JANUARY 2002 - Vol 18 - Issue 01
Newsletter - Internet Edition
Table of Contents
President's Podium
by Bob Brown, EPCUG President
Happy New Year PC users! Hopefully this year will be another good one. Styles vary as to how to celebrate this event. This year I spent the evening refurbishing a computer for Elkhart Mayor Miller's Computers for Bulgaria Project and chanced to see the date roll over from 12/31/01 to 1/1/02. Now there's excitement and wholesome entertainment for you. Caution: don't try this by yourself without expert supervision.
This year's Showcase Spectacular was a giant success. Program Director, Sherry Nisly, really got things well organized even though we got a late start. There were large number of presenters and their presentations seemed to be well received. Even the hotdog sales exceeded expectations. If there are members that habitually miss this meeting, they should reconsider their decision next time. Thanks to all who helped to make this event a success.
EPGUG's participation in WSBT's "22 Ways of Giving Blitz Day" was also a great success. Public Relation Director, Bruce Von Deylen, coordinated this effort and it went off very smoothly. The four computer systems that we presented were gratefully and graciously received. Events like this will get us known in the community and allow us to serve various not-for-profit organizations that need our help.
Make a special note to attend the next EPCUG meeting, January 24, 2002 at 7PM. Once again, it's MICROSOFT and this time it will be their Windows XP presentation! Also note that it will be held at NIBCO's auditorium, thanks to Eldon Hershberger's special effort. This meeting is a must and will get the 2002 season off to a bangup start. See you there. -Bob
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The Internet? I Can't Live Without it!
by Steve Bass, Pasadena IBM Users Group
The computer was turned off (really!) and I was sipping coffee and reading the Sunday funnies.
There's Cathy searching for airline tickets on the Internet. In one panel, a friend describes spending an hour juggling flight schedules on screen, trying to find the best time and low price. Another friend tells about finally giving up after experiencing the World Wide Wait at every airline site she visits.
Cathy also pokes around the Web and after four hours online, finally finds the perfect, discounted ticket.
When she finally gets on the flight, the passenger next to her explained how his discount ticket cost him $20 less then Cathy's.
The punch line? He apparently doesn't own a computer and got his ticket by making a ten-minute phone call.
Of course the guy missed the point. I mean, why in the world would anyone want to do something by phone when you could use modern technology?
Okay, I'll admit that I've done it. I'll invest 20 minutes using a dozen search engines trying to find a phone number for a restaurant. Oh, sure, I know -it's in the Pasadena Yellow Pages. And the book's sitting on the bookshelf just across the room. But that's the point, right? It's not within reach -and I'm already logged on.
Seriously, used judiciously, the Internet's a tremendous tool. In the last few weeks, I've been able to use the Web to: Get an obscure part for a camera lens, find replacement vinyl straps for a lawn chair, buy discounted wallpaper (50 percent less than the local shop), learn more about Home Theater devices than I could at a local store, find an out-of-print book, and hire a fencing contractor. Here are some other examples:
Improve on This
The fencing guy came by way of ImproveNet, a web site that hooks me up with a contractor. You plug in the details of the job and they find a contractor in your area who is qualified to handle the job. The site reports whether the contractor has a general liability insurance certificate on file with ImproveNet, has a license in good standing, a clear financial history, and a clear legal history. Each item is updated quarterly.
So far, I've had good luck twice: first with a concrete job and again with the fencing contractor. Check it at www.improvenet.com
Beam it to me, Scottie
Last year I had a satellite dish installed on the roof and subscribed to DirecTV. It's terrific "the picture's digitally and stunningly crisp, the signal's never failed (hello? Charter Communication? How's your cable doing?), and the available programming is excessive. We're getting all the basic channels, a few premium channels, as well as the Independent Film Channel" all for a little less than cable service. (www.directv.com)
With all that high-tech beaming into the house, I don't want to sit in front of the TV and stare at DirecTV's on-screen scroll to keep track of what's playing. Instead, I use TV Grid, a nifty Internet service that jumps through hurdles for me. (www.tvgrid.com)
First, it offers what every other TV service has-a grid listing your favorite stations. So far, no big deal.
But when I move the cursor on top of the movie or show, a description appears in another frame. Click on the link and another Java-based window pops up letting me quickly jump to one or two movie review sites (http://www.mrqe.com/ or http://www.imdb.com/). Then the film's title is inserted into the search engine saving me keystrokes. Very cool.
It gets better: I want to watch a specific movie, say, the Producers, I can create a Perpetual Reminder. TV Grid searches every morning, e-mailing me if they find a match.
Inside DVD
Do you have a DVD player? Then sign up for a free DVD of Infinity, a 1996 movie starring (and directed by) Matthew Broderick. It's an account of the personal life of Manhattan Project scientist Richard Feynman. First read some reviews here... http://us.imdb.com/TUrls?COM+0116635
I discovered the free DVD from "Inside DVD: The DVD Entertainment Magazine" on the Web. www.insidedvd.com
Log onto Inside DVD's Web site, register, and they'll send you a DVD. Free. No hooks and no obligations.
And nope, I haven't received any e-mail or junk mail-and I've been signed up for six months. That's because the DVD's advertiser sponsored.
Nonetheless, it's loaded with movie trailers, music, previews, and other stuff (and, because it's DVD, you can blithely ignore anything you're not interested in viewing).
Shopping for a DVD-or Anything Else?
If you haven't tried comparison shopping on the Internet, you're missing a ton of fun. Even if you don't buy anything on the Web, these resources take the hassle of comparing products and features.
The very best site at feature comparisons is www.compare.net. I started by searching for a DVD player. Once the models came on screen, I could click a few DVD models and in a few seconds, I had a grid on screen showing each product feature compared to the others. You can also drill deeper and have the site get you pricing.
There are loads of sites that'll check for low prices, but the two most comprehensive I found: Excite's Product Finder (www.jango.com/xsh/index.dcg?) and Bottom Dollar (www.bottomdollar.com/).
But it doesn't stop there.
