The Computer Next Door

Notes on Notes

An example of a laminated note I made for my digital camera

We all forget how to do things. The less you do something, the sooner you forget how to use it ("use it or lose it" after all).  And when it comes to high-tech, there are so many things to remember, it's easy for almost everything to go down the old memory drain unless you're doing that certain tech-related thing on a regular basis, whether it's related to a piece of software, your computer hardware, your mobile phone, your remote access to your office or home phone, your digital camera, or your home entertainment system.

I have always been attuned to the fact that I must keep notes on technology.  Way back in college I was making notes on the use of still and movie cameras (I still have these little notes, and they still come in handy).

Recently I wrote about forgetting how to use a digital SLR (my much beloved Canon Digital Rebel). What I didn't mention was the fact that I had kept a little note (and even laminated it) right in the camera case, to jog my own memory.  This was useful when I was using the camera a lot.  It's even more useful when I came back to it, without a sharp clear idea of which buttons to push, or why.

I also keep notes in a folder on my computer Desktop on how to use various pieces of software for things i want to do most often.  I call this my "Notes on Apple" file.  I have categories of how-to notes on everything from Animation to Chat to Printing to Web development.  Whenever I need to delve into something I don't do frequently (such as audio recording), my field notes from the last few years experience with different recording software are there to help me get back up to speed.

I makes notes on such things as:

• Steps in a process (like how to do certain things with a certain piece of equipment or software). Here's an example of the notes I made on using one of my cameras: Download canon_rebel_notes.rtf
• Check lists (equipment, batteries, or other items to bring with me when I'm shooting digital pictures or video)
• Commonly used settings or formats (such as your TV settings when I switch between watching a DVD, a VHS cassette, and watching television)

What's most important about keeping notes on technology?  It saves me from reinventing the wheel every time about the best way to do "X."  It's really a great time saver.

My notes on taking notes are...

1. Keep it simple. If you only have a few things you need to do, try to fit them on 3x5 cards if you prefer having them in hard copy, or as simple text files if you prefer electronic notes.
2. Name each electronic note in a logical manner (like, "Burning a CD").  A single folder is good until you have 15 or more notes - then it's time to start setting up sub-folders (Audio, Video, Photography, Office Software, etc.).
3. Keep current. If you find yourself changing the way you do things, modify your note IMMEDIATELY.  I can't recommend this highly enough - the whole point of the notes process is it has to reflect your most current preferred methodology.
4. Laminate the best of the best.  I have laminated camera notes (to protect against rain) and home entertainment notes (to protect from over-use by, say, house guests).  This may be over-indulgence on my part, but then I don't have to keep printing them out.

That's basically it.  If more people kept their own notes on how to use their technical doo-dads,  I am convinced the world would be a better and happier place...

Use it or Lose It (Digital Photography Skills, that is)

Since buying my Canon PowerShot A460 some time ago (see my blog entry from a year ago on digital photography) I have found myself reaching for my diminutive camera almost every time I want to take a picture, for whatever reason (travel, family, art, business).

The Canon Digital Rebel - a much more sophisticated camera (or which I paid roughly 8 times more) has lain neglected in its black case in a corner of my office, losing battery power.  Tsk, tsk. 

I picked up the Rebel recently to do some simple flash photography, and felt that nasty "uh oh" feeling - the feeling I get when I am unfamiliar with a piece of equipment.  You know what I mean.  Nothing seems to ring any bells. Panic.  Don't know what button to press.

Back to the manual, I guess.

We had been good pals right before I got the PowerShot.  I had a little system for taking pictures outdoors, which was to take 3 shots of everything, bracketing 1/2 stop in either direction.  What got me using the smaller camera so frequently was that I found the PowerShot was so dead-on in its exposure, it was a huge time saver.  Why fiddle with controls when your little automatic camera can do it for me? (I know the answer - because the Rebel gives me more flexibility - but the lazy part of me just wants to take the shot).

And thus the automatic camera conquers...

Getting Started with Digital Photography

A good many of my friends and family members still haven't waded into the arena of digital photography, and I have been wondering if this isn't because there's still an aura of mystery about the process. Or, questions still linger in their minds, such as..

• Do I need this?
• How much should I spend?
• What equipment should I get?
• How do I get the photos into my computer?

Allow me to offer some advice...

DO YOU NEED IT?

