ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
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Welcome to the 406th 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
Tomorrow is Andrew's 4th birthday. This is the first event/holiday that he is actually excited about. He realizes what it is and he is giggly whenever we talk about it. We have a couple of things planned for him tomorrow, and then we're doing an extended family thing on Friday. Then on Saturday we're going to our church summer picnic, so he's going to have 3 days in a row of fun. Lucky kid! :-)
Not much else to say this week... just trying to get through these dog days of summer.
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Scratching the 25-year PC itch
I was never particularly big on anniversaries. But in a couple of weeks, the computer industry will mark a milestone that deserves a moment of quiet celebration. On Aug. 12, 1981, the IBM Corporation debuted the PC.
It's hardly hyperbole to suggest that this single announcement did more to change the world of technology than anything ever since - including the invention of the World Wide Web.
'E-mail has become the new snail mail' as younger set goes with text messaging
E-mail is so last millennium. Young people see it as a good way to reach an elder - a parent, teacher or a boss - or to receive an attached file. But increasingly, the former darling of high-tech communication is losing favor to instant and text messaging, and to the chatter generated on blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
The shift is starting to creep into workplace communication, too.
"In this world of instant gratification, e-mail has become the new snail mail," says 25-year-old Rachel Quizon from Norwalk, Calif. She became addicted to instant messaging in college, where many students are logged on 24/7.
Google's unknown artist has huge following
Dennis Hwang may be the most famous unknown artist in the world - his work doesn't hang in galleries or museums, but it's been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
The 28-year-old webmaster designs the whimsical logos that decorate Google.com's otherwise Spartan Web site on special occasions.
"It's always a fun kind of challenge to incorporate the logo into the design. Over the years, just because I kind of push myself to use different types of design if I can," Hwang said.
He has been manipulating the six letters in the Google name into shamrocks, fireworks, hearts and goblins since shortly after he got an internship there in 2000.
Spice up your Travel Photos - Digital Photography Tip of the Week
Last week I discussed practicing using a single focal length to get a better understanding of how a given focal length can affect you photographs. This week, I discuss a few tips for improving your travel photography.
If you have ever had to sit through a slide show of someone's travel photographs, you are well aware of how uninspiring they can be. How can you avoid the same feelings from others about your travel photos? Spice them up.
When you are vacation, there are a lot more photos than simply the ones of you and your family in front of a landmark. Create your travelogue as a journal of your trip. Include items such as photos of maps of the area, or maybe a brochure. Remember to capture the details of your trip, and the details of where you were. Include architectural elements of your destination, wide angle views of the cityscape, zoom in on elements such as detailed stone work on an old building. Photograph the people. Markets are great places to get photographs of locals. Remember that it is polite to ask permission before taking someone's photograph, and in many locations where the economy is suffering, a small token of gratitude will go a long way.
Of course you want to capture the landmarks, but also get the photographs you don't normally see. Try changing angle, get down low, or shoot it with a wide angle lens to help exaggerate the landmark's scale.
As always, remember the important aspects of photography, lighting, exposure, composition. Poor quality photographs will quickly lose the interest of your viewers. And finally, shoot your travels home. Your vacation hasn't ended as you leave your destination, there are often many more photographic opportunities on the trip home.
Leave a comment about this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week...
Return to the topThe 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.
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Return to the topUpdate 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.phpOmega 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.php
Google Notebook
Return to the topI remember hearing about this when it first came out, but I never tried it until yesterday. Google has a neat service called Google Notebook. They describe it this way:
Google Notebook makes web research of all kinds - from planning a vacation to researching a school paper to buying a car - easier and more efficient by enabling you to clip and gather information even while you're browsing the web.
And since Google Notebook lives in your browser, you won't be left with a scattered collection of notes, Word docs, and browser bookmarks to sort through; all your web findings will be gathering into one organized, easy accessible location that you can access from any computer.
I use Firefox as my browser, so I installed the extension (it also works with Internet Explorer). It shows up in the status bar at the bottom like this:
When I right-click on some text, I have an option to "Note this (Google Notebook)". When I choose that the notebook opens up and adds the text snippet. You can also just add your own notes there as well. The small notebook pop-up looks like this:
You can view and edit your notes on a web page, and choose to share your notes as well. Pretty neat!
Leave a comment...
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:
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 1998-2006, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
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