04
Nov
Author: admin // Category:
Personal Tech
I have written this guide to assist those looking to buy a new digital camera. Digital photography can be a minefield of jargon, so making an informed decision is difficult. I hope that this guide will prove to be a useful tool, as I explain a few of the factors a new consumer should concern themselves with when they look to buy a new camera.
I will focus on two main topics. Firstly, megapixels, where I’ll outline what they are and how many of them your camera should have. Secondly, I will discuss zoom, and the different kinds that are used in photography. At the end of this guide I will then mention any other additional features that one may find on a digital camera and explain why they may be a useful extra or an unnecessary expense.
A digital photograph is made up by collecting a group of dots (pixels) together to make an image. A one mega pixel image consists of 1 million dots. The more megapixels an image is composed of, the higher its resolution. Higher resolution leads to more detailed images, which can sometimes offer greater quality. However, we cannot simply say that 12 mega pixels is better than 10 mega pixels. All it means is that the picture produced has a higher resolution. It doesn’t mean that the picture quality will be better. Also, the higher the mega pixel quantity, the longer it usually takes for the camera to take the photo and save it to memory. This may affect its ability to shoot spontaneously as you may have to wait longer for an image to be processed.
In most situations, 10 megapixels is enough. Some manufacturers have even said that they will never produce a camera with more than 14 megapixels because 14 megapixels is sufficient. What high resolution images does mean is that you may be able to zoom into an image a little closer without so much loss of detail. So, sometimes a high level of megapixels can compensate slightly for a lack of zoom.
Optical zoom is created by the movement of the lens resulting in an image which appears larger without a loss of detail. Digital zoom is created by taking an image, cropping it and increasing the size of what is left to give the impression of it being closer. Optical zoom is best because it doesn’t negatively affect image quality in the same way that digital zoom can. When there’s more than around 12x optical zoom however, it usually requires a large deep lens which can only be accommodated by having a larger camera. Sometimes it is also a bit pricier too. So, if you are looking for a very small camera to take with you everywhere, you may have to settle for a smaller amount of optical zoom.
Finally I will talk of additional features you often find on modern digital cameras. Many are now able to record sound and video so that the camera can be used as a dictaphone or to record videos when there is too much movement in the frame for one photo to capture.
By Jamie Morton
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03
Nov
Author: admin // Category:
Personal Tech
If you work a lot with multilingual text you’ll know the difficulties of using English text alongside European and Latin based text. Although the Alphabet of many European languages contains many of the same characters to the English Alphabet there are a considerable number that are specific to their own language. Microsoft Word typically offers three methods for creating and inserting these characters into a multilingual document.
This article explains the three most common methods.
Method 1: The ‘insert symbol’ method. The most simple of all methods is to use the ‘insert symbol’ command in Microsoft Word. Both 2003 (and earlier) and 2007 offer the option for inserting symbols into a multilingual document.
Using 2003 you will need to select ‘insert’ from the menu list and select ‘symbol’. A pop up box will appear and selection can be made from a range of symbols and special characters. Similarly if you use 2007 you will need to select the ‘insert’ menu and choose the ‘symbol’ from the ‘symbol’ option.
If you are using a keyboard that does not have a numeric keypad (i.e. has numbers above the qwerty keys but not the additional keypad usually to the right of the keyboard) it is likely you will need to use the ‘insert’ method to create accented characters within your multilingual document.
Method 2: Using the Character Map: Microsoft Word offers a specific option for allowing users to create and use special characters that are not available on the standard keyboard. Using the ‘Character Map’ tool you can insert accented characters into your multilingual document.
Typically the Character Map tool can be found by going to ‘start’ >’accessories’ and choosing ‘character map’. Windows 7 users may need to go to ‘start’ and search for the application in order to use it. Once selected, the application will open in a pop up box and users can find the character they require, copy it and then paste wherever needed into the document. If more than one character is needed adjacently in any one document Character Map allows for multiple characters to be selected and copied.
Method 3: Using the ALT Key: The third method for creating special characters within a multilingual document is to us the ALT key method. By selecting ‘ALT’ on the keyboard along with subsequent numbers from the Numeric Keypad (usually to the right of the main keyboard) users are able to quickly input a range of special characters and accented numbers.
By Jammie Watson Wilson
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02
Nov
Author: admin // Category:
Personal Tech
Those who are thinking about conducting a social media check to see if the person they are interested in, for business or pleasure, may find that the dirt they were looking for is not there. Why simply run this type of check to see if someone is doing things wrong and for a reason to either not date them or hire them. Run these checks on those people who you really want to get to know, see how they would fit into your business or life.
Doing social media checks is a relatively new concept. This type of check is conducted by searching a person’s social network site for public information that is sorted through keywords and phrases. Photographs are searched for certain types of photos such as those that would show a person doing drugs. But they can also show a person volunteering their time at a local animal shelter or doing a 5k walk for breast cancer. The checks do not just focus on the negatives things people can be seen publicly doing and saying.
Many may feel like this is spying, but really, if they did not want anyone to know these things, they would not have put them out there for their network of friends and friends of friends to see. There is nothing wrong with using public information to see who an unknown person really is before making a decision about them. The information that they want to keep private is typically blocked and this is not a part of the search. However, everything that is not blocked is fair game and you can find out everything you need to know about a person and usually this only takes a short amount of time. Everyone should have a least a quick scan ran on them to make sure that they are the person that they claim to be and that there are no skeletons in their closet.
Find out all of the good stuff about a person and do not just search for the bad when conducting social media checks. There is a lot of great information that can be found out that can make you feel better about who you are dealing with. If there is some bad information, you can weigh it with the good and make an informed decision before keeping them in your circle or letting them go for good.
By Lisa A Mason
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