Monthly Archive for September, 2005

$100 Laptop Effort Gains Momentum

Published on September 30, 2005 in Computer News. 2 Comments

From PC Magazine:

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s plan to deliver low-cost laptop computers to children in developing nations and impoverished American students is moving forward, according to Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and co-founder of the school’s Media Lab.

Speaking at M.I.T.’s ongoing Emerging Technologies Conference, Negroponte confirmed that five countries—Brazil, China, Egypt, South Africa and Thailand—are already putting plans in place to distribute as many as 15 million of the devices.

Lunacore Photoshop Tutorials

Published on September 29, 2005 in Software Tips. 0 Comments

Lunacore is a young site that focuses on writing detailed Photoshop tutorials of high quality that are easy to understand, tips, FAQ, training, advice and articles that can help users with this powerful product. Lunacore tries to show those things that are not covered in the manual or at least not in great detail.

The site doesn’t appear to be selling any product or service. It is just full of great Photoshop Tips.

There are tutorials, tips, and articles. There are 20 tutorials which give detailed instructions on how to perform certain tasks. A particularly good example is the Beautify a Face tutorial (I don’t want to debate what beauty is… this is the title Lunacore gave the tutorial, not me). It is 7 pages long, and at the end the difference between the original image and the touched up image is remarkable.

Check it out at http://www.lunacore.com/

Geosense: an online world geography game

Published on September 29, 2005 in Recommended Web Sites. 0 Comments

I recently received the following email:

Hi, I have an online game you may wish to link to.

Name: Geosense
URL: http://www.geosense.net

An online, one-two player geography based game. Play alone or compete against an online opponent to locate cities as quickly and accurately as you can. Simple, competitive, addictive.

Thanks,
Jeff

I checked it out, and it’s a web-based geography quiz. You can play alone or play against others (I played alone). You are prompted to locate specific locales, and it tells you how long it took you to find it and how far off you were. You get points based on speed and accuracy. Check it out at http://www.geosense.net

U.S. Insists on Keeping Control of Web

Published on September 29, 2005 in Computer News. 0 Comments

From Yahoo! News:

A senior U.S. official rejected calls on Thursday for a U.N. body to take over control of the main computers that direct traffic on the Internet, reiterating U.S. intentions to keep its historical role as the medium’s principal overseer.

“We will not agree to the U.N. taking over the management of the Internet,” said Ambassador David Gross, the U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department. “Some countries want that. We think that’s unacceptable.”

My Google Page Rank

Published on September 29, 2005 in Internet Tips. 0 Comments

Determine a site (or web page) page rank by filling in the form at http://www.mygooglepagerank.com/ and submitting it. It returns the page rank immediately.

As of right now, the page rank for the PCIN Update blog is

As of right now, the page rank for the PCIN.net main page is

Note: Both of these values are retrieved when the page is loaded

Demand for used PCs on upswing

Published on September 29, 2005 in Computer News. 0 Comments

From TechRepublic:

Demand for used computers in some developing regions of the world is outstripping supplies, a new study has shown.

One in every dozen computers used worldwide is a “secondary PC,” and about 152.5 million used systems were shipped in 2004, according to a study released Wednesday by market research firm Gartner. Secondary PCs are systems used for more than three months by the primary consumer and then made available to another person.

The research company estimated that for every two new PCs shipped to mature markets in 2005, one secondary PC will be resold. More than 200 million PCs will be shipped in 2005, according to an earlier Gartner estimate.

Fifth Annual Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards 2005 Nominees

Published on September 29, 2005 in Pocket PC Tips. 0 Comments

I have a Dell Axim x30. I love it. I’ve acquired a few pieces of software that I’m supposed to be reviewing, but I haven’t got around to it yet. I don’t expect that PCIN will focus too much on handheld computers, but if I can get a hold of some things, I will certainly review them.

Pocket PC Magazine on the other hand, is a comprehensive site and magazine to get information on handheld computers. They just recently announced their nominees for best products in a variety of categories. You can see the Pocket PC nominees here.

Free PDF Creator – PrimoPDF

Published on September 29, 2005 in Software Tips. 0 Comments

Convert to PDF from any application by simply ‘printing’ to the PrimoPDF printer – it couldn’t be easier! Within minutes, you can create high-quality PDFs by converting from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and virtually any other printable file type.

I haven’t tried it, but PrimoPDF by activePDF sounds like a good utility. SnapFiles, FileForum at BetaNews, and Download.com all have high user ratings for the software.

Check it out at http://www.primopdf.com/

Urban Dictionary: Define Your World

Published on September 29, 2005 in Recommended Web Sites. 1 Comment

Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your world.

I heard someone use the word “kife” the other day, and I didn’t know what it was. My sister pulled up Urban Dictionary, and told me what the definition was.
It appears to be a wiki-type dictionary. You can add a word, and define existing ones. The definitions can be ranked, with the definitions with the highest ranking at the top.
Be careful, since anyone can post a definition, or define a new word/phrase, some are profane and vulgar.

In case your wondering, you can see the definition of “kife” here.

P.G. banks on digital parking meters

Published on September 28, 2005 in Computer News. 0 Comments

From the Monterey County Herald:

In Pacific Grove, parking meters don’t grant those magical few minutes on someone else’s dime. Each time a car pulls away from a space, the meter automatically resets to zero.

And in other places where short-term parking is free, rubbing the meter maid’s chalk mark off your tires won’t save you a ticket, either: Parking officials from Monterey to Chicago drive mini-carts outfitted with Global Positioning Satellite-enabled cameras that can scan your license plate, know where you’ve parked and sense when you’ve moved the car.

This is the brave new world of advanced parking technology, where meters are triggered by remote sensors, customers can pay for street time by cell phone and solar-powered vending machines create customized parking plans for every motorist.