The way I see it, digital photography is the kingpin in photography these days.  A digital camera (and its processes) is in the long run cheaper, more convenient, and more flexible than a traditional film camera for just about anything you as a consumer are likely to do, including:

• Getting prints made
• Making scrapbooks -(printed or online)
• Sharing photos online or via e-mail
• Documenting your house or possessions
• Documenting your kids, vacations, etc.

I still do keep a couple of film cameras around the house, but they are rarely, if ever used.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND?

Here's a suggestion if you're still on the fence: SPEND AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. And that's because you can get a great digital camera for about $100 these days. I did recently - I wanted a 2nd digital camera to supplement my Canon Digital Rebel XT, so I went to Amazon and purchased the least expensive Canon PowerShot I could find (I ended up getting the PowerShot 460 - for about $100).

I have been amazed at the quality of the photos it takes without my having to do anything. I heartily recommend this small, simple camera as a starter camera for anyone starting out in digital photography.  And it doesn't feel like too big a dent in the pocketbook.

WHAT EQUIPMENT TO GET

OK, so put the PowerShot 460 on your shopping list and then you'll also need the following items:

1. A larger memory card (Most cameras come with tiny cards.  Get a 1GB card, instead.)
2. A memory card reader to read the contents of your memory card into your computer. A brand I have been happy with is SanDisk - readily available in any electronics store.  Using a card reader is, I find, much easier than hooking the computer up to your camera with a little cable every time you want to import photos to your computer.
3. Some kind of digital photo software to organize your photos (Macs come with iPhoto, so you're all set if you have a Mac.  An alternative for Windows user is a free application called Picasa, available from Google.)
4. (optional) A photo printer (with corresponding paper & ink cartridges). I say optional because some folks may not have room for it, or may wish to send their photos out to a printer.  I highly recommend the new, high-definition Epson Stylus Photo R380, which produces the best home prints I've seen is also only about $100.  Linda likes Epson's PictureMate 200 series. (see her post:  Print Photos Like a Pro).

GETTING PHOTOS INTO YOUR COMPUTER

Simply put, your memory card reader acts as a little transfer station.  When you're done taking photos, remove the memory card from your camera, and pop the card in the card reader, and the photo software (iPhoto or Picasa) will sense the presence of the images on the disk, and then walk you through the process of "importing" your photos to the computer (more about Getting Started with Picasa).

Every software package has its own user interface metaphor for how to organize photos. Generally you group photos into albums or folders; the latest version of iPhoto also uses an "event" metaphor, which is helpful especially if you take a lot of "friends and family" kind of photos (Donna's Birthday Party, Johnson Family Reunion, Baby's First Walk -  that kind of thing).

That's it in a nutshell. Digital photography should be fun, not a chore.  My advice: keep it simple.

Print Photos Like A Pro

Photo sites like - Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, and Shutterflyare great fun for a variety of uses . However, for the “do it yourself” crowd there are other choices to explore.

Some of us like to print our photos at home. It’s a fine way to get immediate gratification. Furthermore, it encourages selectivity. Every shot isn’t a jewel and printing at home can be twice the price of photo services. Prudent editing is always wise and avoids wasted ink, paper and time.

If you’ve got a sizable hard drive you can keep each and every shot from the hundreds or thousands you’ve taken or received. Or not.

What you can do is buy yourself a compact photo printer. That’s what I did. Compact photo printers bring the convenience of digital photography home.

Because of their light weight and small size they free you up from the confines of bulkier desktop models. Now when you travel you can capture the moment and share a print within minutes. Kind of reminds me of the old Polaroid days, with a 21st century digital twist, of course.

I love my new PictureMate Snap. It’s the middle model of the the PictureMate 200 series from Epson which features the Pal, Snap and Flash. They’re called personal photo labs. Each model provides professional quality photos and offers direct printing from memory cards, cameras and phones.

The Pal is the entry model. The Snap upgrades to PC-free cropping and red-eye reduction. The top of the line Flash comes with a built-in CD burner which adds about $100 to the price.

They’re all terrific. With the purchase of an optional rechargeable battery or the addition of Bluetooth you’ve got maximum flexibility in a very small footprint.

According to the May 2007 edition of Macworld (www.Macworld.com) the PictureMate Flash PM280 offers the best 4-by-6 inch borderless photos of all the portable printers they tested and it prints them faster.

That isn’t to say that HP(www.HP.com) Canon (www.Canon.com) Kodak (www.Kodak.com) or Sony (www.Sonystyle.com) don’t have fine products too.

