Monthly Archive for March, 2006

‘Godcasts’ spread word on the Web

Published
by
Graham
on March 18, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From USA Today:

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.”

Formatting your memory card for peak performance - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Published
by
Chris
on March 15, 2006
in Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 1 Comment

Last week I discussed how to hold your digital camera in order to achieve better photos. This week I will give you a small tip to ensure your camera can record your photos.

There are certain steps that need to be repeated again and again in the process of digital photography. Shooting is only one of those processes. Transferring images, organizing and cataloging images, backup all represent different parts of your digital workflow. One piece that is often left out is keeping your memory cards in working. I know of two different people who in the past week have experienced errors in their memory cards, errors that could have been avoided. One began with two unusable cards, and the other was only able to shoot 1/2 the normal shots on his card.

Memory cards are like disk drives, there is an amount of space and an index. When a file is written, the index is read to determine where the file may be placed on the card, then it is written to that location and the index updated with the new information. If something interrupts this procedure, the card may be left with unreadable files using up space. After transferring your images to your computer, a little bit of prep on the card may help keep you in top shape. Formatting the memory card in the camera you will use it in will help to ensure that it is free of any unwanted files or fragments of files that may not allow you to get the full use out of that memory card. Deleting all the pictures on the card will not provide you with the same maintenance though, so be sure to format your memory cards after transferring your images. If you are unsure about how to access the format command for your particular camera, consult your manual. As for the two cases I mentioned earlier, both were solved after formatting the card in camera.

Next week I will discuss how photo critiques can help your photography and where you can get them.

Note: If you are in the Western New York area the weekend of March 24, 25 and 26, 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.

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.

Favorville

Published
by
Graham
on March 15, 2006
in Recommended Web Sites
. 0 Comments

Favorville.com is a social networking tool which provides members with the opportunity to help and be helped by others. With Favorville, members can post help requests, offer help and help grow the community. Favorville makes it easy to get in touch and build lasting connections with helpful neighbors, both in your locale or across the global village.

This seems quite similar to FreeCycle (which I’ve mentioned in the newsletter before). Check it out!

Common Windows Shortcuts

Published
by
Graham
on March 15, 2006
in Software Tips
. 0 Comments

The Canadian IT Pro blog recently posted a PDF file with a lot of handy keyboard shortcuts. It is a 5-page document that lists shortcuts for Windows, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Google, Adobe Reader, and a few specific advanced shortcuts.

It’s quite good. You can download the PDF from their site.

Windows Live offers Microsoft a quicker turnaround

Published
by
Graham
on March 15, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From CNet News:

Although it has taken Microsoft five years to develop the next version of Windows, the software maker seems to crank out a new Windows Live service every five minutes.

And, to some degree, that’s the point.

Last fall, MSN executive David Cole and his colleagues pitched CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates on the idea that the company could launch online services a whole lot faster than complicated software such as new operating systems. They presented their plan with many of the online services that have been introduced in recent months as part of Windows Live.

“They were amazed,” Cole said in a recent internal e-mail to MSN workers. “And they said if we could pull off that many releases, it would be monumental for the company and for our customers.”

Not long after that presentation, Gates touted the idea to the world, announcing the “Live” era of software with a launch event in San Francisco.

Free Burner Software

Published
by
Graham
on March 15, 2006
in Software Tips
. 0 Comments

The March 2006 issue of Windows IT Pro magazine has a tip from Mark Minasi about some utilities that Microsoft includes in their Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit:

The two resource kit tools—CDBurn and DVDBurn—exploit some of Windows 2003’s and XP’s under-the-hood disc-burning capabilities that the Roxio software doesn’t exploit. Given an ISO file, CDBurn or DVDBurn will create a CD or DVD.

You can read more about the software on the Windows IT Pro web site.

You can download CDBurn and DVDBurn and other utilities in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit from the Microsoft site.

Anti-cheating database banned at N.S. university

Published
by
Graham
on March 10, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From CBC News:

A university in the Halifax area is banning the use of computer software designed to help professors catch plagiarists.

Student leaders at Mount Saint Vincent University in Bedford, N.S., have been lobbying to stop professors from using the online database turnitin.com, and the university’s senate agreed in a vote on Monday.

The university is banning all plagiarism detection software as of May, when the summer session begins.

Cuban on hunger strike for Internet access

Published
by
Graham
on March 9, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From TechRepublic:

A Cuban dissident who has been on a hunger strike for 36 days to demand unfettered Internet access is refusing medication and his health is deteriorating rapidly, fellow dissidents said on Wednesday.

Guillermo Farinas, a 41-year-old psychologist, went on a hunger strike on Jan. 31 to press Cuba’s Communist authorities to respect his right to freedom of information and allow him Internet access, which is controlled by the government.

Super surfers oust couch potatoes

Published
by
Graham
on March 9, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From BBC News:

Browsing the internet has overtaken watching TV as the nation’s favourite leisure activity, says a new report.

A survey by search engine giant Google has found that Britons with internet access now spend more time surfing the web than watching the box.

The average web user now spends 164 minutes online each day, equal to more than 41 days per year, compared to 148 minutes or 37 days for TV viewers.

Changing the text size on screen

Published
by
Graham
on March 8, 2006
in Software Tips
. 0 Comments

Reader Alec Thompson sent me this. It was a tip he received from Dot Martin:

Great keyboard trick! [If you have a mouse with a wheel]

Try this - It really works!

I just found out about this. Thought I’d pass this on.

It’s very useful when trying to read small e-mail print
(especially in the early hours).

If you hold down the Ctrl key on your key board and turn the small wheel in the middle of your mouse, the print size will change - it will either get larger or smaller - depending on which way you turn the wheel.