Just bought a new camera ?? And very excited to start taking photos with your new gadget??
But Alas, why does the picture not look as good as you wanted to !! Fret no more, stay tuned below for 4 new tricks to taking more interesting and memorable photos.
1. Try out different camera exposure settings
By exploring the exposure settings of your camera, you could have pictures looking more brilliant with 0.5 to 2 stops underexposed in bright surroundings, and scenes appearing more clear with some overexposure. Just by simple tuning of the exposure level, you can create pictures which can bring out different moods from people viewing it. Thats why the quote “A Picture Says A Thousand Words” is very true indeed ! For newbies, try out bracketing (i.e: Take the same photos with different exposure levels) and take your favorite pick from them.
2.Bring out some creative blur in photos
By introducing some well-planned blur in photos, you can bring across certain important features, while using the rest as good complement, providing an overall nice touch. This can be done in 2 basic types.
First type is depth-of-field blur. Varying the lens aperture between 0.4 to 1.4 can create a lovely, soft background blur which bring sharp focus to the subject in the foreground.
Second type is movement blur. Done by setting the camera exposure on shutter priority, and keep it slow so as to capture interesting streaks as the subject moves in front of the camera.
3.Create something out of nothing !!
What does it means? This exercise encourages you to take a step back and rethink how you can take wonderful pictures with things you already encountered on a daily basis.
One approach is to create your shot around the common elements around you such as lines, space and patterns. This can mean anything from the roads to the bridges, the trees, the railings, etc.. You start to see more possibilities and room for creativity.
4.Take Unique Photos !!
Try to avoid taking photos from already popular places where everyone else has taken before, it will not be fresh, and the excitement is also much diminished. Try out new extreme photography (for example: underwater photography), or it could be as easy as shooting through thick glasses for that extra 3D feel, or shooting reflections of objects in water or other reflective objects.
27.Jul.08 
Photography 
Comment (1)
Quick question: Does your idea of a perfect Friday evening involve cold beer, fried chicken and uploading pictures to your Facebook account? Also, have you forgotten how to play Poker with a real deck of cards?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, you need to join Facebook Anonymous (and no, it’s not an application found in Facebook).
Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has weaselled into the lives of more than 31 million users. So addictive that the New York Times has reported that Facebook is lowering employee’s productivity.
The site has become the hottest new application development platform on the Web. When Facebook opened up its platform to independent developers in May last year, it became a hotbed for hungry start-ups like Booze Mail and iLike, which let you do anything from sending Virtual Martinis to watching music videos.
Here is Digital Hub’s take on the hottest Facebook applications.
FotoFlexer
Forget running on the treadmill or lifting weights. With the FotoFlexer, you can trim that beer belly or add some six packs without having to sweat it out in the gym.
This nifty photo-editing too not only lets you add effects or change the brightness of your images, it also digitally enlarges your muscles and shrinks your waist at a button’s click. Great when you want to upload your new images onto your Facebook photo album.
Dating DNA
You have fewer that 10 friends on Facebook, out of which five are your mother’s Book Club members. Instead of sitting in a corner and moaning about your insipid social life, try Dating DNA.
The app should widen your social network by letting you chat with anyone on Facebook. Spy a cute brunette? Drop her a message or send some virtual flowers her way.
Single Facebook members will also dig this application – the site accesses your interests and personality and hooks you up with compatible singles.
Honesty Box
Add this to your profile page and your friends can leave anonymous messages that describe your personality – anything from “You’re hot” to “You’re a terrible dancer”.
The best part is that the person leaving the note doesn’t have to be signed in to Honesty Box. So you’ll have absolutely no way of sussing out who wrote what.
Skype Me
Forget painstakingly powering up Skype whenever you want to chat with your friends in other countries. Miss your spouse who’s currently overseas? Simply click the Skype Me application on Facebook, dial the number you want and start yakking.
Music Mixes
Most of us can probably remember sitting in front of our cassette players after school, recording Bananarama or Culture Club tracks onto cassette tapes.