As I began shopping for an A/V receiver, two PIBMUG members told me about the Audio Review site (www.audioreview.com). I searched the site, found the A/V unit I was interested in, and found -ready?- 75 independent reviews.
People rate themselves as audiophile dweebs, casual users, or audio enthusiasts, and then post a review. The value is tremendous; I soon learned that the model I chose was both underpowered and had problems with high-range frequencies. It was a bad choice for me. I figured the reviewers were on the same wavelength as I so I sent e-mail to a number of them, asking for recommendations.
The replies were equally valuable. I read the reviews of another receiver and it helped with the buying decision. Better than relying on a Circuit City salesperson? You bet!
In the meantime, I've got to go online. A new Cathy's just been posted. www.uexpress.com/ups/comics/ca/index.html
Steve Bass is a Contributing Editor with PC World Magazine, frequently writes for Forbes ASAP, and is the president of the Pasadena IBM Users Group. He often writes with his tongue in his cheek. Write to him at stevebass@earthlink.net There is no restriction against any non-profit group using the article as long as it is kept in context, with proper credit given to the author. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which EPCUG belongs.
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Can Spam
by Brian Backman, Danbury Computer Society
Anyone who has had an e-mail account for more than twenty three and a quarter milliseconds has received Spam, so there's no need for a lengthy description of it. Basically, Spam is unsolicited advertising e-mail messages. It is also a really tasty meat product that goes great with pineapples and sliced jalapenos, but that's not the kind we're dealing with here.
My goal for this article is to give you a few pointers on how to reduce the amount of Spam you receive or possibly eliminate it, and some ways to deal with it when you do get it.
Before we get started, you should understand that there are two kinds of e-mail advertising.
Opt-in and Opt-out
Opt-out is Spam. Opt-in is any sort of commercial mail, such as newsletters, catalogs and sales flyers that you have agreed to accept. Usually, you agree to accept these as a condition, reward or benefit of registering with an online service (remember PriceLine?). Be careful about the difference. If you get a message that you believe is Spam, think first about any agreements you may have made recently. It would be really poor form to report a legitimate, sweet, loving, angelic emailer as a putrid tool of the Devil, Spammer. With that in mind, to the ramparts!
Attempt to Eliminate
I don't believe that you can totally eliminate Spam, but this is as close as you can get:
Filter out mail from any sender whose address is not in your address book. This is the anti-social method, but absolutely the most effective. Set up your mail system so that it will compare the sender's address to those in your address book. If the sender's address does not match anything in your address book, the mail will be rejected or redirected away from your inbox. This is fairly simple to set up, though not all mail systems offer this feature. Using Hotmail as an example, go to Options, then Inbox Protector under Mail Handling. For Level of Protection select Custom, and then check only-The senders address is in your Hotmail address book. If you really don't want to be bothered, you can also select the trash can as your discard folder.
While this method seems foolproof, I have heard anecdotal evidence that some Spam has slipped through, so I can't guarantee it. Also, remember that this will not protect you from any virus that an "approved" sender might mail you. You should also keep in mind that this will prevent you from receiving any mail you have requested, such as newsletters you sign up for, unless you can get their address into your address book first.
This can be very annoying as when your Uncle Finster's lawyer sends you a message that the old boy is about to croak and you'll not get a dime of the inheritance unless you show up at his bedside pronto.
Anti-Spam Mail Accounts
This one usually incurs a fee, so move on if you're a cheapskate. There are mail systems out there whose main claim to fame is the near total elimination of Spam, as well as aggressively reporting Spammers. These services use a combination of methods to prevent Spam. I'LL give a quick description of the most famous one, SpamCop (URL listed at end). When you sign up with SpamCop, give them a list of approved sender addresses. Mail from these senders will pass through unimpeded, exactly as in the Hotmail example previously mentioned.
Now things get complicated. Any mail from a service provider that is on SpamCop's approved list, or that SpamCop has never heard of, will be passed through as well. Any mail from a service provider whose name is on the Evil Children of Satan list will be placed into a "holding area." The sender will receive an automated reply explaining that they've been blocked because their service provider is in league with the minions of Hades. The sender can then fire back a reply that he or she is not a spammer and this was a legitimate message. The mail will then be sent on to you.
If you do receive Spam, you report it to the mail service and they'll take care of reporting it. If a provider causes a lot of complaints from members, then that provider will be considered scum of the earth and placed on the bad list. You don't totally eliminate the Spam, but you do cut it way down and get the satisfaction that providers who generate a lot of Spam will be inconvenienced.
Try to Fight Back
Ah, you valiant fool. Do not go quietly. . . Rage, Rage! Fighting back is OK as long as you understand that you will ultimately lose. At best, you may close down a few Spammer's accounts, but they will just open new ones. At worst, your mail account may become unusable.
But if you want to try...
When you open a message that turns out to be Spam, there will almost certainly be a link at the bottom that you can click on to cancel further messages. This seems pretty easy, just click and end the torment. Right? Don't you believe it!
What you're really doing is proving to the Spammer that your e-mail account is valid and that you read Spam. The vicious little insect will then sell your address to others of its species and you will be inundated. You could try reporting the Spammer. This may give you some personal satisfaction, but don't think for a minute that it'll accomplish much.
First off, you'll need to set your e-mail system to "display full header information." What you're doing here is inserting all of the available routing history into the message when it's displayed, rather than just who sent it to you and the date of transmission. This will, hopefully, give enough information to the Spammer's provider that they can track down the weasel.
The downside is that the full display option takes up more space. It'll also insert a mountain of text into your mail when you forward messages. You can delete it, but it's extra work to do so. Sooo, the question is, are you willing to put up with all the extra gobbeldygook just to report a Spammer? Your email service provider's Help should tell you where to report Spammers, but usually it will be "abuse@" followed by the provider's name. For example, abuse@yahoo.com.
You need to forward the Spam message to the "abuse@" address, making sure that you have the full header showing. Now the problem with that is that you had to open the Spam to forward it. Guess what? The Spammer may now know that you read the message and you will again be inundated. Maybe it's worth it to you just to report. However, I have reported Spammers numerous times and all it got me was some very nice automatic responses and an increase in Spam mail.
