Computer Info –
This Week’s Meeting
John Watkins will be here and hosting the meeting this week. He is going to present the BASICS again.
The next meeting is November 5th.
Emailing Pictures in Windows XP
For those of you who have Windows XP --- you have an easy method of resizing your pictures to send them via email.
Start in MY COMPUTER --- locate your pictures on your hard drive – select one or two of them. Now look on the left hand side of the screen for EMAIL THE SELECTED FILES. You will now see another window that will ask if you want the pictures sent in their original size or resized for better viewing in email. The pictures that are presently on your hard drive will not be affected – only the copies that are being emailed. Now your email program will open into the Compose window (if you don’t see it – look down at the taskbar and you will find it there). The pictures will already be attached – You address it, write a short note and then click send.
Check the SENT folder so that you can view how nicely the pictures are sized.
I tried to demonstrate this at the last computer meeting, and nothing would happen when I selected a file – no error message – no activity of any kind. Came home and tried it again – and finally discovered why – it won’t work from a file that is on a CD. I couldn’t find any help on this, but that’s what I discovered.
Memory Cards
(Info from Smart Computing – November, 2003)
CompactFlash
This is the most used removable media in the digital camera industry. CF I cards range in size from 8 to 512 MB; CF II cards are available in 1 GB and will work in CF I slots. But CF I cards will not work in CF II slots. CF II slots will accommodate Microdrives. CompactFlash cards have different transfer rates indicated by a number such as 12x. This means faster processing while taking pictures and quicker downloads from your camera to your computer.
SmartMedia
These are very thin cards --- about a third of the size of a credit card. They are available in 8 to 128 MB.
Secure Digital
SD cards are smaller than a postage stamp, yet they range in capacities from 32 to 256 MB. These are the cards that are commonly used in MP3 players and a wide range of other devices.
MultiMediaCard
MultiMediaCards (known as MMC) are widely used in electronics devices including PDAs and digital video recorders and still cameras. They are the same size as the Secure Digital (SD) cards and can be used in many devices that are designed to use SD media. The sizes range from 16 to 128 MB.
Microdrives
IBM and Iomega produce Microdrives, which are actually tiny hard disks in a shell that’s the same form factor as a CompactFlash Type II card. They range in capacities of 349 or 512 MB or 1 GB, and larger capacities are coming. Moving parts within the Microdrive can make them more sensitive than solid-state media to rough handling.
Memory Stick
Sony’s memory cards are a different shape than the other formats available. Their size is similar to a stick of chewing gum. It is the standard media for Sony devices, including digital and video cameras and computers. Memory Sticks are available from 8 to 512 MB.
xD
The xD is also known as the xD-Picture Card. It is about one-third the size of a SmartMedia card and just as thin. It is available in 16 to 128 MB with 256 MB on the way.
Card Readers
Most card readers have USB connectors, which provide very quick downloads at a rate of 12 MB per second. Some models utilize FireWire (IEEE 1394 or iLink), which supports transfer rates of up to 400 MB per second. Both provide a speedy download, which is much faster than connecting your camera directly to your computer.
One word of caution – while most plug-and-play units work smoothly with USB hubs, some conflicts can arise and there is no way to predict them. If you find that you are having a problem, connect directly to your computer rather than use the hub.
Scanners
(Info from Smart Computing --- November, 2003)
Optical resolution should be one of the first things to assess when buying a flatbed scanner. The greater the number of pixels, the better the scanner is able to capture fine details. Low-end scanners usually have an optical resolution of 1,200 dpi which gives you limited ability to reproduce high-quality images. If you plan on scanning 35mm film and slides, your best bet would be a scanner with a minimum optical resolution of 2,4000 dpi.
DON’T get the term optical resolution confused with maximum resolution.
Another factor you should take into consideration is color depth, usually expressed in bits. The greater the number of bits, the more subtle changes in color and tones that can be captured. Lower-end models usually offer 24 bits of color and higher-end scanners offer 48 bits. Note that the higher bit depth rates means that file sizes will double, so make sure you have enough storage space for the files you be saving.
Speed is of the essence, since high-resolution scans create much bigger file sizes that can slow you your scanning speed.
A scanner with USB 2.0 or a firewire connection will enable you to transfer large file sizes from the scanner to your computer much faster than the 10 Mbs that USB 1.0 uses.
Special Features
Special one-touch buttons on higher-end flatbeds allow you to send a scanned image directly to a printer, in an e-mail