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:
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.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut
and paste.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and
follow the appropriate links.
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I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
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by clicking on the PayPal link below:
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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.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php
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