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Issue 434 - February 07, 2007

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2006
==== 1513 Subscribers in 49 Countries ====

Welcome to the 434th 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

Not much to say this week. It has been so bitter cold out that it seems like it's all we can do just to stay warm. I hate winter!

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

News Highlights

Windows 'fails' active virus test

Security tools that work with Windows Vista have failed tests to see if they can detect viruses circulating online.
Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security tool was one of four products that failed independent tests carried out by the Virus Bulletin.
The security testing group found that Live OneCare missed far more active viruses than any other program tested.

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

Rules for YouTube: Make Art, Not Bore

Can YouTube rise above cute kittens, bad singing and goofy stunts? Sure. But this evolving chaos needs some guiding principles. Here's a Web-wandering critic's call to arms.
YouTube turns two this month, which presents a fitting opportunity to decry it. The video-sharing Web site -- whose name has come to stand for every other such site on the Web -- has clearly emerged as the great new media drain catch, an uncurated museum of everything from dumb home movies to slick commercial calling cards, a behemoth that has gone from being part of mass culture to a mass medium in itself, whose reach, ubiquity and sheer volume of content make it easily dismissible as merely the latest purveyor of trivial, banal, repetitious distractions for an eagerly narcotized booboisie.

Read the Washington Post article...
Leave a comment...

Tagging 'takes off for web users'

Tagging or labelling online content is becoming the new search tool of choice among web users, shows research.
As more and more people put their own content online, they are also being invited to tag it with descriptive keywords to help organise their data.
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the trend in tagging is growing among US web users.
It found that over a quarter of online Americans - 28% - had tagged content such as a photo, news story or blog.

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

Video Sharing: Thinning the Pack

Suranga Chandratillake's inbox began showing the tell-tale signs of a slim down in the video sharing space last November. A few independently owned, semi-successful startups were e-mailing to ask if Blinkx, Chandratillake's video-search company, was in the market for a video-sharing site or, at least, interested in buying traffic. Chandratillake declined. Blinkx wasn't really interested in running a video upload site and definitely didn't want to enter the field. "There's a video-sharing shakeout," says Chandratillake.
Around the Web, signs abound that the once-hot market for sites that let consumers share videos is cooling.

Read the BusinessWeek article...
Leave a comment...

Acunetix puts a stop to identity theft in Universities

I received this press release from Acunetix a couple of weeks ago:

Acunetix puts a stop to identity theft in Universities

American Universities and Non-Profit-Organizations to benefit from a Free Website Security Audit offered by Acunetix

Kirkland, Washington - January 10, 2007 - Institutions for higher education and Not-For-Profit Organizations are experiencing a surge in attempts aimed at hacking their data. The more recent known examples were perpetrated against UCLA, the University of Texas, and Mississippi State University. Acunetix, a leading vendor of web application security solutions, is offering all American Universities and Not-for-profit Organizations a complimentary website audit through its recently launched service, Acunetix SiteAudit.

Read the full press release...
Leave a comment...

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Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Winter Photography Safety - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

I briefly discussed cold weather photography in a previous tip. Today I will expand on that a little more.

In my tip on not being a fair weather photographer I talked about keeping spare batteries inside your coat to keep them warm. I also suggested that you do not take your camera out of your bag for several hours so that the camera can become climatized to the warm temperatures. As the warm, moist air condenses on your cold equipment, the condensation formed on the camera could cause potential problems including shorting of the electrical circuits. Keeping the camera in the bag will allow the condensation to form on the exterior of the bag rather than than your expensive equipment. Some people even recommend putting the entire camera bag in a large, plastic bag to help prevent damage due to condensation.

Something else to consider when shooting in cold weather though is personal protection. With freezing temperatures comes possibility of frost bite. Proper protection for your body is a must. I like to layer my clothing, and wear a lot of it, to be sure that I will stay warm. When shooting in cold temperatures, I wear thermal long johns to keep my legs warm with my regular heavy pants I use for photography and will layer an extra pair of winter, lined and windproof snow pants which are great for lying in the snow for low level views of the winter surroundings or just keeping me warm in below freezing temperatures.

For my body, I wear a moisture wicking layer first such as those used in many popular sporting clothing lines to draw moisture away from my body, followed by multiple layers of clothing. Proper foot wear is a must, not only for traction on ice and snow, but for warmth and water resistance. I wear a pair of thin Thinsulate gloves that allow me to easily operate the controls on my camera plus also a pair of wool mitts for added warmth. The mitts feature fingertips that flip backward to expose the thin glove when shooting, but are quickly flipped back over the fingers for warmth. A wool toque keeps my head warm and in very cold weather, also use a balaclava for added protection.

Above all things, safety should come first in your photography. Be aware of your surroundings. Snow can cover up a lot of dangers, including thin ice. The thrill of getting a great photographs in the winter quickly diminishes when you start to get wet or cold, then all the fun of photography is lost. Have fun in the winter, there are many great photographs to find, but be safe and warm when doing it.

Until next time, Happy Shooting.

NFRCC Convention banner

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:

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/

Microsoft Digital Image Suite Plus Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/msdimagesuiteplus.php

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Tips and Other Stuff

Hacking XP

From PC Magazine:

Settle down now, pardner. If Windows XP finally has you mad enough to buy a MacBook, this is the story for you. We've got 11 hacks here that can get your computer running faster, increase your productivity, and make Windows XP just a little less annoying than it was before you read this story.

Leave a comment...

Paragon Software Group Launches New Deployment Manager Vista Compatible Version

This week I received the following press release from Paragon Software:

Paragon Software Group Launches New Deployment Manager Vista Compatible Version

Exclusive, new Multicast technology dramatically reduces the time and cost of deployment for PC Manufacturers

January 2007 - San Jose
Paragon Software Group, the leading provider of innovative, reliable technologies and software solutions in the field of storage management and data safety, today announced the launch of Paragon Deployment Manager 8.5 System Builder Edition - a solution that performs rapid and reliable Windows deployment. This solution, designed for System Builders and PC Manufacturers provides a unique and efficient way to roll-out a preconfigured image of the operation system and installed applications to hundreds or thousands of new PCs and create a set of brand new fully-featured, ready-to-work PC configurations in a short time.

To read the full press release in PDF format here.

Leave a comment...

2X ThinClientServer sends VISTA activation to the gallows

I received this press release from 2X Software a few weeks ago:

Upgrade to 2X ThinClientServer and send VISTA activation to the gallows

2X ThinClientServer 4.0 provides users with Windows applications without the need for VISTA or XP at the desktop.

London, UK, 11 January 2007 - 2X ThinClientServer v.4 aims to rid besieged Network administrators from the headache of the upcoming Vista upgrade. Rather than sinking deeper into the swamp of fat client administration, Vista hardware upgrades and Vista activation, administrators can use 2X ThinClientServer to deploy a secure, centrally managed Linux desktop which runs any Windows application (including Vista applications) via RDP.

Read the full press release...

Leave a comment...

AdRem Software Releases NetCrunch 4.3

I received this press release from AdRem Software a couple of weeks ago:

Newest version of NetCrunch network monitoring solution optimizes event database access. With AdRem NetCrunch 4.3 network administrators can easily browse larger event log data sets generated by enterprise networks.

NEW YORK, NY - January 23, 2007 - AdRem Software, provider of network management solutions, announced NetCrunch 4.3, the newest version of its flagship network monitoring software. The newest version of NetCrunch supports browsing larger event log data sets, combines redundant event notifications coming from different sources into one event and optimizes access to event database.

Learn more about AdRem NetCrunch 4.3...

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 1998-2006, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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