“Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” Oscar Wilde

Recently I did a class on customization of the PC and a student asked where can I get good wallpapers? It is a good question because when you do a simple Google search for wallpaper or desktops you do get a lot of choices but much of the pictures are given over to pictures of women that although pretty I am not going to use that as my background. I know this will sound a bit ridiculous but when I feel like I am working myself into a funk on the computer I change my desktop to give me a small pick me up. It’s cheaper than coffee. Anyway below is a list of some of my current and long time favorites. So go through them and find something to new to refresh your machine.

PixelGirl Presents is one I go back to again and again. They consistently have the more unusual artistically stuff. Unfortunately if you are looking at this in the library it will be blocked. There isn’t a trace of anything wrong so give it a try at home.

Wallpapr is a site that pulls in Flickr photos. This site takes simplicity to a new level. You type in any word or words like storm and if a photo has been tagged with your search words it comes up. You can also choose how many photos for it to display. If you aren’t finding what you are yearning for then try more descriptive and generic terms like dark, light, soft, happy…

ZixPK has some of the more dynamic images out there. They are very heavy on color contrast and interesting close-ups. Just click the HD wallpapers button at the top to see them.

Wallaper Abyss has a lot to offer. It has everything from the cheesecake photos I mentioned earlier to the abstract. The reason I return here is that most of this type of site give you generic categories. Abyss has that as well but then you can choose from more specialized tags as well. As an example I chose Scifi and then I chose robot and the categories keep going on and on.

"It's not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over."Edna St. Vincent Millay

Stunning! That’s all you can really say. Google in partnership with Life Magazine has released images starting in 1750 to the present day. Some are prints and some are photos but all are exquisite. It really is the cheapest and easiest museum to get to. Last night I spent a lot of time just browsing through time. The site is comprised of two main features: images categorized into decades that you can browse through and a search bar. I found you got a lot better results with the search bar then just a simple browse. Just a quick list of what you will see. Disney World Opening, Civil War images, Queen Victoria, trains, goggles, and space photos..... Holy Moly! So many wonderful early NASA images, even the building of the Apollo. All of the photos can be clicked on giving you a description and a magnified view. Seriously these are all magnificent and so easy to see. Do yourself a favor and give these a try.

“To paint comic books as childish and illiterate is lazy. A lot of comic books are very literate - unlike most films.” Alan Moore

So you have been taking all these digital photos of everything you can get your lens pointed at. Now what? They just sit on your computer not being displayed. Yes of course you could print them out and frame them but is there a more interesting way of displaying them. Enter Comic Life, a piece of software for Mac/PC that can create a comic book look for your photo. This program is just so easy to use. All you do is slide your photos into the provided panels and then create speech bubbles so you can create a story. Now you could do this in Microsoft Word as well but nowhere as easy. Also the templates and other extras make this program a lot of fun. I am using this to create a comic book themed cook book for home. Much of the program is automated so I can just start working versus having to set everything up, get frustrated, and then quit the project. The program offers a 30 day trial period so you can get a feel for it. The price is at the most $30 bucks. If you need a new way of making an invitation or would like a cool project to do with kids then give it a try. It is a lot of fun.

“It's marvellous, marvellous! Nothing will ever be as much fun. I'm going to photograph everything, everything!”Jacques-Henri Lartigue

Let’s say you are walking on the beach and see an unusual shell and you want to identify it. How do you go about it? Do you try to describe the colors or the shape? Do you put into a search engine that sort of information or do you grab a guidebook? The problem is that although a guidebook is useful it does not always have the exact description or picture of what you are holding in your hand. A search engine is inadequate for the simple reason of describing something to Google does not work well. This is where picasnswers helps out. You take a photo of the issue, post it, and then ask the question. A perfect example was of a traveler who came across a sign in a foreign country. It was a pictogram so there was no words or description just a symbol. The answer was from a viewer of the picture just like yourself. Many times the photo will prompt a discussion that is quite interesting. If you have an almost unanswerable question or penchant for looking at other peoples photos than it is time you give this a try.

