Summary. Discarded text books represent a significant source of waste in landfills.

Because old school and college text books are not accepted by most recycling programs, they end up getting thrown in with mainstream garbage.

Better World Books is promoting more environmentally sound recycling of books. The video below explains more.

The Environmental Impact of Better World Books from Better World Books on Vimeo.

Summary. The standard Apple MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 notebook configuration includes 4GB RAM for $2,200 (as of spring 2012). This should be enough memory for the most demanding tasks. However, the computer is extremely slow for many simple tasks even when running only one or two applications. This page offers some suggestions for improving speed and performance. The guidelines below will probably be useful for any brand of computer — desktop or notebook.

Memory Management Apps. There seem to be some memory management issues in Apple OS X Lion 10.7 as indicated by slowness and the reported available memory regularly sinking to only a few hundred megabytes. This happens when running Apple branded software and apps included with the OS, so it doesn’t seem to be a problem with third party software. As a result of these memory management issues, there are now many apps available through the Apple App store for free or 99 cents that will perform the basic task of cleaning up misallocated memory. Here is a short list (from among about two dozen):

• Clean Memory
• FreeMemory Pro (or FreeMemory at no charge)
• MemoryFreer

Memory Upgrade. For an upgrade price of $200 at the time of purchase, the Apple MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 notebook can come with 8GB RAM installed rather than 4GB RAM. This is a huge price jump considering that Crucial has an 8GB upgrade for $45 (and you get to keep the original 4GB for sale or use elsewhere).

“I purchased the Apple MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 notebook with the standard 4GB RAM and was really disappointed at how slow it was for basic tasks. After upgrading to 8GB RAM, I immediately noticed an improvement in speed. These days, it seems like some low-end computers are configured shipped with the minimum amount of memory required to simply turn on. This reminds me of printers that ship with starter ink kits that can only print a hundred pages.” ~ Greg Johnson

Windows Users. Although the Apple OS and Microsoft Windows OS both have their advantages and disadvantages, their demands on memory and processor speed seem to be about the same. It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the point where 8GB RAM has become a baseline for a computer to perform fast and responsive, but that seems to be the case. At the time of publishing this article, most low-end Windows computers ship with 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM is considered the preferred amount of memory to have.

Summary. These days, most people have their  smart phones locked. This is good for security, but if the phone is lost and then found by someone, they won’t ever be able to get into the phone and find out who to return it to. These instructions describe how to create a custom iPhone lock screen image with your name and contact information.

Simple Method. The quick, low tech, easy, but not so elegant way to set owner information to display on your iPhone or any smart phone is to simply write your contact information on paper and then take a photo of it that is clear enough to be read. Then set that picture as your power-on lock screen. Provide your name, email, and an alternate phone number.

Using Notepad. You could also create a lock screen wallpaper image using the notepad feature in the iPhone by typing your contact information in the middle of the note and then taking a screen shot of it by pressing the power and home keys briefly.

Using Other Apps. There are a number of drawing and graphics programs for the iPhone OS and for desktop computers. Some iPhone drawing apps like Doodle Buddy or Draw Pad Pro let you create colorful images with text. Keynote and Pages for the iPhone or iPad allow you to type your name and choose an elegant backdrop. With any of these, you can create a custom home screen image that includes your name and contact information. Then, press the power and home keys briefly to take a snapshot of your creation (while viewing in full-screen mode).

Using Keynote. The instructions below show how to use Keynote to make a custom lock screen wallpaper image.

Step #1 – Set the presentation image size to 640×960 as shown below.

Step #2 – Disable any link information as shown below.

Step #3 – From the file menu, close to export your creation as a jpg image as shown below and then email it to yourself so you can save it to the camera roll on the iPhone. When you receive the image in an email, touch and hold it to save to camera roll. Then, from the camera roll, you can define it as your lock screen image (or do this from Settings).