Now, you can use certain tools to try and trace the Spammers yourself and report them. For example, Whois (http://www.cix. co.uk/~net-services/spam/whois.htm) from Net Services is supposed to show information on the originator of the mail. You can then send a complaint to their provider.
Another program from Net Services is Spam Hater (http://www.cix.co.uk/~net-services/spam/spam_hater.htm ). This program is supposed to help you trace and report Spammers as well. I haven't tried either (Whois is freeware by the way), but they may be worth a look.
Accept Fate, But Reduce the Pain
As you may have noticed by now, I'm a bit of a fatalist. Then too, I don't have time to go chasing Spammers and I'LL bet you don't either. Of course, if you're truly committed to going after the vermin, I applaud you. If I were retired or even just single, I would certainly take a shot at them now and then. All I do is delete any and all messages that I do not recognize. That's it. The whole Tamale.
Spammers have a way to get notices that you opened their mail. I'LL say it again, whenever you open a Spam message, the Spammer knows it. Now you have just verified that your address is valid. Your address will be sold. You will get more Spam. End of story.
Whenever I forwarded Spam from Hotmail accounts to abuse@hotmail to report them, I got replies that there was nothing that could be done because the addresses in the message were fake. Within days, I was flooded with Spam from hotmail addresses. The same results from Yahoo and Netscape. On and on. When I started simply deleting the Spam, the volume slowly decreased.
Well, on my Hotmail account there is one other thing I do; perhaps your account has a similar feature. In Options go to Inbox Protector under Mail Handling. In the Level of Protection, select Custom and then check only-Your address appears on the "To:" or "Cc" line and The sender's address is in your Hotmail Address Book. This seems to have cut down on my Spam somewhat, but it's not certain. Well, that's it. The sites listed next can give you much more information. If you really want to fight, check them out.
More Info and Help
Here are links to some sites that will give you more information and help on fighting Spam
* JMHO on Spam (http://home.att.net/~marjie1/index.htm): Great information site.
* Spam Cop (http://spamcop.net/): Spam free e-mail and reporting assistance along with more info.
* Fight Spam on the Internet (http://spam.abuse.net/): More info and some tools!
* Spam FAQ (www.mall-net.com/spamfaq.html): Some good resources, redundant info, a stirring call to arms!
Brian has worked in Tech Writing, Training, Quality Testing and Help Desk, as well as some Web Development. He is a regular at the Internet SIG of Danbury Computer Society. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which EPCUG belongs.
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Cable Modem Woes: Maybe Dial-up Wasn't So Bad
By Bruce Von Deylen, EPCUG Staff Writer
November 15, 2001 marked a turning point for me. That was the day a trained technician from ATT Broadband presented me with my new cable modem. I was a happy guy. Finally, I would be able to enjoy the world of broadband I had been hearing so much about.
As a computer service technician, I had helped a number of clients get their broadband connections up and running. I always had left the client's home or office mumbling to myself, "That guy's so lucky. I wish I could get broadband."
That changed in early November when ATT's Website informed me, "ATT Broadband high-speed Internet service is available in your area." I immediately signed up on the Website. My cable modem arrived on Nov. 15. I could at last experience the Internet the way it should be experienced. No more waiting an eternity for a Web page to download to my computer.
But then, the great @Home debacle of 2001 hit. Perhaps you heard about it. In case you missed it, here's the story in a nutshell. @Home filed for bankruptcy in September. Even with 3 million subscribers (a figure rivaled only by America Online), it seems @Home was not able to make enough money to keep afloat.
@Home, known formally as Excite@Home, was the Internet service provider to large broadband Internet systems like ATT, Comcast and Cox Communications. All three of those companies were major investors in Excite@Home. ATT had far and away the largest stake. CNET Networks estimated ATT had sunk around $4 billion stake into @Home. When @Home filed for bankruptcy, ATT made a bid to buy the company outright.
One commentator say ATT's bid as a big company (ATT) trying to put the squeeze on a troubled company (Excite@Home) and get the latter at a fire sale price. @Home's other creditors argued ATT's $307 million offer was not enough and a shutdown of @Home's Internet service was the best course.
An E-mail I received on Nov. 27 from ATT said, in part, "AT&T Broadband is deeply committed to providing you the best cable Internet service possible." The message explained ATT was still trying to purchase @Home. In the event that was not possible, the message also said ATT was busy building it's own broadband network that would replace the @Home service, if need be.
The message also warned that should replacing @Home become necessary, "your service may be temporarily interrupted." As it turned out, that would be one of the last messages I would receive on my @Home account. On the morning of Dec. 1, I discovered a message on my answering machine from ATT informing me @Home had pulled the plug on ATT's broadband customers.
Through the next several days, I was often reminded of a character in a recent computer commercial on television. The man, with a pained look on his face, knelt in front of his computer wailing, "Please. Open E-mail!" You would think a computer guy would be able to get around a little Internet disconnection problem. Wouldn't you?
I did have a backup plan in place. My Compuserve account, which I had not yet disconnected, was still active and I was able to get onto the `Net the old fashioned way: by using a dial-up modem. I had only used my cable modem for a couple of weeks. You do get used to the speed and simplicity of the connection very quickly. "Use a dial-up connection," I exclaimed. "This really stinks!" Those of you who still use dial-up may think it is not so bad. At least I was able to get onto the `Net.
The trouble was, only days before @Home went down in flames, I had sent change of address messages out to friends and clients advising them of my new @Home E-mail address. I had also changed the E-mail address in my business advertising. Any E-mail messages sent to my @Home mailbox after Dec. 1 did not reach me. The dispute between ATT and @Home meant @Home would not be forwarding any E- mail to ATT's system.
Some 10 days after @Home had disconnected me, the lights on my cable modem began to blink as though a connection was there. Sure enough, I was on the `Net via broadband again. This time, the provider was ATT Broadband Internet. But the story doesn't end here. The service remained very spotty for a couple more weeks.
