Great article from knowyourdslr.com about how to remove dust spots from your photos:
Spot Healing Tool
If you use a DSLR, sooner or later you’re going to find yourself swapping lenses – that kit lens that came with the camera isn’t going to do all the jobs all the time. That means, sooner or later, you’re going to find yourself facing a problem that photographers have faced since the advent of interchangeable lenses: dust.
Dust is a huge problem: it’s next to impossible to prevent, hard to get rid of and it ruins the best of shots. Many recent DSLRs have self-cleaning sensors to try to minimise the problem, and some can have custom dust maps created so that dust spots are removed in-camera, but knowing how to use the heal tool to get rid of those conspicuous dark spots is a must.
Great article from How-To Geek about playing classic Oregon Trail on Windows…
I am a sucker for nostalgic computer games. Oregon Trail was the first computer game I ever played on the Apple IIe system. With the help of the Enhanced Apple IIe Emulator and some virtual floppy discs we can relive those golden memories on your current PC. I am playing this on my Windows XP box. I am not sure if it works with Vista.
The first thing you need to do is download AppleWin 1.14.0 This is a zip file so just go ahead and extract it where you like. I just put it on my desktop. Open the folder and double click on the AppleWin.exe icon to launch the emulator. To start the virtual machine click on the Apple button on the upper right side.
Another great post from the digital Photography School Blog…
As previously noted the best photo tip I ever received had to do with sharpness and up until the time in which I received this tip I had little understanding of how to consistently get sharp photos. I’ll never forget when I was a teenager I borrowed my mothers film SLR and ventured out into Yosemite valley while on a family vacation to photograph flowers, the landscape, etc. A couple weeks later when I got the film back almost all my photos were out of focus. Young and easily frustrated I cast photography to the wind for several years. These days digital cameras simplify not only your ability to see what you’re focusing on, but they also give you an immediate view of your photo enabling you to move on to your next photo or to try again. As great as these features are consistently getting sharp photos can still be a challenge.
Do you want to know how to photograph fireworks? With 4th July just days away I thought I’d refresh this article in which I give 10 Fireworks Photography tips to help you get started.
Fireworks Displays are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions.
I’ve had many emails from readers asking how to photograph fireworks displays, quite a few of whom have expressed concern that they might just be too hard to really photograph. My response is always the same – ‘give it a go – you might be surprised at what you end up with’.
My reason for this advice is that back when I bought my first ever SLR (a film one) one of the first things I photographed was fireworks and I was amazed by how easy it was and how spectacular the results were. I think it’s even easier with a digital camera as you can get immediate feedback as to whether the shots you’ve taken are good or not and then make adjustments.
Of course it’s not just a matter of going out finding a fireworks display – there are, as usual, things you can do to improve your results. With 4 July just around the corner I thought I’d share a few fireworks digital photography tips:
In computing, a hard link is a reference, or pointer, to physical data on a storage volume. On most file systems, all named files are hard links. The name associated with the file is simply a label that refers the operating system to the actual data. As such, more than one name can be associated with the same data. Though called by different names, any changes made will affect the actual data, regardless of how the file is called at a later time. Hard links can only refer to data that exists on the same file system.On Unix-like systems, hard links can be created with the link() system call, or the ln utility.On Microsoft Windows, hard links can be created only on NTFS volumes, either with fsutil hardlink or mklink. Also, the Cygwin set of utilities has a Unix-likeln command.The process of unlinking disassociates a name from the data
on the volume without destroying the associated data. The data is still accessible as long as at least one link that points to it still exists. When the last link is removed, the space is considered free. A process ambiguously called undeleting allows the recreation of links to data that is no longer associated with a name. However, this process is not available on all systems and is often not reliable.
An NTFS symbolic link (symlink) is a file-system object in the NTFS filesystem that points to another file system object. The object being pointed to is called the target. Symbolic links
should be transparent to users; the links appear as normal files or directories, and can be acted upon by the user or application in exactly the same manner. Symbolic links are designed to aid in migration and application compatibility with POSIX operating systems.Unlike an NTFS junction point, a symbolic link can also point to a file or remote SMB network path. Additionally, the NTFS symbolic link implementation provides full support for cross-filesystem links. However, the functionality enabling cross-host symbolic links requires that the remote system also support them, which effectively limits their support to Windows Vista and later Windows operating systems.