Now you can relive your childhood with the Music Mixes app, which lets you create your own virtual mixtapes by adding tracks and sending them to your friends. What more, you can personalize your mixtape by adding in your own voice introduction at the start of the tape.
Polyvore
Fashionistas will adore the Polyvore app. It lets you create your own runway outfits using threads and accessories from brands like Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Topshop.
With thousands of outfits updated almost every day, you’ll guaranteed a visual fashion fest every time you log on.
18.Jul.08 Facebook Comments (0)
Adapted From: Tivo for Dummies:
A TiVo lifestyle begins with something unavoidably awful: connecting TiVo to your TV, weaving strands of cables into just the right configuration. Thankfully, TiVo’s installation happens only once. And basic installation can be a breeze.
After you have your TiVo up and running, you can happily surf the channels by using the TiVo remote, which works very much like that old standard you use for the TV.
Hooking up your TiVo
Although there’s no single “right way” to connect a TiVo, all installations follow these three steps. The differences depend on the type of connections found on your TV, cable or satellite box, and other accessories. For the best possible picture, always identify and use the highest quality connections available on each piece of equipment.
1. Place TiVo near your TV.
2. Connect TiVo to your phone line.
3. Connect TiVo to your television signal.
If you don’t have a cable or satellite box, you may be able to simply screw your cable TV’s cable into TiVo’s RF In jack and then connect an identical cable between TiVo’s RF Out jack and your TV’s RF In or Cable In jack. (Sometimes the TV’s jack is simply called “Antenna.”) Tune your TV to channel 3 or 4 to see TiVo.
Cable or satellite box users have to follow two additional steps to complete the installation:
• 1. Set up TiVo to change the box’s channels.
• Depending on your type of cable or satellite box, you need to connect either TiVo’s IR Control cable or its Serial Control cable between TiVo and the box.
• 2. Connect sound and video cables from your cable or satellite box to TiVo’s input ports.
• TiVo accepts sound and video in several different ways, depending on your needs. Always choose the highest quality connections available.
Make sure that you have your TiVo, your TV, and your cable box, if necessary, plugged into the wall and turned on. (TiVo turns on automatically as soon as you plug it in.)
That’s it. You’re done! Your TiVo can now show you any channel that you want to watch (or record) through your TV. Ain’t technology grand?
Consider buying an inexpensive Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for your TiVo (and cable/satellite box). Although TiVo handles power outages gracefully, it doesn’t like power fluctuations. (Your computers don’t like these, either.) Plugging your TiVo into a UPS (350VA rating or more) protects it and your recorded shows from harm.
Changing channels
You change channels with TiVo’s remote just as you did with your old remote – the one that came with your TV or cable/satellite box.
Just press the Channel button toward the top to advance a channel; press the lower part of the button to move down a channel. TiVo dutifully changes the channel accordingly.
The only time you may run into something odd is if TiVo’s currently recording the show you’re watching. TiVo must stay tuned to the current channel in order to record the show, so TiVo fills you in on its dilemma with a message that appears on the TV screen.
If you don’t want TiVo to finish its recording, choose “Change the channel, stop recording.” TiVo stops recording, saves the portion it has already recorded, and lets you change channels all you want.
But if you want TiVo to finish recording the show, press Select to abandon your channel change. TiVo continues recording the current show.
TiVo normally changes channels more slowly than your old TV or cable/satellite box remote. But if TiVo’s not changing channels properly, you may need to adjust TiVo’s setup.
08.Jul.08 TiVo Comment (1)
By James Jae Kook
If you have ever tried shopping for memory cards you know how difficult it can be especially if you don’t know much about them! Here are some basic tips to help you buy the best memory card that suits your needs.
Know the formats
There are many different formats available in the market as far as memory cards are concerned. Having knowledge about these is critical before you start shopping otherwise you risk buying a memory card which might be incompatible with your PC, digital camera or other host device.
SD Cards are a highly secure stamp-sized digital camera memory card, which weigh approximately two grams. Brands available include Sandisk, Toshiba, Kingston and Lexar. SD Cards can be used in a variety of digital devices, including mobile phones, digital music players, handheld PCs (HPCs), digital cameras, car navigation systems and electronic books. SD Cards have cryptographic security for copyrighted data based on proven security concepts from DVD Audio.