Keynote Theme Samples Gallery. Below is a gallery of samples using some of the Keynote themes to vary the background and fond. The other images on the page are included as well. Click any image to zoom in.

Summary. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Premium is the model that replaces the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 Premium. Although these units are similar in appearance, design, and function, the OfficeJet 8600 series represents a significant improvement in quality, speed, and ease of use. Of all the 8600 series printers available, the Premium configuration represents the best value. [BUY]

“I’ve been using the HP OfficeJet series of printers for the past ten years and find they are fast, economical, reliable, and exceptionally versatile. The OfficeJet 8600 Pro series offers significant advances in economical printing, energy efficiency, speed, and print quality.  I’d highly recommend it. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Premium offers the greatest value since it comes with additional ink cartridges and a secondary paper tray. Another advantage is having a flat-bed legal size scanning area for oversized documents.” ~ Greg Johnson 

Initial Setup Problems. When setting up the HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 for the first time, you may encounter an error during setup indicating that one of the ink cartridges isn’t installed or isn’t installed properly. There may actually not be any specific error message other than the non-stop looping of the animated video introduction on the display that never advances beyond showing you how the put the ink cartridges in.

Upon removing the identified cartridge and reinstalling it again multiple times over again, you’ll begin to get frustrated because this never solves the problem despite the error message suggesting it will. Then you will likely install a new ink cartridge, only to be told by the printer that the original “setup” cartridge must be installed the first time during setup. At which point you’ll install the original setup cartridge again, and get the same error again.

It may be necessary to remove the ink cartridge carrying mechanism and reinsert it again. This is the device that holds all four ink cartridges. You’ll find a white handle or latch on the right side. When this is moved up, the ink cartridge carrying mechanism can be removed and then reinserted again. Hopefully the problems identified above were simply due to incomplete or incorrect contact between the ink cartridge carrying mechanism contacts and the printer.

Summary. This page has some video recording and production tips for people wanting to record and produce high quality videos without a huge investment of time or money.

Video Recording Tips. Here are some basic recording tips for producing the best quality results.

• Lighting. Lighting is usually a problem in most settings. If you’re far away from the person speaking and zoom in, this will reduce the quality of your recording. So, setup your tripod and camera close. This will improve the sound quality as well.
• Presentation and Lighting. If a Powerpoint projected presentation is used, and lights are dimmed, this will result in very poor video recording. So, its’ best to dim lights near the screen, but leave all other lights on, and encourage the presenter to stay in a well lit area for recording. Or, if possible, use a projector that can produce a clear image on the wall or screen even when the lights are at a normal level.
• Presentation and Camera Position. Position the camera in the front of the room to the left or right of the presenter and projector screen. This will allow you to be close to the front and record the presenter and the PowerPoint slides simultaneously.
• Presentation and PowerPoint Images. For more professional results, it’s possible when editing the video to insert images of the PowerPoint slides into the video using a cutaway feature. If you’re planning to do this, ask the presenter to give you a copy of the presentation slides for this purpose. However, it is time consuming, so recording the presenter and slides simultaneously (as mentioned above) can be sufficient and save time.
• Sound. Unless you have a nice wireless microphone setup, you’ll probably need to boost the audio in your video editing software once you have it there. If possible, ask anyone speaking or presenting to speak clearly and project their voice. Also, it’s important to setup your tripod close to the person speaking to get the best sound. You’ll need to zoom out for a wide shot when sitting close.
• Tripod. It’s important to use a tripod and when necessary move the camera slowly for best results.

Video Editing Tips. If you followed the instructions above to get a quality recording, there should be little work required in editing the video. Using simple titles and transitions is a benefit. Presumably the people viewing the video are sufficiently interested in the content that they won’t care about the flash and fluff of fancy editing techniques.

Video Production Tips. These days people “reside” in different online communities and social networks. For photographs, publishing to multiple services is a good idea (such as Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook). Video is the same. So, publishing the same video to Vimeo.com and YouTube.com makes sense.

