By Christina VanGinkel
Now I have heard it all! In my mail yesterday was a magazine styled catalog of new products, and products that are hot sellers. There is everything in its pages from clothing to electronics. A digital camera with a unique feature caught my attention. A feature that I at first thought was a joke, that is until I read further, and then sat down at the computer to look it up, as I was still not convinced that it was not just a hoax. I had never read the magazine that I first saw it in before yesterday, it was my very first issue, so I considered that the editors had a bit of a funny side and liked to toss in a joke here and there, for surely the description of the camera's feature was a joke right? Wrong!
The HP R927, along with several other HP cameras, is sporting a new 'slimming' effect. Look a bit fat in a picture, no problem; just hit the slimming effect to make some subtle, but slimming changes to the picture. Let me stop right here and tell you that I have not seen this effect in action, I can only relate to you what I read in the review in the magazine, and what I read online at the HP site and from a few other reviews that I was able to find.
The feature is actually part of an in-camera design gallery. While altering pictures in various photo editing software independent of your camera has been available for some time, more camera makers have been adding editing features such as removal of red eye, and black and white lens right into the camera itself. Part of the trend I believe is because of the various photo printers now available that consumers can just pop their cameras onto or connect via USB cables, bypassing the computer completely. Sometimes this is done because the computer is not convenient to access, or maybe the consumer does not even own one, or is not comfortable going through all the steps required to import their photographs into the photo editing software. They want the ease of taking their photos via their digital cameras, and making any and all adjustments right there. This new line of cameras from HP is most likely the first step of many to do just this.
The in-camera design gallery features the ability to alter your snapshots instantly. You can apply the subtle (their word) effect to both people and pets. The effect is said to easily remove ten or so pounds from an average person's frame. The in-camera design gallery also allows the user to add simple, yet artistic borders, add special effects including the two Cartoon and Kaleidoscope, and the ability to enhance sky and ground colors. There is not software to learn to maneuver through, and all of these effects can be added after the pictures are taken.
The cameras from HP that include this innovative in-camera design gallery, include the newer M-series, including the M425, M525, and M527, along with their R-series, the R725, the R727, and the R927. For an up-close look at one of these cameras, check with your local dealer, or head to the HP website for an HP Design Gallery Technology Tour. (While you are there, be sure to check out their free classes on digital photography too). With more than 25 creative effects available, including 13 artistic effects, if you own one of the M or R series cameras, you might never have to download your photos for editing again. Digging further on the HP site to find out exactly what is included, I came up with the following information. The 25 creative effects are broken down into 13 effects, 4 color schemes, and 10 borders, which can all be interchanged for really an unlimited number of changes. I also was able to determine that when you do apply an effect, that version of your photo is saved on your memory card independently of the original, so you can always go back and start over, or just use the original. All your touchups and quick fixes can be accomplished right in your camera.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Monday, June 05, 2006
Discovering a New Hobby at the Library
By Christina VanGinkel
If you have a child that is interested in finding a hobby, but neither you nor they have any clear ideas on the subject, summer is a great time to help explore the possibilities of a hobby that they very well may enjoy for many years to come. In addition, the library is the first place you should be sure to check out to see what wonders you might be able to find.
Yes, the books inside your local library are surely a wealth of information about hobbies in general, but I am talking about a more hands on situations that many libraries nationwide offer once the doors of school are closed for the summer and theirs start swinging open to students on a more regular basis.
Call your local library to see if they are holding any classes this summer for kids. Many libraries offer classes on a wide range of subjects, from computer learning to crafting to hands on photography. The library one town over from us held a weeklong class for elementary aged kids last year on beginning digital photography. The only thing I found inadequate about the class when I looked into it was that it was just for kids. The class had such a comprehensive list of topics that they were going to cover throughout the week that I would have loved to have taken the class myself. After several adults did approach the library with a similar request, they did set up just such a class for any age participants who wanted to attend.
Some libraries also offer one-day explorer classes where the subject at hand is an exploration into a specific hobby. They employ adults to come in and demonstrate their hobby to the kids. This is an ideal way, for kids to see up close, how something is done, and it can give them the information they need to understand if such a hobby is something, they would like to try. I have seen everything from glass blowing to woodcarving, metalworking, even pottery making with a wheel, all demonstrated at the library. This is a great way for kids to learn about a handcraft that they might otherwise never have a chance to be exposed to. Most of the adults also had information on where the kids could sign up for classes if they were really interested in learning more, and I thought this was just great.
Some libraries might employ guest speakers along a similar theme. The person might have visited a foreign country or traveled in an unusual means, say a river trip up the Amazon or camping in the wilds of Africa. While they might not be demonstrating an actual hobby, kids can come away from these presentations with a much broader range of information about the world in general, and this can open their minds to all sorts of possibilities.
