ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
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Welcome to the 379th 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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It looks like you've all enjoyed several of the tips recently. In particular, the information on 10 things you should do to improve every new Windows PC, TCP Optimizer, and the Speakeasy Speed Test have had a lot of hits. Remember that if you have other sites or software you'd like to recommend, you can leave a comment on a relevant blog posting or email us directly.
One of the biggest threats on the Internet today is "phishing". This is when a spammer sends you an email as if it were from a bank, PayPal, eBay, etc. hoping to get you to give them your username and password. I clicked through an email today, and filled in the forms to see what happens. I wrote about it in a blog posting called Phishing for PayPal information.
We've added a new feature to the newsletter this week. At the end of the News and the Tips sections I've included links to other blog postings. There may be other things I've blogged about that you would be interested in that I didn't put in the newsletter.
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Web sites judged in a blink
Internet users can give Web sites a thumbs up or thumbs down in less than the blink of an eye, according to a study by Canadian researchers.
In just a brief one-twentieth of a second -- less than half the time it takes to blink -- people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.
The study was published in the latest issue of the Behaviour and Information Technology journal. The author said the findings had powerful implications for the field of Web site design.
A Funny Path to Today's Apple?
In a wistful moment during his keynote at Macworld this week, Steve Jobs reminded attendees that April 1 will mark the 30th anniversary of the dawn of Apple. "I just wanted to point it out," said Jobs. "You know, Apple was founded on April Fools day in 1976. We thought that was funny at the time." Indeed it was. And the fun was just starting. Plenty of books have been written about Apple's wild ride. I don't have that kind of space, but here are a few of the key moments in the history of Jobs & Company that stand out for me.
Some Students Prefer Taking Classes Online
Andy Steele lives just a few blocks from the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., so commuting to class isn't the problem. But he doesn't like lectures much, isn't a morning person, and wants time during the day to restore motorcycles.
So Steele, a full-time senior business major, has been taking as many classes as he can from the South Dakota state system's online offerings. He gets better grades and learns more, he says, and insists he isn't missing out on the college experience.
" I still know a lot of people from my first two years living on campus, and I still meet a lot of people," he says. But now, he sets his own schedule.
At least 2.3 million people took some kind of online course in 2004, according to a recent survey by The Sloan Consortium, an online education group, and two-thirds of colleges offering "face-to-face" courses also offer online ones. But what were once two distinct types of classes are looking more and more alike - and often dipping into the same pool of students.
Wiring the Olympics in Italy's mountains
Winning a medal at next month's Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, could be the memory of a lifetime for some 2,500 athletes from around the world.
But before a single skate hits ice, thousands of technology specialists will have spent much of the past few years designing, building and testing a computing and communications infrastructure that helps run the show, from reporting competition results to ensuring athletes get to their events on time - with absolutely no room for error.
Other News postings from the PCIN.net Update blog
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Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
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.phpNorris Family Industry ActiveEarth 2.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/activeearth2.php
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Curves and Diagonals
In the past, I discussed compositional tips such as the rule of thirds, moving in and moving out from your subject. This week I will discuss S-curves and diagonals and how they can improve your photography.
Photographs are static images. To add life to them, we need make use of compositional elements. Of the two I will discuss today, the diagonal is easier to find and photograph. Diagonals are used to lead your eye into the photo or out of it. They provide a path for the eye to follow through the image. The following image shows this well. The photo on the left of the Pearly Crescentspot shows the butterfly resting, but the diagonal of the plant give the butterfly someplace to go, up. The image on the right (the same image, rotated) is static and simple shows the butterfly resting.
Notice how the water flowing left to right directs your eye across the photo in that direction in the photo on the left, while the photo on the right, your eye follows the photo from the bottom of the image on the left to the top on the right.
S-Curves are a little harder to find that diagonals, but provide much more dramatic photo. Like diagonals, the provide a path for the viewer to follow allowing them to travel through the image, rather than simply looking at it. Look for S-curves in nature, they occur in rivers and streams, waterfronts, foliage and many more place. You can also find them in portraits. Watch for them starting at the head, coming down through the torso into the lower body. Often an bent arm or leg will help create the shape.
Next week I will discuss night photography.
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 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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Electronic Document Conversion
The United States National Library of Medicine has an excellent service called DocMorph where you can convert 50+ different document formats to PDF. You have to register (which is free), and then you find a file on your computer, and it converts it. It does a good job of optimizing the output.
I tried it with a simple Word document (logo in header and text in body). The original document was 62kb, and the converted PDF was 29kb. I tried it with a 136kb GIF, and the converted PDF was 165kb. Lastly, I tried it on the PCIN Registry Tips document. The Word document was 330kb, and the converted PDF was 257kb. I had used Acrobat to create a PDF already, but it was over 400kb, so I've since replaced it with the smaller one.
There is also software called MyMorph which you can download. I did not try this as I was only testing the web-based options.
It's definitely worth checking out.
Create an Indestructible Shared PC
From PC Magazine:
Need to put a PC in a public place? A free Microsoft tool makes it easy to lock down.
Schools, libraries, and other organizations often want to make computers available in public places. These can become tempting targets for hackers. Even well-intentioned users can wreak havoc by deleting important files or accidentally installing malware.
Microsoft's free Shared Computer Toolkit lets you configure a PC that can be used to search the Internet, look up resources, and run approved programs; it also stops users from making permanent system changes, running arbitrary programs, or introducing malware. Administrators on domain-based PCs have long been able to do this; the toolkit offers a similar level for any PC. You don't need an IT degree - the kit leads an administrator through the steps of locking down a system.
SetNameToTime
I haven't tried the software, but it sounds interesting:
SetNameToTime is a program designed to batch rename digital camera pictures using free text, counters and information extracted from the file's exif header. The new file names is based on the new name format settings controlled by the user. The new name format is specified using new name format tags.
After having a digital camera for more than a couple of days you end up with hundreds of pictures. Now starts the process of sorting and renaming these hundreds or even thousands of pictures. Straight from the camera the pictures have names like img00221.jpg or some other equally meaningless name. You may start putting your files in different folders. One for each year, month or day. You may use some program to rename the files using text and counters. If you are lucky the program sorts your pictures in the correct order first, if not you may end up with a total mess.
SetNameToTime will take care of a lot of these problems. By using the date and time the picture was shot as part of the new file name the pictures will always be sorted in the correct chronological order. The pictures will have a unique name. You will easily find that picture from May 05, 2003. You can still include free text and counters if you want to.The program is free to try, and $15 to register. Check it out!
Leave a comment if you know of other programs that do the same thing...
Other Tips
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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 1998-2006, 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.
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