An NTFS junction point (JP) is a feature of the NTFSfile system version 3.0 or later. It is a type of NTFS reparse point. Junction Points can be used in a similar way to symbolic links — allowing the creation of a link to a folder that is, for most intents and purposes, the same as the folder itself. This has many benefits over a Windows shellshortcut (.lnk) file, such as allowing access to files within the folder via Windows Explorer, the Command Prompt, etc. Junction points can only link to directories, and moreover, local directories only; junction points to remote shares are unsupported.[1] For linking to files, possible alternatives to junction points (aside from shortcuts) include hard links (which have the restriction that the file must belong to the same logical volume), and symbolic links (which are only included in Windows Vista and newer, but do work over network shares). The Windows 2000 and XPResource Kits include a program called linkd to create junction points; a more powerful one named Junction was distributed by Sysinternals‘ Mark Russinovich.[1]
While I’m still limited to using NTFS Junction Points (versus Symbolic Links, available in Windows Vista), I do really like the idea of having C:\Users\ link to C:\Documents and Settings\ (who the hell came up with that naming convention anyway?) – similar to how C:\Documents and Settings\ is a symbolic link to C:\Users\ in Windows Vista.
Luckily, there is a utility for just that purpose, available here:
I saw a post this morning showing you can run Windows applications from a virtual Windows install on your Linux Desktop. Although this may seem like it’s not that big of a deal, anyone who virtualizes another OS such as Windows from within VMware knows it can
sometimes be a hassle to switch between your Linux desktop and the Windows one since you only have access to application windows within each OS and your Guest OS is limited to running within the VMware window. The advantage of integrating the guest OS into your existing desktop allows you to easily switch between different applications and use applications side by side regardless of what OS they are on. As you can see in the pic above (click to enlarge), this method gives you access to the StartMenu from your Linux desktop as well as placing guest OS applications in the Gnome panel. The original website provided a method that needed some modification to work for me. Additionally, the following guide will show you how to safely set this up on an existing Windows partition.
This is well worth the read and download if you’re in IT or tend to your family’s computer(s) on occasion. (Probably more useful in the latter scenario, anyway.)
So you’re thinking, “Hey, I want to be totally irresponsible with my computer and load it up with crapware!” Really, isn’t everyone getting tired of having to be so stinking responsible on the Internet all the time? We certainly are. We’re ready for system protection that isn’t afraid of our reckless browsing, indiscriminate downloading, and general apathy towards good computer usage habits.
…Which is why we love Windows Steady State. It creates a cache file in which your operating system operates, meaning any harmful changes can be undone by simply emptying the cache. After downloading it’s a snap to install – just a few obligatory clicks and the usual EULA mumbo-jubmo and you’re set.
Our first test was pretty a pretty low-intensity workout. We surfed, bookmarked, set up a POP account and downloaded a few messages, and cluttered up the desktop with a dozen or so hilariously named folders. After issuing the old Windows – U – R we waited anxiously for the system to reboot.
There it was, just as it had been before – no trace of any of our activity. The desktop was still tidy, no favorites or emails were anywhere to be seen. So far so good, but let’s try some real abuse!Do your worst! Fire up Internet Explorer and go on a malicious web-surfing bender. Download rogue applications! Install 16 browser toolbars! Download obviously fake songs with Limwire! When you’re spent, reboot and check the results. To the dismay of Trojans everywhere, not a shred of your misdeeds will remain.
I’m always a fan of Portland related things on the interwebs. Here’s a site I found today called “Our PDX Network” which looks like it’s worth a read, or at least a blog post. 😉
Yes, it’s another local Portland, Oregon group blog.
Why?
After all, can’t people subscribe to the local blogs they want to, creating their own personal patchwork quilt of voices? Can’t they network on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn – or in person at events run by the very cool Legion of Tech folks, for example? Aren’t there already enough local PDX group blogs out there?
See, we read everyone else’s stuff. And we think you should, too. That’s why we’ll be talking about all of the other excellent local sites out there – telling you what you’ve missed, shooing you over to read their inside scoops instead of trying to regurgitate them ourselves. Talking up the activity on networks like Twitter, on events like Lunch 2.0.
But we’ll also be offering up our own unvarnished view of life in Portland – warts and all. We’ll be asking you for your opinion, your insights, and pointers to those sources you can’t live without (you can share them with us via our new Mag.nolia group, for starters.) Or we’ll be recounting conversations we might have had with you in person at the neighborhood farmer’s market, or at that evening meeting.
And since we come from a variety of backgrounds and don’t all share the same interests, we can promise you a slice of life you may not always see in your RSS reader or in your neighborhood.
In a nutshell? We’ll be interesting. Informative. Provocative. Collaborative. And, most importantly, interested in creating conversation. With you. (Yes, you.)
And if we’re not? Interesting and/or informative, or…
We’ll settle for pointing you over to something else that better meets your sensibilities…!
Yesterday I took a trip to the Deutshes Technikmuseum Berlin, an oddity of a place containing all manner of weird and wonderful German technology, from a yard full of locomotives to an exhibition on cutlery and plates from railway dining cars. Unlike many science museums, the DTB doesn’t have a whole lot of interactive exhibits — just a few push buttons here and there — but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t full of screaming kids on a Sunday.
