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Issue 439 - March 14, 2007

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2007
==== 1506 Subscribers in 50 Countries ====

Welcome to the 439th 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

Lisa went to visit her parents today and took Matthew with her. They took the train and Matthew was excited for days leading up to this about taking the "green train". Andrew is staying at my parents house, so I'm here at home without any of them. Sad! My sister Julia is still here, but sorry Julia, it's just not the same :-)

I upgraded the blog back-end software to WordPress 2.1.2 this week as well as the theme. It should have been seamless to you, but if you notice any problems, please let me know.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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

News Highlights

Tech firms go green as e-waste mounts

This is where computers go to die a green death.
Inside Hewlett-Packard Co.'s cavernous recycling plant in the Sacramento suburbs, truckloads of obsolete PCs, servers and printers collected from consumers and businesses nationwide are cracked open by goggled workers who pull out batteries, circuit boards and other potentially hazardous components.
The electronic carcasses are fed into a massive machine that noisily shreds them into tiny pieces and mechanically sorts the fragments into piles of steel, aluminum, plastic and precious metals. Those scraps are sent to smelting plants, mostly in the Sacramento area, where they are melted down for reuse.
The computer industry is ramping up its campaign against electronic waste, a dangerous byproduct of technology's relentless expansion.

Read the USA Today article...
Leave a comment...

Why Are Women Exiting Technology?

Whether you're a woman returning to, entering, or attempting to advance in the I.T. ranks, landing a prime position often proves to be an against-odds affair. And it's the very culture of hiring that many companies are reassessing to address this issue, in an effort to ensure a more balanced, diverse, and versatile workforce.
A quick scan of almost any I.T. department -- from the trenches to the corner office -- confirms it: Women who embrace technology as a lifelong career remain a rare breed. To be sure, opportunity for women in technology has advanced in the past few decades, as have education initiatives aimed at leveling the playing field, but for every woman rising to prominence or embarking on a profession in I.T., there seems to be another opting out of her career in technology.

Read the NewsFactor article...
Leave a comment...

The 50 Most Important People on the Web

Despite what Time magazine would have you believe, you are not the most powerful or influential person on the Web. At PC World we love online personals, social networks, and videos of people falling on their keisters as much as the next person, but without the folks who create the Craigslists, MySpaces, and YouTubes of the world, much of the Web's potential would be lost among spam sites and other online detritus.
So who's making the biggest impact online? We considered hundreds of the Web's most noteworthy power brokers, bloggers, brainiacs, and entrepreneurs to figure out whose contributions are shaping the way we use the Web. We whittled the list down to the top 50--well, actually the top 62--people, but as you'll see, there are some you just can't separate. And don't despair: Get a little more traffic on your Web site, and you may show up on the list next year.

Read the PC World article...
Leave a comment...

Few glitches after daylight saving shift

No major disruptions were reported due to daylight saving time starting earlier than usual on Sunday, though some people are experiencing technology glitches.
The bulk of the problems arose for people who had not updated their computers or had decided to postpone patching to the last minute, according to Microsoft, which created a dedicated "DST Support Central" to help customers. The symptom: clocks running an hour behind because they did not automatically adjust.
"This is more a nuisance issue," said Rich Kaplan, the Microsoft vice president in charge of handling daylight saving time issues. "We had phone calls. There were people who had not applied the updates yet, so they wanted some clarity. There were no calls that said infrastructure was down, data was lost or any of those things."

Read the TechRepublic article...
Leave a comment...

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

One Shot or Continuous Focus - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Most digital cameras with advanced manual override controls often have multiple focus modes, most often single focus or continuous focus. Today I will explain the difference between both and situations when you may want to use them.

Single focus mode will lock focus on your subject and hold that focus point for as long as you hold the shutter button down even if your subject moves from the focus point. This mode also allows you to focus and recompose your photo for better composition. To do this, focus on your subject, and while holding your your shutter button down half way, recompose your image. This focus mode is best for static subjects and subjects you want to place off center. This is the mode I use most often.

Continuous focus mode should be used while photographing moving subjects. This mode continually refocus on your subject (once you obtain focus lock) as it moves closer to or further from you. Great for sports, photos of children playing or anything that may be moving. You cannot use the mode for recomposing your images though because once you obtain focus lock and try to recompose, the camera will automatically refocus on whatever is in the focus point for the camera.

Knowing how to take advantage to all of your camera's features gives you the information you need to create better photographs. Knowing when to use single focus mode or continuous focus mode is just one of the many features you may not be taking advantage of with your camera.

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.

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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

Have a tip, leave a tip with Tipstrs

tipstrs_logo.gif

I read about this on Download Squad:

Do you have something to share? Maybe a little tip about something? A trick of some sort? Tipstrs wants you to leave it on their website and share it with the world.

Tipstrs is pegged as a hybrid social bookmarking site. The whole idea behind the site lays on special tips and advice about specific topics that people can offer other visitors to the site. People simply post their tips complete with a Title, Description, Link, and Categories, no logging in necessary.

I haven't spent too much time looking at it yet, but it seems promising. Check it out!

Leave a comment...

TopTenREVIEWS

top10reviews_logo.gif

I've only glanced around this site, but it seems interesting. The site describes itself as follows:

Have you ever spent hours online or at the store trying to figure out which product to buy? At TopTenREVIEWS, we help you cut through the clutter to find the product that's best for you. We provide in-depth reviews, side-by-side product comparisons, industry-related news and articles, and qualified links to purchase products for SOFTWARE, WEB SERVICES, MOVIES & HARDWARE.

They seem to have hundreds of reviews, so there's bound to be something there that will be of assistance to you. Check it out!

Leave a comment...

GizmoSMS - Free SMS To Any Mobile Phone

gizmosms-logo.gif

Michael Robertson, the founder of MP3.com, is now involved in all sorts of other online pursuits. One of them is with VOIP. He has grouped several services under the Gizmo Project name, and the latest one is GizmoSMS.

[GizmoSMS is] a web site that lets you send SMS messages to any mobile phone directly from your PC. It's fast and easy and best of all it's free.

I tried it the day it was launched, and it took 2 hours to get to me. I tried it just now, and it took about 30 seconds to get to me. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to send a text message to a cell phone, GizmoSMS is a good place to start.

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.

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