Our small local library has a display case right next to their door with contents that change regularly. Locals are asked to bring in just about any collection they might possess to share with the public. I have seen collections of everything from Wizard of Oz paraphernalia to a collection of nutcrackers, a cookie cutter collection, to assorted collectible plates, and a collection of items relating to the sinking of the Titanic. One never knows for sure what collection might next fill the shelves of the display case. It is a great way for the youth of the community to see what others have deemed worthy of collecting. Most collections span years of work assembling and keeping the items in top condition, and are a perfect example for kids to get an up-close view of things they might otherwise never see.
The library in your community might be much more than just books, but unless you check them out you might never know just what they can offer you and your family. Head to yours this summer with your kids and help them open the doors to a completely new world of possibilities and explorations. They might come away with a brand new hobby, or at the least, a bit of knowledge about the world that is their community.
If you have a child that is interested in finding a hobby, but neither you nor they have any clear ideas on the subject, summer is a great time to help explore the possibilities of a hobby that they very well may enjoy for many years to come. In addition, the library is the first place you should be sure to check out to see what wonders you might be able to find.
Yes, the books inside your local library are surely a wealth of information about hobbies in general, but I am talking about a more hands on situations that many libraries nationwide offer once the doors of school are closed for the summer and theirs start swinging open to students on a more regular basis.
Call your local library to see if they are holding any classes this summer for kids. Many libraries offer classes on a wide range of subjects, from computer learning to crafting to hands on photography. The library one town over from us held a weeklong class for elementary aged kids last year on beginning digital photography. The only thing I found inadequate about the class when I looked into it was that it was just for kids. The class had such a comprehensive list of topics that they were going to cover throughout the week that I would have loved to have taken the class myself. After several adults did approach the library with a similar request, they did set up just such a class for any age participants who wanted to attend.
Some libraries also offer one-day explorer classes where the subject at hand is an exploration into a specific hobby. They employ adults to come in and demonstrate their hobby to the kids. This is an ideal way, for kids to see up close, how something is done, and it can give them the information they need to understand if such a hobby is something, they would like to try. I have seen everything from glass blowing to woodcarving, metalworking, even pottery making with a wheel, all demonstrated at the library. This is a great way for kids to learn about a handcraft that they might otherwise never have a chance to be exposed to. Most of the adults also had information on where the kids could sign up for classes if they were really interested in learning more, and I thought this was just great.
Some libraries might employ guest speakers along a similar theme. The person might have visited a foreign country or traveled in an unusual means, say a river trip up the Amazon or camping in the wilds of Africa. While they might not be demonstrating an actual hobby, kids can come away from these presentations with a much broader range of information about the world in general, and this can open their minds to all sorts of possibilities.
Our small local library has a display case right next to their door with contents that change regularly. Locals are asked to bring in just about any collection they might possess to share with the public. I have seen collections of everything from Wizard of Oz paraphernalia to a collection of nutcrackers, a cookie cutter collection, to assorted collectible plates, and a collection of items relating to the sinking of the Titanic. One never knows for sure what collection might next fill the shelves of the display case. It is a great way for the youth of the community to see what others have deemed worthy of collecting. Most collections span years of work assembling and keeping the items in top condition, and are a perfect example for kids to get an up-close view of things they might otherwise never see.
The library in your community might be much more than just books, but unless you check them out you might never know just what they can offer you and your family. Head to yours this summer with your kids and help them open the doors to a completely new world of possibilities and explorations. They might come away with a brand new hobby, or at the least, a bit of knowledge about the world that is their community.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The Hobby of Writing
By Christina VanGinkel
If writing is a hobby that you have entertained thoughts on, but are not sure exactly what it is you would write about, first take note that there are no hard and fast rules concerning subject matter, or how to go about the process of the actual writing itself. Whether you are someone who is looking towards writing as a hobby, or even as a more prominent part of your life, a side job or maybe even someday as a full time source of income, you will be hard put to find two writers who follow the same path.
Some writers focus on a single subject matter, where as, other writers may write across a wide range of subject matters. Maybe they write stories for children, and feature articles for magazines, on subjects ranging from adult issues to home decor. Before many of us who write can even narrow that focus down though, we must first do the most basic thing. Sit down and write something, putting pen or pencil to paper or fingers to the keyboard.
This most basic element is often the hardest step for some people to take though. It is easier to talk about writing for many so called writers, than it is to actually sit down and do it. I always tell myself that amongst any given group of writers, you are sure to find some of the world's best procrastinators. For example, I can be plodding along with a story or an article, when suddenly nothing I write seems to work. Sentences are unrecognizable, and when I do manage to actually put something solid down on paper, when I read it back, it just does not make sense, and I wonder where I ever got the idea or the words from in the first place.