“I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They're upstairs in my socks.”

I have written of the wonders of Flickr many times before and it seems I am not the only one to find it useful. The Library of Congress has released 3000 photos onto the site. The idea is brilliant, harness the Web 2.0 communities to identify, categorize, and just enjoy these works of photographic art. When I checked this out it seemed that every photo had at least 50 comments with full discussions ranging from fashion to propaganda. I will say if you do go onto this site make sure you have nothing to do because it is quite extensive and addictive. You just want to keep walking through out the archives that have remained unseen by the general public for so long. (Selfish plug coming up) For the same reasons I have been really enjoying Rick Ring’s blog about Providence Public Library’s special collections. These places that take care of our histories are our time machines to the past. Sometimes they are the way back and amazingly others show a way forward. I recommend giving both a try.

“Technology is so much fun but we can drown in our technology. The fog of information can drive out knowledge.” Daniel J. Boorstin

A couple notes that are not big enough for a full post. Hope you enjoy this little list.

• Providence Public Library has a bunch of other blogs now, Check them out.
  
• iGoogle has a whole bunch of new themes, so check those out.
  
• Beware of Excel documents you are not familiar with. There are some malicious documents floating around the net so just be a bit more careful what you open.
  
• New pictures of the planet Mercury just out.
  
• Google images has a face recognition feature, but it is not always an option. Be on the lookout for it.
  
• Bill gates Steps down video...funny stuff
  
• Steve Jobs steps up to the keynote, Watch the whole 90 minute keynote condensed down to 60 seconds
• Beware of the some supposed Mac software called MacSweeper. It is a type of spyware that says it cleans and repairs your Mac.
  
• New way around those phone systems you are forced to call for help. They are programmed to detect "naughty" words. So swear away when they have prompts and you just may get right to a human.

I don’t mind being in touch with reality, as long as I don’t have to live there. Bob Thaves

Years ago some friends and I traveled to the VR (Virtual Reality) show in Boston. This was when VR was promised to be everywhere in just a few years. Now that was about 1994 and it is still a long way off but when something gives even an inkling of that sort of tech I get excited about it. Tiltviewer is a site that pulls photos from the site Flickr. It pulls in wonderful and interesting images from all over. Now this is a very simple site on the face of it. All it does is present the pics in a sort of floating blackness and to see it closer just click. Once it is enlarged click the arrow to see the details. If you like the photo and want to see more from the photographer just click the go to the Flickr page. I have to say viewing it in the browser window defeats the purpose. Right click anywhere and choose full screen. Now you have that pseudo VR effect. I just need a helmet and a glove and I am ready to roll. If you have five minutes to look at glorious images from around the globe give this one a try. It is how I found this photo. It makes me laugh at least.

“Photography has the capacity to provide images of man and his environment that are both works of art and moments in history.”

Not too long ago I finished scanning all my photos I have had stored in the eves. I have had these photos sitting in storage forever and I never look at them. However now they are scanned and backed up I do not have to worry about the paper goods being ruined. Besides the safety of my pictures scanning is good in other ways. I started making slideshows set to music so the family could look at these long forgotten memories or I started emailing them to friends. The other big advantage is organization. All my photos are tagged with keywords and have space for comments so I can find anything easily. Doing all this is thought to be complicated but all you need is a scanner. You can pick up a decent one for less than $150. The scanners I like best have the feature that allows you to put multiple photos at once and then it divides them into different files, saves a lot of time. Once you have a scanner slap the photos down and hit scan. They usually are fairly automatic. Then use software like Picassa (free) or Adobe Photo Elements ($30) to clean them up. Or send them to an online storage place like Flickr. This way many more people can see your stuff and you can email it easily to people. At some of the Providence libraries we have Scanners for the public to use. Give this a try and reclaim your photos.

