Issue 388 - March 22, 2006
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
==== 1900 Subscribers in 55 Countries ====
Welcome to the 388th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly
of news 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.
Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.php
CONTENTS
Opening Thoughts
I don't know if anyone pays attention to the header of the newsletter where
it says there are so many subscribers in so many countries. If you do pay attention,
you'll notice that it has dropped quite a bit over the last several weeks.
I send out the newsletter using a mail script, and it doesn't handle bounces.
I knew that I was getting hundreds of bounces each week, but I always just
ignored them. Well, I'm finally doing some cleaning up. I figure its better
to have an accurate number, so over the next several weeks, I'll deal with
the bounces and hopefully clean out all the dead address. I have to admit though...
it is depressing seeing the number drop below 2000 subscribers :-(
Yesterday was our (Lisa and me) 9th anniversary (no, I did not get her any
leather, pottery or poppies). We went out to dinner at East Side Mario's and
then went to a few stores but didn't buy anything. As cheesy as it sounds,
life is great with Lisa and the boys and I think we're all very happy. Happy
Anniversary Lisa!
And don't forget... tomorrow is Chris' birthday.
Happy Birthday Chris!
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
'Godcasts' spread word on the Web
The power of broadband Internet service is expanding the reach of Christian
faithful who want to spread the word.
Increasingly, houses of worship and individuals are using the Internet to
reach adherents and those outside their communities, in a trend sometimes
called "Godcasting."
"We want to try to make worship opportunities and learning from the word
of God available to as many people as we can," says the Rev. Marion Arbuckle,
pastor of Stonebrook Church in Smyrna, Tenn.
"It is a way people are getting information, and we feel we need to use
the same technology for the glory of God."
Read the USA Today
article...
Leave a comment...
The State of the Silent PC
Workers! If your office space sounds like the inside of a wind tunnel from
the incessant hum of all the PCs surrounding you, lend me your ears.
A small manufacturing company recently started shipping a new kind of PC
case that emits almost no audible noise whatsoever. Its components stay cool
without the need for fans of any kind.
To research this technology, I flew to Los Angeles to interview executives
of Zalman USA, the American headquarters of the company that makes the new
case. I also visited a computer store in a suburb of Portland, Ore., Cool
Tech PC (endpcnoise.com), which Zalman officials confirmed is the largest
U.S. reseller of their virtually silent cases.
If PCs are the noisiest things in your office, this new enclosure may save
both your hearing and your sanity. First, we need to understand a little
bit of history.
Read the Datamation
article...
Leave a comment...
Cache as Cache Can For Google
Google is free to cache whatever material it wants unless content owners
specifically forbid the search site from copying and archiving online content,
a federal judge ruled last Friday.
The judge dismissed a lawsuit claiming Google had violated an author's copyright
by archiving his Usenet posts and providing excerpts from his Web site in
Google's search results.
Gordon Roy Parker, who is also known as Ray Gordon, filed suit against Google
in 2004, after the search engine archived a chapter of one of Parker's e-books, "29
Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy." Gordon had posted the chapter on Usenet,
a collective name for the thousands of public discussion forms available
online.
Read the InternetNews
article...
Leave a comment...
Video game therapy--a new frontier
Doctors pronounced Ethan Myers brain dead after a car accident dealt the
9-year-old a severe brain injury in 2002. After he miraculously awoke from
a nearly month-long coma, doctors declared he would never again eat on his
own, walk or talk.
Yet, thanks partly to a video game system, Myers has caught up with his peers
in school and even read a speech to a large group of students.
Read the TechRepublic
article...
Leave a comment...
Other News postings from the PCIN.net Update blog
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
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
Omega One Software Battery Pack Pro 2.1 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/bpp2.php
Makayama Interactive DVD to Pocket PC 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/dvd2ppc3.php
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/elements40.php
Digital Photography
Tip of the Week
Photographic Critiques
Last
week I discussed some memory card maintenance to be sure your camera
can record the photos that you shoot. This week I will discuss the merits
of photography critiques and offer some websites where you can go to get
them.