SDHC Cards are the next generation of SD cards but offer increased capacities (4GB – 32GB) and faster transfer speeds of up to 6MB per second (Class 6). These memory cards are primarily designed to be used in digital camcorders and digital cameras. However, their large capacity does allow them to be used in many other devices for additional storage, such as the new Asus eePC and other laptops.
Mini SD: This is available in sizes ranging from 1GB, 2GB and even 4 GB. They are compatible with all smart phone devices with a Mini SD or SD Card (with SD adaptor) slot and even digital cameras.
Micro SD: These are even smaller than mini SD cards. They range in capacity from 512MB to 2GB and are the most common form of mobile phone memory due to their compact size. They can be used as an SD card if inserted into an SD card adaptor, giving you versatility to use them in digital cameras and other memory card devices.
Micro SDHC: These cards are the next generation of Micro SD cards but offer much higher capacities, from 4GB – 32GB, and faster transfer speeds up to 6MB per second (Class 6). They will be use in next generation mobile phones to cope with capacity hungry files, such as MPEG4 and MP3.
USB Readers: You will most likely require a USB reader for accessing data on your memory card. Today’s PCs often come with readers installed as standard so that you can insert as many as 5-6 cards at a time. This enables good compatibility with digital camera memory card formats.
Compact Flash: These are cheap compared to many other types of memory card, readily available and can be used with several different devices. Using integrated ATA controllers these memory cards enable file management, I/O, error correction functionality etc. Traditionally Compact Flash cards have been favoured by Professional Photographers as they are available in various capacities and have a very high file transfer rate. To enable many photos to be taken in quick succession.
MMC: Also known as multimedia cards these are the size of a regular postage stamp. They are easily integrated into different devices and consume less power compared to other memory cards, so are ideal for devices that need to conserve battery power for other functions. They are generally used in digital cameras, MP3 players and older Nokia mobile phone models.
Memory Stick PRO DUO is a versatile memory card, suitable for several device types, including digital cameras, digital music players, digital voice recorders and the Sony PSP. Memory Stick PRO DUO is also compatible with all devices that accept Memory Stick PRO. Simply use a DUO adaptor and the Memory Stick PRO DUO becomes the size of a Memory Stick PRO memory card.
M2 Memory Stick Micro, available from Sony, Lexar and Sandisk, is approximately one-quarter the volume of Memory Stick Pro Duo memory cards, yet only about 1.2mm thick. M2 is designed as an externally removable memory card with a controlled eject function to prevent users losing their media, providing a secure storage solution for music, videos and photos. M2 Memory Stick Micro is also compatible with all devices that accept Memory Stick PRO DUO or Memory Stick PRO. Simply use an adaptor and it becomes the size you need.
07.Jul.08 Memory Stick Comment (1)
It is easy to put your music files into your IPhone and IPod, but how about your video files? I found it difficult at first to put them into my IPhone, and play them on the go. I really wanted this to work since I would like to have some DVD movies, music videos, sports videos and other personal videos available on my IPhone.
For music files, it is as usual, you just put the MP3, AAC or M4A files into your music folders, and add the folder to your ITunes Music library, and presto! When you synch your IPhone/IPod to PC, your music files are copied. I did this routine for video, but unfortunately, they are not recognized by my IPhone.
1. So the first step really is to know the right video file format to put in IPhone. It just doesn’t accept any kind of video file. You must have the following video format – MP4, MOV or M4V. Sorry you cannot play AVI, WMV, 3GP or DIVX.
The difference with these video file formats (MP4, MOV or M4V) supported on IPhone is the H.264 standard. It is an advanced MPEG-4 compression standard for video, to deliver high video quality at a smaller file size. H.264 technology is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC (Advanced Video Coding).
2. If you have an unsupported file format, you will need to convert those video files first to MP4, MOV or M4V before you can play those on IPhone. There are software that are made to do these, but there are also sources on the net that allows you to download movies on the right format, and with that, they also have a bundled software to convert your unsupported video file.
