Issue 493- March 26, 2008
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2008
==== 1354 Subscribers in 44 Countries ====
Welcome to the 493rd 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
I bought myself a new laptop that should be arriving tomorrow. I also start
my vacation after work tomorrow, so Lisa might have a hard time pulling me
away from my new toy.
After a huge snowstorm a couple of weeks ago, almost all of the snow is gone.
The forecast is calling for above freezing temperatures for at least the next
two weeks, so I think Spring truly is here. Yay!
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
News Highlights
Texting and Walking: Dangerous Mix
You might call it an avocational hazard. A recent ITN News video in the
U.K. shows that some London pedestrians have become so preoccupied with e-mailing
and text messaging on their BlackBerrys and cell phones that they can't make
it down a city block without crashing into lampposts or trash bins. One of
the most hazardous streets for "walking while texting," according
to the Monty Python-esque video clip, is East London's busy Brick Lane, lined
with trendy boutiques and curry shops, where people have been filmed walking
head down, ricocheting off various stationary sidewalk objects. The solution?
Wrap Brick Lane's lampposts with fluffy, white rugby goalpost cushions.
Read the Time magazine article...
Leave a comment...
A Push to Limit the Tracking of Web Surfers' Clicks
After reading about how Internet companies like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo
collect information about people online and use it for targeted advertising,
one New York assemblyman said there ought to be a law.
So he drafted a bill, now gathering support in Albany, that would make it
a crime - punishable by a fine to be determined - for certain Web companies
to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their
consent.
And because it would be extraordinarily difficult for the companies that
collect such data to adhere to stricter rules for people in New York alone,
these companies would probably have to adjust their rules everywhere, effectively
turning the New York legislation into national law.
Read the New York Times
article...
Leave a comment...
Bad times are good for online coupons
About nine months ago, Steven Boal, founder of Coupons Inc., began to see
the fabled hockey-stick-like growth that has made fortunes for so many Silicon
Valley entrepreneurs.
That's when he knew a recession was coming. The last time Boal saw this kind
of growth was in 2001, after the dot-com collapse. Back then, his company,
which provides technology to manufacturers and supermarkets who want to offer
online coupons, was still too small to take advantage of the surge in scrimping.
Read the SiliconValley.com
article...
Leave a comment...
Making millions when the boss isn't looking
It's one of the fastest-growing, most lucrative departments at CBS Corp.
right now. But the company's president, Les Moonves, has a far more blunt
way to describe how the network has turned March Madness basketball into
an Internet gold mine.
"People sit at their computers and waste away their afternoons watching
basketball games while their bosses are looking the other way," Mr. Moonves
told analysts recently in New York.
When asked about the advertising dollars CBS expects this year from online
broadcasts of the annual U.S. college tournament starting today, Mr. Moonves
simply added: "We are having our best year, by far. Ever."
Read the Globe and Mail
article...
Leave a comment...
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Digital Photography
Tip of the Week
Other options for Macro Photography - Choosing a Macro Lens Part
2 - Digital Photography Tip of the Week
Last
tip I talked about choosing a macro lens. There are other ways to do
macro photography without a dedicated macro lens though. Bellows and extension
tubes enable you to move your lens further away from the camera body which
in turn enables you to focus closer and get in tighter to your subject resulting
in increased magnification. Close up filters attach to the front of your
camera like regular filters and also allow you to focus closer and get larger
magnifications in your images. Reversing rings let you stack two lenses together,
front element to front element. This procedure will also give you some level
of magnification though at the cost of ease of use. The options listed here
decrease in cost with the bellows costing the most money (without purchasing
a dedicated macro lens) and the reversing ring being the least affordable.
Flexibility and ease of use decrease in the same manner. For a more detailed
explanation of these items, visit http://potd.chrisempey.com/tips/archives/2008/03/other_options_for_macro_photography_choosing.php
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:
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
Create strong passwords with Password Meter
A couple of weeks ago I shared a link
to the Microsoft Password Checker. Well, a couple of days ago Download
Squad mentioned another, better site, Password
Meter:
This application is designed to assess the strength of password strings.
The instantaneous visual feedback provides the user a means to improve
the strength of their passwords, with a hard focus on breaking the typical
bad habits of faulty password formulation. Since no official weighting
system exists, we created our own formulas to assess the overall strength
of a given password.
I tested a couple of passwords I use regularly. One scored over 70 but the
other one was barely 60. I guess I should come up with something more secure.
Leave a comment...
What's that song?
One of the most popular posts on my site is the What's
the name of that song? post from over 2 years ago! So far it has over
120 comments. Recently, someone left a comment about a helpful site called WatZatSong.com:
What's that song?
Do you have a song stuck in your head but wonder "what's that song"?
Record a short sample of the tune online anonymously on WatZatSong. The
WatZatSong Community will listen and tell you what song it is!
Leave a comment...
Top 10 travel photo mistakes
Howard Hillman is a well-known travel writer. He has a web site called Hillman
Wonders of the World where many of the "wonders" of the world
are ranked. As I was browsing the site, I came across a section called "Top
10 travel photo mistakes and camera tips for avoiding them":
I wrote my 23-page Photo Tip guide to help you take superb travel pictures
with your compact or SLR digital camera. By learning my tips & insights,
you won't make common mistakes made by others. I hope you come home with
exciting travel photos.
The main page that I link to lists
the 10 tips, but then each tip has a detailed section you can view that explains
more.
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.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author
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