Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Identify Your Camera - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Published
by
Chris
on January 30, 2008
in Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 2 Comments

Several of my blog feeds this week featured a story of how a couple in New York did some very impressive work and was able to track down the owner of a found camera based upon images contained within the camera.

Losing your camera is of course one of every photographer’s nightmares and we cannot all count on the great detective skills of those who find a lost camera. A suggestion was made over at photoborg.org to label your camera with your email address someplace unobtrusive such as the memory card door.

There is another option yet. Many cameras allow you to set owner information within the camera itself. The camera will then add this information on to every photo taken afterward as part of the EXIF information for the photograph. For those of you who have never used the software included in your camera, this might be a great reason to do it now. I typically include my name, email and website address in my camera EXIF information.

Read you manual and find out if you can embed owner information in your camera.

Until next time, happy shooting.

VectorMagic - convert photos into vector drawings

Published
by
Graham
on January 30, 2008
in Internet Tips, Recommended Web Sites and Software Tips
. 0 Comments

vector_magic_logo.gif

The average computer user probably isn’t familiar with vector graphics. These sorts of graphics are generally created in programs like Adobe Illustrator. The various lines, curves, and shapes are actually mathematical equations. What this means is that when you open the image in a program that reads vector graphics, you can enlarge it as much as you want. In “regular” images, the images get pixelated (fuzzy/blurry). This doesn’t happen with vector graphics. The most common use for these sorts of graphics is with logos.

If this is all new to you, then the best way to understand it is to try it. Download Squad recently linked to the Vector Magic online tool of the Stanford web site. This is an online tool that lets you convert an image into a vector graphic. You can visit the site and see samples. You can also try your own.

Chips could put lab rats out of work

Published
by
Graham
on January 30, 2008
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From CNN:

The lab rat of the future may have no whiskers and no tail — and might not even be a rat at all.

With a European ban looming on animal testing for cosmetics, companies are giving a hard look at high-tech alternatives like the small, rectangular glass chip professor Jonathan Dordick holds up to the light in his lab at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Commodore Vic-20 commercial with William Shatner

Published
by
Graham
on January 30, 2008
in Recommended Web Sites
. 0 Comments

I can’t remember where I came across this, but here is a YouTube video for the Vic-20 computer with William Shatner as the spokesman. Classic!

Classic Nintendo (NES) games online

Published
by
Graham
on January 29, 2008
in Digital Entertainment and Recommended Web Sites
. 0 Comments

nescafe_logo.gif

I’ve only ever owned one video game console system and that was the original Nintendo (NES) system. I didn’t have very many games, but I loved playing Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. Several years ago I learned about emulators. I’m not sure exactly how this works, but essentially emulators are software that duplicates the game environment so it can be played in Windows.

I had forgotten about emulators until the other day when I was looking for a game online. I was expecting to find a Flash version of the game, but came across an emulator from NESCafe Web. As I looked into this further, there are loads of games now available online. They use Java to power them and they are exactly the same as the originals. Very cool!

To find a game, I’d suggest searching for the name of the game and NEScafe (for instance, searching for Tetris would require you to search for “tetris NEScafe” without the quotes).

If you are interested, here are the links I found to my favourite games:

10 Gigabit Ethernet secures border at Niagara Falls

Published
by
Graham
on January 25, 2008
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From ARN:

When visiting Niagara Falls, chances are you’re too enthralled by the beauty and power of the cataract to think of anything else.

Until you cross the U.S./Canada border — then you have to think about the interrogation from customs agents and the video cameras locked in on your vehicle. Or maybe you’re thinking of the technology behind that border-crossing process.

Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet are the foundation of a converged network operated by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (NFBC), a joint U.S. and Canadian agency that oversees three border crossings spanning the Niagara River between western New York State and southern Ontario.