3. Transfer movies and videos to IPhone through ITunes. Put your MP4, MOV or M4V movies to your ITunes movie folder, then connect your IPhone to your computer via USB, and synch your IPhone to ITunes to copy your movies to your IPhone. You must be able to see your videos in your ITunes Movies Library, that is a sure sign that it will also be playable in your IPhone or IPod Touch.
That’s all! At first try you may find it fuzzy to put video into your IPhone, but from the 3 steps above, it is actually easy.
Tags: IPhone video, IPod Touch video, movies downloads
08.Feb.08 IPhone, iPod Comments (0)
If you’re like many of the other millions of Ipod users out there, you take your little Ipod with you everywhere. Every time you expect it to perform flawlessly, and most of the time it does. However, after months and months of use and abuse, years even, your little Ipod isn’t so keen on performing like it did when it was brand new, so one day when you wake up and greet your little Ipod with ears ready for music listening it doesn’t greet you back. Instead, it frowns on you and tells you to contact Apple for support only to realize your warranty just ran out 3 days ago. Out of luck? No! Luckily there is a solution to the Ipod Sad Face.
Ipod sad Face Solution
- Hug it tightly and give it a good kiss, because what you’re about to do is not recommended by Apple support, but a very big group of bloggers who have found the solution to this problem.
- Firmly grasp your Ipod.
- Slam it (charging port down) onto your desk, a dresser, a table, anything around you that is flat, sturdy, and quite possibly won’t hurt you Ipod, you can use a mouse pad or something slightly soft to cushion it a little bit, if you feel insecure about doing this, have a friend do it, because they won’t have an emotional attachment to your Ipod.
- Now repeat step 3 two more times, and wait for your Ipod to rise out of the grave feeling rejuvenated and happily greets you with your favorite tunes.
What seems to happen is after using it time and time again, the hard drive connection to the Ipod seems to loosen up so much that it can no longer detect the connection and/or communicate with the Ipod. By slamming it down onto the desk you secure the connection so that way your Ipod can now detect your hard drive.
Make sure you take care when slamming your Ipod onto anything, because you don’t want to hurt your Ipod or the ‘anything’ that you’re slamming it onto. I, personally have experienced this problem and followed the above steps to fix it, now my trusty 20GB Ipod Photo is working just as happily as it was the first day I got it.
Steve’s Tech Guide – A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Stoddard
http://EzineArticles.com/?Fix-Your-Sad-Faced-iPod&id=953216
Tags: crash Ipod, faulty iPod, iPod, repair iPod
07.Feb.08 iPod Comment (1)
LCD flat panel TVs have been flying off the shelves in recent months. If you have been one of the lucky ones to have purchased a new TV or if you plan on purchasing a new flat panel in the near future, you are no doubt considering mounting your flat screen on the wall. A properly mounted flat screen TV will not only provide optimum viewing for your new TV, but will also help spruce up the décor of your room.
When considering an LCD TV wall mount take these 5 things into consideration.
1. Size of TV – When purchasing a wall mount, one of the first things you will see is that there are different wall mounts for different size TVs. There is a huge difference in size and weight in a 22 inch LCD compared to a 50 inch model. Mounting hardware will provide more support for bigger TVs such as connecting them to multiple studs instead of just one. The brackets for fastening to the TV will also obviously differ from a large TV to a small one.
2. Type of wall – Flat panels can be mounted on various types of wall. The most common type of wall is one with wood studding. You will need a stud finder in order to locate the center of the studs which you will mount your TV to. Another common mounting option is to mount the TV to a solid concrete wall or a cinder block wall. In order to install on these walls you will need to use concrete anchors for a secure connection. Most wall mounts will include the proper fastening hardware.
3. Type of LCD TV wall mount – There are many types of wall mounts to choose from.
• A fixed wall mount does not have the bells and whistles of the other types. Once your TV is mounted you will not be able to move it at all so take extra care in making sure the TV is exactly where you want it to go.
• A tilting mount provides some extra flexibility by allowing you to tilt the TV up or down to ensure a proper viewing angle. Generally a tilting mount will rotate up about 5 degrees and down about 15 degrees. This is a good choice for many large screen flat panels often times found in a home theater or family room.