What it does have, though, is an amazing collection of historical German camera gear. The exhibit is full of retro gadgets, as you’ll see below, but the most interesting to me were the bisected lenses and cameras, the insides of which show the precision of a CAD drawing. Read on to see sawn-off gadgets, the origin of digital cameras and a secret doorway just for horses.
(If you had a null reference exception on that last post…)
The Son of Man (French: Le fils de l’homme) is a 1964 painting by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.
Magritte painted it as a self-portrait. The painting consists of a man in a suit and a bowler hat standing in front of a small wall, beyond which is the sea and a cloudy sky. The man’s face is largely obscured by a hovering green apple.
However some have argued the presence of the face at all, as it believed that the apple merely represented the loss of identity.
The name is believed to have derived from the modern businessman being the son of Adam (from the Abrahamic creation story) and the apple representing temptation with which one is still faced in the modern world.
I’ve spent quite some time looking for a hosted Subversion repository that had a cheap or free trial option so that I could migrate my locally hosted repository (seems silly to host your repository on your own machine, doesn’t it?) to somewhere online.
Guess I wasn’t looking well enough, because today I (finally) stumbled upon a solution which meets all of my needs and more, Assembla.
If you’re looking for a place to host your development projects, I’d highly suggest Assembla, even if only for the *free* hosted Subversion repository which can be made private or public, unlike other free services which only offer public open-source hosting. Not that I’m knocking Sourceforge or Google Code, it’s just that I’m working on a consulting project that can’t be left out in the open (as I’m sure is the case with many of you out there as well).
Here’s a list of their plans (current as of this posting):
…and since you probably can’t read that without clicking on the expanded image, here’s the link to their pricing plans: http://www.assembla.com/tour
The array of development tools they have to offer is quite impressive, and I’m seriously considering upgrading to the Commercial plan ($12.50/month) to get more space.
For what it’s worth, Box.net, if you’re listening – you should really consider offering (real) WebDAV support and/or Subversion through your API, because *that* would make your site the killer app I’ve been waiting/paying for.
I can’t quite convey how sarcastic I am when I say “Brilliant Packaging”. This is the shit we had to deal with when we ordered a replacement hard drive for my laptop from NewEgg.com. I just opened the worthless packaging and found my *dented* hard drive, ready to go.
When we called the NewEgg.com customer service line to demand a replacement, they said they couldn’t guarantee proper packaging on the next shipment.
Needless to say, we took our business elsewhere and so should you.
Great fix for a problem I commonly have at the office:
If you’ve worked on a network with Windows servers, you’ve encountered this error message at least 37,000 times:
“The terminal server has exceeded the maximum number of allowed connections. The system can not log you on. The system has reached its licensed logon limit. Please try again later.”
This problem happens because Windows only allows two remote terminal services connections when you are in administrative mode, and you’ve either got two people already on that server, or more likely, you’ve got a disconnected session that still thinks it is active.
The problem with this error is that you have to actually get on the server console to fix the problem if the server isn’t in a domain. (If you are in a domain, then just open Terminal Services Manager and log off or disconnect the sessions)
…but, one of the comments on that thread is that the Response.Write disrupts the page appearance. Any thoughts/suggestions on a better way to open a new browser window from a C# codebehind?
Another great article from Lifehacker about bookmarklets:
Having a good set of bookmarklets on your browser’s toolbar is like having a web-savvy Leatherman handy—you can take them anywhere, use them in many situations, and they just simply work. A bookmarklet is a little different than a plain old bookmark—it’s a snippet of JavaScript that can perform all sorts of magic on the web page you’re currently viewing. You add bookmarklets to your bookmarks collection to get all sorts of things done as you surf the web. Let’s take a look at some of the best bookmarklets available, which can help you search and email, download videos, and work out some of the web’s kinks.
To start using a bookmarklet, make sure your browser’s bookmarks toolbar is visible. Then, drag and drop the bookmarklet link (enclosed in square brackets below each item on this post) to your bookmarks toolbar. When you’re on a page you want to use the bookmarklet? Just click its name on your toolbar.
Woo-hoo! I just signed in to the WordPress dashboard to check my site stats and found out that my blog has just recently broken 10,000 hits! Thanks to everyone for visiting and commenting on my posts!
Also, a special thanks goes out to all of you who have read and commented on my post about TurboTax, which alone has brought in 1,419 hits, as of this posting:
I am a sucker for nostalgic computer games. Oregon Trail was the first computer game I ever played on the Apple IIe system. With the help of the Enhanced Apple IIe Emulator and some virtual floppy discs we can relive those golden memories on your current PC. I am playing this on my Windows XP box. I am not sure if it works with Vista.
Williamo's Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.