“Keep up appearances whatever you do.”Charles Dickens

On the same subject of Photoshop and its ability to alter our reality is a fantastic timeline of forgeries. A professor at Dartmouth College, named Hany Farid, has put together a list of examples of how photos have been altered to highlight an element or just to deceive the viewer. The list is quite amazing. It ranges from 1860 to the present. It shows off some of the most famous and popular pictures we take for granted as real. He has links comparing the original to the altered when possible. Since the invention of Photoshop, it seems the original unaltered photo must become a thing of the past. If you have a love of history or photos give this one a try.

Note: When I teach Photoshop Elements this is what I use in class. Many Thanks to Professor Farid.

“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.” Duane Michals

Yesterday we had a Photoshop Elements class here at central. I try to instill a sense of belief that you can create anything you desire in a photograph. If it has not happened, it could with the right software. It seemed yesterday that the students got the idea of creation of moments in time. However I like to show on the blog stuff I do not have time for in class. The video below is a perfect example of what can be done when it comes to Photoshop. The more subtle changes makes a more believable photo. An example in the video is just the whitening of the teeth and how it makes a big difference. Also it does a nice job highlighting the differences at the end and showing what was done. Check out the video and then grab some photos and give it a try.

Note: The artists is using Photoshop and not Elements but a good portion of what is done can still be done with the lesser program.

“True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” Albert Einstein

Continuing with the discussion of creativity on the net I want to talk about the community Worth1000. I have been going to this site for several years. At the minimum it is a place to show off themed Photoshopped works. At the best it is a place where people share their secrets of how they accomplished a particular editing feat. Essentially Worth1000 comes up with a theme like beyond the canvas. They want your interpretation of what happens after or in a particular artwork. Now these are all contests and some actually have the artist win some money but most of it seems to be a place to flex your Photoshop muscle. Creativity and imagination reign here. There is even a place where people share their tutorials and secrets. One other thing that is wonderful about this site is that it is a mix of the pro and the amateur. There are projects galore for both. So if you want to play with images give this a try.

“Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet.” Mark Twain

The last post to round out the week of Flickr tools is a bit of a double. First, Bubblr is a nice way to use all the photos to make a comic strip. Essentially you search for photos and pick from the results. Once you have the photos assembles in the order you like then grab some of the speech bubble to put over the photos and type in the text you desire. Once you are finished you can email your creation or blog it. This is a beautifully designed and very user friendly website. To see what others have come up with try the archives. I really do like this one and recommend giving it a try. However there might be a problem here. Every time you take a photo you are creating a copyrighted material. How can I use your photos to create comic strips of my own? Many people have their works copyrighted but most have something called creative commons instead. This is a systems where the creator of the material decides how they want the item to be used. I could try to explain it but the video below does a far better job. If you plan to use others photos or upload some of your own then check out the Creative Commons website for more information.

“When I photograph, what I'm really doing is seeking answers to things.” Wynn Bullock

Flickr leech is another way of looking at all the pictures listed on Flickr. All this does is show pictures based on your search just like the real thing. There are two main twists thought. First it shows a lot of pictures at once, 200 to be exact. this stops you having to go through hundreds of pages just to find what you are looking for. it allows faster scanning through a lot more items. Second it does a nice job showing off the feature on Flickr known as interestingness. Instead of doing a search this allows you to see all the photos marked as special for that day. If you want to start doing some hard core searching through photos then give Flickr Leech a try.

“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.” Ansel Adams

This next Flickr tool site is, I believe, is just for fun. Since people take photos of everything someone came up with a great idea to spell using only pictures from Flickr. This site is barebones and straightforward. Just type in some words that you want to see and press enter, from there you will see a mix of photos that have been tagged with enough information to spell your choices. If you keep hitting the refresh button at the top of the browser it will constantly choose randomly from the Flickrverse. What can you do with all of this? You could use this in any project that calls for lettering. If you scrapbook or create presentations this might be a new way of putting it all together. Give it a try even if all you do is spell your own name.

