ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2008
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Welcome to the 495th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news highlights 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
I finally splurged and bought a new laptop. I got a nice Dell Inspiron 1515. The boys love logging into their Webkinz accounts and playing. Unfortunately someone put a sticker on the computer (don't worry... it came off easily), but neither will admit it. Sigh!
The weather recently has been amazing. I've mentioned before that I work in Niagara Falls, and each day I go for a walk. Along the Niagara Parkway (the stretch of road and parkland that follows the Niagara River both above and below the falls) each Spring there are flowers. A couple of weeks ago I saw the first shoots coming up. It's a beautiful time of year!
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Coming Soon, to Any Flat Surface Near You
Tired of hearing other people's cellphone conversations? It may become worse. Soon you may have to watch their favorite television shows and YouTube videos, too, as they project them onto nearby walls or commuter-train seatbacks.
Pint-size digital projectors are in the works. These devices, when plugged into cellphones and portable media players, will let consumers beam video content from their hand-held devices to the closest smooth surface - entertaining themselves, annoying their neighbors and possibly contributing to a new warning sign: No Projectors in This Area. The microprojectors, still in prototype, use light-emitting diodes, lasers or a combination of the two to cast a display of up to 50 or 60 inches, or perhaps even wider, in darkened spaces and 7 to 20 inches or so when there is ambient light.
Computers to merge with humans
By 2020 the terms "interface" and "user" will be obsolete as computers merge ever closer with humans.
It is one prediction in a Microsoft-backed report drawn from the discussions of 45 academics from the fields of computing, science, sociology and psychology.
It predicts fundamental changes in the field of so-called Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
By 2020 humans will increasingly interrogate machines, the report said.
Apple claims title of top song seller
The biggest record store in the U.S. isn't a record store at all, it's Apple Inc.'s iTunes.
Thursday, the computer giant announced that after just five years in the market, its online music store has blown past Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to become the largest retailer of music in the U.S.
As Apple's dominion over the industry grows and CD sales continue to plummet, it becomes increasingly apparent that consumers are gravitating toward digital music and that the former heavyweight champions of the retail game - big-box stores such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target - will not be the next challengers to contend for the title.
Navajo Nation likely to lose Internet service
The thousands of Navajo Nation residents who rely on the Internet to work, study and communicate across their 27,000-square-mile reservation will be out of luck Monday, if their service provider shuts access as planned.
"It's going to be a sad day," said Ernest Franklin, director of the tribe's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
Bounce Flash - Digital Photography Tip of the Week
Photographing people indoors often requires the use of flash for added light. Direct, on camera flash however often results in multiple problems, red eye, washed out or overexposed subjects and of course, harsh, unflattering light.
If you use the flash built in to your camera, you don't have many options. However, if you use an external flash you can change the small, direct light source of your flash head to a large diffuse source by bouncing the flash off of the ceiling.
Most external flash units sold today have heads that swivel and tilt for directing the flash. Directing the flash at the ceiling makes the ceiling your lights source. In my tip Quality of Light and the Size of Your Light Source I talked about how the the size of your light source affects the quality of light, larger generally being considered better. In this case, the light reflecting off of the ceiling is significantly larger than your flash head. The resulting light on your subject is softer, shadows are not as harsh and the lighting is more even throughout the subject area.
To effectively use bounce flash, you need a ceiling that is not too high. The higher the ceiling, the higher the light loss (refer back to my tip on flash to subject distance). If the ceiling is textured your light will be more diffuse than if it is not. Bouncing your flash off of a coloured ceiling will introduce that colour into your photo so using this technique with white ceilings works best, however, ceilings with a slight warm tint may add a nice warm tone to your image. Your flash should be directed at about 45 degrees to the ceiling though the distance to your subject will determine the actual angle you may need.
Finally, use your histogram or image review on your camera. If you find your images are a little dark your flash may not have enough power to effectively bounce off the ceiling though you can increase your ISO to negate that effect.
The two photos below are images of my niece. The photo on the left was shot direct with flash. The flash was mounted on a bracket above the camera to help eliminate red eye and direct any shadows down and behind her. As you can see, the lighting is flat and unflattering. The image on the right was shot with the same set up but with the flash pointed toward the ceiling at about a 45 degree angle. As you can see the shadows are softer, skin tones are more appealing and she has gained a little bit of warmth compared to the first shot.
Being able to control your light is one of the basic steps to better photography.
Until next time, happy shooting.
Leave a comment on 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.
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Paragon Software Group Hard Disk Manager 2008
http://PCIN.net/help/software/paragonhdm2008.phpAdobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Adobe Premier Elements 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/photoshopEL5_Premiere3.phpExpoDisc White Balance Filter Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/expodisc.phpParagon Software Group Partition Manager 8.0 Professional Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ppm8.phpUpdate PCIN.net home page with "Top 10 Most Popular..." features
http://PCIN.net/
Recuva - Windows freeware file recovery
I heard about Recuva a couple of months ago on the Kim Komando show. I bookmarked it, and finally got around to checking it out. It is a file recover utility.
Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses!
I've tried it out and it is very easy to use. It scans the drive that you specify and then shows you a list of files that have been previously deleted. It also tells you how likely it is that file could be recovered. You select the files you want to recover, choose where to recover them to (a different drive is recommended) and then the software tries to recover the file. The program itself is very small (less than 1 MB) and you can download an installable version (a setup file) or a zip file that you can extract and save to a portable disk. That's what I've done, and I will definitely recommend it to others.
101 Fantastic Freebies 2008
In what has become a yearly tradition (see 2006 and 2007 here), PC World has compiled a list of 101 Fantastic Freebies:
Free. It's the magic word for an ever-expanding wealth of downloadable software and online services. Free doesn't necessarily mean good, however, and hunting for freebies can mean sifting through a lot of junk.
That's where we come in. We surfed, clicked, and installed to find sparkling free gems capable of planning your time, keeping you in touch, and tuning and securing your PC, not to mention glitzing up your desktop, helping you stay productive, and entertaining you with music, videos, photos, and games. We paid special attention to programs and services you may not have heard of before.
We also singled out two free offerings--one download and one online service--as the best of the bunch.
91 Utilities to Supercharge Windows
PC Magazine has an article with a list of useful utilities:
We're going back to the basics: Our 2008 collection of utility software is all about tweaking, manipulating, and totally dominating the looks and functionality of Windows XP and Vista. These 91 tools provide all the help you need to control Windows. All the products work with XP and Vista unless indicated.
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 1998-2008, 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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