No device is ever right for everyone, so do your research, read reviews, and choose for yourself. Meanwhile you can use the photos sites Until you decide.

The Rise of Photo Sites (is the Print Dead?)

The million dollar question today with digital photography seems to be: "Is the Print Dead?"

My answer is: Not Quite Yet.

Today, a flood of Web-based offerings are rushing to serve the American consumer's digital photography needs. The range of functionality is wide - although the quality of the user experience varies as well - to the point where there is (almost literally) something for everyone.

The kind of photo site you  gravitate towards depends on what you want to want to do:

• Share your personal photos with friends, family members, or small group?
• Order prints from digital images?
• Sharing photos with the world?
• Create a memory scrap book?
• Transfer your old photos (or entire collections) to digital format?

SHARING PERSONAL PHOTOS

There are different ways to "share a photo" online. The classic photo sites - Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, and Shutterfly all allow you to set up what are called Photo Galleries - folders of images that can play "full screen" slide shows of your photos.  These are a lot of fun because of a basic (and seldom-articulated) truth: digital photos look absolutely beautiful on high-resolution monitors (which are now the norm).

I use Kodak Gallery to upload photos, send little "slide shows" of photos to families and friends, and (occasionally) order prints and photo albums.  Every now and then, however, Kodak does remind me to BUY SOMETHING, DARN IT which makes me realize their business model is to sell prints and photo doo-dads.  Of which there are many types: you can photo books, greeting cards, calendars, mugs, and you name it with your photos on them.

ORDERING PRINTS FROM DIGITAL IMAGES

I like the prints I get from KodakGallery.  But I've always liked Kodak prints - I just think they know what they're doing in this realm.  But why do we need prints anymore?  The question I have is, once I show my friends or co-workers or family members my photo album, will anybody want prints from them?  Maybe not.  But they have access to them- and they're generally cheap online ($0.15 per print when last I checked).  So if you want a real print from a digital image, The classic photo sites are all good sources for this (see above).  Another photo site that delivered terrific quality prints at a low cost was Adorama.com, run by a New York City photo store.

SHARING PHOTOS WITH THE WORLD

This is another thing altogether. There are numerous sites known as "photo sharing" sites whose sole reason for existence is to allow people to post their photos online and download others. The best of breed is FlickR, which is now part of Yahoo.  FlickR combines an easy-to-use, simple interface with a sophisticated and thoughtful approach to  digital rights management - that is, managing who can use your photos, and how they can use them.

You decide whether your photos are private or public and, if public what others can (or can't) do with your photos (i.e., whether they can use them in commercial works or not).  There are also numerous creative "projects" going on in FlickR - such as the official "Field Guide - Birds of the World" or silly stuff like people in  "Beer Hats."   FlickR is also fun in other ways - it has a perky and friendly "voice" that keeps you coming back for more.

There are many sites like this now - the most popular (total volume of users) is Photobucket - probably because they let viewers upload a very large number of photos (10,000). I tried it out, but found it compared unfavorably to FlickR in polish and quality of images available.  I'll stick with FlickR.

CREATING A  MEMORY SCRAPBOOK

Some photo sites are set up specifically to allow you to create memory books or memory scrapbooks.  They have pre-designed templates that help you create a scrap book of life events such as:

• Baby's first year
• Family reunions
• Cruises
• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Sports Albums - your kids' soccer team (etc)

One example of a site that does this well is SharedBook where you customize a specially designed book by putting in your own pictures and text.  Printing quality is excellent, and you can get much more customized text on these kinds of sites than on, say, KodakGallery, where a photo book's text is pretty much limited to captions.  It all goes back to what you want to accomplish with your photo sharing.

TRANSFERRING YOUR OLD PHOTOS

Finally, if you're not already in digital format, there are sites devoted to helping you get that way. This is something I'm constantly getting asked about by friends and family members.  "How can I get my pictures into digital format?" "Do I scan them in myself?"

After struggling with scanning myself, I'm convinced this is a job best left to experts - especially if you're looking for quality.  A professional "scanning service" can convert an entire archive to digital format for you - and allow you to not only share your photos online, print multiple copies (or multiple books) to share with family and friends - but also can help preserve your photos for future generations. A few of these services are: BritePix , DigMyPics, ScanMyPhotos, and ScanCafe. Give scanning a whirl, and join the digital photo revolution.