Issue 499- May 7, 2008
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2008
==== 1342 Subscribers in 44 Countries ====
Welcome to the 499th 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
Aren't April showers supposed to bring May flowers?! I think things are a
bit delayed. We've gotten an awful lot of rain so far this spring, and it looks
like it is going to keep coming for another week or so. I know it's great for
the grass and other plants, but it sure makes it hard for me to rototill my
vegetable garden.
I mentioned that I got a new laptop recently. It came with Vista Home Premium,
but I think I'm going to go back to XP. I'm not saying that Vista is terrible,
but I've used it for a month and I just prefer XP.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
News Highlights
Prepping Robots to Perform Surgery
What do you call a surgeon who operates without scalpels, stitching tools
or a powerful headlamp to light the patient's insides? A better doctor, according
to a growing number of surgeons who prefer to hand over much of the blood-and-guts
portion of their work to medical robots controlled from computer consoles.
Many urologists performing prostate surgery view the precise, tremor-free
movements of a robot as the best way to spare nerves crucial to bladder control
and sexual potency. A robot's ability to deftly handle small tools may lead
to a less invasive procedure and faster recovery for a patient. Robots also
can protect surgeons from physical stress and exposure to X-rays that may
force them into premature retirement.
A generation ago, the debate in medicine was whether robotics would ever
play a role. Today, robots are a fast-growing, diversifying $1 billion segment
of the medical device industry. And Wall Street has just two questions for
the industry: How far is this going, and how fast?
Read the New York Times
article...
Leave a comment...
At Kodak, Some Old Things Are New Again
Steven J. Sasson, an electrical engineer who invented the first digital
camera at Eastman Kodak in the 1970s, remembers well management's dismay
at his feat.
"My prototype was big as a toaster, but the technical people loved it," Mr.
Sasson said. "But it was filmless photography, so management's reaction
was, 'that's cute - but don't tell anyone about it.'"
Since then, of course, Kodak, which once considered itself the Bell Labs
of chemistry, has embraced the digital world and the researchers who understand
it.
Read the New York Times
article...
Leave a comment...
Computer mice are anything but peripheral
It's hard to think about a computer without an external mouse, even though
touchpads on laptops - like the one I'm using now - have made it not as essential
as it once was.
If you've been around PCs for more than a few years, you've probably gone
through your fair share of these peripherals. About 25 years ago, I started
with a PC that didn't even have a mouse.
Read the MSNBC article...
Leave a comment...
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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
Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Google
PC World has an article about neat things
you can do with Google:
Every time I turn around, Google's come up with something new, cool, or
innovative. It's no wonder it has Microsoft on the run.
Leave a comment...
Photoshop Actions
Adobe Photoshop (along with Photoshop Elements) have a feature called "actions".
These are similar to macros you might find in a productivity suite. The "actions" let
you do several things at once. I recently
came across a site that explains nicely what an action is and how to start
using them.
...have you ever had a task in Photoshop where you apply the same steps
in the same order over and over? After many repetitions of these mindless
and time consuming tasks, they become boring and error prone because they
don't engage our imaginations nor require creativity. Practice doesn't
make perfect. It results in wasted time.
If this sounds familiar you have probably wondered, "Instead of having
to enter these steps manually each time, isn't there a way they could be
recorded and played back automatically with the touch of a button?"
The good news: "Yes, there is." All it takes is utilizing functionality
built into Photoshop called Actions...
The "actions" can actually be saved and shared, and the site has
links to download dozens of free actions.
Leave a comment...
The 7 Most Annoying Developments in Software
PC World has an interesting article about The
7 Most Annoying Developments in Software:
From antipiracy measures to built-in nagging, today's software often comes
with features that drive you nuts. Here are the irritations we'd really
like to zap.
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
is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.
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