ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
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Welcome to the 367th 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.
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I had a fantastic week off with my family. We visited with both of our families; we went to the Toronto Zoo; we went swimming; we did some long-needed yard work; we relaxed together. It was great!
Don't forget to check out the PCIN.net Update blog. Not everything ends up in the newsletter. In particular, you should check out my posts on my new FM transmitter, refilling ink cartridges, as well as my experience updating a Compaq Pocket PC device.
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Canon to develop fuel cells for printers, cameras
Japan's Canon Inc. said on Tuesday it has developed tiny fuel cells that it hopes will start replacing conventional batteries to power some of its digital cameras and printers in three years. Canon will join a small army of companies, including Toshiba Corp., NEC Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., that are working on the development and commercialization of fuel-cell batteries for the next-generation of consumer electronics.
Old software weakening Net's backbone, survey says
Many Domain Name System servers are wrongly configured or running out-of-date software, leaving them vulnerable to malicious attacks, according to a study published Monday.
DNS servers, which translate domain names such as "yoursite.com" into IP addresses, underpin the workings of the Internet. In its survey, Internet performance company The Measurement Factory found that the BIND software used for domain-name resolution is out-of-date on a fifth of DNS servers.
DNS servers that run versions of BIND earlier than version 9 are "opening the door" to pharming attacks--a kind of phishing attempt--through DNS cache poisoning, the company said in its report.
New Web software a challenge to Microsoft
A quiet revolution is transforming life on the Internet: New, agile software now lets people quickly check flight options, see stock prices fluctuate and better manage their online photos and e-mail.
Such tools make computing less of a chore because they sit on distant Web servers and run over standard browsers. Users thus don't have to worry about installing software or moving data when they switch computers.
And that could bode ill for Microsoft Corp. and its flagship Office suite, which packs together word processing, spreadsheets and other applications.
Colleges protest feds' Net order
The federal government, vastly extending the reach of an 11-year-old law, is requiring hundreds of universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor e-mail and other online communications.
The action, which the government says is intended to help catch terrorists and other criminals, has unleashed protests and the threat of lawsuits from universities, which argue that it will cost at least $7 billion while doing little to apprehend lawbreakers.
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Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.phpPCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.phpMicro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.phpAlbum Creator by FirmTools Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/albumcreator.php
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Film Speeds in your Digital Camera
Anyone who has ever had to buy film for a camera will know that film is rated by its sensitivity to light, or it's speed. As the film speed (ASA or ISO) increases, two things happen, less time is needed to expose the film and the appearance of grain (noise) becomes greater. These principles also apply with digital photography.
Many digital cameras provide a mechanism for changing sensor sensitivity (film speed). Low end point and shoot cameras may only have one film speed, others may range from 100-200 or up to 400, while digital SLRs may have a selectable film speed of between 50 ISO and 3200 ISO or higher. So why would you want to change film speed?
With all other things being equal, a faster film speed allows you:
So what are the advantages to a slower film speed?
You will notice that they seem to overlap. Why might you want to stop motion, in one shot but not another? Why would you sometimes want more depth of field, and other times not? There are creative reasons for changing your camera's film speed. The most common reason though is for shooting in low light or indoors. Lighting indoors ay be significantly dimmer than outdoors, up to 50 times as dim, or even 500 times in extreme cases. Given that wide range of lighting levels, film or digital sensors cannot be made to accommodate all of them, so it is best to shoot with an appropriate film speed to ensure well exposed images without camera shake.
Speed | Scenario | |
100 |
bright sunlight, outdoor shots | |
200 |
partly sunny outdoor shots | |
400 |
indoor shots with flash | |
800 |
indoor shots without flash, fast action |
If you do want to achieve some creative effects, try slowing your film speed down which will force your camera to use longer shutter speeds and therefore give you motion in your shot. In a I shot I took this summer of a waterfall, motion is clearly visible in the water as it falls over the cliff (100 ISO) . If I had used a faster film speed, the shutter speed would have been slow enough that the motion of the water would not be clearly visible. Be aware that longer shutter speeds will need to be taken with a tripod.
To capture motion, use a faster shutter speed to create shorter shutter speeds. I used 800 ISO for this shot of a baseball game. You can see even at this film speed, the ball still has some motion to it. If I had used a slower shutter speed, the trail would have been much longer (8 times longer with 100 ISO).
There is a good interactive example that shows the differences between film speeds at http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/filmspeed.php
Next week I will discuss the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and how they relate to film speed.
Comment on this week's Digital Photography Tip of the Week at http://www.pcin.net/update/index.php/2005/10/26/digital_photography_tip_of_the_week_film
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.
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Gorgeous Digital Photos
The Gigapxl Project
Our Vision
Defining the upper limits of large-format photography, digital scanning and image processing, custom-built Gigapxl cameras capture images with unprecedented resolution.
It would take a video wall of 10,000 television screens or 600 prints from a professional digital SLR camera to capture as much information as that contained in a single Gigapxl exposure.
The Project's near-term goal is to compile a coast-to-coast Portrait of America; photographing her cities, parks and monuments in exquisite detail.
A longer term goal is to create for future generations a world-wide archive of vanishing cultural and archaeological sites.Check it out at http://www.gigapxl.org/
Top 20 License-Free Fonts
From InsideMicrosoft:
Nicholas links to this list of the top 20 license-free fonts. Could someone please release the files as a torrent?
I recently copied the new Windows Vista fonts out of a beta installation and have been using them on my XP box to much satisfaction. Microsoft did a great job designing / paying for these fonts. My favorite? Candara.
Quick Selection Tip
While working in a Microsoft program, to quickly select the current word, double click on it. Triple clicking on a word (or section of a paragraph) will select the entire paragraph. And if you need to erase a selection, simply select the text and start to type, you will overwrite any existing text; no need to delete it first.
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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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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 1998-2005, 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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