• Another option is an arm mount. These are more common for smaller LCDs as opposed to big screens. These will allow your TV to be flat against the wall or will allow them to swing out a foot or more from the wall in order to view it from a variety of locations and angles. Many arm mounts will also allow the TV to swivel or tilt as well and are sometimes referred to as articulating arm mounts.
• For the ultimate in wall mounts you can consider a motorized wall mount. They allow virtual silent operation allowing you to rotate the TV for an optimum viewing angle with the touch of a remote button. These can certainly provide a “wow” factor for your home theater.
4. Cable management – You will want to make sure you plan on how your TV will be connected to the rest of your home theater components. Some people simply install molding in order to hide the wires, while most people will install a wall plate that allows the connectors to be run through the wall to ensure a clean clutter free look. Be aware of the proper electrical code and consult an electrician if necessary. Power cords should not be run through the walls and most times a receptacle will be installed behind the TV in order to provide power to the TV. HDMI cables have simplified things by allowing both audio and HD video signals through one cable, but make sure to also consider adding component and composite connections as well since it is much easier to do it now rather then adding them later. Many LCD TV wall mounts will have cable management options built in to them for added convenience.
5. Where to mount your LCD flat panel – Finally you will need to figure out where to mount your TV. The location will be dependent upon your room environment as some people choose to mount above things in the room such as a fireplace. It is generally agreed that for an optimal viewing experience you should mount the center of the TV slightly above eye level of your viewing position. Also keep in mind to leave enough room for your center speaker and front speakers of your sound system.
A clean install of a high quality LCD wall mount will be a welcome addition to your home and a great way to showcase that new LCD flat panel.
For more information about flat panel wall mounts, a brief video tutorial of how to wall mount a lcd tv and a review of some of the more popular wall mounts check out the Flat Screen TV wall mount page at http://familyhometheaterguide.com
The Family Home Theater Guide is an informative guide to home theater, with a particular emphasis on family entertainment.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Dawson
http://EzineArticles.com/?LCD-TV-Wall-Mount—5-Things-To-Consider-For-Your-LCD-TV-Wall-Mount&id=964782
07.Feb.08 LCD TV Comments (2)
There are lots of ways nowadays to watch regular TV programs on PC, but what provides High Definition TV?
First off, you will need a flat screen monitor on your PC that has HDTV-quality resolution. Most of the PC manufacturers offer discount on package when you buy the new PC model with dual-core processors and with HDTV-ready flat screen. You can be better-off avail of this package.
Otherwise, using your not-so-old PC, just buy a reasonable size flat screen with HDTV-quality resolution. You will connect the PC’s output to your HDTV-ready flat screen. There are two interfaces available that you can choose from: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable and DVI (Digital Visual Interface) cable. Be sure to choose the right cable when connecting to your flat screen. The most common one is the DVI interface.
Above is to output the signal from your PC to flat-screen display with high-definition quality.
Secondly, you will need a source of HDTV programs – this is the input. There are two ways to get digital-quality TV sources:
1. Using an HDTV Tuner Card and subscription to HDTV cable and satellite services. The tuner cards are available on your local PC shops that you can install to your PC through USB (Universal Serial Bus) or PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) interface. Your local cable service provider will provide the HDTV-ready channels for a monthly subscription.
2. Using PC software to access HDTV-channels through high-speed internet connection. Very important to have a broadband connection with at least 2MB download speed. This is more practical and easy option to watch HDTV channels instantly. Just need the software to access the channels to be installed on your PC.
That’s about it. It’s not difficult to setup, and it’s really worthwhile, especially when you are already watching high-quality TV and at the same time checking your e-mail or chatting online, it’s cool!
Nash Trout is an IT specialist by profession and a TV enthusiast. Check this out to have the software to access HDTV channels on PC.
How to watch HDTV on PC
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nash_Trout
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Watch-HDTV-On-Computer&id=467217
Tags: HDTV, high definition TV, Watch movies on PC
07.Feb.08 HDTV Comment (1)