Summary. Photographers have unique needs when it comes to website design. Many photographers use Facebook or have a free blog that points to an online collection of photo galleries hosted on Flickr or Picasa.

Those wanting to take things up a notch can create a full website to showcase their photography portfolio. WordPress.com offers an elegant, simple, and low-cost solution for most people needing a website. For $17 a year, you get website hosting and domain registration.You get the ability to have a multi-authored site, with hundreds or thousands of pages and articles (documents). The site templates are optimized for viewing on iPad, iPhone, or any computer. Photo gallery capabilities are built-in and a dozen photo/image-centric themes are among the 165 available themes. WordPress.com is an example of a content management system (CMS).

Specialized Photography Websites. Some website hosting companies offer themes and easy-to-use website management tools specifically designed for photographers needing photo/image-centric websites. These are also ideal for architects, musicians, bands, artists, painters, graphic designers, actors, and others who depend on having a dynamic and striking presentation of photos and images.

Directory. Below is a directory of photographer focused website hosting companies.

“We understand creative professionals because we are creative professionals. Every employee has achievements within their fields, and a passion for people and creative businesses. Our diverse experiences enable us to meet the diversity of our clients. Our team has lived in over 30 US states, 2 territories and 6 countries. The web is constantly changing and we strive to keep up. Support agents go through a rigorous training before they ever start helping customers. After that, we have monthly trainings and many “check this out” meetings to keep our knowledge and skills cutting edge. Regardless of whether you are just getting started or have been with Photobiz for a long time, you can call us as often as you need. We are here for you. We are here to answer questions as simple as moving pages to as complex as setting up SEO strategies.” [More...]

“In 2005, a bunch of friends got together over dinner to discuss the future of photography and how digital cameras and the Internet would change the industry. PhotoShelter was the outcome of that conversation. Six years later, our family has grown, but we’re still creating professional-quality tools and websites that make it easier for serious photographers to succeed. We’re happy to meet you!” [More...]

“At Zenfolio we believe that a beautiful photograph requires an equally impressive viewing experience. And because every photo tells a story, we’ve made it our business to display them with the same precision and attention to detail that went into making them. Drawing on our own passion for photography, Zenfolio, Inc was founded in 2004. Since then, we’ve worked hard to create a place online where photographers – both amateurs and professionals – can organize, display, and sell their images with uncompromising quality.” [More...]

“Most Internet companies dream of selling to bigger ones, and getting rich. We don’t. We dream of an independent company devoted to nothing but your priceless photos. A company that backs up your precious memories so they’re safe and sound. A profitable, debt-free company. That earns your fanatical loyalty. We’re living that dream. 100 employees. Hundreds of thousands of ecstatic customers. Billions of photos and counting. We’ll always be smaller than the photo-sharing divisions of giant companies. Which is a very good thing. Want to join the family?” [More...]

“SiteWelder launched in October 2002 as a powerful software tool to provide an easy-to-use online interface for photographers, artists and other creative professionals who want to create and dynamically maintain web sites. SiteWelder was originally created as a product of Tango Interactive, where we have been creating web sites for individuals and companies since 1996. Our clients at Tango Interactive have included Photo District News, Kodak, Sanyo Fisher, the InterAmerican Development Bank and a wide variety of individual photographers and photographic organizations.” [More...]

Summary. Adobe SendNow joins with other cloud file sharing service providers such as Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Box.com, Dropbox.com, and Google Docs.

Overview. Most other cloud-based document sharing services offer some level of free support with expanded features on their paid support plan. Adobe offers a free service that should serve most people’s needs.

Benefits. Each cloud storage company offers something unique:

• Dropbox offers easy desktop synchronization of files and folders.
• Box.com lets you send a link to a file or folder so a person can download an item without having to signup for anything.
• Adobe SendNow lets you send large files and have your online storage space automatically clean itself up by deleting files that are more than 7 days old. It’s not designed to be a collaborative online workspace, but instead a solution for moving large files easily. The 100MB per file limit is better than what others offer with their free service packages.

