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Issue 497- April 23, 2008

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2008
==== 1343 Subscribers in 44 Countries ====

Welcome to the 497th 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

My wife is exercising to the Turbo Jam DVD right now. She's pretty good at staying active and staying in shape (as if being at home with 3 kids didn't keep her active and in shape).

We've been out in the yard quite a bit over the last few days working in the gardens. The weather has been awesome. It's still too early to plant much, but we're getting everything ready so we can start planting in a few weeks. Usually we are a week or two late, so hopefully we'll have a better harvest this year in our vegetable garden.

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

News Highlights

Microsoft: Web at the center, not PC

For years, Microsoft has maintained that the PC is the center of the digital home and office.
But Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie said Tuesday that it's time for the company to acknowledge a new reality.
"Over the past 10 years, the PC era has given way to an era in which the Web is at the center of our experiences--experiences delivered not just through the browser but also through many different devices including PCs, phones, media players, game consoles, set-top boxes and televisions, cars, and more," Ozzie said in a memo to be sent to employees on Wednesday.

Read the CNet News article...
Leave a comment...

Virtual reality helps autistic kids develop skills

A playmate named Sam, a talking dog named Buddy and an Israeli street leading to a Toys"R"Us store all have starring roles in a new generation of virtual reality games designed to teach basic safety and social skills to children diagnosed with autism.
For school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's syndrome, skills often taken for granted can be torturously difficult, whether staying within the confines of a yard, crossing a street or navigating the social norms of group playtime.
Aided by the observation that autistic children relate especially well to virtual reality and computer programs, an entire field of research has sprung up in the last 15 years.

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

Yahoo, Microsoft set for takeover battle

Yahoo Inc.'s first-quarter performance sets the scene for a bitter battle over Microsoft Corp.'s takeover bid.
By delivering earnings and revenue Tuesday that surpassed analysts' estimates, Yahoo added credence to its board's contention that the Sunnyvale-based company is poised for a dramatic turnaround that justifies a higher sales price than Microsoft's initial bid of $44.6 billion, or $31 per share.
But neither the first-quarter results nor Yahoo's outlook for the rest of the year may be compelling enough to cause Microsoft to sweeten its offer.
"This isn't going to make Microsoft come and out offer $35," predicted Canaccord Adams analyst Colin Gillis.
That leaves the rivals at an impasse, just as they have been since Microsoft stunned Yahoo with its unsolicited takeover attempt nearly three months ago.

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

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

... We thought we would only miss one week of the tip, but computer problems have caused a further delay. The tip will return next 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:

Paragon Software Group Hard Disk Manager 2008
http://PCIN.net/help/software/paragonhdm2008.php

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/

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Tips and Other Stuff

Explore Windows Fonts with FontEXPRO

fontexpro_screenshot.gif

A couple of months ago Download Squad highlighted the program FontEXPRO:

Are you constantly struggling to remember the difference between Arial, Times New Roman and Palatino Linotype? Sure, you could just keep changing fonts from the drop-down menus in your word processor, or you could use FontEXPRO to preview all the fonts stored on your computer and choose the right one for the job.

The FontEXPRO site explains it this way:

Browse a folder full of truetype fonts and view previews of them. You can enter your own text and decide which font is best for your project etc.

Features
* A preview of a folder full of fonts - select a folder and visualize each folder. Ideal for finding the perfect font for your own project
* A preview of your text in each of the browsed fonts
* A search facility to find that font
* An alphabetically sorted list
* Manage your fonts

Leave a comment...

GreenPrint

greenprint_logo.gif

A couple of months ago Kim Komando mentioned a program called GreenPrint which helps you eliminate those pages with 2 lines on the bottom which waste paper:

Our patent-pending print preview, GreenView, displays all pages and highlights wasteful pages in red. With a click you can: print only what you want, remove images or text, create a PDF file.

Leave a comment...

XP Syspad

Windows Vista has all sorts of new applets that help you manage your computer. A while ago the Windows Secrets newsletter explained how you could do some of this in Windows XP. One of these utilities was XP Syspad:

XP SysPad is a Windows system monitoring utility that allows easy access to Windows system information and Windows system utilities, such as the individual control panel applets, as well as putting the "hidden" applications in Windows at your fingertips. XP Syspad also recovers lost Windows & MS-Office product keys

With XP SysPad, you can easily access hundreds of Windows operating system utilities and system monitoring information. You can also recover your Windows 2000/XP product key, get your IP address, execute web queries, monitor any running system process, launch any program, search files, and more. For convenience, it also can minimize itself to the system tray. XP SysPad has well over 250 functions in all!

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 1998-2008, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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