When I tried to access my E-mail, I would often get a message that said "Unable to connect to server" or "The server could not be located." If I tried to surf the Web, I would often get messages like "The page you requested is temporarily unavailable." Even if I could get on the Internet, my connections were painfully slow. There were times when I would check my connection speed at www.dslreports.com/ and the site would report my connection as being "About modem speed."
What kept me hopeful was occasionally I could get transfer rates as high as 693 kilobits per second (kbps), which is pretty doggone good. Still, I was not happy with my cable modem service and sent a number of E- mails to ATT expressing my frustration. I even tried calling their toll-free number but gave up after being on hold for more than 30 minutes. During that time, I was forced to listen to recorded messages about how great ATT's service is.
ATT did reply to one of my E-mails about lousy service. The reply consisted of instructions on how to upload Web pages to my personal ATT Web page. I'm still trying to figure out how that would help me surf the Web. What annoys me most is this is all about how Wall Street titans (in this case, ATT and Excite@Home) forget us little guys while they try to see how much money they can make.
CNET, in an article published Dec. 26, took a different point of view. The CNET article noted ATT had invested some $4 billion in Excite@Home. The writer, Larry Dignan, offered ATT likely will see little if any return on that investment. Two days later it was announced ATT will sell its broadband unit to Comcast in a deal valued at $72 billion. The deal includes ATT's cable television and broadband Internet businesses.
In the last week of December, it appeared my cable modem service was returning to a level resembling what it was like with @Home. I just hope I don't have to go through all this change of address stuff again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bruce Von Deylen is a self-employed personal computer repair technician. Working under the name of The PC Guy, Bruce holds an A+ certification and has been helping computer users professionally since 1996. Before striking out on his own, Bruce spent nearly 20 years in journalism, working most recently for the South Bend Tribune. He joined the Elkhart PC Users Group in January 2001 and was appointed as public relations director in October. His E-mail address is bruce-vd@attbi.com.
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Recycled Computers Create Warm, Fuzzy Feeling
By Bruce Von Deylen, Staff Writer
It was a day when the falling snowflakes appeared to be the size of baseballs. Despite the weather, six EPCUG members finished the day with a feeling warm and fuzzy enough to make any Santa envious. President Bob Brown remarked, "This is really a neat thing. This is impressive." The six of us --Bob Brown, John Fleming, Jon Slough, Sherry and Marcus Nisly and myself-- met at Gurley Leep Automotive Group in Mishawaka Dec. 14 to act as Santa's helpers.
The event was WSBT's 22 Ways of Giving Blitz Day. Twenty-two community organizations were brought together by WSBT under one roof and the community was invited to come and give donations of food, clothing and Christmas gifts to their favorite charity. EPCUG donated four computers from its computer recycling program to the event. The recipients were Dismas House, Camp Millhouse, Hannah's House and St. Margaret's House.
If you've ever spent time lugging around your personal computer, imagine the effort involved in delivering four computers along with four monitors, four printers, four mice and four keyboards. I began to understand what the pizza delivery guy that visits my home on Fridays must feel like. The difference here was the smiles and the words of heartfelt thanks from the four recipients of our computers.
Those of us who spend Saturdays working in "The Pit," as President Bob Brown is fond of calling it, refurbishing our donated computers may think of these machines simply as big heavy boxes filled with outdated, obsolete and useless hardware. As we learned on Blitz Day, there are people out there who are overjoyed to receive these machines. These organizations depend on the community for support. It is likely that they would not otherwise be able to obtain a computer. In short, the grateful, happy faces made all the hard work seem worthwhile.
Of course, a tip of the hat also goes to all those EPCUG members who have donated their time to make our monthly Build Days a success. If you have attended a Build Day over the past several months, you may have worked on one of the four computers that were donated on Blitz Day.
"We are just thrilled that you can participate," said Mary Dunbar, WSBT's community affairs director and organizer of the event. "It's a lot of hard work but when you see it all come together, it's well worth it." As the event was televised, EPCUG received some very positive publicity.
Sherry Nisly found herself serving as our spokesperson. Sherry, who has been working overtime balancing her EPCUG work with husband, Marcus' health problems, had not originally planned to participate in the Blitz Day event. That changed early on Dec. 14 when Sherry and Marcus received a telephone call instructing them to go to Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center in South Bend that morning for tests on Marcus's ailing heart. When the two realized they would be finishing around noon, Sherry put in a hasty phone call to me to let me know they would be joining us. Little did Sherry know she would end up being EPCUG's on-air spokeswoman when the TV camera showed up.
"I was just talking with them and it didn't hit me right away that I was on TV," Sherry later recalled. Despite little preparation, Sherry did a fine job explaining to all of Michiana what EPCUG is and what we were doing on Blitz Day. Yours truly also got on the air: For about five seconds. My part consisted of video showing me lugging a computer to the Camp Millhouse table.
After all the computers had been delivered, we helped ourselves to some of the refreshments and enjoyed the live music that was being provided.
And those snowflakes? Fortunately they were not nearly as hard as baseballs.
Recipients of recycled computers:
Dismas House
A halfway house for people who have served prison time and are preparing to return to the community.
Camp Millhouse
A camp dedicated to serving handicapped children and adults.
Hannah's House
Provides housing and other services to pregnant, single women.
St. Margaret's House
Provides housing & services to unemployed and homeless.
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Digital Photography Purchasing a Digital Camera
by Larry Horn, User Group of South Jersey
Part 1
Digital cameras are the latest "Must Have" toys for gadget loving computer users and many others. The reason computer users love digital over regular film is the computer gives them the ability to make endless changes, corrections, and improvements to their pictures and use them in creative projects. (Be sure to attend this months meeting where MGI will show you some of the digital editing techniques and tricks you can do using their line of products.) This article will be my very opinionated list of what you should consider before purchasing a digital camera, or getting your new one with more features. Remember, technology in this field is advancing so fast with more resolution and features for less money on a monthly basis. Therefore any recommendation for a specific camera is obsolete before the article can be printed.