Note: Photo of Ansel Adams from 1960 by Nancy Newhall

“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I'd like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.” Annie Leibovitz

Now you can head on to the Flickr site itself or you can play around with the related tag browser. This site takes advantage of the fact that every picture on Flickr is tagged for easy finding and organizing. You can type a search in the middle and see what comes up or after you get you result you can click on all the tags that surround the pics in the middle. If you point to the pics in the middle you can get closer but if you move to the outer edges than you can zoom out to see all the tags. Once you click a picture it will show up on the right. From there you could either head onto a different photo or onto the photographers page in Flickr. If you love photos and just want to wander in a pictured universe then give this one a try.

“The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

Time for a bit of rehashing of an old subject. I blogged about Flickr a while back but i realized i did not do it any justice. Flickr is a Yahoo owned photo sharing website community. Essentially a person uploads a photo and the community tags or leaves comments about it. There are thousands of thousands of photos and I believe it is one of the most popular photo services on the net. The reason for its popularity is simple it is easy to use and the community of viewers are very responsive. No longer does one hold pictures in a vacuum but they share it with the world at large. Photos are now being seen as more than a split second of time but a way of archiving the planet and it's inhabitants. Now, because so many people use this gigantic photo album many sites have mashed up their ideas with the Flickr page.
The help page can be a bit cumbersome so check this page out for a nice summary.I would like to dedicate the rest of the week to highlighting some of these new extras. In the meantime check out Flickr and give it a try.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi

A class that is asked for constantly is Microsoft Access. I unfortunately have not found a way to deliver it easily in an hour and half class. This does not mean I do not search for other avenues for students. just because i do not teach it does not mean someone does not need to learn it. I came across the site inpics recently. Essentially they do online tours and classes of software including Access, Publisher, Word, Dreamweaver and many others. They offer screenshots of everything they are talking about. They are simple and easy to go through. The other really nice part is that it is totally free. So if you are looking to brush up on some new skills and you cannot get to a class this may be another option for you to give a try.

“Always live in the ugliest house on the street - then you don't have to look at it” David Hockney

Yesterday I was driving somewhere and I had a map from a site like Mapquest to tell me which way to go. It worked fine and I got where I needed to be but it took me a while to find the exact building because the numbers were gone. It would have been so useful to actually see the building, not from space, but from street level. Google has finally jumped on board to start mapping the USA from the street. However they are only doing certain major cities so far. They are not the first to do this by any means. Amazon's search site A9 tried this a year ago. Now Google's street maps are not bad, but a little taxing on the processor. I will say I found them fun for a while to walk down the streets virtually. It is not all good. What Google has done is capture a moment in time. I mean that if you were on the street at that moment you were photographed and our now part of the map, at least for a little while. People have been photographed doing all the things we do on a public street. Sometimes people are checking the contents of their noses or going into certain types of store. All this is pulled into the camera for good and bad. Click here to check see the video intro. Also to see a bit of the strangeness, someone has already put out a top 15 site of the odd sights. Give it a try.

“Good words are worth a thousand pictures.”

A recent question from a student was about inserting pictures in Microsoft Word Documents. She asked why everything moves around when a new picture is on the page. This is a very common issue. The problem is one of layout. If you click on a picture in your document and then go up to the format menu and choose picture. This will bring up the format picture window. Click on the layout tab and then choose anything but in line with text. That one is the default and pushes the text all over the place. I personally like square or tight. This forces the text closely around the picture. You can also move it around wherever you want it. If you choose in front of text you have total freedom to place it anywhere. However be careful of using the behind text because it may be a pain to select later. This will help any document where you use pictures. This also includes autoshapes, clipart, and wordart. Give it a try.

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Ansel Adams

Not too long ago I was looking for some historic pictures but I just could not locate what I wanted. Later on I found a fantastic site that has over 80,000 photos. Many sites have older photos but what I like best about this one was the organization. They have them in sets like the photos for Lincoln's assassination or old west photos. The site calls itself simply enough old pictures. These photos are from all over the world however if you are looking for really nice collection of pictures from Rhode Island then try PPL's own image collection. It has a nice setup with an easy to find search so you can navigate quickly. Give them a try.