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Issue 470 - October 17, 2007

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2007
==== 1423 Subscribers in 46 Countries ====

Welcome to the 470th 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

Contents

Opening Thoughts

Everything is still going well for Lisa and Christine. I'm back at work now, and Lisa's mother is here helping. I think they are all having a good time together.

I just got a new computer at work. My old computer was just not powerful enough for some of the things that I was doing. The new one has plenty of power. It also came with a flat screen monitor (as almost all new computers do). I used to have a huge 19" CRT monitor, so it's weird having all that extra space on my desk!

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

News Highlights

Girls Gone Wired!

A recent study says that the average woman owns five electronic gadgets. So, ladies, what's your tech style?
That's the question asked by AOL's Consumer Advisor, Regina Lewis, who thinks there are three distinct tech personalities she sees among women. She visited the Saturday Early Show to explain the differences between them.

Read the CBS Early Show article...
Leave a comment...

Phantom vibrations shake 'crackberry' addicts

If your hipbone is connected to your BlackBerry or your thighbone is connected to your cell phone, those vibrations you're feeling in the car, in your pajamas, in the shower, may be coming from your headbone.
Many mobile phone addicts and BlackBerry junkies report feeling vibrations when there are none, or feeling as if they're wearing a cell phone when they're not.

Read the CNN article...
Leave a comment...

Professors asking students not to bring laptops to class

A silent college classroom is rare.
The lecturer pauses for a sip of water. Students aren't talking. And no one's cell phone is vibrating, trilling or playing the latest Billboard-chart favorite.
Yet, the faint clatter of typing rises from at least one set of fingers - an ever-present sign that today's students would rather come to class with laptops than with a pen and paper. After all, it's awfully hard to check your e-mail, surf the Web or chat with friends using a spiral notebook.
But a growing number of professors, including some at Seattle's three universities, are asking students to leave the laptops in their bags or at home.

Read the Houston Chronicle article...
Leave a comment...

Blazingly fast Internet2 just got 10 times faster

The ultrahigh-speed Internet2 network just got 10 times faster, partly in anticipation of rising demand for capacity after the world's largest particle collider opens near Geneva next year.
Until recently, the Internet2 had a theoretical limit of 10 gigabits per second, which is thousands of times faster than standard home broadband connections. By sending data using 10 different colors, or wavelengths, of light over a single cable, operators are boosting the network's capacity to 100 Gbps.

Read the MSNBC article...
Leave a comment...

Microsoft not worried about Google Apps

Google's much-hyped entrance into the office tool market dominated by Microsoft doesn't seem to have worried CEO Steve Ballmer, who dismissed competitors as not "even as good as 'me too'" in an interview Wednesday.
When asked about the challenge Google poses to Microsoft, Ballmer acknowledged that Google is the clear leader in search and advertising. Then he said Microsoft's products for productivity and business computing remain far superior to competitors.

Read the NetworkWorld article...
Leave a comment...

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Basic Digital Retouching Seminar

As mentioned in the past, I am President of the Niagara Falls Camera Club. As part of our move this year to digital competitions using projected images, I recently put on a program at the club covering some basic digital editing using Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.

In my program I covered topics including red eye removal, cropping, straightening, using level for setting white balance and minor exposure adjustment, using layers for non-destructive editing and finally creating a step mount on a digital image.

I have made an archive of my speakers notes and sample images for you to follow through.

The zip archive may be downloaded here: Digital Retouching Seminar Files

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.

PCIN.net Site Update

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Adobe Premier Elements 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/photoshopEL5_Premiere3.php

ExpoDisc White Balance Filter Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/expodisc.php

Paragon Software Group Partition Manager 8.0 Professional Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ppm8.php

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

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Tips and Other Stuff

Nexus Radio

nexus_radio_logo.jpg

Regular subscriber Pat send me in a link to Nexus Radio and said:

Cool free internet radio program, can also record songs to play on your mp3 player!

The software is rated highly at Download.com. The software is by Egisca, and their site describes it this way:

Nexus Radio is a free full featured radio player for listeners who want to record their favorite radio content for playback on their PC, or any portable device that supports MP3s. With over 6000+ radio stations and support for thousands more, Nexus Radio delivers the content radio listeners yearn for.

I haven't tried the software, but you can read more on the official Nexus Radio site.

Leave a comment...

xplorer² lite

Back in the day, Windows came with a file manager that seemed to have more features than the current Windows Explorer. You can view 2 different drives or folders at a time, making it very easy to copy files between locations. There are many 3rd party file managers out there, and one I heard of recently is xplorer² lite.

All the shell goodies from windows explorer - none of the hassle! Plus all the features you would expect from a powerful tabbed dual-pane file manager, including Omni-Finder, a find files module that simply outclasses all known search tools. Don't take our word for it, seeing is believing!

I haven't tried the software, but if you are interested in this sort of thing, then you should 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.

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2007, 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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