An Important point: No consumer level digital camera of today under $3,000 will equal 35MM film for absolute image quality! The structure of film is way beyond 3 or 4 MegaPixels (MP), and film has grain which softens the edges presenting a more natural picture to your eyes.
Additionally, film cameras can be purchased, at a very reasonable cost, with interchangeable lenses which greatly increase the flexibility of the camera use. Yes, you can fake a telephoto lens in the camera but that kills your resolution. (I will get into that below.) You can also scan a photo, but that will also reduce the resolution and ultimate image quality. When you get your film developed and placed on a CD by the camera store, they actually scan the film (with a very good film scanner) and save the file to a disk.
First, why do you want to purchase a digital camera? Because they are fun to use and can actually save you a lot of money over time. It takes the Polaroid (r) concept of a picture in a minute and speeds that up. You take the picture, preview it on the LCD screen and delete it if you don't like it or save if for future posterity - all at no additional cost for film or developing. Print out the pictures you like (paper quality does matter) or send them as e-mail attachments to friends and relatives.
Let's get down to the actual items to consider when buying a camera. These items are in my order of importance although many of the items are actually of equal ranking and personal preference has influenced it.:
Resolution and Sensor Size:
The heart of all digital cameras is the light sensitive electronic chip called a sensor. It takes incoming light and converts it to a digital file. This chip determines the maximum resolution and, ultimately, image quality. This sensor is made up of a number of individual photo-receptors corresponding to pixels. When a digital camera says it has 1MP resolution, the sensor actually has that number of photo-receptors The density of the sensor determines a camera's overall picture quality.
Using a lose analogy to relate it to your computer screen's resolution, the original default VGA resolution of Windows on a computer monitor was 640x480 which means it has 640 dots or pixels across by 480 down or .3 million pixels making up the screen image. A digital camera with this same resolution would have .3 million image sensors each representing a pixel or .3 MegaPixels (MP). Cameras in the mid-price range ($150-300) now have 1MP, or 2MP. In the $400-$1,000 price range you will get 3MP or 4 MP. This directly impact the size of a picture you can print as more pixels translate into a larger picture that still looks good. The camera has captured more detail and doesn't have to "guess" or interpolate at the missing dots or expand the existing ones causing a blotchy print.
I have seen two kind of sensors: a charge coupled device (CCD) which is usually found in high-quality cameras and a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) which is more common in the low-cost "entry-level" cameras. Most of the reviews I have seen favor CCD chips.
What resolution do you need? That depends on how you will be using the final output. Yes, more is always better, but as a rule of thumb related to final use:
* .3MP (640x480) = On screen viewing, Web Sites, sending as e-mail attachments, prints up to 3"x5"
* .8MP (1024x768) above and prints of 3"x5" to 4"x6"
* 1MP (1152x864) = 3"x5" to 5"x7"
* 1.3MP (1280x1024) = 4"x6" to 5"x7"
* 2MP (1600x1200) = 5"x7" to 6"x9"
* 3 MP prints up 8"x10" to 11"x14"
* 4Mp 9"x12"
The above listing was the consensus of several sources but was plagiarized from the April 2001 issue of PC Photo, an excellent magazine for anyone starting out with digital photography. PC Photo generally used the more conservative - smaller sizes.
One last point on resolution: Many people will want to eventually crop their pictures for a better composition. When you crop it down, you effectively throw out the resolution in the area you delete. A 3MP image could quickly reduce to a 1MP with cropping, so if you like to work on your images and make relatively large prints, start with and shoot at the highest resolution you can afford.
The Lens:
There are two main points to consider here, lens material and zoom capability. Lenses can be made of glass or plastic. Glass is the hands down winner for quality.
The stated Zoom range is a bit more complex. You can have Optical Zoom and Digital Zoom. Optical Zoom uses the actual optics of the lens to magnify or zoom in on the image. There is no loss of resolution/quality, but it is more expensive to manufacture. Digital Zooms take the original image from only the center part (how much depends on the degree of magnification) of the sensor and use the camera's internal computer to interpolate or guess at the "missing" pixels between the real ones. It is like cropping the picture and then stretching the image back up and filling in the blank spaces. Image quality is degraded and the greater the magnification, the more you lose. A 3MP sensor might actually be using only 1MP at the center and "filling in" the other 2MP.
Don't get me wrong, I have seen cameras guess very well and produce good quality images at high digital zoom magnifications but optical is always better than digital. The most common range I have seen in optical zooms is 3X or three times magnification.
Also, be aware that the sensor is not the same size as a piece of 35MM film, so when you see the focal length stated in mm like 38-115mm (3X) this is actually a more telephoto angle lens than you would get in a 35MM camera. PC Photo Magazine list the conversion at approximately 5X. My Olympus camera has a lens of 5.4mm - 16.2mm which they state is equivalent to 35mm-105mm on a 35MM camera which equals slightly wide angle to short (Portrait) telephoto for those not familiar with 35MM cameras.
Framing the Picture:
You can frame the picture in either an optical, ideally through the lens, viewfinder or with an LCD display panel on the back of the camera. I feel a digital camera should have both! Being a long-time photo enthusiast I am accustomed to an optical viewfinder. LCDs also have the bad tendency to "wash out" or become too light to be viewable. I also find it awkward to hold a camera away from my face while trying to frame the image.
Another disadvantage is LCDs consume a lot of battery power. You can shoot all day on one set of batteries with an optical viewfinder, but you had better have extras if you use an LCD. I would not purchase a camera without an optical viewfinder. (Our VP, Elliot Glantz, feels just the opposite, and although his camera has both, he always uses the LCD over the optical viewfinder.) I will also admit an LCD is more accurate in framing the subject, especially close-ups, unless your optical viewfinder is "through the lens," something generally found only on top-of-the-line digital cameras.
