Windows Live Writer
I just heard about Microsoft Live Writer beta and will be downloading it to try it on for size. Microsoft Live Writer is a free, downloadable desktop application that's supposed to make editing most any type of blog easier. The software lets you apply different formatting, upload pictures, and more. I will let you know the low-down on this piece of software as soon as I can download, install and play with it a little. I have blogs on LiveJournal and Blogger, so it's going to be interesting to see how this software interfaces with those apps.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Bounce the Flash for better photos
I take a lot of photos of parts at work and many times, I have to be able to illuminate a hole or I may need flash to show a slight defect or imperfection. The following came form wikiHow.com, but an even easier way to bounce the flash off your subject for nearly any photo you take is to fold business card over the flash bulb (make sure it is not obstructing the lens) then take the picture. The card allows the flash to bounce off it while filling in the areas around the subject instead of washing out the photo. It works great when trying to capture imperfections in plated (shiny) metal parts, and it also helps to reduce red-eye when taking people pictures...
Professional studio photographers rarely use direct flash to illuminate a subject, because the results are harsh, unnatural and unattractive. Most cameras designed for amateurs have a built-in flash which blasts light directly at the subject, creating the same kind of "deer in the headlights" effect. Fortunately, the addition of an inexpensive "bounce flash" unit can reduce this harshness and give your pictures a professional look.
Steps
Make sure your camera has either a hot-shoe for an external flash, or a socket for plugging one in. Most cameras have at least one of the two.
Invest in an external flash unit with a 90 degree swivel (bounce) head. All major camera makers sell reasonably-priced units with this feature. Some models also rotate, adding even more functionality.
When taking a flash picture indoors, turn off the camera's built-in flash. Point the bounce flash head at the ceiling (rather than at the subject) and take the picture. This will provide a soft, diffused light and it will even cut down on red-eye.
For even better results, buy a cable which connects your camera to the flash unit. You can then remove the flash from the camera and bounce the light off walls, a reflector, or whatever you want.
Professional studio photographers rarely use direct flash to illuminate a subject, because the results are harsh, unnatural and unattractive. Most cameras designed for amateurs have a built-in flash which blasts light directly at the subject, creating the same kind of "deer in the headlights" effect. Fortunately, the addition of an inexpensive "bounce flash" unit can reduce this harshness and give your pictures a professional look.
Steps
Make sure your camera has either a hot-shoe for an external flash, or a socket for plugging one in. Most cameras have at least one of the two.
Invest in an external flash unit with a 90 degree swivel (bounce) head. All major camera makers sell reasonably-priced units with this feature. Some models also rotate, adding even more functionality.
When taking a flash picture indoors, turn off the camera's built-in flash. Point the bounce flash head at the ceiling (rather than at the subject) and take the picture. This will provide a soft, diffused light and it will even cut down on red-eye.
For even better results, buy a cable which connects your camera to the flash unit. You can then remove the flash from the camera and bounce the light off walls, a reflector, or whatever you want.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Google Reader - Read Your Favorite Blogs All In One Place...
Latest version of Google Reader
Google has released a new version of it's reader which allows the user to read blogs of interest all on one page. The reader allows you add blogs from all over the Internet and organize those blogs how you choose. You can add blogs from friends blogger, livejournal, etc. accounts and news blogs like CNET and CNN. Then, you can easily open the reader viewing page and read all the entries at once - easily seeing which journals have been updated since your last view. I am just starting to use this powerful tool, and am really impressed.
Here's what mine looks like right now...
Google has released a new version of it's reader which allows the user to read blogs of interest all on one page. The reader allows you add blogs from all over the Internet and organize those blogs how you choose. You can add blogs from friends blogger, livejournal, etc. accounts and news blogs like CNET and CNN. Then, you can easily open the reader viewing page and read all the entries at once - easily seeing which journals have been updated since your last view. I am just starting to use this powerful tool, and am really impressed.
Here's what mine looks like right now...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Google's Gmail
Google's Gmail Service
I just signed up for Google's Gmail Service and I have to say - I'm very interested in this new web-based email idea. If you don't know what it is, Gmail is a free, search-based webmail service that includes 2,000+ megabytes (2 gigabytes) of storage. The interesting thing about Gmail is that it's a powerful Google search engine that quickly recalls any message an account owner has ever sent or received. That means there's no need to file messages in order to find them again. You can register for an account using your mobile phone - this is for verification purposes - and is supposed to cut down on spam.
I just signed up for Google's Gmail Service and I have to say - I'm very interested in this new web-based email idea. If you don't know what it is, Gmail is a free, search-based webmail service that includes 2,000+ megabytes (2 gigabytes) of storage. The interesting thing about Gmail is that it's a powerful Google search engine that quickly recalls any message an account owner has ever sent or received. That means there's no need to file messages in order to find them again. You can register for an account using your mobile phone - this is for verification purposes - and is supposed to cut down on spam.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Google's Open SourceCode Search
The new Google Tool which is supposed to allow developers to search for open source code posted to the Internet may (and probably will) benefit hackers as well...It's a great tool for programmers and developers, but so is the Internet itself and some people work all day to exploit the Internet in ways such as uploading and downloading pornography, cheating on their spouse, and stalking children; the open source code search tool will probably be exploited as well - time will tell...
Netflix Contest
Netflix $1 Million Offer
WOW! I actually use Netflix and my husband read this to me Friday morning while I was cleaning up the kitchen. It seems that they are looking for ways to increase the accuracy of their recommendations system. I have some ideas - do you?
WOW! I actually use Netflix and my husband read this to me Friday morning while I was cleaning up the kitchen. It seems that they are looking for ways to increase the accuracy of their recommendations system. I have some ideas - do you?
Monday, October 02, 2006
Google Page Rank
Google has a page rank scale that actually resides in the Google toolbar and when pages on the Internet are visited, the page rank is displayed. I'm not exactly sure how the page rank is calculated, but it does determine how visible your page may become (or not) when people use search engines to search the web.
Here's how Google explains ...
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."
Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.
Here's how Google explains ...
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."
Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
