health.
Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, has only a limited Wi-Fi connections at present, in places where there is no fiber-optic Internet connection. And that, according to president Fred Gilbert, is just fine.
" The jury is still out on the impact that electromagnetic forces have on human physiology," Gilbert told a university meeting last month, insisting that university policy would not change while he remained president.

Read the eWeek article...
Leave a comment...

Other News postings from the PCIN.net Update blog

Return to the top Recommend PCIN

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

Return to the top Recommend PCIN

Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Straighten Crooked Photos

Last time I finished up my three part series on night photography. This week I am discussing keeping straight lines straight.

When shooting, it is important to be sure to keep straight lines straight. Trees that lean one direction, horizon's that fall off to one side and buildings that seem to fall over are all signs that you camera was crooked when you took your shot. You can avoid this by examining your photo before you take it. If you still continue to have crooked photos, some camera's have aids you can use.

A digital camera with a grid overlay will provide you with straight lines that you can match up with something in your photo. A grid overlay like the one shown below also helps in composing by giving you a rule of thirds guide.

Straighten Crooked Photos sample

If you camera does not have a grid overlay, but has multiple focus points, you can line up a straight line such as the horizon with one of the focus points, as I have in this photo.

Straighten Crooked Photos sample

If after trying these you still end up with crooked photos, you can always use software to straighten a crooked photo. In Photoshop Elements, you can automatically straighten a photo by choosing Image > Rotate > Straighten or Image > Rotate > Straighten and Crop. You can also manually straighten a photo using the straighten tool. Microsoft Digital Image Suite Plus also has a straighten tool that can be found in your Common tasks. Choose the down arrow on the format screen, then choose Straighten Picture, next click on the photo two points of a line that should be straight. The software will then use the angle between the two points to straighten the image. Rotating an image without cropping will leave white space around your photo, and rotating with cropping will make your photo a little smaller. The more you have to rotate, the more you will lose as shown in the black outline.

Straighten Crooked Photos sample

Other software packages have straightening tools as well, consult your help file for your particular method for you software package. And remember, sometimes a tree does lean, and a horizon may not be horizontal when you are shooting a hill, but watch out for the tell tales signs of a crooked camera!

It is always better to get the best image possible when you take your photo, but when you need to use software to fix a small mistake, feel confident that you can fix it!

Next week, I will talk about how to hold your camera for more stable shots.

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.

Return to the top Recommend PCIN

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Putting Your DVDs on a Video iPod

Sure, you could fill your video iPod with episodes of Knight Rider from iTunes for $2 a pop. Or you could save some cash - and your soul - and fill it with files you convert from your DVD collection using freely available software. Problem is, you'd have to break the law. Though it's theoretically OK to back up DVDs for personal use, it's illegal to override commercial copy protection, a necessary step in the process. Proceed at your own risk.

Read the Wired START article...
Leave a comment...

Battery Care And Feeding

The latest LangaList newsletter talks about caring for laptop batteries:

Your best bet is to start with the laptop vendor's site to see what the official recommendations are: Check their web site for detailed care-and-feeding info. But then cross-reference that info with an objective, third-party source who's not trying to sell you anything. A general resource like http://www.batteryuniversity.com/ , or the more-in-depth sites it can link you to, may be useful.

Battery University seems quite helpful. Check it out!

Leave a comment...

Google Page Creator

I'm sure you've all heard about the new Google Page Creator Beta. When I heard about it a few days ago, I went to sign up for an account, and as is usually the case, with their beta releases, they had stopped allowing new sign-ups. I went again today, and was able to login with my existing Google Account, and started to create a page. You can see it at http://gawing.googlepages.com/

It is nice enough to use, but I'm not sure what their target user base is. Who is going to use it?

Leave a comment...

Other Tips and Other Stuff postings from the PCIN.net Update blog

Adobe releases Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac

Return to the top Recommend PCIN

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:

Return to the top Recommend PCIN

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.

  1. If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut and paste.
  2. To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and follow the appropriate links.
  3. Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and be entered in a monthly draw.
  4. The only way to become a subscriber is by asking. You have either filled out the subscription form or asked me directly.
  5. If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please email me at editor@pcin.net and I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
  6. Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php or by clicking on the PayPal link below:

Return to the top

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.

Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php

PC Improvement News Home Page

PC Improvement News Archive