If I am so partial to an optical viewfinder, why do I want a digital camera to have an LCD panel? Because it is invaluable for previewing your pictures to make sure you really got a good shot. If it didn't turn out, you know it instantly and can reshoot it. The bad picture is simply deleted, making room for another shot and with no waste of film. It is also great being able to show off your pictures while still at the party, etc. and see the reaction. One neat feature I saw on a Sony camera was an LCD panel which swivelled so you could still see it if you put the camera over your head or were using the self-timer to take your own picture.
Focus:
Simple, inexpensive, digital and film cameras have a single fixed, or two zone, focus. It is a compromise or zone guess. This is OK as a quick point-and-shoot camera but will not give you the best shots. Most better ($250+) digital cameras have autofocus lenses. This will give you far better, sharper images. An added feature is a focus lock. This feature allows you to lock the focus on the main subject and then re-frame the picture to a more pleasing composition. When you get up to the professional level ($2,000+) cameras, you can even get optional full manual focus for real creative effects.
Memory - Storage Cards:
Digital cameras store their images in non-volatile memory cards; they save the memory even when the camera is off. Some very inexpensive ones have only internal memory which will hold 25-30 pictures before you have to get to a computer to download them. This is OK around the house but would require you to lug a laptop with you on a trip if you wanted to take any additional pictures. A better solution is removable memory cards so you can take several with you and when one is full, just change it like you would film, and keep shooting.
There are several, unfortunately non-compatible, options available. These are Smart Media (SM), Compact Flash (CF), Sony's Memory Sticks, Multimedia Cards, Click Disk, the new IBM MicroDrive, and just released CD-R. The 2000 Fall Comdex in Las Vegas also saw the introduction of additional formats but these are not yet available. SM and CF are the most popular at this time. They are all small cards, about the size of a matchbook, which slide into the camera. You purchase them by memory size, in Megabytes, which range from 4Mb to 64Mb with the MicroDrive going up to 340Mb. These capacities are increasing as I write this.
Some Sony cameras still use a standard 3 1/2" floppy disk. These are cheap but are limited to 1.4Mb so they can't hold many pictures as the resolution increases. The number of images you can save per Megabyte is directly related to the resolution and the amount of image compression you use.
Image Compression - File type:
A non-compressed high resolution picture would take up multiple megabytes of storage space so most cameras store the images in a compressed format. The most common formats are TIFF and JPEG. TIFF uses minimal compression and produces the largest file sizes but also the best pictures. JPEG is a "Lossy" compression algorithm. This means that some information is thrown away forever when the file is compressed-so if you compared the "uncompressed" image with the original, you would find some differences.
You can, on some cameras, set the amount of compression so you can determine the amount of data you are willing to lose (and reduce file size) before the image becomes pixilated and looks unacceptable. Setting the camera to Fine, Normal or Basic determines the amount of compression. Some brands use different terms but the concept is the same. I discourage the use of the Basic - highest compression - setting as it gives the lowest quality. A good quality camera will give you a choice of file type as well as degree of compression.
So how many pictures do I get on a memory card? A basic camera my neighbor has includes only 2Mb of memory and at 640x480 resolution with what it calls fine compression they can take 16 pictures or 32 pictures at the basic setting. The average camera with removable memory comes with a 8Mb card. Using that as a guide I will reproduce part of a table (with their terms) from the camera I own:
Resolution Compression # of pictures
* 1600x1200 TIFF - Minimum 1
* 1600x1200 JPEG - Minimum 5
* 1600x1200 JPEG - Std 16 *
* 640x480 JPEG - Fine 32
* 640x480 JPEG - Normal 82
This is the setting I use most often but I have to go back and Save-As with a higher level of compression if I am sending the files over e-mail to keep the size at a reasonable level for a dial-up download.
The Feel of the Camera
Even with the best specs in the world, if a camera does not "feel right" you will not use it. This is very subjective but also very important. Getting the size, weight, design, location and operation of the controls, and the general Ergonomic Fit comfortable to you are important. There are some necessary compromises in size and weight if you want every bell & whistle. You might be carrying the camera all day on vacation so don't overbuy on size just to get a feature you may never use. The box of my still camera says it will take video clips also. But when you look at the spec sheet you find out the video is low resolution and limited to only several seconds, even with a relatively large media card. My camera only gives you 96 seconds with a 32Mb memory card at 320X240 resolution. No very practical
Viewing and getting the pictures out of the camera.
I consider it important, but not critical, to have a TV out on the camera. The small LCD screen on the back of the camera makes a poor screen you several people to view the pictures. Being able to plug the camera into the TV, especially if the camera has a slide show feature, is very nice.
There are several way you can get the pictures into your computer. The oldest and slowest is with a serial connection. All PCs have a serial port so you "guaranteed" a connection. The preferred way is with USB. It is many times faster, almost every computer now supports USB, and you can "hot-sinc" with USB, you don't have reboot to connect the camera as you probably do with a serial connection. Even if your camera only has a direct serial connection, you can still use USB by purchasing a media card reader. Plug the reader into a USB port, remove the memory card from the camera, place it in the reader and your computer now has an additional drive letter, making it fast and easy to copy your pictures. They even make adapters that look like 3 1/2" floppies that you can put the memory card into.
Part 2
In the first part of this article, I tried to cover the more important considerations in purchasing and using a digital camera. I will repeat here that you should first decide how you will use the camera before drawing up your spec sheet. It is very easy to be seduced by features that sound great but you may never use. Also, be aware that just like computers, technology advances daily (or is that hourly?) and the prices generally are headed downward. The maker of my brand camera just last week came out with the new model number that has a 10X Optical zoom for less than I paid with a 3X Optical zoom. Don't overbuy! Start out with a starter camera, see how you like it and keep track of the features you love or wished you had. Then move up to a camera with those features, which will probably cost less at that time than you paid for the starter camera.
My starter camera for general use would be 1MegaPixel, removable media (not floppy), and flash. A 3X zoom, TV out, USB and a LCD and Optical viewfinder are next on the list. Eliminate the zoom and the Olympus Brio 100 or Hp 215 are good choices for $200-250. If you are really unsure and just want to test the waters, try a JamCam or one of the $50 to $100 cameras as a starting point and then give it to the kids as you move up.