These roadblocks every now and then, for lack of a better description, often grow into a manifestation of denial where it is much easier to talk about what and why I cannot write, than it would ever be to just sit down and get writing again. If you intend to make writing a hobby that you not only participate in, but also gain pleasure from, then learning how to circumvent this most basic obstacle of writers worldwide is something you will have to deal with eventually.
This is also, where I think some people are at before they ever get going. They are stuck in some sort of perpetual roadblock. The only way I can think of to tell you how to break through that, if that is where you are at, on the edge of being a writer, but scared for any number of reasons to get going, is to just write. Nobody ever has to read what you write if that is your fear. Remember that you have the ultimate power over what you write. If you want to post it, sell it, or keep it under lock and key in a private journal, is all up to you.
This brings us to the next subject of where to write, and what to write on, or in. Some of the most prolific writers today still write longhand in notebooks. Some 'write' into a recorder, and then later on, will transcribe their words into a computer. They write wherever and whenever the muse finds them, be it the park, first thing in the morning before their feet even hit the floor, or maybe at a proper writing desk, in an office of their dreams. I once read of a writer who makes his living sitting in an old leather covered chair that had seen its best days long before the turn of the century, the last century that is, not the current one. His desk is an old wooden door that he removed from his closet solely for the sake of having somewhere to sit at to accomplish his daily ritual of writing. Others feel that unless they are sitting in front of the newest computer money can buy, at a desk that would please the finickiest of people; they are not a true writer. I say to each their own, and if the drive to write is strong enough, it will not really matter if you have the newest and the brightest.
If you want to make writing a part of who you are, then the best advice I can give you is to start. Do not wait until everything is perfect, or else you will always be finding an excuse to put it off. Instead, if an idea comes to you, write it down. That will be the difference between talking about being a writer, and actually becoming one.
If writing is a hobby that you have entertained thoughts on, but are not sure exactly what it is you would write about, first take note that there are no hard and fast rules concerning subject matter, or how to go about the process of the actual writing itself. Whether you are someone who is looking towards writing as a hobby, or even as a more prominent part of your life, a side job or maybe even someday as a full time source of income, you will be hard put to find two writers who follow the same path.
Some writers focus on a single subject matter, where as, other writers may write across a wide range of subject matters. Maybe they write stories for children, and feature articles for magazines, on subjects ranging from adult issues to home decor. Before many of us who write can even narrow that focus down though, we must first do the most basic thing. Sit down and write something, putting pen or pencil to paper or fingers to the keyboard.
This most basic element is often the hardest step for some people to take though. It is easier to talk about writing for many so called writers, than it is to actually sit down and do it. I always tell myself that amongst any given group of writers, you are sure to find some of the world's best procrastinators. For example, I can be plodding along with a story or an article, when suddenly nothing I write seems to work. Sentences are unrecognizable, and when I do manage to actually put something solid down on paper, when I read it back, it just does not make sense, and I wonder where I ever got the idea or the words from in the first place.
These roadblocks every now and then, for lack of a better description, often grow into a manifestation of denial where it is much easier to talk about what and why I cannot write, than it would ever be to just sit down and get writing again. If you intend to make writing a hobby that you not only participate in, but also gain pleasure from, then learning how to circumvent this most basic obstacle of writers worldwide is something you will have to deal with eventually.
This is also, where I think some people are at before they ever get going. They are stuck in some sort of perpetual roadblock. The only way I can think of to tell you how to break through that, if that is where you are at, on the edge of being a writer, but scared for any number of reasons to get going, is to just write. Nobody ever has to read what you write if that is your fear. Remember that you have the ultimate power over what you write. If you want to post it, sell it, or keep it under lock and key in a private journal, is all up to you.
This brings us to the next subject of where to write, and what to write on, or in. Some of the most prolific writers today still write longhand in notebooks. Some 'write' into a recorder, and then later on, will transcribe their words into a computer. They write wherever and whenever the muse finds them, be it the park, first thing in the morning before their feet even hit the floor, or maybe at a proper writing desk, in an office of their dreams. I once read of a writer who makes his living sitting in an old leather covered chair that had seen its best days long before the turn of the century, the last century that is, not the current one. His desk is an old wooden door that he removed from his closet solely for the sake of having somewhere to sit at to accomplish his daily ritual of writing. Others feel that unless they are sitting in front of the newest computer money can buy, at a desk that would please the finickiest of people; they are not a true writer. I say to each their own, and if the drive to write is strong enough, it will not really matter if you have the newest and the brightest.
If you want to make writing a part of who you are, then the best advice I can give you is to start. Do not wait until everything is perfect, or else you will always be finding an excuse to put it off. Instead, if an idea comes to you, write it down. That will be the difference between talking about being a writer, and actually becoming one.
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