ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
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Welcome to the 395th 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 couldn't think of anything to include this week. I asked my wife what I should write, and she said, "I have nothing." Hopefully she was referring to the Opening Thoughts, and not to anything else :-)
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Bill Gates wishes he weren't so rich
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday he wished he were not the world's richest man.
" I wish I wasn't. There is nothing good that comes out of that," said Gates, whose personal fortune sank by billions since last week when the software giant disappointed investors by saying new investments would crimp earnings.
The corporate leader who made Microsoft into the world's largest software maker - and who is also one of the biggest philanthropists - is seen as a man who does not like publicity. He explained that he did not like the attention of being the world's richest person.
Everyone Wants to 'Own' Your PC
When technology serves its owners, it is liberating. When it is designed to serve others, over the owner's objection, it is oppressive. There's a battle raging on your computer right now -- one that pits you against worms and viruses, Trojans, spyware, automatic update features and digital rights management technologies. It's the battle to determine who owns your computer.
You own your computer, of course. You bought it. You paid for it. But how much control do you really have over what happens on your machine? Technically you might have bought the hardware and software, but you have less control over what it's doing behind the scenes.
Using the hacker sense of the term, your computer is "owned" by other people.
20-year-old 'botmaster' faces years behind bars
A 20-year-old who prosecutors say highjacked computers to damage computer networks and send waves of spam across the Internet was sentenced on Monday to nearly five years in prison.
Jeanson James Ancheta, a well-known member of the "Botmaster Underground" who pleaded guilty in January to federal charges of conspiracy, fraud and damaging U.S. government computers, was given the longest sentence for spreading computer viruses, federal prosecutors said.
He was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $15,000 in restitution to the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., and forfeit to the government some $60,000 in illicit gains.
Poll: Four in 10 Americans play video games
Rather than reach for the television remote control when she wants to be entertained, Karalyn Valente goes online to play "EverQuest," "Ultima Online" and other video games -- a gaming habit shared by millions in the United States.
Valente, a 29-year-old graphic artist from York, Pennsylvania, said she devotes about 30 hours a week in vast online worlds and spent more than $1,500 on games last year.
"I watch less and less TV. I turn it on and the shows are just idiotic," Valente said. "When I play the games, I actually look through the character's eyes. I actually become the character."
According to a new AP-AOL Games poll, 40 percent of American adults play games on a computer or a console. Men, younger adults and minorities were most likely to play those games.
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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.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
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Digital Image Sensor Size
Last week I talked about how to shoot a sunrise or sunset. This week, I will get into something a little more technical, a brief discussion about digital image sensor size.
Many people coming from a film background with an SLR are already familiar with the issue of sensor size. Most digital SLR's have a sensor that is smaller than that of a standard piece of film and the results of that have both advantages and disadvantages for the photographer.
If we look at any given 35 mm lens, we can see that it produces an image circle large enough to fully cover a 35 mm image. This image circle also covers film sizes smaller than 35 mm, though that is where the confusion sets in.
The image below is a representation of the differences between the image circle for a lens on a 35mm camera or a full frame (24mm x 26mm) digital camera, and APS-C sized digital image sensor and for comparison, a 1/1.8 sized digital image sensor. The lens is made to cover the entire image area of the full frame image, and the resulting image is shown outlined red. If we were to use the same lens (and therefore the same image circle) on a camera with and APS-C sized sensor (22.7 mm x 15.1 mm), shot from the same location, we would see the image that is outlined in blue. The image outlined in green is what we would see if we used the same lens on a camera with a 1/1.8 (7.2 mm x 5.3 mm) sized sensor, commonly used in digital point and shoot cameras.
As you can see, the image is the same size in each instance, what changes is the amount of the sensor the image occupies in relation to the 35mm, full frame size, or our benchmark. This is referred to as the crop factor, and commonly mistakenly referred to as the focal length multiplier. Because the image takes up proportionately more of the film size, the image appears to have been magnified. For the APS-C sized image, the crop factor is between 1.5 or 1.6.
This illusion of magnification works great for photographers using telephoto lenses. They are now able to bring their subjects in closer without having to purchase new, heavier, more expensive lenses. For instance, a Canon 200mm f2.8 L series lens retails for $899.95 CDN. With a 1.5 crop, it provides the same field of view as a 300mm (Canon 300 f2.8 IS USM L) which retails for $5199 CDN.
What is great for photographers using long, telephoto lenses is a thorn for photographers who like wide angle lenses. With a full frame sensor, 28 mm was a wide angle lens, and 20mm was considered ultra-wide. With an APS-C sized sensor, 31mm is considered normal. 18mm is equivalent to a 28 mm full frame view and it is becoming more common to find lenses in the 10 mm and 12 mm range for ultra-wide angle images.
There is a perceived change in depth of field due to crop factor as well. Depth of field changes as the distance between the subject and camera change. For the image above, depth of field would stay essentially the same for each image because distance between the subject and the image is not changing. However, in order to get the entire butterfly in the image, the photographer would need to back away from the subject. In doing so, the subject to camera distance would grow, as would the depth of field. There is a lot of science involved in depth of field that I will not get into here, but if you are interested, you can search Google.
Next week I will continue my discussion about sensor size and it's impact on image quality in both digital SLR's and digital point and shoot cameras.
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 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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Yahoo! Mail Beta
I virtually never use my Yahoo! account for anything. However, yesterday I logged in for the first time in months and was prompted to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Wow! It's very impressive. It's much better looking then the Windows Live Mail Beta, and seems to have more features.
If you have a Yahoo! Mail account, then you've probably already been asked to try the new version. I'm not aware of any "invitations" available.
Top 10 Windows XP Tips Of All Time
From Network Computer (TechWeb):
With Vista at least seven months away, we'll all be using Windows XP for some time to come. TechWeb proudly presents our all-time favorite Win XP hacks, tips, tricks, and fixes.
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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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