It is also important to remember that despite whether the camera uses film or digital media, you are still taking pictures, so a good photography book or magazine, I like PC Photo, will be helpful.
Now that we have the basics, what are the other features you will want to consider? The technical term for most of these are the bells and whistles.
Exposure Control:
This touches on several different features. The first one is White Balance. White balance is equivalent to adding a filter to make the whites look white, not blue or yellow as you get under fluorescent or incandescent lighting, respectively.
Another related feature is exposure compensation. When you take a picture in a high contrast situation, like a person in a dark room with a bright light or window behind them or outside with the sun behind the person, the camera's exposure automatic controls may be fooled resulting in a dark/under-exposed subject with a properly exposed background. When shooting in this type of situation, a look at the picture on your LCD will tell you if it is OK or needs to be deleted and retaken with fill-in flash or an adjustment to the exposure. An Exposure Lock feature is useful here.
Remember, if you are using an flash, an on camera flash has a very limited range, usually 8-10 feet. To increase the range you will probably need a "hot shoe" on the camera to add a second more powerful one or a sinc outlet. (These are found only on high end - expensive Pro-sumer cameras. If you've never used one with your film camera, you're unlikely to need one on a digital model.) Also, red eye reduction flash or slow sinc features are desirable as you get more experienced in creative photography.
Speed of taking pictures:
Many digital cameras take several seconds to one minute to get ready for the first shot. This seems like an eternity when you are trying to get that quick spontaneous shot. Next be aware that there is usually a delay between pressing the shutter release and actually capturing the picture. Waiting for that perfect moment in the action or expression will result in disappointing missed shots. Anticipation is critical. Lastly, the camera may need time to record the picture on the media so rapid fire sequence shots may be difficult. Some new cameras overcome this by having internal memory that captures the pictures quickly and then writes it to the slower removable media .
Power - Batteries:
First - digital cameras eat batteries. Most cameras use standard AA batteries. These are preferable to proprietary ones which may cost more, be harder to find, or not be removable so you have to tie up the camera to recharge them. . When it comes to AA batteries you have a choice of several kinds. Single-use alkaline batteries tend to die quickly, especially if you must use that LCD screen to shoot the picture. However, the upside of them is they can be found anyplace and are a good back-up.
Rechargeable batteries can be nickel-cadmium (NiCad) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH). I recommend the NiMH as they last longer without the memory effect of NiCads and despite their higher initial cost, will save you money in the long run. To recharge them, just put them in a charger and plug it in. I recommend two sets if you plan a full day of shooting, like on vacation, as they do take time (hours) to recharge. Some cameras will also work off AC wall outlets which is good for showing the pictures on your TV without depleting the batteries
In-Camera Special Effects:
As competition gets going, many camera companies are starting to add in-camera features. These include Close-up/Macro capabilities, Slide Show display of the pictures on thte camera's LCD or a connected TV, Multiple Images at once on the LCD- good for quickly finding a specific picture, and Magnification of the image on the LCD - the small size of a LCD screen makes this valuable to get a better look.
I have even seen in-camera effects like sepia toning and special borders for some cameras. I would not personally use them as I prefer a straight original that I can modify on the computer.
Software:
Almost every camera comes with software. While the TWAIN drivers are necessary to have the camera communicate with the computer, the photo editing software is generally underpowered. You will quickly want to upgrade to a full-featured program like Adobe Photo Elements, MGI Photo Suite, Microsoft Picture It! or Ulead PhotoImpact. These programs are generally easier to use and give you better control than the free software in the box. It is nice to get started with, but don't judge the camera by the software.
Other Features:
Some cameras are adding features that do not make much sense to me. These include MP3 playback, Video and Audio recording. MP3 steals memory so you can't take as many pictures and Video recording is very brief and of poor quality. Audio makes some sense to add short notes on the picture but also occupies memory so it cuts down on the number of pictures.
Education:
I mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating. No camera will make you a great photographer. Get some photography training. Even the major film companies like Kodak are into digital today. They even have the Kodak Digital Learning Center at http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc/index.jhtml. You can also try www.cnet.com and www.techtv.com for their guides.
My Camera:
OK, I promised to tell you what I purchased. Remember, that was last year, and while I am still very satisfied with the camera, newer models might change my purchase decision. I have an Olympus D-490. It is a 2.1MP camera with both 3X Optical Zoom plus 2X Digital Zoom, an Optical view finder and a LCD, Removable media (Smart Media), Preview/review with Multiple & Magnify as well as a slide show feature, small (pocketable) size, exposure compensation, focus lock, macro (close-up) capability, self timer, tripod mount, uses AA batteries (std alkaline or NiMH rechargeable ), and has a TV out. (Current street price about $400.)
This has been superceded with the model D-510 which added a longer digital zoom and USB as well as a burst mode to take 2 frames per second - all for less than I paid. They have also come out with a C-700UZ which added a 10X optical zoom that looks very attractive (around $500). My son uses an Olympus D-460 which is almost identical to my D-490 but is only a 1.3MP camera and he is very satisfied with it. I purchased mine, in part, because I had used and liked his.
Don't be overly influenced by what I purchased. Go out and try them and see what you like within your budget.
Larry Horn is from the User Group of South Jersey. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which EPCUG belongs.
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Showcase in Review
by Sherry L. Nisly, Program Director
If you missed the Showcase Night, you missed a lot of activities. I don't think anyone who attended failed to find something to interest them. If you attended and missed some of the areas and want to have them offered again, be sure to let us know that you would like to see them repeated. We can only add things to our programs if you, the members, let us know what you want.
There were stations of information that were repeated three times during the night, and were about 20 in length. Several people commented that we could have each of these people do a full meeting presentation and they would be happy. The stations were on hardware basics (what's inside your computer, and how to install cards and drives)by Bob Brown and Mark Meidel. Anti-virus information (how to do your periodic updates) done by Bruce Von Deylen. Introduction to computer basics (how to make a directory & how to move files) done by Jon Slough. Digital imaging (image information & camera basics) done by Eric Nisly. Microsoft Office Q&A (questions about Office answered) led by John Fleming. And presentation equipment (what to look for in an LCD projector) shown by Ken Kendall. Each of these people had some really good information to share and several had handouts. Left over copies will be available at the January meeting if you missed them.