Canadian ISPs won’t block content: expert

Published
by
Graham
on January 25, 2008
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From the Globe and Mail:

Trying to convince the public that downloading a song is akin to stealing a chocolate bar hasn’t helped the music industry curb piracy. Now it wants Internet service providers to act as content gatekeepers and to start unplugging customers suspected of swapping copyrighted music files.

Where’s Your Kid? Check the GPS

Published
by
Graham
on January 24, 2008
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From NewsFactor:

Though I try to keep close tabs on my family, it’s sometimes hard to know exactly where they are when. For example, when my daughter is on a play date or school trip, or my husband is traveling for work. For those who find moments like these unsettling, there are a growing number of services and devices that use satellite GPS signals and wireless networks to track the exact locations of your loved ones more closely. Many of these products are being integrated with cell phones, while others are stand-alone tracking devices.

Rear Curtain Sync - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Published
by
Chris
on January 23, 2008
in Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 0 Comments

Leanne, my wife, recently wanted to go rollerskating. There is a rollerskating rink about a 30 minute drive away, but we had never been. While looking up information,  I noticed the following photo on one of the pages and new what my next tip would be about. Rear or 2nd curtain sync.


The original and larger versions may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7199627@N03/2108070562/  and is from flickr.com user l3xh2k.

I think it is an interesting photo that does a great job of depicting motion, though changing one setting on the camera could have made it a much stronger photograph. This photo is being illuminated with two light sources, the ambient light from the roller rink and the flash from the photographer’s camera. The racers are moving fast enough that the 1/60 second exposure shows some motion within the frame. The flash has provided most of the exposure within the image which has provided a sharp image of the racers, effectively stopping their motion. In this image, the flash fired at the beginning of the exposure, front curtain sync. The results of first (or front) curtain sync are a static image with motion trails flowing in front of the subject. This of course is a little distracting.

Now let’s consider a similiar photo.


This photo and larger versions may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/photos-martha/422029906/ and is from flicker user photos-martha.

In this photograph, the image is again lit by two sources, the ambient light of the roller rink and the light of the flash. The difference is that in this photo, the flash was fired at the end of the exposure. Using 2nd (or rear) curtain sync this way causes the motion blur of your subject to appear behind the sharp area of the subject in the photograph and enhances the effect of the motion.

In both of these images, the effects could have been exagerated by using an even longer shutter speed.

When I spoke to a few of my photographer friends about front and rear curtain sync, we could not come up with a good example of when you might wish to use front curtain sync. The best answer I could come up with was to use front curtain sync when you are trying to capture a specific point in time and rear curtain sync every other time. In other words, if you are capturing a subject that requires a highly critical point in time capture, then front curtain sync would be your best best as the flash will fire as soon as the exposure begins. Any other time you are going to get a more pleasing image with rear curtain sync. Read your manual to find out how to enable this feature with your camera.

Another note to consider, if your shutter speed during exposure is sufficiently fast enough to stop motion on it’s own, then neither front or rear curtain sync will make a difference either way.

I would like to thank flickr users l3xh2k.and photos-martha for the use of their images with this tip. If you have a question about photography or a subject you would like to see me cover, please leave a comment after the tip.

A few previous tips on using flash are:
Flash to Subject Distance - Controlling Light
Turn Off Your Flash
External Flash

PDFHammer: Merge and Edit PDFs Online

Published
by
Graham
on January 22, 2008
in Internet Tips, Recommended Web Sites and Software Tips
. 0 Comments

MakeUseOf.com had a posting recently about PDFHammer, yet another PDF utility. The benefit of this one is that it is all online.

PDFHammer is a web-based application that allows you to merge and rearrange PDF documents online. It’s free, extremely easy-to-use and runs directly from your browser. You don’t have to register either, just upload PDF files and start arranging the pages in any order you want. Once finished, use the “Export Final PDF” button to download ready PDF file to your PC.

You can see a nice screenshot of PDFHammer on the MakeUseOf.com site, or you can visit the PDFHammer web site directly.