Over the past few years, photography sites that allow people to submit photos
for competition or critique have become popular hangouts for those interested
in photography. They offer a place to view other people's work, read articles
on different photographic techniques, and received comments and critiques about
your photography. The last point is where I see the real benefit to these forums.
Submitting your photos for critique can help your photography by providing
your with feedback from many other photographers. The critiques are often very
detailed and can provide a tremendous amount of help into where you can improve
a photo. Some of the websites even allow visitors to rate critiques, so you
can gauge which might be better than others. You may also have camera or photographic
clubs in your area that you can join to receive further help with your photos.
Something to beware of with some of the sites though. There seems to be a
lot of people who like to post critiques such as "Great photo" or "nice
work". While these may help boost your ego, they really do nothing to
boost your photographic ability. There are very few photos that can't be improved
in some way. A better critique may be something along the lines of "Great
Photo. The exposure is very nice as is the placement of x and y. Cropping a
little off the left side just short of w may have improved this shot though".
This critique praises the good, but more importantly suggests a way to improve
your photo.
Some sites where you can have your photographs critiqued:
There are a lot of places on the web that feature this sort of atmosphere.
Some concentrate on a particular style such as nature photography, while others
have categories or are more generalized. But try them out and see how you can
improve your photography.
Note: Just a reminder that if you are in the Western New York area
this weekend the Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Clubs will be holding their
45th Annual Photography Convention at the Holiday Inn on Grand Island. There
are a number of guest speakers including Monte Zucker, Gil Lopez Espina. Ethan
Meleg and others. For more information and rates, visit http://www.vaxxine.com/nfrcc/Convention%202006/Convention2006.htm.
Leave
a comment about 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 vice-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.
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Real Estate / City information
Irving (of Irving's Info Page)
sent me these links:
These three links may be of interest.....for U and family and/or your
readers: www.citytowninfo.com www.city-data.com www.zillow.com
Here's a bit about each one...
CityTownInfo.com
CityTownInfo.com is the easy way to find info on thousands of US cities
and towns. Want to know the population of a town? Or its latitude and longitude?
Need to find mortgage brokers licensed to do business in your city or town?
Looking for a weather forecast for the next few days in your specific location?
How about a map of your home town or somewhere you are about to visit?
City-Data.com
We've collected and analyzed data from numerous sources to create as complete
and interesting profiles of all U.S. cities as we could. We have tens of
thousands of city photos not found anywhere else, hundreds of thousands
of maps, satellite photos, stats about residents (race, income, ancestries,
education, employment...), geographical data, state profiles, crime data,
housing, businesses, birthplaces of famous people, political contributions,
city government employment, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, houses,
airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, user-submitted
facts, similar cities list, comparisons to averages... If you ever need
to research any city for any reason, from considering a move there to just
checking where somebody you know is staying, this is the site for you.
Zillow.com
Zillow provides a free Home Valuation Tool for Real Estate enthusiasts.
Whether you're an agent, broker, buyer of investment property or first
time homebuyer - Get Your Edge in Real Estate at Zillow.com.
Thanks Irving!
Leave a comment...
More on Box.net
Quite a while ago I posted about Box.net
Virtual Storage. I still haven't tried the service, as I don't really
have a need for it, but it's interesting. One of the guys who is at Box.net has
been in contact with me regarding a test that they were running (I didn't
end up participating). He has been pleasant to deal with. Also, their
blog has interesting thoughts on the online storage market, reasonable
opinions on the competition and where the market is going.
Recently Pocket PC Thoughts link
to an a review by Russell Beattie who
says, "This is awesome stuff!"
They offer 1 GB of storage for free, and 5 GB of storage for $4.99 a month. Check
it out...
Leave a comment...
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:
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.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut
and paste.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and
follow the appropriate links.
- Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and
be entered in a monthly draw.
- The only way to become a subscriber is by asking. You have either filled
out the subscription form or asked me directly.
- If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please email me at editor@pcin.net and
I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on my site.
- Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php or
by clicking on the PayPal link below:
Return to the top
Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2006, 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
PC Improvement News Home Page
PC Improvement News Archive
|