We had a few members take advantage of the Swap Table opportunity, and I was grateful to see at least one vendor accept our offer to set up shop. Maple Tronics not only provided the wireless internet connection that allowed Bruce Von Deylen to demonstrate anti-virus updates, they brought a nice display of their products and services to show. I hope many had an opportunity to visit their station during the night. Several people expressed an interest in inviting local vendors to set up a display at the regular meetings to. This would give us more opportunities to learn about their services first hand. If this is something you would like to see repeated, let us know. Again, we thank Maple Tronics for their assistance and participation. Hopefully, as this event matures and grows, we will see the involvement of other area companies coming. I know there were others that had planned to attend, but it just didn't work out this year. We thank them also for the effort and look forward to possibly seeing them next year.
There were several stations that went on all night long, including supper, videos from Microsoft, and individual program presentations. The Rebuild SIG provided most of the system for individual programs, courtesy of Bob Brown's efforts. We would like to thank the software vendors that made these presentations possible. Please read the short reviews below, and visit their websites for more information. Many of these also had demo CDs which will be available again at the January meeting.
STUFFIT 7.0 from Aladdin Systems is a universal compression program for sharing and archiving files. Whether you want to share with a MAC, Linux, Solaris, or Windows system Stuffit will accomodate you. Easy to use. Seamless, with drag-and-drop features, works with .sit, .zip, .rar and more without interfacing to other programs. Download the free expansion program for uncompression or purchase the full version for $29.95 for all your compression needs at www.stuffit.com
DISKEEPER 7.0 from Executive Software International is a complete, automatic defrag solution. Network versions are available. This program simplifies the need to maintain your system by automatically defragmenting your system every time you reboot. Diskeeper's special defrag engine works faster that any other program and uses minimal system resources. Runs in the background, unnoticed and uninterferring with your work. Visit www.diskeeper.com to download a trial version or purchase Diskeeper for $44.95 for the downloaded version or $49.95 for the CD and printed manual. Workstation and Server editions available. Look for a review on Diskeeper soon.
I'M IN TOUCH from 01 Communique gives you the ability to access your PC from any web or wireless browser. Simple and cost-effective remote access to your emails, attachments, calendar, contacts, and PC files. Pick up special pricing information and a free CD at the meeting. Or download it at http://www.imintouch.net I'm In Touch involves a monthly service fee of $9.95 or annual $99.95. I'm In Touch will be reviewed this spring.
COMPUPIC 6.0 from Photodex Corp will have you editing your photos and organizing them in no time. Compupic works with MP3 files also, view artist, title, and track information. Fast and light weight, CompuPic is the ultimate viewing tool. Visit www.photodex.com to download a 30-day trial version or order CompuPic for $49.95 (Be sure to check out the special order form at the meeting and pick up a cd with the demo version!) Also, watch for a full review this spring.
DWEEP GOLD 1.30 is a logic puzzle game from Dexterity (http://www.dexterity.com/dweep.htm). The shareware version is limited to first five levels. But registration of $24.95 gets you more than 150 Dweep levels including the original Dweep game, both Dweep expansion packs, 77 player-made levels, and 5 FREE bonus levels. You also get the Custom Dweep Level Editor, unlimited access to the FREE Dweep Level Archive, and free hints and solutions to all levels. Dweep Gold is fun entertainment for all ages. (Full review appeared in the July 2001 EPCUG issue.)
JIGSAWS GALORE 4.0 from Gray Design Associates (http://www.dgray.com) is a very enjoyable jigsaw program, with lots of tweaks, variations, and pluses. This game is a must for those who like jigsaw puzzles! It is available as a shareware with a 30-day trial. Purchase price for the downloaded version is $25.00 (comes with 10 new puzzles), the CD-Version costs $39 has 192 puzzles + 2 bonus games. (Full review appeared in the April 2001 EPCUG issue.)
POWERDRAWERS from Dynamic Karma enhances Windows to help you access your programs more efficiently. Cleaning up the mess of icons on your desktop and transforming them into usable menus that optimize your time. Visit www.powerdrawers.com to download the trial version or purchase PowerDrawers for $34.95. Look for a full review of PowerDrawers next month.
FLIP ALBUM 4.01 is a 3D page-flipping photo album with tremendous flexibilities not found in other similar type programs. Add your photos, view, edit, sort & organized them. Make a self-running cd and share it with your friends and family. Visit www.flipalbum.com to download a demo or purchase the boxed version for $49.95 and the download version for $39.95 Look for a full review on Flip Album soon.
SPELLCATCHER PLUS from Casady & Green is a collection of writing tools that works with all your computer's applications. Much more than just a spell checking program, SpellCatcher also has a dictionary, synonym, antonym and thesaurus capabilities! These are checked against regular, legal, medical, HTML and other reference sources. Look for a full review of SpellCatcher in the newsletter soon. Meanwhile, check it out at: http://www.spellcatcher.com/win/ Download a fully functioning demo version or purchase SpellCatcher Plus for $39.95
Special Thanks
I would personally like to thank all those that had a hand in making the final meeting for 2001 a great success. I could not have done it alone. From all the feedback I received, and from all I could see, I believe it was a great success. While I had many small things I would have liked to have done differently, all-in-all, I was very pleased with the end result. If you have suggestions for next year's Showcase Night, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will be sure to get them included in the discussions when the time comes again. Thanks again to those who helped set up, tear down, clean up, carry in and carry out, also thanks to Bob, Bruce, Eric, Jon, John, Mark, Ken, Paul, Nina, Linda, Larry, Bill, Leon, Robert, Maple Tronics, Gene, and Keith. Oh, dear, and I missed your name . . . thank you too, and of course, all the members that showed up to enjoy the night!
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