Recommendation. It’s a good idea to setup a free account with all the service providers so you can take advantage of each one’s unique benefits. This also lets you increase your cumulative available online storage space, without taking on any regular ongoing expense.

Pricing. The features and pricing as of 30 January 2012 are compared below. Click here or the image below to enlarge.

Summary. The 1896 painting “Peace” by William Strutt shown here depicts the lion and lamb described in the Bible scriptures Isaiah 11:6-7 and Isaiah 65:25.

The present-day distributor for the colorized reprints of this painting is Allastar Publishing (Allastar.com). Their website’s landing page offers some background information about William Strutt. Once inside their site, one finds a welcome message, contact page, and product order page where the painting reprints can be ordered for $20.

The painting is featured on the ResourcesForLife.com Calendar page.

Below is the full text of the scriptures that were the inspiration behind the painting.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox. [Isaiah 11:6-7]

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD. [Isaiah 65:25]

Alternate Print Version. Below is a previously popularized color version of the painting.

About William Strutt. The following is provided by Wikipedia.

“Strutt was born in Teignmouth, Devon, England, and came from a family of artists, his grandfather, Joseph Strutt, was a well-known author and artist, his father, William Thomas Strutt, was a good miniature painter. William Strutt enjoyed a student life in Paris, France, and England, studying figurative and history painting. In response to a near-breakdown and problems with his eyes, Strutt decided to visit Australia, arriving 5 July 1850 on the Culloden, where he then married.
In Melbourne, Strutt found employment as an illustrator on the short-lived Illustrated Australian Magazine, published by Thomas Ham, as there was little demand for the figurative and history paintings for which he was trained.” [Source]

Summary. A fake email that poses as being from a YouTube user is circulating. An image of the email is below.

The text reads, “Username has sent you a message: Sorry… your email address here Can I place your video on my web site? You can reply to this message by visiting your inbox.”

Several of these emails are circulating. The links continued in the email, including the report spam link, go to sites other than YouTube. Links may go to malicious websites or identity theft sites, so they are to be avoided.

Summary. Regardless of whether you use Apple or Microsoft Windows computing platforms, you’ve noticed that hardware and operating systems are marching forward hand-in-hand without much regard for legacy systems or software.

This means that regular costly upgrades are necessary, and sometimes older software is no longer usable. For example, a program written for Windows XP might not work properly with Windows 7.

The declining value or usefulness of a product is referred to as planned obsolescence. In the case of Microsoft, it is strategically institutionalized obsolescence, as is evidenced by their product support lifecycle calendar. Although the operating system still “works” after support has ended, without security updates it’s not safe to use.

There are two remedies for this: (1) Compatibility Mode, or (2) Virtualization.

Compatibility Mode. As new operating systems have been released by Microsoft, they typically come with an ability to run a program in compatibility mode. So, without installing any virtualization, you should be able to right click on a program icon and choose a previous version of Windows as the operating system the program is most compatible with. The steps for doing this are shown in the screen shots below.

1. Right-click on the program icon and then click on Properties as shown below.

2. Click on the Compatibility tab, and from the Compatibility mode drop-down menu, (with the box checked to “Run this program in compatibility mode for:“) choose the operating system you’d like to be compatible with when running the selected program.

Virtual PC. An alternative to using Compatibility mode is to use Microsoft Virtual PC software. The software is available from Microsoft for free and allows you to load a secondary copy of Windows on your computer. This is helpful when you want to test something and don’t know if it would crash your computer. Virtual PC sessions are independent running computers that are easily backed up and restored if they fail. Also, hardware compatibility issues are not a problem because the virtual computer interfaces with the existing OS. Similar software is available for Apple computers to run multiple copies of Windows, such as VMware Fusion.