ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2007
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Welcome to the 460th 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
Matthew and Andrew's birthday's were both great. The time away at the cottage was great (but too short) and now we have nothing else exciting until the baby is born. Lisa is just trying to endure the heat! We are definitely in the midst of the dog days of summer.
I've harvested a few things from my garden. As I mentioned before, I had an animal eat a lot of my garden. I was only able to get a couple of meals of brocolli, but it was great. The corn is next.
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
Poll Shows Growing Number of 'Cyberchondriacs'
With easy online access to up-to-date medical information and reference materials, more adults in the U.S. are using the Internet to find out about their health, then talking to their personal doctors about what they find.
In fact, according to a new telephone poll by Harris Interactive Inc., about 160 million of the 225 million adults in the U.S. have looked online for information about their health, up 37 percent since 2005.
Two years ago, 117 million adults used the Web to access health information. Last year, that number had risen to 136 million adults. In fact, the latest figures show that the number of U.S. adults searching the Web for health information has more than tripled from 54 million in 1998, when the first Harris poll on the topic was conducted.Read the full results on the Harris Interactive web site.
Is Geek Squad Now the 'Peek Squad'?
When Best Buy Co. Inc. bought the Geek Squad five years ago, the two companies pledged to "protect the world from the assault of computerized technology Relevant Products/Services." Geek Squad "agents" even wore badges and drove vehicles resembling police cars.
But as this squadron of techno-nerds has mushroomed into the largest collection of computer troubleshooters in the world, it has become increasingly difficult for the firm to police its own employees.
In recent months, allegations of agents copying pornography, music and alluring photos from customers' computers have circulated on the Internet. Some bloggers now call it the "Peek Squad."
Britain 'failing' net speed tests
There is a huge gap between advertised broadband speeds and the actual speeds users can achieve, research has shown.
A survey by consumer group Which? found that broadband packages promising speeds of up to 8Mbps (megabits per second) actually achieved far less.
Tests of 300 customers' net connections revealed that the average download speed they were getting was 2.7Mbps.
Which? has called on regulator Ofcom and Trading Standards to launch a fresh investigation into UK broadband.I would assume that the same complaints could be made wherever there is broadband. My cable company advertises 7Mb, but when asked about it, that is only between your computer and their main switching location. But of course I'm not downloading anything from their switching station, am I?!
Other News postings from the PCIN.net Update blog
Watch your Elevations - Digital Photography Tip of the Week
This weeks tip is a very simple one. Watch your elevations. Simply, if your subject sits at a higher elevation than the camera, place the subject in the top half of the frame. If the subject sits below the camera, place it in the lower half of the frame. Following this simple guideline can help preserve the natural feel of your photograph.
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.
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.phpExpoDisc White Balance Filter Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/expodisc.phpParagon Software Group Partition Manager 8.0 Professional Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ppm8.phpUpdate 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
"At the Movies" review archive
At the Movies was the name of the show that Siskel & Ebert did where they reviewed movies. The name has changed over the years, and the critics have also changed, but the show has continued on. This week they opened up their archive on the web and they have archived reviews of over 5,000 movies! Roger Ebert announced it this way:
The various incarnations of Siskel & Ebert & Roeper represent more than 1,000 TV programs, on which the three of us, and various guest critics, reviewed more than 5,000 movies. And now at last an online archive exists with all of those reviews.
Starting Thursday, Aug. 2, visitors will be able to search for and watch all of those past debates, including the film clips that went along with them, plus the "ten best" and other special shows we did. The new archive will be at www.atthemoviestv.com, and will be the web's largest collection of streaming reviews.
25 best free high-quality fonts
I found this on Download Squad...
Freelance web designer Vitaly Friedman has put together a listing of his choice of the best 25 free fonts available online, and it's very hard to argue with his choices. He plainly states that his bias is towards fonts that are useful in a business setting, rather than those that would be more at home "on a colourful teenager's homepage".
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:
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 1998-2007, 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.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php